METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC CHANNEL MOUNTING

• US 20130258815A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Original Assignee: Gary J. Saulnier, Henry A. Scarton
• Inventors: WILT, Kyle R., SCARTON, Henry A., LAWRY, Tristan, SAULNIER, Gary J., ASHDOWN, Jonathan D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,681,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/06 Systems determining the position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/006 Transducer mounting in underwater equipment, e.g. sonobuoys

Abstract

Method and apparatus for rotational alignment and attachment of ultrasonic transducers to a barrier with one submerged surface uses a temporary transducer assembly to position mounting rings on opposite surfaces of the barrier. Plural permanent transducers are then mounted to each mounting ring and are aligned with each other across the barrier by virtue of the alignment of their mounting rings. The submerged mounting ring is used like a cylinder in combination with a mounting plate for the transducers on the submerged side of the barrier or each submerged side transducer has a suction cup fitting for use to exclude water from between each transducer and the submerged barrier surface to facilitate bonding of the submerged side transducers to the barrier.

Claims

1. A mounting plate installation assembly for mounting one or more transducers on a submerged surface, the assembly comprising:

a mounting member fixed to the submerged surface;

a mounting plate having a top side facing away from the submerged surface, and a bottom side facing towards the submerged surface;

a plurality of transducers fixed to the mounting plate;

the mounting plate having an inlet hole and an outlet hole through its thickness, such holes being adapted for passing gasses and liquids between top and bottom sides of the mounting plate;

the mounting plate being sized to fit within the mounting member; and

the mounting plate and the mounting member being positioned so that the mounting plate slides within the mounting member towards and away from the submerged surface, while maintaining a substantially water-tight seal between the periphery of the mounting plate and the mounting.

2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting member is a mounting ring having the shape of a section of a hollow cylinder, and wherein the mounting plate is substantially round.

3. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom side of the mounting plate comprises a channel adapted to direct adhesive from the inlet hole to other areas of the bottom side of the mounting plate.

4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sealant at an interface of the mounting plate and the mounting member, the sealant being adapted to facilitate movement of the mounting plate towards and away from the submerged surface while maintaining a water-tight seal between the periphery of the mounting plate and the mounting member.

5. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting member comprises a plurality of threaded holes spaced about its periphery.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of transducers are each fixed in a separate depression on the top side of the mounting plate.

7. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top side of the mounting plate comprises a plurality of threaded holes;

the assembly further comprising a pressing plate removably engaged to the top side of the mounting plate using a plurality of said threaded holes; and

the pressing plate being adapted to selectably push and pull the mounting plate towards and away from the submerged surface.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pressing plate is non-rigidly engaged to the top side of the mounting plate using a plurality of threaded couplings engaged with the threaded holes of the mounting plate;

further comprising a plurality of springs positioned between the pressing plate and the mounting plate, the springs being adapted to transfer pressing pressure from the pressing plate to the mounting plate in the direction of the surface.

9. A method for attaching a plurality of transducers to a submerged surface, the method comprising the following steps:

fixing a mounting member to the surface;

providing a mounting plate having a plurality of transducers fixed to a top side of the plate, the plate being sized to fit within the mounting device and comprising an inlet hole and an outlet hole through the thickness of the mounting plate;

placing the mounting plate within the mounting member so that the top side of the mounting plate faces away from the surface, and a bottom side of the mounting plate faces towards the surface, wherein the mounting plate is adapted to slide within the mounting member towards and away from the surface while maintaining a substantially water-tight seal in a matter analogous to a piston in a cylinder, and wherein the mounting member, the mounting plate, and the surface form a cavity;

flushing the cavity with an evaporable liquid by injecting the evaporable liquid via the inlet hole;

flushing the cavity with a gas by injecting the gas via the inlet hole;

substantially filling the cavity with an adhesive by injecting such adhesive via the inlet hole;

moving the mounting plate towards the surface until the mounting plate contacts the surface; and

holding the mounting plate against the surface until the adhesive hardens.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of applying a vacuum to the cavity after the cavity has been flushed with a gas, and continuing to apply the vacuum to the cavity while adhesive is added to the cavity, through a different hole, until the cavity is substantially full of the adhesive.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the following steps:

moving the mounting plate within the mounting member towards the surface so as to force water in the cavity out of the cavity via the outlet hole before flushing the cavity with the evaporable liquid;

injecting the evaporable liquid via the inlet hole while the mounting plate is moved away from the surface within the mounting member, thereby forming a cavity comprising the evaporable liquid;

moving the mounting plate back towards the surface so as to force the evaporable liquid out of the cavity via the outlet hole before flushing the cavity with gas;

injecting the gas via the inlet hole while the mounting plate is moved away from the surface within the mounting member, thereby evaporating residual evaporable liquid;

moving the mounting plate back towards the surface so as to force the gas out of the cavity via the outlet hole before injecting the adhesive;

injecting the adhesive via the inlet hole while the mounting plate is moved away from the surface within the mounting member, thereby forming a cavity comprising adhesive; and

moving the mounting plate back towards the surface so as to force excess epoxy out of the cavity via the outlet and holding the mounting plate against the surface until the adhesive has hardened.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the gas is compressed air, and wherein the compressed air is continually injected into the inlet hole until the adhesive injection begins.

13. An assembly for mounting a transducer directly to a submerged surface, the assembly comprising:

a transducer mounted to a backing, the backing having a flange at its periphery;

the backing and the flange being positioned on the submerged surface so that the backing, the flange, and the surface collectively form a cavity with the transducer held in the cavity;

the assembly being adapted so that when the backing is pressed towards the surface, the flange contacts the surface and creates a temporary seal with the surface;

the assembly being adapted so that when the backing is pressed towards the surface, the transducer also contacts the surface;

the transducer and the backing together comprising a continuous hole, the continuous hole being adapted to pass liquids and gasses to the space in the cavity between the transducer and the submerged surface;

14. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, the assembly further comprising a backing plate removably engaged with the backing;

the backing plate being adapted to press one or more backings towards the submerged surface.

15. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, the assembly further comprising a round mounting ring, in the form on a section of a hollow cylinder, fixed to the submerged surface;

the backing, the flange, and the transducer being positioned on a portion of the submerged surface within the circumference of the mounting ring;

the assembly further comprising a backing plate removably connected to the mounting ring;

the backing plate being adapted to selectably press one or more backings towards the submerged surface.

16. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, the assembly further comprising a tube passing through the continuous hole, wherein the tube is adapted for passing liquids and gasses to the interface between the transducer and the surface.

17. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the backing and the flange comprise an elastic material.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the backing and the flange collectively form a suction cup shape.

19. A method for attaching a transducer directly to a submerged surface, the method comprising the following steps:

attaching the transducer to a backing, the backing comprising a flange;

placing the backing on the surface so that the flange contacts the surface, wherein the backing, the flange, and the surface are adapted to collectively form a cavity, wherein the transducer is positioned in that cavity, and wherein the backing and the transducer together comprise a hole communicating between the outside of the backing and the cavity;

forcing a gas through the hole to pressurize the area within the cavity to force any water out of the cavity;

injecting adhesive through the hole into the cavity until the cavity is substantially filled with the adhesive;

applying force to the backing in the direction of the surface until the transducer comes into contact with the surface, simultaneously shrinking the cavity and forcing excess adhesive out of the cavity;

maintaining pressure on the backing to hold the transducer against the surface until the adhesive has bonded the transducer to the surface.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of removing the backing from the flange after the adhesive has bonded the transducer to the surface.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the backing, the flange, and the transducer are positioned on a portion of the surface that is within the circumference of a round mounting ring fixed to the surface, wherein the mounting ring is in the form of a section of a hollow cylinder, and wherein the mounting ring comprises a plurality of threaded holes spaced about its circumference;

and

wherein the steps of applying and maintaining pressure on the backing in the direction of the surface are accomplished by fixing a backing plate to the mounting ring by engaging one or more threaded couplings with one or more threaded holes on the mounting ring, wherein the backing plate is superior to the backing with relation to the surface, by twisting the one or more threaded couplings into their respective threaded holes in the mounting ring until the transducer is moved into contact with the surface, such twisting being adapted to move the backing plate towards the surface, the backing plate thereby pushing the backing and the transducer towards the surface; and

by leaving the backing plate in place until the adhesive fixing the transducer to the surface hardens.

22. An assembly for determining the location and rotational alignment of a mounting member on a first surface of a barrier from an opposite second side of the barrier, the assembly comprising:

a mounting member fixed to the first surface of the barrier;

a temporary alignment arrangement removably fixed to the mounting member;

the alignment arrangement comprising a plurality of spaced apart first signal transducers; and

a second signal transducer for movement along the second surface in the general location of the mounting member, for transmitting or receiving signals to or from each of the plurality of first signal transducers through the barrier;

the assembly being adapted so that the positions of the plurality of first signal transducers is determined from the opposite second surface of the barrier using signal peaking, wherein both the location and the rotational alignment of the mounting member on the first surface are determined from the opposite second surface based on the positions of the plurality of first signal transducers.

23. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the mounting member comprises a round mounting ring having a plurality of attachment means spaced around its periphery.

24. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the alignment arrangement comprises a flat, elongated plate.

25. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first and second signal transducers each comprise an ultrasonic transducer.

26. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first and second signal transducers each comprise an ultrasonic transducer, and wherein each of the plurality of first signal transducers is spaced at least five inches from a nearest first signal transducer.

27. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the mounting member comprises a plurality of threaded attachment holes spaced around its periphery, and wherein the alignment arrangement is engaged to the mounting member using a plurality of threaded couplings engaged to a plurality of the threaded attachment holes.

28. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the mounting member comprises a round mounting ring;

the mounting ring having a plurality of threaded attachment holes spaced around its periphery; and

the alignment arrangement is engaged to the mounting ring using a plurality of threaded couplings engaged to a plurality of said threaded attachment holes.

29. The assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the barrier consists substantially of metal.