Water-resistant transducer housing with hydrophobic vent
First Claim
1. In an immersion-resistant housing adapted to receive a vibratable diaphragm spanning the interior of said housing and dividing said housing into first and second chambers of given volumes sealed from interior pneumatic communication with each other, and including a first port communicating between said first chamber and the exterior environment, the improvement comprising:
- said first port configured as an extended tubulation open to fluid and sonic flow, said tubulation having a cross-sectional dimension sufficiently small that water forced into said tubulation from said exterior environment by immersion will travel as a homogeneous plug without breakup;
a second port communicating between said second chamber and the external environment; and
selective sealing means for permitting passage of air through said second port while preventing the passage of water therethrough.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An immersion-resistant housing adapted to receive a vibratable diaphragm spanning the interior of the housing to divide the housing into first and second chambers includes a first port communicating between the first chamber and the exterior environment. The first port is configured as a tubulation. A second port communicates between the second chamber and the external environment. The tubulation has sufficiently small diameter that water entering therein moves essentially as a piston without breakup. The tubulation is configured to have a volume at least equal to that of the first chamber, and a hydrostatic head of about 32 feet of water is necessary before water can be forced into the first chamber. In the preferred embodiment the diaphragm completely seals the housing against direct communication between the two chambers. Pressure equalization across the diaphragm under conditions of varying atmospheric pressure is achieved by a selective sealing system permitting passage of air through the second port while preventing the passage of water therethrough at pressures up to at least three and preferably ten meters of hydrostatic head.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. In an immersion-resistant housing adapted to receive a vibratable diaphragm spanning the interior of said housing and dividing said housing into first and second chambers of given volumes sealed from interior pneumatic communication with each other, and including a first port communicating between said first chamber and the exterior environment, the improvement comprising:
-
said first port configured as an extended tubulation open to fluid and sonic flow, said tubulation having a cross-sectional dimension sufficiently small that water forced into said tubulation from said exterior environment by immersion will travel as a homogeneous plug without breakup; a second port communicating between said second chamber and the external environment; and selective sealing means for permitting passage of air through said second port while preventing the passage of water therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
6. An immersion-resistant audio frequency transducer comprising:
-
a housing; a vibratable diaphragm spanning the interior of said housing and dividing said housing into a first chamber and a second chamber of given volumes sealed from interior pneumatic communication with each other; one of an audio frequency motor and an audio frequency generator disposed within said second chamber and coupled to said diaphragm; a first port communicating between said first chamber and the exterior environment, said outlet port being configured as an elongated tubulation open to fluid and sonic flow, said tubulation having an inner cross-sectional dimension sufficiently small that water forced into said tubulation from said exterior environment by immersion will travel as a homogeneous plug without breakup, said tubulation having an interior volume generally not less than one half the volume of said first chamber; a second port communicating between said second chamber and the external environment; and selective sealing means for permitting passage of air through said second port while preventing the passage of water therethrough at pressures up to at least three meters of hydrostatic head. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 20)
-
-
10. An immersion-resistant audio frequency transducer comprising:
-
a housing; a vibratable diaphragm spanning the interior of said housing and dividing said housing into a first chamber and a second chamber of given volumes sealed from interior pneumatic communication with each other; one of an audio frequency motor and an audio frequency generator disposed within said second chamber and coupled to said diaphragm; a first port communicating between said first chamber and the exterior environment, said first port being configured as an elongated tubulation open to fluid and sonic flow, said tubulation having an inner cross-sectional dimension sufficiently small that water forced into said tubulation from said exterior environment by immersion will travel as a homogeneous plug without breakup, said tubulation having an interior volume generally not less than one half the volume of said first chamber; a second port communicating between said second chamber and the external environment; a selective seal disposed sealingly across said second port, said seal including a planar membrane of hydrophobic material having a plurality of capillary air passages extending therethrough so as to be air-permeable but impermeable to water; and first and second planar screens disposed in confronting abutting relationship to opposite faces of said hydrophobic membrane. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 18, 19, 21)
-
Specification