Importance

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Abstract

A low cost, efficient, ultrasonic transducer and method comprises a narrow beam electrostatic transducer and a beam transformer operated in air for expanding the emitted beam of the electrostatic transducer relative to a single axis. The beam transformer is a sonic reflecting surface spaced from the ultrasonic beam generator and within the near field thereof and having a geometric surface in which all points of said surface are generated by the revolution of a line about a fixed axis which is normal to the plane of the electrostatic transducer. A partial surface of a cone, the axis preferably being offset from the axis of the narrow beam electrostatic transducer and placed in the near field thereof transform the narrow beam to a broad beam with the beam transformer being an effective coupling element for the emitted beam and the return echo for ranging systems which are both efficient and easy to produce and do not have significant alignment problems. Acoustic energy absorbing material can be used to bound the perimeter of the reflecting surface to better define and control the beam in cross section. The invention is particularly useful for ranging, guidance, and surveillance systems wherein an ultrasonic beam, narrow in one direction of propagation, is projected in air over a surface to detect range to an object, presence or absence of an object and its location and entrance of an object to a specified area under surveillance.

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First Claim