Patent · US Expired

Analysis of a sample to determine its characteristic cycle time

US7098039B1 · kind B1 · utility

3Cited by
3References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 8, 1999
Grant dateAug 29, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N31/229
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An analysis for determining a characteristic cycle time of a sample. Active elements in the sample are excited with sufficient intensity and duration larger than the characteristic cycle time that at least some of the active elements are re-excited to an excited state substantially immediately following relaxation to a ground state, detecting quanta emitted by the active elements in the sample to obtain a detected signal, and analyzing the detected signal to derive the characteristic cycle time. The number of active elements in the sample and the intensity of the excitation are such that quanta are detected in a stream in which individual quanta are distinguishable from each other.

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