Hitachi, Ltd.

Toshiko Fujii

Yoshio Watanabe

Yuji Miyahara

Satoshi Ozawa

Koutarou Yamashita

Yoshiki Murakami

Masaaki Nakai

Mamoru Taki

Takafumi Kikuchi

Thomas Buhrer

An analyzer includes an exchangeable and consumable element such as a sensor, column or reagent the characteristic of which specifies an analyzing condition. The element is provided with a non-volatile semiconductor memory which holds an analyzing condition adapted for the element as data. When the element is mounted on an analyzer body, a controller of the analyzer reads the analyzing condition from the memory to update an analyzing condition inherently provided in the analyzer body. The result of analysis and/or operational history information of use of the element may be written into the memory with which the element is provided.

Analyzer having sensor with memory device

An ion sensor having an ion selectivity, which comprises an internal electrode of metal/metal salt, composed of an electroconductive layer of at least one metal and a layer of an insoluble salt of the metal in contact with the electroconductive layer, an ion selective membrane whose supporting membrane is composed of a hydrophobic polymer, and an intermediate layer capable of keeping water molecules, provided between the internal solid electrode and the ion selective membrane, where the organic compound having a water-keeping property is polymethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol or polypropylene glycol, each having a molecular weight of 200 to 600, and the inorganic compound having a water-keeping property is calcium chloride, gold chloride, magnesium perchlorate, magnesium fluoride or vanadium chloride dioxide, is suitable for analysis of specific ion species in a biological fluid with practically prolonged maintenance of properties of electrode.

Ion sensor

Infrared radiation is incident on a total reflection plane of a prism and penetrates a liquid sample through a metal layer put between the total reflection plane and the liquid sample in close contact therewith whereby the infrared radiation is partially absorbed by the liquid sample. Alternatively, the liquid sample may be put between the total reflection plane and the metal layer in close contact therewith so that part of the light penetrates the sample from the prism through the total reflection plane to interact with the metal layer and then is caused to reenter into the prism whereby it is partly absorbed by the liquid sample. The metal layer is for enhancing the intensity of the electric field component of the infrared radiation. The incident angle of the infrared radiation on the total reflection plane is so set that the partially absorbed infrared radiation is total-reflected. The total-reflected infrared radiation is detected by a detector so as to obtain an absorption spectrum of the liquid sample by the infrared radiation.

Infrared spectrum measuring apparatus adapted for measuring the

A biochemistry analyzer includes, an attenuated total reflection prism, a sample cell disposed on a surface of the prism, a sample supplier, a device for disposing more objective molecules in the liquid sample to a near portion of the sample which is near the surface of the prism, an infrared light source for generating an infrared light which is transmitted to the attenuated total reflection prism, a detector for detecting the infrared light which is reflected from the prism after the far portion of the sample is solidified, and a computer for calculating signals from the detector. As the objective molecules are gathered near the prism, accuracy of the biochemistry analyzer becomes higher.

Growing community of inventors

Kokubunji, Japan

Toshiko Fujii