U.S. patent application number 14/797600 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-05 for cuvette supplying device and specimen analyzer.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sysmex Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Sysmex Corporation. Invention is credited to Shuhei KANEKO.
Application Number | 20150316467 14/797600 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45470315 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150316467 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KANEKO; Shuhei |
November 5, 2015 |
CUVETTE SUPPLYING DEVICE AND SPECIMEN ANALYZER
Abstract
A cuvette supplying device is disclosed. The cuvette supplying
device comprises: a cuvette storage for storing cuvettes; a
carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage, for carrying the
cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the cuvette storage; a
conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at the bottom of the
cuvette storage towards the carrier; and an arranging section for
arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette storage by the
carrier at a predetermined position. The specimen analyzer
comprising the cuvette supplying device is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
KANEKO; Shuhei; (Kobe-shi,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sysmex Corporation |
Kobe-shi |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sysmex Corporation
|
Family ID: |
45470315 |
Appl. No.: |
14/797600 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13337574 |
Dec 27, 2011 |
9110043 |
|
|
14797600 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
422/65 ;
422/500 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01N 21/13 20130101;
G01N 35/04 20130101; G01N 2035/00306 20130101; G01N 35/026
20130101; G01N 2035/0465 20130101; G01N 2035/0446 20130101; B65G
47/1471 20130101; G01N 35/025 20130101; G01N 35/021 20130101; G01N
2035/0491 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01N 21/13 20060101
G01N021/13 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 29, 2010 |
JP |
2010-294565 |
Claims
1. A specimen analyzer comprising: a cuvette supplying device,
wherein the cuvette supplying device comprises: a cuvette storage
for storing cuvettes, a carrier, provided inside the cuvette
storage, for carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside
the cuvette storage; a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing
at the bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier, an
arranging section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the
cuvette storage by the carrier at a predetermined position, and a
partitioning member for regulating the cuvettes at an upper layer
part of a stack of cuvettes in the storage from rolling towards the
carrier; an optical detector for optically interrogating a specimen
accommodated in the cuvette; and a container transport unit for
transporting the cuvette arranged at the predetermined position to
the optical detector, wherein the arranging section comprises: a
receiving portion configured to store the cuvettes carried by the
carrier; and a transport rail configured to accommodate the
cuvettes stored in the receiving portion in a line, and to arrange
the cuvette accommodated in the line at the predetermined position,
and wherein the partitioning member is inclined towards a receiving
portion side with advancement to a lower side.
2. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the cuvette
storage is provided with an insertion port at the upper side
through which a user drops cuvettes into the cuvette storage, and
the cuvette storage randomly stores the cuvettes dropped through
the insertion port.
3. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor
includes: a mounting portion on which the cuvettes existing at the
bottom of the cuvette storage are mounted, the mounting portion
being provided so as to be exposed at the bottom of the cuvette
storage, and a drive section for driving the mounting portion to
transfer the cuvettes on the mounting portion towards the
carrier.
4. The specimen analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the carrier
includes one or more holding plates for scooping the cuvettes, and
a motor for driving the scooping portions, and the drive portion of
the conveyor is driven by a power generated by the motor.
5. The specimen analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the mounting
portion is configured as an inclined surface that becomes lower
towards the carrier.
6. The specimen analyzer according to claim 3, wherein a bottom
surface of the cuvette storage is entirely or partially opened, and
the mounting portion is exposed into the cuvette storage through
the opening.
7. The specimen analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the conveyor
includes pulleys arranged in a line directed towards the carrier,
and an annular belt, as the mounting portion, supported around the
pulleys.
8. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a transfer
amount of the cuvettes by the conveyor is smaller than a transfer
amount of the cuvettes by the carrier.
9. The specimen analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the cuvette
storage is, in a plan view, an elongate shape that is long in the
transfer direction of the cuvettes transferred by the conveyor
towards the carrier and short in the orthogonal direction of the
transfer direction, and the mounting portion is arranged along the
longitudinal direction of the cuvette storage.
10. The specimen analyzer according to claim 9, wherein the cuvette
storage has an inclined surface in at least one of the side
surfaces facing each other in the orthogonal direction so that the
cuvette storage is narrowed.
11. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising
a detecting section for detecting presence or absence of the
cuvette arranged at the predetermined position by the arranging
section, and a controlling section for alternatively switching
drive and non-drive of at least one of the conveyor and the carrier
according to a detection result of the detecting section.
12. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the carrier
includes a scooping portion for scooping the cuvettes.
13. The specimen analyzer according to claim 12, wherein the
carrier is arranged in an inclined manner to move the cuvettes
towards a diagonally upper side.
14. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the
arranging section includes a receiving portion for receiving the
cuvettes dropped from the shoulders after passing the highest
position.
15. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the
arranging section includes a sending portion for supplying the
cuvette carried out by the carrier one at a time, and a transport
arrangement portion for aligning the cuvettes supplied by the
carrier.
16. The specimen analyzer according to claim 15, wherein the
transport arrangement portion aligns the cuvettes such that an
opening of the container is faced upward.
17. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the
transport rail is configured to cause the open end of the cuvette
to face upward.
18. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the
container transport unit comprises: a supply catcher unit
configured to transport the cuvette arranged at the predetermined
position to a dispensing table; and a cuvette moving unit
configured to move the cuvette between the dispensing table and a
second optical information acquiring unit having the optical
detector.
19. The specimen analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the
arranging section further comprises a table having a cutout, and
the transportation rail is configured to arrange the cuvette at the
cutout as the predetermined position.
20. A cuvette supplying device comprising: a cuvette storage for
storing cuvettes, a carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage,
for carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the
cuvette storage; a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at
the bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier, an arranging
section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette
storage by the carrier at a predetermined position, and a
partitioning member for regulating the cuvettes at an upper layer
part of a stack of cuvettes in the storage from rolling towards the
carrier; wherein the arranging section comprises: a receiving
portion configured to store the cuvettes carried by the carrier;
and a transport rail configured to accommodate the cuvettes stored
in the receiving portion in a line, and to arrange the cuvette
accommodated in the line at the predetermined position, and wherein
the partitioning member is inclined towards a receiving portion
side with advancement to a lower side.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 13/337,574 filed on Dec. 27, 2011, which claims priority under
35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-294565
filed on Dec. 29, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a cuvette supplying device
and a specimen analyzer.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A specimen analyzer equipped with a cuvette supplying device
for supplying a translucent container (cuvette) used for the
optical detection of a specimen is conventionally known (see e.g.,
U.S. Pat. No. 7,931,861).
[0006] As shown in FIG. 12, the cuvette supplying device includes a
first accumulation unit 401 for accumulating a cuvette inserted by
a user, an annular belt 403 for carrying out a cuvette 402 stored
in the first accumulation unit 401, and a second accumulation unit
404 for accumulating the cuvette 402 carried out by the annular
belt 403.
[0007] The cuvette 402 accumulated in the first accumulation unit
401 is scooped up by a holding plate 405 attached to the annular
belt 403 with the rotation of the annular belt 403, and carried out
to the second accumulation unit 404.
[0008] The cuvette 402 carried out to the second accumulation unit
404 is passed through a predetermined passage one at a time and
aligned on a transportation rail 406, and is rotationally
transferred by a rotation transfer unit 407 arranged at the tip of
the transportation rail 406. The rotationally transferred cuvette
402 is supplied to a dispensing table by a supplying catcher unit
(not shown).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A first aspect of the present invention is a cuvette
supplying device comprising: a cuvette storage for storing
cuvettes; a carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage, for
carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the cuvette
storage; a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at the
bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier; and an arranging
section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette
storage by the carrier at a predetermined position.
[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is a specimen
analyzer comprising the device according to the first aspect, an
optical detector for optically interrogating a specimen
accommodated in a cuvette; and a container transporter for
transporting the cuvette arranged at the predetermined position to
the optical detector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outer appearance of
a specimen analyzer;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an internal plan view of the specimen
analyzer;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cuvette;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cuvette supply mechanism
section (container supplying device);
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cuvette supply
mechanism section seen from the side;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cuvette supply mechanism
section;
[0017] FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the cuvette supply
mechanism section;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a configuration of an
arrangement unit;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a side view showing a configuration of the
arrangement unit;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a configuration of the
arrangement unit;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a variant of the
cuvette supply mechanism section;
[0022] FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a conventional cuvette
supply mechanism section; and
[0023] FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of another cuvette supply
mechanism section (container supplying device).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter
described based on the drawings.
[1. Overall Configuration of Specimen Analyzer 1]
[0025] A specimen analyzer 1 according to the present embodiment is
an apparatus for analyzing the amount or degree of activity of a
specific substance related to coagulation and fibrolytic function
of the blood by optically measuring the same.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the specimen analyzer 1 includes a
measurement mechanism section 2, a transport mechanism section 3
arranged on a front face side of the measurement mechanism section
2, and a control device 4 electrically connected to the measurement
mechanism section 2. The measurement mechanism section 2 includes
an insertion unit 5 for the user to insert a cuvette (specimen
container) 200 or a container of a sample when performing a
measurement. The insertion unit 5 has an opening that opens to an
upper side, which opening is an insertion port 5b of the cuvette
200. A lid 5a for opening and closing the insertion port 5b is also
arranged. The cuvette 200 is inserted to an cuvette storage 9 (see
FIG. 4) of a cuvette supply mechanism section 6, to be described
later, through the insertion port 5b.
[2. Configuration of Control Device 4]
[0027] The control device 4 includes a personal computer (PC), and
includes a control unit 4a, a display unit 4b and a keyboard 4c.
The control unit 4a has a function of transmitting an operation
start signal of the measurement mechanism section 2 to a control
unit (not shown) of the measurement mechanism section 2, and
analysis processing optical information of a sample obtained in the
measurement mechanism section 2. The control unit 4a is made up of
CPU, ROM, RAM, or the like. The display unit 4b can display various
types of information, and displays analysis result etc. obtained by
the control unit 4a, the notification information to the user, and
the like.
[3. Configuration of Transport Mechanism Section 3]
[0028] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the transport mechanism
section 3 has a function of transporting a rack 251 mounted with a
plurality of (ten in the present embodiment) test tubes 250
accommodating a sample to an aspirating position 2a (see FIG. 2) of
the measurement mechanism section 2 to supply the sample to the
measurement mechanism section 2.
[4. Configuration of Measurement Mechanism Section 2]
[0029] The measurement mechanism section 2 performs optical
measurement on the sample supplied from the transport mechanism
section 3 to acquire optical information about the supplied sample.
In the present embodiment, the optical measurement is performed on
the sample dispensed into the cuvette 200 of the measurement
mechanism section 2 from the test tube 250 mounted on the rack 251
of the transport mechanism section 3. The measurement mechanism
section 2 includes a cuvette supply mechanism section 6 and an
analysis mechanism section (optical detector) 7.
[4.1 Analysis Mechanism Section 7]
[0030] The analysis mechanism section 7 includes a rotation
transport unit 100, a sample dispensing arm 110, a first optical
information acquiring unit 120, a lamp unit 130, a reagent
dispensing arm 140, a cuvette moving unit 150, and a second optical
information acquiring unit 160.
[0031] The rotation transport unit 100 transports the cuvette 200
supplied from the cuvette supply mechanism section 6 and a reagent
container (not shown) accommodating a reagent to be added to the
sample in the cuvette 200 in the rotation direction. The rotation
transport unit 100 is configured by a circular reagent table 101, a
circular ring shaped reagent table 102 arranged on an outer side of
the reagent table 101, and a circular ring shaped dispensing table
103 arranged on an outer side of the reagent table 102. The
dispensing table 103, the reagent table 101, and the reagent table
102 are independently rotatable.
[0032] The reagent tables 101 and 102 respectively have a plurality
of holes 101a and 102a arranged with a predetermined interval along
a circumferential direction. The holes 101a and 102 are for
mounting a plurality of reagent containers (not shown)
accommodating various reagents to be added when preparing a
measurement specimen from the sample. The dispensing table 103
includes a plurality of cylindrical holders 103a arranged with a
predetermined interval along the circumferential direction. The
holder 103a holds the cuvette 200 supplied from the cuvette supply
mechanism section 6. The sample accommodated in the test tube 250
of the transport mechanism section 3 is dispensed to the cuvette
200 held in the holder 103a in the dispensing process.
