Obtaining sensing results and/or data in response to object detection
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- an encoder/sensor that obtains sensing results from objects in an encoding/sensing region relative to the encoder/sensor;
a trigger detector that responds to each of a set of distinguishable objects when the object is in a trigger detection region relative to the trigger detector, providing a respective trigger signal;
a relative motion component that causes relative motion of a subset of the distinguishable objects into the trigger detection region, from the trigger detection region into the encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region; and
a circuitry component that includes at least one of;
control circuitry that, in response to the respective trigger signal of an object in the subset, provides control signals that cause one or both of the encoder/sensor and the relative motion component to operate so that the encoder/sensor obtains respective encoded sensing results indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region; and
processing circuitry that, in response to the respective trigger signal of an object in the subset, obtains data from the sensing results, the data indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region.
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Abstract
An encoder/sensor can obtain sensing results from objects in an encoding/sensing region; a trigger detector can respond to objects in a trigger detection region, providing respective trigger signals; and a relative motion component can cause relative motion of objects into the trigger detection region, from it into the encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region. In response to an object'"'"'s trigger signal, control circuitry can cause the encoder/sensor and/or the relative motion component to operate so that the encoder/sensor obtains sensing results indicating a time-varying waveform and processing circuitry can obtain data from the sensing results indicating a time-varying waveform. The time-varying waveform can include information resulting from the relative motion within the encoding/sensing region. The encoder/sensor and trigger detector can be implemented, for example, with discrete components or as sets of cells in a photosensing array on an integrated circuit.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising:
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an encoder/sensor that obtains sensing results from objects in an encoding/sensing region relative to the encoder/sensor; a trigger detector that responds to each of a set of distinguishable objects when the object is in a trigger detection region relative to the trigger detector, providing a respective trigger signal; a relative motion component that causes relative motion of a subset of the distinguishable objects into the trigger detection region, from the trigger detection region into the encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region; and a circuitry component that includes at least one of;
control circuitry that, in response to the respective trigger signal of an object in the subset, provides control signals that cause one or both of the encoder/sensor and the relative motion component to operate so that the encoder/sensor obtains respective encoded sensing results indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region; andprocessing circuitry that, in response to the respective trigger signal of an object in the subset, obtains data from the sensing results, the data indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. Apparatus comprising:
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an array of photosensing cells on an integrated circuit (IC);
the array including first and second sets of photosensing cells;
the first set photosensing light emanating from each of a set of distinguishable objects when the object is in a detection region relative to the first set;
the second set photosensing light emanating from objects in an encoding/sensing region relative to the second set;a relative motion component that causes relative motion of a subset of the distinguishable objects into the detection region, from the detection region into the encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region; and a circuitry component that; reads out photosensed quantities from the first and second sets of photosensing cells; and in response to photosensed quantities from the first set indicating light emanating from one of the subset of objects in the detection region, obtains data from photosensed quantities from the second set, the data indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region.
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13. A method of using trigger detectors and encoder/sensors, the method including:
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causing relative motion of a distinguishable object into a trigger detection region, from the trigger detection region into an encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region; and during the relative motion; operating a trigger detector to provide a trigger signal when the object is in the trigger detection region;
the trigger detection region being relative to the trigger detector;operating an encoder/sensor to obtain sensing results when the object is in the encoding/sensing region;
the encoding/sensing region being relative to the encoder/sensor; andin response to the trigger signal performing at least one of; controlling at least one of the encoder/sensor'"'"'s operation and the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region so that the encoder/sensor obtains respective encoded sensing results indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region; and obtaining data from the sensing results, the data indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. Apparatus comprising:
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a fluidic structure that includes a channel within which objects can have relative motion in a longitudinal direction during operation of the apparatus; a trigger detector along the channel upstream from an encoding/sensing region, the trigger detector responding to each of a set of distinguishable objects as the object has relative motion into a trigger detection region relative to the trigger detector, providing a respective trigger signal; and an encoder/sensor that responds to the respective trigger signal of an object in the set, obtaining respective sensing results while the object has relative motion within the encoding/sensing region, the respective sensing results indicating at least one time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region;
the encoder/sensor including at least one of;excitation circuitry that can provide time-varying excitation to objects in the encoding/sensing region; each of the objects in the set emanating light in response to the time-varying excitation as the object has relative motion within the encoding/sensing region; displacement circuitry that can provide time-varying displacement of objects relative to the channel in the encoding/sensing region; each of the objects in the set being displaced relative to the channel as the object has relative motion within the encoding/sensing region; filter circuitry that can provide time-varying filtering of light emanating from objects in the encoding/sensing region; and sensor circuitry that includes a longitudinal sequence of two or more photosensing elements along the encoding/sensing region and that can read out and combine photosensed quantities from a subsequence of two or more of the photosensing elements to provide combined sensing results as the object has relative motion within the encoding/sensing region and emanates light, the combined sensing results indicating a time-varying waveform with information resulting from the object'"'"'s relative motion within the encoding/sensing region. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification