US1588170A - Method and apparatus for translating sound wave variations - Google Patents

Description

BEST AVAILABLE o y June 8, 1926.

T. W. CASE METHOD- AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSLATING SOUND WAVE VARIATIONS Filed Nov. 2, 1923 BEST AVAILABLE COP:

Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFECE.

THEODORE WILLARD CASE, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CASE RESEARCH LABORATORY INCORPORATED, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSLATING SOUND WAVE VARIATIONS.

Application filed November This invention relates to certain improvements in method and'apparatus for translating sound-wave variations into corresponding variations of an electric current, which 6 latter variations may be used or translated as desired. Or perhaps differently stated, the invention relates-to a method of apparatus for producing variations of an electric current in accordance with or corresponding to sound wave variations.

The main object-of the invention is to produce a highlysensitive instrument that will intensify the sound eflect and accurately translate sound waves into corresponding va- 1 riations of electric current, which latter variations may be re-translated with or without, amplification, and with practically perfect quality. r -A further and more specific object resides in the eliminationof-distortion and foreign noises which might result from sympathetic diaphragm vibration, or other causes, and which efi'ect'the sound waves to be translated or their translation, and reference is hereby made to my co-pending application Serial No. 652,281 filed July 18th, 1923, upon gas-thermo microphone, and which describes and claims the broad subject matter disclosed herein, and to my application Serial No. 665,136. filed September 27th, 1923 upon microphone, and which latter application discloses the broad subject matter disclosed herein, and the claims of which are restricted to. the adjustable opening within 85 which the member that varies its resistance to the passage of an electric current in accordance with its temperature is positioned.

The specific subject matter described and claimed herein relates to'th'e use of a specific gas, viz: hydrogemwhieh is highly eflicient and peculiarly adapted for the purposesof this invention due to various characteristics, as for instance, its comparatively great cooling quality.

In the drawings 2- Figure 1 'is a diagrammatic illustration of the invention with the gas chamber shown in section.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Fig- 60 are 1.

Figpre 3 is a front elevatlon of the gas cham er.

- Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2,

but in which the gas chamber has a circular 2, 1923. Serial No. 672,324.

opening as distinguished from a somewhat rectangular one, and is taken on line 44, Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section thru-the gas chamber illustrated in Figure 4. The invent-ion, as shown, comprisesa substantially fiat disk -1 which may perhaps preferably be of circular form and is provided with an opening 2 illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, as of substantially rec-j tangular form, and in Figures 4 and 5 as of substantially circular form, altho the opening may be of various and many forms, and I do not, therefore, restrict myself to any shape, size or form of opening.

. Within this opening is arranged a shortwire 3 formed of a material that varies its electrical resistance in accordance withits temperature, and the opposite-ends of this wire -3 are connected in circuit with. the positive and negative sides respectively; of a variable source of potential, such as the battery 4, any suitable means ofwell knownconstruction being provided for-"cf fecting desired variations of the source of potential utilized for heating thewire 3.' VVit-hin this circuit may be positioned the. primary 5 of a transformer, the secondary 6 of which may be connected to suitable amplifying means or directly to any suitable translating means-such as the tele-. phone receivers 7. Preferably the wire 3- is of very small diameter, as'for illustration, plus or minus .00001, and is in the form of a coil or low pitch spiral, as indicated, and is arranged in the opening 2-' in the disk 1, and for illustrative purposes this opening 2 may be about onehalf an inch long and one-quarter inch wide, and the wire 3' in its spiral form may be approximately one-quarter inch long so as to fit within the opening without contact therewith. However, the opening may be of various shapes, as circular, and the wire instead of being spiral in form, may be of varied forms, as straight, and more than one wire 3 may be used if desired. The disk 1' may, as shown, be formed with an annular flange -8 penetrated by an inlet pipe 9 adapted to carry hydrogen gas under pressure from any suitable source of supply as blower --10 or the usual tank for containing such gases under pressure, and the rate 9. flow of hydrogen open and part of the hydrogen gas may escape the'rethrough. The remainder of the hydrogen gas entering the gas chest --12 from the pipe esczr-pes through the opening -.2 around tliewire' 3 and tends to cool the wire at all tunes. Fhe

wire-may be formed of any suitable iiiziterie-l that varies its resistance to the passage of an electric current in accordance-with its temperature,and altho various substances may be used, I have found platinum suit-' able; tor the purpose.

: Pla'cin the filament in :in opening of? desired size;- such as the opening ''2- intensifies the sound effect resultant flOlHfil-IQ use (if-the a: pa ratns and Withoutdistortion.

