Devices and methods for direct-sampling analog time-resolved detection
AssigneeTissueVision, Inc.
InventorsTimothy Ragan, Jason D. Sutin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices and methods for sampling an analog signal to perform data analysis are disclosed. The sampling devices and corresponding methods include a detector module that measures a response generated from a sample, an analog to digital converter that samples the analog signal, received from the detector module, and converting it into a digital signal, a sampling rate of the converter being faster than the response of the sample; and a logic circuit coupled to the converter that processes the digital signal to generate a reduced digital data signal, the logic circuit processing the digital signal acquired from the converter to generate a continuous data transfer to a processing system.
Claims54
A sampling device for measuring an analog signal from a detector comprising:
- a light detector for measuring a decaying fluorescence signal generated from a biological sample in response to illuminating light from a pulsed laser light source operating at a pulse rate wherein the light detector generates an analog signal in response to the decaying fluorescence signal for each detected laser pulse;
- a laser reference that generates a reference signal for each laser pulse of the illuminating light for clocking a sampling rate;
- an analog to digital converter to receive the analog signal from the detector and convert the analog signal into digital signals at the clocked sampling rate;
- a logic circuit coupled to the analog to digital converter that processes the digital signals as a plurality of segmented time intervals sampled by the analog to digital converter during a sampled fluorescence decay period for each laser pulse;
- and
- wherein the logic circuit that processes the digital signals to transfer the plurality of segmented time intervals of sampled digital signals to at least one of a data processor and a data storage device.
A method for processing an analog signal comprising:
- illuminating a biological sample with pulsed illuminating laser light to generate a decaying fluorescence response of the biological sample during each laser pulse period;
- detecting the decaying fluorescence response of the biological sample after each illuminating pulse with a light detector to generate an analog signal of the decaying fluorescence response generated from the sample by each illuminating pulse;
- measuring a laser light reference signal with the pulsed illuminating laser light;
- sampling the analog signal received from the detector at a clocked sampling rate selected using the measured laser light reference signal, and converting the sampled analog signal into digital signals with an analog to digital converter, wherein the sampling rate is clocked at a faster rate than the decaying fluorescence response of the biological sample to the pulsed illuminating laser light;
- processing the digital signal continuously acquired from the analog to digital converter using a logic circuit wherein the digital signals are segmented into a plurality of time intervals of the decaying fluorescence response to each illuminating pulse;
- and
- further processing the processed digital signals with a computer connected to the logic circuit.
A system for fluorescence lifetime imaging a biological sample comprising:
- a light detector for measuring a decaying fluorescence signal generated from a biological sample in response to illuminating light from a pulsed laser light source operating at a pulse rate wherein the light detector generates an analog signal that is a function of position within the biological sample;
- a laser reference that generates a reference signal for each laser pulse of the illuminating light emitted by the pulsed laser light source for clocking a sampling rate;
- an analog to digital converter to receive the analog signal from the detector and convert the analog signal into digital signals at the clocked sampling rate;
- a programmable logic circuit coupled to the analog to digital converter that processes the digital signals from the analog to digital converter as a function of position within the biological sample;
- and
- wherein the programmable logic circuit processes the digital signals to transfer pixelated image data to at least one of a data processor and a data storage device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.