Composite vector transducer

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of underwater acoustic signal detection, and particularly relates to a composite vector transducer, which comprises a transducer body, the transducer body comprises an end-side gasket, an inner shell, a piezoelectric ceramic round pipe, an intermediate gasket, a threading gasket, a watertight layer, a sealing ring, an upper cover plate, a cable head, a cable and a circuit board, the inner shell is internally provided with the circuit board, the piezoelectric ceramic round pipe is sleeved on the inner shell, the end-side gaskets are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the inner shell, the intermediate gaskets are separately arranged between adjacent piezoelectric ceramic round pipes, the threading gasket is sleeved at the middle of the outer circumference of the inner shell, the piezoelectric ceramic round pipe is externally provided with the watertight layer, and the inner shell is internally provided with the sealing ring and the upper cover plate at one end. The application adopts the same set of piezoelectric ceramic round pipes for the horizontal omnidirectional transmitting transducer and the vector receiving hydrophone, can integrate the transmitting circuit, the receiving circuit and the transmitting-receiving conversion circuit in the inner cavity of the piezoelectric round pipe, and provides acoustic technical support for the design of the active positioning sonar buoy in the standard buoy size.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underwater acoustic signal detection technology, specifically relating to a composite vector transducer. Background Technology

[0002] A vector hydrophone is a combined sensor capable of simultaneously providing sound pressure and particle velocity information of an underwater sound field. It can simultaneously, synchronously, and independently measure the orthogonal components of the sound pressure scalar and particle velocity vectors. Even at small scales, a single vector hydrophone exhibits excellent frequency-independent dipole directivity, resulting in a 4dB spatial gain independent of aperture. Correlation processing between the sound pressure and vector channels effectively improves the signal-to-noise ratio, offering a significant detection advantage over scalar hydrophones (arrays). When combined with active signals for joint detection, its detection performance is even more outstanding, enabling target localization.

[0003] Vector hydrophones, with their frequency-independent directional receiving characteristics, offer a particular advantage in applications on small-aperture platforms, especially in airborne sonar buoys. However, vector hydrophones only have a receiving function. To improve the detection capability of sonar buoys, they generally need to be used in conjunction with transmitting transducers for active detection. The conventional method is to deploy a vector buoy and a sound source buoy simultaneously. However, the number of buoys carried by an aircraft is fixed, and using two buoys to achieve one function inevitably reduces the aircraft's overall submarine detection capability.

[0004] Current vector sonar buoys operate in passive mode, typically at low frequencies, generally below 1kHz. While the vector hydrophones use a co-oscillating mode, the active transmitting sources generally lack the capability to transmit below 1kHz, thus hindering effective combined active and passive detection. Relying solely on passive vector detection allows for target orientation but not target localization, resulting in a limited system functionality. Due to buoy size limitations, active detection buoys operate at higher frequencies, generally above 4kHz. At this frequency band, differential pressure vector hydrophones offer advantages in both size and performance compared to co-oscillating vector hydrophones. However, the conventional design separates the receiving and transmitting functions into different buoys, leading to a lower cost-effectiveness ratio in practice.

[0005] The present invention provides a composite vector transducer that integrates vector reception and omnidirectional transmission, which combines transmission and reception functions and can effectively solve this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main objective of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a composite vector transducer.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A composite vector transducer includes a transducer body, which comprises end-side gaskets, an inner shell, piezoelectric ceramic tubes, intermediate gaskets, wire-passing gaskets, a watertight layer, a sealing ring, a top cover plate, a cable head, a cable, and a circuit board. The circuit board is installed inside the inner shell. Eight piezoelectric ceramic tubes are arranged and fitted onto the inner shell. The end-side gaskets are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the inner shell. Multiple intermediate gaskets are arranged between adjacent piezoelectric ceramic tubes. A wire-passing gasket is fitted at the middle of the outer circumference of the inner shell. A watertight layer is provided outside the piezoelectric ceramic tubes. A sealing ring and a top cover plate are installed on one side of the end-side gasket at one end of the inner shell. The top cover plate is threadedly connected to the cable head of the cable.

[0009] Preferably, the outer circumference of the end washer is provided with four equally divided positioning lines, one end of the end washer is provided with a positioning step, and the end washer is made of a non-metallic decoupling material.

[0010] Preferably, the piezoelectric ceramic tube has four equally divided positioning lines on its outer circumference, and the piezoelectric ceramic tube is made of P4 material.

[0011] Preferably, the outer circumference of the intermediate washer is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a positive lead wire through hole, the inner circumference of the intermediate washer is provided with a semi-circular wire through groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines, the two ends of the intermediate washer are provided with positioning steps, and the intermediate washer is made of non-metallic decoupling material.

[0012] Preferably, the outer circumference of the threading washer is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a circular hole, the inner circumference of the threading washer is provided with a semi-circular thread groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines, the two ends of the threading washer are provided with positioning steps, and the threading washer is made of a non-metallic decoupling material.

[0013] Preferably, the inner shell has sealing steps and fixing screw holes on the inner ring at both ends, four equally spaced positive lead wire holes in the middle of the inner shell, a negative lead wire hole on one side of the inner shell, and the inner shell is made of aluminum alloy.

[0014] Preferably, the upper cover plate has a threaded hole in the middle, four through holes distributed circumferentially on the upper cover plate, two sealing grooves on one end of the upper cover plate, and the upper cover plate is made of aluminum alloy material.

[0015] Preferably, the watertight layer is made of chloroprene rubber or polyurethane rubber, and the sealing ring is a nitrile rubber sealing ring or a fluororubber sealing ring.

[0016] Preferably, one end of the cable head is provided with threads and two sealing grooves, the other end of the cable head is vulcanized and connected to the cable, and the cable head is made of aluminum alloy material.

[0017] Preferably, the cable is a multi-core watertight cable.

[0018] In summary, compared with the prior art, the above-described technical solutions conceived by this invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0019] This invention uses the same piezoelectric ceramic tube for the horizontal omnidirectional transmitting transducer, vector receiving hydrophone, and scalar receiving hydrophone. The transmitting circuit, receiving circuit, and transceiver conversion circuit can be integrated into the inner cavity of the piezoelectric tube. The compact structural design is particularly suitable for sonar buoys and can be used for omnidirectional transmission and directional reception.

[0020] Furthermore, a differential pressure vector hydrophone design employs a large-size piezoelectric ceramic tube with four separate external electrodes. This design only requires cutting the outer silver layer to prevent the four electrodes from conducting to each other. The dipole directivity is achieved through the sound path difference. By matching the circuit with different wiring configurations of the four electrodes, it is possible to achieve a unified transmission, vector reception, and scalar reception. One buoy can perform the functions of two buoys. Since the vector and scalar receptions use the same piezoelectric tube, their sound centers are completely aligned, resulting in a more ideal effect during the correlation processing of scalar and vector received signals. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the composite vector transducer of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the end-side washer of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate washer of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the threading washer of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the piezoelectric ceramic circular tube of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the inner shell structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper cover plate of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the composite vector transducer of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a wiring diagram of the circuit board of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 The transmission mode of this invention is shown in the transducer impedance curve diagram;

[0031] Figure 11The transmission mode of this invention is shown in the transducer transmission voltage response curve.

[0032] Figure 12 The figure shows the test results of the directivity (X, Y channels) of the vector hydrophone at a typical operating frequency of this invention;

[0033] Figure 13 This is a graph showing the sensitivity test results of the hydrophone in scalar receiver mode according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 14 This is a graph showing the sensitivity test results of the hydrophone in the vector receiving mode of the present invention.

[0035] The markings in the image are as follows:

[0036] 1-End side gasket; 2-Inner shell; 3-Piezoelectric ceramic tube; 4-Intermediate gasket; 5-Wire threading gasket; 6-Watertight layer; 7-Sealing ring; 8-Top cover plate; 9-Cable head; 10-Cable; 11-Circuit board. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0038] As attached Figure 1-9 As shown, a composite vector transducer includes a transducer body, which comprises end-side gaskets 1, an inner shell 2, piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3, intermediate gaskets 4, threading gaskets 5, a watertight layer 6, a sealing ring 7, an upper cover plate 8, a cable head 9, a cable 10, and a circuit board 11. The circuit board 11 can realize the function of transmitting and receiving isolation, as well as the function of power amplification and receiving signal amplification. The circuit board 11 is installed inside the inner shell 2. Eight piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3 are provided and are sleeved on the inner shell 2. The end-side gaskets 1 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the inner shell 2. Multiple intermediate gaskets 4 are provided and are distributed between adjacent piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3. A threading gasket 5 is sleeved at the middle of the outer circumference of the inner shell 2. A watertight layer 6 is provided outside the piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3. A sealing ring 7 and an upper cover plate 8 are installed on one side of the end-side gaskets 1 at one end of the inner shell 2. The upper cover plate 8 is threadedly connected to the cable head 9 of the cable 10.

[0039] Specifically, the outer circumference of the end-side washer 1 is provided with four equally divided positioning lines, its outer diameter is set to 118mm, its height is set to 10mm, one end of the end-side washer 1 is provided with a positioning step for positioning the piezoelectric ceramic tube, and the end-side washer 1 is made of a non-metallic decoupling material, namely polycarbonate material.

[0040] Specifically, the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 has four equally divided positioning lines on its outer circumference. The outer circumference, i.e., the outer silver layer, is divided into four equal parts, marked as A, B, C, and D respectively. The inner circumference, i.e., the inner silver layer, is marked as G. The gap width between adjacent equally divided silver layers is 1 mm. The outer diameter of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 is set to 118 mm, the inner diameter is set to 112 mm, the height is set to 62 mm, and the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 is made of P4 material.

[0041] Specifically, the outer circumference of the intermediate washer 4 is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a positive lead wire through hole. The diameter of the positive lead wire through hole is 1.5mm. The inner circumference of the intermediate washer 4 is provided with a semi-circular wire through groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines. The diameter of the semi-circular wire through groove is 1.5mm. The two ends of the intermediate washer 4 are provided with positioning steps for positioning the piezoelectric ceramic tube. The outer diameter of the intermediate washer 4 is set to 118mm and the height is set to 20mm. The intermediate washer 4 is made of a non-metallic decoupling material, namely polycarbonate material.

[0042] Specifically, the outer circumference of the wire-passing washer 5 is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a circular hole. The inner circumference of the wire-passing washer 5 is provided with a semi-circular wire-passing groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines. The diameter of the semi-circular wire-passing groove is 1.5mm. The two ends of the wire-passing washer 5 are provided with positioning steps for positioning the piezoelectric ceramic tube. The outer diameter of the wire-passing washer 5 is set to 118mm and the height is set to 10mm. The wire-passing washer 5 is made of a non-metallic decoupling material, namely polycarbonate material.

[0043] Specifically, the inner shell 2 has sealing steps and fixing screw holes on the inner ring at both ends, four equally spaced positive lead wire holes in the middle of the inner shell 2, and a negative lead wire hole on one side end of the inner shell 2. The outer diameter of the inner shell 2 is 104mm, the height is 600mm, and the inner shell 2 is made of aluminum alloy.

[0044] Specifically, the upper cover plate 8 has a threaded hole with a diameter of 13mm in the middle, four through holes with a diameter of 3.5mm are distributed circumferentially on the upper cover plate 8, two sealing grooves are provided on one end of the upper cover plate 8, the outer diameter of the upper cover plate 8 is set to 104mm, the height is set to 40mm, and the upper cover plate 8 is made of aluminum alloy material. In addition, the upper cover plate 8 is provided with a corresponding lower cover plate, the lower cover plate has the same shape and size as the upper cover plate 8, and a north-pointing line is provided on one side of the lower cover plate. The lower cover plate is connected to the bottom of the inner shell 2.

[0045] Specifically, the watertight layer 6 is made of chloroprene rubber or polyurethane rubber, and the sealing ring 8 is a nitrile rubber sealing ring or a fluororubber sealing ring.

[0046] Specifically, one end of the cable head 9 is provided with threads and two sealing grooves, the other end of the cable head 9 is vulcanized and connected to the cable 10, and the cable head 9 is made of aluminum alloy material.

[0047] Specifically, the cable 10 is a multi-core watertight cable.

[0048] The same set of piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3 is used for transmission, scalar reception, and vector reception. The transducer can switch between these functions through a built-in circuit interface, and it can simultaneously perform omnidirectional transmission, scalar reception, and vector reception. The piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3 are divided into four equal parts, with the outer silver layer separated while the inner silver layer is not. All gaskets also have four equal positioning lines on their outer ring.

[0049] In addition, to accommodate the standard buoy diameter, the transducer outer diameter is around 120mm. To improve the transmitting sound source level and receiving spatial gain, the total height of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 is preferably 600mm-800mm, and the number of piezoelectric ceramic tubes 3 is preferably 6-10. To improve the transducer's adaptability on the buoy, the transducer is designed with a standard cylindrical watertight shell, which can be used to install the necessary circuit components required for the transducer's transmission and reception.

[0050] Furthermore, during transmission, the outer silver layer of the four-part piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 is connected as the positive electrode, and the inner silver layer is the negative electrode; the four-part silver layers are opposite each other and serve as vector X and Y channels respectively; during omnidirectional reception, the inner silver layer is the signal ground, and the signals received by the four-part silver layers are added together to form the positive signal.

[0051] The specific components of this invention are operated as follows:

[0052] 1) Component processing: Roughen the positive electrode surface of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3, remove the oxide layer, and clean it with alcohol; clean the remaining structural parts by degreasing; cut several multi-strand high-temperature wires with a length of 4cm and a core diameter of 1mm, and pre-solder the ends of the wires; cut 2 red high-temperature wires, 2 blue high-temperature wires, and 1 black high-temperature wire with a length of 20cm and a core diameter of 1mm.

[0053] 2) Sandblasting of the inner shell: Roughen the vulcanized bonding area of ​​the inner shell 2 with borax. When sandblasting, take care to protect the non-bonded areas and the middle threaded hole.

[0054] 3) Bonding of piezoelectric ceramic round tubes: Prepare a certain amount of epoxy adhesive and apply it evenly to the end face of piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3 and the stepped surfaces of end side gasket 1, intermediate gasket 4, and wire guide gasket 5. Bond the piezoelectric ceramic round tubes in the following order: end side gasket 1, 3×(piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3 and intermediate gasket 4), piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3, wire guide gasket 5, piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3, 3×(piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3 and intermediate gasket 4), and end side gasket 1. When bonding, press down firmly by hand to wipe off excess epoxy adhesive. Strictly align the gaps of the outer silver layer of piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3 and the marking lines of each gasket. Place the bonded piezoelectric ceramic round tube 3 assembly into the assembly fixture and apply pressure and heat to cure for more than 24 hours.

[0055] 4) Wire bonding: Connect the inner silver layer of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 with a pre-made 4cm high-temperature wire, and solder a black high-temperature wire to any piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 on one side of the wire-passing washer 5. Connect the outer silver layer of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 into four equal parts with pre-made 4cm high-temperature wires, and solder two red and two blue high-temperature wires to any piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 on one side of the wire-passing washer 5. Wires of the same color are adjacent to each other and pass through the corresponding four-part circular holes of the wire-passing washer 5.

[0056] 5) Install the inner shell: Insert the welded piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 assembly into the inner shell 2. Before inserting, pass the 5 wires through the corresponding wire holes in the inner shell 2. Make sure the silver layer gap in the middle of the red wire is aligned with the bottom marking line of the inner shell 2.

[0057] 6) Watertight: The piezoelectric ceramic tube 3 assembly with the inner shell 2 assembled is vulcanized to make it watertight through the mold. When it is watertight, the 5 high-temperature wires are short-circuited in parallel.

[0058] 7) Sealing and Wiring Definition: Install the upper cover plate 8 and the lower cover plate into the sealing ring 7, and fix them to the assembled inner shell 2 with bolts. The five high-temperature wires are defined by color as Q1 (red), Q2 (red), Q3 (blue), Q4 (blue) and GND (black). The X channel is Q1 and Q3, the Y channel is Q2 and Q4, the scalar receiving channel is Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 connected in parallel as the positive terminal and GND as the negative terminal, and the transmitting channel is also Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 connected in parallel as the positive terminal and GND as the negative terminal. The switching between transmitting and receiving is controlled by the transceiver conversion circuit.

[0059] 8) Testing: Test the resonant frequency, insulation resistance, admittance, and capacitance parameters of the transducer after assembly. If qualified, measure the underwater performance parameters. Underwater test results are then recorded. Figure 10-14 As shown.

[0060] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications and substitutions based on the technical solutions and inventive concepts provided by the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compound vector transducer comprising a transducer body, characterised in that: The transducer body includes end-side gaskets (1), an inner shell (2), piezoelectric ceramic tubes (3), intermediate gaskets (4), wire threading gaskets (5), a watertight layer (6), a sealing ring (7), an upper cover plate (8), a cable head (9), a cable (10), and a circuit board (11). The circuit board (11) is installed inside the inner shell (2). Eight piezoelectric ceramic tubes (3) are provided and are fitted onto the inner shell (2). The end-side gaskets (1) are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the inner shell (2). Multiple intermediate gaskets (4) are provided and are arranged between adjacent piezoelectric ceramic tubes (3). A threading washer (5) is fitted in the middle of the outer circumference of the inner shell (2). A watertight layer (6) is provided on the outside of the piezoelectric ceramic tube (3). A sealing ring (7) and an upper cover plate (8) are installed on one side of the end washer (1) at one end of the inner shell (2). The upper cover plate (8) is threaded to the cable head (9) of the cable (10). The same set of piezoelectric ceramic tubes (3) is used for transmission, scalar reception and vector reception. The transducer has omnidirectional transmission, scalar reception and vector reception functions at the same time through the built-in circuit interface. The outer circumference of the piezoelectric ceramic tube (3) is provided with four equally divided positioning lines. The piezoelectric ceramic tube (3) is made of P4 material.

2. A compound vector transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end-side washer (1) has four equally divided positioning lines on its outer circumference, and one end of the end-side washer (1) has a positioning step. The end-side washer (1) is made of non-metallic decoupling material.

3. A compound vector transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circumference of the intermediate washer (4) is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a positive lead wire through hole. The inner circumference of the intermediate washer (4) is provided with a semi-circular wire through groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines. The two ends of the intermediate washer (4) are provided with positioning steps. The intermediate washer (4) is made of non-metallic decoupling material.

4. The compound vector transducer of claim 1, wherein: The outer circumference of the threading washer (5) is provided with four equally divided positioning lines and a circular hole. The inner circumference of the threading washer (5) is provided with a semi-circular thread groove corresponding to any of the four equally divided positioning lines. The two ends of the threading washer (5) are provided with positioning steps. The threading washer (5) is made of non-metallic decoupling material.

5. The compound vector transducer of claim 1, wherein: The inner shell (2) has sealing steps and fixing screw holes on the inner ring at both ends. There are four equally spaced positive lead wire holes in the middle of the inner shell (2). There is a negative lead wire hole on one side of the inner shell (2). The inner shell (2) is made of aluminum alloy.

6. A compound vector transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper cover plate (8) has a threaded hole in the middle, four through holes are distributed around the upper cover plate (8), two sealing grooves are provided on one end of the upper cover plate (8), and the upper cover plate (8) is made of aluminum alloy material.

7. The compound vector transducer of claim 1, wherein: The watertight layer (6) is made of chloroprene rubber or polyurethane rubber, and the sealing ring (7) is a nitrile rubber sealing ring or a fluororubber sealing ring.

8. The compound vector transducer of claim 1, wherein: The cable head (9) has a thread and two sealing grooves at one end, and the other end of the cable head (9) is vulcanized and connected to the cable (10). The cable head (9) is made of aluminum alloy.

9. The compound vector transducer of claim 1, wherein: The cable (10) is a multi-core watertight cable.

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