Which component is used to protect the receiver from large voltages during transmission?

Which component is used to protect the receiver from large voltages during transmission?

• A. Transmit and Receiver Switch (T/R Switch)
• B. Pulse Delays
• C. Signal Processing
• D. Receiver

Answer: (A)

The key idea is protecting the sensitive receiver front end from the high voltage used to drive the transducer. In ultrasound, the transducer is energized with large voltage pulses to generate sound, and then it must listen for returning echoes. A Transmit and Receiver Switch sits at the input path and acts as a rapid gate: during transmission it blocks or isolates the receiver so the strong transmit voltages don’t reach and potentially damage the receiver, and during reception it reconnects the transducer to the receiver so the echoes can be processed. This isolation keeps the receiver safe and prevents saturation, enabling accurate signal capture. The other options serve different roles—pulse delays shape and time the beam across elements, signal processing occurs after data is received, and the receiver handles processing but does not provide the protective switching needed during transmission.

The key idea is protecting the sensitive receiver front end from the high voltage used to drive the transducer. In ultrasound, the transducer is energized with large voltage pulses to generate sound, and then it must listen for returning echoes. A Transmit and Receiver Switch sits at the input path and acts as a rapid gate: during transmission it blocks or isolates the receiver so the strong transmit voltages don’t reach and potentially damage the receiver, and during reception it reconnects the transducer to the receiver so the echoes can be processed. This isolation keeps the receiver safe and prevents saturation, enabling accurate signal capture. The other options serve different roles—pulse delays shape and time the beam across elements, signal processing occurs after data is received, and the receiver handles processing but does not provide the protective switching needed during transmission.