CN110609148A

CN110609148A - Support adjustment member, container storage holder, and analyzer

Info

Publication number: CN110609148A
Application number: CN201910248107.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小松真也
Original assignee: Guye Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Guye Electric Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-14
Filing date: 2019-03-29
Publication date: 2019-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-29
Also published as: JP2019214027A; CN110609148B

Abstract

The invention provides a support adjusting member, a container accommodating holder and an analysis device, which can restrain the accommodating capacity of a container from reducing and simplify the structure of a holder main body of the container accommodating holder under the condition that the container accommodating holder can accommodate containers with different sizes. The support adjustment component comprises a support part, and the support part is provided with a1 st support side and a 2 nd support side which are opposite. In the 1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion of the holder main body, the 1 st support side faces the support wall portion of the holder main body, and the 1 st container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in contact with the 1 st support side and the support wall portion. In a 2 nd engagement state different from the 1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion, the 2 nd support side faces the support wall portion, and the 2 nd container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in contact with the 2 nd support side and the support wall portion.

Description

Support adjustment member, container storage holder, and analyzer

Technical Field

The invention relates to a support adjustment member, a container housing holder, and an analyzer.

Background

Conventionally, an analyzer (biochemical analyzer) has been known which measures various components such as sugar, cholesterol, protein, and enzyme by reacting a sample (e.g., blood or urine) with a reagent. In the case of performing such a measurement, a reagent corresponding to the content of the measurement is required. That is, the analyzer stores reagent containers individually storing a plurality of types of reagents in a reagent storage (reagent station) of the analyzer. The analyzer selects a predetermined reagent from among a plurality of reagents, moves a reagent container containing the selected reagent to a position where a suction dispenser is located, and performs a suitable amount of suction. However, the amount of a reagent used at a time may vary depending on the kind of examination or measurement, or the usable period may vary after the unsealing (after the start of use). That is, the consumption rate of each reagent is different. Therefore, the reagent containers may have different sizes (storage capacities) depending on the types of reagents. Therefore, it is conceivable to mix a plurality of reagent containers having different sizes and store them in a single rack. In this case, since a small reagent container is held in a large accommodation space, it is necessary to support the reagent container in order to avoid a positional displacement of the reagent container on the holder. For example, patent document 1 proposes a reagent container adjuster capable of supporting a plurality of types of reagent containers, that is, reagent containers of different sizes, in a reagent storage (for example, see patent document 1), and patent document 2 proposes a support adjustment member capable of supporting a plurality of types of containers, that is, containers of different sizes, in a holder main body (for example, see patent document 2).

Patent document 1 Japanese patent No. 4754994

Patent document 2 Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2017-090356

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the reagent container adjuster of patent document 1, in order to adapt the size of the housing chamber of the reagent container adjuster to the size of different reagent containers, a dedicated partition member is used for each size of the reagent container. The partition member is supported by a guide rail formed on a side wall of the housing chamber. Therefore, in order to stably mount the partition member to prevent the reagent container from being displaced, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the side wall on which the guide rail is formed. That is, a space required for forming one housing chamber becomes large. As a result, the number of accommodating chambers that can be formed in a limited rack space is reduced, and the accommodating capacity (accommodating number) of the reagent containers is reduced. In the support adjustment member of patent document 2, in order to allow the support adjustment member to be engaged at different positions in the holder main body to accommodate different sizes of containers, the number of engaged portions of the holder main body needs to be larger than the number of engaging portions of the support adjustment member so that the engaging portions of the support adjustment member can be selectively engaged with different engaged portions. As a result, there is a problem that the holder main body needs to be formed with a large number of engaged portions. In the support adjustment member of patent document 2, the reagent container is inclined at a specific angle by the inclined side surface of the support adjustment member. As a result, there is a problem that reagent containers of different sizes cannot be inclined at the same specific angle if there is a difference in the shape of the portion of the reagent container that bears against the side surface.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a container storage holder and a support adjustment member thereof, which are simple in shape and can suppress a reduction in the storage capacity of containers even when containers of different sizes can be stored.

