Luminometer

A specimen testing apparatus comprising:

• a housing having top, bottom and side wall regions coupled to form a chamber wherein a first one of the top, bottom and side wall regions of said housing has an opening therein which leads to the chamber:
• a reaction vessel disposed through the opening in the first one of the top, bottom and side wall regions of said housing such that said reaction vessel is disposed in the chamber;
• a dispenser assembly, disposed in the reaction vessel, for adding a first plurality of reagents to the reaction vessel, wherein the addition of the reagents to the specimen sample initiates a reaction within the reaction vessel and results in emission of light energy in a corresponding plurality of predetermined spectral ranges;
• a plurality of detectors for detecting light emissions, each one of said detectors disposed through a corresponding bore provided in the side wall regions of said housing and exposed to said reaction vessel;
• a reaction vessel sensor assembly disposed in the chamber wherein a first surface of said reaction vessel contacts said reaction vessel sensor assembly;
• add
• a like plurality of filters, each of said filters disposed between said reaction vessel and a corresponding one of said plurality of detectors wherein each of said filters is provided having a predetermined filter characteristic to provide a filtered signal to the corresponding detector and wherein said reaction vessel sensor assembly centrally locates said reaction vessel within the chamber such that a centerline of said reaction vessel is substantially equidistant from each of said plurality of detectors and wherein said reaction vessel sensor assembly provides a signal when said reaction vessel is located in the chamber such that a test may be performed.

An instrument for detecting luminescence comprising:

• a housing having a reaction vessel chamber and having an opening through a wall of said housing wherein the opening leads to the chamber;
• a reaction vessel, disposed in the reaction vessel chamber of said housing, said reaction vessel for holding a specimen sample;
• a dispense assembly disposed to inject a reagent into said reaction vessel;
• a pair of detectors, coupled to said housing, wherein portions of each of said pair of detectors are disposed through said housing and are exposed to said reaction vessel and each of said detectors detect a portion of the light emission in one of a plurality of predetermined spectral ranges;
• and
• means for centering said reaction vessel between said pair of detectors.