US3873866A
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US
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Piezoelectric transducer assembly and method for generating an umbrella shaped radiation pattern
Assignee: SONTRIX Inc
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Filing: 1973-11-05
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Granted: 1975-03-25
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Expires: 1993-11-05
Abstract
Abstract A transducer assembly which generates a toroidal umbrella shaped radiation pattern concentric with a selected axis is formed by a piezoelectric element mounted in a cylindrical resonant cavity defined by a Helmholtz chamber. Circumferentially spaced apart and radially aligned circular apertures are formed in the chamber''s cylindrical side wall and a reflecting plate is spaced apart from the apertures a selected distance. The plate extends perpendicularly to the chamber axis. The umbrella shaped radiation pattern is produced by generating a plurality of discrete spherical radiation patterns, combining these patterns to form an annular radiation pattern and partially reflecting the annular radiation pattern. The transducer assembly is mounted within a cavity having side walls essentially perpendicular to the plate for additional reflected reinforcement of the radiation in an umbrella pattern.
Inventors
- 👤 Ralph W Goble
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 18:09
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04R; H04R17/00; B; B06; B06B; B06B1/00; B06B1/02; B06B1/06; B06B1/0603; G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/18; G10K11/26; G10K11/28; H04R1/00; H04R1/20; H04R1/32; H04R1/34; H04R1/345
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
285 words
A piezoelectric transducer assembly for generating a radiation pattern of acoustical energy having an umbrella shaped cross section relative to a selected axis, said assembly comprising: a resonant chamber having side walls and closed ends and a selected resonant frequency, said chamber being positioned with its longitudinal axis parallel with the side walls and defining the selected axis of said assembly, said chamber having a plurality of spaced apart sound transmitting apertures defined in its side walls about its longitudinal axis, the centerpoints of said apertures defining a plane substantially perpendicular to said selected axis; piezoelectric transducer means mounted within said chamber for generating therein along said selected axis a spherial radiation pattern of acoustical energy at the resonant frequency of said chamber whereby similar radiation patterns of said acoustical radiation are emitted from each of said apertures along their center axes; and, means defining a plane reflecting surface positioned to receive and reflect acoustical waves radiating from the centerpoints of said apertures towards said reflecting surface along a path of travel at a predetermined angle theta to the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures, said plane reflecting surface extending perpendicularly to said selected axis of said assembly and being spaced apart from the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures a predetermined distance X at which acoustical waves at said resonant frequency radiating from said apertures at said predetermined angle theta to the plane of their centerpoints towards said reflecting surface are reflected in phase with mirror image acoustical waves which radiate from said apertures away from said reflecting surface, where theta is the angle between the plane of the aperture centerpoints and the vector of the mirror image waves to be reinforced.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
285 words
A piezoelectric transducer assembly for generating a radiation pattern of acoustical energy having an umbrella shaped cross section relative to a selected axis, said assembly comprising: a resonant chamber having side walls and closed ends and a selected resonant frequency, said chamber being positioned with its longitudinal axis parallel with the side walls and defining the selected axis of said assembly, said chamber having a plurality of spaced apart sound transmitting apertures defined in its side walls about its longitudinal axis, the centerpoints of said apertures defining a plane substantially perpendicular to said selected axis; piezoelectric transducer means mounted within said chamber for generating therein along said selected axis a spherial radiation pattern of acoustical energy at the resonant frequency of said chamber whereby similar radiation patterns of said acoustical radiation are emitted from each of said apertures along their center axes; and, means defining a plane reflecting surface positioned to receive and reflect acoustical waves radiating from the centerpoints of said apertures towards said reflecting surface along a path of travel at a predetermined angle theta to the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures, said plane reflecting surface extending perpendicularly to said selected axis of said assembly and being spaced apart from the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures a predetermined distance X at which acoustical waves at said resonant frequency radiating from said apertures at said predetermined angle theta to the plane of their centerpoints towards said reflecting surface are reflected in phase with mirror image acoustical waves which radiate from said apertures away from said reflecting surface, where theta is the angle between the plane of the aperture centerpoints and the vector of the mirror image waves to be reinforced.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The invention of claim 1 wherein the predetermined distance X is defined by the equation X m lambda sine theta , where lambda is the resonant frequency and m is a whole number.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
12 words
The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the angle theta is 45*.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
11 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said apertures are circular.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said apertures are equidistantly spaced apart.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said apertures are circular and are equidistantly spaced apart at a distance between their centerpoints equal to approximately one wavelength lambda at said resonant frequency.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
The invention defined in claim 6, wherein the diameter of each of said apertures is equal to approximately one-half wavelength lambda /2 at said resonant frequency.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The invention defined in claim 7, wherein said plane reflecting surface is spaced apart from the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures a distance measured along a normal to said reflecting surface equal approximately to a whole number of wavelengths at said resonant frequency multiplied by the sine of angle theta .
