Automatic analyzing apparatus

An apparatus for effecting automatic analysis for sample liquids comprising:

• a turntable arranged rotatably abouts its center axis and having a plurality of receptacles formed along a peripheral portion of the turntable for holding a plurality of reaction vessels;
• means for rotating the turntable about its center axis intermittently, rotation of said turntable resulting in the indexing of reaction vessels in said receptables along a path of travel;
• means for successively feeding reaction vessels into successive receptacles of the turntable;
• means for delivering given amounts of samples into reaction vessels;
• means for delivering given amounts of at least one reagent, corresponding to a given test item to be measured, into reaction vessels held by said receptacles of the turntable to form test liquids in respective reaction vessels;
• means comprising a light source fixed at a center of the turntable for emitting light beams having a plurality of wavelengths in all radial directions of said turntable;
• rotatable light beam directing means arranged about the center axis of the turntable for directing a light beam emitted from the light source toward successive reaction vessels held in said receptacles of the turntable, said light beam directing means comprising a cylinder having a longitudinal axis and having a slit formed therein positioned about said light source and being rotatable about said longtudinal axis distally around the light source and arranged proximally with respect to the path of travel of reaction vessels in said receptacles of the turntable during intermittent rotation thereof;
• photometering means, fixed relative to said light source, having a plurality of light receiving ports fixedly arranged adjacent a plurality of photometric positions along said path of travel to receive light beams from said light source transmitted through reaction vessels in said receptacles of the turntable when reaction vessels are positioned at said photometric positions, said photometering means comprising a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a radial manner distally with respect to the path of travel of reaction vessels in said receptacles of the turntable, each fiber having a first and a second end, the first end of each fiber being placed opposite the distal side of the respective vessel positioned in a respective one of said receptacles at a respective photometric position, and the second ends of all fibers being collected together, a photodetector placed opposite the collected second ends of the fibers, and a filter unit fixed relative to said photometering means and said light source said filter unit including a plurality of optical filters rotatably arranged between the collected second ends of fibers and the photodetector, said filters each having a different transmission wavelength;
• means for driving said turntable, filter unit and light beam directing means in such a manner that during each cycle of the intermittent rotation of the turntable, the light beam directing means and said filter unit are each rotated at least one full revolution, so that each of the light beams are made incident upon reaction vessels in each of said receptacles of the turntable at least once to produce successively from said photometering means a plurality of photometered values, corresponding to each of said different transmission wavelengths, for test liquid contained in each of such reaction vessels;
• means for removing a reaction vessel from a receptacle of the turntable after photometry has been completed for a test liquid contained in that reaction vessel;
• and
• means for receiving said plurality of photometered values and for selecting therefrom given quantitative analysis data for a given test item for a respective test liquid in each of a plurality of reaction vessels.