Patent ID: 7283167

Claim:
A method of reading out image data of a sub-range of an image captured by an image sensor, the image sensor including a plurality of image sensor elements which can be read out by an activation signal applied to the image sensor elements according to a predetermined clock signal by means of branch blocks, comprising the following steps: storing an activation pattern determining the image sensor elements outputting the image data for the sub-range; and applying the activation signal to the image sensor elements of the image sensor depending on the activation pattern stored, wherein the activation pattern is stored in the branch blocks substantially simultaneously to the activation signal, and wherein the image sensor includes a plurality of branch blocks, wherein one or several image sensor elements are associated with each of the branch blocks, wherein a part of the activation pattern for the image sensor elements associated with the branch block is stored in the branch blocks and wherein the step of applying for a branch block comprises the following sub-steps: receiving the activation signal from an input of the image sensor or a previous branch block; depending on the part of the activation pattern stored in the branch block, determining whether the image sensor elements associated with the branch block are associated with the sub-range to be read out; if the image sensor elements associated with the branch block are associated with the sub-range to be read out, applying the activation signal to the image sensor elements of the branch block and passing on the activation signal to a subsequent branch block; and if the image sensor elements associated with the branch block are not associated with the sub-range to be read out, passing on the activation signal to a subsequent branch block without applying same to the image sensor elements of the branch block.