Fluorometer

• US 20050105080A1
• Filed: 05/23/2002
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Beckman Coulter Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Landlinger, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/491,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6463 Optics
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6471 Special filters, filter wheel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6484 Optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6445 Measuring fluorescence polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6452 Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/024 Modular construction

Abstract

A fluorometer with at least one light source, a measuring station with a holder for at least one specimen, a measuring head, and an evaluation station with a detector for evaluating emission signals emitted by a specimen. The measuring head is formed by three optical blocks (A, B, C) assembled in a modular manner. A different measurement method is able to be carried out with each optical block (A, B, C). All the optical blocks (A, B, C) operate the same detector.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A measuring apparatus comprising:

at least one light source;

a sample holder;

a measuring head; and

a detector;

wherein the measuring head is formed by at least two modular optical blocks, each optical block being used for another measuring method;

each optic block is used in conjunction with the detector.

18. The measuring apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one light source comprises at least two different selectable light sources.

19. The measuring apparatus of claim 18, wherein one light source is a halogen bulb and another light source is a photo-flash lamp.

20. The measuring apparatus of claim 18, wherein the optical blocks are moveable by an electric motor to selectively place one of the optical blocks before a selected light source.

21. The measuring apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of the at least two optical blocks further comprises a mirror, the mirror reflecting a portion of light from the selected light source by 90 degrees.

22. The measuring apparatus of claim 21, wherein the mirror of at least one of the at least two optical blocks is a beam splitter.

23. The measuring apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a polarization filter positioned between the at least two optical blocks and the detector.

24. The measuring apparatus of claim 23 wherein the polarization filter further comprises a motorized wheel of multiple different polarization filters.

25. The measuring apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one light source further comprises a halogen lamp;

and wherein the at least one light source is moveable on a guide.

26. The measuring apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an iris screen positioned between the sample holder and the optical blocks.

27. The measuring apparatus of claim 26, wherein the iris screen is adjustable by an electric motor.

28. The measuring apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a filter slide positioned between the at least one light source and the optical blocks.

29. The measuring apparatus of claim 17, further comprising three optical blocks.

30. The measuring apparatus of claim 29 wherein two optics blocks are usable for fluorometry and one optic block is usable for photometry.

31. The measuring apparatus of claim 29 wherein each optical block is equipped with a coupling optic for coupling a light beam emitted by the at least one light source.

32. The measuring apparatus of claim 29 wherein the height of the optical blocks relative to the sample holder is adjustable by a motor.