Performance analysis of ultrasono-therapy transducer with contact detection

The performance of ultrasono-therapy transducer with contact detection by using the impedance phase change is described. Usually a therapy transducer is designed with a /spl lambda//2 frontal plate glued to a PZT-4 piezoceramic. This plate ensures a good mechanical protection of the piezoceramic with a corresponding high-transmission energy. Normally this transducer is operated at the minimum at the frequency of the impedance module of its input electric impedance, but this operation point is affected by the shift caused by the expected temperature increase. This shift could be higher than the narrow bandwidth presented. As a result we obtain a decrease in the power level for medical treatment. Usually electronic drivers with automatic control that follow the frequency change are designed, however, the relatively narrow bandwidth introduces difficulty in the design. Another frequency operation point is presented here and analyzed using the criteria of the maximum of the impedance phase with a wider bandwidth than in the previous case. Simulation with mechanical losses are presented with experimental results that show the convenience of this criteria for practical application.