# US 7,612,820 B2 · Configurable timing generator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,612,820 B2 - Document ID: US7612820B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/114,992 - Filed: 2005-04-26 - Published: 2006-11-09 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2005-04-26 - Assignees: Analog Devices, Inc. - Inventors: Christopher Jacobs; Jianrong Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612820B2 ## CPC - H04N 25/00: Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof - H04N 25/7795: {Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract In one embodiment, a configurable timing generator outputs at least one timing signal. The configurable timing generator comprises a first timing generator configurable to output the at least one timing signal so that the at least one timing signal is adaptable to a plurality of applications. In one embodiment, a configurable parameter storage unit comprising a parameter storage area configurable so as to store a plurality of parameters at least partially defining a desired plurality of waveform hierarchy elements, where the desired plurality of waveform hierarchy elements enable the definition of a waveform. In one embodiment, a method of constructing a waveform for a configurable timing generator, the method comprising acts of constructing a first pattern waveform, where the first pattern waveform comprises a first basic pulse, and constructing a first sequence waveform, where the first sequence waveform comprises a plurality of repetitions of the first pattern waveform. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of using a configurable timing generator to construct a waveform for an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising acts of: constructing, using the configurable timing generator, a first pattern waveform comprising a first basic pulse; constructing a first sequence waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of the first pattern waveform; constructing a first region waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of the first sequence waveform, the first region waveform representing timing signals to be applied only to a first region of the image sensor comprising a first subset of the plurality of pixels of the image sensor, the first subset including pixels in at least two rows of the image sensor; and assigning the first region waveform to the first region. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of: constructing a second pattern waveform comprising a second basic pulse; constructing a second sequence waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of the second pattern waveform; constructing a second region waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of the second sequence waveform, the second region waveform representing timing signals to be applied only to a second region of the image sensor comprising a second subset of the plurality of pixels of the image sensor, the second subset including pixels in at least two rows of the image sensor; assigning the second region waveform to the second region; and constructing a first field waveform comprising the first region waveform and the second region waveform, the first field waveform representing timing signals to be applied to a field of the image sensor comprising the first and second subsets of the plurality of pixels of the image sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of constructing a mode waveform corresponding to timing signals for an operational mode of the image sensor, the mode waveform comprising the first field waveform and a second field waveform, the second field waveform comprising a third region waveform and a fourth region waveform, the third region waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of a third sequence waveform and the fourth region waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of a fourth sequence waveform, the third sequence waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of a third pattern waveform comprising a third basic pulse, and the fourth sequence waveform comprising a plurality of repetitions of a fourth pattern waveform comprising a fourth basic pulse. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising generating at least one synchronization pulse controlling a transition between the first field waveform and the second field waveform. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein constructing a first sequence waveform comprises assigning a polarity and a number of repetitions of the first pattern waveform. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein constructing the first sequence waveform further comprises assigning a start position of the first pattern waveform. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein constructing the first sequence waveform further comprises assigning a length of the first pattern waveform. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising generating at least one synchronization pulse controlling a transition between the first region waveform and the second region waveform. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the first pattern waveform comprises selecting a number of toggles. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein constructing the first pattern waveform further comprises assigning a start polarity and a duration between toggles. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein constructing the first pattern waveform involves using a first state machine to construct the first pattern waveform. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein constructing the first pattern waveform involves using a first state machine to construct the first pattern waveform and wherein constructing the mode waveform involves using a second state machine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one synchronization pulse defines an end of the first field waveform. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The meth of claim 8, wherein the at least one synchronization pulse defines an end of the first region waveform. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising inputting at least one synchronization pulse into the second state machine to define a boundary of the first field waveform. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising inputting at least one synchronization pulse into the first state machine.