LM1812 Ultrasonic Transceiver

General Description
The LM1812 is a general purpose ultrasonic transceiver designed for use in a variety of ranging, sensing, and communications applications. The chip contains a pulse-modulated
class C transmitter, a high gain receiver, a pulse modulation
detector, and noise rejection circuitry.
A single LC network defines the operating frequency for
both the transmitter and receiver. The class C transmitter
output drives up to 1A (12W) peak at frequencies up to
325 kHz. The externally programmed receiver gain provides
a detection sensitivity of 200 mVp-p. Detection circuitry included on-chip is capable of rejecting impulse noise with
external programming. The detector output sinks up to 1A.
Applications include sonar systems, non-contact ranging,
and acoustical data links, in both liquid and gas ambients.

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Applications
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Features
Y
Y

One or two-transducer operation

Transducers interchangeable without realignment

No external transistors
Impulse noise rejection
No heat sinking
Protection circuitry included
Detector output drives 1A peak load
Ranges in excess of 100 feet in water, 20 feet in air
12W peak transmit power

Liquid level measurement

Sonar
Surface profiling
Data links
Hydroacoustic communications
Non-contact sensing
Industrial process control

Typical Application

Order Number LM1812N

See NS Package Number N18A

TL/H/7892 1

Note: Echo returns are displayed by a neon lamp on a motor driven disc. Connections to the neon are made through brushes and slip rings. Rotating with

and counterbalancing the neon lamp is a permanent magnet whose field induces a pulse in a stationary coil (L8) as it passes by. This pulse keys the
LM1812s transmitter.
*Available from Toko America, 1250 Feehanville Drive, Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 Tel. (312) 297-0070
**Available from Massa Products Corporation, 280 Lincoln Street, Hingham, Massachusetts 02043 Tel. (617) 749-4800

FIGURE 1. 200 kHz Depth Sounder, 5 Feet to 100 Feet

C1995 National Semiconductor Corporation

TL/H/7892

RRD-B30M115/Printed in U. S. A.

LM1812 Ultrasonic Transceiver

April 1989

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Operating Temperature

If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required,

please contact the National Semiconductor Sales
Office/Distributors for availability and specifications.
Supply Voltage, V a (Pin 12)
Power Dissipation (Note 1)
Peak Current (Pins 6, 14)
Input Current (Pins 4, 8)

0 C to a 70 C

Storage Temperature Range

b 65 C to a 150 C

Lead Temperature (Soldering, 10 sec.)

18V
1700 mW
1A
50 mA

260 C

Electrical Characteristics V a e 12V, TA e 25 C, unless otherwise noted

Parameter

Conditions

Min

Typ

Max

Units

200
10
1.3

600
3

mVp-p
mVp-p
V

Input Sensitivity (Note 2)

Input Noise
Transmitter Output, VSAT

Figure 2

Transmitter Output Leakage

V6 e 36V
V8 e 0V

0.01

mA

Detector Output, VSAT

I14 e 1A

1.5

Detector Output Leakage

V14 e 36V

Transmitter Key Threshold

I8 e 1 mA

Supply Current

I6 e 1A

0.01

mA

0.55

0.7

0.9

I1 a I12
Receive Mode

8.5

20

mA

Transmit Mode

200

325

V8 for Receive Mode

Maximum Operating Frequency

0.3

V
kHz

Note 1: For operating at high temperatures, the LM1812 must be derated based upon a 125 C maximum junction temperature and a thermal resistance of
58 C C/W which applies for the device soldered in a printed circuit board and operating in a still air ambient. Due to the low duty cycle operation, only a small
average power is dissipated in the package.
Note 2: A 47k resistor is added in parallel with the receiver tank at pin 1 to swamp variations in the coils unloaded Q. The resistor reduces sensitivity (see equation
4) and is unnecessary in an actual applications circuit.

