TDC7201

• Resolution: 55 ps
• Standard Deviation: 35 ps
• Measurement Range:
  • Individual Mode 1: 12 ns to 2000 ns
  • Individual Mode 2: 250 ns to 8 ms
  • Combined Operation: 0.25 ns to 8 ms
• Low Active Power Consumption: 2.7 mA
• Supports up to 10 STOP Signals
• Autonomous Multi-Cycle Averaging Mode
  for Low Power Consumption
• Supply Voltage: 2 V to 3.6 V
• Operating Temperature –40°C to +85°C
• SPI Interface for Register Access

The TDC7201 is designed for use with ultrasonic, laser and radar range finding equipment using time-of-flight technique. The TDC7201 has two built-in Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) that can be used to measure distance down to 4 cm and up to several kilometers using a simple architecture, which eliminates the need to use expensive FPGAs or processors.

Each TDC performs the function of a stopwatch and measures the elapsed time (time-of-flight or TOF) between a START pulse and up to five STOP pulses. The ability to measure simultaneously and individually on two pairs of START and STOP pins using two built-in TDCs offers high flexibility in time measurement design.

The device has an internal self-calibrated time base which compensates for drift over time and temperature. Self-calibration enables time-to-digital conversion accuracy in the order of picoseconds. This accuracy makes the TDC7201 ideal for range finder applications.

When placed in the Autonomous Multi-Cycle Averaging Mode, the TDC7201 device can be optimized for low system power consumption, which is ideal for battery-powered flow meters. In this mode, the host can go to sleep to save power and wake up when interrupted by the TDC upon completion of the measurement sequence.