阅读说明：本技术 比色皿废弃单元 (Cuvette discard unit ) 是由 东美幸 森谷正道 浅野敬 于 2019-10-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种比色皿废弃单元,该比色皿废弃单元(10)包括：能从上部开口(26)废弃比色皿的比色皿废弃容器(20)；可收容比色皿废弃容器(20)的收容架(30)；以及配置在比色皿废弃容器(20)的上部并具有投入比色皿的投入口的比色皿接收部(40),比色皿接收部(40)具有可动式的比色皿接收底部(60),在比色皿废弃容器(20)收容于收容架(30)的状态下,比色皿接收底部(60)维持能把从投入口接收的比色皿投入位于下方的比色皿废弃容器(20)的退避姿势,在比色皿废弃容器(20)未收容于收容架(30)的状态下,比色皿接收底部(60)维持接住从投入口接收的比色皿的临时接收姿势,避免在废弃存留的废弃比色皿的期间分析动作临时中断。(The present invention provides a cuvette discard unit (10) comprising: a cuvette discard container (20) capable of discarding cuvettes from the upper opening (26); a storage rack (30) for storing a cuvette disposal container (20); and a cuvette receiving section (40) which is arranged above the cuvette discard container (20) and has an input port into which the cuvette is input, wherein the cuvette receiving section (40) has a movable cuvette receiving bottom section (60), and the cuvette receiving bottom section (60) maintains a retreat posture in which the cuvette received from the input port can be input into the lower cuvette discard container (20) in a state in which the cuvette discard container (20) is stored in the storage rack (30), and the cuvette receiving bottom section (60) maintains a temporary receiving posture in which the cuvette received from the input port is received by the cuvette receiving bottom section in a state in which the cuvette discard container (20) is not stored in the storage rack (30), thereby preventing an analysis operation from being temporarily interrupted during discarding of the remaining discarded cuvettes.)

1. A cuvette discard unit, characterized by comprising:

a cuvette disposal container capable of discarding the used cuvette from the upper opening;

a rack for storing the cuvette discard container; and

a cuvette receiving section disposed at an upper portion of the cuvette discard container and having an inlet port for introducing a used cuvette used in the analyzer,

the cuvette receiving portion has a movable cuvette receiving bottom,

the cuvette receiving bottom portion maintains a retreat posture in which the used cuvette received from the input port can be input into the upper opening of the cuvette disposal container positioned below in a state where the cuvette disposal container is accommodated in the accommodating rack,

the cuvette discard container is not accommodated in the accommodating rack, and the cuvette receiving bottom portion maintains a temporary receiving posture in which the used cuvette received from the input port is received.

2. The cuvette discard unit of claim 1,

further comprising a biasing device for biasing the cuvette receiving bottom section in a direction to switch from the retreat posture to the provisional receiving posture,

the cuvette receiving bottom has a pushed member that is pushed by being brought into contact with the cuvette waste container when the cuvette waste container is received into the receiving rack from the outside,

the cuvette receiving bottom portion is switched from the temporary receiving posture to the retreat posture by pushing the pushed member against the urging force of the urging means.

3. The cuvette disposal unit according to claim 2, wherein the housing rack has a positioning device for suppressing the cuvette disposal container housed inside the housing rack from being displaced from a normal position by an urging force of the urging device, the urging force of the urging device acting on the cuvette disposal container via the urged member.

4. The cuvette waste unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the cuvette receiving part is mounted on the top plate of the accommodating frame,

the top plate has a top plate opening portion for putting the used cuvette received by the cuvette receiving portion from the input port into the upper opening of the cuvette disposal container,

the top plate opening does not interfere with the movable cuvette receiving bottom.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a cuvette discard unit.

Background

Conventionally, an automatic analyzer (automatic measuring apparatus) for measuring components in a biological sample such as a blood sample or a urine sample is known (for example, patent document 1). In such an automatic analyzer, after a biological sample and a reagent are injected into a cuvette (specimen container) and an appropriate stirring operation is performed, a change caused by a reaction in the cuvette is measured by an optical measurement device or the like, and thereby components in the biological sample are analyzed. In addition, the cuvette that has been used is transferred to the cuvette discard port by the cuvette clamp unit of the automatic measuring apparatus or the like, and then discarded into the cuvette discard container disposed below the cuvette discard port through the discard pipe connected to the cuvette discard port.

The waste cuvettes stored in the cuvette waste container are discarded after the cuvette waste container is taken out from the storage space of the cuvette waste container in the automatic analyzer. Generally, a cuvette disposal container is previously provided with a disposal bag, and a used cuvette is stored in the disposal bag. When discarding the waste cuvettes left in the cuvette waste container, the waste bag containing the waste cuvettes is removed from the cuvette waste container, and a new waste bag is installed in the cuvette waste container.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2006/107016

Disclosure of Invention

However, conventionally, while the empty cuvette is discarded from the cuvette discard container and the cuvette discard container is newly mounted on the automatic analyzer, the measurement operation of the analyzer has to be temporarily interrupted. In view of the above-described problems, a main object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of avoiding a temporary interruption of an analysis operation during disposal of a discarded cuvette remaining in a cuvette disposal container.

The cuvette discard unit of the present invention to solve the above problems includes: a cuvette disposal container capable of discarding the used cuvette from the upper opening; a rack for storing the cuvette discard container; and a cuvette receiving section disposed above the cuvette disposal container and having an input port for inputting a used cuvette used in the analyzer, wherein the cuvette receiving section has a movable cuvette receiving bottom, and the cuvette receiving bottom maintains a retreat posture in which the used cuvette received from the input port can be input to the upper opening of the cuvette disposal container located below in a state in which the cuvette disposal container is stored in the storage rack, and the cuvette receiving bottom maintains a temporary receiving posture in which the used cuvette received from the input port is received by the cuvette receiving bottom in a state in which the cuvette disposal container is not stored in the storage rack.

Preferably, the cuvette receiving bottom section is provided with a biasing means for biasing the cuvette receiving bottom section in a direction to switch the cuvette receiving bottom section from the retracted posture to the temporary receiving posture, and the cuvette receiving bottom section is provided with a pushed member which is pushed by contact with the cuvette waste container when the cuvette waste container is accommodated in the accommodating rack from the outside, and the cuvette receiving bottom section is switched from the temporary receiving posture to the retracted posture by pushing the pushed member against the biasing force of the biasing means.

Preferably, the housing rack has a positioning device for suppressing the cuvette disposal container housed in the housing rack from being displaced from a normal position by an urging force of the urging device, the urging force of the urging device acting on the cuvette disposal container via the urged member.

Preferably, the cuvette receiving section is attached to a top plate of the storage rack, the top plate has a top plate opening for inserting the used cuvette received by the cuvette receiving section from the input port into the upper opening of the cuvette disposal container, and the top plate opening does not interfere with the movable cuvette receiving bottom.

According to the present invention, a technique capable of avoiding temporary interruption of analysis operation during disposal of a waste cuvette remaining in a waste cuvette container can be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a complex analysis apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the internal structure of the measurement unit housing section of the composite analysis apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cuvette discard unit.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the receiving rack.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the receiving rack.

Fig. 6 is a left side view of the receiving rack.

Fig. 7 is a right side view of the receiving rack.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a specific structure of the cuvette receiving section.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific structure of the cuvette receiving section.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation in the cuvette disposal unit.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation in the cuvette disposal unit.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation in the cuvette disposal unit.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state of the cuvette receiving bottom in a state where the disposal container is accommodated.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a state of the cuvette receiving bottom in a state where the disposal container is removed.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the cuvette disposal unit 10 and the composite analysis apparatus 1000 to which the cuvette disposal unit 10 is applied according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a composite analysis device 1000 to which a cuvette discard unit 10 according to an embodiment is applied. The composite analysis device 1000 is a device for analyzing components in a biological sample, and can perform LPIA (Latex near infrared turbidimetry), measurement of coagulation time of blood, and the like, for example. The composite analysis apparatus 1000 includes a measurement unit housing 1, a housing 2 such as a tank, a monitor 3, a state output unit 4, and the like. The measurement unit housing unit 1 houses various measurement units. The storage portion 2 such as a tank stores: a tank for storing pure water, washing water and drainage water, respectively; a cuvette discarding unit 10 (see fig. 3) for discarding used cuvettes; and a computer or the like that controls processing performed by the measurement unit housing unit 1.

