Analyzers with time variation based on color-coded spatial modulation
First Claim
1. An apparatus, comprising:
- a fluidic structure that includes a channel through which objects can travel along respective paths during operation of the apparatus; and
an encoding component that includes a filter assembly that can receive light emanating from objects in the channel;
wherein the filter assembly is adapted to provide output light in response to input light that is within an application'"'"'s range of photon energies and that is emanating from the objects traveling through the channel past the filter assembly;
wherein the filter assembly includes a set of positions, each having a respective transmission function within the range;
wherein a substantially continuous series of segments of an object'"'"'s path include at least two segments from which respective positions in the set receive light emanating from the object; and
wherein the filter assembly includes a longitudinal sequence of filter regions, the filter regions including first regions of a first filter type and second regions of a second filter type, the first and second filter types transmitting respective first and second spectral ranges of light, the first and second spectral ranges being sufficiently different from each other that the difference causes time variation in the output light while the object travels through the respective segments.
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Abstract
A filter arrangement can transmit and/or reflect light emanating from a moving object so that the emanating light has time variation, and the time variation can include information about the object, such as its type. For example, emanating light from segments of a path can be transmitted/reflected through positions of a filter assembly, and the transmission functions of the positions can be sufficiently different that time variation occurs in the emanating light between segments. Or emanating light from a segment can be transmitted/reflected through a filter component in which simpler transmission functions are superimposed, so that time variation occurs in the emanating light in accordance with superposition of two simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Many filter arrangements could be used, e.g. the filter component could include the filter assembly, which can have one of the simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Time-varying waveforms from sensing results can be compared to obtain spectral differences.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus, comprising:
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a fluidic structure that includes a channel through which objects can travel along respective paths during operation of the apparatus; and an encoding component that includes a filter assembly that can receive light emanating from objects in the channel; wherein the filter assembly is adapted to provide output light in response to input light that is within an application'"'"'s range of photon energies and that is emanating from the objects traveling through the channel past the filter assembly; wherein the filter assembly includes a set of positions, each having a respective transmission function within the range; wherein a substantially continuous series of segments of an object'"'"'s path include at least two segments from which respective positions in the set receive light emanating from the object; and wherein the filter assembly includes a longitudinal sequence of filter regions, the filter regions including first regions of a first filter type and second regions of a second filter type, the first and second filter types transmitting respective first and second spectral ranges of light, the first and second spectral ranges being sufficiently different from each other that the difference causes time variation in the output light while the object travels through the respective segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. An apparatus for analyzing a sample containing objects, the apparatus comprising:
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a flow channel through which the sample can pass; a filter assembly disposed to receive light emanating from the objects in a detection portion of the flow channel and to provide filtered output light, the filter assembly including a longitudinal sequence of filter regions that sequentially filter light emanating from a given object as such object travels along the detection portion of the flow channel; wherein the longitudinal sequence of filter regions includes first regions of a first filter type and second regions of a second filter type, the first and second filter types transmitting respective first and second spectral ranges of light, the first and second spectral ranges being sufficiently different from each other that the difference causes a time variation in the filtered output light while the given object travels along the detection portion of the flow channel; and wherein the apparatus is adapted to distinguish between first objects and second objects whose emanating light have different optical spectra. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of analyzing a sample containing objects, comprising:
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providing a filter assembly that includes a longitudinal sequence of filter regions including first regions of a first filter type and second regions of a second filter type, the first and second filter types transmitting respective first and second spectral ranges of light; exciting the objects in the sample such that they emanate light; causing relative motion between the sample and the filter assembly such that light emanating from the excited objects is sequentially filtered through the longitudinal sequence of filter regions to provide a filtered output light, the first and second spectral ranges of the respective filter regions being sufficiently different from each other that the difference causes a time variation in the filtered output light; detecting the filtered output light and providing a time-varying detector output as a function of the detected light; and analyzing the time-varying detector output to provide a measure of the objects in the sample. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification