Patent ID: 7777200

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-drivable 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 moveable 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 optical deflection element ( 56 ) comprises a wedge-shaped dichroic mirror ( 62 ) with front and rear dichroic surfaces ( 63 , 64 ) which are arranged at an intermediate angle (β) to each other, the wedge-shaped dichroic mirror ( 62 ) being adjusted in such a way that: (i) the two laser beams ( 54 , 55 ) are each reflected at one of the dichroic surfaces ( 63 , 64 ), and (ii) the wedge-shaped dichroic mirror ( 62 ) causing through the intermediate angle (β) a spatial separation of the 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 ′).