Test Circuit

TL/H/7892 2

fIN e 200 kHz

Input sensitivity e minimum VIN for VO to go low

FIGURE 2. Sensitivity Test Circuit

Application Hints
External Component Descriptions
Pin

Component

Typical Values

L1, C1

C2

500 pF10 nF

Second gain stage input

Couples first and second gain stage

R3

5.1 kX

First gain stage output

Terminates emitter-follower output

C4

100 pF10 nF

First gain stage input

Input coupling for the first gain stage

L6

50 mH10 mH

Transmitter output

Matches LM1812 to the transducer

Transmitter driver

R8

1 kX 10 kX

Transmitter key

Current limiter for keying pulses up to 12V

C9

100 nF10 mF

Receiver second stage delay

Sets the receiver turn-on delay after

transmit (Figure 10 )

11

C11

220 nF2.2 mF

Detector output duty cycle limit

Limits the duty cycle of the detector

output (short to ground to defeat)

13

C13

100 mF1000 mF

Transmitter supply decoupling

Decouples the transmitter power supply

14

T14

Lp t 50 mH
NS/NP j 10

Detector output

Drives neon display lamp

16

Output driver

17

R17, C17

22kOpen
10 nF10 mF

Pulse integrator

Controls integration time constant

(Figure 13 )

18

C18

1 nF100 mF

Pulse integrator reset

Controls integrator reset time constant

(Figure 14 )

500 mH50 mH
250 pF2.2 nF

Pin Description
Second gain stage output/
transmitter oscillator

TRANSDUCERS
The most common transducer used with the LM1812 is the
piezo-ceramic type which is electrically similar to a quartz
crystal. Piezo-ceramic transducers are resistive at only two
frequencies, termed the resonant and antiresonant (fr, fa)
frequencies. Elsewhere these transducers exhibit some
reactance as shown in Figure 3.

Component Function
Set the operating frequency (fO) for
the transmit oscillator and receiver

The LM1812 is primarily used with a single transducer performing both transmit and receive functions. In this mode,
maximum echo sensitivity will occur at a frequency close to
resonance.
Transducer ringing is a troublesome phenomenon of single
transducer systems. After a transducer has been electrically
driven in the transmit mode, some time is required for the
mechanical vibrations to stop. Depending on the amount of
damping, this ringing may last from 10 to 1000 cycles. This
mechanical ring produces an electrical signal strong enough
(l200 mVp-p) to hold the detector ON, thus masking any
echo signals occurring during this time.
A solution to this ring problem is to vary the receiver gain
from a minimum, just after transmit, to a maximum, when the
ring signal has dropped below the full-gain detection threshold. Since near-range echo signals are much stronger than
ring signals, close echos will still be detected in spite of the
reduced gain.
The gain is varied by attenuating the signal between pins 2
and 3 of the LM1812. Figure 4 shows such an arrangement.
An externally generated 12V pulse (Figure 17 ) keys the
transmitter and activates the attenuator. This pulse charges
C to a voltage set by P8, turning the FET OFF. C slowly
discharges through R, decreasing the gate voltage, which in
turn decreases the attenuation of the signal passing from
pin 3 to pin 2. R and C are selected so that the FET is not

TL/H/7892 3

FIGURE 3. Phase and Magnitude

of Transducer Impedance
For transmitting (to maximize electrical to mechanical efficiency), the transducer should be operated at its resonant
frequency. For receiving (to maximize mechanical to electrical efficiency), optimum operation is at antiresonance. In
two-transducer systems the resonant frequency of the
transmit transducer is matched to the antiresonant frequency of the receiver.