The monitor 3 is connected to a computer and outputs the progress, results, and the like of the measurement. The monitor 3 may be an input/output device such as a touch panel that allows a user to perform input operations. The state output unit 4 is connected to a computer or the like, and causes a warning lamp to be turned on or off to notify a user when an abnormality occurs in the process performed by the measurement unit housing unit 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the internal structure of the measurement unit housing unit 1 of the composite analysis apparatus 1000. The measurement unit housing section 1 includes a sample rack transport space 101, a cuvette supply device 102, a sample nozzle unit 103, a reagent table 104, a reagent cover opening/closing unit 105, a reagent nozzle unit 106, a solidification table 107, an LPIA table 108, a cuvette holder unit 109, a rail 110, and a cuvette disposal port 111.

The cuvette feeder 102 feeds a cuvette having a predetermined shape to be used in the multiplex analysis apparatus 1000. Further, the cuvettes are supplied one by one from the cuvette supply port 1021.

The sample nozzle unit 103 is a unit as follows: a nozzle connected to a pump is provided, and is moved within a predetermined movable range under the control of a computer, so that a sample is collected from the blood collection tube and discharged to a cuvette of the LPIA stage 108.

The reagent table 104 is a dish-shaped holding unit that holds a plurality of reagent bottles containing reagents and rotates under the control of a computer. The held reagent bottle is collected by the reagent nozzle unit 106 at a predetermined collection position 1041.

The reagent cap opening/closing unit 105 is a unit that moves within a predetermined movable range under the control of a computer and opens and closes the cap of the reagent bottle.

The reagent nozzle unit 106 is a unit as follows: the reagent bottle is provided with a nozzle connected with a pump, moves in a predetermined operation range under the control of a computer, collects the reagent from the reagent bottle and discharges the reagent to the cuvette.

The coagulation table 107 is a holding portion having a plurality of holes for holding a plurality of cuvettes in a row in order to measure the degree of coagulation of the content of the cuvettes. Further, a light source and a light receiving unit are disposed across the cuvette to be held, and the degree of coagulation is measured from the absorbance or transmittance of the contents. Further, the cuvette is attached to and detached from the coagulation table 107 at a predetermined attachment and detachment position 1071 by the cuvette holder unit 109.

The LPIA stage 108 is a dish-shaped holding unit, and rotates under the control of a computer while holding a plurality of cuvettes in a circular array in a plan view in order to measure the amount of antigen in a specimen by LPIA. The cuvette held is attached to and detached from the cuvette holder unit 109 at a predetermined attachment/detachment position 1081, and a reagent is injected at a predetermined injection position 1082.

The cuvette holder unit 109 moves within a predetermined movable range under the control of the computer, and holds and moves the cuvette. The cuvette holder unit 109 holds or drops a cuvette at the position where the solidification table 107 and the LPIA table 108 are attached to or detached from the cuvette supply port 1021, the cuvette disposal port 111, and the like. Further, the rail 110 is a linear rail. The reagent nozzle unit 106 and the cuvette holder unit 109 are connected to the rail 110, respectively, and are movable substantially parallel to the rail 110 in a direction in which the rail 110 extends.

The cuvette disposal port 111 is an opening portion communicating with the cuvette disposal unit 10 (see fig. 3) housed in the housing portion 2 such as a tank, and the cuvette or the like can be discarded into the cuvette disposal port 111. For example, after the latex agglutination measurement and the coagulation time measurement are performed, the used cuvette is transported from the loading/unloading position 1071 and the loading/unloading position 1081 to the cuvette disposal port 111 by the cuvette holder unit 109, and is dropped into the cuvette disposal port 111, thereby being discarded in the cuvette disposal unit 10. The cuvette disposal unit 10 is preferably disposed below the cuvette disposal port 111 (see fig. 2).

