Time-to-Digital Converter Arrangement for Enhanced Temporal Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The temporal resolution of existing time-to-digital converters is limited, hindering the accuracy of distance measurements in applications such as 3D sensing and LIDAR, where precise distance determination is crucial for fields like autonomous driving and industrial positioning.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a time-to-digital converter arrangement with multiple time-to-digital converters having time-shifted sampling points, allowing for interpolation to enhance temporal resolution without requiring faster converters, thereby increasing depth resolution significantly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single time-to-digital converter is used, then the device complexity is low, but the temporal resolution is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a single TDC function into multiple TDC units (first TDC, second TDC, etc.), each operating with time-shifted measurement windows. This segmentation allows the system to achieve higher temporal resolution by combining results from multiple converters with different timing offsets, effectively subdividing the measurement timeline into finer increments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension through time-shifted measurement windows across multiple TDCs. Instead of improving resolution within a single converter's fixed window, the system adds a time-shifting dimension, where each TDC measures the same event from a different temporal perspective, enabling interpolation to achieve sub-window resolution.
2Measurement precision
If faster time-to-digital converters are used, then the temporal resolution improves, but the manufacturing difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses multiple copies of standard-speed TDCs instead of a single high-speed TDC. Each TDC copy operates at the same manufacturing-friendly speed but with time-shifted measurement windows. The combination of these copies through interpolation achieves the resolution equivalent to a much faster converter, avoiding the need to manufacture and integrate high-speed TDC circuits.
3Measurement precision
If smaller structural components are used, then the temporal resolution improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the timing parameter (measurement window offset) rather than changing physical component dimensions. By adjusting the temporal parameter of when each TDC samples the signal, the system achieves higher resolution without requiring smaller or more precise physical components. This parameter-based approach avoids the manufacturing precision challenges of miniaturization.
Data Source
AI summary
Time-to-digital converter arrangement having a first and a second time-to-digital converters. The first one is configured to determine the existence or nonexistence of an event in a recurring first measurement window. The second one is configured to determine the existence or nonexistence of the event in a recurring second measurement window. A temporal relation of the second measurement window with respect to detecting the event is time-shifted by a first offset compared to a temporal relation of the first measurement window with respect to detecting the event.