Patent ID: 7830520

Claim:
An optical measurement device for measuring transmission characteristics of a trace liquid sample by irradiating the liquid sample with measuring light and measuring transmitted light having passed through the liquid sample, the optical measurement device comprising: (a) a flat supporting plate which has, on an upper surface thereof, a plurality of sample holders with a transparent part in at least a lower portion thereof, and is capable of holding the liquid sample dropped therein; (b) a moving mechanism which moves the supporting plate so that each of the sample holders provided on the supporting plate moves sequentially at least between a measuring position and a sample supply position; (c) a sample supply section which drops the liquid sample into the sample holder at the sample supply position; (d) a transparent suppressing plate which is movably provided above the sample holder to form an upper interface between itself and the sample in parallel with a bottom surface of the liquid sample held in the sample holder at the measuring position; (e) a light measuring section which irradiates the liquid sample with a measuring light from above or from below, the liquid sample being held in a space surrounded by the sample holder and a lower surface of the suppressing plate, and measures the light transmitting through the liquid sample at the measuring position; (f) a first wiping mechanism which contacts the sample holder to wipe off the liquid sample, in a path of movement of the sample holder having been measured at the measuring position and moved by the moving mechanism from the measuring position to the sample supply position; and (g) a second wiping mechanism which contacts the lower surface of the suppressing plate to wipe off the liquid sample after completion of the measurement by the light measuring section.