Ultrasonic driver

• US 10,052,659 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Original Assignee: uBeam, Inc.
• Inventors: Angle, Matthew, Berte, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US14/972,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 310314, 310318, 310319
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0292 Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0603 using a piezoelectric bender, e.g. bimorph
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/51 Electrostatic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 Drive or control circuitry or methods for piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer that can include a driver side and a bias voltage side. A higher voltage source can be electrically connected to the bias voltage side through a first resistor. A lower voltage source can be electrically connected to the driver side of through a second resistor. A field effect transistor or other suitable switch can be included, having a source, a gate and a drain. The source can be electrically connected to ground and the gate can be electrically connected to a control signal source. The drain can be electrically connected to the lower voltage source through a second resistor and be electrically connected to the driver side of the ultrasonic transducer. The gate can be electrically connected to a signal source through a third resistor.

Claims

1. A circuit, comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer having a driver side, a bias voltage side, and a piezoelectric flexure that is mechanically fixed at one end of the piezoelectric flexure to a location at a wall of a container and is in mechanical contact with a membrane;

a higher voltage source electrically connected to the bias voltage side of the ultrasonic transducer through a first resistor;

a lower voltage source electrically connected to the driver side of the ultrasonic transducer through a second resistor; and

a switch having a source, a gate and a drain, the source electrically connected to ground, the gate electrically connected to a control signal source, the drain electrically connected to the lower voltage source through the first resistor and electrically connected to the driver side of the ultrasonic transducer.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the switch is a field effect transistor.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first resistor has a resistance of between 2 kilo-ohms and 5 mega-ohms and the higher voltage source has a voltage of between 200 volts and 1000 volts.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second resistor has a resistance of between 200 kilo-ohms and 500 kilo-ohms and the lower voltage source has a range of between 10 volts and 120 volts.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducer is a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer.

6. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a third resistor and wherein the gate is electrically connected to the control signal source through the third resistor.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the third resistor is adapted and configured to limit the current at the gate of to between 100 ohms and 10 kilo-ohms.

8. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first resistor is adapted and configured to limit the current at the high voltage side of the ultrasonic transducer to between 20 mA and 500 mA in response to changes in voltage at the bias voltage side from zero volts to between 200 volts and 1000 volts.