Control unit for an ultrasonic transducer and method for operating an ultrasonic transducer

DE102024132460B8Active Publication Date: 2026-06-03TDK ELECTRONICS AG
View PDF 6 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
DE102024132460
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-11-07
Publication Date
2026-06-03
Estimated Expiration
2044-11-07

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers continue to emit ultrasound after the initial excitation has ceased due to after-vibration, hindering the detection of reflected ultrasonic signals, particularly in distance measurements.

Method used

A control unit with an excitation element and feedback element generates a burst signal to transmit ultrasound and an attenuation signal to dampen diaphragm displacement, using peak locations of membrane deflection to create a damping signal with pulses centered around these peaks, effectively suppressing after-vibration.

Benefits of technology

The control unit efficiently damps diaphragm resonance, allowing precise distance measurements even for objects close to the transducer, reducing interference from after-vibration and enhancing measurement accuracy.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

A control unit (1) for an ultrasonic transducer (100) comprises an excitation element (2) and a feedback element (3). The excitation element (2) is configured to apply a burst signal (11) to the ultrasonic transducer (100) to generate and transmit an ultrasonic signal (105). The excitation element (2) is further configured to apply an attenuation signal (12) to the transducer (100) to attenuate a periodic membrane displacement (4) after the transmission of the ultrasonic signal (105). The feedback element (3) is configured to generate the attenuation signal (12) by determining peak locations (41) of a membrane displacement (4) after the membrane excitation has ceased. The feedback element (3) is further configured to generate the attenuation signal (12) as a sequence of pulses such that each pulse is centered around a peak location (41). Furthermore, an ultrasonic transducer (100), a method for operating an ultrasonic transducer (100), a method for using an ultrasonic transducer (100), an electronic component, a computer-implemented method for operating a control device, a data processing device, a computer program and a computer-readable storage medium are specified.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Method and device for the active damping of an acoustic transducer

    DE102010039017A1

  • Pulse generator

    GB2593477A

  • Ultrasonic detection device

    JP2022073087A

  • Ultrasonic distance sensor

    US4580251A

  • Methods for reducing ringing of ultrasonic transducers

    US6731569B2