[0033] The sample dispensing arm 110 aspirates the sample
accommodated in the test tube 250 transported to the aspirating
position 2a by the transport mechanism section 3 and dispenses the
aspirated sample into the cuvette 200 transferred to the rotation
transport unit 100.
[0034] The first optical information acquiring unit 120 acquires
optical information from the sample to measure the presence/absence
and the concentration of an interfering substance in the sample of
before the reagent is added. The first optical information
acquiring unit 120 acquires optical information (information by
transmitted light of sample) from the sample in the cuvette 200
held in the holder 103a of the dispensing table 103.
[0035] The first optical information acquiring unit 120 is
electrically connected to the control unit 4a of the control device
4, where data (optical information) acquired by the first optical
information acquiring unit 120 is transmitted to the control unit
4a of the control device 4. The control device 4 then analyzes
(performs analysis of) the data from the first optical information
acquiring unit 120. In the present embodiment, whether or not the
second optical information acquiring unit 160, to be described
later, carries out the analysis is determined based on the analysis
result.
[0036] The lamp unit 130 supplies light having five types of
wavelengths used in the optical measurement performed by the first
optical information acquiring unit 120 and the second optical
information acquiring unit 160.
[0037] The reagent dispensing arm 140 is arranged to mix the
reagent to the sample in the cuvette 200 by dispensing the reagent
in a reagent container (not shown) mounted on the rotation
transport unit 100 to the cuvette 200 held in the rotation
transport unit 100. The reagent is added to the sample in which the
optical measurement by the first optical information acquiring unit
120 is terminated to prepare the measurement specimen.
[0038] The cuvette moving unit 150 moves the cuvette 200 between
the rotation transport unit 100 and the second optical information
acquiring unit 160.
[0039] The second optical information acquiring unit 160 warms the
measurement specimen prepared by adding the reagent to the sample,
and measures the optical information from the measurement specimen.
The second optical information acquiring unit 160 carries out the
optical measurement (actual measurement) under a plurality of
conditions with respect to the measurement specimen in the cuvette
200. The second optical information acquiring unit 160 is
electrically connected to the control unit 4a of the control device
4, where the acquired data (optical information) is transmitted to
the control unit 4a of the control device 4. Thus, in the control
device 4, the data (optical information) transmitted from the
second optical information acquiring unit 160 is analyzed based on
the analysis result of the data (optical information) from the
first optical information acquiring unit 120, which is acquired in
advance, and displayed on the display unit 4b.
[4.2 Cuvette Supply Mechanism Section 6]
[0040] The cuvette supply mechanism section 6 is arranged to supply
a plurality of cuvettes 200 (see FIG. 3) inserted in an offhand
manner by the user one at a time to the rotation transport unit 100
of the analysis mechanism section 7. As shown in FIG. 3, the
cuvette 200 is configured by a flange portion 200a having a
diameter D1 (about 10 mm) and a body portion 200b having a diameter
D2 (about 8 mm) smaller than the diameter D1. The cuvette 200 has a
length of about 30 mm.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the cuvette supply mechanism
section 6 includes an cuvette storage 9 for accumulating the
cuvette 200 inserted from the insertion port 5b (see FIG. 1), a
carry-out unit 20 for receiving the cuvette 200 accumulated in the
cuvette storage 9 and carrying out the same to outside the cuvette
storage 9, a transfer unit 300 for transferring the cuvette 200
existing at the bottom of the cuvette storage 9 towards the
carry-out unit 20, and an arrangement unit 90 for arranging the
cuvette 200 carried out by the carry-out unit 20 at a predetermined
position (rotation transfer unit 60 to be described later).
[0042] The cuvette storage 9 deposits and accumulates one part
(container mounting portion 304 to be described later) of the
transfer unit 300 configuring the bottom surface of the cuvette
storage 9. The transfer unit 300 transfers the cuvette 200 existing
at the bottom of the cuvette storage 9 towards a receiving region
A1 where the carry-out unit 20 receives the cuvette 200. In the
present embodiment, a transfer direction (direction of arrow X) in
which the transfer unit 300 transfers the cuvette 200 towards the
receiving region A1 is the front side in the front and back
direction, the opposite direction is the back side in the transfer
direction, and the orthogonal direction of the transfer direction
is the left and right direction.
[0043] Describing the outline of the arrangement unit 90 first, the
arrangement unit 90 includes a receiving portion 30 for receiving
the cuvette 200 carried out by the carry-out unit 20, a cuvette
sending portion 40 for sending out the cuvette 200 one at a time
from the receiving portion 30, and a transport arrangement portion
50 for transporting the cuvette 200 sent out from the sending
portion 40 to the rotation transfer unit 60, to be described
later.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement mechanism section 2
includes the rotation transfer unit 60 arranged at the lower end of
the transport arrangement portion 50, and a supply catcher unit
(container transport unit) 70 arranged with a predetermined spacing
from the rotation transfer unit 60, in addition to the cuvette
supply mechanism section 6 and the analysis mechanism section
7.
[4.2.1 Cuvette Storage 9]
[0045] As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, the cuvette supply mechanism
section 6 includes the cuvette storage 9 for accumulating the
cuvette 200. The cuvette storage 9 is configured as a container in
which the upper side is opened, and includes a first side surface
13 and a second side surface 14 facing each other in the left and
right direction, and a third side surface 15 and a fourth side
surface 16 facing each other in the front and back direction. In
FIG. 4, a state in which the first side surface 13 on one side is
removed is shown to describe the state inside the cuvette storage
9.
[0046] A first space 10 is formed in the cuvette storage 9. That
is, the cuvette storage 9 is defined to the first space 10 and a
second space 11 by a partitioning member 12. The partitioning
member 12 partitions such that the capacity of the first space 10
becomes larger than that of the second space 11. As shown in FIG.
5, the partitioning by the partitioning member 12 is a range from
the intermediate part to the upper part in the up and down
direction of the cuvette storage 9, where the first space 10 and
the second space 11 are connected at the lower part.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, the cuvette storage 9 and the first
space 10 have an elongate shape that is long in the transfer
direction (direction of arrow X) of the cuvette 200 and short in
the orthogonal direction (direction of arrow Y) of the transfer
direction in plan view at the upper part, the intermediate part and
the lower part (bottom).
[0048] The first space 10 has an opening on the upper side of the
space surrounded by the partitioning member 12, the fourth side
surface 16, the first side surface 13, and the second side surface
14, which opening is the insertion port 5b (see FIG. 1) in the
present embodiment. The cuvette 200 inserted from the insertion
port 5b is passed through the insertion port 5b and accumulated in
the cuvette storage 9. The second space 11 is connected to the
insertion port 5b through only the first space 10. Therefore, the
cuvette 200 inserted from the insertion port 5b is not directly
inserted to the second space 11.
[0049] The cuvette storage 9 lowers the inserted cuvette 200 by its
own weight, and accumulates the lowered cuvette 200 in great
numbers. For instance, even if 2000 cuvettes 200 are inserted at
one time, such cuvettes 200 can be collectively accumulated.
[0050] The partitioning member 12 has a function serving as a
regulation member of regulating the cuvette 200 at the upper layer
part of a great number of cuvette groups accumulated in the first
space 10 of the cuvette storage 9 from rolling down towards the
receiving region A1. The transfer unit 300 transfers the cuvette
200 existing at the bottom of the first space 10 of the cuvette
storage 9 towards the receiving region A1. A specific configuration
of the transfer unit 300 will be described later.
[0051] The first side surface 13 is a perpendicular surface formed
to a planar shape as a whole. The second side surface 14 includes
an upper side surface portion 14a parallel to the first side
surface 13, and intermediate side surface portions 14b, 14c
extending inclined from the lower end of the upper side surface
portion 14a towards the bottom.
[0052] The third side surface 15 is positioned on the front surface
side of the cuvette storage 9, and the fourth side surface 16 is
positioned on the back surface side. The third and fourth side
surfaces 15, 16 are respectively inclined such that the opposing
spacing becomes smaller towards the lower side.
[0053] Therefore, in the cuvette storage 9, the first side surface
13, which is one side of the first side surface 13 and the second
side surface 14 facing each other, has an inclined surface
(intermediate side surface portion 14b, 14c) that narrows the
cuvette storage 9 towards the bottom.
[0054] Thus, even if the upper part side of the cuvette storage 9
is enlarged in the left and right direction, the inserted cuvettes
200 can be easily collected towards the bottom by the inclined
surface, and as a result, the cuvettes 200 can be reliably
transferred by the transfer unit 300 positioned on the bottom
surface side. In other words, the upper part side of the cuvette
storage 9 can be made as wide as possible while ensuring the
transfer ability of the cuvette 200 by the transfer unit 300, and
the accumulation amount of the cuvette 200 can be increased.
[0055] The partitioning member 12 has an L shape with a
substantially vertical plate shaped first member 12a and a
horizontal second member 12b, and is arranged in the cuvette
storage 9 opened to the upper side. Both left and right sides of
the partitioning member 12 are joined with the first and second
side surfaces 13, 14.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, the first member 12a is slightly
inclined (inclination angle .theta.) with respect to the vertical
surface, and is inclined towards the receiving region A1 side with
advancement to the lower side. The first member 12a is
substantially parallel to the fourth side surface 16, and the
dimension in the front and back direction of the cuvette storage 9
is suppressed from becoming narrower towards the lower side. On the
other hand, the second space 11 formed between the first member 12a
and the third side surface 15 (and annular belt 301, to be
described later, horizontally in line with the third side surface
15) has a shape that becomes wider towards the upper side.
[4.2.2 Carry-Out Unit 20]
[0057] In FIG. 5, the carry-out unit 20 includes an annular belt 21
including a plurality of holding plates 21a, a chain 22 to which
the annular belt 21 is attached, upper and lower sprockets 23, 24
engaged with the chain 22, and a motor 25 (see FIG. 7) for
rotationally driving the sprocket 23. When the motor 25 rotates the
sprocket 23, the annular belt 21 that received the rotation power
from the sprocket 23 rotates. The annular belt 21 includes a belt
with projection (holding plate). The drive portion of the carry-out
unit 20 is configured by the chain 22, the sprockets 23, 24 and the
motor 25.
[0058] The cuvette 200 is lifted up and held when the cuvette 200
is placed on the holding plate 21a. That is, the holding plate 21
becomes a container holder for holding the cuvette 200 when
carrying out the cuvette 200.
[0059] The annular belt 21 is arranged lined in the left and right
direction with the third side surface 15 (see FIG. 6), and the
annular belt 21 is arranged from the bottom to the upper part of
the second space 11.
[0060] The holding plate 21a normally has a size in which one to
three cuvettes 200 can be stably mounted. The direction of the
cuvette 200 held on the holding plate 21a does not need to be
constant.
[0061] When the annular belt 21 is rotated, the cuvette 200 near
the bottom of the second space 11 can be received by the holding
plate 21, and thus the region near the bottom is the receiving
region A1.
[0062] The cuvette 200 held by the holding plate 21a and carried
out to the upper side is dropped to the side opposite to the second
space 11 with the rotation of the annular belt 21. A receiving
portion 30 is arranged at the destination to which the cuvette 200
is dropped, which receiving portion 30 receives the cuvette 200
carried out through the second space 11 from the first space
10.
[0063] Therefore, the carry-out unit 20 can lift up the cuvette 200
near the bottom of the first space 11 to the carry-out port 19 on
the upper side and carry out the same to the receiving portion 30
side.
[4.2.3 Transfer Unit 300]
[0064] As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer unit 300 includes a
container mounting portion 304 exposed at the bottom of the first
space 10 and mounted with the cuvette 200 existing at the bottom,
and a drive portion 305 for moving the container mounting portion
304 to the receiving region A1 side and transferring the cuvette
200 mounted on the container mounting portion 304 to the receiving
region A1 side to provide a moving force towards the receiving
region A1 side with respect to the cuvette 200 existing at the
bottom of the first space 10 of the cuvette storage 9.
[0065] Specifically describing, the transfer unit 300 includes an
annular belt 301 bridged between pulleys 302, 303 arranged on the
back side and the front side in the front and back direction, and
the cuvette storage 9 of the present embodiment includes an opening
10a where the bottom surface is entirely opened, where the annular
belt 301 is exposed to the cuvette storage 9 from the opening 10a.
Therefore, the container mounting portion 304 becomes the portion
towards the receiving region A1, that is, the upper side portion of
the annular belt 301 of the annular belt 301, and such upper side
portion of the annular belt 301 becomes the bottom surface in the
first space 10 of the cuvette storage 9. The annular belt 301
includes a flat belt.
[0066] The opening 10a is formed to an elongate shape from the
lower end of the fourth side surface 16 to the annular belt 21 of
the carry-out unit 20. The bottom surface of the cuvette storage 9
is configured by the upper side portion of the annular belt 301
arranged at the opening 10a and a transfer member 8, to be
described later.
[0067] Therefore, the container mounting portion 304 configures the
bottom surface in the first space 10 of the cuvette storage 9, so
that the inserted cuvettes 200 are not concentrated at one area at
the lower side of the partitioning member 12 and the receiving
region A1 but are spread and mounted on the container mounting
portion 304.
[0068] As shown in FIG. 5, the upper side portion of the annular
belt 301 is configured as the inclined surface that becomes lower
towards the receiving region A1 side.
[0069] The drive portion 305 includes a motor for rotating the
annular belt 301. In the present embodiment, the motor of the drive
portion 305 arranged in the transfer unit 300 is the motor 25 (see
FIG. 7) arranged in the carry-out unit 20, and thus the motor is
commonly used by the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit
20.
[0070] The common use of the motor will be specifically described.
The rotation shaft 24a (see FIG. 7) of the sprocket 24 (see FIG. 5)
of the carry-out unit 20 is extended axially outward, and the
pulley 303 receives the rotation power from the rotation shaft 24a.
That is, in FIG. 7, a first transmission pulley 311 is attached in
an integrally rotatable manner to the rotation shaft 24a, a second
transmission pulley 312 is attached in an integrally rotatable
manner to the rotation shaft 303a of the pulley 303 for the annular
belt 301, and a transmission belt 313 is bridged between the first
transmission pulley 311 and the second transmission pulley 312. The
second transmission pulley 312 has a greater diameter than the
first transmission pulley 311, and can decelerate the rotation of
the rotation shaft 24a to transmit it to the pulley 303. Therefore,
the annular belt 21 of the carry-out unit 20 rotates at higher
speed than the annular belt 301 of the transfer unit 300, and the
movement speed of the cuvette 200 by the carry-out unit 20 can be
made greater than the movement speed of the cuvette 200 by the
transfer unit 300.
[0071] Therefore, when the sprocket 23 for the carry-out unit 20 is
rotated by the rotation of the motor 25, the annular belt 301 of
the transfer unit 300 can be rotated through the annular belt 21,
the chain 22, the sprocket 24, the rotation shaft 24a, and the
like. The cuvette 200 existing at the bottom in the first space 10
of the cuvette storage 9 is transferred to the receiving region A1
side by the rotation of the annular belt 301. The drive portion 305
of the transfer unit 300 is configured to include the pulleys 302,
303, the second transmission pulley 312, the first transmission
pulley 311, and the transmission belt 313.
[0072] As described above, the carry-out unit 20 includes the motor
25 as a power source for driving the holding plate 21a of the
annular belt 21, where the drive portion 305 of the transfer unit
300 is driven by the power of the motor 25. Therefore, the
carry-out unit 20 and the transfer unit 300 are driven by the
common motor 25, so that the carry-out unit 20 and the transfer
unit 300 can synchronously carry out the operation and stop
thereof.
[0073] In the present embodiment, the transfer member 8 (FIG. 5)
for transferring the cuvette 200 is arranged on the front side of
the container mounting portion 304. The transfer member 8 includes
a plate member, where the cuvette 200 transferred on the annular
belt 301 is sent to the transfer member 8, and can be placed on the
holding plate 21a of the carry-out unit 20 through the transfer
member 8. The transfer member 8 can be turned up and down with the
back side as the center, and has a length in the front and back
direction capable of being placed on the distal end of the holding
plate 21a. The transfer member 8 is pushed up and turned upward
with the rise of the holding plate 21a, but the transfer member 8
is turned downward and dropped and is placed on the distal end of
the holding plate 21a underneath when the holding plate 21a is
separated from the distal end of the holding plate 21a. In the
present embodiment, the bottom surface of the second space 11 is
configured by the transfer member 8.
[0074] According to the cuvette storage 9, the carry-out unit 20,
and the transfer unit 300 having the above configuration, some of
the great number of cuvettes 200 inserted and accumulated in the
cuvette storage 9 are passed through the opening formed at the
lower side of the partitioning member 12 by the transfer unit 300,
transferred from the first space 10 to the second space 11, and
accumulated in the second space 11. Even if the first space 10 is
filled with a great number of cuvettes 200 up to near the upper
end, the cuvettes 200 can be suppressed from rolling down by its
own weight to the second space 11 by the partitioning member
12.
[0075] Thus, the second space 11 is not filled up to near the upper
part even if a great amount of cuvettes 200 is accumulated in the
first space 10. Therefore, even if the cuvette 200 is in great
amount in the first space 10, the cuvette 200 exists only near the
bottom in the second space 11 and the cuvettes 200 are not
accumulated in the upper space.
[0076] The carry-out port 19 through which the cuvette 200 passes
when the cuvette 200 is carried out to the receiving portion 30
side is arranged at the upper part of the second space 11, and the
cuvette 200 accumulated near the bottom of the second space 11 is
lifted upward in the second space 11 by the carry-out unit 20 and
carried out from the carry-out port 19 towards the receiving
portion 30.
[4.2.4 Arrangement Unit 90]
[0077] In FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, the arrangement unit 90
includes a receiving portion 30 for receiving the cuvette 200
carried out by the carry-out unit 20, a cuvette sending portion 40
of sending out the cuvette 200 one at a time from the receiving
portion 30, and a transport arrangement portion 50 for transporting
the cuvette 200 sent out from the sending portion 40 to the
rotation transfer unit 60.
[0078] The receiving portion 30 includes a cuvette receiving part
31a and a cuvette accumulating part 31b, and has an L shape in plan
view. The inner bottom surface of the receiving portion 30 is
inclined downward from the cuvette receiving part 31a towards the
cuvette accumulating part 31b, so that the cuvette 200 dropped from
the annular belt 21 to the cuvette receiving part 31a is
automatically moved to the cuvette accumulating part 31b.
[0079] The receiving portion 30 has a storage amount (about 100) of
the cuvette 200 less than the storage amount (about 2000) of the
cuvette 200 of the cuvette storage 9. A sensor 32 detects when the
cuvette 200 stored in the receiving portion 30 becomes greater than
or equal to a predetermined amount. In the present embodiment, when
the sensor 32 makes the detection, the control unit 4a determines
that the receiving portion 30 is full and stops the operation of
the motor 25 (see FIG. 7) to stop the operation of the transfer
unit 300 and the carry-out unit 20.
[0080] The cuvette sending portion 40 includes an oscillation rail
41 that can be turned with the turning shaft 41a as a center, an
oscillation guide 42 that can be turned with another turning shaft
42a as a center, a link 43 for coupling and cooperatively moving
the oscillation rail 41 and the oscillation guide 42, a motor 44,
and an arm 45 for transmitting the drive force of the motor 44 to
the oscillation rail 41. The arm 45 is rotated by the rotating
motor 44, and the oscillation rail 41 and the oscillation guide 42
are reciprocatively oscillated.
[0081] The oscillation rail 41 has a pair of fan-shaped plates 41b
made of metal and a spacer 41c made of resin fixed by being
sandwiched by the pair of fan-shaped plates 41b. As shown in FIG.
8, a spacing (thickness of spacer 41c) D3 of the pair of fan-shaped
plates 41b is smaller than the diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) of the
flange portion 200a of the cuvette 20 and greater than the diameter
D2 (see FIG. 3) of the body portion 200b.
[0082] The oscillation guide 42 has a pair of guide plates 42b
arranged to contact the outer sides of the pair of fan-shaped
plates 41b of the oscillation rail 41, and a spacer 42c made of
resin fixed by being sandwiched by the guide plates 42b. A path P
through which the cuvette 200 can pass is formed between the
oscillation rail 41 and the oscillation guide 42.
[0083] As shown in FIG. 9, the spacing D4 of the spacer 41c of the
oscillation rail 41 and the spacer 42c of the oscillation guide 42
is greater than the diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) of the flange portion
200a of the cuvette 200 but does not allow two cuvettes 200 to be
arranged. As shown in FIG. 8, the spacing D5 of the pair of guide
plates 42b is greater than the diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) of the
flange portion 200a of the cuvette 200 but does not allow two
cuvettes 200 to be arranged. Therefore, only one cuvette 200 is
arranged at the sending position 46 (see FIG. 8 and FIG. 9).
[0084] As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the direction of the cuvette
200 is parallel to the oscillation rail 41 at the sending position
46. The open end of the cuvette 200 may be directed in either
direction, the direction of the arrow F or the direction of the
arrow G. When the cuvette 200 is moved on the oscillation rail 41,
the spacer 41c of the oscillation rail 41 is cut at the position 47
in the middle of the fan-shaped plate 41b, as shown in FIG. 10, and
hence the cuvette 200 has the closed end lower downward by its own
weight at the position 47. As described above, the interval D3 (see
FIG. 8) is smaller than the diameter D1 (see FIG. 3) of the flange
portion 200a of the cuvette 200 and greater than the diameter D2
(see FIG. 3) of the body portion 200b, and thus the flange portion
200a is supported by the pair of fan-shaped plates 41b, as shown in
FIG. 10. Thus, the cuvette sending portion 40 causes the open end
of the cuvette 200 to face upward in the process of passing the
cuvette 200 through the path P.
[0085] Therefore, when the oscillation rail 41 and the oscillation
guide 42 are oscillated with the cuvette 200 arranged at the
sending position 46, the cuvette 200 is passed through the path P
and transported to the transportation rail 51 of the transport
arrangement portion 50, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.
[0086] The transport arrangement portion 50 includes a pair of
transportation rails 51 configuring the path for transporting the
cuvette 200 to the rotation transfer unit 60 or a predetermined
position, and a reflective sensor 52. The pair of transportation
rails 51 are arranged in parallel to each other with a spacing
smaller than the diameter D1 of the flange portion 200a of the
cuvette 200 (see FIG. 3) and greater than the diameter D2 of the
body portion 200b of the cuvette 200. The cuvette 200 that passed
through the path P moves while slidably dropping towards the
rotation transfer unit 60 with the flange portion 200a engaged to
the upper surfaces of the pair of transportation rails 51.
[0087] The transportation rail 51 can accommodate the cuvette 200
by a predetermined number lined in a line, where when the number of
cuvettes 200 accommodated in the transportation rail 51 becomes
greater than or equal to a predetermined number, this is detected
by the sensor 52 (see FIG. 8). In the present embodiment, when the
sensor 52 carries out the detection, the control unit 4a stops the
operations of the sending portion 40, the transfer unit 300, and
the carry-out unit 20. Thus, the transfer from the first space 10
to the second space 11 and the carry out from the second space 11
to the receiving portion 30, as well as the sending from the
receiving portion 30 to the transfer arrangement portion 50 of the
cuvette 200 are stopped.
[0088] On the contrary, when the sensor 52 no longer detects the
cuvette 200, the control unit 4a operates the sending portion 40
and sends out one cuvette 200. Furthermore, if the sensor 52 does
not detect the cuvette even if the sending portion 40 is operated
for a constant time, the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit
20 are operated while operating the sending portion 40. This is
when the cuvette 200 does not exist in the receiving portion 30,
and the receiving portion 30 can be replenished with the cuvette
200 by operating the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit
20.
[0089] That is, the sensor (detection unit) 52 is a sensor for
detecting presence/absence of the cuvette 200 to be arranged on the
rotation transfer unit 60 or a predetermined position on the
transportation rail 51, where the control unit 4a (control means)
can alternatively switch between drive and non-drive for the
sending portion 40, the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit 20
according to the detection result of the sensor 52.
