Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Teruhiro Yamano

Osamu Matsumoto

Taku Sakazume

Shunsuke Sasaki

Takaaki Hagiwara

Hiroki Fujita

Kazunori Yamazawa

Katsuhiko Sakamoto

Provided is an automatic analysis device capable of replenishing consumables without loss of a specimen and without stopping analysis. The state of an automatic analysis deviceincludes a replenishment prohibition state in which replenishment of consumables (reaction vessel, specimen dispensing tipand external reagent vessels) is prohibited, and a replenishment permission state in which replenishment of consumables is permitted. In the replenishment prohibition state, a specimen dispensing mechanismperforms dispensing, and detection unitsandperform analysis. In the replenishment permission state, the specimen dispensing mechanismdoes not perform dispensing, and the detection unitsandperform analysis. A device state control unitcauses the automatic analysis deviceto transition to the replenishment permission state when the remaining amount or the remaining number of the consumables predicted by a consumables remaining amount prediction unitbecomes equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Automatic analyzer

In a case where plural measurement items that require different incubation times are simultaneously measured in an automatic analyzer, deterioration of the turnaround time of the measurement is minimized. The automatic analyzer receives a request of a sample, obtains a ratio of a short measurement item among examination items of the received analysis request, and a determines an empty cycle based on the ratio of the short measurement item and the number of schedules. When an empty cycle is necessary, the empty cycle is scheduled in a schedule of a sample that is requested to be measured first, for example, an empty cycle in a short measurement for making an incubator empty. As a result, this position can be used for a measurement of a short measurement item such that the wait time of the start of the measurement can be short.

Automatic analyzer and method thereof

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Teruhiro Yamano