Ultrasonic data-processing systems

Claim 2

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : at least one ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one source of ultrasonic radiation (3,5) positioned for emitting through said fluid a beam of ultrasonic energy, at least one diffraction cell (8,9) positioned for receiving said beam, and ultrasonic detection means positioned for collecting the ultrasonic energy emerging from said diffraction cell ; said diffraction cell comprising : stigmatic ultrasonic means (8) positioned for focussing said beam onto a spectral plane (9) pertaining to said cell and ultrasonic modulating object means (7) embodying said data positioned on the path of said beam for modulating said ultrasonic energy; said ultrasonic energy being constituted by ultrasonic longitudinal waves travelling through said fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves being upon irradiation of said ultrasonic modulating object means, re-radiated for projection onto said spectral plane.

Claim 3

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic detection means comprise a supplementary diffraction cell (13, 14) and ultrasonic filter means (12) ; said ultrasonic filter means being arranged between the spectral plane (9) of said one diffraction cell and said supplementary diffraction cell.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source comprises at least one electromechanical transducer immersed in said fluid, and ultrasonic generator means for exciting said transducer.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic detection means comprise at least one electromechanical transducer connected to indicator means for displaying the intensity of the ultrasonic radiation picked up by said transducer.

Claim 6

A system as claim 1, wherein the internals walls, of said tank are exposed to said ultrasonic radiation being lined with a layer of material absorbing the incident ultrasonic energy.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stigmatic ultrasonic means are constituted by convergent ultrasonic lenses.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 6, wherEin each of said lenses comprises a lenticular cavity filled with a fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves propagating through the fluid filling said lenses at a velocity differing from that which they have in the fluid filling said ultrasonic tank.

Claim 9

A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lenses are cut from a solid material selectively transmitting longitudinal ultrasonic vibrations ; the profile of said lenses having a minimum thickness at the centre ; said solid material transmitting said ultrasonic longitudinal waves at a velocity higher than that which they have in the fluid filling said ultrasonic tank.

Claim 10

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic modulating object means comprise : a phase object cut from a solid material transmitting said ultrasonic longitudinal waves at a velocity differing from that which they have in said fluid.

Claim 11

A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said ultrasonic modulating object means further comprise a phase-contrast ultrasonic arrangement (39, 40, 41) associated with said phase object (37).

Claim 12

A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said phase-contrast arrangement is a double-diffraction system comprising two further diffraction cells in succession and a phase-contrast filter (40) arranged between said two further diffraction cells.

Claim 13

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stigmatic ultrasonic means are constituted by at least one ultrasonic curved mirror.

Claim 14

A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said curved mirror is a cylindrical mirror.

Claim 15

A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said curved mirror has an elliptical profile.

Claim 16

A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said stigmatic ultrasonic means further comprise another curved mirror having a parabolic profile, and associated homofocal with said curved mirror.

Claim 17

A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic modulating object means (26, 27, 28) is an ultrasonic reflective modulator comprising a stack of plates with parallel faces, one of said faces being in contact with said fluid and a further one of said faces projecting outside the ultrasonic tank containing said fluid ; said data being constituted by a relief impression applied against said further face ;said system further comprising a semitransparent plate (31) immersed in said fluid between said stack and said source ; said semi-reflecting plate transmitting the ultrasonic radiation emitted by said source toward said stack and also transmitting back toward said stigmatic ultrasonic means the ultrasonic radiation reflected from said stack in relation with the hollow parts of said relief impression.

Claim 18

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : at least one ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one source of ultrasonic radiation positioned for emitting through said fluid a beam of ultrasonic energy, at least one diffraction cell positioned for receiving said beam, ultrasonic detection means (10, 13, 14, 15) positioned for collecting the ultrasonic energy emerging from said diffraction cell, and transcription means (19, 20, 21) for transcribing said data; said diffractional cell including : stigmatic ultrasonic means (8) positioned for focussing said beam onto a spectral plane pertaining to said cell, and ultrasonic modulating object means (7) embodying said data positioned on the path of said beam for modulating said ultrasonic energy ; said transcription means comprising means (20,21) for electromechanically engraving a thermoplastic substrate constituting said ultrasonic modulating object means and means (19) for displacing said substrate in relation to said engraving means ; said engraving means comprising at least one engraving cutter integral with an electromechanical transducer receiving an electrical signal representative of said data, said ultrasonic energy being constituted by longitudinal waves travelling through said fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves being upon irradiation of said ultrasonic modulating object means, re-radiated for projection onto said spectral plane.

Claim 19

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : at least one ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one source of ultrasonic radiation positioned for emitting through said fluid a beam of ultrasonic energy, at least one diffraction cell positioned for receiving said beam, ultrasonic detection means (10, 13, 14, 15) positioned for collecting the ultrasonic energy emerging from said diffraction cell, and transcription means (19, 20, 21) for transcribing said data; said diffractional cell including : stigmatic ultrasonic means (8) positioned for focussing said beam onto a spectral plane pertaining to said cell, and ultrasonic modulating object means (7) embodying said data positioned on the path of said beam for modulating said ultrasonic energy ; said transcription means comprising means (20,21) for electromechanically engraving a thermoplastic substrate constituting said ultrasonic modulating object means and means (19) for displacing said substrate in relation to said engraving means ; said engraving means comprising at least one engraving cutter integral with an electromechanical transducer receiving an electrical signal representative of said data, said ultrasonic energy being constituted by longitudinal waves travelling through said fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves being upon irradiation of said ultrasonic modulating object means, re-radiated for projection onto said spectral plane.