Application Hints (Continued)

The oscillator frequency is set by L1-C1 and can be calculated from
1
(1)
2q 0L1C1
The L1-C1 tank must have a minimum Rp of 10 kX where
RP e 2qfOQL1
(2)
and Q e unloaded Q of L1-C1 tank.
The output transformer (L6) is designed with the aid of Figure 6 . Curves are shown for two common frequencies:
40 kHz and 200 kHz. For a given load impedance (RT, Figure 3b ), a turns ratio for L6 is determined. In order not to
exceed the transducers specifications, the peak-to-peak
output voltage may need to be adjusted using the equation:
fO e

TL/H/78924

*Available from National Semiconductor Corporation

FIGURE 4. Time Variable FET Attenuator

completely turned ON until all detectable ringing has
stopped. The duration of the ring is rarely specified by the
transducer manufacturer and must be experimentally determined.
When designing an ultrasonic ranging system, three transducer parameters are very important:
1) resonant impedance (RT in Figure 3b )
2) maximum peak-to-peak voltage
3) resonant frequency, fr
This data, used in conjunction with the curves given in
Figure 6 , results in a functional output stage design.

Vp-p e 2V a

#N J
NS

(3)

To ensure that the output stage is not overloaded, a current

measurement must be made at pin 6. While the first few
pulses of each transmit period may reach 2A or 3A, the
steady-state current spikes must not exceed 1A. Current
spikes are reduced by decreasing the turns ratio of L6.
The secondary of L6 tunes with C6 at the operating frequency, fO.

TRANSMITTER
The transmitter (Figure 5 ) consists of an oscillator, a 1 ms
one-shot, and a power amplifier.
When the transmitter is keyed ON at pin 8 the L1-C1 tank is
switched to the oscillator mode. An on-chip 1 ms one-shot is
triggered with each cycle of the oscillator and, in turn, drives
a power amplifier. This one-shot has a reset time of 2 ms,
limiting the maximum operating frequency to about 325 kHz.
A transformer couples the transducer to the output stage.

TL/H/7892 5

FIGURE 6. L6 Turns Ratio vs Load Resistance

TL/H/7892 6

FIGURE 5. Transmitter

Application Hints (Continued)

pled to the transducer, some protection is necessary to limit
the input current spikes to less than 50 mA. Where the voltage across the transducer is less than 200 Vp-p, a C4 reactance of 5 kX at the operating frequency is adequate protection. Above 200 Vp-p, a 5 kX resistor should be inserted
in series with C4.
Since the L1-C1 tank circuit is shared with the oscillator,
both the transmitter and receiver are always tuned to the
same frequency. The second stage voltage gain is given by:

Where additional power is desired, a pulse amplifier or a

pulse stretcher can be used as shown in Figure 7 . The pulse
amplifier (Figure 7a ) increases output current up to 5A. The
pulse stretcher (Figure 7b ) increases output current and
pulse width. The wider pulse of Figure 7b is especially useful
at lower frequencies where the relatively narrow 1 ms pulse
creates a large peak current demand for a given power level. Pulse width as a function of R is plotted in Figure 8 .
Pin 8 performs the function of switching the LM1812 into
either the transmit or receive mode. When pin 8 is held high,
the chip is in the transmit mode. When held low, it is in the
receive mode. The input current at pin 8 should be designed
to operate within a 1 mA10 mA range.

Q
L1
(4)
70 C1
e
where Q
unloaded Q of L1-C1 tank.
When the LM1812 is in the transmit mode, the second gain
stage is turned OFF. When switching back to the receive
mode, the gain stage does not turn ON immediately, but
instead turns ON after a slight delay as programmed by C9.
This delay blanks the receiver (and therefore the detector)
momentarily, giving the transducer time to stop ringing.
AV e

RECEIVER
The receiver section (Figure 9 ) contains two separate gain
stages.
In some applications large voltages are applied across the
transducer during transmit. Since the receiver input is cou-

TL/H/7892 7

FIGURE 7a. Pulse Amplifier

TL/H/7892 8

FIGURE 7b. Pulse Stretcher

TL/H/78929

FIGURE 8. Pulse Stretcher

Resistance vs Pulse Width

AV e 24 dB

TL/H/7892 10

FIGURE 9. Receiver Section

Application Hints (Continued)

Delay as a function of C9 is plotted in Figure 10 . The second
gain stage may be shut OFF independently of pin 8 by pulling pin 9 low.

