ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT

摘要

The present invention relates to an electronic circuit and an array of such circuits for precisely measuring small amounts or small changes in the amount of charge, voltage, or electrical currents. One embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic circuit for measuring current or charge that can be used with a variety of sensing media (including high impedance sensing media) that produce a signal by either charge or current production or induction in response to physical phenomena occurring within the sensing media. In another embodiment, the voltage level (bias) of either the sensing or reference electrode can be switched relative to the other upon receipt of a triggering pulse. This changes the polarity of the electric field to cause charge of the opposite polarity to be driven to the sensing electrode, thereby eliminating the need to electrically connect a discharge path to the sensing electrode to clear the charge accumulated at the sensing electrode. Alternate preferred embodiments of the invention permit use of the invention with sensing media other than ion chambers, including piezoelectric materials, pyroelectric materials, photoelectric materials, liquid electrochemical materials, vacuum/gas/liquid/solid charge conduction materials, inductive pick-ups or coils, electric field measuring antennas, or even a surface with charge emission or work function changes.