Stretched piezopolymer transducer with unsupported areas
First Claim
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1. A transducer, comprising:
- a piezoelectric membrane including a laminar sheet composed of a piezoelectric material and a pair of conductive electrodes coating the sheet and sandwiching the sheet between them;
said membrane have two surfaces, an edge portion, and a central portion;
support means for supporting said membrane and electrically contacting said membrane at the electrodes;
said support means including a frame for holding the membrane at the edge portion;
said supporting means including a holding structure contacting the membrane at the center portion;
said holding structure contacting said membrane over a first area of the central portion and leaving a larger second area of the central portion of the membrane unsupported;
said holding structure being rigid, andsaid frame having means for stretching the membrane over the rigid holding structure so as to give the unsupported portion a curved shape.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In the disclosed transducer, a frame supports the edges of a piezopolymer sheet coated on both faces with electrodes, while a holding structure supports an area but leaves a larger area of the central portion of the sheet unsupported. According to preferred embodiments, the frame stretches the sheet, in the form of a membrane, across one or more contact areas on the holding structure, and the contact area approximates a point located near the center of the sheet or a number of concentric annuli. Preferably, the structure forms one terminal contacting one electrode and the frame forms another terminal contacting the other electrode.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A transducer, comprising:
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a piezoelectric membrane including a laminar sheet composed of a piezoelectric material and a pair of conductive electrodes coating the sheet and sandwiching the sheet between them; said membrane have two surfaces, an edge portion, and a central portion; support means for supporting said membrane and electrically contacting said membrane at the electrodes; said support means including a frame for holding the membrane at the edge portion; said supporting means including a holding structure contacting the membrane at the center portion; said holding structure contacting said membrane over a first area of the central portion and leaving a larger second area of the central portion of the membrane unsupported; said holding structure being rigid, and said frame having means for stretching the membrane over the rigid holding structure so as to give the unsupported portion a curved shape. - View Dependent Claims (2, 16, 17)
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3. A transducer, comprising:
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a piezoelectric membrane including a laminar sheet composed of a piezopolymer material and a pair of conductive electrodes coating the sheet and sandwiching the sheet between them; said member having two surfaces, an edge portion, and a central portion; support means for supporting said membrane and electrically contacting said membrane at the electrodes; said support means including a frame for holding the membrane at the edge portion; said support means including a rigid holding structure contacting the membrane at the center portion; said holding structure contacting said membrane over an area of the central portion and leaving a larger area of the central portion of the membrane unsupported, said frame stretching said membrane over the holding structure so as to give the unsupported portion a curved shape. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification