# US 2014/0191121 A1 · Timing device and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0191121 A1 - Document ID: US20140191121A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/205,444 - Filed: 2014-03-12 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-05 - Assignees: Kratos Analytical Limited - Applicants: Kratos Analytical Limited - Inventors: Ian SHERWOOD - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140191121A1 ## CPC - H01J 49/022: {Circuit arrangements, e.g. for generating deviation currents or voltages (regulating electric or magnetic variables in general, e.g. current, magnetic field G05F); Components associated with high voltage supply (high voltage supply per se H02M)} - G06F 13/4295: {using an embedded synchronisation} - H01J 49/40: Time-of-flight spectrometers (H01J49/36 takes precedence) - H03M 9/00: Parallel/series conversion or vice versa (digital stores in which the information is moved stepwise per se G11C19/00) - H04L 7/00: Arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter {(synchronisation of generators of electric oscillations or pulses H03L7/00)} - H03K 5/133: using a chain of active delay devices - H04L 7/033: using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) ## Abstract The present invention provides a timing device, especially a timing device for use in mass spectrometers, for example TOF mass spectrometers, for processing trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event, the timing device having: a trigger signal deserialiser configured to receive trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data and to output the trigger signal data as parallel data, and wherein suitably the timing device has a processing means configured to process trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A timing device for processing trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event, the timing device having: a trigger signal deserialiser configured to receive trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data and to output the trigger signal data as parallel data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A timing device according to claim 1, wherein the timing device has a processing means configured to process trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A timing device according to claim 2 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to produce data based on trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data; b) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to detect a trigger signal contained in trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data; c) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to detect a trigger signal contained in trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data, and to produce data based on the detected trigger signal such that the data produced by the processing means is synchronized to a trigger event indicated by the detected trigger signal; and d) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to detect a trigger signal contained in trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data, and to produce control data based on the detected trigger signal such that the control data is synchronized to a trigger event indicated by the detected trigger signal. ### Claim 4 A timing device according to 2 wherein the processing means is configured to produce control data for controlling the operation of one or more components based on trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A timing device according to claim 4 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to insert a delay into the control data if the processing means detects a trigger signal; and b) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to output the control data as parallel data, and the timing device has one or more output serialisers each configured to receive respective control data outputted by the processing means as parallel data and to output the respective control data as serial data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) A timing device according to claim 4, wherein the timing device is included in an apparatus having one or more components, wherein the processing means is configured to produce control data for controlling the operation of the one or more components. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A timing device according to claim 6 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the apparatus includes converting means configured to convert control data outputted by one or more output serialisers as serial data into one or more control signals for controlling the one or more components; and b) a timing device wherein the apparatus is a mass spectrometer, and the one or more components include one or more of: an extraction plate, an ion lens, an ion blanking gate and a gas valve. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) A timing device according to claim 2 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to produce adjusted additional data by adjusting additional data received by the timing device, based on trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data; and b) a timing device wherein the processing means is configured to detect a trigger signal contained in trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal deserialiser as parallel data, and to produce adjusted additional data by adjusting additional data received by the timing device based on the detected trigger signal such that the adjusted additional data is synchronized to a trigger event indicated by the detected trigger signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A timing device according to claim 8, wherein the timing device is included in an apparatus having an additional data source configured to output additional data, wherein the timing device is configured to receive additional data outputted by the additional data source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A timing device according to claim 9, wherein the additional data source includes an analogue to digital converter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A timing device according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus is a mass spectrometer and the analogue to digital converter is configured to output the additional data based on an output of an ion detector of the mass spectrometer. ### Claim 12 A timing device according to 1, wherein the timing device is included in an apparatus having a trigger signal data source configured to output trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data, wherein the trigger signal deserialiser of the timing device is configured to receive trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal data source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A timing device according to claim 12 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the trigger signal data source is configured to include a trigger signal in the trigger signal data to indicate the occurrence of a trigger event within the apparatus each time the trigger event occurs; and b) a timing device wherein the apparatus is a mass spectrometer, and the trigger signal data source includes a photodiode positioned to receive light fired by a laser for ionising sample material and a comparator configured to compare an output of the photodiode with a reference so that the comparator outputs a first voltage when the photodiode receives light fired by the laser and a second, different, voltage when the photodiode does not receive light fired by the laser. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A timing device according to claim 1, wherein the timing device has, or is connected to, a pre-trigger signal data source configured to output pre-trigger signal data as serial data to be received by the trigger signal deserialiser before the timing device receives trigger signal data containing a trigger signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) A timing device according to claim 8 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein the pre-trigger signal data source is configured to output pre-trigger signal data containing a plurality of transitions between 0 and bits as serial data to be received by the trigger signal deserialiser before the timing device receives trigger signal data containing a trigger; and b) a timing device wherein the pre-trigger signal data source is configured to output the pre-trigger signal data with a gap of no more than 100 microseconds between the pre-trigger signal and the trigger event. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A timing device according to claim 1 selected from the group consisting of: a) a timing device wherein any aforementioned deserialiser and/or serialiser is a multi-gigabit transceiver or gigabit transceiver block; and b) a timing device wherein the timing device has a field programmable gate array, and the trigger signal deserialiser is included in the field programmable gate array. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) An apparatus having: a timing device according to claim 1; and a trigger signal data source configured to output trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data; wherein the trigger signal deserialiser of the timing device is configured to receive trigger signal data outputted by the trigger signal data source. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is a mass spectrometer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A mass spectrometer according to claim 18, wherein: the trigger signal data source is configured to include a trigger signal in the trigger signal data to indicate the firing of a laser for ionising sample material, each time the firing of a laser for ionising sample material occurs; the mass spectrometer has one or more components, wherein the processing means of the timing device is configured to produce control data for controlling the operation of the one or more components; and the mass spectrometer has an additional data source including an analogue to digital converter configured to output additional data based on an output of an ion detector of the mass spectrometer, wherein the timing device is configured to receive additional data outputted by the additional data source. ### Claim 20 A method including: receiving, at a trigger signal deserialiser, trigger signal data containing a trigger signal indicating the occurrence of a trigger event as serial data and outputting, from the trigger signal deserialiser, the trigger signal data as parallel data.