Device for irradiating a sample and use of a device for irradiating a sample

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for irradiating a sample with optical radiation, the device (1) comprising a sample container holder (2) for a sample container with at least two cavities, wherein each cavity of a sample container in the state positioned on the device (1) is assigned or assignable a separate irradiation area (3) of the device (1), so that the device (1) has as many separate irradiation areas (3) as a sample container has cavities, and control electronics (4), characterized in that the irradiation areas (3) each comprise at least four irradiation units (5), wherein the emittable spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units (5) differ.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for irradiating a sample with electromagnetic radiation, in particular with optical radiation. The device comprises a sample container holder for a sample container with at least two cavities, wherein each cavity (also referred to as a well) of a sample container, when positioned on the device, is assigned or assignable to a separate irradiation area of ​​the device, so that the device has at least two separate irradiation areas. The sample container holder can, for example, be designed as a microtiter plate holder. The device further comprises control electronics. A device of the type mentioned above can also be referred to as an illuminator.

[0002] Devices of the type mentioned above are already known and are used to treat samples, particularly biological and / or chemical samples, with electromagnetic radiation of a specific spectral range. In the life sciences, various methods and techniques exist for using light-sensitive molecules to induce targeted changes or effects in a sample (e.g., optogenetics, photopharmacology).

[0003] To deliver a radiation dose, preferably an optical radiation dose (also known as a light dose), in controlled quantities, specialized devices such as the apparatus of the type mentioned above are required. In chemical and / or biological experiments, such as when working with cell cultures, microtiter plates are often used as sample containers, in particular so-called 24- and 96-well plates, in which a cell sample is held.

[0004] Currently, various solutions exist for irradiating the samples, which make it possible to address each of the wells or the sample contained therein individually and to irradiate it with at least one wavelength.

[0005] However, it has become apparent that previously known devices for irradiating a sample are insufficient to tackle more complex approaches to conducting experiments.

[0006] The task, therefore, is to improve the performance characteristics of devices of the type mentioned above.

[0007] This problem is solved according to the invention by the device with the features of claim 1.

[0008] In particular, the invention proposes a device of the type mentioned above to solve the problem, characterized in that the irradiation areas each comprise at least four irradiation units, wherein the emittable spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units differ. This has the advantage that a sample can be treated with at least four different spectral ranges, which is not possible with previous devices. Thus, more complex experiments can be designed, for example, to selectively influence a chemical reaction and / or cellular activity by excitation with radiation at a specific wavelength. For example, optogenetic proteins, which may have been formed by the expression of foreign genes introduced into target cells, can be modified by means of electromagnetic radiation.

[0009] The electromagnetic radiation can be, for example, optical radiation, encompassing ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), and infrared (IR) radiation. Visible light is preferred. In the case of light in the visible spectrum, irradiation can therefore be achieved using irradiation units that emit light of different colors. The number of irradiation zones can be adapted to the number of cavities in the sample container intended for irradiation.

[0010] The term spectral range can refer to a specific frequency and / or wavelength range of electromagnetic radiation. The spectral range can have a single peak and flattening edge regions. The spectral range can thus be defined by its peak, for example, by the wavelength and / or frequency present at that peak. It may be specified that the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the spectral range lies in the range of 10 to 40 nm. It may be specified that the different spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units of an irradiation area overlap or do not overlap. In particular, the spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units of an irradiation area can differ by different peaks, for example, by different wavelengths of the peaks.

[0011] Advantageous embodiments of the solution according to the invention are described below. These can be combined with the features of claim 1 to further develop the invention.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment, the control electronics can individually control the irradiation intensity and / or duration for each irradiation unit. Since the response to irradiation is dose-dependent, and the radiation dose in turn depends on the parameters of irradiation intensity and duration, it is important to be able to control these precisely.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control electronics can independently control the irradiation intensity and / or duration for each irradiation area, regardless of the at least one other irradiation area. This makes it possible to treat samples contained in separate cavities of the sample container differently. Therefore, it is easier to perform more complex experiments using the device, since different irradiations of the irradiation areas can be carried out simultaneously.

