Implosive acoustic generator

An implosive generator, comprising:

• a main housing defining a slug chamber which, when the housing is submerged in the liquid, confines a liquid slug therein, the slug chamber having a main port communicating with the liquid body;
• force-producing means for applying a force to the liquid slug, thereby propelling at a very-high velocity the liquid slug through the main port;
• means to automatically remove in a relatively short time interval the force applied to the liquid slug thereby creating outside of the main housing a main cavity which is imploded by the liquid body, thereby producing an acoustic impulse in the liquid body;
• a secondary housing defining a suction chamber having at least one port communicating with the liquid body, said suction chamber being in the vicinity of said main cavity;
• and
• means producing a suction cavity in said suction chamber, said suction cavity imploding after the implosion of said main cavity.

A generator for producing acoustic impulses when submerged in a body of water, the generator including a main housing defining a first bore having a bottom stop wall defining a main port, and a top stop wall defining a top port;

• a shuttle having a main piston, a second piston, and a push rod coupling the pistons in spaced relation;
• the main piston being slidably mounted in the first bore, which defines a slug chamber having said main port, between the bottom stop wall and the main piston, and a vent chamber, between the main piston and the top stop wall;
• the slug chamber confining a slug of water therein;
• said housing further defining a second bore in which the second piston is slidably mounted;
• the second bore defining a return chamber, between the second piston and a fixed seal ring, which slidably receives the push rod, and a trigger chamber between the second piston and the housing;
• a reservoir chamber in said housing;
• the return chamber having a pressure inlet, the trigger chamber having a vent hole and a pressure inlet, the reservoir chamber having a pressure inlet and a pressure outlet;
• and the vent chamber having a vent hole;
• a normally-closed, mechanically-operated valve coupling an air pressure source to the inlet of the reservoir chamber;
• the return chamber being directly coupled to the pressure source;
• a normally-closed, electrically-operated valve coupling the outlet from the reservoir chamber to the inlet of the trigger chamber;
• a plunger movably mounted in the wall of the housing above the trigger chamber, the plunger being displaced by the second piston, when the second piston reaches its uppermost position in the second bore, thereby opening the mechanically-operated valve, which admits air pressure to the reservoir chamber;
• the electrically-operated valve, when energized by an electric signal, admitting air pressure from the reservoir chamber to the trigger chamber, thereby causing the shuttle to execute a forward stroke that propels the water slug which forms a water jet that exits through said main port into the body of water;
• and said shuttle automatically executing a return stroke in response to the air pressure confined in the return chamber.