IC Measures Time-Of-Flight With 125-ps Accuracy

July 9, 2001
Ken Condreva, an engineer at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif., had a problem. He needed to accurately record critical timing signals in weapon test flights. But new telemetry systems required a compact, lightweight, low-power...

Ken Condreva, an engineer at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif., had a problem. He needed to accurately record critical timing signals in weapon test flights. But new telemetry systems required a compact, lightweight, low-power device—and there weren't any available.

"The only things I could find that had this resolution were table-top instruments packaged in a box," he said. "They were way too big, and used way too much power." So, he rolled up his sleeves and invented the Falcon.

This inexpensive IC, which is smaller than a dime, is accurate up to 125 ps (see the figure). It uses Condreva's patented "Pulse Stretcher" technique to increase resolution up to 200 times for a low-power clock using 300 mW at 40 MHz.

The circuitry provides greater resolution by lengthening the duration of the output signal to 64 to 200 times longer than the input signal. This technique is similar to recording something with fast-action film and then replaying it at slow speed to clearly see what happened.

Its applications go beyond weapons systems, though. Sandia believes it can be used in anything that depends on accurate distance measurement, such as land surveying, construction, liquid level measurements, and collision avoidance. It can withstand high and low temperatures, high vibration and shock, and high and low humidity.

Scott Vaupen, Sandia's business developer, noted that the circuit uses commercially available standard CMOS technology. Most semiconductor businesses, he added, could manufacture it inexpensively. For licensing information and other details, call (925) 294-2322, or point your browser to www.sandia.gov.

Sponsored Recommendations

Board-Mount DC/DC Converters in Medical Applications

March 27, 2024
AC/DC or board-mount DC/DC converters provide power for medical devices. This article explains why isolation might be needed and which safety standards apply.

Use Rugged Multiband Antennas to Solve the Mobile Connectivity Challenge

March 27, 2024
Selecting and using antennas for mobile applications requires attention to electrical, mechanical, and environmental characteristics: TE modules can help.

Out-of-the-box Cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity with AWS IoT ExpressLink

March 27, 2024
This demo shows how to enroll LTE-M and Wi-Fi evaluation boards with AWS IoT Core, set up a Connected Health Solution as well as AWS AT commands and AWS IoT ExpressLink security...

How to Quickly Leverage Bluetooth AoA and AoD for Indoor Logistics Tracking

March 27, 2024
Real-time asset tracking is an important aspect of Industry 4.0. Various technologies are available for deploying Real-Time Location.

Comments

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!