Sonar transmitter system

Claim 2

A sonar transmitter comprising transducer means, means for producing a control signal representative of a quantity of power to be supplied to said transducer means, means responsive to said control signal to supply power to said transducer, and control circuit means responsive to the amount of power supplied to said transducer and to said control signal to control said power supply means to adjust the amount of power supplied to said transducer means.

Claim 3

The transmitter of claim 1 in which the control circuit means is responsive to the amplitude of the control signal.

Claim 4

The transmitter of claim 1 in which said power supply means includes means for producing a variable duration pulse of current, said control circuit means including means to control the duration of said pulse to adjust the power supplied to said transducer.

Claim 5

The transmitter of claim 3 wherein said variable duration current pulse-producing means includes a plurality of switching means, said means for controlling the duration of the current pulse comprises means for controlling the current conduction time of selected ones of said switching means.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4 wherein said means for controlling the current conduction time of said switching means comprises first means responsive to said control signal for supplying a pair of signals to a selected pair of said switching means to produce a current pulse for the transducer, said first means including phase shifter means to shift the phase of said pair of signals relative to each other to control the duration of the conduction time of said selected pair of switching means.

Claim 7

The transmitter of claim 3 wherein the means responsive to the amount of power supplied to said transducer comprises means responsive to the current produced by said power supply means to produce a voltage of a magnitude corresponding to the amount of said current.

Claim 8

The transmitter of claim 3 wherein said means for producing a variable duration current pulse includes a phase-shifter, said phase shifter comprising a bridge rectifier circuit, a capacitor having one end thereof connected to a first junction of said bridge circuit, a source of alternating current connected to the other end of said capacitor and to a second junction of the bridge opposite from said first junction, a source of direct current supply voltage connected to a third junction of the bridge, means for supplying a direct current control voltage to a fourth junction of the bridge opposite said third junction to prebias the conduction points of the rectifiers of said bridge and thereby control the charging rate of current through said capacitor, means connected to a junction of the bridge for producing an output signal corresponding to the charging of said capacitor, and means responsive to said output signal for producing a substantially square wave signal shifted in phase from said alternating current signal by an amount corresponding to the capacitor charging rate.

Claim 9

The transmitter of claim 1 in which said power supply means comprises a switching transistor connected between each of two junctions in a four-junction circuit to form a bridge-type circuit, a load connected between first and second junctions of the bridge circuit which are opposite each other, means for controlling the conduction of said transistors so that two of said transistors are conducting at substantially all times, current flowing through said load when the transistors forming diagonally opposing arms of the bridge are conducting.

Claim 10

The transmitter of claim 8 wherein said means for controlling the switching of said transistors comprises means for producing a pair of signals for application one to each transistor of a pair, and means for shifting the phase of said signals relative to each other to control the conduction times of the pair of transistors to which the signals are applied.

Claim 11

The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising means responsive to the power supplied to said transducer to reduce the amount of power supplied from said supply means to said transducer in response to an overload condition.

Claim 12

The transmitter of claim 3 further comprising means responsive to the power supplied to said transducer to reduce the amount of power supplied from said supply means to said transducer in response to an overload condition by reducing the duration of said pulse.

Claim 13

The transmitter of claim 1 further comprising means responsive to received reflected power to said transducer and said control signal to change the phase of the power supplied to said transducer to counteract the received reflected power.

Claim 14

The transmitter of claim 12 further comprising means for rectifying received reflected power, and means for storing the rectified power.

Claim 15

A transmitter as in claim 1 further comprising means for measuring the phase difference between the power supplied to said transducer and said control signal, and means responsive to the measured phase difference for bringing the power supplied to said transducer closer into phase with the phase of the control signal.

Claim 16

A transmitter as in claim 14 wherein said means for measuring the phase difference comprises means for comparing the phase of said control signal and the power supplied to said transducer and for producing a first signal representative of the difference measured by the comparison, and means responsive to said first signal for sifting the phase of the power produced by the supply means which is supplied to said transducer.

Claim 17

A transmitter as in claim 1 wherein said control circuit means comprises means for sensing the quantity of current at the input of said means for supplying power to the transducer means.

