Method and apparatus for detecting low light levels
First Claim
1. In a signal met system having a signal processor, including means for integrating a signal and means for sampling a signal, a computer program code contained in a fixed computer readable medium that when loaded into the signal processor and run will cause the system to measure low power signals by performing the steps of:
- integrating over multiple integration periods an original signal received from a signal source with the integration means to produce an integrated signal;
digitally sampling the integrated signal multiple times during each integration period of the integrated signal with the sampling means to obtain multiple digital samples; and
determining the original signal from the multiple digital samples.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for measuring very low light signals including integrating a signal from a photo diode, avalanche photo diode, photomultiplier tube or the like, digitally sampling the integrator output more than two times during each integration period, fitting a curve to the multiple digitized readings to calculate the integration slope for each integration period and determining the original signal from the calculated integration slope.
108 Citations
6 Claims
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1. In a signal met system having a signal processor, including means for integrating a signal and means for sampling a signal, a computer program code contained in a fixed computer readable medium that when loaded into the signal processor and run will cause the system to measure low power signals by performing the steps of:
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integrating over multiple integration periods an original signal received from a signal source with the integration means to produce an integrated signal; digitally sampling the integrated signal multiple times during each integration period of the integrated signal with the sampling means to obtain multiple digital samples; and determining the original signal from the multiple digital samples. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. In a signal measuring system having a signal processor, including means for integrating a signal and means for sampling a signal, a computer program code contained in a fixed computer readable medium that when loaded into the signal processor and run will cause the system to measure low power signals by performing the steps of:
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integrating over multiple integration periods an original signal received from a signal source with the integration means to produce an integrated signal; digitally sampling the integrated signal multiple times during each integration period of the integrated signal with the sampling means to obtain multiple digital samples; calculating the integration slope for each integration period using the multiple digital samples; and determining the original signal from the calculated integration slopes.
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6. In a signal measuring system having a signal processor, including means for integrating a signal and means for sampling a signal, a computer program code contained in a fixed computer readable medium that when loaded into the signal processor and run will cause the system to measure low power light-based signals in a detection region in a first one of at least two intersecting microchannels by performing the steps of:
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integrating a first signal received from a photo diode over multiple integration periods to produce an integrated signal using the integration means, wherein the photo diode detects an original low power light-based signal in the detection region and outputs the first signal; filtering out frequencies above a selected level in the integrated signal to produce a filtered signal; digitally sampling the filtered signal multiple times during each integration period with the sampling means to obtain multiple digital samples; calculating the integration slope for each integration period using the multiple digital samples; and determining the original low power signal from the calculated integration slopes.
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Specification