Patent ID: 8466436

Claim:
A system for providing metered dosage illumination for use in a bioanalysis or other system, comprising: a light engine that can provide a plurality of different colors of light as a light output; a light detector that can detect an indication of light flux at the light output wherein the light detector monitors a portion of the light output, internal to the light engine; a light-to-frequency converter that can convert the indication of light flux as detected by the light detector to a pulse train, the frequency of which pulse train is proportional to the light flux; a counter that can compare an ongoing count as indicated by the pulse train, to a preset reference count for each of the plurality of different colors of light; and wherein, during operation, the system determines a reference count for each color of the plurality of different colors of light, for an exposure period, enables the light engine to turn on a particular color of the plurality of different colors of light, monitors the indication of light flux in the light output, as detected by the light detector and converted to the pulse train counted by the counter for the particular color of the one or more of the plurality of different colors of light, and when the ongoing count reaches the reference count for the particular color of the one or more of the plurality of different colors of light, causes the light engine to turn off said particular color.