Texas Instruments TDC7201 Time-to-Digital Converter

Texas Instruments TDC7201 Time-to-Digital Converter is designed for use with ultrasonic, laser, and radar range-finding equipment using the time-of-flight technique. The TDC7201 has two built-in Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) that can be used to measure the distance down to 4cm and up to several kilometers using a simple architecture. This feature eliminates the need to use expensive FPGAs or processors. Each TDC performs a stopwatch function 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 Texas Instruments TDC7201 ideal for range finder applications.