Electro-mechanical transduction apparatus
AssigneeImage Acoustics, Inc.
InventorJohn L. Butler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electro-mechanical spring which provides amplified motion as well as a compliant structure for attachment, at the locations of maximum motion, to other mechanical or acoustical loads or elements. The spring produces motion in a directional orthogonal to the direction of a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive drive member connected along the major axis of a complete shell. The electro-mechanical spring provides a means for obtaining a low frequency large displacement piston type transducer.
Claims37
An electro-mechanical transduction apparatus comprising;
- a flextensional transducer shell having orthogonally disposed first and second shell axes,
- a transduction drive means having opposed ends,
- means connecting the transduction drive means at its opposed ends to the flextensional transducer shell and disposed along said first shell axis,
- a mechanical load,
- means connecting the load to the flextensional transducer shell at at least one location along said second shell axis and at a position outside of said transducer shell,
- and means for exciting said transduction drive means to cause said shell to move in the direction of said first axis to in turn provide complementary shell motion in the direction of said second axis for driving said load to, in turn, provide energy radiation therefrom.
An electro-mechanical transduction apparatus comprising:
- a flextensional transducer shell having orthogonally disposed first and second shell axes,
- a transduction drive means having opposed ends,
- means connecting the transduction drive means at its opposed ends to the flextensional transducer shell and disposed along said first shell axis,
- a load,
- means connecting the load to the flextensional transducer shell at at least one location along said second shell axis,
- and means for exciting said transduction drive means to cause said shell to move in the direction of said first axis to in turn provide complementary shell motion in the direction of said second axis for driving said load,
- wherein said load comprises a pair of loads including a head load on one side of the shell and an inertial tail load on the other side of the shell, both said loads secured to the shell along said second axis,
- said inertial tail load being heavier than said head load.
An electro-mechanical transduction apparatus comprising:
- a flextensional transducer shell,
- a transduction drive means,
- means connecting the transduction drive means to the flextensional transducer shell for driving said transducer shell,
- said flextensional transducer shell being comprised of a pair of commonly interconnected and orthogonally disposed shell members,
- and said transduction drive means comprised of a pair of commonly interconnected and orthogonally disposed transduction drive members.
A piston transducer comprising, a shell having oppositely disposed surfaces extending along a first axis, a transduction driver coupled to said shell and extending along a second axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis, a first piston mass coupled to one side of said shell at said first axis, and a second piston mass connected to the opposite side of said shell at said first axis at least one of said piston masses being disposed outside of said shell and responsive to shell motion.
A piston transducer comprising, a shell having oppositely disposed surfaces extending along a first axis, transduction driver couples said shell and extending along a second axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis, the first piston mass couples to one side of said shell at said first axis, and a second piston mass connected to the opposite side of said shell at said first axis, said first piston mass comprising an active piston and said second piston mass comprising an inertial mass, said inertial mass being substantially larger in mass than said piston mass.
A piston transducer comprising, a shell having oppositely disposed surfaces extending along a first axis, a transduction driver coupled to said shell and extending along a second axis substantially orthogonal to said first axis, a first piston mass coupled to one side of said shell at said first axis, and a second piston mass connected to the opposite side of said shell at said first axis, said shell comprised of two separate plates secured to the transduction driver with the transduction driver disposed therebetween.
An electro-mechanical transduction system comprised of:
- first and second electro-mechanical transduction members, each of said member including;
- a flextensional transducer shell having orthogonally disposed first and second shell axes,
- a transduction drive means having opposed ends,
- and means connecting the transduction drive means at its opposed ends to the flextensional transducer shell for driving the shell along its first axis,
- means for mechanically interconnecting said member shells in adjacent position at respective positions along their respective second axes,
- and means for exciting said member transduction drive means to cause said shells to move in the direction of their respective first axes to in turn provide complementary and additive shell motion in the common direction of said second axes.
An electro-mechanical transduction apparatus comprising:
- a flextensional transducer shell having orthogonally disposed first and second shell axes,
- a transduction drive means having opposed ends,
- means connecting the transduction drive means at its opposed ends to the flextansional transducer shell and disposed along said first shell axis,
- a load,
- means for connecting the load to the flextensional transducer shell at at least one location along said second shell axis,
- and means for exciting the transduction drive means to cause said shell to move in the direction of said first axis to in turn provide complementary shell motion in the direction of said second axis for driving said load,
- said mechanical load beng disposed asymmetrically in relation to the first shell axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.