# US 9,039,970 B2 · Automatic analyzer

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- Number: US 9,039,970 B2
- Document ID: US9039970B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/288,332
- Filed: 2011-11-03
- Published: 2012-03-22
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2004-09-17
- Assignees: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
- Applicants: Hitoshi Tokieda; Isao Yamazaki; Masaaki Hanawa
- Inventors: Hitoshi Tokieda; Isao Yamazaki; Masaaki Hanawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9039970B2

## CPC

- G01N 35/109: {with two horizontal degrees of freedom}
- G01N 35/0092: {Scheduling}
- G01N 35/0099: {comprising robots or similar manipulators (robots per se B25J)}
- G01N 35/025: {having a carousel or turntable for reaction cells or cuvettes}
- G01N 35/1065: {Multiple transfer devices}
- G01N 2035/0094: {optimisation; experiment design}
- G01N 2035/0443: {for reagents}
- G01N 2035/0444: {for cuvettes or reaction vessels}
- G01N 2035/0453: {Multiple carousels working in parallel}
- G01N 2035/0455: {Coaxial carousels}
- G01N 2035/1093: {Cylindrical, e.g. variable radius and angle}
- Y10T 436/11: Automated chemical analysis
- 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)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

An automatic analyzer having reagent disks disposed inside and outside a reaction disk. A plurality of reagent probes are alternately accessed one by one to each of the reagent disks per cycle. Each reagent probe comprises two arms rotatable independently of each other so that the reagent probe is able to access a plurality of points and interference between the plurality of reagent probes can be avoided. A first reagent and a second reagent can be loaded on each of the reagent disks.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automatic analyzer comprising:
a plurality of reagent disks, with rotary axes of said reagent disks being different from each other;
a plurality of reagent containers being arranged along a circumference of each of said reagent disks;
a reaction disk on which a plurality of reaction cuvettes are arranged along a circumference;
a plurality of reagent dispensing probes arranged on each of said reagent disks, each of said reagent dispensing probes including a first arm rotatable about a first rotary shaft and a second arm rotatable about a second rotary shaft arranged on said first arm, said first arm and said second arm being rotatable independently of each other,
each of said reagent dispensing probes movable to suck a reagent contained in said reagent containers and to eject the sucked reagent into a reaction cuvette, and
where at least one pair of said plurality of reagent dispensing probes is arranged so that one reagent dispensing probe of said pair of reagent dispensing probes is disposed at one of said reagent disks and the other reagent dispensing probe of said pair of reagent dispensing probes is disposed at another of said reagent disks and is movable along a working path, and both dispensing probes are movable to eject the sucked reagents from the reagent containers on the reagent disks into the reaction cuvette at a same dispensing position on the reaction disk;
an optical detector to analyze reactions of said reagents and samples in said reaction cuvettes;
a washing port for washing the reagent dispensing probes; and
a controller configured to control each of the reagent dispensing probes, wherein when the second arm of the one reagent dispensing probe of said pair is to be moved to the washing port and interferes with the other reagent dispensing probe of said pair by obstructing the working path, the controller moves the first arm of the one reagent dispensing probe of said pair to a position where the second arm of the one reagent dispensing probe of said pair does not interfere with the other reagent dispensing probe of said pair, and thereafter, the controller moves the second arm of the one reagent dispensing probe of said pair to the washing port without interfering with the other reagent dispensing probe of said pair.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control each of the reagent dispensing probes arranged on each of said reagent disks so that only one of said reagent dispensing probes arranged on each of said reagent disks sucks the reagent during one cycle of a rotation of said reaction disk.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a sample and a plurality of said reagents are reacted in a reaction process in one reaction cuvette, a plurality of said reagents used for reaction in one reaction cuvette being arranged on a same reagent disk.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising a sample probe for dispensing a sample into said reaction cuvette,
wherein said automatic analyzer comprises a plurality of sets, each of which includes one set of said sample dispensing probe, a plurality of said reagent dispensing probes, and one of said reagent disks, and said automatic analyzer controls only any one set of said plurality of sets to be used for one analysis item.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of said reagent disks are arranged on an inner side of said reaction disk and a rotation axis of said at least one of said plurality of said reagent disks is a same axis of said reaction disk.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein each of said reagent containers is one reagent container package containing a first reagent and a second reagent, both of which are used for analyzing a same analysis item, and each said reagent container package is exchangeable.