Lockheed Martin Corporation

John H Goodemote

Ryan Cummiskey

David J Erickson

Daniel Walter Steele

Thomas J Barnard

Dane E Reiner

Thomas M Canavan

Howard R Taylor

Jennifer L Pawelczyk

Casey D Dyer

Joseph E Nickerson

Dennis C Stimson

A method of manufacturing a low density accelerometer comprises the steps of: providing a rigid hollow housing having an upper member and a lower member and forming a groove circumferentially along an inner surface of the rigid hollow housing about a location where the upper member is configured to meet the lower member; providing a sensor assembly including a sensing element affixed to a solid proof mass; disposing the sensor assembly in the lower member of the rigid hollow housing, such that an outer edge of the sensing element engages and is in physical contact with the groove defined in the inner surface of the rigid hollow housing; and placing the upper member of the rigid hollow housing over the lower member of the rigid hollow housing, to enclose the sensor assembly within the rigid hollow housing, wherein the sensor assembly is in physical contact with the rigid hollow housing at the groove.

Method of manufacturing a low density underwater accelerometer

A low density accelerometer includes a buoyant outer layer and a rigid hollow housing within the outer layer. The housing includes an upper member and a lower member and is configured to form a groove at the junction of the upper and lower member. A disk shaped sensing element configured in a ring defining an aperture is configured to engage the groove along an outer edge of the annular ring. A solid proof mass is configured to fit in the center of the annular ring and configured with a threaded bore on an upper surface of the proof mass. The mass is secured to the sensing element by a retainer such as a Belleville washer in contact with the upper surface of the sensing element circumferentially about the aperture and a threaded fastener passing through the retainer and the aperture in the sensing element, and threadingly engaging the threaded bore in the proof mass.

Low density underwater accelerometer

A sensor system includes a pressure sensor portion, and an accelerometer. Outputs from the sensor system are handled by a signal processing system that includes a first beamforming module for inputs from a pressure sensor, a second beamforming module for inputs from an accelerometer, and an adaptive beam interpolation module. A method for signal processing signals from both a pressure sensor and an accelerometer. An array of sensors transfers data wirelessly.

Transducer and system of arrangement for a panel array

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

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a hybrid geometry type acoustic transducer. A hybrid geometry type acoustic transducer as embodied herein leverages different type transducer physical configurations. More specifically, embodiments of the hybrid transducer combine specific features of traditional Tonpilz resonators and PZT-composite transducers to exploit the beneficial characteristics of both. The outward construction of an embodied hybrid transducer mimics a Tonpilz resonator incorporating a headmass and a tailmass sandwiching a piezoelectric active material. However, rather than using a conventional ceramic ring stack or plate form of active material, a layer of diced or 'pillared' active material is provided between the headmass and the tailmass with no filler material other than a gas, such as air, for example, or others, or a vacuum environment. Acoustic projectors constructed using this invention benefit with higher bandwidth and efficiency due to coupling loss that is lower than in prior designs. Likewise, when a hydrophone is constructed using aspects of this invention, exceptional hydrophone figure of merits are obtained. A method for making a hybrid transducer is described.

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Sauquoit, NY, United States of America

John H Goodemote