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cuvette disposal unit 10 of the embodiment. The cuvette disposal unit 10 includes a cuvette disposal container 20, a storage rack 30 that can store the cuvette disposal container 20, and a cuvette receiving unit 40. The cuvette-discarding container 20 shown in fig. 3 is a rectangular box-shaped container having a front wall 21, a rear wall 22, a left side wall 23, a right side wall 24, and a bottom plate 25. The cuvette disposal container 20 has an upper opening 26 with an open upper surface, and a cuvette holding portion 27 for holding a used cuvette is formed therein. The cuvette discard container 20 may store the used cuvette, which is put in from the upper opening 26, in the cuvette holding portion 27. Further, by attaching a disposal bag to the cuvette holding portion 27 of the cuvette disposal container 20, the used cuvette can be held in the disposal bag. In this case, a bag holder that can be fitted into the upper portion of the cuvette disposal container 20 is preferably provided to fix the disposal bag.

As shown in fig. 3, the storage rack 30 is a frame member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a front opening 31 opened through a front surface. Fig. 4 is a front view of the storage rack 30. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the storage shelf 30. Fig. 6 is a left side view of the housing rack 30. Fig. 7 is a right side view of the housing rack 30.

The storage rack 30 has a container storage 300 formed therein as a space for storing the cuvette disposal container 20. The rack 30 may insert the cuvette disposal container 20 into the container storage 300 from the front opening 31, or may pull the cuvette disposal container 20 in the container storage 300 out from the front opening 31. Here, the storage rack 30 includes a bottom plate 32, a top plate 33, a left side plate 34, a right side plate 35, a rear plate 36 (see fig. 4), and the like. Here, as shown in fig. 3 and 5, the top plate 33 is provided with a rectangular top plate opening 330, and the outside and the inside of the storage rack 30 communicate with each other through the top plate opening 330. However, the shape of the top plate opening 330 is not limited to a rectangle. As shown in fig. 4 and the like, the left and right side plates 34 and 35 of the housing rack 30 are provided with sensors 38a and 38b for detecting that the height of the waste cuvettes stored in the cuvette storage portion 27 of the cuvette waste container 20 reaches a predetermined height, respectively, and the sensors 38a and 38b detect that the height of the waste cuvettes has reached the predetermined height. One of the sensors 38a and 38b is a sensor on the light emitting side, and the other is a sensor on the light receiving side. In addition, through holes are provided in the left and right side plates 34 and 35 at positions where the sensors 38a and 38b are provided, so as not to interfere with light beams or the like output from the sensors. Further, when the output from the sensors 38a and 38b is transmitted to the computer of the composite analysis device 1000 and the cuvette is nearly full in the cuvette disposal container 20 (cuvette storage portion 27), the user can be notified of the timing of replacement of the disposal bag in the cuvette disposal container 20 by, for example, displaying a warning on the monitor 3.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, side guide members 37 are attached to the inner surfaces of the left side plate 34 and the right side plate 35 of the housing rack 30, respectively. The pair of side guide members 37 are provided on the upper side of the storage rack 30, and guide the used cuvettes dropped from above to the upper opening 26 of the cuvette disposal container 20. The side guide member 37 has a guide surface 37a, and the used cuvette is inserted into the cuvette holding portion 27 by sliding on the guide surface 37a and falling obliquely downward. Further, a front guide member 38 for guiding the used cuvettes obliquely rearward and downward is attached to the front edge side of the top plate 33 of the housing rack 30.

A stopper 320 protrudes from a portion of the bottom plate 32 of the storage rack 30 near the front opening 31. The abutment 320 extends in parallel with the width direction of the storage shelf 30. The stopper 320 serves as a member for positioning the cuvette disposal container 20 when the cuvette disposal container 20 is stored in the container storage portion 300. When the cuvette waste container 20 is inserted into the container accommodating portion 300, the cuvette waste container 20 passes over the stopper 320, and the cuvette waste container 20 is mounted to a normal position in the container accommodating portion 300 in a state where the front end of the cuvette waste container 20 is aligned along the rear end edge of the stopper 320.

