Cuvette supplying device and specimen analyzer

Abstract

A cuvette supplying device is disclosed. The cuvette supplying device comprises: a cuvette storage for storing cuvettes; a carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage, for carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the cuvette storage; a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at the bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier; and an arranging section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette storage by the carrier at a predetermined position. The specimen analyzer comprising the cuvette supplying device is also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A specimen analyzer comprising:
 a cuvette supplying device, wherein the cuvette supplying device comprises:   a cuvette storage for storing cuvettes,   a carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage, for carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the cuvette storage;   a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at the bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier,   an arranging section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette storage by the carrier at a predetermined position, and   a partitioning member for regulating the cuvettes at an upper layer part of a stack of cuvettes in the storage from rolling towards the carrier;   an optical detector for optically interrogating a specimen accommodated in the cuvette; and   a container transport unit for transporting the cuvette arranged at the predetermined position to the optical detector,   wherein the arranging section comprises:   a receiving portion configured to store the cuvettes carried by the carrier; and   a transport rail configured to accommodate the cuvettes stored in the receiving portion in a line, and to arrange the cuvette accommodated in the line at the predetermined position, and   wherein the partitioning member is inclined towards a receiving portion side with advancement to a lower side.   
     
     
         2 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the cuvette storage is provided with an insertion port at the upper side through which a user drops cuvettes into the cuvette storage, and
 the cuvette storage randomly stores the cuvettes dropped through the insertion port.   
     
     
         3 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor includes:
 a mounting portion on which the cuvettes existing at the bottom of the cuvette storage are mounted, the mounting portion being provided so as to be exposed at the bottom of the cuvette storage, and   a drive section for driving the mounting portion to transfer the cuvettes on the mounting portion towards the carrier.   
     
     
         4 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the carrier includes one or more holding plates for scooping the cuvettes, and a motor for driving the scooping portions, and   the drive portion of the conveyor is driven by a power generated by the motor.   
     
     
         5 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 3 , wherein the mounting portion is configured as an inclined surface that becomes lower towards the carrier. 
     
     
         6 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 3 , wherein
 a bottom surface of the cuvette storage is entirely or partially opened, and   the mounting portion is exposed into the cuvette storage through the opening.   
     
     
         7 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 3 , wherein the conveyor includes pulleys arranged in a line directed towards the carrier, and an annular belt, as the mounting portion, supported around the pulleys. 
     
     
         8 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein a transfer amount of the cuvettes by the conveyor is smaller than a transfer amount of the cuvettes by the carrier. 
     
     
         9 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the cuvette storage is, in a plan view, an elongate shape that is long in the transfer direction of the cuvettes transferred by the conveyor towards the carrier and short in the orthogonal direction of the transfer direction, and   the mounting portion is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cuvette storage.   
     
     
         10 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 9 , wherein the cuvette storage has an inclined surface in at least one of the side surfaces facing each other in the orthogonal direction so that the cuvette storage is narrowed. 
     
     
         11 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a detecting section for detecting presence or absence of the cuvette arranged at the predetermined position by the arranging section, and   a controlling section for alternatively switching drive and non-drive of at least one of the conveyor and the carrier according to a detection result of the detecting section.   
     
     
         12 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the carrier includes a scooping portion for scooping the cuvettes.   
     
     
         13 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 12 , wherein the carrier is arranged in an inclined manner to move the cuvettes towards a diagonally upper side. 
     
     
         14 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the arranging section includes a receiving portion for receiving the cuvettes dropped from the shoulders after passing the highest position. 
     
     
         15 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the arranging section includes a sending portion for supplying the cuvette carried out by the carrier one at a time, and a transport arrangement portion for aligning the cuvettes supplied by the carrier. 
     
     
         16 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 15 , wherein the transport arrangement portion aligns the cuvettes such that an opening of the container is faced upward. 
     
     
         17 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the transport rail is configured to cause the open end of the cuvette to face upward. 
     
     
         18 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the container transport unit comprises:
 a supply catcher unit configured to transport the cuvette arranged at the predetermined position to a dispensing table; and   a cuvette moving unit configured to move the cuvette between the dispensing table and a second optical information acquiring unit having the optical detector.   
     
     
         19 . The specimen analyzer according to  claim 1 , wherein the arranging section further comprises a table having a cutout, and
 the transportation rail is configured to arrange the cuvette at the cutout as the predetermined position.   
     
     
         20 . A cuvette supplying device comprising:
 a cuvette storage for storing cuvettes,   a carrier, provided inside the cuvette storage, for carrying the cuvettes in the cuvette storage outside the cuvette storage;   a conveyor for conveying the cuvettes existing at the bottom of the cuvette storage towards the carrier,   an arranging section for arranging the cuvettes carried outside the cuvette storage by the carrier at a predetermined position, and   a partitioning member for regulating the cuvettes at an upper layer part of a stack of cuvettes in the storage from rolling towards the carrier;   wherein the arranging section comprises:   a receiving portion configured to store the cuvettes carried by the carrier; and   a transport rail configured to accommodate the cuvettes stored in the receiving portion in a line, and to arrange the cuvette accommodated in the line at the predetermined position, and   wherein the partitioning member is inclined towards a receiving portion side with advancement to a lower side.