Specimen inspection automation system and fixed position information allocation method

A fixed position information allocation method of allocating unique position information to a plurality of slave station devices in a specimen test automation system, the specimen test automation system including the plurality of slave station devices each corresponding to at least one of a transport device that transports a specimen and an analyzer that analyzes the specimen, and a master station device configured to communicate with the plurality of slave station devices via a communication path and control the plurality of slave station devices, wherein

• when a direction toward the plurality of slave station devices as viewed from the master station device is defined as downstream, and a direction toward the master station device as viewed from the plurality of slave station devices is defined as upstream,
• the communication path has a first communication path through which the master station device is configured to transmit a control command to each of the slave station devices from upstream to downstream, and a second communication path through which the plurality of slave station devices is configured to transmit a control command to the master station device from downstream to upstream, and
• the fixed position information allocation method comprises:
• acquiring, by the master station device, path information on each slave station device by communicating with the plurality of slave station devices, and allocating, by the master station device, the unique position information to each of the plurality of slave station devices in an order of paths in the acquired path information;
• transmitting, by the master station device, to a first slave station device downstream, a packet including the path information and first unique position information to be allocated;
• and
• storing, by the first slave station device, the first unique position information in the packet in its own storage device, and when a second slave station device is further connected downstream of the first slave station device, transmitting, by the first slave station device, to the second slave station device, a packet including second unique position information obtained by adding a predetermined value to the first unique position information.