Time-delay integration in detection of labeled beads
AssigneeApplera Corporation
InventorsMark F. Oldham, Eric S. Nordman, Richard T. Reel, John S. Shigeura, Janice G. Shigeura
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting labeled beads is provided. The apparatus can include: one or more irradiation sources disposed for irradiating the one or more detection zones with radiation; at least one detector disposed for collecting charges corresponding to light signals emitted from labeled beads in the one or more detection zones, which have been excited by the radiation; and a system coupled to the at least one detector for effecting time delay integration of the charges by accumulating the charges before reading the charges at the output of the at least one detector.
Claims16
An apparatus for detecting labeled beads, comprising:
- a plurality of labeled beads, each labeled bead being labeled with a respective marker that is responsive to radiation and that emits emission light indicative of the presence of at least one sample component;
- at least one irradiation source for emitting radiation and disposed for irradiating the plurality of labeled beads to thereby excite the markers responsive to the radiation and to cause the markers to emit emission light;
- a detector array disposed for collecting the emission light produced by the markers and for producing charges corresponding to the emission light, the detector array having an output;
- and
- a time delay integration system that accumulates charges corresponding to the emission light, within the detector array, before reading accumulated charges at the output of the detector array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.