System for communicating information from an array of sensors

• US 9,581,563 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Sequencing Solutions, Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Genia Technologies, Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Chen, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US13/272,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 307/125, 307/130, 307/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6874 involving nucleic acid arrays, e.g. sequencing by hybridisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3278 involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44791 Microapparatus sample containers with integrated microfluidic structures B01L3/5027
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48721 Investigating individual macromolecules, e.g. by translocation through nanopores Coulter counters in general G01N15/12; fabrication methods for nanoscale apertures B81B1/00; sequencing of nucleic acids C12Q1/68

Abstract

A system for communicating information from an array of sensors is disclosed. The system comprises a sensor array that includes a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor senses a physical property of a material that is in communication with the sensor. The system further comprises signal processing circuitry associated with each sensor that integrates the output of the sensor over time and compares the integrated output to a threshold. The system further comprises a communication network coupled to the signal processing circuitry that outputs information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to a given sensor has reached the threshold.

Claims

1. A system for communicating information from a nanopore sensor array, comprising:

a nanopore sensor array including a plurality of nanopore sensors, wherein each sensor senses a physical property of a material that is in communication with the sensor;

signal processing circuitry associated with each sensor that integrates the output of the sensor over time and compares the integrated output to a threshold; and

a communication network coupled to the signal processing circuitry that outputs information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to a given sensor has reached the threshold, wherein the information comprises a 1-bit flag; and

wherein the sensor array comprises a first plurality of rows of sensors and a second plurality of columns of sensors, and wherein the 1-bit flags for each row of sensors share a row signal line, and wherein the 1-bit flags for each column of sensors share a column signal line, and wherein each row signal line is asserted in the event that at least one 1-bit flag sharing the row signal line is asserted, and wherein each column signal line is asserted in the event that at least one 1-bit flag sharing the column signal is asserted.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein integrating the output of the sensor over time comprises initiating the integration based on an initiation flag and terminating the integration based on the information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to the sensor has reached the threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication network further outputs a state of the initiation flag.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a time period between the initiating and the terminating of the integration corresponds to a mean value of the physical property.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein integrating the output of the sensor over time is repeated by deriving the initiation flag based at least in part on the information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to the sensor has reached the threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the initiation flag is re-asserted in response to the information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to the sensor has reached the threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the integrated output is adjusted based at least in part on adjusting a coefficient associated with the signal processing circuitry.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the integrated output is adjusted based at least in part on adjusting the threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth of the integrated output is adjusted based at least in part on adjusting a capacitance associated with the signal processing circuitry.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a signal to noise ratio of the integrated output is increased based at least in part on reducing a bandwidth of the integrated output.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises one of the following:

a current, voltage, or charge.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information corresponds to a mean value of the physical property.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the 1-bit flag for a given sensor is synchronized with a global clock shared by the plurality of sensors.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the 1-bit flag is generated by a pulse generation circuit.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a row multiplexer that outputs a row number in response to an asserted row signal line, the row number corresponding to the asserted row signal line.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a column multiplexer that outputs a column number in response to an asserted column signal line, the column number corresponding to the asserted column signal line.

17. A method for communicating information from a nanopore sensor array, comprising

sensing a physical property of a material that is in communication with each sensor in a nanopore sensor array;

integrating the output of each sensor over time and comparing the integrated output to a threshold; and

outputting information indicating that the integrated output corresponding to a given sensor has reached the threshold, wherein the information comprises a 1-bit flag; and

wherein the sensor array comprises a first plurality of rows of sensors and a second plurality of columns of sensors, and wherein the 1-bit flags for each row of sensors share a row signal line, and wherein the 1-bit flags for each column of sensors share a column signal line, and wherein each row signal line is asserted in the event that at least one 1-bit flag sharing the row signal line is asserted, and wherein each column signal line is asserted in the event that at least one 1-bit flag sharing the column signal is asserted.