Patent ID: 8013313

Claim:
A laser scanner apparatus ( 1 ) for imaging and/or measuring fluorescent samples which are located on specimen slides and treated with two different fluorescent dyes, comprising: (a) a motor-driveable sample table ( 2 ) with a receptacle ( 34 ) for specimen slides ( 8 , 10 ) in a sample plane ( 49 ); (b) at least one laser ( 51 , 52 ) and a first optical system ( 53 ) for providing two laser beams ( 54 , 55 ) of differing wavelength oriented parallel to each other and extending parallel to this plane ( 49 ); (c) a scanner means ( 72 ) comprising a scanner head ( 50 ) which is accomplished to be movable parallel to this plane ( 49 ) and back and forth in a direction of movement ( 75 ) and has an optical deflection element ( 56 ) for deflecting the laser beams ( 54 , 55 ) toward the sample; (d) a first objective ( 57 ) for focusing the laser beams ( 54 , 55 ) on the sample in the plane ( 49 ); (e) a second optical system ( 58 ) for forwarding to detectors ( 61 , 61 ′) emission beam bundles ( 59 , 60 ) which are triggered by the laser beams ( 54 , 55 ) on the sample and deflected by the first objective ( 57 ) and the deflection element ( 56 ) in a direction substantially parallel to the plane ( 49 ), and (f) two detectors ( 61 , 61 ′) for detecting the emission beam bundles ( 59 , 60 ) of differing wavelength coming from the samples, wherein the scanner means ( 72 ) further comprises a drive ( 71 ) and a counter oscillator ( 73 ), the scanner head ( 50 ) and counter oscillator ( 73 ) being connected to the drive ( 71 ) by means of connecting rods ( 70 , 70 ′) and each displaceably fastened to a linear guide ( 68 ); the drive ( 71 ) being implemented to bring the scanner head ( 50 ) into a rapid back-and-forth movement in the direction of movement ( 75 ) which at the same time defines a scan axis ( 75 ); the counter oscillator ( 73 ) having a mass at least equivalent to the scanner head ( 50 ) for impulse compensation by a movement that is opposite to the scanner head ( 50 ); wherein the optical deflection element ( 56 ) is configured as one or a combination of a dichroic mirror ( 62 ), a full mirror, a prism, a pentaprism, and a pentamirror and wherein the optical deflection element ( 56 ) causes spatial separation of two resulting focal points ( 65 ) by a distance δ and a spatial separation of the two emission beam bundles ( 59 , 60 ) that are non-parallel to each other and that are guided in the direction of the detectors ( 61 , 61 ′).