Bfieforrfiblj thedi sk=1 is used as the front? 01* the apparatus, and is toward the speaker or the sound waves which it is desired totranslate, as in th i's'position the sound Waves td-he translated are coming in direction substantially" opposite to the direction of the movement: of the hydrogen gas escaping through the opening-' 9'r', and acting to cool"- the spiral Wire --3'-. This positioningiof' the instrument is not-, h-o'wever, essential, althe'my present: experience leads me" to believe that a more advantageous result is obtained intha tmanner. v

I have found that it is-Very desirable and adyantageous'in an apparatus of this character to provide means for readily and easily varying the size of the opening 2 in which the resistance element 3- is positioned, and in Figures'Q- and 3 I have hill-F trated for this purpose slides or 7 plates "-13 and 14- positioned upon opposite sides of the opening- 2'-, and slida-ble ac'ross'the opening to restrict or enlarge its area; as ma be desired. Tl1ese sli:des or shutters they be supported in any suitable way'for adjustment, as described, and for that: purpose I: have shown than carried and supported-by studs' 1'5" and- '16'-- respectively which extend thru slots: 17'- and '1'-8 res 'e'c'tively in the disk-1 for engagement with locking n'uts -19- and 20 respectively for-securing the' slides in afiy -desired-posi-ti'enof adjustment for producing the desired area of opening or gas passage;

These sliut-ters 13' and 1%, as shown, are'guidedfinchannel' yvays formed by' the undercut members- -21',--22-,

BEST AVAILABLE COPi 23 and 24-- secured to the disk -lto perm-it slidingmovement of the shutters when the nuts 19 and 20 are loosened, and to guide the shutters in their adjusting movement. I

In Figures l and 5 the disk- -1 is shown as provided with a circular opening -2 and the shutters ,5 and-""26 are each formed with semi-circular recesses so that when the shutters are adjusted in one relative position they form a substantially circular opening, the size 0% Whichc'an be varied by sliding" the shutters eienefito ward or from each other, and fo tlns pur posethe adjacent ends of the sl t-utter"s' have a portion of their thickness cut away that one may slide upon the other, Iirotheif words, the inner endsof the s11utt1rs='25-" and 26 are each preferably of siibst-a n tial ly one-hal=f the thickness of the'bed erfi the shutter, as illustrated at 28-, and these parts are op ositely disposed sothat one may s'l i'de'i'ipon 'the other, and jointly they constitute a" thikiknes's "s'n stan'ti'a-l'ly equal to thethicline'sso'f tlie'bed'y of eithr o-t the shutters 25 and @hviously, relative sliding movements of the plates 25 and 2'6' vary" somewhat the shape of the o ening-+2 from an exact circular form andthe s'tr ucture I" have shown is purely il-l' ustrhtive'oui ameans for varying the sizeof an o enin which at one particular adjnstment iscii oular, and various and' many other strue tures' may be substituted for that' shbvin; and Well known constructions, suelr a camerashutte'i" may be utilized for adjustin'g the size of the opening 2'-'-,' the structures that I have sl1ovvn"hei'n g urely illi'1s trative of means for acoomplishingthis de sirable' result of an adjustmentof this hydrogen gas passage- Without limitation to the shape or size of the opening, as wide variation is possible in the shape, form (t-nil size of the'opening and the meahs forzrd' justin-g the area of the samewithin the scope of the appended claims: As ber'or stated, this specific adjustment feature isthe subject matter of the claims of a copendi'ngapplication.

It will be obvious that my invention sofar as structure and arrangement of parts is concerned may take various and many forms, and that so fir as the subject matter here is concerned, I do not desire'to re strict myself to any form, shape or construction of apparatus, asvariouschangesmay be made without departing from the invem' tion as set forth in the appended clai ms 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a passa e'way for a forced current of hydrogen, and cans for causing hydrogen under pressnre-to'fi'ow through said passageway of a? member that varies its electrical resistance in accordance with its temperature exposed to the hydrogen escaping through said passageway.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, means for producing a forced current of hydrogen, and a member which Varies its electrical conductivity in accord ance with its temperature exposed to the forced current of hydrogen and means for heating said member.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a chamber for hydrogen gas, means for supplying hydrogen gas under pressure to said chamber, an outlet from said chamber and a member that varies its electrical conductivity in accordance with its temperature exposed to the hydrogen escaping through said outlet.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a chamber for hydrogen gas, means for supplying hydrogen gas under pressure to said chamber, an outlet from said chamber, a member that varies its electrical conductivity in accordance with its temperature ex- 3513? AVMLAB'LE COP! posed to the hydrogen escaping through said outlet, and means for heating said member.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a hydrogen chamber, means for supplying hydrogen under pressure to said chamber, an outlet from said chamber, a member that varies its electrical conductivity in accordance with its temperature arranged in said outlet, and means for heating said member.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a hydrogen chamber, means for supplying hydrogen under pressure to said chamber, an outlet from said chamber. a member that Varies its electrical conductivity in accordance with its temperature arranged so as to be exposed to the hydrogen which passes through said outlet in said outlet, and said chamber having a wall formed of a porous member.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of October 1923.

THEODORE WILLARD CASE.

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