Claim 20

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : at least one ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one source of ultrasonic radiation positioned for emitting through said fluid a beam of ultrasonic energy, at least one diffraction cell positioned for receiving said beam, ultrasonic detection means (10, 13, 14, 15) positioned for collecting the ultrasonic energy emerging from said diffraction cell, and transcription means (19, 122, 123) for transcribing said data; said diffraction cell including : stigmatic ultrasonic means (8) positioned for focusing said beam onto a spectral plane pertaining to said cell, and ultrasonic modulating object means (7) embodying said data positioned on the path of said beam for modulating said ultrasonic energy ; said transcription means comprising a plurality of electrodes (122) aligned with one another and flush with the surface of a thermoplastic substrate, and a mating electrode (19) constituted by a cylinder transporting said substrate : said transcription means further comprising electrical means (24) controlled by said data, for applying between said cylinder and said electrodes electrical voltages ; said electrical voltages deforming said substrate under the action of electrostatic forces ; said cylinder being equipped with heating means for raising said substrate to a temperature at which the viscosity of the thermoplastic substrate is substantially reduced; said ultrasonic energy being constituted by longitudinal waves travelling through said fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves being upon irradiation of said ultrasonic modulating object means, re-radiated for projection onto said spectral plane.

Claim 21

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : at least one ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one source of ultrasonic radiation positioned for emitting through said fluid a beam of ultrasonic energy, at least one diffraction cell positioned for receiving said beam, ultrasonic detection means (10, 13, 14, 15) positioned for collecting the ultrasonic energy emerging from said diffraction cell, and transcription means (19, 122, 123) for transcribing said data; said diffraction cell including : stigmatic ultrasonic means (8) positioned for focusing said beam onto a spectral plane pertaining to said cell, and ultrasonic modulating object means (7) embodying said data positioned on the path of said beam for modulating said ultrasonic energy ; said transcription means comprising a plurality of electrodes (122) aligned with one another and flush with the surface of a thermoplastic substrate, and a mating electrode (19) constituted by a cylinder transporting said substrate : said transcription means further comprising electrical means (24) controlled by said data, for applying between said cylinder and said electrodes electrical voltages ; said electrical voltages deforming said substrate under the action of electrostatic forces ; said cylinder being equipped with heating means for raising said substrate to a temperature at which the viscosity of the thermoplastic substrate is substantially reduced; said ultrasonic energy being constituted by longitudinal waves travelling through said fluid ; said ultrasonic longitudinal waves being upon irradiation of said ultrasonic modulating object means, re-radiated for projection onto said spectral plane.

Claim 22

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : a first and a second ultrasonic diffraction cell ; each of said diffraction cells being located in an ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one ultrasonic source immersed in said fluid, stigmatic ultrasonic means (64, 65, 73, 74) for focussing the ultrasonic energy emitted by said source, onto a spectral plane close to the surface of said fluid, a modulating object immersed in said fluid between said stigmatic ultrasonic means and said spectral plane, and an optical reflector element deformable under the action of the ultrasonic energy received by said spectral plane ; said processing system further comprising a coherent optical radiation source illuminating the reflector element of said first diffraction cell, an optical coupling device (56, 78, 77, 79, 75) linking the reflecting faces of said optical reflector elements, and an optical diffraction cell (80, 81) picking up the optical radiation emerging from the optical reflector element of said second diffraction cell.

Claim 23

An ultrasonic data processing system comprising : a first and a second ultrasonic diffraction cell ; each of said diffraction cells being located in an ultrasonic tank containing a fluid, at least one ultrasonic source immersed in said fluid, stigmatic ultrasonic means (64, 65, 73, 74) for focussing the ultrasonic energy emitted by said source, onto a spectral plane close to the surface of said fluid, a modulating object immersed in said fluid between said stigmatic ultrasonic means and said spectral plane, and an optical reflector element deformable under the action of the ultrasonic energy received by said spectral plane ; said processing system further comprising a coherent optical radiation source illuminating the reflector element of said first diffraction cell, an optical coupling device (56, 78, 77, 79, 75) linking the reflecting faces of said optical reflector elements, and an optical diffraction cell (80, 81) picking up the optical radiation emerging from the optical reflector element of said second diffraction cell.

Claim 24

A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said optical coupling device comprises an afocal optical system having a common focal plane and a diaphragm arranged in said focal plane ; said diaphragm selectively transmitting that portion of the optical radiation emerging from the reflector element of said first diffraction cell, corresponding to the zero diffraction order.

Claim 25

A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein said optical diffraction cell comprises optical focussing means for focussing the radiation emerging from the optical reflector element of said second diffraction cell, onto a spectral plane, and a diaphragm located in the said last mentioned spectral plane ; said diaphragm selectively transmitting that portion of the optical radiation emerging from the optical reflector element of said second diffraction cell corresponding to one of the diffraction orders other than the zero order.

Claim 26

A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein data transcription means (61, 62, 66, 67) are associated with said first and second ultrasonic diffraction cells.

Claim 27

A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein data transcription means (61, 62) are associated with one of said first and second ultrasonic diffraction cells ; the modulating Objects of said first and second ultrasonic diffraction cells being constituted by separate portions of the thermoplastic substrate engraved by said transcription means.

Claim 28

A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the optical reflector element of said second ultrasonic diffraction cell receives an ultrasonic reference beam emitted by a supplementary ultrasonic source immersed in said fluid.