Submersible ultrasonic transducer assembly

Claim 2

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus comprising: a. a tank; b. a liquid disposed in said tank and adapted to act upon a workpiece immersed in said liquid; c. a submersible transducer assembly immersed in said liquid comprising: c-1. a liquid-tight enclosure made of material having a relatively low thermal conductivity; c-2. means coupled to said enclosure for supporting said enclosure in said liquid; c-3. a plurality of electroacoustic transducers, each adapted to receive electrical energy and transmit sonic energy via a frontal surface thereof; c-4. means coupling each of said respective frontal surfaces in sonic energy transmitting relation to an interior surface of said enclosure; c-5. a heat conductive medium associated with said means coupling said frontal surfaces to said interior surface for conducting heat away from the area between a respective frontal surface and said enclosure surface; c-6. a plurality of tubings traversing said enclosure in a generally vertical direction, the outer surface of said tubings being sealed in liquid-tight relation to the end surfaces of said enclosure, and the interior of said tubings being in contact with said liquid disposed in said tank; c-7. a liquid heat transfer medium disposed in said enclosure and filling the space between said tubings and said heat conductive medium; d. electrical generator means for providing said transducers with electrical energy, and e. means coupling said generator means to said transducers.

Claim 3

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said transducers operating at a frequency of at least 16 kHz.

Claim 4

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said tank and said enclosure being made of polymeric plastic material.

Claim 5

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said enclosure and tubings being made of the same polymeric plastic material.

Claim 6

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said liquid disposed in said tank being an etchant.

Claim 7

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus comprising: a. a tank adapted to contain a liquid; b. a submersible transducer assembly adapted to be immersed in liquid contained in said tank, said assembly comprising: b-1. a liquid-tight enclosure made of material having a relatively low thermal conductivity; b-2. means coupled to said enclosure for supporting said enclosure in the tank for contact with liquid contained in said tank; b-3. a plurality of electroacoustic transducers, each adapted to receive electrical energy and transmit sonic energy via a frontal surface thereof; b-4. means coupling each of said respective frontal surfaces in sonic energy transmitting relation to an interior surface of said enclosure; b-5. a heat conductive medium associated with said means coupling said frontal surfaces to said interior surface for conducting heat away from the area between a respective frontal surface and said enclosure surface; b-6. a plurality of tubings traversing said enclosure in a generally vertical direction, the outer surface of said tubings being sealed in liquid-tight relation to the end surfaces of said enclosure, and the interior of said tubings adapted to be in contact with liquid contained in said tank; b-7. a liquid heat transfer medium disposed in said enclosure and filling the space between said tubings and said heat conductive medium; c. electrical generator means for providing said transducers with electrical energy, and d. means coupling said generator means to said transducers.

Claim 8

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus comprising: a. a tank adapted to contain a liquid; b. a submersible transducer assembly adapted to be immersed in liquid contained in said tank, said assembly comprising: b-1. a liquid-tight enclosure made of material having a relatively low thermal conductivity; b-2. means coupled to said enclosure for supporting said enclosure in the tank for contact with liquid contained in said tank; b-3. a plurality of electroacoustic transducers, each adapted to receive electrical energy and transmit sonic energy via a frontal surface thereof; b-4. means coupling each of said respective frontal surfaces in sonic energy transmitting relation to an interior surface of said enclosure; b-5. a heat conductive medium associated with said means coupling said frontal surfaces to said interior surface for conducting heat away from the area between a respective frontal surface and said enclosure surface; b-6. a plurality of tubings traversing said enclosure in a generally vertical direction, the outer surface of said tubings being sealed in liquid-tight relation to the end surfaces of said enclosure, and the interior of said tubings adapted to be in contact with liquid contained in said tank; b-7. a liquid heat transfer medium disposed in said enclosure and filling the space between said tubings and said heat conductive medium; c. electrical generator means for providing said transducers with electrical energy, and d. means coupling said generator means to said transducers.

Claim 9

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 6, the resistance to heat conduction interposed by the wall thickness of said tubings being less than that of said enclosure.

Claim 10

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 6, said enclosure and said tubings being made of polymeric plastic material, and the wall thickness of said tubings being less than that of said enclosure.

Claim 11

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 8, said enclosure and tubings being made of the same material.

Claim 12

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus which includes a transducer assembly adapted to be immersed in a liquid provided for treating a workpiece comprising: a liquid-tight enclosure made of material having a relatively low thermal conductivity; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers, each such transducer adapted to receive high frequency electrical energy and transmit ultrasonic energy via a frontal surface thereof; means coupling each of said transducers with its respective frontal surface in sonic energy transmitting relation to an interior surface of said enclosure; a heat conducting medium filling said enclosure and being in contact with said means coupling said transducers to said interior surface for conducting heat away from the area between a respective frontal surface and said enclosure surface, and a plurality of tubings traversing said enclosure, the outer surface of said tubings being in contact with said heat conducting medium filling said enclosure and being sealed in liquid-tight relation to the end surfaces of said enclosure, and the interior surface of said tubings being adapted to be in contact with the liquid in which said enclosure is immersed and providing a conduit through which such liquid flows when said transducers are operated.

Claim 13

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus which includes a transducer assembly adapted to be immersed in a liquid provided for treating a workpiece comprising: a liquid-tight enclosure made of material having a relatively low thermal conductivity; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers, each such transducer adapted to receive high frequency electrical energy and transmit ultrasonic energy via a frontal surface thereof; means coupling each of said transducers with its respective frontal surface in sonic energy transmitting relation to an interior surface of said enclosure; a heat conducting medium filling said enclosure and being in contact with said means coupling said transducers to said interior surface for conducting heat away from the area between a respective frontal surface and said enclosure surface, and a plurality of tubings traversing said enclosure, the outer surface of said tubings being in contact with said heat conducting medium filling said enclosure and being sealed in liquid-tight relation to the end surfaces of said enclosure, and the interior surface of said tubings being adapted to be in contact with the liquid in which said enclosure is immersed and providing a conduit through which such liquid flows when said transducers are operated.

Claim 14

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said enclosure being made of polymeric plastic material.

Claim 15

An ultrasonic treatment apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said enclosure and tubings being made of the same polymeric plastic material.

Claim 16

An ultrasonic apparatus as set forth in claim 12, the wall thickness of said tubings being less than the wall thickness of said enclosure.

Claim 17

An ultrasonic apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said heat conducting medium being an electrically insulating liquid.

Claim 18

An ultrasonic apparatus as set forth in claim 10, and means disposed on said enclosure for supporting said enclosure immersed in the liquid so that said tubings are disposed in a substantially vertical direction.

Claim 19

An ultrasonic apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said enclosure and tubings being made of material suitable for being immersed in an etching solution.