Automatic analyzer and method for carrying out chemical, biochemical, and/or immunochemical analyses

An automatic analyzer for carrying out chemical, biochemical and/or immunochemical analyses of liquid samples, which are present in a sample store of the analyzer, with the aid of liquid reagents, which are present in at least one reagent store of the analyzer, the automatic analyzer comprising

• cuvettes for receiving the liquid samples and reagents, wherein a plurality of cuvettes is arranged as a stationary, linear cuvette array in the analyzer,
• a first pipettor configured and arranged to be movable in an x-direction along the linear cuvette array, said pipettor being equipped with at least one pipetting needle which is designed to be lowerable in a z-direction into the cuvettes and which is designed to be movable in a y-direction, substantially normal to the x-direction, between the cuvettes, the sample store and the reagent store,
• a device with an optical measurement unit for performing photometric and/or turbidimetric measurements which, in order to obtain a measurement signal, is equipped with a light supply unit configured to irradiate light through measuring windows arranged laterally on the cuvettes, and with a detection unit in order to obtain the measurement signal, which is configured to receive measurement radiation emerging through measurement windows arranged laterally on the cuvettes,
• a device configured and arranged for carrying out heterogeneous immunoassays, comprising an optical detection device which can be moved along the stationary, linear cuvette array and is suitable for receiving measurement radiation emerging through measurement windows arranged laterally on the cuvettes;
• a cuvette washing unit configured and arranged to be movable in the x-direction, for cleaning the cuvettes,
• a needle washing unit configured and arranged to clean the at least one pipetting needle, and
• a temperature control unit configured and arranged to set a measurement temperature in the cuvettes;
• wherein the device for performing photometric and/or turbidimetric measurements has access to the cuvettes of a first region of the stationary linear cuvette array and the device for performing heterogeneous immunoassays has access to the cuvettes of a second region of the stationary linear cuvette array;
• and
• wherein the first pipettor, and the cuvette washing unit, are configured and arranged to be movable independently of one another along the first and the second region of the linear cuvette array and each have access to different cuvettes of the first and the second region in a freely selectable order.