Switching circuit controlled steered beam transducer

Claim 2

Apparatus for generating acoustic energy in a well bore, said energy having a predetermined directional characteristic, comprising: a plurality of acoustic transducer elements disposed in longitudinal spaced relationship to each other and adapted to be actuated by the application thereto of changes in electrical energy; a like plurality of electrical energy storage means; a like plurality of separate circuit means, each coupling one of said energy storage means to a respective one of said transducer elements; and separate switching means in each circuit means for, upon actuation, producing an electrical energy change in the respective transducer element; and adjustable means for actuating said separate switching means to cause said energy changes in the respective transducer elements in a predetermined sequence.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises pulse generating and counting means coupled to said switching means, said switching means being sequentially operated in response to impulses generated by said pulse generating and counting means on the successive occurrence of a given number of pulse counts.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of said plurality of acoustic transducer elements comprises a piezoelectric element.

Claim 5

Apparatus for generating acoustical energy with a directional characteristic in a well bore comprising: a plurality of individual electroacoustic transducer elements disposed in a predetermined longitudinal relationship and adapted to be actuated by the application thereto of changes in electrical energy; a like plurality of electrical energy storage means for providing electrical energy at relatively low voltage; a like plurality of step-up transformer means, each having a primary winding and a secondary winding, said secondary windings being coupled across respective ones of said transducer elements and said primary windings being coupled with respective ones of said energy storage means; separate switching means operatively associated with each of said energy storage means and the respective primary winding for, upon actuation, producing an electrical energy change in the primary winding; and adjustable means for actuating said separate switching means to cause said energy changes in the respective primary windings in a predetermined sequence.

Claim 6

Apparatus for generating acoustical energy with a directional characteristic in a well bore comprising: a plurality of individual electroacoustic transducer elements disposed in a predetermined longitudinal relationship and adapted to be actuated by the application thereto of changes in electrical energy; a like plurality of electrical energy storage means for providing electrical energy at relatively low voltage; a like plurality of step-up transformer means, each having a primary winding and a secondary winding, said secondary windings being coupled across respective ones of said transducer elements and said primary windings being coupled with respective ones of said energy storage means; separate switching means operatively associated with each of said energy storage means and the respective primary winding for, upon actuation, producing an electrical energy change in the primary winding; and adjustable means for actuating said separate switching means to cause said energy changes in the respective primary windings in a predetermined sequence.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of said transducer elements comprises a piezoelectric element and wherein the inductance of each of said secondary windings together with the capacitance of its associated piezoelectric element form an oscillatory circuit whose frequency is that of the radial resonant frequency of the piezoelectric element.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said adjustable means comprises a controllable variable frequency pulse source and means responsive to preselected pulses from said source to actuate said switching means in sequence.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 whErein said responsive means comprises a binary counter and gating means operable in response to predetermined counts reached by said counter.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of said energy storage means is a capacitor and wherein there is further provided a unidirectional power supply of relatively low voltage coupled to all of said capacitors.