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention defined in claim 8, wherein said resonant frequency is an ultrasonic resonant frequency.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The invention defined in claim 9, wherein said transducer means includes a flat plate-like bender type piezoelectric element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said apertures are sized, shaped and spaced apart to emit substantially spherical patterns of radiation of acoustical energy at said resonant frequency which combine in phase with each other.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
The invention defined in claim 11, wherein said plane reflecting surface is spaced apart from the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures a distance measured along a normal to said reflecting surface equal approximately to a whole number of wavelengths at said resonant frequency multiplied by the sine of 45*.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said plane reflecting surface is spaced apart from the plane of the centerpoints of said apertures a distance measured along a normal to said reflecting surface equal to approximately a whole number of wavelengths at said resonant frequency multiplied by the sine of 45*.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
The invention defined in claim 1, including shield structure defining a cavity in which said assembly is recessed, said shield structure defining cavity side walls spaced from said chamber a predetermined distance with the side walls being at an angle with the plane of the aperture centerpoints equal to or greater than 90*.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
53 words
The invention defined in claim 8, including shield structure defining a cavity in which said assembly is recessed, said shield structure defining cavity side walls spaced from said chamber a predetermined distance with the side walls being at an angle with the plane of the aperture centerpoints equal to or greater than 90*.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The invention defined in claim 14, wherein the cavity side walls are spaced from the apertures in the side walls of the chamber a distance equivalent to m lambda , where m is a whole number.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the resonant chamber is cylindrical.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention defined in claim 16 where the sides of the cavity are parallel with said selected axis of said chamber.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
The invention defined in claim 1 including a reflecting wall surrounding said chamber in concentric fashion and spaced outwardly from the apertures a distance equivalent to n lambda , where n is equal to or greater than one.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
87 words
The method of generating an umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern of acoustical energy of a selected wavelength around a selected axis, comprising: generating in a selected plane perpendicular to said selected axis an annular outwardly radiating pattern of acoustical energy at said selected wavelength; and, reflecting the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern in phase with the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to the other side of the plane of said annular radiation pattern whereby to produce said umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
87 words
The method of generating an umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern of acoustical energy of a selected wavelength around a selected axis, comprising: generating in a selected plane perpendicular to said selected axis an annular outwardly radiating pattern of acoustical energy at said selected wavelength; and, reflecting the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern in phase with the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to the other side of the plane of said annular radiation pattern whereby to produce said umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
44 words
The assembly of claim 19 including shield structure defining a cavity in which said assembly is recessed, said shield structure defining cavity side walls spaced from the source of said pattern a distance equal to m lambda , where m is a whole number.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
57 words
The meThod of claim 20 wherein the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to one side of the selected plane of said annular radiation pattern are reflected from a plane reflecting surface in phase with the directly radiated waves radiating to the other side of the plane of said annular radiation pattern to reinforce same.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The invention defined in claim 20, wherein said annular shaped radiation pattern is generated by combining a plurality of similar spherical radiation patterns of acoustical energy at said selected wavelength.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
126 words
The invention defined in claim 23, wherein the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to one side of the selected plane of said annular radiation pattern are reflected in phase with the acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to the other side of the plane of said annular radiation pattern by a plane reflecting surface positioned parallel with the plane of said annular radiation pattern and positioned a distance therefrom measured along a normal to said reflecting surface equal approximately to a whole number of wavelengths at said selected wavelength multiplied by the sine of theta , where theta is defined as the angle between the plane of said reflecting surface and the vector of the outwardly radiating energy to be reinforced.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
12 words
The invention defined in claim 24, wherein the angle theta is 45*.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
50 words
The invention defined in claim 22, wherein the plane of said annular radiation pattern and said plane reflecting surface are spaced apart a distance measured along a normal to said reflecting surface equal approximately to a whole number of wavelengths at said selected wavelength multiplied by the sine of 45*.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
16 words
The assembly of claim 21 wherein the cavity side walls are parallel to the selected axis.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 22 including reinforcing the directly radiating waves of said annular radiation pattern radiating to the other side of the plane of said annular radiation pattern by also reflecting acoustical waves of said annular radiation pattern by a plane reflecting surface positioned parallel to the selected axis.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
102 words
A piezoelectric transducer assembly for generating an umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern of acoustical energy around a selected axis, comprising: means for generating an annular shaped outwardly radiating pattern of acoustical energy at a selected wavelength, said generating means including a piezoelectric transducer element and being positioned to generate said annular shaped radiation pattern concentric with said selected axis, and, means defining a plane reflecting surface perpendicular to said selected axis positioned with respect to said generating means for reflecting a selected portion of said annular shaped radiation pattern to form therefrom said umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern around said selected axis.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
102 words
A piezoelectric transducer assembly for generating an umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern of acoustical energy around a selected axis, comprising: means for generating an annular shaped outwardly radiating pattern of acoustical energy at a selected wavelength, said generating means including a piezoelectric transducer element and being positioned to generate said annular shaped radiation pattern concentric with said selected axis, and, means defining a plane reflecting surface perpendicular to said selected axis positioned with respect to said generating means for reflecting a selected portion of said annular shaped radiation pattern to form therefrom said umbrella shaped toroidal radiation pattern around said selected axis.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3754435A
Cited
US3761956A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-24 | 1978-09-23 | 1979-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-24 | 1982-09-23 | 1983-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-24 | 1986-09-23 | 1987-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |