Pressure sensitive sensor for real-time reconfigurable sonar applications

摘要

A sensor with sound navigation and ranging applications is presented. The invention includes a pressure conduction composite sandwiched between electrically conductive elements so as to sense pressure associated with an acoustic wave via a change in conductance of the composite. One electrically conductive element is rigid and may include the hull of a vessel or wall of a sea-based device. The pressure conduction composite is composed of a non-conductive matrix having a conductive fill at or near the percolation threshold of the material system. The pressure conduction composite is highly resistive in its uncompressed state. However, resistance decreases with increasing compression. In preferred embodiments, sensors are arranged in an array architecture including planar or conformal configurations. Arrays are amenable to a number of electrical connection topologies that conjoin some or all sensors in the array into a single sensor, partition sensors into blocks of conjoined sensors, or individually address sensors in complex configurations. The net result is a new dynamically reconfigurable phased array. The present invention has immediate application in submarines, ships, and sonobuoys.