Patent ID: 9709586
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. An automatic analyzer comprising: a reaction disk; a plurality of reaction containers disposed on the reaction disk; a spectrophotometer; a sample probe driving means; a sample probe connected to the sample probe driving means to drive the sample probe; a syringe that suctions a sample of blood cells or whole blood from a sample container of a plurality of sample containers into the sample probe and discharges the sample of blood cells or whole blood from the sample probe into a reaction container; a syringe means for driving the syringe; a cleaning solution tank holding a cleaning solution; a flow route including: an electromagnetic valve disposed on the cleaning solution flow route that opens and closes the cleaning solution flow route; a control unit; a pressure sensor disposed on the dispensing flow route and configured to measure a time-series of pressure within the dispensing flow route and output a measurement result signal indicating the pressure to the control unit, wherein the control unit is connected to the spectrophotometer, sample probe driving means, the syringe driving means, electromagnetic valve, and pressure sensor, and is programmed to: control the electromagnetic valve and the syringe drive means to drive the syringe and open and close the electromagnetic valve thereby causing the cleaning solution to flow into the sample probe to clean the sample probe, after the cleaning solution flows into the sample probe: control the sample probe driving means and syringe driving means to cause the sample probe to suction air and simultaneously control the pressure sensor to measure a time-series of pressure within the dispensing flow route, determine whether the sample probe has a clog based on whether the pressure of the time-series of pressure returns to a predetermined pressure after a predetermined amount of time elapses, and when the sample probe is determined to not have the clog, control the sample probe driving means and syringe driving means to cause the sample probe to suction the sample of blood cells or whole blood from the sample container and discharge the sample into the reaction container.