Automatic analyzer and cleaning method

An automatic analyzer for conducting component analysis by performing measurement on a reaction liquid that was caused to react chemically in a reaction vessel, the analyzer comprising:

• a probe for suctioning a sample or a reagent and discharging the sample or the reagent into a reaction vessel;
• a cleaning bath in which to clean the probe;
• a cleaning water supply unit for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning bath to clean the probe;
• a compressed air supply unit for supplying compressed air to the cleaning bath;
• and
• a controller for controlling the probe, the cleaning water supply unit, and the compressed air supply unit,
• wherein the cleaning bath comprises:
• a discharge channel oriented obliquely downward with respect to the probe including an outlet through which the cleaning water is discharged,
• a cleaning water outlet including a channel oriented obliquely downward with respect to the probe and including a wall separating the channel from the discharge channel, the cleaning water outlet dedicated to discharging, into the cleaning bath, the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning water supply unit, and
• a compressed air outlet that is independent of the cleaning water outlet, oriented obliquely downward with respect to the probe inserted in the cleaning bath, dedicated to discharging the compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply unit toward the probe inserted in the cleaning bath,
• wherein the compressed air outlet dedicated to discharging the compressed air is disposed above the cleaning water outlet dedicated to discharging the cleaning water,
• wherein the channel of the cleaning water outlet includes an inlet through which cleaning water flows into from the cleaning water supply unit and an outlet through which the cleaning water flows out of the channel into the cleaning bath, and
• wherein the outlet of the channel of the cleaning water outlet is disposed above the inlet of the channel of the cleaning water.