Sensor readout detector circuit
First Claim
1. A readout detector circuit for processing an electrical current signal from at least one sensor, comprising:
- (a) means for receiving the electrical current signal from each sensor and converting the electrical signal to a voltage signal;
(b) means for amplifying the voltage signal;
(c) means, connected between the amplifying means and the receiving means, for receiving the amplified voltage signal and removing direct-current and low-frequency noise components from the amplified voltage signal; and
(d) means for receiving the amplified voltage signal and detecting signals of interest above a predetermined threshold level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor readout detector circuit is disclosed that is capable of detecting sensor signals down to a few nanoamperes or less in a high (microampere) background noise level. The circuit operates at a very low standby power level and is triggerable by a sensor event signal that is above a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of sensor readout detector circuits can be formed on a substrate as an integrated circuit (IC). These circuits can operate to process data from an array of sensors in parallel, with only data from active sensors being processed for digitization and analysis. This allows the IC to operate at a low power level with a high data throughput for the active sensors. The circuit may be used with many different types of sensors, including photodetectors, capacitance sensors, chemically-sensitive sensors or combinations thereof to provide a capability for recording transient events or for recording data for a predetermined period of time following an event trigger. The sensor readout detector circuit has applications for portable or satellite-based sensor systems.
257 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A readout detector circuit for processing an electrical current signal from at least one sensor, comprising:
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(a) means for receiving the electrical current signal from each sensor and converting the electrical signal to a voltage signal; (b) means for amplifying the voltage signal; (c) means, connected between the amplifying means and the receiving means, for receiving the amplified voltage signal and removing direct-current and low-frequency noise components from the amplified voltage signal; and (d) means for receiving the amplified voltage signal and detecting signals of interest above a predetermined threshold level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A readout detector circuit for processing an electrical current signal from at least one sensor, comprising:
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(a) a transimpedance amplifier for converting the electrical current signal to a voltage signal; (b) a voltage amplifier for amplifying the voltage signal; (c) a switched capacitor integrator for providing feedback from the voltage amplifier to the transimpedance amplifier for removing direct-current and low-frequency noise components from the voltage signal; and (d) an auto-zeroed comparator for providing an indication when the amplified voltage signal is above a predetermined threshold level. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of detecting signals of interest from at least one sensor, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) converting by transimpedance amplifier an electrical current signal from each sensor to a voltage signal; (b) amplifying the voltage signal; (c) removing direct-current and low-frequency noise components from the voltage signal by integrating the amplified voltage signal and feeding back the integrated signal to the transimpedance amplifier; and (d) detecting signals of interest by an auto-zeroed comparator. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification