Patent ID: 7968832

Claim:
An analyzer for analyzing a tangible component contained in a sample held between a light-transmitting plate and a light-transmitting covering plate, the analyzer comprising: an objective lens for observing the sample; focus state detecting means for detecting a focus state of the objective lens; drive means for changing, in three dimensional directions, a relative position between the objective lens and the sample; automatic focusing means for controlling the drive means in accordance with a detection result obtained by the focus state detecting means, so as to perform automatic focusing operation to automatically focus the objective lens; control means for controlling the automatic focusing means and/or the drive means so as to carry out the automatic focusing operation in a range from a predetermined analysis start position to a preset analysis end position, the predetermined analysis start position being between the light-transmitting plate and the light-transmitting covering plate; and judgment means for judging that, when the focus state detecting means detects the focus state in the automatic focusing operation, the tangible component is present in a focus position at which the focus state is obtained, if the judgment means judges that the tangible component is present, the control means controlling the automatic focusing means and/or the drive means so as to stop the automatic focusing operation at the focus position at which the tangible component is judged to be present, and changing, in a horizontal direction, the relative position between the objective lens and the sample so that another analysis of a tangible component is carried out in another visual field, and in a case where said another analysis of the tangible component is carried out in said another visual field, the control means carrying out the automatic focusing operation in a predetermined distance in the vicinity of the focus position at which, in the analysis carried out before said another analysis, the tangible component is judged to be present, the predetermined distance being in a vertical direction.