Next, the cuvette receiving section 40 will be explained. The cuvette receiving unit 40 is a part of the multiple analysis apparatus 1000 that receives the used cuvettes transferred from the measurement unit housing unit 1, and all the used cuvettes are discarded in the cuvette discard container 20 via the cuvette receiving unit 40.

In the example of fig. 3 to 7, the cuvette receiving portion 40 is provided at an upper portion of the housing rack 30 by being mounted on the top plate 33 in the housing rack 30. The cuvette receiving portion 40 is disposed at a position corresponding to the top plate opening 330 of the top plate 33. The cuvette receiving section 40 will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 8 to 10. Fig. 8 to 10 are diagrams illustrating a specific configuration of the cuvette receiving section 40.

The cuvette receiving section 40 includes a channel section 50 and a movable cuvette receiving bottom section 60. The duct portion 50 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame member fixed to the top plate 33 of the housing rack 30, and has a top plate 51, a front wall 52, a left wall 53, a right wall 54, and a rear wall 55. The lower ends of the front wall 52, the left wall 53, and the right wall 54 are provided with fixing brackets 52a, 53a, and 54a, respectively, in the lateral direction. The fixing brackets 52a, 53a, and 54a are connected to the edge of the top plate opening 330 in the top plate 33 of the storage rack 30. A duct bottom opening 50a (see fig. 10) is opened on the lower end side of the duct portion 50. Since the duct bottom opening 50a of the duct portion 50 and the ceiling opening 330 formed in the ceiling 33 of the housing rack 30 are larger in size than the duct bottom opening 50a, the ceiling opening 330 overlaps with the duct bottom opening 50 a. Specifically, the duct bottom opening 50a substantially coincides with the front edge, the left edge, and the right edge of the ceiling opening 330, and the rear edge of the ceiling opening 330 is set back toward the rear of the storage shelf 30 from the rear edge of the duct bottom opening 50 a.

Further, a top plate 51 of the duct portion 50 is opened with a loading port 51a for loading a used cuvette. The inlet port 51a of the channel portion 50 in the cuvette receiving portion 40 is connected to the other end side of the waste channel 112 having the cuvette waste port 111 formed at one end side. Therefore, the used cuvette dropped into the cuvette discard port 111 in the measurement unit housing portion 1 is transferred to the cuvette receiving portion 40 through the discard conduit 112, and is dropped into the conduit portion 50 through the drop port 51 a.

Next, the movable cuvette receiving base 60 in the cuvette receiving section 40 will be described. As shown in fig. 10, coupling pieces 55a, 55a for attaching the cuvette receiving bottom 60 are provided at both left and right ends of the rear wall 55 of the duct portion 50 so as to project rearward.

The cuvette receiving base 60 includes: a bottom cover 61 capable of closing a duct bottom opening 50a provided on the lower end side of the duct portion 50; and connection pieces 62a, 62a provided at both left and right ends of the rear of the bottom cover 61. The bottom cover 61, as shown in fig. 10, has a substantially quadrangular bottom plate 610, and a front wall 611, a rear wall 612, a left side wall 613, and a right side wall 614 vertically provided from each side of the bottom plate 610. Further, the front wall 611 of the bottom cover 61 extends diagonally forward from the bottom plate 610. Further, the rear wall 612, the left side wall 613, and the right side wall 614 of the bottom cover 61 extend vertically upward from the bottom plate 610. Thus, the liquid leakage in the temporary receiving posture can be prevented.

The movable cuvette receiving base 60 connects the connection pieces 62a, 62a provided on the bottom cover 61 to the pair of connection pieces 55a, 55a provided on the duct portion 50 via the rotation shaft member 63. Thus, the cuvette receiving base 60 is rotatable about the rotation shaft member 63 with respect to the duct portion 50. The pair of left and right coupling pieces 62a, 62a and the pair of left and right coupling pieces 55a, 55a are provided with bearing holes through which both ends of the rotating shaft member 63 are inserted, and the coupling pieces 62a, 62a of the cuvette receiving base 60 are rotatably moved relative to the coupling pieces 55a, 55a of the duct portion 50 by inserting the rotating shaft member 63 through these bearing holes.

