Acoustic vector sensor
AssigneeRaytheon BBN Technologies Corp.
InventorJameson John Collins
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims16
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;
- and
- 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;
- a measurement device that measures movement of the object;
- and
- a processing device that determines an acoustic intensity vector of the acoustic wave based on the measured movement of the object;
- wherein the plurality of solenoids comprises a single solenoid disposed along each Cartesian coordinate axis of the object, wherein each solenoid provides a static magnetic field.
A method for determining an acoustic intensity vector of an acoustic wave, the method comprising:
- suspending an object in a fluid with a magnetic a non-contact support structure comprising a single solenoid disposed along each Cartesian coordinate axis of the object, wherein each solenoid provides a static magnetic field;
- driving the at least one solenoid so that the static 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;
- and
- based on the measuring of any disturbance of the object, determining with a processing device an acoustic intensity vector of the acoustic wave.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.