Acoustic sensor
AssigneeThe Technology Partnership PLC
InventorsJustin Rorke Buckland, Andrew Robert Campbell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An acoustic sensor includes a side wall, closed at each end by an end wall, to form a substantially cylindrical cavity, a transmitter and a receiver operatively associated with first and second respective end walls. Properties of the relative dimensions of the cavity are configured to create a desired oscillatory motion of the end walls, and oscillations of a fluid pressure in the cavity, to generate an electrical signal via the receiver to be output from the sensor. An array of acoustic sensors can be connected to allow calibration of one of the array of sensors.
Claims18
An acoustic sensor comprising:
- a side wall closed at each end by an end wall to form a cylindrical cavity which, in use, contains a fluid;
- a transmitter operatively associated with a first of the end walls;
- a receiver operatively associated with a second of the end walls;
- wherein a radius, a, of the cavity and a height, h, of the cavity satisfies the following inequality:
- a/h is greater than 1.2;
- wherein, in use, the transmitter causes axial oscillations of the first end wall in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the plane of the end walls;
- such that the axial oscillations of the first end wall drive radial oscillations of a pressure of a fluid in the cavity;
- the radial oscillations in the pressure of the fluid drive axial oscillations of the second end wall associated with the receiver, generating an electrical signal;
- and
- wherein, in use, the axial oscillations of the first end wall are mode-shape matched to the radial oscillations in the pressure of the fluid in the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.