US 2026/0309730 A1Published application

Automatic analyzer

AssigneeHitachi High-Tech Corporation

InventorsYutaka WATANABE, Shinya MATSUOKA

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Abstract

A consumable storage vessel mount section is designed to hold vessels in two positions: a first position and a second position. The consumable in the vessel at the first position is utilized for performing sample analysis. Once the consumable in the first position is exhausted, the vessel in the second position is automatically transferred to the first position for continued use. Prior to initiating analysis, a check is performed to determine whether the consumable in the second position remains usable. If the second consumable is found to be invalid or expired, the system evaluates whether the sample analysis can proceed with only the consumable at the first position, or if both consumables are required. This approach ensures that analyses are not interrupted due to the unavailability or expiration of a consumable in standby, thereby maintaining efficiency, reliability, and continuity of the analytical process without delays.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An automatic analyzer comprising:

an analysis section for analyzing a sample using a consumable;
and
a control section for controlling a sample analysis performed by the analysis section, wherein:
the consumable is held in a consumable storage vessel mount section of the analysis section while being stored in a consumable storage vessel attached with an identifier;
the consumable storage vessel mount section includes a first position and a second position, the consumable stored in the consumable storage vessel at the first position is used for the sample analysis, and when the consumable storage vessel at the first position has been used, the consumable storage vessel at the second position is transferred to the first position;
the consumable storage vessel mount section includes an identification section for identifying the identifier attached to the consumable storage vessel at the second position;
and
when it is determined that the consumable stored in the consumable storage vessel at the second position is unusable based on an identification made by the identification section, the control section determines before starting the sample analysis whether it is possible to perform the sample analysis by using only the consumable stored in the consumable storage vessel at the first position, or it is necessary to use the consumables stored in the consumable storage vessels at the first and the second positions for performing the sample analysis.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.