[0014] To enable more complex experimental procedures to be carried out even more effectively using the device, the control electronics can execute a sequence protocol for controlling, in particular for automated control, the irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration of a sample using an irradiation zone. The sequence protocol can control which irradiation units in an irradiation zone are activated for a specific duration. Preferably, the control electronics include a memory for storing the sequence protocol. For example, the sequence protocol can control the activation of individual irradiation units within an irradiation zone sequentially, preferably with only one irradiation unit being activated per irradiation zone at any given time.

[0015] It has been shown that the control electronics of previously known devices for irradiating a sample with electromagnetic radiation are not suitable for controlling a large number of irradiation units per irradiation area. In particular, control electronics of existing sample irradiation devices known from the prior art are not arbitrarily scalable and therefore unsuitable for controlling four or more irradiation units per irradiation area with different spectral ranges. It is therefore advantageous to provide a new control concept that makes it easier to control multiple irradiation units per irradiation area. To better achieve this, the control electronics can be designed such that each irradiation unit can be controlled or actuated via two switching devices within the control electronics.In particular, it is necessary that both switching devices allow a current flow to activate the respective irradiation unit.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, a first switching device of the first type can be configured as a switch and / or a second switching device of the second type can be configured as a current sink. The switching device of the first type associated with an irradiation unit can be connected to an anode side of the irradiation unit. The switching device of the second type associated with an irradiation unit can be connected to a cathode side of the irradiation unit. Preferably, the current sink can comprise at least one transistor, such as a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Both switching devices of the first and second type control whether a current flow through the associated irradiation unit is possible.A switching device of the first kind has at least two switching positions or exactly two switching positions, wherein a first switching position corresponds to an open position in which no current flow is possible, and a second switching position corresponds to a closed position in which current flow is possible. A switching device of the second kind additionally allows the setting of a specific, and in particular a desired, current strength. The switching device of the second kind can be a microelectronic circuit. For example, it can be a current sink with a transistor, operational amplifier, and measuring resistor. It can also be an integrated circuit.

[0017] According to one embodiment, each irradiation unit can comprise at least one light-emitting diode (LED). LEDs have the advantage of generally consuming very little energy and having a long lifespan. Specifically for the device according to the invention, they have the advantage of generating little heat. This is advantageous because unwanted heat generation can damage a sample. With regard to their spectral range, LEDs differ significantly from other light sources. They are highly flexible and can be manufactured in various spectral ranges, such as different color temperatures. The spectral range can have only one peak.This makes it easier to prevent the occurrence of unwanted side radiation alongside a desired wavelength range, which could negatively affect the experimental result.

[0018] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the control electronics can include at least one LED driver. Preferably, they can include at least one matrix LED driver. Compared to other LED control methods, an LED driver, or especially a matrix LED driver, has the advantage of requiring a significantly reduced number of connections. This means fewer contacts and conductor tracks are needed, which reduces wiring effort. This also saves installation space and can help to minimize heat generation. Especially in devices for irradiating a sample, it is often desirable to keep the installation space as small as possible. Devices of this type are frequently used in laboratories and / or incubators where space is limited and cannot be allocated for such a device. Therefore, it is desirable not to increase the space requirement compared to previously known devices of the type mentioned above.This can be achieved more effectively by using an LED driver or a matrix LED driver. Furthermore, a matrix structure allows for easy scalability, enabling the use of more than four irradiation units per irradiation area.

[0019] According to an advantageous further development, the control electronics can include at least one multiplexer and / or enable multiplex operation, so that several switching devices and / or irradiation units can be activated sequentially. For example, it may be necessary to use the aforementioned LED driver together with a multiplexer, meaning the control electronics would include both components.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the control electronics can be designed and / or configured such that a maximum of two irradiation units can be activated simultaneously in an irradiation area. Preferably, only one irradiation unit can be activated per irradiation area at any given time. A multiplexer is an electronic component that combines multiple input signals into a single output signal. Thus, a multiplexer can have multiple switching states, whereby current can only flow between the input and output when the circuit is closed. A multiplexer can therefore perform the function of one or more switches and / or current sinks.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the irradiation areas can each comprise at least six, preferably eight, irradiation units, wherein each of the irradiation units can emit radiation in a different spectral range. This allows for even greater flexibility and variety when conducting experiments using a single sample.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the sample container holder can be designed to accommodate a microtiter plate. This plate can be, for example, at least a 24-well plate, a 96-well plate, a 384-well plate, or a 1536-well plate. Each well of the microtiter plate, when positioned on the device, can be assigned a separate irradiation zone. This ensures that each well is treated with only a specific type of radiation.

