Automatic analyzer

Abstract

An automatic analyzer according to the present invention is compact, mounting great number of reagents, having high processing ability. Reagent disks are arranged at inside and outside of a reaction disk. A reagent probe can inject a reagent into the position which is common position of both reagent disks. One of plural reagent probes approaches to one of reagent disks at one cycle. Plural reagent probes alternatively approach to the reagent disk. Therefore, the first reagents and the second reagents can be placed on both reagent disks. The mounting number of reagents can be increased without enlarging an analyzer. The cycle time can be shortened to make an automatic analyzer to have high processing ability.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An automatic analyzer having a reagent disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reagent containers, a reaction disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reaction cells, said automatic analyzer reacting a reagent received in said reagent containers with a sample in said reaction cell to analyze the reaction of said sample, comprising: 
 a plurality of reagent disks; and    a reagent dispensing probe for sucking said reagent from said one reagent container and injecting the said reagent into said reaction cell,    wherein said reagent dispensing probe sucks said reagents from each of said reagent containers on said plurality of said reagent disks, injecting said reagents into said reaction cell on a same dispensing position.    
     
     
         2 . An automatic analyzer having a reagent disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reagent containers, a reaction disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reaction cells, said automatic analyzer reacting a reagent received in said reagent containers with a sample in said reaction cell to analyze the reaction of said sample, comprising: 
 a plurality of reagent disks; and    a system arranged such that desired plural reagents can be aspirated from their corresponding ones of said reagent containers on said plural reagent disks and can then be injected into said reaction cell at the same dispensing position on said reaction disk and also such that a cycle, in which a reagent aspirated from a reagent container on specific one of said reagent disks can be injected at the same dispensing position into said reaction cell, and another cycle, in which a reagent aspirated from a reagent container on another one of said reagent disks can be injected at the same dispensing position into said reagent cell, are periodically repeated.    
     
     
         3 . An automatic analyzer according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein in a course of said reaction within said reaction cell, said desired plural reagents and said sample can be reacted in said reaction cell, and said desired plural reagents for use in said reaction are arranged on the same one of said plural reaction disks.  
     
     
         4 . An automatic analyzer according to any one of claims  1 - 3 , comprising a plurality of sets each of which is composed of a sampling probe for dispensing samples, a reagent dispensing probe as defined in said claim and a reagent disk as defined in said claim, and a controller for controlling said automatic analyzer such that no combination of said sampling probes, said reagent dispensing probes and said reagent disk in plural ones of said sets is used for a single analysis.  
     
     
         5 . An automatic analyzer having a reagent disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reagent containers, a reaction disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reaction cells, said automatic analyzer reacting a reagent received in said reagent containers with a sample in said reaction cell to analyze the reaction of said sample, comprising: 
 a plurality of reagent disks; and    a reagent dispensing probe capable of dispensing desired plural reagents from their corresponding ones of different reagent containers, which are arranged on circumferences of said reagent disks, into desired one of said plural reaction cells on said reaction disk without moving said reaction disk.    
     
     
         6 . An automatic analyzer provided with a reagent disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reagent containers, a reaction disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reaction cells, and a system for subjecting a reagent, which is placed in one of said reagent containers, and a sample to a reaction in one of said reaction cells and analyzing said reaction, comprising: 
 a plurality of reagent disks; and    a plurality of independently-operable reagent dispensing probes capable of dispensing desired plural reagents from their corresponding ones of different reagent containers, which are arranged on circumferences of said reagent disks, into desired one of said plural reaction cells on said reaction disk without moving said reaction disk.    
     
     
         7 . An automatic analyzer provided with a reagent disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reagent containers, a reaction disk for arranging on a circumference thereof plural reaction cells, and a system for subjecting a reagent, which is placed in one of said reagent containers, and a sample to a reaction in one of said reaction cells and analyzing said reaction, comprising: 
 a plurality of reagent disks; and    a plurality of independently-operable reagent dispensing probes capable of dispensing desired plural reagents from their corresponding ones of different reagent containers, which are arranged on circumferences of said reagent disks, into desired plural ones of said plural reaction cells on said reaction disk, respectively, without moving said reaction disk, said plurality of independently-operable reagent dispensing probes corresponding to said desired plural reaction cells, respectively.    
     
     
         8 . An automatic analyzer according to any one of claims  1 - 7 , wherein each reagent dispensing probe is provided with a moving mechanism capable of reciprocating said reagent dispensing probe along a rail extending over said plural reagent disks.  
     
     
         9 . An automatic analyzer according to  claim 8 , wherein each reagent dispensing probe is provided with a moving mechanism capable of reciprocating said reagent dispensing probe along a rail extending over said plural reagent disks.  
     
     
         10 . An automatic analyzer according to any one of claims  1 - 9 , wherein at least one of said plural reagent disks is arranged inside said reaction disk with their central axes extending along the same line.  
     
     
         11 . An automatic analyzer according to  claim 9  to  10 , wherein at least one of said reagent dispensing probes is provided with a moving mechanism capable of moving said at least one reagent dispensing probe in a direction substantially vertical to said rail.  
     
     
         12 . An automatic analyzer according to any one of claims  1 - 11 , wherein said reagent containers can each store in a single package both of a first reagent and a second reagent to be used for the same analysis item, and can each be replaced package by package.