End driven bender transduction apparatus
AssigneeImage Acoustics, Inc.
InventorsJohn L. Butler, Alexander L. Butler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An underwater acoustic transducer that is capable of radiating acoustic energy at low frequencies. A transducer which is a resonant low frequency bender-type transducer driven at its end supports by a piezoelectric stack of material operating with inner and outer parts driven in opposite directions creating a bending motion of a radiating beam, plate or disc. The small piezoelectric motions at the beam supports are magnified by the leveraged motion of the bending beam(s) creating significant output at low frequencies.
Claims31
A low frequency underwater sound electro-mechanical transduction bender beam apparatus that is comprised of at least one bender beam and a piezoelectric structure, said at least one bender beam being supported and driven, at least on one end thereof, by means of contact from the piezoelectric structure, said piezoelectric structure having inner and outer piezoelectric parts, wherein the inner piezoelectric part of the piezoelectric structure is driven in an opposite direction from the outer piezoelectric part causing the beam to move with amplified motion, wherein the bender beam has opposite one and other ends along a longitudinal axis, wherein the piezoelectric structure drives the elongated bender beam at the one end thereof, wherein the outer piezoelectric part of the piezoelectric structure is closer along the longitudinal axis to the one end of the bender beam than the inner piezoelectric part of the piezoelectric structure, wherein said inner piezoelectric structure is bilaminar including first and second laminar pieces, wherein said outer piezoelectric structure is bilaminar including third and fourth laminar pieces and wherein said inner piezoelectric structure is laminated to said outer piezoelectric structure, wherein the elongated bender beam is supported by the piezoelectric structure continuously along an entire width of both the inner piezoelectric structure and the outer piezoelectric structure.
A low frequency underwater sound electro-mechanical transduction bender beam apparatus that is comprised of:
- a pair of elongated and separately spaced apart bender beams each having one and other ends;
- a pair of piezoelectric structures;
- said pair of elongated and separately spaced apart bender beams being supported and driven by the pair of piezoelectric structures;
- each said piezoelectric structure having inner and outer piezoelectric parts, wherein the inner piezoelectric part of the piezoelectric structure is driven in an opposite direction from the outer piezoelectric part causing the beam to move with amplified motion;
- said pair of piezoelectric structures mounted respectively between said pair of elongated and separately spaced apart bender beams;
- wherein said inner piezoelectric part is bilaminar including first and second piezoelectric pieces, wherein said outer piezoelectric part is bilaminar including third and fourth piezoelectric pieces, and wherein said first, second, third, and fourth piezoelectric pieces are formed unitarily as the piezoelectric structure;
- and
- wherein said elongated bender beam is supported by said piezoelectric structure along an entire width of both the inner and outer parts of the piezoelectric structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.