Obtaining information from time variation of sensing results

• US 7,817,254 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2008
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kiesel, Peter, Hegyi, Alex, Johnson, Noble M., Bassler, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ratcliffe; Luke D
• Application Number:
  US12/022,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20090190121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 356/28, 356 301- 315, 356 401- 41, 356 501- 515, 356 6- 22, 356/28.5
• US Class Current: 356/28
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502761 specially adapted for handling suspended solids or molecules independently from the bulk fluid flow, e.g. for trapping or sorting beads, for physically stretching molecules investigating characteristics of particles G01N15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/12 by observing changes in resistance or impedance across apertures when traversed by individual particles, e.g. by using the Coulter principle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1429 Signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1434 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1484 microstructural devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1019 Associating Coulter-counter and optical flow cytometer [OFC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1027 Determining speed or velocity of a particle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/103 Particle shape
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/135 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1472 with colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0346 Capillary cells; Microcells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10

Abstract

Sensing results from moving objects, e.g. from photosensing emanating light or from impedance-based sensing, can indicate sensed time-varying waveforms with information about objects. For example, a sensed time-varying waveform can be compared with another waveform, such as a reference waveform produced by objects of a certain type, to obtain comparison results indicating motion-independent information about the object; time-scaling can adjust for displacement rate such as speed. Also, a modulation periodicity value can be obtained from a sensed time-varying waveform and used in obtaining information about an object; for example, a periodic modulation frequency can be used with a given time'"'"'s chirp frequency to obtain phase information about an object'"'"'s position. Or, where periodic modulation frequency indicates displacement rate, time scaling during comparison can use a scaling factor based on the frequency. Objects can move fluidically as in flow cytometry or through scanning movement, as in document scanning.

Claims

1. A method of using a sensor, the method comprising:

while an object travels past the sensor, operating the sensor to obtain sensing results, the sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms with time variation that includes information about the object; and

using the sensing results in a comparing operation on a set of time-varying waveforms to obtain comparison results indicating motion-independent information about the object;

the set of time-varying waveforms including at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms;

the act of using the sensing results in a comparing operation including;

performing time scaling on at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the comparing operation includes a correlation operation;

the act of performing time scaling being performed before the correlation operation.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the object is a biological cell and the motion-independent information indicates the cell'"'"'s type.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the object is a colored spot on a medium and the motion-independent information indicates the spot'"'"'s color.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the set of time-varying waveforms further includes a reference time-varying waveform, the act of performing time scaling including:

time scaling the reference time-varying waveform.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the reference time-varying waveform is a template waveform.

7. A method of using encoding/sensing arrangements, the method comprising:

operating an encoding/sensing arrangement to obtain sensing results for an object moving relative to the encoding/sensing arrangement, the sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms with time variation as a result of the object'"'"'s moving relative to the encoding/sensing arrangement;

the act of operating the encoding/sensing arrangement to obtain sensing results including;

operating the encoding/sensing arrangement to encode the time variation in accordance with a set of one or more patterns, the set including at least one of;

an excitation pattern;

a pattern in a filter arrangement;

a pattern relative to which the object is displaced;

a patterned sensing arrangement;

a periodic pattern;

a chirp pattern;

a random pattern;

a pattern in space; and

a pattern in time;

the act of operating the encoding/sensing arrangement to obtain sensing results further including at least one of;

photosensing light emanating from the object; and

performing impedance-based sensing; and

performing a comparing operation on a set of time-varying waveforms to obtain comparison results;

the set of time-varying waveforms including at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms and also including a reference time-varying waveform, the reference time-varying waveform being related to at least one of the set of patterns.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the comparison results indicate motion-independent information about the object;

the encoding/sensing arrangement including a photosensor;

the act of operating the encoding/sensing arrangement to obtain sensing results further comprising;

operating the photosensor to photosense light emanating from the object, the light emanating from the object having time variation that includes the motion-independent information about the object;

the sensing results including the motion-independent information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

using the sensing results to obtain motion-dependent information about the object;

the emanating light'"'"'s time variation further including the motion-dependent information;

the sensing results further indicating the motion-dependent information.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the motion-dependent information indicates a displacement rate of the object, the act of performing a comparing operation comprising:

performing time scaling on at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms;

the act of performing time scaling comprising;

time scaling in accordance with the displacement rate of the object indicated by the motion-dependent information.

11. The method of claim 9 in which the sensing results indicate a single time-varying waveform with time variation that includes both the motion-dependent information and the motion-independent information.

12. The method of claim 7 in which the comparison results indicate motion-independent information about the object;

the encoding/sensing arrangement including an impedance-based sensor;

the act of operating the encoding/sensing arrangement to obtain sensing results further comprising;

operating the impedance-based sensor to provide a time-varying signal that includes the motion-independent information about the object;

the sensing results including the time-varying signal.

13. The method of claim 7 in which the comparing operation is a correlation operation and the reference time-varying waveform produces a sharp peak in a correlation result with a time-varying waveform encoded by one of the set of patterns in response to a type of object.

14. The method of claim 7 in which the method uses the encoding/sensing arrangement in one of:

flow cytometry;

biodetection of particles;

analyte detection;

DNA analysis;

proteomics;

bio-chip readout;

scanning of documents; and

scanning of arrays of objects.

15. The method of claim 7 in which the reference time-varying waveform is a template waveform.

16. The method of claim 7 in which the act of performing a comparing operation includes:

time scaling at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms.

