Characterization of an Ultrasonic Transducer in a Pulse-Echo Setup

Abstract

The effect that a transducer has on an ultrasonic measurement system can be completely characterized in terms of its input electrical impedance and sensitivity. Here, a simple model‐based approach is described to determine both of these transducer parameters in a pulse‐echo setup. It is demonstrated that it is important to compensate for cabling effects in the determination of these transducer parameters. The transducer sensitivity obtained using this new approach is compared to the sensitivity found using a more complex three‐transducer method originally developed for lower‐frequency acoustic transducers.. Also, the influence of the pulser/receiver settings on the measurements of the transducer impedance and sensitivity is discussed.