Top 6 Application Areas of Ultrasonic Sensors

An ultrasonic sensor is used to generate high-frequency sound waves and evaluate the echo. The distance of the object is easily calculated by measuring the time interval between sending the signal and receiving the echo. According to Transparency Market Research, the global ultrasonic sensors market had a valuation of US$380.8 mn in 2014. Exhibiting a robust 17.1% CAGR from 2015, the market is expected to rise to a valuation of US$1.7 bn by 2023. The tremendous growth anticipated in the ultrasonic sensor market can be attributed to the increasing demand for ultrasonic sensors for various purposes such as vehicle parking, embedded sensors in wearable medical devices, for liquid level measurement, distance measurement, and collision detection.

Given below are some of the ways in which ultrasonic sensors are benefitting various industries today:

• Food Inspection: Due to the ability of ultrasonic sensors to detect foreign substances, they are used for quality check of food items. The ultrasonic sensor is applied to food and the echoes from the food are used to inspect if there are any foreign substances contained in the food such as acrylic or pieces of tiny metal. Ultrasonic sensors are thus used extensively in food manufacturing plants to ensure the quality of food is maintained, leading to a growth of the ultrasonic sensors market.
• Detect Flaws: Since ultrasound waves can travel through materials and reflect at an interface between the materials, they are used to detect flaws in various materials. The market for ultrasonic sensors is driven by the use of these sensors for the detection of cracks, degradation diagnosis, and seismic diagnosis, all of which are carried out on metals and concrete.
• Cancer Treatment: Using ultrasonic sensors to transmit ultrasonic energy on the human body helps generate thermal energy, which is extensively used to destroy cancer cells. The growing number of cancer patients all over the world is greatly benefitting the global ultrasonic sensors market.
• Eye Examination: Ultrasonic sensors are indispensable in the medical field. What radiology couldn’t achieve, ultrasonic can – radiology cannot be used on sensitive areas such as the cornea of the eye, due to the harmful radiations they emit. However, ultrasonic can be used to examine the eye without any risk of damaging the eye.
• Sonography: One of the most popular uses of ultrasonic sensors is in carrying out sonography tests. Ultrasonic sensors make high-pitched sound waves, which travel through the body and are focused on the particular part of the body that is to be inspected. For instance, if focused on the womb of a pregnant woman, the scanning device will pick up the echo from the abdomen. This helps in creating visual images of the unborn baby or fetus and also its movements. The ultrasonic waves are absolutely safe for the mother and the child and involves no exposure to harmful radiations, unlike other technologies, which is one of the reasons the market for ultrasonic sensors is growing.
• Monitoring of Slope of Loops: Ultrasonic sensors are used in industries such as paper, textile, packaging, and chemicals to monitor the slope of loops of a material in a process. These sensors are used to control the continuous running of a flexible material.

The multiplicity of the applications and advantages of ultrasonic sensors and the resultant rise in the demand from several industries for these sensors is responsible for boosting the ultrasonic sensors market.