[0023] According to a further advantageous embodiment, a switching device of the second type can be connected to twice as many irradiation units as a switching device of the first type. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the wiring effort in the control electronics architecture.

[0024] Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment, the control electronics circuit can be structured as follows: Number of irradiation units per irradiation area = Number of switching devices of the first type x (times) Number of switching devices of the second type. This allows for a particularly efficient design.

[0025] In particular, this calculation can be limited to whole numbers.

[0026] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the control electronics for controlling each irradiation area can utilize six switching devices. In particular, four of these can be configured as switching devices of the first type and two as switching devices of the second type. This allows the wiring effort in the design of the control electronics to be further reduced compared to previously known control concepts.

[0027] In order to make it possible to implement as many switching states as possible using as few switching devices as possible, the control electronics can be designed such that each switching device of the first type is connected to two irradiation units and each switching device of the second type is connected to four irradiation units.

[0028] To achieve optimal irradiation of a cavity, the irradiation units within an irradiation area can be arranged so that at least two units always have the same orientation. This ensures the most homogeneous irradiation of the sub-areas within the irradiation area. The term "orientation" can refer to an arrangement on a substrate, such as a printed circuit board. In this way, two irradiation units can always be arranged at the same angle.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the control electronics can comprise at least one microcontroller (MCU, short for Microcontroller Unit) by means of which the switching devices can be controlled. Preferably, the microcontroller can be connected to at least one LED driver via a data line, such as a serial data line, and / or a clock line, such as a serial clock line. This further reduces the wiring effort. The microcontroller can have one or more processor cores (CPUs), integrated main memory (RAM), and program memory (such as flash memory or ROM). According to one embodiment, the term microcontroller can refer in particular to a single-board computer, such as the Raspberry Pi.

[0030] According to one embodiment, at least two irradiation areas can be assigned to an LED driver, in particular a matrix LED driver. Specifically, four switching devices of the first type, preferably four switching devices designed as switches, can each be connected to the first irradiation area and to the second irradiation area, wherein the first irradiation area is connected to two switching devices of the second type and the second irradiation area is connected to two separate switching devices of the second type. This further reduces the wiring effort.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the control electronics can comprise at least four, in particular at least six, LED drivers, preferably at least twelve LED drivers, such as preferably matrix LED drivers, which are controllable via a single microcontroller, wherein a data line and / or a clock line is formed between the microcontroller and a first LED driver, and wherein a further data line and / or a further clock line is formed between the first LED driver and a subsequent LED driver. Preferably, this can be a serial data line and / or a serial clock line. In particular, a data line and / or a clock line can be formed between each adjacent LED driver. This further reduces the wiring effort.

[0032] To achieve the most space-saving and compact design possible, the control electronics and the irradiation areas can be integrated onto a single circuit board. However, it can be advantageous to integrate the control electronics and the irradiation areas, with the exception of the microcontroller, onto a single circuit board, while the microcontroller is mounted on a separate microcontroller board. This allows for a particularly sustainable design, as a microcontroller failure does not necessitate the complete replacement of a complex circuit board; only a new microcontroller board is required. This saves resources and significantly reduces repair costs.

[0033] According to a further embodiment, an irradiation area can be connected to at least one multiplexer. In particular, an irradiation area can be connected to at least two multiplexers. Preferably, a first multiplexer of the two can be connected to a first switching device of the second type of an LED driver, and a second multiplexer of the two can be connected to a second switching device of the second type of an LED driver. This further reduces the wiring effort.

[0034] According to one embodiment, a microcontroller of the control electronics can be connected to at least one multiplexer via at least one data line and / or at least one clock line. This allows the microcontroller to control the multiplexer.

[0035] The invention also relates to the use of a device as described and / or claimed herein for carrying out irradiation of a sample, in particular a chemical and / or a biological sample.

[0036] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to several exemplary embodiments, but is not limited to these embodiments. Further exemplary embodiments result from combining the features of one or more claims with each other and / or with one or more features of the exemplary embodiments.

[0037] It shows: Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a first control concept according to the invention with a single matrix LED driver, wherein the representation relates to one irradiation area. The irradiation area comprises eight irradiation units. The dots indicate that the switching devices of the first and second type of the matrix LED driver (SW1-SWX and CS1-CSX) are expandable to control more than one irradiation area or more than eight irradiation units per irradiation area using the single matrix LED driver. Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a control concept according to the invention with a matrix LED driver, as shown in Fig. Figure 1 shows the control of multiple irradiation zones using several matrix LED drivers, with one matrix LED driver being used to control two irradiation zones in this particular configuration. Each irradiation zone comprises eight irradiation units. As indicated by the dots, this architecture can also be expanded by additional matrix LED drivers (not shown here), particularly of the same type, and additional irradiation zones (also not shown here), particularly of the same type. Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a second control concept according to the invention, comprising an LED driver and two multiplexers, the representation relating to one irradiation area. The irradiation area comprises eight irradiation units. The dots indicate that the switching devices of the second type of the LED driver (CS1-CSX) and the number of multiplexers with switching elements of the first type can be expanded to control more than one irradiation area or more than eight irradiation units per irradiation area using the control concept. Each multiplexer has at least four inputs and one output. Fig. 4 A schematic representation of a control concept according to the invention with an LED driver, similar to that in Fig. Figure 3 shows the control of multiple irradiation areas using multiple LED drivers and multiple multiplexers, whereas in this version, a single LED driver and a single multiplexer are used to control two irradiation areas. In contrast to the version shown in Fig. In this case, each multiplexer has at least eight inputs and one output. Each irradiation area comprises eight irradiation units. As indicated by the dots, this architecture can also be expanded by additional LED drivers (not shown here), particularly of the same type, as well as multiplexers (particularly of the same type), and additional irradiation areas (also not shown here), particularly of the same type. Fig. Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a third control concept according to the invention with an LED driver without a multiplexer, wherein the representation refers to one irradiation area. The irradiation area comprises eight irradiation units. The dots indicate that the switching devices of the LED driver (CS1-CSX) are expandable to control more than one irradiation area or more than eight irradiation units per irradiation area using the single LED driver. Fig. 6 A schematic representation of a control concept according to the invention with an LED driver without a multiplexer, as shown in Fig. Figure 5 shows the control of multiple irradiation zones using multiple LED drivers without a multiplexer, where one LED driver is required to control each irradiation zone in this configuration. Each irradiation zone comprises eight irradiation units. As indicated by the dots, this architecture can also be expanded by additional LED drivers (not shown here), particularly of the same type, and additional irradiation zones (also not shown here), particularly of the same type. Fig. Figure 7 shows a schematic representation of a device according to the invention with several irradiation zones, which are arranged here in rows and columns. Thus, each irradiation zone can be arranged below a cavity of a sample container when the sample container is placed on the sample container holder.

[0038] In the Fig. Figures 1-7 show several embodiments of a device 1 according to the invention for irradiating a sample with electromagnetic radiation. Devices 1 of this type are also referred to as illuminators.

[0039] The device 1 comprises a sample container receptacle 2 for receiving a sample container with at least two cavities, wherein each cavity of the sample container, when positioned on the device 1, is assigned or can be assigned its own irradiation zone 3 of the device 1. In other words, each irradiation zone 3 is always located directly below a cavity, so that when the device 1 is used, preferably only the cavity above is irradiated by the irradiation zone 3 below it.

[0040] The devices 1 are adapted here to a sample container designed as a microtiter plate, which has a plurality of wells as cavities. The number of irradiation zones 3 corresponds to the number of wells to be irradiated, so that the device 1 is specifically designed for irradiating a specific number of wells. Examples of this are: 24-well plate, 96-well plate, 384-well plate and / or 1536-well plate.