[0090] A state in which a constant number of cuvettes 200 is
waiting on the transportation rail 51 on a steady basis is thereby
obtained.
[4.3 Rotation Transfer Unit 60 and Supply Catcher Unit 70]
[0091] The rotation transfer unit 60 rotatably transfers the
cuvette 200 slidably dropped from the transportation rail 51 to a
waiting position at where it can be gripped by the supply catcher
unit 70. The rotation transfer unit 60 includes a supporting table
61, a rotatable rotary table 62 attached to the supporting table
61, and a motor 63 for driving the rotary table 62. When the rotary
table 62 is rotated by the motor 63, the cuvette 200 fitted to
three cutouts 62a of the rotary table 62 is transported to a cutout
61a (waiting position) of the supporting table 61.
[0092] In FIG. 2, the supply catcher unit (container transport
unit) 70 transports the cuvette 200 transported to the waiting
position (cutout 61a) by the rotation transfer unit 60 to the
dispensing table 103 of the rotation transport unit 100 of the
analysis mechanism section 7, which is another area.
[0093] In the analysis mechanism section (optical detector) 7, the
reagent dispensing arm 140 dispenses (supplies) the reagent in the
reagent container (not shown) mounted on the rotation transport
unit 100 to the cuvette 200 transported to the dispensing table 103
by the supply catcher unit 70 to mix the sample in the cuvette 200
and the reagent, whereby the optical detection of the sample
(specimen) is carried out.
[4.4 Regarding Accumulation and Carry-Out of Cuvette in Cuvette
Storage]
[0094] In FIG. 5, the first space 10 can be filled with the cuvette
200 up to the maximum accumulation position (upper end of cuvette
group when about 2000 cuvettes are inserted) shown with P1. Thus,
even if a great number of (about 2000) cuvettes 200 are inserted at
one time, some of the cuvettes 200 (about more than a dozen to a
few dozen) transferred by the transfer unit 300 are merely
positioned near the receiving region A1 in the second space 11, and
the cuvettes 200 are not filled up to the upper end of the second
space 11. In FIG. 5, the upper end of the cuvette group accumulated
in the second space 11 is shown with P2.
[0095] The accumulation position upper end P2 of the cuvette 200 in
the second space 11 is a position lower than the maximum
accumulation position P1 of the first space 10. Thus, the carry-out
unit 20 can lift up the few number of cuvettes 200 in the second
space 11 with the holding plate 21a, and can prevent an excessive
amount of cuvettes 200 from being carried out.
[0096] That is, since the carry-out unit 20 is arranged at a steep
slope (60 to 80 degrees) from the bottom part to the upper part of
the second space 11, even if the cuvette 200 being transported on
the holding plate 21a is in excess, some of the cuvettes 200 may be
expected to fall off from the holding plate 21a and drop onto the
bottom of the second space 11 while being transported to the
carry-out port 19.
[0097] In other words, the number of cuvettes 200 that can be
stably held by the holding plate 21a is a couple for one holding
plate 21a, and thus even if the cuvette 200 of a number in which
the holding by the holding plate 21a becomes unstable is lifted up
by the holding plate 21a at one time, such cuvettes 200 are held in
an unstable state and thus have a high probability of being dropped
from the holding plate 21a before reaching the carry-out port 19 of
the cuvette 200.
[0098] When the cuvettes 200 are carried out to the receiving
portion 30 in great amount at one time, the following phenomenon
tends to easily occur and the cuvette 200 may not be smoothly
arranged at a predetermined position (rotation transfer unit
60).
[0099] As described with FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the cuvette 200 carried
out by the carry-out unit 20 is accumulated in the receiving
portion 30, passed through the path P by the sending portion 40,
and arranged at a predetermined position (rotation transfer unit
60). The path P has a size that allows only one cuvette 200 to
pass, but if a great number of cuvettes 200 are accumulated in the
receiving portion 30 at one time, the plurality of cuvettes 200 are
pushed against the path P by the weight of the entire cuvette and
the cuvettes tend to easily block the entrance of the path P.
[0100] Thus, even if a great number of cuvettes 200 are accumulated
in the cuvette storage 9, the great number of cuvettes 200 can be
suppressed from being carried out at one time to the receiving
portion 30 by arranging the partitioning member 12 as in the
present embodiment and limiting the number of cuvettes 200 that can
be accumulated in the second space 11. Therefore, the user can
increase the number of cuvettes 200 that can be inserted to the
cuvette storage 9 at one time.
[0101] When the cuvette 200 of the second space 11 is lifted up by
the carry-out unit 20, the number of cuvettes 200 in the second
space (receiving region A1) reduces. The transfer unit 300 then
forcibly transfers the cuvette 200 at the bottom of the cuvette
storage 9 towards the carry-out unit 20 to supplement the cuvette
200 in the second space 11.
[0102] In the present embodiment, the transfer amount of the
cuvette 200 by the transfer unit 300, that is, the rotation speed
of the annular belt 301 is made smaller than the transfer amount of
the cuvette 200 by the carry-out unit 20, that is, the rotation
speed of the annular belt 21.
[0103] Thus, the transfer amount of the cuvette 200 to the
receiving region A1 by the transfer unit 300 can be prevented from
becoming an excess. As a result, the cuvette 200 is prevented from
being supplied in excess to the receiving region A1 and the cuvette
200 from being stuck at the cuvette storage 9.
[0104] In the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the belt of
the transfer unit 300 is made smaller than that of the carry-out
unit 20 to have the transfer amount by the transfer unit 300
smaller than the transfer amount by the carry-out unit 20, but it
is not particularly limited as long as there is a difference in the
transfer amount. For instance, the frictional force of the belt of
the transfer unit 300 may be made smaller than the frictional force
of the belt of the carry-out unit 20, or the width of the belt of
the transfer unit 300 may be made smaller than the width of the
belt of the carry-out unit 20 to create a difference in the
transfer amount.
[0105] The cuvette supply mechanism section 6 according to the
present embodiment configured as above has the following advantages
compared to the conventional cuvette supply mechanism section. FIG.
