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handbook of modern sensors

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288 7 Position, Displacement, and Level<br />

(A)<br />

(B)<br />

Fig. 7.39. Ultrasonic distance measurement: (A) basic arrangement; (B) impedance characteristic<br />

<strong>of</strong> a piezoelectric transducer.<br />

The distance L 0 to the object can be calculated through the speed v <strong>of</strong> the ultrasonic<br />

waves in the media, and the angle, (Fig. 7.39A):<br />

L 0 =<br />

vt cos <br />

, (7.15)<br />

2<br />

where t is the time for the ultrasonic waves to travel to the object and back to the<br />

receiver. If a transmitter and a receiver are positioned close to each other as compared<br />

with the distance to the object, then cos ≈ 1. Ultrasonic waves have an obvious<br />

advantage over the microwaves: they propagate with the speed <strong>of</strong> sound, which is<br />

much slower than the speed <strong>of</strong> light at which microwaves propagate. Thus, the time t<br />

is much longer and its measurement can be accomplished easier and less expensively.<br />

To generate any mechanical waves, including ultrasonic, the movement <strong>of</strong> a surface<br />

is required. This movement creates compression and expansion <strong>of</strong> a medium,<br />

which can be gas (air), liquids, or solids. 7 The most common type <strong>of</strong> excitation device<br />

which can generate surface movement in the ultrasonic range is a piezoelectric transducer<br />

operating in the so-called motor mode. The name implies that the piezoelectric<br />

device directly converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.<br />

Figure 7.40A shows that the input voltage applied to the ceramic element causes<br />

it to flex and transmit ultrasonic waves. Because piezoelectricity is a reversible phenomenon,<br />

the ceramic generates voltage when incoming ultrasonic waves flex it. In<br />

other words, the element may work as both the transmitter and the receiver (a microphone).<br />

A typical operating frequency <strong>of</strong> the transmitting piezoelectric element<br />

is near 32 kHz. For better efficiency, the frequency <strong>of</strong> the driving oscillator should<br />

be adjusted to the resonant frequency f r <strong>of</strong> the piezoelectric ceramic (Fig. 7.39B),<br />

where the sensitivity and efficiency <strong>of</strong> the element is best. When the measurement<br />

circuit operates in a pulsed mode, the same piezoelectric element is used for both<br />

transmission and receiving. When the system requires the continuous transmission<br />

<strong>of</strong> ultrasonic waves, separate piezoelectric elements are employed for the transmitter<br />

7 See Section 3.10 <strong>of</strong> Chapter 3 for description <strong>of</strong> sound waves.

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