Patent ID: 8916113
Filing Date: 2014-12-23
Classification: B01F,B01L,B08B,G01L,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A chemical analyzer comprising: a reaction container of a flat dish-like shape having an opening, a side wall, a flat bottom whose length is longer than a height of the side wall, and a reaction region coated with a reagent at the center of the flat bottom but not at the side wall; a pipetting mechanism for pouring samples separately to the reaction container to cause a chemical reaction in the reaction region; a washing mechanism for washing the reaction container to remove an unreacted surplus sample from the reaction container after the reaction in the reaction region is completed; and a detection mechanism for detecting the result of the reaction in the reaction region after the washing of the reaction container, wherein the washing mechanism includes: a washing head having a discharge pipe and a suction pipe, where tip openings of the discharge pipe and the suction pipe are both placed outside of the reaction region in a horizontal direction so as not to overlap with the reaction region when viewed in a vertical direction; a washing head operation mechanism for moving the washing head; a cleaning fluid feeding mechanism for feeding and discharging cleaning fluid through the discharge pipe to the reaction container; a suction mechanism for sucking fluid through the suction pipe from the reaction container, and a rinse chip that covers the opening of the reaction container at least while the suction of fluid and the discharge of the cleaning fluid are conducted concurrently, the rinse chip includes a first channel removably connected to the tip of the discharge pipe for feeding cleaning fluid from the discharge pipe to the reaction container and second channel removably connected to the tip of the suction pipe for sucking fluid through to the suction pipe, wherein the washing mechanism controls washing of the reaction container so that: the washing head is lowered with the suction mechanism activated to conduct the suction of the surplus sample from the reaction container; and after the lowering of the washing head is completed, the cleaning fluid feeding mechanism is activated with the suction mechanism activated to concurrently conduct the discharge of the cleaning fluid to the reaction container and the suction of the cleaning fluid from the reaction container so as to form a cleaning fluid flow in the reaction region.