Self-aligning electroacoustic transducer for marine craft
First Claim
1. A self-aligning transducer apparatus for mounting to a marine craft which employs only gravity-generated forces to maintain a transducer in a predetermined orientation, comprising:
- a transducer housing including an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, with each housing portion including a curved surface forming part of a substantially spherical chamber within the housing, and the lower housing portion including a region adjacent to the chamber which is transparent to acoustic waves at a predetermined frequency range;
a liquid filling the chamber to a level of at least about one-half of the chamber;
a transducer assembly disposed within the chamber of the housing and including an electroacoustic transducer and transducer support means for carrying the transducer so that gravity causes the transducer to be substantially always aligned to produce a cone of ultrasonic acoustic signals in predetermined direction even as the housing of the apparatus pitches and rolls along two perpendicular axes within predetermined ranges of travel, the transducer assembly being constructed to have an overall specific gravity substantially the same as that of the liquid filling the chamber.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A transducer apparatus for marine pleasure craft employs only gravity-induced forces to always orient its electroacoustic transducer in a downward direction or other predetermined direction. The apparatus mounts on the transom or hull of a pleasure craft, and includes a housing having a smoothly shaped exterior to permit laminar water flow past it. The housing has an internal cavity of preferably spherical shape in which a transducer assembly is mounted. The assembly includes an electroacoustic transducer and a transducer support structure that allows the transducer to move freely on account of gravity about a center of rotation in at least two orthogonal directions as the craft pitches and/or rolls. The transducer assembly is preferably constructed to have an overall specific gravity about equal to that of the liquid so it essentially floats in the liquid. The center of mass, the center of rotation, and the center of buoyancy of the transducer assembly are preferably spaced in order along a common vertical axis from bottom to top. An electric cable extends upwardly from the center of the transducer to the top of the spherical cavity, and has some slack to minimize drag on the assembly. A first embodiment of the transducer assembly resembles a truncated sphere. In a second embodiment of the assembly, the transducer is supported by two concentrically arranged rings in a gimbal configuration. A third embodiment of the transducer assembly includes a transducer support ring pivotably mounted on opposed ball bearings that travel in vertically arranged arcuate guide channels. Two magnetic latching mechanisms for releasably holding the apparatus in place on the transom of the craft are also disclosed.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A self-aligning transducer apparatus for mounting to a marine craft which employs only gravity-generated forces to maintain a transducer in a predetermined orientation, comprising:
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a transducer housing including an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, with each housing portion including a curved surface forming part of a substantially spherical chamber within the housing, and the lower housing portion including a region adjacent to the chamber which is transparent to acoustic waves at a predetermined frequency range; a liquid filling the chamber to a level of at least about one-half of the chamber; a transducer assembly disposed within the chamber of the housing and including an electroacoustic transducer and transducer support means for carrying the transducer so that gravity causes the transducer to be substantially always aligned to produce a cone of ultrasonic acoustic signals in predetermined direction even as the housing of the apparatus pitches and rolls along two perpendicular axes within predetermined ranges of travel, the transducer assembly being constructed to have an overall specific gravity substantially the same as that of the liquid filling the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A transducer apparatus for marine pleasure craft, comprising:
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a transducer housing including first and second portions and a chamber, the first portion of the housing being below at least part of the chamber and being acoustically transparent at a desired range of frequencies, and the second portion of the housing being optically transparent; and a self-righting transducer assembly mounted for movement within the chamber by force of gravity as the orientation of the transducer housing is changed. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A self-aligning transducer apparatus, comprising:
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a transducer housing having a substantially spherical cavity therein and a bottom wall portion generally beneath the cavity which is substantially transparent to acoustic waves within a predetermined frequency range; a liquid at least partial filling the cavity, which is substantially transparent to acoustic waves within the predetermined frequency range; a transducer assembly having a transducer structure nd transducer sup-port means for buoyantly supporting the transducer structure within the liquid for rotation about the center of the spherical cavity, the transducer structure including an electroacoustical transducer which has a specific gravity greater than that of the liquid, and the transducer support means including flotation material having a specific gravity lower than that of the liquid, and having a curved exterior surface which guides movement of the transducer assembly about the center of the spherical cavity, the transducer assembly being constructed to have an overall specific gravity substantially the same as that of the liquid filling the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A self-aligning transducer apparatus, comprising:
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a transducer housing having a cavity located therein and a bottom wall portion generally beneath the cavity which permits acoustic waves with a predetermined frequency range to readily pass therethrough; a liquid at least partially filling the cavity, which permits acoustic waves within a predetermined frequency range to readily pass therethrough; a transducer assembly having a transducer structure and transducer support means for supporting the transducer structure for rotation about a predetermined center of rotation located within the cavity, the transducer structure including an electroacoustical transducer, the transducer support means including first and second support frames respectively mounted for rotation about first and second aces perpendicular to one another and which pass through the center of rotation, and wherein the electroacoustical transducer has specific gravity greater than that of the liquid, and the transducer support means including material having a specific gravity less than that of the liquid, with the transducer assembly being constructed to have an overall specific gravity substantially the same as that of the liquid in the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A magnetically coupled transducer apparatus which is releasably held in place relative to the exterior of a marine pleasure craft, the transducer apparatus comprising:
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a transducer housing; means for pivotably supporting the housing; and magnetically coupled latching means for releasably holding the transducer housing in place relative to the exterior of the craft, the latching means including at least one magnet for retaining the housing in the predetermined location relative to the exterior of the craft until sufficient force is applied to the housing such that the magnetic holding force of the latching means is overcome, at which tie the means for pivotally supporting allows the housing to pivot away from the predetermined location. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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21. A self-aligning transducer apparatus, comprising:
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a transducer housing having a cavity located therein and a bottom wall portion generally beneath the cavity which permits acoustic waves within a predetermined frequency range to readily pass therethrough, a liquid at least partially filling the cavity, which permits acoustic waves within a predetermined frequency range to readily pass therethrough; a transducer assembly having a transducer structure and transducer support means for supporting the transducer structure for rotation about a predetermined center of rotation located within the cavity, the transducer structure including an electroacoustical transducer, the transducer support means including a support frame mounted for rotation about first and second axes of rotation perpendicular to one another with the location of at least one of the axes being determined at least in part by ball bearings located on opposite sides of the support frame. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A self-aligning transducer apparatus, comprising:
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a transducer housing having a cavity; a liquid at least partially filling the cavity; and a transducer assembly mounted within the cavity and including an electroacoustic transducer and transducer support means for carrying the transducer, the transducer assembly having a center of rotation, a center of buoyancy, and a center of mass nominally arranged along a common vertical axis coincident with the gravity vector, with the center of buoyancy being located above the center of rotation, and the center of mass located below the center of rotation. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification