Patent ID: 7674430

Claim:
An automated analyzer comprising: a cartridge holding unit which enables holding of at least one of a plurality of performance check cartridges, each performance check cartridge including a first reagent cuvette in which a first reagent is filled, a second reagent cuvette in which a second reagent is filled, a photometric cuvette, and an information recording unit in which process information including analysis conditions and upper and lower absorbance limit values for determining absorbance is recorded, respectively; a probe which pipettes the first and second reagents into the photometric cuvette; an optical measuring unit which includes a light source, a wavelength selecting unit and a light detector, and which determines the absorbance of the photometric cuvette of the performance check cartridge; an information reading unit which reads the process information recorded in the information recording unit of the performance check cartridge; and a control unit which controls the probe and the optical measuring unit depending on the process information read by the information reading unit, which calculates difference information of absorbances of a solution of the first reagent and a mixture of the first and second reagents in the photometric cuvette of a respective performance check cartridge on the basis of an output from the optical measuring unit, and which determines whether or not the calculated difference information of absorbances is within a predetermined tolerance by comparing the calculated difference information of absorbances for the respective performance check cartridge with the upper and lower limit values read by the information reading unit for the respective performance check cartridge.