[0041] Each irradiation area 3 of the device 1 has at least four irradiation units 5. Each of the at least four irradiation units 5 emits radiation in a different spectral range. In the Fig. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1-7, each irradiation area 3 has at least eight irradiation units 5, the emittable spectral ranges of which differ. The irradiation units 5 are designed as light-emitting diodes.

[0042] The device 1 also includes control electronics 4. These allow the irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration to be controlled individually and / or independently of other irradiation units 5 for each irradiation unit 5. Furthermore, the control electronics 4 allow the irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration to be controlled independently of the other irradiation areas 3 for each irradiation area 3.

[0043] The control electronics 4 can have a memory in which a sequence protocol can be stored. The sequence protocol is used to control an irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration for the irradiation of one or more wells by irradiation areas 3.

[0044] In the various versions of the Fig. 1-4 the control electronics 4 is designed such that each irradiation unit 5 can be controlled or controlled via two switching devices 6, 7, SW1-8 (extendable to SW1-N), CS1-4 (extendable to CS1-N) of the control electronics 4, in particular wherein both switching devices 6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-4 must allow a current flow for an activation of the respective irradiation unit 5.

[0045] In the version of the Fig. 5-6 only provide switching devices of the second type 7, so that the wiring effort here is significantly higher than in the two design variants from the Fig. 1-4 is. The version variant of the Fig. 5-6 therefore does not exhibit all the advantages that arise from the special architecture of the control concepts of the implementation variants from the Fig. 1-4 are achievable. Therefore, a distinction must be made between these two.

[0046] The design variants according to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are based on the use of a matrix LED driver 9. The control electronics 4 enable multiplex operation, so that several switching devices 6, 7, SW1-4, CS1-4 and / or irradiation units 3 can be sequentially activated via it.

[0047] The control concept of the implementation variant of the Fig. 1 and Fig. Section 2 provides that a first switching device of the first type 6, located here on the anode side, is configured as a switch SW1-4 (extendable to SW1-N). A second switching device of the second type 7, located here on the cathode side, is configured as a current sink CS1-4 (extendable to CS1-CSN).

[0048] For whole numbers, the circuit of the control electronics 4 scales according to the pattern: Number of irradiation units 5 (LEDs) per irradiation area 3 = Number of switching devices of the first type 6 (SW) * Number of switching devices of the second type 7 (CS).

[0049] A switching device of the second type 7 is connected here to twice as many irradiation units 5 as a switching device of the first type 6.

[0050] The control electronics 4 uses six switching devices 6, 7, SW1-4 (SW1-N expandable), CS1-4 (CS1-N expandable) for controlling each irradiation area 3, wherein four of these are configured as switching devices of the first type 6, SW1-4 and two as switching devices of the second type 7, CS1-4. The control electronics 4 is configured such that each switching device of the first type 6, SW1-4 is connected to two irradiation units 5 and each switching device of the second type 7, CS1-4 is connected to four irradiation units 5.

[0051] At least two irradiation areas 3 are assigned to a matrix LED driver 9. Four switching devices of the first type 6, SW1-4, configured here as four switches, are connected to a first irradiation area 3 and to a second irradiation area 3. The first irradiation area 3 is connected to two switching devices of the second type 7, CS1-4, and the second irradiation area 3 is connected to two separate switching devices of the second type 7, CS1-4. The switching devices of the second type 7, CS1-4 are configured here as current sinks.

[0052] The control electronics 4 have half as many matrix LED drivers 9 as there are irradiation zones 3 of the device 1. Preferably, it can be generally provided that one matrix LED driver 9 is used to control eight irradiation zones 3. Particularly preferably, it can be generally provided that one matrix LED driver 9 is used to control sixteen irradiation zones 3.

[0053] The design variants according to the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are based on the use of an LED driver 8 in combination with at least one multiplexer 10. The use of at least one multiplexer 10 makes it possible to sequentially activate several switching devices 6, 7, SW1-8 (expandable to SW1-N), CS1-4 (expandable to CS1-N) and / or irradiation units 3. The switching devices of the first and second type 6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-4 can be configured as described above.

