Luminescence detection workstation

US6518068B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Tropix, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Michael R. Gambini · Bolton, US
• John Voyta · Sudbury, US
• John G. Atwood · Redding, US
• Bruce DeSimas · Danville, US
• Edward Lakatos · Bethel, US
• Jeff Levi · Trumbull, US
• Israel Metal · Great Neck, US
• George Sabak · Monroe, US
• Yongdong Wang · Zhejiang, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 21, 2000
• Grant date: Feb 11, 2003
• Expiry date: Jan 19, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T436/115831
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A luminescence detecting apparatus and method for analyzing luminescent samples is disclosed. Luminescent samples are placed in a plurality of sample wells in a tray, and the tray is placed in a visible-light impervious chamber containing a charge coupled device camera. The samples may be injected in the wells, and the samples may be injected with buffers and reagents, by an injector. In the chamber, light from the luminescent samples pass through a collimator, a Fresnel field lens, a filter, and a camera lens, whereupon a focused image is created by the optics on the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The use of a Fresnel field lens, in combination with a collimator and filter, reduces crosstalk between samples below the level attainable by the prior art. Preferred embodiments of the luminescence detecting apparatus and method disclosed include central processing control of all operations, multiple wavelength filter wheel, and robot handling of samples and reagents. Preferred embodiments of processing software integrated with the invention include elements for mechanical alignment, outlier shaving, masking, manipulation of multiple integration times to expand the dynamic range, c…