Patent ID: 8606534

Claim:
A method, implemented in a computer, for quantifying peaks in an analytical signal by recording successive signal values of the analytical signal and applying a peak analysis methodology to the recorded successive signal values of the analytical signal within an interval to obtain a set of peak quantification results, the method comprising the steps of: adding random noise to the recorded successive signal values of the analytical signal; applying, in the computer, the peak analysis methodology to the random-noise-modified successive signal values of the analytical signal to obtain the set of peak quantification results; repeating at least once the step of adding the random noise and the step of applying the peak analysis methodology, each random noise added to the recorded successive signal values of the analytical signal being different each time the step of adding is repeated; applying, in the computer, a statistical evaluation methodology to obtained sets of peak quantification results to check peak quantification results for outliers; and accepting, in the computer, peak quantification results from the recorded successive signal values of the analytical signal as valid results if there is no outlier and reporting the peak quantification results from the recorded successive signal values of the analytical signal if there is at least one outlier.