Isolation Amplifier Energized by Ultrasound

A power supply energized by ultrasound has been developed and investigated. The supply can be used in medical applications where a high isolation from earth is essential, for example in the protection of a patient from the hazards of electric shock caused by medical instrumentation. The ultrasound energy is generated by a transmitting piezoelectric crystal (transducer) and sent to a receiving transducer via a glass rod 20 mm long. At the receiving transducer the acoustic energy is converted back to electric energy. The power transmission has been measured at different resonances of the glass rod-transducer combination. The radial mode resonance of the transducer seems to give the largest power transfer and the highest efficiency.