Claim 18

A sonar transmitter comprising transducer means, means for producing a control signal containing information of the phase of the power to be supplied to said transducer, means responsive to said control signal to supply power to said transducer, and control means responsive to the phase of the power supplied to said transducer for bringing the power supplied to said transducer into a predetermined phase relationship with said control signal.

Claim 19

A sonar transmitter comprising transducer means, means for producing a control signal containing information of the phase of the power to be supplied to said transducer, means responsive to said control signal to supply power to said transducer, and control means responsive to the phase of the power supplied to said transducer for bringing the power supplied to said transducer into a predetermined phase relationship with said control signal.

Claim 20

The transmitter of claim 17 wherein said control means comprises phase discriminator means, said phase discriminator means including means for receiving said control signal and a signal corresponding to the power supplied to Said transducer and for producing an error signal corresponding to the phase difference between said two signals, and phase shifter means connected between the source of control signals and the power supply means responsive to said error signal to bring the control signal into said predetermined phase relationship with the power applied to the transducer.

Claim 21

The transmitter of claim 18 wherein said phase shifter comprises a bridge rectifier circuit, a capacitor having one end thereof connected to a first junction of said bridge circuit, a source of alternating current connected to the other end of said capacitor and to a second junction of the bridge opposite from said first junction, a source of direct current supply voltage connected to a third junction of the bridge, means for supplying a direct current control voltage to a fourth junction of the bridge opposite said third junction to prebias the conduction points of the rectifiers of said bridge and thereby control the charging rate of current through said capacitor, means connected to a junction of the bridge for producing an output signal corresponding to the charging of said capacitor, and means responsive to said output signal for producing a substantially square wave signal shifted in phase from said alternating current signal by an amount corresponding to the capacitor charging rate, said control signal comprising the alternating current signal applied to the phase shifter and said error signal from said phase discriminator comprising the direct current control signal to prebias the rectifiers of the bridge.

Claim 22

A sonar transmitter comprising transducer means, means for producing a control signal containing information of the phase and quantity of power to be supplied to said transducer, means responsive to said control signal to supply power to said transducer, means responsive to the amount of power supplied to said transducer and to the control signal to control said power supply means to adjust the amount of power supplied to said transducer, and control means responsive to the phase of the power supplied to said transducer for bringing the power supplied to said transducer into a predetermined phase relationship with said control signal.

Claim 23

A sonar transmitter comprising transducer means, means for producing a control signal containing information of the phase and quantity of power to be supplied to said transducer, means responsive to said control signal to supply power to said transducer, means responsive to the amount of power supplied to said transducer and to the control signal to control said power supply means to adjust the amount of power supplied to said transducer, and control means responsive to the phase of the power supplied to said transducer for bringing the power supplied to said transducer into a predetermined phase relationship with said control signal.

Claim 24

The transmitter of claim 20 in which said power supply means includes means for producing a variable duration pulse of current, said last-named means including means to control the duration of said pulse to adjust the power supplied to said transducer.

Claim 25

The transmitter of claim 21 wherein said variable duration current pulse-producing means includes a plurality of switching means, said means for controlling the duration of the current pulse comprises means for controlling the current conduction time of selected ones of said switching means.

Claim 26

The combination of claim 22 wherein said means for controlling the current conduction time of said switching means comprises first means responsive to said control signal for supplying a pair of signals to a selected pair of said switching means to produce a current pulse for the transducer, said first means including phase shifter means to shift the phase of said pair of signals relative to each other to control the duration of the conduction time of said selected pair of switching means.

Claim 27

The combination of claim 23 wherein the phase shifter means controlled by the phase discriminator circuit is connected between the source of control signals and the phase shifter means for shifting the phase of the pair of signals.

Claim 28

The combination of claim 23 wherein said power supply means comprises a switching transistor connected between each of two junctions in a four-junction circuit to form a bridge-type circuit, a load connected between first and second junction of the bridge circuit which are opposite each other, means for controlling the conduction of said transistors so that two of said transistors are conducting at substantially all times, current flowing through said load when the transisTors forming diagonally opposing arms of the bridge are conducting.

Claim 29

The combination of claim 25 wherein said means for controlling the switching of said transistors comprises means for producing a pair of signals for application one to each transistor of a pair, said phase shifter means for controlling the duration of the power supply energy output shifting the phase of said pair of signals relative to one another to control the conduction times of the pair of transistors to which the signals are applied.