Echo-range equalizer sonar system

Claim 2

A sonar system, comprising in combination: means for broadcasting an acoustical signal throughout a predetermined aqueous medium in response to a first signal supplied thereto; means for receiving the acoustical signal broadcast by said broadcasting means after it has been reflected from an object and for producing a second signal in response thereto; a display means having a vertical reset generator for timely producing a series of pulses and a vertical sweep generator for producing a sawtooth sweep signal the frequency of which is synchronized with said series of pulses, effectively connected to the output of said receiving means; means connected to the output of the vertical sweep generator of said display means for inverting said sawtooth signal; means connected between the aforesaid broadcasting and receiving means for timely producing a third signal the voltage of which is proportional to the range of said object in response to said first and second signals; means connected between the outputs of said third signal producing means and said sawtooth signal inverting means and the input of said broadcasting means for supplying said first signal thereto whenever voltage level coincidence occurs between said third signal and the inverted sawtooth signal produced by said inverting means.

Claim 3

The sonar system of claim 1, wherein said means for broadcasting an acoustical signal throughout a predetermined aqueous medium in response to a first signal supplied thereto comprises: a transmitter; and a reversible electroacoustical energy converter effectively connected to the output of said transmitter.

Claim 4

The sonar system of claim 1, wherein said means for broadcasting an acoustical signal throughout a predetermined aqueous medium in response to a first signal supplied thereto comprises: a transmitter; and an acoustic liquid lens transducer having a reversible electroacoustical energy converter, with the input of said reversible electroacoustical energy converter effectively connected to the output of the aforesaid transmitter.

Claim 5

The sonar system of claim 1, wherein said means for receiving the acoustical signal broadcast by said broadcasting means after it has been reflected from an object and for producing a second signal in response thereto comprises: an acoustic liquid lens transducer having a reversible electroacoustical energy converter; and a receiver effectively connected to the output of said reversible electroacoustical energy converter.

Claim 6

The sonar system of claim 1, wherein said means connected between the aforesaid broadcasting and receiving means for timely producing a third signal the voltage of which is proportional to the range of said object in response to said first and second signals comprises: a first flip-flop having a set input connected for receiving said first signal and reset input connected for receiving said second signals; a first And gate having a pair of inputs and output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said first flip-flop; a second And gate having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said flip-flop; a first integrator connected to the output of said first And gate; a second integrator connected to the output of said second And gate; a first one-shot multivibrator connected between the other input of said first And gate and the clearing input of said first integrator; a second one-shot multivibrator connected between the other input of said second And gate and the clearing input of said second integrator; a first switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said first integrator; a second switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said sEcond integrator; and a second flip-flop having a toggle input and a pair of outputs, with the toggle input thereof connected to the output of the aforesaid receiving means, with one of the outputs thereof connected to the input of said first one-shot multivibrator, the other input of said first And gate, and the control input of said second switch, and with the other output thereof connected to the input of said second one-shot multivibrator, the other input of said second And gate, and the control input of said first switch.

Claim 7

The sonar system of claim 1, wherein said means connected between the outputs of said third signal producing means and said sawtooth signal inverting means and the input of said broadcasting means for supplying said first signal thereto whenever voltage level coincidence occurs between said third signal and the inverted sawtooth signal produced by said inverting means comprises: a coincidence comparator; a differentiator connected to the output of said coincidence comparator; and a negative clipper connected to the output of said differentiator.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 1, further characterized by means connected between the output of the vertical reset generator of said display means and the input of said broadcasting means for timely supplying said first signal thereto whenever no voltage level coincidence occurs between the aforesaid third and inverted sawtooth signals.

Claim 9

The device of claim 7, wherein said means connected between the output of the vertical reset generator of said display means and the input of said broadcasting means for supplying said first signal thereto whenever no voltage level coincidence occurs between the aforesaid third and sawtooth signals comprises: an And gate having a trio of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said vertical reset generator, and with the output thereof connected to the output of the aforesaid receiving means; a delay means having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of said And gate; a flip-flop having a set input, a reset input, and an output, with the reset input thereof connected to the input of said broadcasting means, with the set input thereof connected to the output of said delay means, and with the output thereof connected to another of the inputs of said And gate; and a one-shot multivibrator connected between the reset input of said flip-flop and the remaining input of the aforesaid And gate.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 8, further characterized by an adjustable blanking circuit connected between the input of said broadcasting means and an input of the aforesaid display means for blanking said display means a predetermined period of time in response to said first signal.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 9, further characterized by scanner means connected between the output of said receiving means and the data signal input of said display means for timely supplying said second signal thereto.

