US4788096A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Devices for making piezoelectric ceramic or ceramic-base composite sensors
Assignee: CNA Holdings LLC
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Filing: 1987-02-24
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Granted: 1988-11-29
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Expires: 2007-02-24
Abstract
Abstract Cubelets are made from a piezoelectrically active ceramic material having holes therein which may be cross-cored. The holes are selectively filled with a liquid curable resin, such as an epoxy. The cubelets may also be formed from bonded or sintered "half-shapes" containing half cores, wherein a face bisects one hole or an array of holes or cross-cored holes to form one or an array of semicircular grooves or crossed semicircular grooves. The cubelets, whether filled with resin or having unfilled internal volume, are arranged in a precision array within the snug-fitting cavities of a lattice, whereby the holes are sealed off, to form a cubelet/lattice assembly which is then electroded and poled in an electric field and encapsulated in polymer to form a part of a hydrophone assembly, for example.
Inventors
- 👤 Ilmar L. Kalnin
- 👤 Howard Furst
- 👤 George J. Breckenridge
- 👤 O. Richard Hughes
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 16:09
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04F; G04F5/00; G04F5/04; G04F5/06; G04F5/063; H; H10; H10N; H10N30/00; H10N30/01; H10N30/09; H10N30/092; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S84/00; Y10S84/24; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24744
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
139 words
In the fabrication of a hydrophone assembly, wherein a plurality of selected cubelets, molded from a piezoelectrically active ceramic material, must be arranged in a precision array and embedded in a liquid polymer resin which is then cured with the array in place, a cubelet/lattice assembly as an improvement for facilitating said arranging and embedding, comprising: A. a plurality of said cubelets; and B. a lattice comprising a frame, a bottom, and a plurality of intersecting plates which define a precision array of snug-fitting cavities having the dimensions of said cubelets, wherein: (1) said frame, said bottom, and said plates are fabricated from an engineering resin yielding a stiff plastic, and (2) said engineering resin is a thermocasting resin suitable for precision injection molding, said resin being a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyacetals, nylons, and polyacrylates.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
139 words
In the fabrication of a hydrophone assembly, wherein a plurality of selected cubelets, molded from a piezoelectrically active ceramic material, must be arranged in a precision array and embedded in a liquid polymer resin which is then cured with the array in place, a cubelet/lattice assembly as an improvement for facilitating said arranging and embedding, comprising: A. a plurality of said cubelets; and B. a lattice comprising a frame, a bottom, and a plurality of intersecting plates which define a precision array of snug-fitting cavities having the dimensions of said cubelets, wherein: (1) said frame, said bottom, and said plates are fabricated from an engineering resin yielding a stiff plastic, and (2) said engineering resin is a thermocasting resin suitable for precision injection molding, said resin being a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyacetals, nylons, and polyacrylates.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 1, wherein said cubelet/lattice assembly is electroded and poled in an electric field, encapsulated in polymer to form a resin top surface, fitted with electrode leads, and then incorporated into said hydrophone assembly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 1, wherein said array is a 16-element array.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 1, wherein said array is a 25-element array.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 1, wherein said cubelets are selectively cored, forming holes having internal volumes that are sealed off by said lattice.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 5, wherein said holes in said cored cubelets are filled with a cured liquid resin.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 6, wherein said resin is an epoxy resin.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 5, wherein said cubelets are formed from subunits having half holes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 8, wherein said subunits are conjoined by fusing at an elevated sintering temperature.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 8, said subunits being conjoined by bonding with an adhesive.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 5, wherein said lattice seals off unfilled internal cubelet volume within said holes.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 11, wherein said cubelets are adhesively bonded to the sides and bottoms of said cavities.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The cubelet/lattice assembly of claim 5, wherein said hydrophone assembly has hydrophone Figure-of-Merit values exceeding 4,000 10 -15 m 2 /N.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
54 words
A device for facilitating the fabrication of a hydrophone assembly, comprising: A. a means for facilitating the arranging and embedding of a plurality of cored cubelets in a precision array during said fabrication, each said cubelet having an unfilled internal cubelet volume; and B. a means for excluding fluid from each said internal volume.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
54 words
A device for facilitating the fabrication of a hydrophone assembly, comprising: A. a means for facilitating the arranging and embedding of a plurality of cored cubelets in a precision array during said fabrication, each said cubelet having an unfilled internal cubelet volume; and B. a means for excluding fluid from each said internal volume.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
107 words
The device of claim 14, wherein said facilitating means is a lattice having a plurality of cavities, comprising: A. a frame; B. a bottom; and C. a plurality of intersecting plates which define a precision array of snug-fitting cavities having the dimensions of said cubelets, wherein: (1) said frame, said bottom, and said plates are fabricated from an engineering resin yielding a stiff plastic, and (2) said engineering resin is thermocasting resin suitable for precision injection molding, said resin being a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyacetals, nylons, and polyacrylates, whereby snugness of fit of said cavities with said cubelets provides said fluid excluding means.
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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) | 1991-11-29 | 1992-05-30 | 1992-11-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-11-29 | 1996-05-30 | 1996-11-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-11-29 | 2000-05-30 | 2000-11-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |