Mechanical frequency upconverter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11317193-B2
Application number	US-201917043180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2019
Priority date	Apr 9, 2018
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A mechanical frequency upconverter includes a body having a cavity. A low-frequency membrane is coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity. The low-frequency membrane is a permanent magnet or a permanent magnet is affixed to the low-frequency membrane. A high-frequency membrane is coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity. The high-frequency membrane includes a magnetic metal. Oscillation of the low-frequency membrane at a first frequency causes the high-frequency membrane to oscillate at a second frequency, which is higher than the first frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanical frequency upconverter, comprising:
a body having a cavity;
a low-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the low-frequency membrane is a permanent magnet or a permanent magnet is affixed to the low-frequency membrane; and
a high-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the high-frequency membrane comprises a magnetic metal,
wherein oscillation of the low-frequency membrane at a first frequency causes the high-frequency membrane to oscillate at a second frequency, which is higher than the first frequency, and
wherein the low-frequency membrane and the high-frequency membrane form one single surface of the cavity.

2. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein
the body includes a base on a first side of the cavity,
a first end of the low-frequency membrane is attached to the body on a second side of the cavity, which is opposite of the first side of the cavity, and a second end of the low-frequency membrane is not attached to the body,
a first end of the high-frequency membrane is attached to the body on the second side of the cavity and a second end of the high-frequency membrane is not attached to the body,
the permanent magnet is attached to the second end of the low-frequency membrane.

3. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 2 , wherein
the first ends of the low-frequency and high frequency membranes are arranged in a same plane, and
the second ends of the low-frequency and high-frequency membranes are separated by a gap in the plane.

4. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein
the low-frequency membrane is arranged on a first side of the cavity, and
the high-frequency membrane is arranged on a second side of the cavity, which is opposite of the first side of the cavity.

5. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 4 , wherein
the permanent magnet is arranged on top of the low-frequency membrane and passes through an opening in the high-frequency membrane.

6. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical frequency upconverter does not include an electrical power source.

7. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical frequency upconverter does not include any electronics.

8. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein the low-frequency membrane comprises a flexible polymer.

9. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic metal of the high-frequency membrane is an amorphous metal.

10. The mechanical frequency upconverter of claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency membrane is bistable and the magnetic metal is partially crystallized amorphous metal.

11. An acoustic tracking system, comprising:
an acoustic receiver configured to receive acoustic pulses within a predetermined frequency range; and
a mechanical frequency upconverter affixed to a moveable object and comprising,
a body having a cavity;
a low-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the low-frequency membrane is a permanent magnet or a permanent magnet is affixed to the low-frequency membrane; and
a high-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the high-frequency membrane comprises magnetic metal,
wherein oscillation of the low-frequency membrane at a first frequency causes the high-frequency membrane to oscillate at a second frequency, which is higher than the first frequency, and
wherein the low-frequency membrane and the high-frequency membrane form one single surface of the cavity,

wherein oscillation of the high-frequency membrane generates the acoustic pulses at the second frequency, which is within the predetermined frequency range.

12. The acoustic tracking system of claim 11 , wherein the acoustic receiver is a hydrophone.

13. The acoustic tracking system of claim 11 , wherein
the body includes a base on a first side of the cavity,
a first end of the low-frequency membrane is attached to the body on a second side of the cavity, which is opposite of the first side of the cavity, and a second end of the low-frequency membrane is not attached to the body,
a first end of the high-frequency membrane is attached to the body on the second side of the cavity and a second end of the high-frequency membrane is not attached to the body,
the permanent magnet is attached to the second side of the low-frequency membrane.

14. The acoustic tracking system of claim 13 , wherein
the second ends of the low-frequency and high frequency membranes are arranged in a same plane, and
the first ends of the low-frequency and high-frequency membranes are separated by a gap in the plane.

15. The acoustic tracking system of claim 11 , wherein
the low-frequency membrane is arranged on a first side of the cavity, and
the high-frequency membrane is arranged on a second side of the cavity, which is opposite of the first side of the cavity.

16. The acoustic tracking system of claim 15 , wherein
the permanent magnet is arranged on top of the low-frequency membrane and passes through an opening in the high-frequency membrane.

17. A method for acoustic tracking, the method comprising:
affixing a mechanical frequency upconverter to a moveable object, wherein the mechanical frequency upconverter comprises a body having a cavity, a low-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the low-frequency membrane is a permanent magnet or a permanent magnet is affixed to the low-frequency membrane, a high-frequency membrane coupled to the body and arranged adjacent to the cavity, wherein the high-frequency membrane comprises a magnetic metal, and wherein the low-frequency membrane and the high-frequency membrane form one single surface of the cavity; and
receiving, by an acoustic receiver, acoustic pulses generated by the high-frequency membrane due to movement of the moveable object, wherein the movement of the moveable object causes the low-frequency membrane to oscillate, which induces oscillation in the high-frequency membrane.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein movement of the low-frequency membrane causes the high-frequency membrane to be alternatingly attracted to different poles of the permanent magnet.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the movement of the low-frequency membrane causes the permanent magnet to pass through an opening in the high-frequency membrane so that a pole of the permanent magnet that is arranged in the cavity in a state when the moveable object is stationary to move through the opening in the high-frequency membrane.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the movement of the low-frequency membrane adjusts a position of poles of the permanent magnet relative to the high-frequency membrane.

Assignees

• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Kosel Jürgen
• Almansouri Abdullah Saud

Classifications

• H04R1/24 Primary

  Structural combinations of separate transducers or of two parts of the same transducer and responsive respectively to two or more frequency ranges · CPC title

• H03D7/16

  Multiple-frequency-changing · CPC title

• H04R1/2853

  using an acoustic labyrinth or a transmission line · CPC title

• H04R1/2892

  Mountings or supports for transducers · CPC title