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US 2011/0213591 A1Published application
Multi-gain adaptive linear processing and gated digital system for use in flow cytometry
AssigneeBeckman Coulter, Inc.
InventorsDaniel N. FOX, Thomas L. Thrasher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is an electronic processing system for a flow cytometer that uses a processing chip that processes data in a parallel architecture on a sample by sample basis and provides for high throughput of data. In addition, multi-gain linear amplifiers are used which are matched using feedback circuits to provide accurate data and high resolution data having high dynamic range.
Claims16
A particle analysis system, comprising:
- a light source configured to illuminate a particle;
- a fluidic subsystem to transport the particle in a fluid stream past the light source;
- an optical subsystem comprising one or more channels, each channel configured to filter and detect a light signal as a detected input data signal;
- an analog amplifier configured to amplify an input data signal by a gain factor;
- a first analog-to-digital converter configured to digitize the amplified input data signal;
- a second analog-to-digital converter configured to digitize the input data signal;
- a digital amplifier configured to amplify the digitized input data signal;
- and
- a selection module configured to output an output signal by selecting between the amplified digitized input data signal and the digitized amplified input data signal based upon predetermined criteria.
6 more elements
A particle analysis system, comprising:
- an optical subsystem comprising one or more channels, each channel configured to detect a light signal as a detected input data signal, wherein the light signal corresponds to light scattered by a particle;
- and
- an electronic subsystem to receive and process the detected input data signal for each channel, wherein the electronic subsystem multiplies each detected input data signal digitally, amplifies each detected input data signal in analog, and compares the digital multiplied version and the analog amplified version of the detected input data signal to select between the digital multiplied version and the analog amplified version of the detected input data signal to generate an output that is processed to determine properties of the particle.
A method for analyzing one or more physical characteristics of a particle in a flow cytometer, comprising:
- transporting the particle past a light source;
- illuminating the particle so that the particle scatters light or fluoresces in response to illumination by the light source as a light signal;
- detecting the light signal as a detected input data signal using each of a plurality of channels;
- amplifying, using an analog amplifier, the detected light input data signal by a gain factor;
- digitizing the amplified input data signal using a first analog-to-digital converter;
- digitizing the input data signal using a second analog-to-digital converter;
- amplifying, using a digital amplifier, the digitized input data signal;
- and
- selecting between the amplified digitized input data signal and the digitized amplified input data signal based upon predetermined criteria to generate an output signal.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.