Further, the cuvette receiving section 40 in the present embodiment includes a biasing mechanism 70 (biasing means) as shown in fig. 8. The urging mechanism 70 includes an urging spring 71 and mooring portions 72, 73 for tying both ends of the urging spring 71. The mooring portion 72 is fixed to the right wall 54 of the duct portion 50, and is used to tie down one end of the urging spring 71. Further, a mooring portion 73 is fixed to the connection pieces 62a, 62a of the cuvette receiving base 60 for tying the other end of the urging spring 71. As shown in fig. 8, the mooring portion 73 of the urging mechanism 70 is provided at a position closer to the bottom cover 61 than the position of the rotation shaft member 63. Therefore, the urging spring 71 is urged by the elastic force that the urging spring 71 wants to contract, to the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60, thereby always urging the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 in a direction in which the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 closes the channel bottom opening 50a of the channel portion 50. In fig. 9 and 10, the biasing mechanism 70 in the cuvette receiving portion 40 is not shown.

Here, as shown in fig. 10, the cuvette receiving base 60 in the cuvette receiving portion 40 is provided with a manipulation lever 80. The operation lever 80 is a rod-like member connected to the bottom plate 610 of the bottom cover 61 as shown in fig. 10, and extends vertically downward from the bottom plate 610. Further, as shown in fig. 10, the operation lever 80 is connected to the bottom cover 61 at a position near the rear end in the bottom plate 610. Specifically, the operation lever 80 functions as a pushed member that is pushed by coming into contact with the rear wall 22 of the cuvette disposal container 20 when the cuvette disposal container 20 is stored in the storage rack 30 from the outside of the storage rack 30, and the operation lever 80 functions to switch the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 (bottom cover 61) when the cuvette disposal container 20 is discarded.

Fig. 11 and 12 are diagrams illustrating an operation in the cuvette disposal unit 10. Fig. 11 shows a state in which the cuvette disposal container 20 is stored in the container storage portion 300 of the storage rack 30 (hereinafter, referred to as a "disposal container storage state"). Fig. 12 shows a state in which the cuvette disposal container 20 is pulled out from the container accommodating portion 300 of the accommodating rack 30 (hereinafter, referred to as a "disposal container pulled-out state"). Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a state of the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 in a state where the disposal container is accommodated. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a state of the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 in a state where the disposal container is pulled out. In fig. 13, 14, and the like, the biasing spring 71 is not shown.

Here, in the waste container storage state, as shown in fig. 11 and 13, the operation lever 80 is kept pushed to the rear side in the container storage portion 300 against the elastic force (urging force) of the urging spring 71 by contact with the rear wall 22 of the cuvette waste container 20 (hereinafter, referred to as "lever pushed state"). In other words, the length of the operation lever 80 is adjusted so that the operation lever 80 maintains a lever pushed state when the cuvette disposal container 20 is accommodated in the container accommodating portion 300 of the accommodating rack 30.

As shown in fig. 11, when the operation lever 80 is in the lever-pushed state, the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 (bottom cover 61) maintains a retracted posture in which it is retracted (retracted) from the tube bottom opening 50a of the tube portion 50 so as not to block the tube bottom opening 50 a. While the cuvette receiving bottom 60 (bottom cover 61) is kept in the retracted position, the used cuvette received from the input port 51a of the cuvette receiving unit 40 (channel unit 50) through the disposal channel 112 is input to the upper opening 26 of the lower cuvette disposal container 20 through the channel bottom opening 50a and the top opening 330, and then discarded in the cuvette holding portion 27 of the cuvette disposal container 20.

