Acoustic transducer
AssigneeThales Australia Limited
InventorDavid Ronald Jones
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An acoustic transducer (30), comprising: a support structure (36); an active assembly comprising a base plate (32) supported by the support structure (36) and a piezoelectric body (34) supported by the base plate (32); and a passive vibrator (38) supported by the support structure (36) and coupled via the support structure (36) to the active assembly (32, 34) so that vibration of the active assembly (32, 34) drives the passive vibrator (38). The active assembly (32, 34) and the passive vibrator (38) have the same resonant frequency.
Claims20
An acoustic transducer, comprising:
- a support structure;
- an active assembly comprising a base plate supported by the support structure and a piezoelectric body supported by the base plate;
- and a passive vibrator supported by the support structure on an opposite side to the active assembly such that the base plate, support structure and passive vibrator define an internal cavity, the passive vibrator being coupled via the support structure to the active assembly, the support structure acting as a hinge, so that bending vibration of the passive vibrator is actuated by the moment induced in the support structure by bending vibration of the active assembly generated by driving the piezoelectric body;
- wherein the active assembly and the passive vibrator have the same resonant frequency, whereby the active assembly and the passive vibrator both bend to radiate acoustic vibrations of equal amplitude from the active assembly and the passive vibrator into the surrounding medium.
A method of manufacturing an acoustic transducer, the method comprising:
- providing an active assembly comprising a base plate and a piezoelectric body supported by the base plate, and coupling the active assembly to a passive vibrator by a support structure on an opposite side to the active assembly such that the base plate, support structure and passive vibrator define an internal cavity, the support structure acting as a hinge, such that bending vibration of the active assembly drives bending vibration of the passive vibrator at a common resonant frequency actuated by the moment induced in the support structure by bending vibration of the active assembly generated by driving the piezoelectric body, whereby the active assembly and the passive vibrator both bend to radiate acoustic vibrations of equal amplitude from the active assembly and the passive vibrator into a surrounding medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.