# US 12,761,237 B2 · Automatic analyzer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,761,237 B2 - Document ID: US12761237B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/277,102 - Filed: 2022-02-24 - Published: 2024-04-18 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-16 - Assignees: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Applicants: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation - Inventors: Kenshiro Sakata; Yoshihiro Kabe; Takuya Takahashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12761237B2 ## CPC - G01N 35/1011: {Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device} - G01N 35/1065: {Multiple transfer devices} - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract An automatic analyzer includes a dispensing mechanism having at least one horizontal drive shaft and one vertical drive shaft for moving the dispensing nozzle, a first mechanism having a stop position at which the dispensing nozzle is stopped, and a control section for positioning the dispensing nozzle with the stop position of the first mechanism. A member is disposed on the first mechanism to indicate predetermined first and second positions of the first mechanism so that the first and the second positions are detected by sensing the member using the dispensing nozzle. Based on the displacement between the first and the second positions indicating the displacement of the relative position between the dispensing mechanism and the first mechanism, the control section calculates a correction value for correcting the displacement of the stop position caused by fluctuation in a relative position between the dispensing mechanism and the first mechanism. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An automatic analyzer, comprising: a mechanism base; a dispensing mechanism which is configured to be disposed on the mechanism base, and configured to have at least one horizontal drive shaft and one vertical drive shaft for moving a dispensing nozzle; a first mechanism which is configured to be disposed on the mechanism base, and comprises a stop position at which the dispensing nozzle is stopped; a control section configured to position the dispensing nozzle with the stop position of the first mechanism; and a data storage section, wherein: a member is configured to be disposed on the first mechanism indicating a predetermined first position and a predetermined second position of the first mechanism; the horizontal drive shaft of the dispensing mechanism is configured to move the dispensing nozzle in an XY plane; the vertical drive shaft of the dispensing mechanism is configured to move the dispensing nozzle in a Z direction vertical to the XY plane; the data storage section is configured to store a position adjustment value indicating an XY-plane position corresponding to the stop position, a position adjustment value indicating an XY-plane position of the member at the first position, and a position adjustment value indicating an XY-plane position of the member at the second position; the member is configured to be sensed by the dispensing nozzle in order to detect the first position and the second position; and the control section is configured to calculate a correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position corresponding to the stop position based on a positional relation among the stop position, the first position, and the second position, which are configured to be represented by the position adjustment values as the XY-plane positions, and are further configured to be stored in the data storage section, and the XY-plane positions corresponding to the first and the second positions, which are configured to be detected using the dispensing nozzle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein: the dispensing mechanism includes two horizontal drive shafts for moving the dispensing nozzle; the member is a cylindrical member, and a first cylindrical member indicating the first position and a second cylindrical member indicating the second position are disposed on the first mechanism; the dispensing nozzle is brought into contact with three or more points on an inner wall surface of the cylindrical member for detecting a contact point position; and the control section calculates a center position of the first cylindrical member from the detected contact point position of the first cylindrical member, which is set as the first position, and a center position of the second cylindrical member from the detected contact point position of the second cylindrical member, which is set as the second position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, comprising the multiple dispensing mechanisms including a first dispensing mechanism and a second dispensing mechanism, wherein: at least one of the cylindrical members is shared between the first and the second cylindrical members for calculating a correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position corresponding to the stop position of the first dispensing mechanism, and the first and the second cylindrical members are configured for calculating a correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position corresponding to the stop position of the second dispensing mechanism. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The automatic analyze according to claim 2, wherein: the data storage section is configured to store the position adjustment value indicating a Z-direction position corresponding to the stop position, and the position adjustment value indicating a Z-direction position of the first cylindrical member or the second cylindrical member; the dispensing nozzle is brought into contact with a bottom surface of the first cylindrical member or the second cylindrical member to detect the Z-direction position of the cylindrical member; and the control section is configured to calculate a correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position corresponding to the stop position based on the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position of the first cylindrical member or the second cylindrical member, which is stored in the data storage section, and the Z-direction position of the first cylindrical member or the second cylindrical member, which is detected using the dispensing nozzle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein: the first mechanism is a reaction disc; and the stop position is set within a reaction vessel disposed on the reaction disc. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein: the first mechanism is a reagent disc on which a reagent bottle is disposed; and each of the first cylindrical member and the second cylindrical member is configured to be moved to a position where each of the first and the second cylindrical members is visible through each reagent suction hole formed in a reagent disc lid, and has substantially the same height as that of a lid of the reagent bottle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein: a base member is disposed on a bottom surface of the reagent disc or a position around the bottom surface, and movable to a position where the base member is visible through the reagent suction hole formed in the reagent disc lid; the data storage section is configured to store the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position corresponding to the stop position, and the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position of the base member; the dispensing nozzle is brought into contact with an upper surface of the base member to detect the Z-direction position of the base member; and the control section is configured to calculate a correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position corresponding to the stop position based on the position adjustment value indicating the Z-direction position of the base member, which is stored in the data storage section, and the Z-direction position of the base member, which is detected using the dispensing nozzle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein: the dispensing mechanism includes one horizontal drive shaft for moving the dispensing nozzle; the first mechanism is a disc to be rotationally driven around the center as an axis; and the member is a cylindrical member; when the cylindrical member is at the first position, the dispensing nozzle is brought into contact with two points on an inner wall surface of the cylindrical member for detecting a contact point position; and when the disc is configured to be rotationally driven to dislocate the cylindrical member from the first position, the dispensing nozzle is brought into contact with two points on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical member for detecting a contact point position; and the control section is configured to calculate a center position of the cylindrical member based on the detected contact point position of the cylindrical member at the first position, and a contact point position of the cylindrical member, which has been obtained through coordinate conversion of the contact point position of the cylindrical member detected in the state dislocated from the first position into the contact point position of the cylindrical member at the first position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The automatic analyzer according to claim 8, wherein: the disc is configured to be rotationally moved to bring the cylindrical member into the second position; and rotational drive amount for the disc to move the cylindrical member from the first position to the second position is larger than rotational drive amount for the disc to obtain the center position of the cylindrical member. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to output a warning of abnormality if movement of the dispensing nozzle to the stop position in accordance with the position adjustment value corrected by the calculated correction value exceeds a prescribed operation range of the dispensing nozzle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The automatic analyzer according to claim 10, wherein the control section is configured to output a warning of abnormality if the calculated correction value exceeds a prescribed range of correction quantity. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control section is configured to calculate the correction value of the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position corresponding to the stop position at each activation of the automatic analyzer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position of the member at the first position and the position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position of the member at the second position are predetermined values stored in a normal state before positional deviation of the first mechanism relative to the dispensing mechanism occurs, and wherein the control section is configured to calculate the correction value based on a comparison between (i) the stored position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position of the member at the first position and the detected XY-plane position corresponding to the first position, and (ii) the stored position adjustment value indicating the XY-plane position of the member at the second position and the detected XY-plane position corresponding to the second position, such that the correction value compensates for positional deviation caused by deformation of the mechanism base.