US3860901A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Wide band transducer
Assignee: Raytheon Co
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Filing: 1973-06-01
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Granted: 1975-01-14
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Expires: 1993-06-01
Abstract
Abstract A transducer assembly comprising one or more ring shaped transducer elements of a ceramic material which are rigidly held between a rear mass and a front mass, both of which are made to vibrate by energizing the ceramic material. Mounting rings and coupling necks having a distributed mechanical impedance are placed between the transducer elements and each of the masses. The entire assembly is held together by a tie rod which enters only a small distance into the front and rear masses. The mounting rings are located close to the nodal point of a mechanical resonance and are secured to an outer case by means of sound isolating material in a configuration wherein the sound isolating material experiences minimal vibrational excursions because of the near nodal mount. The compliance of the coupling necks and the compliance of the vibration isolating material is utilized in shaping the upper and lower portions of the frequency bandpass characteristic.
Inventors
- 👤 Stanley L Ehrlich
- 👤 Anthony F Medeiros
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 05:53
CPC Classifications
B; B06; B06B; B06B1/00; B06B1/02; B06B1/06; B06B1/0607; B06B1/0611; B06B1/0618
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
373 words
A sonar transducer assembly comprising: a front mass; a front impedance matching means in acoustic contact with said front mass; means for converting electrical energy into sonic energy, said converting means being coupled to said front impedance matching means; a rear mass acoustically coupled to said converting means; said front mass, said front impedance matching means, said converting means and said rear mass being arranged along a common axis; means positioned along said common axis and passing through said front impedance matching means and said converting means for urging together said front mass and said rear mass, said urging together means being secured to said front mass and being secured to a front portion of said rear mass to permit vibration of the remaining portion of said rear mass substantially free of a vibration of said urging together means; a housing enclosing said front mass, said front impedance matching means, said converting means and said rear mass; said housing having a front projection and a rear projection which are inwardly directed for supporting said converting means; a front support in contact with a front surface of said converting means and a rear support in contact with a rear surface of said converting means, said front support having an outwardly directed projection forward of and adjacent said front housing projection, and said rear support having an outwardly directed Projection foward of and adjacent to said rear support; a front and a rear ring of acoustic isolation material positioned respectively between said front ring and said front support, and said rear ring and said rear support; said rings of acoustic isolation material being positioned adjacent a node of vibration of said converting means; and said front impedance matching means having a cylindrical shape with front and back base sections joined by a cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall having an inner radius and an outer radius, a thickness of said cylindrical wall being less than approximately one-half the outer radius, said rear base being in acoustic contact with said converting means and having a cross-sectional area less than the cross-sectional area of said converting means, said front base being in acoustic contact with said front mass and having a cross-sectional area larger than said rear base.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
373 words
A sonar transducer assembly comprising: a front mass; a front impedance matching means in acoustic contact with said front mass; means for converting electrical energy into sonic energy, said converting means being coupled to said front impedance matching means; a rear mass acoustically coupled to said converting means; said front mass, said front impedance matching means, said converting means and said rear mass being arranged along a common axis; means positioned along said common axis and passing through said front impedance matching means and said converting means for urging together said front mass and said rear mass, said urging together means being secured to said front mass and being secured to a front portion of said rear mass to permit vibration of the remaining portion of said rear mass substantially free of a vibration of said urging together means; a housing enclosing said front mass, said front impedance matching means, said converting means and said rear mass; said housing having a front projection and a rear projection which are inwardly directed for supporting said converting means; a front support in contact with a front surface of said converting means and a rear support in contact with a rear surface of said converting means, said front support having an outwardly directed projection forward of and adjacent said front housing projection, and said rear support having an outwardly directed Projection foward of and adjacent to said rear support; a front and a rear ring of acoustic isolation material positioned respectively between said front ring and said front support, and said rear ring and said rear support; said rings of acoustic isolation material being positioned adjacent a node of vibration of said converting means; and said front impedance matching means having a cylindrical shape with front and back base sections joined by a cylindrical wall, said cylindrical wall having an inner radius and an outer radius, a thickness of said cylindrical wall being less than approximately one-half the outer radius, said rear base being in acoustic contact with said converting means and having a cross-sectional area less than the cross-sectional area of said converting means, said front base being in acoustic contact with said front mass and having a cross-sectional area larger than said rear base.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
82 words
A transducer assembly according to claim 1 further comprising a resilient seal positioned between said front mass and said housing for resiliently holding said front mass in position relative to said housing, the compliance of the front ring of acoustic isolation material and the compliance of the rear ring of acoustic isolation material being selected to provide a frequency shaping of the frequency bandpass characteristic of said transducer assembly in cooperation with a distributed mechanical impedance of said front impedance matching means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
110 words
A transducer assembly according to claim 2 further comprising a rear impedance matching means positioned coaxially between said converting means and said rear mass, said rear impedance matching means having a cylindrical shape with an extension on its forward end to provide a relatively large area of contact with said converting means relative to an area of contact between said rear impedance matching means and said rear mass, said rear impedance matching means having a distributed mechanical impedance which cooperates with the distributed mechanical impedance of said front impedance matching means and the compliances of said front and said rear rings of acoustic isolation material to tune said transducer assembly.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-01-13 | 1978-07-15 | 1979-01-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-01-13 | 1982-07-15 | 1983-01-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-01-13 | 1986-07-15 | 1987-01-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |