Patent Publication Number: US-2022214369-A1

Title: Automatic analysis device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an automatic analysis device, and more particularly, to an automatic analysis device including a mechanism for adjusting a temperature of a portion requiring temperature adjustment. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     As an example of an automatic analysis device that can stably adjust temperature regardless of change in outside air temperature by realizing with a simple, space-saving, and cost-saving mechanism, Patent Document 1 describes that temperature of a heat transfer block is controlled intermittently, for example, the temperature of the heat transfer block is controlled based on opening and closing control of a replacement liquid electromagnetic valve. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     PTL 1: JP-A-2017-26469 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     The automatic analysis device is a device for optically measuring a reaction solution by dispensing a specimen solution containing an analysis target material and a reaction reagent into a reaction vessel and reacting the specimen solution with the reaction reagent. In such an automatic analysis device, for example, specific biological components and chemical materials contained in biological specimens such as blood, serum, and urine are detected. 
     In order to obtain sufficient analysis accuracy in the automatic analysis device, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the reagents used for pretreatment and analysis of the specimen constant. 
     As a method of adjusting the temperature of the reagent in the automatic analysis device, as in Patent Document 1, it is known that the temperature of the reagent in the pretreatment process of analysis is adjusted by the Peltier element, and the liquid that is intermittently flowed to cool or heat the Peltier element is used, thereby the temperature of the reagent can be stably adjusted regardless of a change in the outside air temperature. 
     In this Patent Document 1,the temperature of the replacement liquid tank for storing the replacement liquid is adjusted by the Peltier element, but the temperature is controlled independently of the other portions that require being temperature-adjusted. 
     In the automatic analysis device, there exist a plurality of portions that require being adjusted at different temperature levels such as a portion that requires being adjusted to a low temperature, but as a result of intensive studies by the present inventors, it is clarified that there is a room for performing temperature control with less power consumption over the entire portions that require a plurality of temperature adjustments. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis device capable of temperature-controlling a plurality of portions requiring temperature control with less power consumption as a whole. 
     Solution to Problem 
     The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and as an example, provided is an automatic analysis device which reacts a specimen with a reagent and measures physical properties of a reacted reaction solution, the device including: a space which is partitioned from surroundings and where the reagent is used; an air conditioning unit which includes a first Peltier element for adjusting an air temperature of the space; a first heat sink which cools or heats the air conditioning unit with a liquid refrigerant; a first radiator which performs heat exchange between the liquid refrigerant which has exchanged heat with the first heat sink and air in the atmosphere; a liquid supply unit which circulates the liquid refrigerant; a reagent storage unit which keeps the reagent cools and stores the reagent; a reagent storage temperature adjusting unit which includes a second Peltier element for adjusting the temperature of the reagent storage unit; a second heat sink which cools or heats the second Peltier element; and a heat dissipation unit which dissipates heat of the liquid refrigerant which has exchanged heat with the second heat sink. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, it is possible to control the temperature of a plurality of portions that require the temperature control with less power consumption as a whole. 
     Problems, configurations, and effects other than those mentioned above will be clarified by the description of the following examples. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an automatic analysis device according to Example 1 of the present invention, and a configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism thereof. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional diagram of a Peltier unit of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram of a heat sink portion of the Peltier unit of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. 
         FIG. 4A  is a diagram illustrating a structure of a radiator part of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. 
         FIG. 4B  is a diagram illustrating a structure of the radiator part of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating a structure of a first radiator of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. 
         FIG. 6  is a C-C′ cross-sectional diagram of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism of an automatic analysis device according to Example 2 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism of an automatic analysis device according to Example 3 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism of an automatic analysis device according to Example 4 of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism of an automatic analysis device according to Example 5 of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, examples of an automatic analysis device of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. It is noted that the automatic analysis device to which the present invention is applied is not particularly limited, and may be applied to various types of automatic analysis devices such as an automatic analysis device for immunological item analysis and an automatic analysis device for biochemical item analysis. 
     Example 1 
     Example 1 of the automatic analysis device of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . 
     First, an outline of an overall configuration of the automatic analysis device and an outline configuration of a temperature adjustment mechanism will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the automatic analysis device and the configuration of the temperature adjustment mechanism thereof of this Example. 
     An automatic analysis device  1000  illustrated in  FIG. 1  is a device for reacting a specimen with a reagent and measuring physical properties of the reacted reaction solution and includes an analysis unit  500 . 
     The analysis unit  500  may be configured with a mechanism other than the mechanisms described later among a mechanism for measuring the physical properties of the reaction solution, a mechanism for executing a treatment or a post-treatment of reacting a specimen with a reagent necessary for measuring the physical properties, and treatments associated with these various treatments, and can be configured to have a known configuration. In addition, known operations may also be used for those operations. 
     The automatic analysis device  1000  illustrated in  FIG. 1  further includes an air-conditioned space  20  for performing a processing operation and the like of the reagent to be analyzed by the analysis unit  500 , a reagent storage unit  30  for keeping the reagent to be used cold, and a control device  50  for controlling the operation of each mechanism described later. 
     Among these components, the air-conditioned space  20  is partitioned from a surrounding space by an insulating material  22 , and is air-conditioned so as to keep a temperature of an internal air  21  constant. 
     The internal air  21  of the air-conditioned space  20  is circulated by a fan  25 , and thus, the internal air is cooled or heated when passing through an internal fin  23  portion. The internal fin  23  is connected to a Peltier unit  1 . 
     The reagent storage unit  30  is a space for storing the reagent, and an internal space  31  thereof is maintained at a relatively low temperature (for example, 5 to 10° C.) as compared with the air-conditioned space  20 . The internal space  31  is surrounded by a metal container  32  made of stainless steel or the like, and the surrounding thereof is partitioned from the surrounding space by an insulating material  33 . 
     Next, the configuration for adjusting the air temperature of the air-conditioned space  20  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a cross section of the Peltier unit  1  which is a B-B′ cross section of  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 3  illustrates a cross section of a heat sink portion of the Peltier unit  1  which is a A-A′ cross section of  FIG. 2   
     A Peltier element  101  that adjusts the air temperature of the air-conditioned space  20  is incorporated into the Peltier unit  1  illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 . The Peltier element  101  can switch a heat generating surface (a surface where the temperature is increased) and an endothermic surface (a surface where the temperature falls) of the Peltier element  101  depending on a direction of a current flowing by a power supply connected to a lead wire (not illustrated) thereof. 
     An output of the Peltier element  101 , that is, a cooling capacity and a heating capacity, is controlled by repeating operation and stop with a predetermined current and changing a ratio of an operation time, that is, an operating rate. Alternatively, instead of changing the operating rate, a magnitude of the current applied to the Peltier element  101  may be directly changed. 
     The operating rate and the current are controlled by the control device  50  of  FIG. 1  based on a detection temperature of a sensor and a target temperature. The controlling of the operating rate and the current is performed by, for example, proportional-integral-differential control (PID control). 
     The control device  50  can be realized by loading programs into a computer or a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) including a CPU, a memory, an interface, and the like and executing a calculation. These programs are stored in an internal recording medium or an external recording medium (not illustrated) in each configuration and are read and executed by the CPU. 
     It is noted that the control process of the operation of each mechanism of the control device  50  may be integrated into one program, may be divided into a plurality of programs, or may be a combination thereof. In addition, a portion or all of the programs may be realized by dedicated hardware or may be modularized. Furthermore, various programs may be provided to each device from a program distribution server, an internal recording medium, or an external recording medium. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a heat diffusion plate  203  made of aluminum or the like is provided via a thermal interface  202  such as grease on the surface (lower side in  FIG. 2 , the air-conditioned space  20  side) of the Peltier element  101  of the side where the temperature control of a control object is performed. 
     The heat diffusion plate  203  is connected to a temperature control object, that is, a base  24  of the internal fin  23  in  FIG. 1  via a thermal interface  204  such as grease. 
     In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a heat sink  111  is connected via a thermal interface  201  such as grease on the surface (upper side in  FIG. 2 ) of the Peltier element  101  of the opposite side where the temperature control of the control object is performed. 
     The heat sink  111  is a member for cooling or heating the Peltier unit  1  with a liquid refrigerant (hereinafter, referred to as a circulating liquid). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the heat diffusion plate  203 , the Peltier element  101 , and the heat sink  111  are fixed in a state of being in close contact with each other by fastening a bolt  207  to a hole  216 . 
     Furthermore, the heat diffusion plate  203  is surrounded by a resin thermal interface  204 , an insulating material  205 , and a space  206 . It is noted that air can be used instead of the insulating material  205 , and the insulating material can be disposed in the space  206 . 
     The Peltier element  101  of this Example is energized so that, when the temperature detected by a temperature sensor  121  in  FIG. 1  is higher than the target temperature, the temperature of the surface of the side (the heat diffusion plate  203  in  FIG. 2 , the side of the internal fin  23  in  FIG. 1 ) of the control object is decreased, and the temperature of the surface of the side of the heat sink  111  on the opposite side is increased. 
     At this time, the base  24  of the internal fins of  FIG. 1  and the internal fins  23  are cooled via the thermal interface  202 , the heat diffusion plate  203 , and the thermal interface  204 , and the air the inside of the air-conditioned space  20  guided to the internal fins  23  by the fan  25  is cooled. 
     On the other hand, the side of the heat sink  111  of the Peltier element  101  is heated, and heat is dissipated to the circulating liquid flowing inside the heat sink  111  via the thermal interface  201  such as grease. 
     The circulating liquid is a medium for carrying heat, and pure water, ethylene glycol aqueous solution, and the like are used. In  FIG. 1 , the circulating liquid is sent to the heat sink  111  of the Peltier unit  1  through a tube  60  by a pump  10 . An arrow  410  in  FIG. 1  indicates the direction in which the circulating liquid flows. 
     In  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the circulating liquid flowing through the tube  60  flows into the inside of the heat sink  111  from a tube connector  211  at the inlet of the heat sink  111 , passes through the internal space partitioned by a partition  215 , and flows out into a tube  61  from a tube connector  212 . 
     A plurality of flow paths  214  interposed between fins  213  are formed in the internal space of the heat sink  111 , and the circulating liquid flows therebetween. This circulating liquid takes heat from the Peltier element  101  connected to a casing  210  of the heat sink via the thermal interface  201  or applies heat to the Peltier element  101 . The fins  213  play a role in increasing the heat transfer area and improving the heat exchange performance. Aluminum, copper, or the like is used as the material of the casing  210  and the fins  213  of the heat sink  111 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , the circulating liquid heated by the heat sink  111  reaches a first radiator  12  which performs heat exchange between the circulating liquid that has exchanged heat with the heat sink  111  and the air in the atmosphere to be cooled by the air sent by a radiator fan  14  and is sucked into the pump  10  via a tank  15 . 
     The details of the first radiator  12  will be described in detail later with reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
     On the other hand, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  in  FIG. 1  is lower than the target temperature, the Peltier element  101  is energized in the opposite direction to be operated so that the internal fin  23  side is heated, and the heat sink  111  side is cooled. 
     At this time, the circulating liquid cooled by the heat sink  111  reaches the first radiator  12 , where the circulating liquid is heated by the air sent by the radiator fan  14 . After that, the circulating liquid is sucked into the pump  10  via the tank  15  and sent to the heat sink  111  of the Peltier unit  1  through the tube  60  as described above. 
     A first loop is formed by the tubes  60  and  61  connecting the heat sink  111 , the first radiator  12 , and the pump  10 . 
     Next, the reagent storage unit  30  and the configuration for controlling the temperature of the reagent storage unit  30  will be described. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  are connected to the metal container  32  constituting the reagent storage unit  30 . The metal container  32  is cooled by energizing Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  incorporated in the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  in the direction in which the side of the metal container  32  is cooled, and the internal space  31  and the contents thereof are cooled. 
     In addition, the circulating liquid for cooling and heating is sent to heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  of the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  through a tube  62  by a pump  11 . 
     Since the structures of the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  are the same as those of the Peltier unit  1  described above, the details will be omitted. 
     The Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  are controlled by the control device  50  so that the temperature of temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  becomes the target temperature. 
     For example, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  122  provided on the outer surface of the metal container  32  of the reagent storage unit  30  is higher than the target temperature, the Peltier element  102  is controlled so as to energize in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is decreased. 
     Similarly, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  123  is higher than the target temperature, the Peltier element  102  is energized in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is decreased, and when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  124  is higher than the target temperature, the Peltier element  104  is energized in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is decreased. 
     At this time, the surfaces of the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  on the sides of the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  generate heat, so that the temperature is increased, but the surfaces of the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  are cooled by the circulating liquid flowing through the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114 . 
     The circulating liquid flows from the pump  11  through the tube  62  in the order of the heat sink  114  of the Peltier unit  4 , the heat sink  113  of the Peltier unit  3 , and the heat sink  112  of the Peltier unit  2  to be heated and reaches a second radiator  13  through a tube  63 . 
     In the second radiator  13 , the circulating liquid is cooled by the air sent by the radiator fan  14 , so that the temperature is decreased, and the liquid is sucked into the pump  11  via the tank  16  so as to be sent to the Peltier unit  4 . 
     A second loop is formed by the tubes  62  and  63  connecting the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114 , the second radiator  13 , and the pump  11  circulating the circulating liquid. 
     On the other hand, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  122  provided in the reagent storage unit  30  is lower than the target temperature, the Peltier element  102  is controlled so as to be energized in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is increased. At this time, the temperature of the Peltier element  102  on the heat sink  112  side is decreased, but the temperature of the Peltier element  102  is heated by the circulating liquid flowing through the heat sink  112 . 
     Similarly, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  123  is lower than the target temperature, the Peltier element  103  is energized in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is increased. In addition, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  124  is higher than the target temperature, the Peltier element  104  is energized in the direction in which the temperature on the side of the metal container  32  is increased. 
     The surfaces of the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  on the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  sides are cooled to be decreased in temperature, but the surfaces of the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  are heated by the circulating liquid flowing through the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114 . 
     Next, the configuration of the radiator for adjusting the temperature of the circulating liquid will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4A to 6 . 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views illustrating the overall structures of the first radiator  12  and the second radiator  13 ,  FIG. 5  is a view illustrating the structure of the first radiator  12 , and  FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a A-A′ cross section  FIG. 5 . 
     In the automatic analysis device  1000  of this Example, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the first radiator  12  having a small front area and the second radiator  13  having a large front area are disposed side by side in the direction (in the direction of an arrow  401 ) in which the air is sent by the radiator fan  14 . 
     In the flow of the air generated by the radiator fan  14 , the first radiator  12  having a small area is on the upstream side and the second radiator  13  having a large area is on the downstream side, and the first radiator  12  and the second radiator  13  are disposed in series so as to perform heat exchange. 
     Here, as illustrated in  FIG. 4A  and the like, since the area of the first radiator  12  is smaller than that of the second radiator  13 , that the heat exchange area of the first radiator  12  is smaller than that of the second radiator  13 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , an inlet connector  301  and an outlet connector  302  of the circulating liquid are provided to the first radiator  12 , and an inlet connector  303  and an outlet connector  304  of the circulating liquid are provided to the second radiator  13 . 
     The first radiator  12  includes a flow path  305  through which the circulating liquid flows and fins  306  provided therebetween. The same also applies to the second radiator  13 . Aluminum or the like is used as the material of the flow path  305  and the fin  306 . 
     In  FIGS. 5 and 6 , air flows between the fins  306  in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The circulating liquid flows in from the inlet connector  301 , flows through each flow path  305  from a header  307 , changes the direction of the flow at a turn unit  309 , reaches an exit footer  308  from the flow path  305 , and flows out from the outlet connector  302 . The structure of the second radiator  13  is the same as that of the first radiator  12 . 
     Next, the effect of this Example will be described. 
     In the automatic analysis device  1000  of this Example described above, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively low due to in the winter or the like, but the temperature is higher than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30 . 
     In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  of the air-conditioned space  20  is lower than the target temperature, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  of the reagent storage unit  30  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     At this time, the Peltier element  101  performs the operation of heating the side of the air-conditioned space  20 , and the circulating liquid is cooled by the heat sink  111  and transported to the first radiator  12 . On the other hand, the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  perform the operation of cooling the side of the reagent storage unit  30 , and the circulating liquid of the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  is heated and transported to the second radiator  13 . 
     At this time, the air cooled by passing through the first radiator  12  cools the second radiator  13  according to the arrangement relationship as illustrated in  FIG. 5  and the like. 
     That is, as compared with the case where each radiator is cooled independently, in the present invention, the amount of heat dissipated from the second radiator  13  is increased by additionally cooling by the first radiator  12 , and the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  can cool the reagent storage unit  30  with a smaller current, that is, a smaller power consumption. 
     In addition, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively high due to in the summer. In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  in the air-conditioned space  20  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     For this reason, the circulating liquid is heated in the heat sink  111  to reach the first radiator  12 , so that the air passing through the first radiator  12  is heated. 
     Here, since the target temperature of the air-conditioned space  20  is lower than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30  and the cooling load is smaller than that of the reagent storage unit  30 , the heating amount of the circulating liquid in the heat sink  111  is relatively small. 
     For this reason, the temperature increase of the air that has passed through the first radiator  12  is also relatively small. Moreover, since the front area of the first radiator  12  is smaller than the front area of the second radiator  13 , the circulating liquid in the second radiator  13  can be sufficiently cooled, so that the cooling that is the same as in the related art can be realized. 
     As described above, in the automatic analysis device  1000  of this Example, it is possible to perform the temperature control of the air-conditioned space  20  and the reagent storage unit  30  which require the temperature control with lower power consumption than the related art. 
     Example 2 
     An automatic analysis device according to Example 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 7  is an overall configuration diagram of an automatic analysis device  1000 A and a temperature adjustment mechanism thereof according to Example 2. 
     In Example 2, the same configurations as those in Example 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The same applies to the following examples. In addition, in  FIG. 7  and later, the analysis unit  500  is omitted for the convenience of illustration. 
     In the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1, the first radiator  12  and the second radiator  13  are disposed so as to perform heat exchange, but in the automatic analysis device  1000 A of this Example, a first radiator  12 A and a second radiator  13 B are disposed so as not to perform heat exchange with the air but to perform heat exchange with the circulating liquid. 
     Specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a radiator fan  17  is disposed around the first radiator  12 A, and the air is blown in the direction of an arrow  402 . On the other hand, a radiator fan  14 A is disposed around the second radiator  13 , and the air is blown in the direction of the arrow  401 . 
     The loop of the circulating liquid in this Example is not the two loops as in Example 1 but one big loop formed by a tube  64 A which guides the circulating liquid that has exchanged heat with the first radiator  12 A to the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114 , a tube  63 A which guides the circulating liquid that has exchanged heat with the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  to a second radiator  13 A, a tube  65 A which guides the circulating liquid that has exchanged heat with the second radiator  13 A to the pump  10 , and a tube  60 A which guides the liquid from the pump  10  to the heat sink  111 . 
     In this Example, one pump  10  and one tank  15  are provided, and the circulating liquid sent by the pump  10  passes through the tube  60 A, and flows into the heat sink  111  of the Peltier unit  1  provided in the air-conditioned space  20 . 
     After that, the circulating liquid flows into the first radiator  12  via a tube  61 A, and after the heat exchange, the circulating liquid flows into the heat sink  114  of the Peltier unit  4  provided to the reagent storage unit  30  via the tube  64 A. 
     After flowing into the heat sink  114 , the circulating liquid flows into the second radiator  13  via the tube  63 A via the heat sink  113  of the Peltier unit  3  and the heat sink  112  of the Peltier unit  2 . After further heat exchange in the second radiator  13  is performed, the circulating liquid returns to the pump  10  from the tank  15  via the tube  65 A. 
     Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, and the details will be omitted. 
     Next, the effect of the automatic analysis device  1000 A of Example 2 will be described. 
     First, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively low due to in the winter or the like, but the temperature is higher than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30 . 
     In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  of the air-conditioned space  20  is lower than the target temperature, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  of the reagent storage unit  30  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     At this time, the circulating liquid is cooled in the heat sink  111  and transported to the first radiator  12 A, but the radiator fan  17  of the first radiator  12 A is stopped, and thus, the circulating liquid in a state where the circulating liquid is not so heated by the first radiator  12 A is supplied to the heat sinks  112  of the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4 . 
     With such a configuration and operation, the circulating liquid cooled in the heat sink  111  can be directly supplied to the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  of the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4 , so that the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  can be efficiently cooled, and thus, it is possible to realize the temperature control with lower power consumption. 
     Next, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively high due to in the summer. 
     In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  in the air-conditioned space  20  becomes higher than the target temperature. For this reason, the circulating liquid heated in the heat sink  111  reaches the first radiator  12 A, and the circulating liquid cooled by the air blown by the radiator fan  17  is supplied to the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  of the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4 . 
     Therefore, since the circulating liquid cooled by the first radiator  12  is supplied to the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114 , the Peltier units  2 ,  3 , and  4  can be more efficiently cooled than the case of simply cooling the Peltier units, and thus, it is possible to realize the temperature control with lower power consumption. 
     As described above, similarly to the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, the automatic analysis device  1000 A of this Example can also realize the temperature control of the air-conditioned space  20  and the reagent storage unit  30  with less power consumption than the related art. 
     Example 3 
     An automatic analysis device according to Example 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  is a configurational diagram of the automatic analysis device and a temperature adjustment mechanism thereof according to Example 3. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , an automatic analysis device  1000 B of this Example is provided with a duct  71  at an outlet of the second radiator  13 B. The downstream portion of the duct  71  is divided into two flow paths  71 B and  71 C by a partition  75 . It is noted that the upstream portion of the duct  71  constitutes a first airflow path  71 A which guides the air that has exchanged heat with the second radiator  13 B to the exhaust port or a first radiator  12 B. 
     Out of the two flow paths, the first radiator  12 B is disposed on the one flow path  71 B side, so that the air that has exchanged heat with the second radiator  13 B passes through the first radiator  12 B and is guided to the outside. 
     A damper  72  that switches the air guided to the flow path  71 B between the air from the flow path  71 A and the air from an air inlet port  74  is provided on the flow path  71 B side. The position of the damper  72  is controlled by the control device  50 . 
     The air inlet port  74  is provided at a position in front of the first radiator  12 B of the flow path  71 B and is an opening for guiding the air from the outside of the flow path  71 B to the flow path  71 B. 
     Nothing is disposed on the other flow path  71 C side, and the air that has exchanged heat with the second radiator  13 B is directly guided to the outside. 
     Considered is the case where the temperature around the automatic analysis device  1000 B of this Example is relatively low due to in the winter or the like, but the temperature is higher than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30 . 
     In this case, similarly to Example 1, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  of the air-conditioned space  20  becomes lower than the target temperature, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  of the reagent storage unit  30  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     At this time, the circulating liquid cooled in the heat sink  111  is transported to the first radiator  12 B via the tube  60 , and the circulating liquid heated in the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  is transported to the second radiator  13 B via the tube  63 . 
     At this time, the damper  72  of the duct  71  is set at the position A in  FIG. 8 . Accordingly, as indicated by an arrow  405  illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the air sucked into the second radiator  13 B by a radiator fan  14 B and the fan  73  is heated by exchanging heat with the circulating fluid, and after that, is distributed to the air passing through the first radiator  12 B by the radiator fan  14 B and the air directly exhausted by the fan  73 . 
     Of the airs, since the air heated by the second radiator  13 B exchanges heat when passing through the first radiator  12 B to heat the circulating liquid, the heated circulating liquid is supplied to the heat sink  111 , so that the power consumption of the Peltier element  101  for heating the air-conditioned space  20  can be reduced, and thus, energy-saving operation is realized. At this time, further power saving operation can be performed by appropriately adjusting the rotation speeds of the radiator fan  14 B and the fan  73  to distribute the wind volume. 
     On the other hand, when the temperature around the device is relatively high due to in the summer or the like, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  in the air-conditioned space  20  becomes higher than the target temperature. In this case, the circulating liquid heated by the heat sink  111  is sent to the first radiator  12 B. At this time, the damper  72  is set to the position B. 
     For this reason, the air supplied to the first radiator  12 B is supplied from the outside of the duct  71  through the air inlet port  74  as illustrated by an arrow  406  of the broken line illustrated in  FIG. 8 . On the other hand, all the air heated by heat that has exchanged in the second radiator  13 B is exhausted by the fan  73  as indicated by an arrow  404  illustrated in  FIG. 8 . 
     For this reason, the air heated through the second radiator  13 B does not pass through the first radiator  12 B, so that sufficient cooling performance of the first radiator  12 B is ensured. 
     At this time, in order to avoid frequent operations of the damper  72 , the ambient temperature may be detected, and the position of the damper  72  may be determined to be any one of the position A and the position B accordingly. 
     Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, and the details will be omitted. 
     In the automatic analysis device  1000 B as in Example 3 of the present invention, substantially the same effect as that of the automatic analysis device  1000  and the like in Example 1 described above can be obtained. 
     Example 4 
     An automatic analysis device according to Example 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 9  is a configurational diagram of the automatic analysis device and a temperature adjustment mechanism thereof according to Example 4. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in an automatic analysis device  1000 C of this Example, Peltier units  2 C,  3 C, and  4 C that adjust the temperature of the reagent storage unit  30  are replaced with the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  similarly to the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1, and air cooling fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  and a duct  86  are provided. 
     For this reason, the heat exhausted from the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  is transferred to the air cooling fins  80 ,  81 , and  82 , respectively, and the heat is further dissipated to the air flowing between the fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  by the fans  83 ,  84 , and  85 , respectively. The air containing the heat exhausted from the fans  83 ,  84 , and  85  is sent to the inside of the duct  86 . The upstream portion of the duct  86  constitutes a fourth airflow path  86 A which guides the air that has exchanged heat with the fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  to the exhaust port or a first radiator  12 C. 
     Furthermore, the downstream portion of the duct  86  is divided into two flow paths  86 B and  86 C by a partition  90 . 
     Out of the two flow paths, the first radiator  12 C is disposed on the one flow path  86 B side, so that the air that has exchanged heat with the fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  passes through the first radiator  12 C and is guided to the outside. 
     A damper  87  that switches the air guided to the flow path  86 B between the air from the flow path  86 A and the air from the air inlet port  89  is provided on the flow path  86 B side. The position of the damper  87  is controlled by the control device  50 . 
     The air inlet port  89  is provided at a position in front of the first radiator  12 C of the flow path  86 B and is an opening for guiding the air from the outside of the flow path  86 B to the flow path  86 B. 
     Nothing is disposed in the other flow path  86 C, and the air supplied from the flow path  86 A that has exchanged heat with the fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  is directly guided to the outside. 
     Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, and the details will be omitted. 
     In the automatic analysis device  1000 C of this Example, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively low due to in the winter or the like, but the temperature is higher than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30 . 
     In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  of the air-conditioned space  20  is lower than the target temperature, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  of the reagent storage unit  30  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     Therefore, the circulating liquid is cooled in the heat sink  111  and transported to the first radiator  12 C. At this time, the damper  87  of the duct  86  is set to the position A. Accordingly, the air from the air cooling fins  80 ,  81 , and  82  is distributed to the air indicated by the arrow  405  illustrated in  FIG. 9  passing through the first radiator  12 C by a radiator fan  14 C and the air indicated by the arrow  406  illustrated in  FIG. 9  being directly exhausted by the fan  88 . 
     Since the circulating liquid flowing through the first radiator  12 C is heated by the air passing through the first radiator  12 C, the heated circulating liquid is supplied to the heat sink  111 , so that the power consumption of the Peltier element  101  for heating the air-conditioned space  20  can be reduced. 
     At this time, by appropriately adjusting the rotation speeds of the radiator fan  14 C and the fan  88  to distribute a wind volume, it is possible to operate with even lower power. 
     On the other hand, when the temperature around the device is relatively high in the summer or the like, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  in the air-conditioned space  20  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     For this reason, the damper  87  is set at the position B, the air supplied to the first radiator  12 C is supplied from the outside of the duct  86  through the air inlet port  89  as illustrated by an arrow  407  of the broken line, and the air sent from the fans  83 ,  84 , and  85  is exhausted by the fan  88  toward the arrow  406 . 
     Accordingly, since the heated air from the fans  83 ,  84 , and  85  does not pass through the first radiator  12 C, sufficient cooling performance of the first radiator  12 C is ensured. 
     Even in the automatic analysis device  1000 C as in Example 4 of the present invention, since the Peltier unit  1  can be efficiently heated in substantially the same manner as in the above-mentioned automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1, it is possible to realize the temperature control with lower power consumption. 
     Example 5 
     An automatic analysis device according to Example 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 10 .  FIG. 10  is a configurational diagram of the automatic analysis device and a temperature adjustment mechanism thereof according to Example 5. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , in contrast with the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1, an automatic analysis device  1000 D of this Example is provided with a reagent temperature adjusting unit  40  of the replacement liquid as a portion adjusted to a relatively high temperature. It is noted that the temperature adjusting unit of a cleaning liquid and the like can have the same configuration. 
     A replacement liquid tank  41  provided in the reagent temperature adjusting unit  40  is a container or a spiral pipe made of a metal such as stainless steel and is covered with a metal block  42  such as aluminum. 
     The metal block  42  is connected to a Peltier unit  5 , and by cooling and heating the side of the metal block  42  of the Peltier element  105  incorporated in the Peltier unit  5 , the metal block  42  is cooled and heated, and the replacement liquid of the inside of the replacement liquid tank  41  is cooled and heated. 
     Since the configuration of the Peltier unit  5  is the same as that of the Peltier unit  1  and the like, the details thereof will be omitted. 
     The Peltier element  105  is controlled by the control device  50  so that the temperature of a temperature sensor  125  provided in the metal block  42  portion becomes the target temperature. 
     The heat sink  115  of the Peltier unit  5  is connected to the downstream side of the heat sink  111  of the Peltier unit  1  of the air-conditioned space  20  by the tube  61  of the circulating liquid. The tube  64  of the circulating liquid discharged from the heat sink  115  is connected to a first radiator  12 D. 
     Other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, and details are omitted. 
     In such the automatic analysis device  1000 D of this Example, considered is the case where the temperature around the device is relatively low due to in the winter or the like, but the temperature around the device is higher than the target temperature of the reagent storage unit  30 . 
     In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  121  of the air-conditioned space  20  and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor  125  of the reagent temperature adjusting unit  40  will be lower than the respective target temperatures, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors  122 ,  123 , and  124  of the reagent storage unit  30  becomes higher than the target temperature. 
     For this reason, the Peltier element  101  performs the operation of heating the side of the air-conditioned space  20 , and the Peltier element  105  performs the operation of heating the metal block  42 . Accordingly, the circulating liquid is cooled by the heat sinks  111  and  115  and transported to the first radiator  12 D. 
     On the other hand, the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104  perform the operation of cooling the side of the reagent storage unit  30 , and the circulating liquid is heated in the heat sinks  112 ,  113 , and  114  to be transported to the second radiator  13 . In this case, since the air cooled by heat exchange in the first radiator  12 D cools the second radiator  13 , the amount of heat dissipated from the second radiator  13  is increased, and the reagent storage unit  30  can be cooled with a smaller current of the Peltier elements  102 ,  103 , and  104 . 
     Therefore, similarly to the automatic analysis device  1000  of Example 1 described above, in the automatic analysis device  1000 D of Example 5 of the present invention, it is possible to perform the temperature control with lower power consumption. 
     It is noted that, in this example, the case where the reagent temperature adjusting unit  40  is added to Example 1 has been described, but the same effect of power saving can be obtained even when the reagent temperature adjusting unit  40  is added to any of the configurations of Examples 2, 3, and 4. 
     Others 
     The present invention is not limited to the above examples, and includes various modifications. It is noted that the above-mentioned examples have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention for easy-understanding, and the examples are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. 
     It is also possible to replace a portion of the configuration of one embodiment with a configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add a configuration of another embodiment to a configuration of one embodiment. It is also possible to add, delete, and replace a portion of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. 
     For example, in the above description, a target to be adjusted to a relatively high temperature has been described as an example of an air-conditioned space and a reagent temperature adjusting unit for processing reagents, but the present invention can also be applied to temperature control and the like of the analysis unit  500  that performs analysis of the specimen illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       1 : Peltier unit (air conditioning unit) 
       2 ,  2 C: Peltier units (reagent storage temperature adjusting unit) 
       3 ,  3 C: Peltier units (reagent storage temperature adjusting unit) 
       4 ,  4 C: Peltier units (reagent storage temperature adjusting unit) 
       5 : Peltier unit 
       10 ,  11 : Pumps (liquid supply unit) 
       12 ,  12 A,  12 B,  12 C,  12 D: First radiators 
       13 ,  13 A,  13 B: Second radiators (heat dissipation unit) 
       14 ,  14 A,  14 B,  14 C,  17 : Radiator fans (air blower) 
       15 ,  16 : Tanks 
       20 : Air-conditioned space (space where reagent is used) 
       21 : Internal air of the air-conditioned space 
       22 : Insulating material 
       23 : Internal fin 
       24 : Base 
       25 : Fan 
       30 : Reagent storage unit 
       31 : Internal space 
       32 : Metal container 
       33 : Insulating material 
       40 : Reagent temperature adjusting unit 
       41 : Replacement liquid tank 
       42 : Metal block 
       50 : Control device 
       60 ,  60 D,  61 ,  61 D,  64 D: Tubes (first liquid flow path) 
       60 A: Tube (sixth liquid flow path) 
       61 A: Tube (seventh liquid flow path) 
       62 ,  63 : Tubes (second liquid flow path) 
       63 A: Tube (fourth liquid flow path) 
       64 A: Tube (third liquid flow path) 
       65 A: Tube (fifth liquid flow path) 
       71 ,  86 : Ducts 
       71 A: Flow path (first airflow path) 
       71 B: Flow path (second airflow path) 
       71 C: Flow path (third airflow path) 
       72 : Damper (first flow path switching unit) 
       73 ,  88 : Fans 
       74 : Air inlet port (first air inlet port) 
       75 ,  90 : Partition 
       80 ,  81 ,  82 : Air cooling fins 
       83 ,  84 ,  85 : Fans 
       86 A: Flow path (fourth airflow path) 
       86 B: Flow path (fifth airflow path) 
       86 C: Flow path (sixth airflow path) 
       87 : Damper (second flow path switching unit) 
       89 : Air inlet port (second air inlet port) 
       101 : Peltier element (first Peltier element) 
       102 ,  103 ,  104 : Peltier elements (second Peltier element) 
       105 : Peltier element 
       111 : Heat sink (first heat sink) 
       112 ,  113 ,  114 : Heat sinks (second heat sink) 
       115 : Heat sink 
       121 ,  122 ,  123 ,  124 ,  125 : Temperature sensors 
       201 ,  202 ,  204 : Thermal interfaces 
       203 : Heat diffusion plate 
       205 : Insulating material 
       206 : Space 
       207 : Bolt 
       210 : Casing 
       211 , 212 : Tube connector 
       213 : Fin 
       214 : Flow path 
       215 : Partition 
       216 : Hole 
       301 ,  303 : Inlet connector 
       302 ,  304 : Outlet connector 
       305 : Flow path 
       306 : Fin 
       307 : Header 
       308 : Footer 
       309 : Turn unit 
       401 ,  402 ,  404 ,  405 ,  406 ,  407 ,  410 : Arrows 
       500 : Analysis unit 
       1000 ,  1000 A,  1000 B,  1000 C,  1000 D: Automatic analysis devices