The thesis describes the construction of an amplifer for ultrasonic transmitters of a frequency up to 500 kHz. Similar design of an amplifer has already been
used in some other applications. However, several modifcations and adaptations
were necessary to meet the requirements for intended use in medicine.
I used SPICE simulation for designed the circuit by means of which I tested
the operation of various circuit topologies that are suitable for amplifcation of
the ultrasound signal. In simulation I optimized operation of the circuit and
determined the optimal values of the elements. In the simulation I measured voltage, current and power at each stage of the amplifer. Then I manufactured the
PCB (printed circuit boards) with a KiCad program. In the circuit I separated
the power section from the signals to eliminate an interference which might arise
during operation of the switches and transformers used for powering the circuit.
I performed measurements of the signal at the output stage using an oscilloscope.
The operation of the circuit was tested at various frequencies with the connected
ultrasonic transmitter, which has a resonant frequency declared at 350 kHz. I
have found that it works best in the frequency range from 350 to 400 kHz, which
was also expected if we look at the impedance characteristic of the transmitter. To capture the ultrasonic signal hydrophone detector is needed. Using the
hydrophone RP 41 s, I measured the ultrasonic signal using an osciloscope. The
developed amplifer worked as expacted providing max. 200 V at output resulting
in an electrical power of 50 W using the Ultran GS350-D19-BNC-PK US transducer. The maximum measured ultrasound signal with hydrophone detector was 20 mV which translates to a US intensity of 5, 11 · 10^5 W/m^2.
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