Detector for use in acoustic holography
AssigneeHolosonics, Inc.
InventorGary Norris Langlois
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved detector having a reflective surface which is substantially insensitive to vibration. The detection surface comprises a thin layer of liquid metal which is disposed over a substantially rigid, wettable substrate. In a presently preferred embodiment, the detector comprises a receptacle having disposed therein a rigid brass plate covered by a thin layer of mercury. The detector is submersed in a suitable fluid, such as water, to which an acidic substance has been added to reduce the pH of the fluid to the range of 5 to 6.
Claims15
Improved detector apparatus responsive to impingent acoustic wavefronts to form a hologram, comprising:
- a rigid substrate having a continuous substantially planar upper surface;
- a layer of liquid metal covering said planar upper surface;
- said upper surface of said substrate being formed of a material which is wetted by said liquid metal;
- said layer of liquid metal being thinner than the thinnest layer of said metal which could exist upon a planar surface of a material not wetted by said metal;
- and defining an upper surface and defining a lower surface in intimate contact with the upper surface of said rigid substrate;
- a mass of a second liquid, said layer of liquid metal being submersed in said second liquid;
- first transducer means positioned to direct a beam of object-modified acoustic energy through said second liquid directly onto the upper surface of said layer of liquified metal;
- second transducer means positioned to direct a reference beam of acoustic energy through said second liquid directly onto the upper surface of said layer of liquid metal;
- the beam from said second transducer means being oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to the beam from said first transducer means to give rise to a pattern of disturbances on said upper surface of said layer of liquid metal;
- and
- means for directing illuminating energy upon the pattern of disturbances.
A detector for use in an acoustic imaging system including means for directing an object-modulated acoustic beam thereon, means for directing a reference acoustic beam thereon, and means for illuminating the area of the detector impinged upon by said acoustic beams, comprising:
- a substrate disposed beneath said means for directing and having a substantially planar upper surface;
- a layer of liquified metal disposed upon said planar surface and having a lower surface in intimate contact with said substrate and an upper surface oriented in the path of the acoustic beams;
- means for retaining said liquified metal upon said planar surface;
- said substrate being formed of a material which substantially absorbs acoustic energy which traverses said layer of liquified metal and impinges upon said substrate.
An ultrasonic holography imaging method comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a substantially rigid substrate, which is wettable by a liquified metal;
- b. disposing a layer of said liquified metal over said substrate to form a readily deformable upper surface, said layer being thinner than the thinnest layer which could exist upon a substrate not wettable by said liquified metal;
- c. submerging said layer of liquified metal in a second liquid;
- d. directing a first, object-modified beam of acoustic energy through said second liquid directly upon said upper surface;
- e. directing a second, reference beam of acoustic energy through said second liquid directly upon said upper surface, said second beam lying at a predetermined angle to said first beam to produce a disturbance pattern upon said upper surface;
- and
- f. illuminating said disturbance pattern.
An ultrasonic holography imaging method comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a liquid-retaining enclosure;
- b. providing a substantially continuous planar substrate within said enclosure;
- c. disposing a layer of liquified metal over said substrate, said liquified metal wetting said substrate so as to form a thin layer thereon, said layer being thinner than the thinnest layer which could exist upon a non-wettable substrate;
- d. submersing said layer of liquified metal in a second, acoustically-transmissive liquid;
- e. directing a first, object-modified and a second, reference beam of acoustic energy through said second liquid directly upon the upper surface of said liquified metal to produce a disturbance pattern thereon;
- and
- f. directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation upon the disturbance pattern to illuminate said pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.