To make ultrasonic waves can be propagated with better efficiency throughout the entirety of a treatment tank, and an object to be cleaned can be cleaned with better efficiency regardless of the type of the object to be cleaned.

An ultrasonic cleaning equipment (1) according to the present invention includes a treatment tank (10) that stores a cleaning liquid that cleans an object to be cleaned and in which the object to be cleaned is immersed; an ultrasonic application mechanism (20) that applies ultrasonic waves to the cleaning liquid retained in an interior of the treatment tank; and a curved surface member (30) that is located in a range prescribed by a prescribed angle of inclination from a normal direction in an end portion of a vibrating surface of the ultrasonic application mechanism to an outside with respect to the vibrating surface and that is held on a wall surface and/or a bottom surface of the treatment tank. The curved surface member has a convex curved surface (31) in which at least a convex curved part (33) having a surface shape of a spherical surface or an aspherical surface exists and the convex curved part is in a state of protruding more on a side of the vibrating surface than a portion other than the convex curved part does, and the convex curved surface is held in a state of facing the vibrating surface in such a manner that at least part of first sound waves that are sound waves that are applied from the ultrasonic application mechanism and that have not experienced reflection arrive at the convex curved part of the convex curved surface.

An underwater positioning system comprises a plurality of underwater beacons. A beacon, in response to a signal sent by an underwater vehicle, responds with a signal comprising one or more characteristics to identify the beacon. Components of an access algorithm are provided to the underwater vehicle. The access algorithm determines a location of the beacon based on the beacon's identity. A position of the vehicle is determined based at least in part on the location of the beacon.

Acoustic measurement systems include an enclosure having a high efficiency yet very thin acoustic absorber coating portions thereof, in order to diminish background reflections. The thin acoustic absorber includes a reflective sublayer having a periodic array of indentations on its surface. The periodic array of indentations can be one-dimensional or two dimensional. The thin acoustic absorber further includes a thin absorbing layer overlaid on the reflective sublayer, and typically formed of a viscoelastic foam. The thin acoustic absorber possesses unprecedented absorption efficiency across a broad frequency range and at normal or oblique angles of incidence.

This disclosure is related to marine seismic sources, for example marine seismic sources known in the art as benders. Some embodiments of this disclosure use Lorentz forces to produce seismic energy. For example, magnets and wire coils may be attached to one or more plates of a marine seismic source, and the Lorentz interaction between them may cause deformation of the plates to produce seismic energy. Such marine seismic sources may be components of a marine seismic survey system, and may be used in a method of marine seismic surveying. Methods of making marine seismic sources are also disclosed.

Sonar systems and related methods are provided. A sonar system includes a transducer array having a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis disposed perpendicularly thereto. A processor is operative to associate signals with a plurality of transducers in the transducer array so as to form a first acoustic beam, which propagates in a beam first direction and has a first beam width in a first transverse plane. The first transverse plane extends along the beam first direction and contains the transverse axis of the transducer array. A beam directing and/or spreading device is positioned relative to the transducer array such that the first acoustic beam impinges on a surface of the beam directing and/or spreading device. Following impingement on the surface, the first acoustic beam propagates in a beam second direction.

A device for use in a medium comprising a medium vibro-acoustic impedance. The device includes an elastic material including a plurality of unit cells. The plurality of unit cells includes a first unit cell. The first unit cell includes a first unit-cell joint comprising a first unit-cell joint wall defining a first joint central void, a first unit-cell joint inclusion located in the first joint central void, and at least two first unit-cell arms connected to and extending away from the first unit-cell joint. The elastic material includes an elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance. The elastic-material vibro-acoustic impedance and the medium vibro-acoustic impedance are sufficiently vibro-acoustically impedance-matched to couple time-varying, propagating vibro-acoustic fields between said elastic material and the medium.

A semi-passive acoustic transponder providing identity information related to the transponder when it is reflecting a received pulsed acoustic signal underwater. The transponder includes a memory unit holding ID-sequence data controlling operation of the switching device, and an electronic circuit includes frequency adjusting means for adjusting the frequency and duration of the switch such that the duration of the ID-sequence data is shorter than the duration of pulses of the received acoustic signal. Additionally, a method and system may provide position and identity information related to one or more of said semi-passive acoustic transponders.

An underwater acoustic reflector (10) comprising a shell (13) surrounding a core (16) in which the core (16) comprises a foamed silicon elastomer and the shell (13) a composite board material.

This disclosure is related to marine seismic sources, for example marine seismic sources known in the art as benders. Some embodiments of this disclosure use Lorentz forces to produce seismic energy. For example, magnets and wire coils may be attached to one or more plates of a marine seismic source, and the Lorentz interaction between them may cause deformation of the plates to produce seismic energy. Such marine seismic sources may be components of a marine seismic survey system, and may be used in a method of marine seismic surveying. Methods of making marine seismic sources are also disclosed.

This disclosure is related to marine seismic sources, for example marine seismic sources known in the art as benders. Some embodiments of this disclosure use Lorentz forces to produce seismic energy. For example, magnets and wire coils may be attached to one or more plates of a marine seismic source, and the Lorentz interaction between them may cause deformation of the plates to produce seismic energy. Such marine seismic sources may be components of a marine seismic survey system, and may be used in a method of marine seismic surveying. Methods of making marine seismic sources are also disclosed.