Ultrasonic remote control system
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsMaurice Apstein, Henry P. Kalmus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Transmission of control information from one location in a solid structure o one or more remote locations in that structure is accomplished with ultrasonic surface waves transmitted along the structure. The ultrasonic carrier is frequency-modulated to cause the resulting standing wave patterns in the structure to be spatially shifted at the modulation frequency and thereby avoid permanent vibration nodes at receiver locations. The invention has particular utility in munitions structures.
Claims9
The method of transmitting information from a first location in a structure to one or more remote locations in said structure, said method comprising the steps of:
- generating an alternating ultrasonic electrical signal representing said information;
- frequency-modulating said electrical signal;
- at said first location, transducing said electrical signal to surface wave vibrations in said structure, said surface waves being spatially shifted at the modulation frequency;
- at said one or more remote locations, transducing said surface wave vibrations back into an electrical signal.
The method of transmitting information from a first location in a multiple tube rocket launcher to remote locations in said launcher, each tube corresponding to one of said remote locations and being capable of launching a respective rocket, comprising the steps of:
- generating an alternating ultrasonic electrical signal representing said information;
- selectively varying the frequency of said electrical signal in accordance with which of said rockets is to be launched;
- and
- at said first location, transducing said electrical signal to surface wave vibrations in said multiple tube rocket launcher;
- at said one or more romote locations, transducing said surface wave vibrations back into an electrical signal;
- and
- in response to transducing said vibrations into electrical signals at least one predetermined frequency at each rocket tube location, launching a rocket from that tube.
The method of transmitting information from a first location in a structure wherein said structure is a guided missile having a plurality of sensors which provide sensor signals to a controller at said first location, to one or more remote locations in said structure, said method comprising the steps of:
- in response to reception of one or more predetermined sensor signals at said controller, generating an alternating ultrasonic electrical signal at a predetermined frequency;
- at said first location, transducing said electrical signal to surface wave vibrations in said structure;
- at said one or more remote locations, transducing said surface wave vibrations back into an electrical signal;
- and
- in response to transducing said vibrations back into an electrical signal at said predetermined frequency at a remote location, detonating an explosive device in said missile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.