Patent ID: 9231575
Filing Date: 2016-01-05
CPC Classification: G02B,H03K

Claim Text:
1. A circuit configured to generate and output periodic control signals including at least two mutually phase-shifted control signals, the circuit comprising: a plurality of generator circuits clocked together by a clock signal, a separate generator circuit being provided for each control signal output by the circuit; each of the plurality of generator circuits including a phase value memory configured to store a phase value, the phase value defining a phase shift; the each generator circuit further including an activation input and, in response to application of an activation level to the activation input, is configured to initiate a generation of a control signal which is phase-shifted by an amount defined by the phase value; the each generator circuit further having a counter whose count value changes at an edge of the clock signal, the counter being configured to output a pulse upon a predeterminable count value being reached; wherein the activation inputs of the generator circuits are connected together to an activation circuit for outputting the activation level to the generator circuits simultaneously, wherein each of the generator circuits are configured such that when the activation level is present at the activation input, the phase value is loaded from the phase value memory into the counter, wherein, after the phase value is loaded from the phase value memory into the counter, the counter stores the phase value as an initial count value, and wherein each generator circuit has a start value memory for storing a start value, the counter being loaded with the start value when the predeterminable count value is reached.