Abstract: The present invention provides an optical sensor unit (10) for measuring gas concentration, comprising: sensor means (12, 13) and first thermal insulation means (14, 16) at least partially surrounding said sensor means (12, 13). The sensor means (12,13) includes at least one sensing layer (12) adapted to be irradiated with a predetermined radiation (100), and at least one gas-permeable layer (13) adjacent to one side of the at least one sensing layer (12) and adapted to pass gas, which concentration is to measured, through the gas-permeable layer (13) towards the at least one sensing layer (12). The optical sensor unit (10) is adapted to measure an optical response of the at least one sensing layer (12), which optical response depends on the gas concentration.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical sensor unit (10) for measuring gas concentration, comprising: sensor means (12, 13) and first thermal insulation means (14, 16) at least partially surrounding said sensor means (12, 13). The sensor means (12,13) includes at least one sensing layer (12) adapted to be irradiated with a predetermined radiation (100), and at least one gas-permeable layer (13) adjacent to one side of the at least one sensing layer (12) and adapted to pass gas, which concentration is to measured, through the gas-permeable layer (13) towards the at least one sensing layer (12). The optical sensor unit (10) is adapted to measure an optical response of the at least one sensing layer (12), which optical response depends on the gas concentration.

Abstract: A device for measuring a geometry of a fluid meniscus includes a fluid chamber storing a first electrically conductive fluid and a second electrically insulating fluid. The fluids are mutually immiscible and define a fluid meniscus in between them. The device further includes a main electrowetting electrode and auxiliary electrowetting electrodes for controlling the geometry of the fluid meniscus. A voltage source provides a voltage between the main electrowetting electrode and the auxiliary electrowetting electrodes and a measurement circuit separately measures capacitances between the main electrowetting electrode and at least two of the auxiliary electrowetting electrodes. The measurement circuit includes a multiplexer for demodulating a signal indicative for the capacitances.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensing system for sensing a substance in a fluid. The sensing system comprises a sensing site (132) at which the substance is to be sensed and a reference site (131). A signal generation unit generates a sensing signal by sensing the sensing site (132) and a reference signal by sensing the reference site (131). The reference signal is used for normalizing the sensing signal, wherein the sensing site (132) and the reference site (131) are arranged such that a drift variation of the normalized sensing signal is within a noise variation of the normalized sensing signal. This improves the accuracy of the normalized sensing signal.

