Method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262465-B2
Application number	US-201916581873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal includes duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal. The first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal. A differential signal is formed between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal. The differential signal is evaluated to determine pulse events.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events,
wherein the single-photon detector signal, the first and second signal or the differential signal are digitized at a sampling rate of at least 2 GHz.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing of the first signal comprises low-pass filtering.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the low-pass filtering is performed with a cutoff frequency between 20 MHz and 100 MHz.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the low-pass filtering is performed with a cutoff frequency between 50 MHz and 80 MHz.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the second signal is processed, and wherein the processing of the second signal comprises low-pass filtering with a cutoff frequency different from the first signal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing of the first signal and/or of the second signal comprises a delay.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the processing of the first signal and/or of the second signal is performed so as to compensate propagation time differences and/or to add a differential component.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing of the first signal and/or of the second signal comprises a sign-dependent and/or rise-dependent processing operation.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing of the first signal and/or of the second signal comprises an individual amplification.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the single-photon detector signal is amplified before the first and second signal are formed.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the single-photon detector signal is not high-pass filtered before the first and second signal are formed.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation comprises comparing the differential signal with a threshold value, wherein a pulse event is determined for each exceedance of the threshold value.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the evaluation comprises integrating the differential signal, wherein a number of pulse events is determined from the integral value.

14. A computer unit that is configured to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 .

15. An arrangement for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the arrangement comprising a detector, an amplifier, a subtractor and at least one processing unit, wherein the arrangement is configured to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 .

16. The arrangement according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one processing unit includes first and second processing units for processing the first and second signals, respectively, and a third processing unit for processing the differential signal.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon which, upon being executed by a computer unit, cause the computer unit to perform the method as claimed in claim 1 .

18. A microscope system, confocal microscope system or scanning confocal microscope system having at least one photomultiplier and a computer unit configured to perform a method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events.

19. A microscope system, confocal microscope system or scanning confocal microscope system having an arrangement comprising a detector, an amplifier, a subtractor and at least one processing unit, wherein the arrangement is configured to perform a method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events.

20. A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal, wherein the processing of the first signal and/or of the second signal comprises an individual amplification;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events.

21. A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events, wherein the evaluation comprises comparing the differential signal with a threshold value, and wherein a pulse event is determined for each exceedance of the threshold value.

22. A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events, wherein the evaluation comprises integrating the differential signal, and wherein a number of pulse events is determined from the integral value.

23. A method for evaluating a single-photon detector signal, the method comprising:
duplicating the single-photon detector signal into a first and a second signal, wherein the first signal is processed and the second signal is either not processed or is processed in a manner different from the first signal, wherein the processing of the first signal comprises low-pass filtering;
forming a differential signal between the unprocessed or differently processed second signal and the processed first signal; and
evaluating the differential signal to determine pulse events.

Assignees

• Leica Microsystems

Inventors

• Birk Holger
• Widzgowski Bernd

Classifications

• G06F2218/08

  Feature extraction · CPC title

• G01J2001/442

  Single-photon detection or photon counting · CPC title

• G01N21/6458 Primary

  Fluorescence microscopy (fluorescence microscopes per se G02B21/0076 and G02B21/16) · CPC title

• G02B21/0024

  Confocal scanning microscopes (CSOMs) or confocal "macroscopes"; Accessories which are not restricted to use with CSOMs, e.g. sample holders · CPC title

• G01J1/44 Primary

  Electric circuits {(for command of an exposure part G03B7/02)} · CPC title