Photon Event Counting by Digital Pattern Width Analysis

The patent segments the detection process by analyzing the temporal structure of detector signals. Each photon event generates a digital pattern with a specific width corresponding to the detector's response time. By segmenting and measuring the duration of each signal pattern, the system can distinguish between single-photon events (narrower patterns) and multi-photon events (broader patterns), enabling accurate differentiation even at higher illumination intensities where multiple photons arrive simultaneously.

The patent implements a dynamic detection approach that adapts to varying illumination conditions. The signal-processing device dynamically analyzes the temporal characteristics of incoming photon events in real-time, adjusting its interpretation based on the measured digital pattern widths. This dynamic analysis allows the system to maintain high measurement precision across a wide range of signal intensities, from low to high, without being constrained to operate only at low intensities where conventional methods work.

The patent converts what was previously considered harmful or problematic multi-photon events into useful information. Instead of discarding events where multiple photons arrive simultaneously (which broaden the digital pattern), the system uses the pattern width as a diagnostic feature. By measuring and analyzing the duration of each digital pattern, the system can identify multi-photon events and count them separately, thereby converting a previously problematic phenomenon into a source of additional measurement information and enabling N-photon event counting capability.