Hitachi, Ltd.

Katsuji Yamashita

Hiroshi Umetsu

Hirotaka Sato

Yasushi Nomura

Kasumi Yoshida

Yoshio Matsuoka

Kazuyoshi Heguri

Kei Kida

Yoshimitsu Shibano

A chemical analyzer is disclosed in which a sample is supplied from a sample cup on a sample table to an array of reaction cups on a reaction table so that the reaction cups contain the same amount of sample, a reagent pipetting nozzle sucks an appropriate reagent solution from an array of reagent tanks and discharges the reagent solution into a corresponding reaction cup, the sample having reacted with the reagent solution is optically measured by a multi-wavelength photometer, a plurality of reagent tanks containing different reagent solutions are placed in a refrigerator with the openings of the reagent tanks being directed upward, the refrigerator is provided with a cover which has holes provided at positions corresponding to the openings of the reagent tanks, these holes are closed by a shutter except when the reagent pipetting nozzle is inserted into these holes, the array of reaction cups is immersed in constant-temperature-water contained in a reaction bath, the reaction bath is supplied with water which is kept at 37.degree. C. in a liquid bath by means of an evaporator and a heater, and a refrigerant from a refrigerating machine passes through an evaporator provided in the refrigerator and the evaporator provided in the liquid bath to be returned to the refrigerating machine.

Chemical analyzer equipped with reagent cold-storage chamber

An automatic chemical analyzer suitable for chemically analyzing a number of analysis items is disclosed. Samples in sample containers are sequentially dispensed to an array of reaction vessels using a first pipetting tube. Reagent solutions selected in accordance with the analysis items are fed to the reaction vessels using a second conductive pipetting tube. The reaction solutions in the reaction vessels are measured by a photometer. When the reagent solutions are sucked into the second pipetting tube, the liquid levels of the reagent solutions in the reagent containers are detected by a liquid level sensor formed by the second pipetting tube and a conductive electrode. The amounts of the reagent solutions remaining in the reagent containers are determined based on the position of the liquid level sensor and the numbers of times of dispense allowed to the reagent solutions with respect to the analysis items are displayed on a cathode ray tube.

Automatic chemical analyzer

A train of cuvettes are held on a turntable and serum specimen is sequentially sampled each time the turntable makes a revolution through more than 360.degree.. While the turntable is at rest, blank solution is poured into one cuvette, reagent is put into another cuvette and reactant solution is drawn out of still another cuvette in specified positions respectively in the path along which the train of cuvettes are conveyed. During a single rotational operation of the turntable, these cuvettes sequentially transverses the light path in the photometer so that the light absorbances for the respective cuvettes are measured. Both the absorbances for cuvettes containing reactant solutions for different samples and the absorbance for a cuvette containing only the blank solution are measured by a single photometer. The difference between the value of measurement obtained from a specified cuvette filled with reactant solution and the value of measurement obtained from the same cuvette filled with blank solution alone, is calculated and an analyzed value corrected is obtained for any desired analysis item in accordance with the calculated difference.

Automatic chemical analyzing method and apparatus

In an automatic chemical analyzing method and apparatus in which a plurality of samples each added with a reagent are discretely transported through a reaction line and subjected to a reaction during the transportation for optical measurement to generate measured signals and to process them, the samples to be analyzed are grouped into a plurality of sample groups each including a plurality of samples which are to be measured with respect to the same test items, which are previously stored for each sample group in a memory of a central control unit. The samples are divided by a number corresponding to the number of test items and successively fed to the reaction line one by one in sample groups, and, at the time of change of the sample group receiving the analysis, test items corresponding to a new sample group are read from the memory to carry out a chemical analysis for the samples in each sample group according to the read test items.

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Katsuta, Japan

Katsuji Yamashita