TMF8801 laser ranging sensor driver
Article Directory
1. Introduction of TMF8801
The TMF8801 is a true direct time-of-flight (ToF) sensor system that measures round-trip time with sub-nanosecond light pulses and an anti-aliasing "stopwatch" method to provide high-precision depth-accurate detection pulses in a single modular package. It provides single-region detection of objects regardless of their color, reflectivity, and texture. A single module with a VCSEL emitter provides high dynamic range and detection sensing measurements at distances of 2 – 250 cm. The device utilizes high-sensitivity SPAD detection and a fast, compact time-to-digital converter for high-accuracy distance measurements within ±5%, and is capable of operating in both dark and sunlight conditions. A built-in histogram is used to detect coverslips and report object distances operating at the highest SNR, while compensating for dirt and smudge contamination on production coverslips to produce artifact-free measurements. The histogram provides dynamic coverslip calibration and crosstalk compensation, and background light noise is minimized with an on-chip sunlight rejection filter. Data output is via a 1.8V I²C fast-mode communication interface and an integrated microcontroller, with all algorithms contained on-chip, requiring no external optics.
The functional block diagram of TMF8801 is as follows: