Patent · US Expired

Optical detector circuit for photometric instrument

US4688017A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
11References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 20, 1986
Grant dateAug 18, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 20, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03M1/52
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An optical detector circuit for a photometric instrument for providing a high precision, low cost A/D conversion of a detected optical signal. A sampled signal is integrated in a sample signal integrator while a reference signal integrator is integrated in a reference signal integrator. Using dual slope techniques, the integrated reference signal is provided as an input signal to the sample signal integrator during a de-integration cycle to provide a ratio of the detected signal to the reference signal, useful in nephelometers. An inverted blanking signal may also be integrated in the sample integrator prior to an integration of the sample signal to improve the accuracy of the dual slope integration. The period of integration is selected as a multiple of the primary sources of interfering noise such as power line and flourescent light frequencies.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.