History of Ultrasonic Range Finders

The First World War spurred many technological advancements in a number of industries, and ultrasound technology was of special interest to the military at the time. A sonar device was the first practical application of ultrasound and piezoelectric technology that was developed during World War I to detect submerged submarines. The early 1900s was an exciting time of discovery and development for ultrasonics, and the potential for this branch of physics and engineering was applied to many different industries.

Detecting icebergs was a great benefit for the navigation of ships after the Titanic sank in 1912. The hydrophone was invented by 1916. This was the first transducer, which was an electric oscillator that emitted and received a high-frequency signal to indicate the presence of objects in the water. It consisted of several thin, inter-spaced quartz crystals that were glued between two steel plates and emitted a frequency of 150 KHz. By the mid-1930s, most ocean liners had some type of sonar device.

The first technological application of ultrasound was an attempt to detect submarines by Paul Langevin in 1917.

The most notable breakthrough came in 1880 when physicist Pierre Curie and his brother Jacques Curie advanced their knowledge of pyroelectricity, which is the electric potential generated by a material in response to a temperature change. They also studied the properties of the crystal structure to demonstrate a piezoelectric effect that was the scientific basis of the first transducer. This device generated a high-frequency sound and then received its echo.