Patent ID: 6873366

Claim:
A timing generator system comprising: a timing generator for generating timing pulses for use to drive a solid-state imaging device; and an external memory provided externally for the timing generator, the system being characterized in that the timing generator includes: a first counter for performing a count operation responsive to each pulse of a vertical sync signal as a trigger; a second counter for performing a count operation responsive to each pulse of a horizontal sync signal as a trigger; a time-series data memory for storing first time-series data that represents a logical level repetitive pattern of an output pulse train; and edge data storage for storing first edge data that represents at what counts of the first and second counters control pulses should change their logical levels, and that the external memory stores second time-series data as an alternative to the first time-series data and second edge data as an alternative to the first edge data, respectively, and that the timing generator further includes: means for selecting either the first or the second time-series data; means for selecting either the first or the second edge data; and means for changing the logical levels of the control pulses when the counts of the first and second counters match the edge data selected and for outputting, as the timing pulses, results of logical operations performed on the output pulse train, represented by the time-series data selected, and the control pulses.