Automatic cuvette loading apparatus

• US 4,634,575 A
• Filed: 09/03/1985
• Issued: 01/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawakami, Kazuo, Aihara, Takayuki, Nagai, Yawara
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US06/771,484
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 422/63-65, 422/67, 422/102, 422/104, 414/114, 414/417, 221/197, 221/198, 221/226
• US Class Current: 422/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0382 Frustoconical, tapered cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/0389 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence

Abstract

A cuvette for use in an automatic chemical analyzer is formed of molded transparent plastic material, the cuvette having a flat box construction made of main walls, side walls and a bottom. Entrance and exit windows for a measuring light beam are formed in the side walls in such a manner the windows are recessed inwardly with respect to the side walls. A number of such cuvettes are arranged in a magazine and a plurality of such magazines are set in an automatic cuvette loader for supplying the cuvettes in a reaction line one by one. The automatic cuvette loader has a first slider for moving the magazines stocked in a container into a cuvette loading position one by one and for pushing the cuvettes in the magazine in a direction perpendicular to a discharging direction and a second slider for pushing a cuvette array in the cuvette discharging direction so as to discharge the cuvettes one by one through an outlet formed in the magazine.

Claims

1. An automatic cuvette loading apparatus for use in an automatic chemical analyzer comprising:

a plurality of magazines, each magazine containing a plurality of cuvette rows and each row having a plurality of cuvettes, each magazine comprising;

(i) a top and a bottom arranged in parallel with each other;

(ii) first and second side walls arranged in parallel with each other between opposing side edges of said top and bottom;

(iii) third and fourth side walls arranged in parallel with each other between other opposing side edges of said top and bottom and between said first and second side walls;

(iv) an outlet provided in the first side wall and sized to allow discharge of the cuvettes therethrough one by one;

(v) a movable push plate contained within the magazine and being substantially parallal wlth said rows of cuvettes; and

(vi) a window formed in ihe third side wall and extending from the first side wall to the second side wall;

means for containing said plurality of magazines;

means for successively feeding magazines from said magazine containing means into a cuvette loading position, said top and bottom of a magazine in said cuvette loading position being substantially horizontal;

reaction line means for conveying cuvettes to an analyzing station located along said reaction line, said reaction line having a cuvette receiving part disposed opposite a magazine in said cuvette loading position;

means, insertable into said magazine through said window, for successively loading the cuvettes in one cuvette row contained in the magazine situated at the ouvette loading position horizontally one by one through the outlet of the magazine into said cuvette receiving part of the reaction line;

means for moving cuvette rows in the relevant magazine, after loading of the one cuvette row has been completed, in a direction substantially horizontal, thereby to move a new row of cuvettes to become the one cuvette row being loaded, said means for moving cuvette rows engaging said push plate to move said cuvette rows; and

means for removing an empty magazine from the cuvette loading position.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magazine removing means comprises means for dropping the empty magazine down due to the gravitational force.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each said magazine further comprises a resilient projection formed in said third side wall near said outlet to press against a cuvette being discharged through said outlet so as to ensure proper positioning of the cuvette upon discharge thereof.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each said magazine further comprises at least one recess formed in said top and said fourth side wall such that said means for moving the cuvette rows can be inserted into the magazine through said recess.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the top, bottom and side walls of each said magazine comprise a single integrally molded piece.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said magazine containing means comprises a container for holding a stack of the magazines one on the other, a magazine support slidably arranged in the container and means for moving the magazine support in an upward direction.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said magazine feeding means comprises a first slider movably arranged betwee the magazine containing means and the cuvette loading means and means for reciprocating the first slider.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said magazine containing means further comprises stopper means for inhibiting the upward movement of the magazine stack and said stopper means is removed from the magazine stack by means of the first slider of the magazine feeding means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said magazine removing means is made operative in conjunction with the movement of the stopping means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said cuvette loading means comprises a second slider for pushing said one cuvette row to successively load the cuvettes therein and further comprises means for reciprocating the second slider so as to allow said means for moving cuvette rows to move a new cuvette row to become said one cuvette row.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first slider further comprises said means for moving cuvette rows.