Up to 30 meters – Long ranges with SECO ultrasonic transducer + PMUT

04.09.2023 | innovations, Products

For ranges up to 30 meters, combine our powerful ultrasonic transducers with highly sensitive piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUT).

There have been commercially available PMUTs on the world market for several years. These operate at frequencies of 80 kHz and 175 kHz, respectively. These ultrasonic transducers are MEMS-based CMOS chips with completely integrated control and evaluation of the ultrasonic transducers integrated on the chip. The measurement data is read out via the widely used I²C bus, which was developed for communication between ICs on two data lines. These systems on a chip enable accurate ultrasonic distance measurement at lowest power consumption. The chips can be integrated reflow solderable on electronic boards. Sound is emitted and picked up through a small hole on the top. The aperture angle of the sound emission is in the range of 45° to 160° and is therefore very large.

Compared to other ultrasonic sensors, PMUTs are weak transmitters but highly sensitive receivers. Thus, the idea for a combined ultrasonic sensor system was born: A conventional SECO- ultrasonic transducer as transmitter in combination with a highly sensitive PMUT as receiver for ranges up to 30 meters.

SECO ultrasonic transducer as perfect partner for PMUT

We design our SECO ultrasonic transducers so that their operating frequency is compatible with the receiver frequency of the PMUT. From our product portfolio we recommend the SC007 (80 kHz), SC008 (80 kHz) and our new, powerful SC017 (175 kHz) for use in combination with a PMUT. The typical beamwidth of the SECO transducers ranges from 7° to 20°, depending on the type, providing very good directivity.

In a principle test it was shown that an 80 kHz ultrasonic transducer generates a well detectable received signal at the PMUT even over a distance of more than 30 meters.

SECO is open for cooperation with other sensor manufacturers to produce a combined sensor system.

Please contact us!

We are happy to provide our ultrasonic transducers as transmitters – precisely tuned and optimized for your PMUT application.

SECO ultrasonic transducer + PMUT for ranges up to 30 meters

Details about PMUT:

PMUTs (Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers) are miniaturized ultrasonic transducers based on piezoelectric effects. Compared to conventional ultrasonic transducers, PMUTs offer higher integration capability and lower power consumption, making them ideal for portable and compact applications. They consist of thin piezoelectric layers fabricated on silicon substrates. PMUTs are used in numerous industrial applications where they enable precise measurement and imaging on a small scale. Their small size and efficiency make them a key technology in modern ultrasonics.