A New Method to Detect and Track the Resonance Frequency of Piezoelectric Transducers in Ultrasonic Power Supplies

Abstract

In this paper, a new method is developed to detect and track the resonance frequency of ultrasonic transducers. In order to have an acceptable performance of transducers, power supplies should be able to detect and track the resonance frequency. Different methods have been used for this purpose. In this research, the voltage of the transducer and the phase difference between the voltage and current are used to find the resonant frequency. The maximum voltage of a transducer is founded in a predefined frequency interval. Afterward, the minimum phase difference between the voltage and current is obtained in a smaller interval around it. The simultaneous use of the voltage and phase shift increases the accuracy and speed of the algorithm. Since the transducer's voltage variations are relatively large near the resonant frequency, it is a versatile parameter compared to the current used in other methods to indicate the resonance frequency. The algorithm is implemented within a microcontroller. An FPGA is used to generate accurate frequency using the Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS) method. The algorithm can detect the resonant frequency under free conditions. Applying force to transducers or emerging the transducer's head to the water changes the resonant frequency. The experimental tests showed that the algorithm could find and track the resonant frequency automatically under loading conditions.