Fluorescence detection system
First Claim
1. A system for detecting fluorescence, comprising:
- a sample holder for holding a plurality of samples, at least some of which may contain a fluorescent material;
a plurality of excitation sources, one for each of the plurality of samples, capable of exciting the fluorescent material;
a plurality of photo receivers, one for each of the plurality of samples, capable of detecting fluorescent emissions from the fluorescent material when it is excited;
an emission bandpass filter for each of the plurality of photo receivers, each said emission bandpass filter being positioned perpendicular to the axis of reception of the photo receiver with which it is associated, with no further optical elements between the associated photo receiver and the associated sample;
an optical manifold for holding each excitation source and each photo receiver in association with the sample holder, so that operation of each excitation source will excite any of said fluorescent material within the corresponding sample and be detected by the corresponding photo receiver.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for exciting and detecting fluorescence in samples are disclosed. In one embodiment, a sample holder for holding a plurality of samples is provided together with an optical manifold having an excitation source, a photo receiver, or both, for each of the plurality of samples. In another embodiment, the optical manifold contains only the excitation source or a photo receiver, and the other is associated with the sample holder. This system permits for rapid excitation and measurement of fluorescence without the use of moving parts and without any opto-mechanical or electronic disturbance. It exhibits an exceptional signal to noise ratio, which permits it to differentiate between very low level differences in fluorescence.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A system for detecting fluorescence, comprising:
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a sample holder for holding a plurality of samples, at least some of which may contain a fluorescent material; a plurality of excitation sources, one for each of the plurality of samples, capable of exciting the fluorescent material; a plurality of photo receivers, one for each of the plurality of samples, capable of detecting fluorescent emissions from the fluorescent material when it is excited; an emission bandpass filter for each of the plurality of photo receivers, each said emission bandpass filter being positioned perpendicular to the axis of reception of the photo receiver with which it is associated, with no further optical elements between the associated photo receiver and the associated sample; an optical manifold for holding each excitation source and each photo receiver in association with the sample holder, so that operation of each excitation source will excite any of said fluorescent material within the corresponding sample and be detected by the corresponding photo receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 29, 30, 31)
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13. A system for detecting fluorescence, comprising:
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a sample holder for holding a plurality of samples; a plurality of excitation sources, one for each of the plurality of samples; a plurality of photo receivers, one for each of the plurality of samples; an emission bandpass filter for each of the plurality of photo receivers, each said emission bandpass filter being positioned perpendicular to the axis of reception of the photo receiver with which it is associated, with no further optical elements between the associated photo receiver and the associated sample; an optical manifold; the optical manifold being configured for holding either the plurality of excitation sources or the plurality of photo receivers in association with the sample holder, and the sample holder being configured so as to hold the other of the plurality of excitation sources or the plurality of photo receivers, so that operation of each excitation source will excite any of said fluorescent material within the corresponding sample and be detected by the corresponding photo receiver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 32)
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25. A system for detecting fluorescence, comprising:
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a sample holder for holding a plurality of samples; a plurality of excitation sources, one for each of the plurality of samples; a plurality of photo receivers, one for each of the plurality of samples; an emission bandpass filter for each of the plurality of photo receivers, each said emission bandpass filter being positioned perpendicular to the axis of reception of the photo receiver with which it is associated, with no further optical elements between the associated photo receiver and the associated sample; the sample holder being configured for holding said plurality of excitation sources and plurality of photo receivers so that operation of each excitation source will excite any of said fluorescent material within the corresponding sample and be detected by the corresponding photo receiver. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 33)
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28. A method for detecting fluorescence in a plurality of samples, comprising:
- providing a plurality of samples including fluorescent material;
providing an excitation source for each of the plurality of samples for exciting said fluorescent material; providing a photo receiver for each of the plurality of samples for detecting fluorescent emissions from said fluorescent material when it is excited; providing an emission bandpass filter for each of the plurality of photo receivers, each said emission bandpass filter being positioned perpendicular to the axis of reception of the photo receiver with which it is associated, with no further optical elements between the associated photo receiver and the associated sample; activating each excitation source; and measuring the output of each photo receiver. - View Dependent Claims (34)
- providing a plurality of samples including fluorescent material;
Specification