[0054] A switching device of the second type 7 is connected here to four or even eight times as many irradiation units 5 as a switching device of the first type 6. Or, put another way: Each multiplexer 10 is connected to a switching device of the second type 7 of the LED driver 8. Each multiplexer 10 can connect at least four switching devices of the first type 6 (see Fig. 3) or at least eight switching devices of the first type 6 (see Fig. 4) exhibit.

[0055] An irradiation area 3 is connected to at least one multiplexer 10. At Fig. 3 is an irradiation area 3 connected to two multiplexers 10. A first multiplexer 10 of the two is connected here to a first switching device of the second type 7, CS1-4 (extendable to CS1-N) of the LED driver 8 and a second multiplexer 10 of the two is connected to a second switching device of the second type 7, CS1-4 of an LED driver 8.

[0056] The design variants according to the Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are based on the use of an LED driver 8 without a multiplexer 10. Accordingly, the number of switching devices per LED driver for controlling the irradiation units 5 of an irradiation area 3 is larger than in the version with a multiplexer 10.

[0057] The control electronics 4 of the device 1 comprises at least one microcontroller 11, by means of which the switching devices 6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8 can be controlled. The microcontroller 11 is connected via at least one data line 12 and at least one clock line 13 to the at least one matrix LED driver 9 or, in the case of other embodiments, to the at least one LED driver 8.

[0058] The control electronics 4 comprises several LED drivers 8, 9, which can be controlled via a single microcontroller 11, wherein at least one data line 12 and / or at least one clock line 13 is provided between the microcontroller 11 and a first LED driver 8, 9, and wherein at least one further data line 12 and / or at least one further clock line 13 is provided between the first LED driver 8, 9 and a subsequent LED driver 8, 9. Subsequently, at least one data line and / or at least one clock line is provided between each adjacent LED driver.

[0059] At least one data line 12 can be a serial data line. At least one clock line 13 can be a serial clock line.

[0060] The control electronics 4 and the irradiation areas 3 can be formed on a common circuit board 14. In the illustrated embodiments, the control electronics 4 and the irradiation areas 3, with the exception of the microcontroller 11, are formed on a common circuit board 14, wherein the microcontroller 11 is formed on an independent microcontroller circuit board 15.

[0061] In the design variants from the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 the microcontroller 11 of the control electronics 4 is connected to the at least one multiplexer 10 via at least one data line 12 and / or at least one clock line 13.

[0062] The invention therefore relates in particular to a device 1 for irradiating a sample with optical radiation, the device 1 comprising a sample container holder 2 for a sample container with at least two cavities, wherein each cavity of a sample container in the state positioned on the device 1 is assigned or assignable a separate irradiation area 3 of the device 1, so that the device 1 has as many separate irradiation areas 3 as a sample container has cavities, and control electronics 4, characterized in that the irradiation areas 3 each comprise at least four irradiation units 5, wherein the emittable spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units 5 differ from one another. Reference symbol list 1 Device for irradiating a sample 2 Sample container holder 3 Irradiation area 4 Control electronics 5 irradiation units 6 Switching device of the first type 7 Switching device of the second type 8 LED drivers 9 Matrix LED drivers 10 multiplexers 11 microcontrollers 12 data lines 13 Clockwork 14 circuit board 15 microcontroller circuit boards SW1-8 switch CS1-8 Current Sink

