Cable parameters and acoustic probe performance

Acoustic (ultrasound and SONAR) probe designers shorten development times and gain physical insights from mathematical models and numerical simulations of acoustic load, transducer, cable and transmit/receive electronics. Figures of merit including frequency-dependent electrical admittance and transmitting voltage response (TVR) may be “accurately” calculated from “correct” component models. However, in our experience, designers under-appreciate how strongly cable properties affect device behavior in both experiment and simulation. This paper extends a known method for determining cable (transmission line) parameters from measurable quantities; frequency-dependent parameters are closely approximated with frequency-independent parameters for use in time-domain simulation codes. A naval-SONAR probe case study shows that “more careful” determination of cable parameters significantly improved the match between predicted and measured admittance and TVR