When the cuvette discard container 20 (cuvette storage portion 27) is filled with a discard cuvette and the timing to replace the discard bag in the cuvette discard container 20 comes, the user performs the cuvette discard operation while wearing a proper protector. That is, in a state where the door or the like of the storage portion 2 such as the slot in which the cuvette disposal unit 10 is stored is opened, the cuvette disposal container 20 is lifted up so as not to be caught by the catch 320 before, and the cuvette disposal container 20 is completely pulled out from the container storage portion 300 in the storage rack 30. Then, the waste bag containing the waste cuvettes is taken out of the cuvette waste container 20, and a new waste bag is mounted to the cuvette waste container 20.

Conventionally, during a disposal operation (a replacement operation of a disposal bag) of a disposal cuvette left in a cuvette disposal container, a measurement operation of the apparatus has to be temporarily interrupted.

In contrast, according to the cuvette disposal unit 10 in the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, when the user pulls out the cuvette disposal container 20 from the container storage portion 300 of the storage rack 30 to be in the disposal container pulled-out state, the lever pushed state of the operation lever 80 by the contact with the rear wall 22 of the cuvette disposal container 20 is released. Therefore, the cuvette receiving bottom 60 is rotated about the rotation shaft member 63 in a direction in which the cuvette receiving bottom 60 closes the bottom opening 50a of the tube portion 50 by the elastic force (urging force) of the urging spring 71 in the urging mechanism 70, and as shown in fig. 12 and 14, the bottom opening 50a of the tube portion 50 is closed by the cuvette receiving bottom 60. In this state, the cuvette receiving bottom 60 maintains the temporary receiving posture in which the used cuvette received from the input port 51a of the cuvette receiving unit 40 (the channel unit 50) is received by the bottom cover 61. In the present embodiment, the biasing spring 71 in the biasing mechanism 70 corresponds to a biasing means for biasing the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 in a direction to switch from the retreat posture to the temporary receiving posture.

As described above, according to the cuvette disposal unit 10 in the present embodiment, since the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 is switched from the maintenance retreat posture to the temporary reception posture at the time of pulling out the cuvette disposal container 20 from the container accommodating portion 300 of the accommodating rack 30, the used cuvette transferred through the disposal pipe 112 can be temporarily received and held on the bottom cover 61 by the bottom cover 61 while the cuvette receiving bottom 60 maintains the temporary reception posture. In this way, the analysis operation of the composite analysis apparatus 1000 can be continued even in the discarding operation of the discarded cuvettes (replacement operation of the discarded bags) remaining in the cuvette discard container 20, and the temporary interruption of the analysis operation can be avoided. Further, the cuvette receiving portion 40 may have a sensor for monitoring the number of waste cuvettes remaining in the bottom cover 61. In this way, the user can be notified of the remaining time of the discarding job.

After the disposal operation (the disposal bag replacement operation) of the discarded cuvettes stored in the cuvette disposal container 20 is completed, the operation lever 80 is pushed rearward by the rear wall 22 of the cuvette disposal container 20 while the empty cuvette disposal container 20 is inserted into the container storage portion 300 of the storage rack 30. In this way, the cuvette receiving base 60 (bottom cover 61) connected to the operation lever 80 rotates against the elastic force (urging force) of the urging spring 71, and switches from the temporary receiving posture to the retracted posture. As a result, the used cuvette temporarily remaining on the bottom cover 61 of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 during the time when the cuvette disposal container 20 is pulled out from the housing rack 30 falls from the bottom cover 61 of the cuvette receiving bottom 60, and is discarded into the cuvette housing portion 27 of the empty cuvette disposal container 20 through the upper opening 26 located below. Thereafter, until the cuvette disposal container 20 is pulled out from the storage rack 30 again, the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 is maintained in the retreat posture, and the channel bottom opening 50a is not closed by the cuvette receiving bottom 60. Therefore, the used cuvette conveyed from the discard pipe 112 to the cuvette receiving portion 40 again is not temporarily caught by the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60, but is dropped toward the upper opening 26 of the cuvette discard container 20 located below, and is discarded into the cuvette holding portion 27. In addition, the cuvette discarding unit 10 in the present embodiment may be provided with a sensor for detecting that the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 is switched between the temporary receiving posture and the retreat posture.