Claim 12

A sonar system incorporating a reversible liquid lens transducer which includes a plurality of electroacoustical energy converters, each of which is tuned for broadcasting and receiving acoustical energy within a predetermined environmental medium at a frequency that is different from that of the others, and each of which is connected to a combination of elements comprising: a transmitter having an input and an output, with the output thereof effectively connected to the input of one of the energy converters of said liquid lens electroacoustic transducer; a receiver having an input and an output, with the input thereof effectively connected to the output of the aforesaid energy converter of said liquid lens electroacoustic transducer; a readout, having a synchronized vertical reset generator and a vertical sweep generator, effectively connected to the output of said receiver for displaying the signals received thereby; a first flip-flOp having a set input, a reset input, and an output, with the reset input thereof connected to the output of said receiver; a second flip-flop having a toggle input, a set output, and a reset output, with the toggle input thereof connected to the output of said receiver; a first And gate having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said first flip-flop; a first integrator having a data input, a clearing input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said first And gate; a first one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the other input of said first And gate and the set output of the aforesaid second flip-flop, and with the output thereof connected to the clearing input of said first integrator; a first switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said first integrator, and with the control input thereof connected to the reset output of said second flip-flop; a second And gate having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said first flip-flop and with the other input thereof connected to the reset output of said second flip-flop; a second integrator having a data input, a clearing input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said second And gate; a second one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the other input of said second And gate and to the reset output of said second flip-flop and with the output thereof connected to the clearing input of the aforesaid second integrator; a second switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said sceond integrator, with the control input thereof connected to the set output of said second flip-flop, and with the output thereof interconnected with the output of the aforesaid first switch; an inverter amplifier having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of the vertical sweep generator of the aforesaid readout; a comparator having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the aforesaid interconnected outputs of said first and second switches and with the other input thereof connected to the output of said converter amplifier; a differentiator connected to the output of said comparator; a negative clipper having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of said differentiator and with the output thereof connected to the set input of the aforesaid first flip-flop and to the input of said transmitter; a third And gate having a trio of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of vertical reset generator of said readout and with the output thereof connected to the reset input of said first flip-flop; a third one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of the aforesaid negative clipper, and with the output thereof connected to another of the inputs of said third And gate; a third flip-flop having a set input, a reset input, and an output, with the set input thereof connected to the output of said negative clipper and with the reset input thereof connected to the input of the aforesaid transmitter; a delay having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of said third And gate and with the output thereof connected to the set input of said third flip-flop; and a blanking circuit connected between the output of said negative clipper and an input of the aforesaid readout for timely blanking the received signals displayed thereby.

Claim 13

A sonar system incorporating a reversible liquid lens transducer which includes a plurality of electroacoustical energy converters, each of which is tuned for broadcasting and receiving acoustical energy within a predetermined environmental medium at a frequency that is different from that of the others, and each of which is connected to a combination of elements comprising: a transmitter having an input and an output, with the output thereof effectively connected to the input of one of the energy converters of said liquid lens electroacoustic transducer; a receiver having an input and an output, with the input thereof effectively connected to the output of the aforesaid energy converter of said liquid lens electroacoustic transducer; a readout, having a synchronized vertical reset generator and a vertical sweep generator, effectively connected to the output of said receiver for displaying the signals received thereby; a first flip-flOp having a set input, a reset input, and an output, with the reset input thereof connected to the output of said receiver; a second flip-flop having a toggle input, a set output, and a reset output, with the toggle input thereof connected to the output of said receiver; a first And gate having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said first flip-flop; a first integrator having a data input, a clearing input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said first And gate; a first one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the other input of said first And gate and the set output of the aforesaid second flip-flop, and with the output thereof connected to the clearing input of said first integrator; a first switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said first integrator, and with the control input thereof connected to the reset output of said second flip-flop; a second And gate having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said first flip-flop and with the other input thereof connected to the reset output of said second flip-flop; a second integrator having a data input, a clearing input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said second And gate; a second one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the other input of said second And gate and to the reset output of said second flip-flop and with the output thereof connected to the clearing input of the aforesaid second integrator; a second switch having a data input, a control input, and an output, with the data input thereof connected to the output of said sceond integrator, with the control input thereof connected to the set output of said second flip-flop, and with the output thereof interconnected with the output of the aforesaid first switch; an inverter amplifier having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of the vertical sweep generator of the aforesaid readout; a comparator having a pair of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the aforesaid interconnected outputs of said first and second switches and with the other input thereof connected to the output of said converter amplifier; a differentiator connected to the output of said comparator; a negative clipper having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of said differentiator and with the output thereof connected to the set input of the aforesaid first flip-flop and to the input of said transmitter; a third And gate having a trio of inputs and an output, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of vertical reset generator of said readout and with the output thereof connected to the reset input of said first flip-flop; a third one-shot multivibrator having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of the aforesaid negative clipper, and with the output thereof connected to another of the inputs of said third And gate; a third flip-flop having a set input, a reset input, and an output, with the set input thereof connected to the output of said negative clipper and with the reset input thereof connected to the input of the aforesaid transmitter; a delay having an input and an output, with the input thereof connected to the output of said third And gate and with the output thereof connected to the set input of said third flip-flop; and a blanking circuit connected between the output of said negative clipper and an input of the aforesaid readout for timely blanking the received signals displayed thereby.

Claim 14

The invention of claim 11, further characterized by: a scanner having a plurality of inputs and a plurAlity of outputs, with one of the inputs thereof connected to the output of said receiver and with one of the outputs thereof connected to the display input of the aforesaid readout.

Claim 15

The invention of claim 11 further characterized by a transmit-receive switch connected between the output of said transmitter and the input of the aforesaid electroacoustical energy converter of said liquid lens transducer and between the output of the aforesaid electroacoustical energy converter of said liquid lens transducer and the input of said receiver.