44.6.1 Principle of Operation
The following definitions are used throughout the documentation:
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| TOP | The counter reaches TOP when it becomes equal to the highest value in the count sequence. The TOP value can be the same as Period (PER) or the Compare Channel 0 (CC0) register value depending on the Waveform Generator mode in Waveform Output Generation Operations. |
| ZERO | The counter reaches ZERO when it contains all zeroes. (i.e. 0x00000000) |
| MAX | The counter reaches maximum when it contains all ones. (i.e. 0xFFFFFFFF) |
| UPDATE | The timer/counter signals an update when it reaches ZERO or TOP, depending on the direction settings. |
| Timer | The timer/counter clock control is handled by an internal source. |
| Counter | The clock control is handled externally (e.g., counting external events). |
| CC |
For compare operations, the CC are referred to as "compare channels." For capture operations, the CC are referred to as "capture channels." |
There are up to eight compare/capture (CC) channels starting from CC0 to CC7. The number of CC channels can be different on different instances of a TCC.
The Counter register (COUNT), Period registers with Buffer (PER and PERBUF), and Compare and Capture registers with buffers (CCy and CCBUFy) are 32-bit registers, on each TCC instance. Each Buffer register has a corresponding Buffer Valid flag in the STATUS register that indicates when the buffer contains a new value.
Under normal operation, the counter value is continuously compared to the TOP or ZERO value to determine whether the counter has reached TOP or ZERO. In either case, the TCC can generate interrupt requests, request DMA transactions, or generate events for the Event System. In Waveform Generator operation, these comparisons are used to set the waveform period or pulse width.
A prescaled generic clock (GCLK_TCCx) and events from the event system can be used to control the counter. The event system is also used as a source to the input capture.
The Recoverable Fault Unit enables event controlled waveforms by acting directly on the generated waveforms of the TCC compare channels output. These events can restart, halt the timer/counter period, shorten the output pulse active time, or disable waveform output as long as the fault condition is present. This can typically be used for current sensing regulation, and zero-crossing and demagnetization re-triggering.
The Recoverable Fault event inputs are connected to the MC0 and MC1 event lines. Only asynchronous events are used internally when fault unit extension is enabled. For further details on how to configure asynchronous events routing, refer to EVSYS – Event System.
Recoverable fault sources can be filtered and/or windowed to avoid false triggering, for example from I/O pin glitches, by using digital filtering, input blanking, and qualification options. See also Recoverable Faults.
- Recoverable faults and non-recoverable faults
- Output matrix
- Dead-time insertion
- Swap
- Pattern generation
The output matrix (OTMX) can distribute and route out the TCC waveform outputs across the port pins in different configurations, each optimized for different application types. The Dead-Time Insertion (DTI) unit splits the four lower OTMX outputs into two non-overlapping signals: the non-inverted Low Side (LS) and inverted High Side (HS) of the waveform output with optional dead-time insertion between LS and HS switching. The SWAP unit can swap the LS and HS pin outputs, and can be used for fast decay motor control.
The pattern generation unit can be used to generate synchronized waveforms with constant logic level on TCC UPDATE conditions. This is useful for easy stepper motor and full bridge control.
The non-recoverable fault module enables event controlled fault protection by acting directly on the generated waveforms of the timer/counter compare channel outputs. When a non-recoverable fault condition is detected, the output waveforms are forced to a preconfigured value that is safe for the application. This is typically used for instant and predictable shut down and disabling high current or voltage drives. A non-recoverable fault can be recovered only by software.
The count event sources TCCx_EV_0 connected to TCE0 input and TCCx_EV_1 connected to TCE1 input are shared with the non-recoverable fault extension. The events can be optionally filtered. If the filter options are not used, the non-recoverable faults provide an immediate asynchronous action on waveform output, even for cases where the clock is not present. For further details on how to configure asynchronous events routing, refer to section EVSYS – Event System.
- EVSYS