Patent ID: 9535179
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: G01V

Claim:
1. A marine vibratory sound source, comprising: an elongated cylindrical housing having an axis concentric therewith; said elongated cylindrical housing having a plurality of cylindrical chambers; an axially reciprocatable hollow, cone-shaped piston and a hollow, stationary cone-shaped bulkhead within each of the cylindrical chambers; said stationary bulkhead attached to the elongated cylindrical housing; an elongated piston shaft connected to the cone-shaped pistons and extending along the axis; a first and second actuator piston connected to the elongated piston shaft; a streamlined towing head affixed to the fore end of said elongated cylindrical housing; a streamlined tail head affixed to the opposing end of said elongated cylindrical housing; a computer controllable hydraulic fluid circuit for feeding power delivery fluid alternatively to first and second hydraulic actuator pistons while simultaneously removing power delivery fluid from the other of the first and second hydraulic actuator pistons thereby moving the first and second actuator pistons to a forward position and alternatively to an aft position thereby axially vibrating the piston shaft and cone-shaped pistons for vibrationally moving water out and in through the ports for propagating vibratory sound; a position sensor affixed to the piston shaft; and wherein a center point is determined from the travel of the cone-shaped piston by tracking the position sensor; and air pressure within air cavities in the hollow, cone-shaped pistons and in the hollow, stationary cone-shaped bulkheads is modulated to maintain the travel of the cone-shaped piston at an equal distance in the fore and aft directions from the determined center point.