In the storage rack 30 of the present embodiment, a top opening 330 is formed in the top 33 of the storage rack 30 in order to insert the used cuvette received by the cuvette receiving portion 40 (the duct portion 50) from the input port 51a into the upper opening 26 of the cuvette disposal container 20. The cuvette receiving base 60 of the cuvette receiving unit 40 is movable, and can be switched between the retracted posture and the temporary receiving posture. Here, the top plate opening 330 of the housing shelf 30 is formed so as not to interfere with the movable cuvette receiving bottom 60. In this way, it is possible to avoid that, when the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 is switched between the retreat posture and the provisional receiving posture, the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 interferes with the edge portion of the top plate opening portion 330, for example, and thus the switching to a desired posture is not possible. The shape of the storage rack 30 is not limited as long as the positions of the cuvette receiving portion and the disposal container 20 can be fixed. The cuvette receiving portion 40 may be attached to a top plate or the like of the housing rack 30, or the cuvette receiving portion 40 may be provided inside the housing rack 30.

Further, according to the cuvette disposal unit 10 in the present embodiment, the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom 60 in the cuvette receiving portion 40 can be automatically switched in conjunction with the insertion operation of inserting the cuvette disposal container 20 into the storage rack 30 and the removal operation of removing the cuvette disposal container 20 from the storage rack 30. That is, when discarding the cuvette remaining in the cuvette disposal container 20, for example, there is no need to manually mount a temporary receiving disposal container other than the cuvette disposal container 20, and thus a burden of manual work is not increased. Further, since it is not necessary to manually attach a disposal container for temporary reception, there is no possibility of a human insertion error, and the analysis operation is not interrupted by stopping the apparatus due to the insertion error.

The storage rack 30 in the present embodiment includes a stopper 320. Therefore, the cuvette disposal container 20 stored in the container storage portion 300 of the storage rack 30 in the normal position can be prevented from being inadvertently displaced from the normal position. That is, in the present embodiment, the elastic force (urging force) of the urging spring 71 acts on the cuvette disposal container 20 in the state of being accommodated in the container accommodating portion 300 of the accommodating rack 30 via the operation lever 80 maintained in the lever-pushed state. Further, it is also conceivable that the cuvette disposal container 20 is inadvertently switched from the retreat posture to the temporary receiving posture when pushed back to the front surface opening 31 side (when deviated from the normal position) by the elastic force (urging force) of the urging spring 71.

In contrast, according to the storage rack 30 of the present embodiment, since the stopper 320 (positioning device) is provided, the cuvette disposal container 20 stored in the storage rack 30 is prevented from being inadvertently displaced from the normal position, and the following can be satisfactorily prevented: for example, although the number of discarded cuvettes remaining in the cuvette discard container 20 is small, the cuvette receiving bottom 60 is inadvertently switched from the retreat posture to the provisional receiving posture, and the used cuvette cannot be discarded into the cuvette discard container 20.

In addition, the cuvette receiving section 40 according to the present embodiment switches the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom section 60 between the retreat posture and the provisional receiving posture by rotating the cuvette receiving bottom section 60 with respect to the channel section 50, but is not limited thereto. The posture of the movable cuvette receiving bottom 60 may be switched between the retracted posture and the temporary receiving posture, and for example, the cuvette receiving bottom 60 may be arranged to be slidable with respect to the channel portion 50. Further, the cuvette receiving part 40 may hold a plurality of cuvette discard containers.

In the present embodiment, the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 is switched between the retreat posture and the temporary receiving posture by mechanical elements such as the operation lever 80 and the urging spring 71, but it is also possible to detect whether or not the cuvette discard container 20 is accommodated in the accommodating rack 30 by a sensor or the like and switch the posture of the cuvette receiving bottom portion 60 between the retreat posture and the temporary receiving posture by an appropriate drive source based on the detection result.

Description of the reference numerals

10 cuvette discard unit

20 cuvette waste container

30 storage rack

40 cuvette receiving part

50 pipeline part

60 cuvette receiving bottom

61 bottom cover

70 force applying mechanism

71 urging spring