US 5,515,343 A · Electro-acoustic transducers comprising a flexible and sealed transmitting shell

Abstract

The invention relates to electro-acoustic transducers comprising a flexible nd sealed transmitting shell referred to as flextensional transducers. A transducer according to the invention comprises one or more electro-acoustic drivers, e.g., a stack of piezoelectric plates 1a, 1b . . . 1n, located inside a flexible and sealed shell. Each piezo-electric driver comprises, at both its ends, a counter-mass coupled mechanically and acoustically with the stack and the ends of the shell by means of an axial threaded rod and two nuts screwed on the ends of the rod. The mass of the two counter-masses and the dimensions of the stack are determined so that the fundamental frequency of the axial oscillations of this mechanical assembly will be close to the natural frequency of the bending oscillations of the shell. An application of the invention is the construction of sonar transmitters.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An electro-acoustic transducer comprising:

a sealed and flexible shell constituting a transmitting surface in contact with a liquid;
at least one electro-acoustic driver located inside said shell and coupled at both its ends with said shell;
and
a counter-mass at each end of each said electro-acoustic driver, said counter-masses being coupled mechanically with said shell and with said driver and being structured such that the fundamental frequency of the axial oscillations of the assembly comprising said driver and said counter-masses is close to the natural frequency of the bending oscillations of said shell.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electro-acoustic transducers comprising a flexible and sealed transmitting shell

Life of this patent

Electro-acoustic transducers comprising a flexible and sealed transmitting shell

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5