17. The method of claim 16 in which one of the set of time-varying waveforms includes periodic modulation, the act of time scaling including:

obtaining a modulation periodicity value from the periodic modulation of the one time-varying waveform; and

time scaling at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms based on the modulation periodicity value.

18. The method of claim 16 in which the act of performing a comparing operation includes two or more iterations, the act of time scaling including:

time scaling one of the set of time-varying waveforms for first and second iterations of the comparing operation, the one of the time-varying waveforms being time-scaled at first and second scales for the first and second iterations, respectively.

19. The method of claim 16 in which the act of time scaling at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms includes:

time scaling the reference time-varying waveform.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the comparing operation includes a correlation operation;

the act of time scaling the reference time-varying waveform being performed before the correlation operation;

the correlation operation being performed on the one sensed time-varying waveform and the time-scaled reference time-varying waveform.

21. The method of claim 20 in which the comparison results indicate motion-independent information about the object and the correlation operation produces correlation results that include a peak;

the method further comprising;

using the correlation results to obtain data indicating part of the motion-independent information about the object from a feature of the peak.

22. The method of claim 21 in which the data indicate at least one of:

a position of the object; and

a feature of an emanation spectrum of the object.

23. A method of using a sensor, the method comprising:

while objects travel past the sensor, operating the sensor to obtain sensing results, the sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms with time variation that includes information about the objects; and

using the sensing results in a comparing operation on a set of time-varying waveforms to obtain comparison results indicating motion-independent information about the objects;

the set of time-varying waveforms including at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms;

the act of using the sensing results in a comparing operation including;

performing time scaling on at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms.

24. The method of claim 23 in which the objects are in a series, the method further comprising:

using the motion-independent information to distinguish objects in the series.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the motion-independent information indicates, for each of a set of the objects, one of a number of object types;

the act of using the motion-independent information includes at least one of;

counting objects for which the motion-independent information indicates a first one of the object types; and

for a pair of the object types, obtaining a ratio between quantity of objects for which the motion-independent information indicates one of the pair and quantity of objects for which the motion-independent information indicates the other of the pair.

26. The method of claim 23 in which the set of time-varying waveforms further includes a reference time-varying waveform, the act of performing time scaling including:

time scaling the reference time-varying waveform.

27. Apparatus comprising:

a fluidic structure that includes a channel through which objects can travel during operation of the apparatus;

along the channel, a sensor arrangement that can obtain sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms; and

circuitry that can receive sensing results from the sensor arrangement and can, in response, obtain information about the objects;

the circuitry being structured to use the sensing results from the sensor arrangement in a comparing operation on a set of time-varying waveforms to obtain comparison results indicating motion-independent information about the objects;

the set of time-varying waveforms including at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms;

in using the sensing results in the comparing operation, the circuitry performing time scaling on at least one of the set of time-varying waveforms.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the objects emanate light;

the sensor arrangement including;

two or more photosensing components along a part of the channel, the photosensing components concurrently photosensing the emanating light and providing the sensing results.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the sensor arrangement includes:

an impedance-based sensor with a pattern of electrodes;

the pattern of electrodes including a combination of a periodic pattern and a non-periodic pattern.

30. The apparatus of claim 27 in which the set of time-varying waveforms further includes a reference time-varying waveform;

in using the sensing results in the comparing operation, the circuitry performing time scaling on the reference time-varying waveform.

31. A method of using a sensor, the method comprising:

while an object travels, operating the sensor to obtain sensing results, the sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms that include periodic modulation; and

using the sensing results to obtain information about the object;

the act of using the sensing results including;

obtaining a modulation periodicity value from the periodic modulation of at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms; and

obtaining information about the object using the modulation periodicity value and one or more of the sensed time-varying waveforms, the act of obtaining information about the object including;

time scaling a first set of one or more time-varying waveforms based on the modulation periodicity value, the first set including at least one of;

one or more of the sensed time-varying waveforms; and

a reference time-varying waveform; and

comparing a second set of two or more time-varying waveforms;

the second set including at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms;

the second set including at least one of the first set of time-scaled time-varying waveforms.

32. The method of claim 31 in which the modulation periodicity value indicates the object'"'"'s speed.

33. The method of claim 32 in which the act of time scaling includes:

time scaling the reference time-varying waveform based on the modulation periodicity value;

the act of comparing including;

performing a correlation operation on one of the sensed time-varying waveforms and the time-scaled reference waveform.

34. The method of claim 31 in which the act of comparing a second set of two or more time-varying waveforms comprises one of:

comparing two of the sensed time-varying waveforms; and

comparing a sensed time-varying waveform and a reference time-varying waveform.

35. The method of claim 31 in which the first and second sets of time-varying waveforms both include the reference time-varying waveform.

36. A method of using sensors, the method comprising:

while an object travels, operating a sensor to obtain sensing results, the sensing results indicating one or more sensed time-varying waveforms that include periodic modulation and chirp modulation; and

using the sensing results to obtain information about the object;

the act of using the sensing results including;

obtaining a modulation periodicity value from the periodic modulation of at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms;

obtaining a chirp periodicity value from the chirp modulation of at least one of the sensed time-varying waveforms, the chirp periodicity value indicating chirp periodicity at a respective time; and

using the modulation and chirp periodicity values to obtain the information about the object at the respective time.

37. The method of claim 36 in which the act of using the modulation and chirp periodicity values comprises:

obtaining a ratio between the modulation and chirp periodicity values.

38. The method of claim 36 in which the method is performed without using a reference time-varying waveform.