ADI’s Solution for Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing
Application Introduction
Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a wide group of analysis techniques used in science and industry to evaluate the properties of a material, component, or system
without causing damage or permanent alteration. Because it is a valuable technique that can save both money and time, it is widely used in product
evaluation, troubleshooting, and research in many fields, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and civil engineering. Common NDT methods
include ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle inspection, liquid penetrant testing, radiographic imaging, remote visual inspection, and eddy-current testing. This article
will focus on ultrasonic test equipment, which is the most popular instrument in NDT and can also be used to measure thickness.
System Design Considerations and Major Challenges
Historically, the large number of high performance transmitters and receivers required to implement these imaging systems resulted in large and expensive
implementations. Recently, advances in integration have allowed system designers to migrate to smaller, lower cost, and more portable imaging solutions to be
used in the field much easier. The challenges moving forward are to continue to drive the integration of these solutions, while increasing their performance and
diagnostic capabilities, as shown below.
• Higher integration to reduce the size and power consumption for portable instruments—extends the battery life and makes it easier to use in the field.
• Heat dissipation is an important issue for miniaturized devices, particularly when improved image quality is the goal.
• Higher transmit voltages are needed to improve signal single word and for harmonic imaging. The acoustic power grows as the transmit voltage is increased.
Solutions from ADI
ADI Solution Value Proposition
• One stop shopping to provide the broadest product portfolio for both signal processing and power conversion, including amplifiers, converters, regulators, and
digital signal processors.
• Extensive design resources, like easy-to-use simulation tools (ADIsimPower,
™
ADIsimADC,
™
DiffAmpCalc,
™
ADIsimCLK
™
), Circuits from the Lab ,
®
forums in
ADI’s EngineerZone
®
website, technical articles, and fully populated evaluation boards.
• ADI’s product compatibility supports design migration across multiple platforms, such as pin-compatible high speed ADCs and DACs for different sample
rates and resolutions.
System Block Diagram
The diagram below is the main signal processing chain of an ultrasonic NDT device.
instrumentation.analog.com
VIDEO
OUT
TRANSDUCER
ARRAY
A4. INTEGRATED AFE
A1.
LNA
A2.
VGA
A3.
HIGH SPEED
ADC
A5.
PRECISION
GAIN SETTING
DAC
B2.
I TO V
AMP FOR
IOUT DAC
HV
AMP
ANTI-
ALIASING
FILTER
B5. PRECISION
REFERENCE AND
CLOCK FOR ADC/DAC
B3.
DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR
B4.
VIDEO ENCODER
DISPLAY, USB, ETHERNET
HV T/R
SWITCH
FPGA
B1.
HIGH SPEED
WAVEFORM
GENERATION
DAC
Main Products
2
|
ADI’s Solution for Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing
The diagram below is the typical power chain of an ultrasonic NDT device, which can be both battery powered and ac powered.
A1. LNA (Low Noise Amplifier)
A2. VGA (Variable Gain
Amplifier)
A3. High Speed ADC A4. Integrated AFE A5. Precision Gain Setting DAC
ADA4897-1/ADA4897-2/
ADA4898-1/ADA4898-2/
ADA4895-2/ADA4896-2/
ADA4899-1
AD8334/
AD8332/
AD8331
AD9257/
AD9637/
AD9222
AD9272/AD9273/AD9276/
AD9277/AD9278/AD9279/
AD9670/AD9671
AD5684R/
AD5685R/
AD5694R/
AD5695R
B1. High Speed Waveform
Generation DAC
B2. I-to-V Amplifier for Current
Output DAC
B3. Digital Signal Processor B4. Video Encoder
B5. Precision Reference and
Clock for ADC/DAC
AD9704/AD9705/
AD9706/AD9707/
AD9106
ADA4898-1/ADA4898-2/
ADA4927-1/ADA4927-2/
ADA4937-1/ADA4937-2
ADSP-BF522/ADSP-BF524/
ADSP-BF526/ADSP-BF606/
ADSP-BF607
ADV7390/ADV7391/
ADV7392/ADV7393
ADR3420/
ADR4525/
AD9515
C1. Digital PFC and Power
Controller
C2. Switching Regulator C3. Linear Regulator C4. Integrated Power System C5. Li-Battery Charger
ADP1046/
ADP1047/
ADP1851
ADP2384/
ADP2386/
ADP2441
ADP7104/
ADP7102
ADP5040/
ADP5041
ADP5061/
ADP5065
C4. INTEGRATED POWER SYSTEM
C2. SWITCHING
REGULATOR
C5. LI-BATTERY
CHARGER
C1. DIGITAL PFC
AND POWER
CONTROLLER
C3. LINEAR
REGULATOR
DC-TO-DC CONVERSION
POWER CHAIN
12V
5V
-5V
3.3V
1.8V
BATTERY CHARGER
AC-TO-DC CONVERSION
BATTERY V DC
110 V/220 V AC
Part Number Description Benefits
ADA4896-2/
ADA4897-1/
ADA4897-2
Dual/single/dual low wideband noise 1 nV/
√
Hz and 2.8 pA/
√
Hz ; low 1/f noise 2.4 nV/
√
Hz
@ 10 Hz, 80 mA output current, rail-to-rail output (ADA4897-1 and ADA4897-2 have extra
disable pins)
Suitable for ultrasound CW path I/V, summing, and ADC driver
application
AD8331/
AD8332/
AD8334
Single/dual/quad ultralow noise 48 dB VGAs with preamplifier and programmable RIN;
V
N
RTI = 0.74 nV/
√
Hz; I
N
RTI = 2.5 pA/
√
Hz, bandwidth = 100 MHz
Precise linear-in-dB, excellent gain matching and bandwidth
uniformity suitable for ultrasound applications
AD9257
Eight channels of 14-bit, 65 MSPS serial LVDS ADC pin-to-pin compatible with 12-bit
version, AD9637 pin similar to AD9252/AD9222 octal family
Small package, pin-to-pin compatible series can be flexibly selected
AD9106
Quad, 12-bit, 175 MSPS DAC integrating 4096 × 12 on-chip pattern memory for
complex waveform generation with one output direct digital synthesizer (DDS) and
SPI interface to configure and load waveform data
Suitable for ultrasound linear transmit signal waveform
generation and also transmit beamformer. Small size and low
power consumption
AD9706
12-bit current output DAC, update rate: 175 MSPS. Pin-to-pin compatible with
8-bit/10-bit/14-bit versions, AD9704/AD9705/AD9707
Small package, pin-to-pin compatible series can be flexibly selected
ADP2384/
ADP2386
20 V V
IN
range, 4 A/6 A, ultrahigh efficiency, fully integrated switching synchronous
regulator
Low power consumption and high integration
Note: The signal chains above are representative of ultrasonic NDT device design. The technical requirements of the blocks vary, but the products listed in the table below are representative of ADI's solutions that meet some of those requirements.
Major Product Introductions