Noise control composite

• US 5,420,825 A
• Filed: 08/31/1982
• Issued: 05/30/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Fischer, Eugene C., Dickey, Joseph W., Montemarano, Jean A., Castelli, Vincent J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US06/413,952
• Time in Patent Office: 4,655 Days
• Field of Search: 310/800, 367/157, 367/162, 367/165, 367/173, 367/901, 367/1
• US Class Current: 367/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17857 Geometric disposition, e.g. placement of microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17861 using additional means for damping sound, e.g. using sound absorbing panels
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17875 using an error signal without a reference signal, e.g. pure feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/127 Underwater acoustics, e.g. for submarine
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3217 Collocated sensor and cancelling actuator, e.g. "virtual earth" designs
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3223 Materials, e.g. special compositions or gases
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/32291 Plates or thin films, e.g. PVDF foil-type piezoelectric elements B06B1/0688

Abstract

A composite for use on submarines and surface craft for controlling self-erated noise when listening with sonar. The composite includes two layers of PVF₂ transducers separated by a layer of phase shifting or absorbing material. The inner transducer senses noise from the ship and subtracts this from the signal from the outer transducer representing noise plus the desired signal. In a second mode the sensed noise is regenerated through the outer transducer 180° out of phase to cancel the noise and allow more accurate detection.

Claims

1. A composite material for use in a sonar device comprising:

a first neoprene accoustic insulator layer placed on a solid substrate;

a plurality of layers including alternating transducer layers and sound absorbing layers;

a second neoprene accoustic insulator layer on top of said plurality of layers; and

an antifouling layer including an elastomeric rubber containing an organometallic polymer.

2. A composite material for use in a shipborad sonar device comprising:

at least one first transducer layer;

at least one second transducer layer outside of said first transducer layer;

at least one layer of anechoic material between said first and second transducer layers for accoustically insulating said first and second transducer layers from each other;

at least one first lead, each of said first leads being connected to one of said first transducer layers;

at least one second lead, each of said second leads being connected to one of said second transducer layers; and

a control circuit connected to said first and second leads for receiving signals from said first and second transducer layers and for processing said signals so as to cancel shipboard noise from an output signal.

3. A composite material according to claim 2 further comprising

a first insulating layer-between said first transducer layers and said ship;

and

a second insulating layer between said second transducing layers and the sea.

4. A composite material according to claim 2 wherein said control circuit includes a subtraction circuit connected to said first and second leads for subtracting the signal on said first leads from the signal on said second leads to produce an output signal free from noise.

5. A composite material according to claim 2 wherein said control circuit includes a phase shifting circuit connected to said first and second leads for receiving the signal from said first leads and sending a phase shifted signal on said second leads to produce an output signal free from noise.

9. A composite material according to claim 2 wherein said control circuit includes means for amplifying and phase shifting signals connected to said first and second leads for receiving the signal from said second leads and sending an amplified, phase shifted signal on said first leads to produce an output signal which cancels incoming noise.

10. A composite material according to claim 2 wherein said control circuit includes means for amplifying and phase shifting signals connected to said first and second leads for receiving the signal from said first leads and sending an amplified, phase shifted signal on said second leads to produce an output signal which cancels outgoing noise.

6. A sonar device for a ship comprising:

a plurality of tiles each producing a signal, arranged in an array, wherein each tile is made of a layered composite material including at least two transducer layers separated by a layer of accoustical absorbing material; and

a control circuit for selectively activating some of the tiles in the array to achieve directionality and for canceling self-generated noise from said signal.

7. A sonar device according to claim 6 wherein said control circuit includes a subtraction circuit for subtracting the signal from one of said transducer layers from the signal from the other transducing layer to cancel noise from the output signal.

8. A sonar device according to claim 6 wherein said control circuit includes a phase shifting circuit for receiving a signal from one of said transducer layers and sending a phase shifted signal to the other transducer layer to produce an output signal free from noise.