Claims

Device (1) for irradiating a sample with electromagnetic radiation, in particular with optical radiation, the device (1) comprising a sample container holder (2) for a sample container with at least two cavities, wherein each cavity of the sample container in the state positioned on the device (1) is assigned or assignable a separate irradiation area (3) of the device (1), so that the device (1) has at least two separate irradiation areas (3), and control electronics (4), characterized in that the irradiation areas (3) each comprise at least four irradiation units (5), wherein the emittable spectral ranges of the at least four irradiation units (5) differ. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the control electronics (4) can individually control the irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration for each irradiation unit (5). Device (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the control electronics (4) can control the irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration for each irradiation area (3) independently of the at least one further irradiation area (3). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) can execute a sequence protocol for controlling an irradiation intensity and / or irradiation duration for irradiating a sample by means of an irradiation area (3). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) is designed such that each irradiation unit (5) can be controlled or controlled via two switching devices (6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8) of the control electronics (4), in particular wherein both switching devices (6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8) must allow a current flow for activation of the respective irradiation unit (5). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first switching device of the first type (6) is designed as a switch (SW1-8) and / or a second switching device of the second type (7) is designed as a current sink (CS1-8). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each irradiation unit (5) comprises at least one light-emitting diode. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) comprises an LED driver (8, 9), preferably a matrix LED driver (9). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) comprises at least one multiplexer (10) and / or enables multiplex operation, so that several switching devices (6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8) and / or irradiation units (3) can be sequentially activated via it. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) is designed and / or set such that a maximum of two irradiation units (5) can be activated at the same time in an irradiation area (3), preferably that only one irradiation unit (5) can be activated at any given time. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the irradiation areas (3) each comprise at least six irradiation units (5), wherein each of the irradiation units (5) can emit radiation in a different spectral range. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sample container receptacle (2) is designed to receive a microtiter plate, wherein each well in the state of the microtiter plate positioned on the device (1) is assigned an irradiation area (3) separate from other irradiation areas (3). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a switching device of the second type (7) is connected to twice as many irradiation units (5) as a switching device of the first type (6) and / or that a circuit of the control electronics (4) is constructed according to the following pattern: Number of irradiation units (5) per irradiation area (3) = Number of switching devices of the first type (6) times Number of switching devices of the second type (7). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) for controlling each irradiation area (3) uses six switching devices (6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8), in particular wherein four of them are designed as switching devices of the first type (6, SW1-8) and two as switching devices of the second type (7, CS1-8). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) is designed such that each switching device of the first type (6, SW1-8) is connected to two irradiation units (5) and each switching device of the second type (7, CS1-8) is connected to four irradiation units (5). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the irradiation units (5) of an irradiation area (3) are arranged such that at least two irradiation units (5) always have the same orientation. Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) comprises at least one microcontroller (11) by means of which the switching devices (6, 7, SW1-8, CS1-8) can be controlled, preferably wherein the microcontroller (11) is connected to at least one LED driver (8, 9) via at least one data line (12) and / or at least one clock line (13). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two irradiation areas (3) are assigned to an LED driver (8, 9), in particular a matrix LED driver (9), in particular wherein four switching devices of the first type (6, SW1-8) are each connected to the first irradiation area (3) and to the second irradiation area (3), and wherein the first irradiation area (3) is connected to two switching devices of the second type (7, CS1-8) and the second irradiation area (3) is connected to two separate switching devices of the second type (7, CS1-8). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) comprises at least four, in particular at least six LED drivers (8, 9), in particular matrix LED drivers (9), which can be controlled via a single microcontroller (11), wherein at least one data line (12) and / or at least one clock line (13) is formed between the microcontroller (11) and a first LED driver (8, 9), wherein a further data line (12) and / or a further clock line (13) is formed between the first LED driver (8, 9) and a next LED driver (8, 9). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control electronics (4) and the irradiation areas (3) are formed on a common circuit board (14), preferably wherein the control electronics (4) and the irradiation areas (3) are formed on a common circuit board (14) with the exception of a microcontroller (11) and the microcontroller (11) is formed on an independent microcontroller circuit board (15). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an irradiation area (3) is connected to at least one multiplexer (10), in particular to at least two multiplexers (10), preferably wherein a first multiplexer (10) of the two is connected to a first switching device of the second type (7, CS1-8) of an LED driver (8, 9) and a second multiplexer (10) of the two is connected to a second switching device of the second type (7, CS1-8) of an LED driver (8, 9). Device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a microcontroller (11) of the control electronics (4) is connected via at least one data line (12) and / or at least one clock line (13) to at least one multiplexer (10). Use of a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims for carrying out irradiation of a sample, in particular a chemical and / or a biological sample.

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