Acoustic vector sensor
AssigneeRaytheon BBN Technologies Corp.
InventorJameson John Collins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An acoustic vector sensor and a method of detecting an acoustic vector are described. An object suspended in the fluid medium by a non-contact support structure. The object and the non-contact support structure are configured so that the object moves in response to any disturbance of the fluid by an acoustic wave; The non-contact support structure of the object comprises a plurality of solenoids that each produce a magnetic field in a fluid medium. A measurement measures movement of the object. A processing device determines an acoustic intensity vector of the acoustic wave based on the measured movement of the object.
Claims17
An Acoustic Vector Sensor (AVS), comprising
- a non-contact support structure comprising a plurality of solenoids that each produce a magnetic field in a fluid medium;
- an object suspended in the fluid medium by the non-contact support structure, wherein the object and the non-contact support structure are configured so that the object moves in response to any disturbance of the fluid by an acoustic wave, wherein the plurality of solenoids comprises three pairs of solenoids, each pair of solenoids disposed along one Cartesian coordinate axis with the object disposed at the origin therebetween;
- a measurement device that measures movement of the object;
- a processing device that determines an acoustic intensity vector of the acoustic wave based on the measured movement of the object;
- and
- an excitation device that drives the plurality of solenoids with a drive signal, wherein the excitation device is configured to drive each pair of solenoids with an opposite phase current drive signal so that a magnetic well is generated that will oppose any change in position of the object at the origin.
A method for determining an acoustic intensity vector of an acoustic wave, the method comprising:
- suspending an object in a fluid with a magnetic non-contact support structure comprising at least one solenoid placed on each Cartesian coordinate axis of the object, wherein suspending the object comprises providing three pairs of solenoids, each pair of solenoids disposed along one Cartesian coordinate axis with the object disposed at the origin therebetween;
- driving the at least one solenoid so that a magnetic field is provided to suspend the object in the fluid medium and so that object is configured to move in response to any disturbance of the fluid by an acoustic wave;
- measuring any disturbance of the object by the acoustic wave;
- based on the measuring of any disturbance of the object, determining with a processing device an acoustic intensity vector of the acoustic wave;
- and
- driving each solenoid of each pair of solenoids with an opposite phase current drive signal so that a magnetic well is generated that will oppose any change in position of object at the origin between the pairs of solenoids.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.