Patent ID: 7510683

Claim:
A sample-conveying system having a belt-conveyor type conveying mechanism for conveying a holder which holds a plurality of receptacles with respective samples therein, the conveying mechanism having a first conveying path and a second conveying path which are separated from each other, the sample-conveying system comprising: a first transition base having a first loading deck located at a conveyance terminal end portion of the first conveying path; a second transition base having a second loading deck located at a conveyance starting end portion of the second conveying path; a mobile unit which has a mobile loading deck and is guided by a guide member in movement between the first transition base and the second transition base; a first receptacle carrier which is provided on the first transition base and transfers a given number of receptacles with samples, which are conveyed to the conveyance terminal end portion of the first conveying path, to a rack on the first loading deck; a first rack carrier which is provided on the first transition base and transfers the rack on the first loading deck to the mobile loading deck of the mobile unit; a second rack carrier which is provided on the second transition base and transfers the rack conveyed by the mobile unit from the mobile unit to the second loading deck; and a second receptacle carrier which is provided on the second transition base and transfers a given number of receptacles with samples from the rack on the second loading deck to the holder fed to the conveyance starting end portion of the second conveying path, wherein the first receptacle carrier comprises a first hand mechanism having first chuck members capable of holding a plurality of receptacles with samples, a first cylinder mechanism which raises and lowers the first hand mechanism, a first guide which extends at right angles to the first conveying path, and a first mechanism which moves the first hand mechanism and the first cylinder mechanism along the first guide, and wherein the second receptacle carrier comprises a second hand mechanism having second chuck members capable of holding a plurality of receptacles with samples, a second cylinder mechanism which raises and lowers the second hand mechanism, a second guide which extends at right angles to the second conveying path, and a second mechanism which moves the second hand mechanism and the second cylinder mechanism along the second guide.