Optical hydrophone and array using bubble resonance for detecting acoustic signals
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorThomas R. Stottlemyer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical hydrophone described herein includes a housing defining a chamber. The housing is acoustically transparent to acoustic waves at a frequency of interest. An optically transparent material fills the chamber and has air-filled voids defined therein that resonate within the material when an incoming acoustic wave impinges on the material. Light introduced into the material and passed therethrough is affected by the air-filled voids resonating within the material. Light is transmitted to and from the material by optical fibers which are coupled to the material on either side thereof. A plurality of these optical hydrophones can be configured in a linear array through which light is passed. Such linear arrays can be used to measure incoming acoustic signals.
Claims15
An optical hydrophone, comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber, said housing being acoustically transparent to incoming acoustic waves at a frequency of interest;
- an optically transparent material filling said chamber, said material having a plurality of air-filled voids, each of which is surrounded by a microsphere, wherein said air-filled voids resonate within said material when said acoustic waves impinge on said material;
- first means coupled to said material for transmitting light therein, wherein said light passes therethrough;
- and
- second means coupled to said material for receiving said light passed therethrough, wherein said light passed through said material is affected by said air-filled voids resonating within said material.
An optical hydrophone, comprising:
- a sleeve having a first end and a second end, said sleeve being acoustically transparent to incoming acoustic waves at a frequency of interest;
- a first optical fiber having a terminal end thereof fitted in said first end of said sleeve;
- a first lens coupled to said terminal end of said first optical fiber;
- a second optical fiber having a terminal end thereof fitted in said second end of said sleeve;
- a second lens coupled to said terminal end of said second optical fiber, wherein said first lens and said second lens are spaced apart from one another by a gap;
- and
- an optically transparent material filling said gap, said material having air-filled voids defined therein that resonate within said material when said acoustic waves impinge on said material.
An optical hydrophone array, comprising:
- a plurality of optical hydrophones, each of said plurality of optical hydrophones comprising i) a housing defining a chamber, said housing being acoustically transparent to incoming acoustic waves at a frequency of interest, ii) an optically transparent material filling said chamber, said material having air-filled voids defined therein that resonate within said material when said acoustic waves impinge on said material, iii) first means coupled to said material for transmitting light therein, wherein said light passes therethrough, and iv) second means coupled to said material for receiving said light passed therethrough, wherein said light passed through said material is affected by said air-filled voids resonating within said material;
- and
- said second means of each of said plurality of optical hydrophones being optically coupled to said first means of a subsequent one of said plurality of optical hydrophones.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.