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Ultrasonics (Journal) : Ultrasound Is An Oscillating

Ultrasound is sound waves with a frequency higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. It is used in many applications including medical imaging, non-destructive testing of materials, cleaning, and sonar. Sonar uses ultrasound pulses to determine the distance to objects by measuring the time it takes an echo to return. Ultrasound has a range of other uses as well, such as producing light through sonoluminescence, characterizing particulates, and modulating audio signals. In the past, ultrasound was used in television remote controls but has since been replaced by infrared technology.

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59 views2 pages

Ultrasonics (Journal) : Ultrasound Is An Oscillating

Ultrasound is sound waves with a frequency higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. It is used in many applications including medical imaging, non-destructive testing of materials, cleaning, and sonar. Sonar uses ultrasound pulses to determine the distance to objects by measuring the time it takes an echo to return. Ultrasound has a range of other uses as well, such as producing light through sonoluminescence, characterizing particulates, and modulating audio signals. In the past, ultrasound was used in television remote controls but has since been replaced by infrared technology.

Uploaded by

Kelly Beard
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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"Ultrasonics" redirects here. For the scientific journal, see Ultrasonics (journal).

Approximate frequency ranges corresponding to ultrasound, with rough guide of some


applications
Ultrasound is an oscillating sound pressure wave with a frequency greater than the upper limit
of the human hearing range. Ultrasound is thus not separated from 'normal' (audible) sound by
differences in physical properties, only by the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit
varies from person to person, it is approximately 20 kilohertz (20,000 hertz) in healthy, young
adults. Ultrasound devices operate with frequencies from 20 kHz up to several gigahertz.
Ultrasound is used in many different fields. Ultrasonic devices are used to detect objects and
measure distances. Ultrasonic imaging (sonography) is used in both veterinary medicine and
human medicine. In the nondestructive testing of products and structures, ultrasound is used to
detect invisible flaws. Industrially, ultrasound is used for cleaning and for mixing, and to
accelerate chemical processes. Animals such as bats and porpoises use ultrasound for locating
prey and obstacle
Ultrasonic range finding

Principle of an active sonar
Main article: Sonar
A common use of ultrasound is in underwater range finding; this use is also called Sonar. An
ultrasonic pulse is generated in a particular direction. If there is an object in the path of this
pulse, part or all of the pulse will be reflected back to the transmitter as an echo and can be
detected through the receiver path. By measuring the difference in time between the pulse being
transmitted and the echo being received, it is possible to determine the distance.
The measured travel time of Sonar pulses in water is strongly dependent on the temperature and
the salinity of the water. Ultrasonic ranging is also applied for measurement in air and for short
distances. For example hand-held ultrasonic measuring tools can rapidly measure the layout of
rooms.
Although range finding underwater is performed at both sub-audible and audible frequencies for
great distances (1 to several kilometers), ultrasonic range finding is used when distances are
shorter and the accuracy of the distance measurement is desired to be finer. Ultrasonic
measurements may be limited through barrier layers with large salinity, temperature or vortex
differentials. Ranging in water varies from about hundreds to thousands of meters, but can be
performed with centimeters to meters accuracy
Other uses
Ultrasound when applied in specific configurations can produce short bursts of light in an exotic
phenomenon known as sonoluminescence. This phenomenon is being investigated partly because
of the possibility of bubble fusion (a nuclear fusion reaction hypothesized to occur during
sonoluminescence).
Ultrasound is used when characterizing particulates through the technique of ultrasound
attenuation spectroscopy or by observing electroacoustic phenomena or by transcranial pulsed
ultrasound.
Audio can be propagated by modulated ultrasound.
A formerly popular consumer application of ultrasound was in television remote controls for
adjusting volume and changing channels. Introduced by Zenith in the late 1950s, the system used
a hand-held remote control containing short rod resonators struck by small hammers, and a
microphone on the set. Filters and detectors discriminated between the various operations. The
principal advantages were that no battery was needed in the hand-held control box, and unlike
radio waves, the ultrasound was unlikely to affect neighboring sets. Ultrasound remained in use
until displaced by infrared systems starting in the late 1980s

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