US 6,147,851 A · Method for guarding electrical regions having potential gradients

Abstract

A multi-potential guarding technique for preventing electrical charge exchange to or from an electrical system containing potential gradients and sources of electrical noise. An inner electrically conductive guard shield surrounds the system to be guarded. The electrical potential of the inner electrically conductive guard shield is such that there is ideally no net current flow to the guard shield from the electrical system therewithin. An outer electrically conductive guard shield surrounds the inner electrically conductive guard shield. An operational amplifier drives the outer electrically conductive guard shield to an electrical potential that is substantially equal to that of the inner electrically conductive guard shield so that there is substantially no potential difference between the inner and outer guard shields which has the effect of producing a high insulation impedance around the guarded system. The multi-potential guarding technique of this invention has application in a gradient-guard configuration and a charge-channel configuration.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method for guarding an electrical system containing potential gradients and sources of electrical noise so as to prevent undesired electrical charge exchange to or from the system, said method comprising the steps of:

surrounding the system by an inner electrically conductive guard having an electrical potential;
surrounding said inner electrically conductive guard by an outer electrically conductive guard;
and
driving said outer electrically conductive guard to an electrical potential that is substantially identical to the electrical potential of said inner electrically conductive guard so that there is substantially no potential difference between said inner and outer electrically conductive guards, whereby to effectively produce a high insulation impedance around the system.

1 more element

A method for guarding an electrical conductor that carries information and travels through a region containing potential gradients and sources of electrical noise such that substantially all of the information carried by the electrical conductor into the region is also carried by the electrical conductor out of the region, said method comprising the steps of:

surrounding the electrical conductor by an inner electrically conductive guard having an electrical potential;
surrounding said inner electrically conductive guard by an outer electrically conductive guard;
and
driving said outer electrically conductive guard to an electrical potential that is substantially identical to the electrical potential of said inner electrically conductive guard so that there is substantially no potential difference between said inner and outer electrically conductive guards to effectively produce a high insulation impedance around the electrical conductor, whereby parasitic electrical potentials that occur within the inner electrically conductive guard are unable to cause an electrical charge to flow outside said inner electrically conductive guard to alter the information carried by said electrical conductor.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for guarding electrical regions having potential gradients

Life of this patent

Method for guarding electrical regions having potential gradients

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12