The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 10, 2001
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1998
Edward F. Rynne, Jr., San Diego, CA (US);
Russell E. Hammond, La Jolla, CA (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
The invention integrates an amplifier directly into an electromechanical transducer assembly. In one embodiment of this invention, power from a power supply is supplied to what can be described as an electromechanical amplifier that includes bridge circuits that directly drive the transducer elements. Each transducer element can include its own co-located switching network, such as, for example, a bridge circuit, that can be used with other system components to control when and for how long a voltage of equal magnitude and of either a positive or negative polarity is selectively directed to the element to expand or contract it in relation to a signal desired to be acoustically transmitted. Besides permitting an output of two voltages of equal magnitude and opposite polarity, the bridge circuit also permits an output that is “open” and one that allows a dissipation of transducer element charge.