Lockheed Martin Corporation

General Electric Company

Martin Marietta Corporation

David J Erickson

Raymond Porzio

Todd Charles Gloo

Louis M Izzo

Daniel Walter Steele

John H Goodemote

Dane E Reiner

Robert T Winnicki

Cleo M Stearns

John H Goodmote

Walter Chyrywaty, Iii

An acoustic transducer array and method of baffle construction is presented to provide an improved array for use in underwater installations. The array is presented wherein a significant majority of the acoustic energy receiving surface is formed by lightweight acoustic baffling material while still maintaining a fully functional, fully populated array. The acoustic baffle constructed is incompressible and suitable for deep water operation while demonstrating both improved acoustic performance and positive buoyancy when necessary. In addition, the invention eliminates the non-uniform element to element spacing that occurs between sub-panels in similar arrays.

Lightweight acoustic array

A transducer comprises a longitudinal tubular member symmetrically disposed about a central longitudinal axis, the tubular member having a slot extending from the front end of said member to the rear end of the member, the slot extending parallel to the central longitudinal axis; a stack comprising a single element or plurality of vibratory elements arranged from a first to a second end and; a mounting arrangement for mounting the said stack across the inner wall of said tubular member on a line relatively transverse to said longitudinal central axis. The mounting arrangement includes a layer of solid lubricant engaging opposite ends of the stack, enabling the stack to move in a direction of the central axis when the stack exhibits vibratory motion.

Longitudinally driven slotted cylinder transducer

Embodiments of the invention are directed to an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) system and a small unmanned air vehicle (SUAV) system for deploying and towing a sensor in a tow medium, and to methods related thereto. A UAV-sensor towing package comprises a fixed-wing UAV including a control and signal processing platform, a long range data RF link operably connected to the control and signal processing platform, a UAV wireless data link operably connected to the control and signal processing platform, and a tow body deployment system operably connected to the control and signal processing platform; a tow line attached at an end thereof to the UAV; a tow body attached to another end of the tow line; and a communications link including a transmitter/receiver component coupled to the tow line, and a T/R wireless data transmission link () operably connected with the transmitter/receiver component and the UAV wireless data link.

Small unmanned air vehicle system for deploying and towing a sensor in a tow medium and methods related thereto

A longitudinally driven slotted transducer has a tubular member with an axial slot extending from one end to the other end. A drive assembly is disposed across the inner wall of the tubular member and supported by journal bearing surfaces extending from opposing sides of the inner wall to locate the drive assembly in a position offset from the longitudinal central axis of the tubular member. The interface between the drive assembly and tubular member comprises a layer of solid lubricant material mounted on the journal bearing type surfaces.

An acoustic pressure sensor includes a stack of one or more acoustically responsive elements which are contained within a housing. An external acoustic pressure to be sensed is transmitted to the stack via a diaphragm which exists in an end cap closing a top portion of the housing. The outer edge of the diaphragm is in direct contact with the outer edge of the housing. This area enhancement increases the basic sensitivity of the sensing stack without the need of a gap. The diaphragm allows flexure to occur in a controlled fashion. The housing is sealed at the top and bottom by end caps, the top end cap defining a diaphragm area, which diaphragm deflects to thereby apply pressure to the stack to convert acoustic signals into electrical signals.

Acoustic pressure sensor

An efficient generator of electrical power employs groups of piezoelectric devices disposed in a radial manner about a centrally located cam. The cam, when rotated by a prime mover as a conventional source of mechanical energy, applies a periodic varying force to each piezoelectric device in a suitable sequence. The devices operate to respond to the rotation of the cam by having a cam follower coupled to each device via a spring, whereby a periodically varying force is applied to each piezoelectric device according to the cam surface and based on the rotation of the cam. Each device produces an output voltage according to the force applied to the device via the cam and the coupling between the device and the cam surface. Each device includes a stack of low loss piezoelectric plates connected together and responsive to the application of a mechanical stress to the stack to produce an electrical output.

Power generator employing piezoelectric materials

The invention relates to a dual frequency sonar transducer assembly which may be operated at low and/or high frequencies in a sonar array. The assembly comprises a low frequency unit of tonpilz design including a low frequency driver, a low frequency tail mass and a composite head mass, the composite head mass acting as a single low frequency water driving piston and comprising a plurality of high frequency units forming individual high frequency water driving pistons. The high frequency units are also of tonpilz design, with independent drivers, independent head masses, and a common tail mass. The use of a common tail mass simplifies the design without compromising high frequency operation. The design leads to more efficient operation at both frequencies by minimizing the head mass to tail mass ratios.

Dual frequency sonar transducer assembly

A transducer includes an acoustic radiating member for generating acoustic energy in a transmitting medium and a driver member that is pivotally connected to the radiating member. The driver member is for urging movement of the radiating member, wherein such movement generates the energy. Pivoting of the driver member with respect to the radiating member relieves predetermined stress in the driver member. The radiating member may include, for example, a flat element such as a bar, plate or disk, or an I-shaped element. The driver element may include an electroactive material. The driver element may be connected to the radiating element by support apparatus that is fixedly coupled to the radiating element includes a screw having a predeterminedly contoured end that engages a complimentarily contoured recess connected to the driver element for permitting the pivoting. When the support apparatus includes a screw it may be adjusted for supplying a predetermined force on the driver element.

Moment bender transducer drive

A transducer includes a first and second spaced apart member, each member having a radiating surface for producing a wave of energy in a transmitting medium in response to a driving force, a plurality of containment devices coupled to each member and extending outwardly beyond at least one radiating surface for communicating the driving force to each member, and a corresponding plurality of driving devices respectively disposed within the containment devices for generating the driving force in response to a change in a predetermined dimension of the driving device. The distance between the members and corresponding distance between the radiating surfaces may be reduced for increasing the bandwidth of the transducer, while the length of the containment device may be increased for accommodating the driving devices in order to maintain a constant driving force. A method for selecting the bandwidth of operation of a transducer is also described.

Growing community of inventors

Liverpool, NY, United States of America

David J Erickson