Abstract: A sensor device and a method for the determination of the amount of target particles at a contact surface adjacent to a sample chamber include detecting, by a detector, the target particles in the sample chamber by a sensor element, and providing at least one corresponding sensor signal. An evaluation unit determines the amount of target particles in a first zone at the contracts surface and in a second zone a distance away from the contact surface based on this sensor signal. In an optical measurement approach, frustrated total internal reflection taking place under different operating conditions, such as wavelength and/or angle of incidence, may be used to extract information about the first and second zones. In a magnetic measurement approach, different magnetic excitation fields may be used to excite magnetic target particles differently in the first and second zone.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of monitoring a vital parameter of a patient by measuring attenuation of light emitted onto tissue of the patient, comprising the following steps: modulating the light with a modulation frequency or/and a modulation code; emitting the modulated light onto the tissue of the patient; collecting light which is transmitted through the tissue or/and which is reflected from the tissue; demodulating the collected light; analyzing the demodulated collected light with regard to interference with ambient light; determining a modulation frequency or/and a modulation code for which interference with the ambient light is minimized or falls under a predefined threshold; and setting the modulation frequency or/and the modulation code for modulating the light according to the determined modulation frequency or/and a modulation code for which interference with the ambient light is minimized or falls under a predefined threshold.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cartridge(10) and its use in an examination apparatus(100). A sample(1) can be introduced into an inlet(11) of the cartridge(10) and conducted through a channel(12) to a reaction chamber(13). In the reaction chamber(13), an examination of the sample takes place, for example by frustrated total internal reflection. An agent(21) is applied to the sample close to the inlet(11), wherein said agent(21) is preferably stored in a reservoir(16) at the inlet(11). In this way the filling time of the reaction chamber(13) is simultaneously used for the incubation of the sample with the agent(21). Moreover, the filling-course of the cartridge and/or the reaction chamber may preferably be determined and taken into account during the execution of the examination and/or the evaluation of the results.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensing system for sensing a substance in a fluid. The sensing system comprises a sensing site (132) at which the substance is to be sensed and a reference site (131). A signal generation unit generates a sensing signal by sensing the sensing site (132) and a reference signal by sensing the reference site (131). The reference signal is used for normalizing the sensing signal, wherein the sensing site (132) and the reference site (131) are arranged such that a drift variation of the normalized sensing signal is within a noise variation of the normalized sensing signal. This improves the accuracy of the normalized sensing signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (102) arranged for measuring a geometry of a fluid meniscus (132). The device comprises a fluid chamber (104) storing a first electrically conductive fluid (128) and a second electrically insulating fluid (324). The fluids are mutually immiscible and define a fluid meniscus (132) in between them. Furthermore a main electrowetting electrode (118) and auxiliary electrowetting electrodes (120, 122, 124, 126) are provided for controlling the geometry of the fluid meniscus. Hereto a voltage source (134) for providing a voltage between the main electrowetting electrode and the auxiliary electrowetting electrodes is comprised, as well as a measurement circuit (144) for separately measuring capacitances between the main electrowetting electrode and at least two of the auxiliary electrowetting electrodes. For this purpose the measurement circuit comprises a multiplexer for demodulating a signal indicative for said capacitances.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of monitoring a vital parameter of a patient by measuringattenuation of light emitted onto tissue of the patient, comprising the following steps: modulating the light with a modulation frequency or/and a modulation code; emitting the modulated light onto the tissue of the patient; collecting lightwhich is transmitted through the tissue or/and which is reflected from the tissue; demodulating the collected light; analyzing the demodulated collected light with regard to interference with ambient light; determining amodulation frequency or/and a modulation code for which interference with the ambient light is minimized or falls under a predefined threshold; and setting the modulation frequency or/and the modulation code for modulating the light according to the determined modulation frequency or/and a modulation code for which interference with the ambient light is minimized or falls under a predefined threshold.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor device (100) and a method for the determination of the amount of target particles (1) at a contact surface (112) adjacent to a sample chamber (2). Target particles (1) in the sample chamber are detected by a sensor element (SE) and at least one corresponding sensor-signal (s, s?) is provided. An evaluation unit (EU) then determines the amount of target particles (1) in a first zone (Z1) immediately at the contracts surface (112) and a second zone (Z2) a distance (z) away from the contact surface based on this sensor-signal. In an optical measurement approach, frustrated total internal reflection taking place under different operating conditions (e.g. wavelength, angle of incidence) may be used to extract information about the first and second zones (Z1, Z2). In a magnetic measurement approach, different magnetic excitation fields may be used to excite magnetic target particles differently in the first and second zone (Z2).