PULSE DETECTOR
The pulse detector circuitry (Figure 12 ) consists of five distinct stages: 1) threshold detector, 2) pulse integrator reset,
3) pulse integrator, 4) output driver, 5) power output stage.
The detector (Q1, Q2) switches on all pin 1 signals that
exceed 1.4 Vp-p. Since noise pulses are also detected, filtering is done by an integrator stage, C17 and R17, whose
time constant is typically 10% to 50% of the transmit time.
Integration starts when Q3 turns OFF, which occurs at the
same moment Q1 and Q2 detect a signal. Pins 16 and 14 go
low after the integration delay.

Due to the high gain of the receiver, care must be taken to

avoid oscillations. Oscillation problems are reduced by
keeping the components associated with pins 1 and 4 well
separated (Figure 11 ). The transducer must be connected
to the circuit with shielded cable. This not only helps avoid
oscillation, but also reduces electrical noise pick-up. As a
last resort, receiver gain can be reduced with R3 as in Figure 1 .

TL/H/7892 12
TL/H/789211

FIGURE 10. Receiver Delay vs C9

FIGURE 11. Component Side of Layout Showing

Isolation of Receiver Input and Output

TL/H/7892 13

FIGURE 12. Simplified Circuit Diagram of Detector

Application Hints (Continued)

detector, and pin 14 will turn OFF. After another delay C11
is discharged and the receiver is then again activated. With
C11 e 680 nF and a continuous echo return, the receiver
will cycle ON and OFF every 6 ms. This function can be
defeated by grounding pin 11.

When the voltage at pin 1 becomes too small to activate the

detector (k 1.4 Vp-p), the integrator is reset by Q3 after a
delay introduced by C18. A delay of 1 to 10 cycles of the
transmitted frequency is typical. These integration and reset
delays, as a function of the external component values, are
shown in Figures 13 and 14 .
Pin 16 provides a CMOS compatible logic output. For driving
high-intensity displays, pin 14 will sink up to 1A. When driving a transformer such as T14 in Figure 1 , it is possible for
the primary current to integrate up to destructive levels under conditions of multiple echo reception. Pin 11 is employed to protect the power output (pin 14). C11 integrates
an internal current source while pin 14 is low. When V11
reaches a 0.7V threshold, the second gain stage is turned
OFF. With the receiver OFF, no signal will be applied to the

TYPICAL OPERATION
Figure 15 shows typical waveforms at pins 1 and 16 for
200 kHz operation, with pin 9 left open. The pin 1 oscillator
signal (5 Vp-p) lasts for 200 ms. The next 900 ms show a
ring signal so strong that it is clipped by the receiver. The
exponential nature of the decaying ring is seen for the next
500 ms. An echo return appears at 3.9 ms. Note that the
detector is held low during the transmit period and for the
duration of the ring.

TL/H/7892 15

TL/H/7892 14

FIGURE 14. Integrator

Reset Delay vs C18

FIGURE 13. Integration

Delay vs C17

TL/H/7892 16

FIGURE 15. Typical Transmit/Receive Waveforms

Application Hints (Continued)

TL/H/7892 17

L1 e CAN-1A901HM (Toko)
L6 e 719VXA-A018YSU (Toko)
X e R283E (Massa Products)

FIGURE 16. 200 kHz Ultrasonic Ranging System for 4 Inches to 6 Feet in Air

TL/H/7892 18

L1 e CLN-2A900HM (Toko)
L6 e 719VXA-A017AO (Toko)
X e EFR-OTB40K2 (Available from Panasonic Company, 1 Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094, Tel. (201) 392-4651)

FIGURE 17. 40 kHz Ultrasonic Ranging System Covering a Range of 3 Feet to 20 Feet
8

LM1812 Ultrasonic Transceiver

Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters)

Molded Dual-In-Line Package (N)

Order Number LM1812N
See NS Package Number N18A

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