Analysis apparatus

• US 4,055,395 A
• Filed: 10/29/1976
• Issued: 10/25/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kenji, Shimizu, Mikio, Honkawa, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US05/737,094
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 23/253 R, 23/259, 356/244, 356/178, 250/343
• US Class Current: 422/82.09
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/253 for batch operation, i.e. multisample apparatus analytical automats G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/75 Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated systems in which material is burnt in a flame or plasma G01N21/72, G01N21/73

Abstract

In a biochemical analysis apparatus, two kind of cuvettes are used, one having a single chamber and the other having three chambers joined. These cuvettes are incubated at a predetermined temperature in incubator chambers of the analysis apparatus one after another, and the period of the incubation is determined depending on the above kind of the cuvettes. After the completion of incubation the cuvette is set in a measuring chamber of a photometry section of the analysis apparatus. In the photometry section, two paris of photosensors are provided for detecting the light of various wave length which passes through the measuring chamber, and either one of the two pairs of photosensors is automatically selected according to the kind of the cuvette set in the measuring chamber. Ouput signals from a pair of the photosensors are calculated automatically and the result of the calculation is indicated on an indicator of this apparatus.

Claims

1. An analysis apparatus for performing various chemical analysis using containers, each of which has at least one chamber containing specific reagent and a form thereof depending upon the analysis mode to be performed, comprising:

means forming a plurality of incubator chambers for successively heating the containers for various periods of time at a predetermined temperature depending on the forms of the containers that correspond to the analysis mode;

means forming a measuring chamber for receiving the container after the incubation in the incubator chambers; and

photometry means comprising

a. a light source for radiating light of various wave length through said measuring chamber,

b. photometric measuring means for detecting the light which passes through said measuring chamber and producing a correlated signal,

c. circuitry means having a first circuit for detecing the form of the container inserted into said measuring chamber and for selecting the light to be detected by said photometric measuring means depending on the form of the container in the measuring chamber, and a second sircuit for receiving signals from said photometric measuring means and transforming them into readable data, and

d. indicator means receiving and displaying the readable data of said second circuit of said circuitry means.

2. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said photometric measuring means of said photometry means comprises at least four photosensor means selectively sensitive to respective specific wave lengths, said photosensor means being divided into at least two pairs for at least two analysis modes, respectively, and one of said pairs of said photosensor means becoming selectively operative to send its signals to said second circuit under the control of said first circuit depending upon the form of the container within said measuring chamber.

3. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including two different forms of the containers respectively for two different analysis modes, one form having a single chamber and another form having three chambers.

4. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said measuring chamber is formed so as to selectively receive both said one form of container and said another form of container, with said single chamber of said one form and one of the three chambers of said another form being in identical positions with respect to said light source, and including means shifting said measuring chamber to succesively position the remaining two chambers of said another form in said position;

said first circuit of said circuitry means having at least one sensor means for detecting the presence of a chamber, for both said one form and said another form, in said positon, and a second sensor means for detecting the presence of more than one chamber to distinguish between the one form and the another form.

5. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means forming incubator chambers further comprises timer means for indicating successive completions of the incubations performed in separate incubator chambers, respectively.

6. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means forming incubator chambers provides a plurality of incubator chambers equally spaced around said timer means.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said means forming incubator chambers provides a second plurality of said incubator chambers in a grouping separate from and spaced from said incubator chambers around said timer means, and having indicia respectfully associated therewith, and said timer means having a pointer and indicia means that are relatively moveable with respect to each other during the timing, which indicia means correspond respectively to the incubator chambers of said second grouping.

8. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 7, including two different forms of the containers respectively for two different analysis modes, one form having a single chamber and being of such an external shape as to be received within the incubator chambers around said timer means, and another form having three chambers with an external shape receivable only within the incubator chambers of said second grouping, so that said incubator chambers around said timer means are adaptable to incubation for a first analysis mode whereas said second grouping of incubator chambers is adaptable to incubation for a second analysis mode.

9. An analysis apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein said measuring chamber is formed so as to selectively receive both said one form of container and said another form of container, with said single chamber of said one form and one of the three chambers of said another form being in identical positions with respect to said light source, and including means shifting said measuring chamber to successively position the remaining two chambers of said another form in said position;

said first circuit of said circuitry means having at least one sensor means for detecting the presence of a chamber, for both said one form and said another form, in said position, and a second sensor means for detecting the presence of more than one chamber to distinguish between the one form and the another form.