Abstract: A detection system (100, 150) for qualitative or quantitative detection of a magnetic field property of a modulated magnetic field is described. The modulated magnetic field may e.g. stem from an adjacent electrical current (Iadj) or magnetic particles. The detection system (100, 150) comprises at least one magneto resistive sensor element (102), a current controller (104) for providing a sensing current (Isense) flowing through the magnetic sensor element (102) and a controlling means (108). The controlling means (108) is adapted for deriving at a first frequency f1 a temperature-related parameter of the at least one magneto resistive sensor. The controlling means (108) furthermore is adapted for deriving a qualitative or quantitative characteristic of the adjacent electrical current (Iadj) or magnetic particles, taking into account the derived temperature-related parameter. This second frequency (f1) is different from the first frequency (f1}). The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an optical drive and a method for preprocessing a disc readout signal rk of an optical drive on the basis of a set of low-pass filters. The cutoff frequency fC of the filters wk, more particularly, can be set within the optical bandwidth, which improves the Viterbi detection performance in the case of high speed drive operations. Three types of filters are described, in which a Type I shaping filter performs best given a limited hardware cost for the bit detector. Compared to other more advanced noise-whitening techniques, it is only speed dependent and requires little prior knowledge of the channel and noise, thus cheap and easy to design. The invention can be applied in connection with optical disc drives, in particular when high frequency noises are dominant, for example, in the case of high speed operations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor device (100) comprising a magnetic field generator (1) driven with an excitation current of a first frequency (f1) and a magnetic sensor element (e.g. a GIVER sensor (2)) driven with a sensor current (I2) of a second frequency (f2) for measuring reaction fields (HB) generated by magnetized particles (3). In an associated evaluation unit (10), a reference component (uQ) of the measurement signal (uGMR) is separated that depends on the excitation current (I1) and the sensor current (I2) but not on the presence of magnetized particles (3). The reference component (uQ) may particularly be produced by a combination of the self-magnetization (H2) of the magnetic sensor element (2) and cross-talk related currents. The reference component (uQ) may be isolated based on its phase with respect to a particle-dependent component of the measurement signal (uGMR) or based on its scaling with one of the current frequencies.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor device for the determination of magnetized particles (3) which comprises a magnetic field generator (1, 1?)(e.g. a conductor wire) that is driven with an excitation current (I1) of a first frequency (f1), and a magnetic sensor element (2) (e.g. a GMR resistance), that is driven with a sensor current (I2) of a second frequency (f2) for generating measurement signals (UGMR). A preprocessed signal (uf) is then generated from the measurement signal (UGMR) that comprises a predetermined frequency (?f), and an evaluation unit (10) separates from this preprocessed signal a spurious component that does not depend on the presence of magnetized particles (3) in the sample chamber. The spurious component (UQ) may particularly be caused by self-magnetization (H2) of the magnetic sensor element (2) in combination with parasitic (capacitive or inductive) cross-talk.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a magnetic sensor device for the determination of the concentration of target particles (2) in a sample fluid, wherein the amount of the target particles (2) in a sensitive region (14) is observed by sampling measurement signals with associated sensor units (10a-10d). The target particles (2) may optionally be bound to binding sites (3) in the sensitive region, and a parametric binding curve, e.g. a Langmuir isotherm, may be fitted to the sampled measurement signals to determine the desired particle concentration in the sample. Moreover, parameters like the sampling rate and the size of the sensitive region (14) can be dynamically fitted during the ongoing sampling process to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. In another embodiment of the invention, single events corresponding to the movement of target particles into, out of, or within the sensitive region are detected and counted.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetoresistive sensor (20) comprising a stabilizing circuit for stabilizing an electrical output signal (Uo) of the magnetoresistive sensor (20) in order to correct for the contribution of an internal magnetic field generated by a magnetoresistive element (21) which is part of the sensor (20). The present invention furthermore provides a biochip comprising at least one such magnetoresistive sensor (20) and a method for stabilizing the electrical output signal (Uo) of a magnetoresistive sensor (20).

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor device (10) comprising wires (11, 13) for the generation of a magnetic field and a magnetic sensor element (12), for example a GMR (12), for sensing changes of the generated magnetic field caused by magnetic particles (2). The wires (11, 13) and the magnetic sensor element (12) are supplied with alternating currents (I1, I2) of high frequencies f1 and f2. Said frequencies are chosen such that their difference ?f=æf2?f1æ is low and lies in a range of thermal white noise above the 1/f noise of an amplifier (24) and below the 1/f noise of the GMR (12). In this way it is possible to use a high-frequency magnetic field while only low frequency signals have to be processed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor device (10) comprising wires (11, 13) for the generation of a magnetic field with a first frequency f1s a GMR sensor (12) operated with an input current of a second frequency f2, and an amplifier (26) for amplifying the output of the GMR sensor (12). A first filter (24) is used to prevent noise of the current source (23) from reaching the GMR sensor (12), and to prevent magnetic signals from the GMR sensor (12) from reaching the current source (23). Moreover, a second filter (25) is used to prevent the second frequency f2 from reaching the amplifier (26).

Abstract: The invention relates to a magnetic sensor device (10) comprising wires (11, 13) for the generation of a magnetic field with a first frequency f1 a GMR sensor (12) operated with an input current of a second frequency f2, and a demodulator (26) operated at a third frequency f3. In order to avoid signal corruption by phase noise and to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, the first, second and third frequencies are derived by a supply unit (121) from a common reference frequency fref. Said derivation may for example be achieved with the help of digital frequency dividers. Furthermore, phase detectors (PD1, PD2) may be used in a feedback control loop to assure predetermined relations between the phases of the three frequencies. In another embodiment of the invention, the phase and/or amplitude of a model signal, which is used to process a desired signal component in the output of the sensor, is tracked by an adaptation algorithm, for example a gradient descent.