Leland Stanford Junior University

Canesta, Inc.

Khaled Salama

Helmy A Eltoukhy

Cyrus Soli Bamji

Abbas A El Gamal

Characteristics of a chemical or biological sample are detected using an approach involving light detection. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, an assaying arrangement including a light detector is adapted to detect light from a sample, such as a biological material. A signal corresponding to the detected light is used to characterize the sample, for example, by detecting a light-related property thereof. In one implementation, the assaying arrangement includes integrated circuitry having a light detector and a programmable processor, with the light detector generating a signal corresponding to the light and sending the signal to the processor. The processor provides an output corresponding to the signal and indicative of a characteristic of the sample.

Biological analysis arrangement and approach therefor

Effective differential dynamic range and common mode rejection in a differential pixel detector are enhanced by capturing and isolating differential detector charge output before using common mode reset to avoid detector saturation due to common mode components of optical energy to be detected. Differential charge is stored into an integration capacitor associated with an operational amplifier coupled to receive as input the differential detector outputs. Common mode reset is achieved by setting storage capacitors coupled to the outputs of the differential detector at least once within an integration time T before storage potential exceeds a saturation voltage Vfor the photodetector.

Method and system to differentially enhance sensor dynamic range using enhanced common mode reset

Dynamic range of a differential pixel is enhanced by injecting, synchronously or asynchronously, a compensating offset (&#x394;) into a differential signal capacitor whenever magnitude of the differential signal across the capacitor exceeds a predetermined value. Positive and negative magnitudes of &#x394;need not be equal. The number (N) of &#x394;offsets made is counted. Effective differential signal capacitor voltage V(t)=Vo&#xb1;N&#xb7;&#x394;, where Vo is capacitor voltage. In other embodiments magnitude of &#x394;in a sequence of compensations can differ, and the sum total of compensations in recorded. Differential pixel signal/noise ratio is increased by dynamically maximizing operational amplifier gain Afor each differential pixel.

Method and system to enhance differential dynamic range and signal/noise in CMOS range finding systems using differential sensors

Effective differential dynamic range and common mode rejection in a differential pixel detector are enhanced by capturing and isolating differential detector charge output before using common mode reset to avoid detector saturation due to common mode components of optical energy to be detected. Differential charge is stored into an integration capacitor associated with an operational amplifier coupled to receive as input the differential detector outputs. Common mode reset is achieved by resetting storage capacitors coupled to the outputs of the differential detector at least once within an integration time T before storage potential exceeds a saturation voltage Vfor the photodetector.

Dynamic range of a differential pixel is enhanced by injecting, synchronously or asynchronously, a fixed compensating offset (&#x394;V) into a differential signal capacitor whenever magnitude of the differential signal across the capacitor exceeds a predetermined value. The number (N) of &#x394;V offsets made is counted. Effective differential signal capacitor voltage V(t)=Vo+N&#xb7;&#x394;V, where Vo is capacitor voltage. Differential pixel signal/noise ratio is increased by dynamically maximizing operational amplifier gain Afor each differential pixel.

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Stanford, CA, United States of America

Khaled Salama