Convex folded shell projector

• US 20050152222A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher J. Purcell, Richard A.G. Fleming, Rick Kaufman, Steven Saint-Vincent
• Original Assignee: Christopher J. Purcell, Richard A.G. Fleming, Rick Kaufman, Steven Saint-Vincent
• Inventors: Fleming, Richard A.G., Purcell, Christopher J., Saint-Vincent, Steven, Kaufman, Rick
• Application Number:
  US11/000,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20050152222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/163
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/121 Flextensional transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 23/00 Transducers other than those covered by groups H04R9/00 - H04R21/00 diaphragms for transducers of the distributed-mode type H04R7/045

Abstract

An acoustic projector comprising a pair of spaced apart end plates with an acoustic driver positioned between the end plates. The end plate'"'"'s edges are secured to an outer one-piece thin walled shell that provides an enclosure for the driver. That thin walled shell has a convex outwardly bent surface between the end plates and a plurality of axially extending corrugations to provide a predetermined axial compliance and radial-to-axial transformation ratio.

Claims

1. An acoustic projector comprising a pair of spaced apart end plates with an acoustic driver positioned between the end plates, the end plates having edges secured to an outer one-piece thin walled shell that provides an enclosure for said driver, the thin walled shell having a convex outwardly bent surface between the end plates And a plurality of axially extending corrugations to provide a predetermined axial compliance and radial-to-axial transformation ration.

2. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 1, wherein the thin walled shell is formed of a polymer.

3. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 2, wherein the polymer is PETG.

4. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 2, wherein the corrugations have a maximum fold depth of about 2 to 10 times the shell wall'"'"'s thickness.

5. An underwater acoustic projector as defined in claim 4, wherein the corrugations have rounded cusps.

6. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 5, wherein the thin walled shell has a flange at each end which is secured to the end plates.

7. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 5, wherein the thin walled shell has at least 8 axial extending corrugations.

8. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 7, wherein the acoustic driver is selected from the group of electrodynamic driver motors, electrostrictive driver motors, hydroacoustic motors, and magnetostrictive driver motors.

9. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 7, wherein the corrugations have a maximum depth at a midpoint along a longitudinal axis of the shell, which depth varies axially and is 0 at said flange.

10. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 9, wherein some of the corrugations have different depths and curvatures than other corrugations in the shell.

11. An acoustic projector as defined in claim 3, wherein corrugations with at least two different maximum fold depths form said plurality of axially extending corrugations.