Patent ID: 7906767

Claim:
An optical instrument for imaging fluorescence signals from an arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites comprising: a holding device for holding a planar support with an arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites; at least one light source for emitting light comprising at least one excitation frequency; an optical sensor for receiving fluorescence signals from the arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites and capable of generating computer-readable primary data; a field lens for transferring the excitation light from the light source to the arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites and transferring fluorescence signals from the arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites to the optical sensor; an excitation lens arrangement for transferring excitation light from the light source to the field lens; and and imaging lens arrangement for transferring fluorescence signals from the field lens to the optical sensor; wherein: the optical instrument comprises an objective array comprising a field lens array having field lens array elements and a pupil lens array comprising pupil lens array elements, wherein the objective array is located in the light beam path between the field lens and the arrangement of a plurality of individual detection sites, and wherein: a diaphragm array forms a mask for illumination pupils from the excitation light and detection pupils from the fluorescence signals, wherein the diaphragm array has diaphragm array elements, each of said diaphragm array element comprising one or more diaphragm openings and each of said diaphragm array element being allocated one field lens array element and one pupil lens array element and forming a mask for the beam path through the respective field lens array element and pupil lens array element.