What is Ultrasonic Sensor?

Ultrasonic sensors are devices that use electrical–mechanical energy transformation, the mechanical energy being in the form of ultrasonic waves, to measure distance from the sensor to the target object. Ultrasonic waves are longitudinal mechanical waves which travel as a succession of compressions and rarefactions along the direction of wave propagation through the medium. Any sound wave above the human auditory range of 20,000 Hz is called ultrasound. When ultrasonic waves are incident on an object, diffused reflection of the energy takes place over a wide solid angle which might be as high as 180 degrees. Thus some fraction of the incident energy is reflected back to the transducer in the form of echoes and is detected.

The history dates back to 1790, when Lazzaro Spallanzani first discovered that bats maneuvered in flight using their hearing rather than sight. Jean-Daniel Colladon in 1826 discovered sonography using an underwater bell, successfully and accurately determining the speed of sound in water. Thereafter, the study and research work in this field went on slowly until 1881 when Pierre Curie’s discovery set the stage for modern ultrasound transducers. He found out the relationship between electrical voltage and pressure on crystalline material. The unfortunate Titanic accident spurred rigorous interest into this field as a result of which Paul Langevin invented the hydrophone to detect icebergs. It was the first ultrasonic transducer. The hydrophone could send and receive low frequency sound waves and was later used in the detection of submarines in the World War 1.