12 is an explanatory view of the conventional cuvette supply
mechanism section. In the conventional cuvette supply mechanism
section, the capacity of the first cuvette storage 401 is increased
to increase the number of cuvettes that can be accommodated in
order to increase the number of cuvettes that can be inserted at
one time by the user. In other words, in order to increase the
capacity of the cuvette that can be inserted in the first cuvette
storage 401 at one time by two times such as from 500 to 1000, the
height of the first cuvette storage 401 can be doubled, but in this
case, it is not convenient for the user since the position of the
insertion port becomes high. Thus, consideration is made in
enlarging the first cuvette storage 401 to two times in the front
and back direction, as shown with a chain double dashed line in
FIG. 12. In this case, however, when the number of cuvettes in the
first cuvette storage 401 reduces, the cuvettes remain in the
region 408 on the back side thereof, and all the cuvettes may not
be smoothly supplied to the annular belt 403 side.
[0106] According to the cuvette supply mechanism section 6 of the
present embodiment, on the other hand, the cuvette 200 existing at
the bottom of the cuvette storage 9 can be transferred to the
receiving region A1 side by the transfer unit 300 even if the
cuvette storage 9 is enlarged in the front and back direction to
increase the number of cuvettes 200 that can be inserted to the
cuvette storage 9 at one time. In particular, even the cuvette 200
existing in the region on the back side of the cuvette storage 9
can be mounted on the annular belt 301 of the transfer unit 300 and
transferred towards the receiving region A1. Therefore, according
to the cuvette supply mechanism section of the present embodiment,
the cuvettes can be smoothly supplied while increasing the number
of cuvettes that can be inserted at one time.
[0107] The cuvette 200 at the upper layer part of a great number of
cuvette groups accumulated in the cuvette storage 9 can be
regulated from rolling down towards the receiving region A1 by the
partitioning member 12. In other words, the transfer of the cuvette
200 towards the receiving region A1 side can be mainly performed by
the transfer unit 300, and the cuvette 200 can be prevented from
being unnecessarily collected on the receiving region A1 side.
[0108] Therefore, even if the number of cuvettes 200 that can be
inserted to the cuvette storage 9 at one time is increased, the
cuvette 200 accumulated in the cuvette storage 9 can be smoothly
carried out towards the receiving portion 30 at an appropriate
number by the carry-out unit 20, and the cuvette 200 that is
carried out can be arranged in the rotation transfer unit 60 by the
arrangement unit 90.
[0109] As a result, the cuvette 200 is arranged in the rotation
transfer unit 60 and transported to the analysis mechanism section
7 by the supply catcher unit 70, so that the optical detection of
the sample (specimen) can be sequentially carried out by the
cuvette 200 according to the analysis mechanism section 7.
[0110] As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, a sensor 17
for detecting the accumulation height of the cuvette 200 is
arranged in the cuvette storage 9 (first space 10 or second space
11). The sensor 17 is a light transmissive sensor having the
position of a predetermined height from the bottom surface as a
detection height, and transmits a detection signal to the control
unit 4a when the number of cuvettes 200 is reduced and the sensor
17 no longer detects the cuvette 200. That is, the reduction of the
number of cuvettes 200 is detected. When the detection signal is
transmitted to the control unit 4a, the control unit 4a makes a
display on the display unit 4b to urge refill of the cuvette 200 to
notify the user.
[0111] The present invention is not limited to the above
embodiment, and various modifications may be made.
[0112] For instance, only the second side surface 14 has an
inclined surface in the cuvette storage 9 in the embodiment
described above, but both the first side surface 13 and the second
side surface 14 facing each other may have an inclined surface, or
at least one of which may have an inclined surface that narrows the
cuvette storage 9 towards the bottom.
[0113] A case in which the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit
20 synchronously operate has been described in the above
embodiment, but each unit may be independently operated. In this
case, the control unit 4a (control means) alternately switch
between drive and non-drive of only one of the transfer unit 300 or
the carry-out unit 20 according to the detection result of the
sensor (detection unit) 52 for detecting the presence/absence of
the cuvette 200 to be arranged in the rotation transfer unit 60 on
the transportation rail 51 in the arrangement unit 90.
[0114] Furthermore, a flat belt has been described as an example of
the transfer unit in the embodiment described above, but the
cuvette 200 accumulated in the cuvette storage 9 merely needs to be
transferred towards the carry-out unit, and the mode of the
transfer unit is not limited. For instance, as shown in FIG. 13, a
gear 700 with a plurality of teeth 701 may be arranged at the
bottom surface of the cuvette storage 9 and rotated in the
direction indicated with an arrow in FIG. 13 to transfer the
cuvette 200 to the receiving region A1 for the transfer unit.
[0115] Furthermore, the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit 20
are configured by separate transportation belts in the embodiment
described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto,
and the transfer unit 300 and the carry-out unit 20 may be
configured with one belt.
[0116] A case in which the cuvette storage 9 has an opening 10a
where the bottom surface is entirely opened, and the annular belt
301 is exposed to the interior of the cuvette storage 9 from such
opening 10a has been described, but one part of the bottom surface
of the cuvette storage 9 may be opened and the annular belt 301 may
be exposed from such opening.
[0117] For instance, not limited to a mode in which the cuvette
storage 9 is defined by the partitioning member 12 including a
plate member, the inner wall of the cuvette storage 9 may be
defined to the first space 10 and the second space 11 by the
partitioning portion 12 depressed to the inner side, and such first
space 10 and second space 11 may be coupled through a tunnel shaped
passage 400, as shown in FIG. 11. In this case as well, the
partitioning portion 12 functions as a regulation member for
regulating the cuvette 200 at the upper layer part of a great
number or cuvette groups accumulated in the first space 10 from
rolling down to the receiving region A1 side.
[0118] In the embodiment described above, a configuration including
the receiving portion 30, the cuvette sending portion 40, and the
transport arrangement portion 50 has been described for the
arrangement unit 90, but such configuration is not the sole case.
The arrangement unit 90 may be in a mode in which the cuvette 200
is arranged at a predetermined position through only a series of
passages (e.g., downhill slope path such as a dust shoot).
* * * * *