US 12,269,060 B2
Electroosmotic high fidelity acoustic transducer
Francisco J. Diez-Garias, Bridgewater, NJ (US); and Thomas E. Hansen, Newport, RI (US)
Assigned to RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY, New Brunswick, NJ (US)
Appl. No. 17/277,056
Filed by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 17, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/042191
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 17, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/060664, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/732,164, filed on Sep. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0032340 A1, Feb. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B06B 1/02 (2006.01); G01N 27/44 (2006.01); G01N 27/447 (2006.01); G01N 29/02 (2006.01); G01S 7/521 (2006.01); G10K 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC B06B 1/02 (2013.01) [G01N 27/44791 (2013.01); G01N 29/02 (2013.01); G01S 7/521 (2013.01); G10K 11/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An acoustic transducer system for projecting and sensing acoustic waves or sound in fluid, comprising:
a transducer array of a plurality of channels, each channel having an inlet and an outlet;
a reservoir containing a liquid solution;
a first electrode disposed proximate to the inlet and a second electrode disposed proximate to the outlet; and
a voltage source, connected to the first and second electrodes, configured to apply a voltage across a length of the transducer array of the plurality of channels to generate an electric field parallel to each channel, the voltage source further configured to apply an alternating or pulsed voltage across the length of the transducer array;
wherein the electric field causes an electroosmotic flow of ions from the reservoir to the outlet producing a plurality of acoustic waves or sound at the outlet, based on osmotic flow of ions due to the alternating or pulsed voltage across the length of the transducer array.