Ultrasonic apparatus

Claim 2

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus comprising: a container forming a chamber adapted to hold a body of liquid; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers each coupled to a wall of said chamber for providing, responsive to the application of electrical energy, sonic vibrations which are transmitted from each of said transducers to the respective wall of said chamber and thence to a body of liquid within said chamber, and a plurality of independently operable electrical circuits for energizing said transducers, one circuit associated with each of said transducers and coupled to cause each respective transducer and associated circuit to operate as an independent oscillatory circuit, whereby failure of any one of said transducers or its associated circuit will not prevent continued energization of others of said transducers.

Claim 3

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus comprising; a container forming a chamber adapted to hold a body of liquid; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers mounted to the outside of said chamber on a common surface thereof for providing, responsive to the application of electrical energy, sonic vibrations which are transmitted from each of said transducers to said common surface of said chamber and thence to a body of liquid within said container, and a plurality of independently operable electrical circuits for eNergizing said transducers, one circuit associated with each of said transducers and coupled to cause each respective transducer and associated circuit to operate as an independent oscillatory circuit, whereby failure of any one of said transducers or its associated circuit will not prevent continued energization of others of said transducers.

Claim 4

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus comprising; a container forming a chamber adapted to hold a body of liquid; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers mounted to the outside of said chamber on a common surface thereof for providing, responsive to the application of electrical energy, sonic vibrations which are transmitted from each of said transducers to said common surface of said chamber and thence to a body of liquid within said container, and a plurality of independently operable electrical circuits for eNergizing said transducers, one circuit associated with each of said transducers and coupled to cause each respective transducer and associated circuit to operate as an independent oscillatory circuit, whereby failure of any one of said transducers or its associated circuit will not prevent continued energization of others of said transducers.

Claim 5

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 2, each of said elctroacoustic transducers including a piezoelectric disk.

Claim 6

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said electroacoustic transducers and circuits operating substantially in the same frequency range.

Claim 7

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said electrical circuits being unitized assemblies, each assembly replaceable independent of other assemblies.

Claim 8

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 5, said electrical circuits being mounted on respective circuit cards.

Claim 9

An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 2, each of said electrical circuits being provided with independent overload protection.

Claim 10

In ultrasonic cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning tank having a chamber for holding a body of liquid and a plurality of electroacoustic transducers coupled to at least one wall of said chamber and responsive to the application thereto of oscillatory electrical voltage to produce sonic vibrations in said walls which are transmitted to said body of liquid from each of said transducers, the improvement comprising: a plurality of independently operable electrical circuits for developing and applying oscillatory voltage to said transducers, each of said circuits being associated with a different one of said transducers and coupled thereto to cause each respective transducer and associated circuit to operate as an independent oscillatory circuit; a common electrical source of supply power for all of said electrical circuits; and independent overload protection means for each of said electrical circuits responsive to occurrence of an overload condition in any one of said electrical circuits to isolate it from said source and from others of said electrical circuits; each of said electrical circuits being constructed as an integral separately replaceable quick-disconnect circuit; whereby upon failure of any of said electrical circuits the others of said electrical circuits will continue to supply oscillatory voltage to their associated transducers, and any electrical circuit which has failed may be readily removed and replaced.

Claim 11

In ultrasonic cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning tank having a chamber for holding a body of liquid and a plurality of electroacoustic transducers coupled to at least one wall of said chamber and responsive to the application thereto of oscillatory electrical voltage to produce sonic vibrations in said walls which are transmitted to said body of liquid from each of said transducers, the improvement comprising: a plurality of independently operable electrical circuits for developing and applying oscillatory voltage to said transducers, each of said circuits being associated with a different one of said transducers and coupled thereto to cause each respective transducer and associated circuit to operate as an independent oscillatory circuit; a common electrical source of supply power for all of said electrical circuits; and independent overload protection means for each of said electrical circuits responsive to occurrence of an overload condition in any one of said electrical circuits to isolate it from said source and from others of said electrical circuits; each of said electrical circuits being constructed as an integral separately replaceable quick-disconnect circuit; whereby upon failure of any of said electrical circuits the others of said electrical circuits will continue to supply oscillatory voltage to their associated transducers, and any electrical circuit which has failed may be readily removed and replaced.