Automatic analyzer

An automatic analyzer that dispenses a specimen and a reagent individually into a reaction vessel and measures a liquid of the reaction, the automatic analyzer comprising:

• a plurality of dispensing mechanisms including a first dispensing mechanism and a second dispensing mechanism;
• a controller configured to control the plurality of dispensing mechanisms;
• a plurality of normal cleaning tanks, each of the plurality of normal cleaning tanks is respectively associated and dedicated to one and one only of the dispensing mechanisms, each normal cleaning tank being provided at respective different positions where only the associated dispensing mechanism access the associated normal cleaning tank, and each normal cleaning tank is configured to perform a normal cleaning operation of the associated dispensing mechanism having access;
• and
• a special cleaning tank shared by each of the dispensing mechanisms, which is provided at a position, which is immovable, where all of the plurality of dispensing mechanisms access, and is configured to perform a special cleaning operation of cleaning the dispensing mechanisms, which is different from the normal cleaning operation,
• wherein the special cleaning operation includes a first special cleaning operation and a subsequent second special cleaning operation, and
• wherein upon the first dispensing mechanism being at the special cleaning tank which is performing the first special cleaning operation and the second dispensing mechanism moves into an interference region with the first dispensing mechanism, the controller is configured to cause the first special cleaning operation of the first dispensing mechanism to stop and then move the first dispensing mechanism away from the special cleaning tank to a retreat position, and after the second dispensing mechanism moves out of the interference region, move the first dispensing mechanism to the special cleaning tank to resume the special cleaning operation as the subsequent special cleaning operation.