PRESSURE AND FREQUENCY MODULATED NON-LETHAL ACOUSTIC WEAPON

• Main Authors: ELDER STEVEN J, BUDY GEORGE D, BOSTICK JAMES H, LEE WAYNE Y
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.09.2011
• Subjects: ACOUSTICS; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; ARMOUR; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; ARMOURED TURRETS; BLASTING; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; HEATING; LIGHTING; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING,NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; TESTING; WEAPONS

An acoustic weapon comprises a sonic pulse generator configured to generate discrete sonic pulses at a repetition rate. A sensor is configured to measure a range-to-target. A controller is configured to control the sonic pulse generator to generate a single shot including a burst of multiple pulses at a fixed repetition rate, to adjust the fixed repetition rate to shift the frequency content of the burst in accordance with a target coupling efficiency towards improving energy transfer to the target and to adjust the peak pressure of the burst in accordance with the range-to-target towards applying a specified peak pressure to the target. The controller may incorporate the target coupling efficiency as well as other parameters such as target apparent area and beam width when adjusting the weapon peak pressure. A pulse detonation engine (PDE) or pulse manifold (PM) may be modified and controlled to provide the large discrete peak pressures required at a periodic repetition rate.