Devices for sensing and indicating variations in frequency and amplitude of acoustically vibrated work members

Claim 1

A VIBRATOR ASSEMBLY INCLUDING IN COMBINATION; A WORK PERFORMING VIBRATOR UNIT WHICH PRESENTS AN ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCER COMPONENT AND A WORK TOOL COMPONENT DESIGNED TO PERFORM USEFUL WORK WHICH IS RIGIDLY JOINED TO SAID TRANSDUCER COMPONENT BY A VIBRATION TRANSMITTING COMPONENT AND WHICH TOGETHER PROVIDE A VIBRATOR UNIT DESIGNED TO VIBRATE AT A PREDETERMINED RESONANCE FREQUENCY WHEN THE TRANSDUCER COMPONENT IS ENERGIZED BY AN ALTERNATING FIELD OF CORRESPONDING FREQUENCY, A STATIONARY CASING CONTAINING SAID TRANSDUCER COMPONENT AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE VIBRATION TRANSMITTING COMPONENT OF SAID VIBRATOR UNIT, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CASING FOR SUPPORTING SAID VIBRATOR UNIT ADJACENT A NODE OF LONGITUDINAL VIBRATION THEREOF, AND A HIGH FREQUENCY ALTERNATING CURRENT WINDING CONTAINED WITHIN AND SUPPORTED BY SAID CASING AND POSITIONED IN SURROUNDING RELATION TO SAID TRANSDUCER COMPONENT AND OPERATIVE WHEN ENERGIZED TO ESTABLISH AN ALTERNATING MAGNETIC FIELD IN SURROUNDING RELATION TO SAID TRANSDUCER COMPONENT WHOSE FREQUENCY SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDS TO THE RESONANCE FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION OF SAID WORK PERFORMING VIBRATOR UNIT; AND A DEVICE FOR SENSING VARIATIONS IN THE FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION OF SAID WORK PERFORMING VIBRATOR UNIT WHEN VIBRATED; SAID DEVICE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER PRESENTING A FREE END HAVING MEANS AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF FOR RIGIDLY SECURING SAID MEMBER TO A COMPONENT OF SAID WORK PERFORMING VIBRATOR UNIT IN THE REGION OF A LOOP OF VIBRATION THEREOF AND WHEREBY SAID MEMBER IS VIBRATED AT A FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPOND TO THE FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION OF THAT REGION OF THE VIBRATOR UNIT AT WHICH SAID MEMBER IS FIXED, SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL LENGTH WHICH IS NOT MORE THAN ONE-HALF WAVE LENGTH OF SOUND TRAVELING THROUGH SAID MEMBER WHEN MECHANICALLY VIBRATED BY SAID UNIT AT THE RESONANCE FREQUENCY FOR WHICH THE UNIT IS DESIGNED, SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER HAVING A RELATIVELY SMALL CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND RELATIVELY SMALL MASS AS COMPARED TO THE COMPONENT OF THE VIBRATOR UNIT TO WHICH IT IS SECURED AND WHEREBY SAID MEMBER DOES NOT MATERIALLY ALTER THE NORMAL RESONANCE FREQUENCY OR AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION OF SUCH COMPONENT, A PICKUP ASSEMBLY TELESCOPED OVER SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER AND WHICH INCLUDES A PICKUP COIL SURROUNDING A REGION OF MAXIMUM STRESS IN SAID MEMBER WHEN VIBRATED, MEANS FOR POLARIZING SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER, AND A HOUSING POSITIONED IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID VIBRATOR UNIT FOR CONTAINING AND SUPPORTING SAID PICKUP COIL IN TELESCOPED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER, MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CASING FOR SUPPORTING SAID PICKUP ASSEMBLY IN TELESCOPED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER AND IN A MANNER INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER AND THE COMPONENT OF SAID WORK PERFORMING VIBRATOR UNIT WITH WHICH IT IS ASSOCIATED; SAID PICKUP COIL BEING OPERATIVE TO GENERATE AN ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE, AS INDUCED THEREIN BY THE VIBRATIONS OF SAID POLARIZED MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER, WHOSE MAGNITUDE VARIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VARIATIONS IN AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATION OF THE VIBRATOR UNIT AT THE REGION THEREOF AT WHICH SAID MAGNETOSTRICTIVE MEMBER IS SECURED THERETO.