The support adjusting component of the embodiment is used for being arranged on the bracket main body to accommodate a1 st container or a 2 nd container with the size different from that of the 1 st container. The support adjustment component comprises a support part, and the support part is provided with a1 st support side and a 2 nd support side which are opposite. In the 1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion of the holder main body, the 1 st support side faces the support wall portion of the holder main body, and the 1 st container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in contact with the 1 st support side and the support wall portion. In a 2 nd engagement state different from the 1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion, the 2 nd support side faces the support wall portion, and the 2 nd container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in contact with the 2 nd support side and the support wall portion.

The container storage holder according to an embodiment includes the support adjustment member and the holder main body.

The container housing rack and the information processing device of the embodiment are assembled to an analysis device.

The invention has the following effects:

according to the embodiment, as an example, since the support adjusting member for attaching the containers of different sizes to the holder main body is attached to the bottom wall portion which is less likely to be affected by the container accommodating ability, it is possible to suppress the container accommodating ability from being lowered. Further, by fitting the support adjustment member to the bottom wall portion, the posture of the support adjustment member in the housing portion is easily stabilized, and the container can be reliably positioned and supported in the housing portion. Furthermore, the supporting and adjusting component is adapted to containers with different sizes by changing the orientation of the supporting and adjusting component, so the number of the engaged parts does not need to be more than that of the engaging parts of the supporting and adjusting component, thereby reducing the structural complexity (simplification) of the bracket main body.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a support adjustment member applied to a container housing holder of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the adjustment member is attached to and supported by the outer container housing holder and the large-sized container, the medium-sized container, and the small-sized container having different sizes are housed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a state in which the support adjustment member is attached to the outer container housing holder and the small-sized container is housed in the biochemical analyzer according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing a state in which the support adjustment member is attached to the outer container housing holder and the middle container is housed in the biochemical analyzer according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram exemplarily showing a configuration of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart exemplarily showing a flow of measurement processing performed by the sample processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a small-sized container as a1 st container, a medium-sized container as a 2 nd container, and a large-sized container as a 3 rd container which are available in the biochemical analysis apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of an outer container housing holder disposed on the outer peripheral side of a reagent cartridge in the biochemical analysis apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of an inner container housing holder disposed on the inner peripheral side of a reagent cartridge in the biochemical analysis apparatus according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the large container is accommodated as the 3 rd container in the outer container accommodating holder and the small container is accommodated as the 1 st container in the inner container accommodating holder on the inner peripheral side in the biochemical analyzer according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing a state where a large container is accommodated in an outer container accommodating holder in the biochemical analysis device according to the embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

1: biochemical analysis device

2: specimen processing apparatus

3: information processing apparatus

10: shell body

11: specimen library

12: reagent library

13: reaction tank

14: sample dispensing unit

15. 16: reagent dispensing unit

17. 18: stirring part

19: measuring part

20: cleaning part

21: control unit

22: two-dimensional code reader

31. 35: rotating body

32: specimen container

33A, 33B: rotation support part

34: reagent container

34 a: small container

34 b: medium-sized container

34 c: large container

36: reaction vessel

37. 39, 40: liquid transfer tube

38. 41, 42: driving mechanism

45: light source unit

50 a: container body

50 b: container mouth

50 c: container lid

50 d: container label

52 a: peripheral side surface

52 b: inner peripheral side surface

54: container storage rack

56: outer container receiving rack

56a, 60 a: partition wall part

56b, 60 b: supporting wall part

56c, 60 c: connecting wall part

56d, 60 d: bottom wall part

56e, 60 e: support leg

56 f: handle part

57. 61: support main body

58. 62: containing part

60: inner container holding rack

60 f: fixed hook part

63: uncontained area

64a, 64 b: engaging hole part

68a, 68b, 68c, 70a, 70b, 70 c: ribs

68 d: positioning convex part

70: support adjustment component

70 d: base member

74a, 74 b: engaging pin

74a1, 74b 1: elastic structure

76 a: gripping part

A: axial line

Ax1, Ax2, Ax3, Ax4, Ax5, Ax 6: center shaft

D1: in the vertical direction

D2: in the horizontal direction

E1: the 1 st department of action

E2: the 2 nd department of potential payment

E3: 3 rd component part

N: positioning concave part

T1: 1 st inclined part

T1a, T2 a: lower part

T1b, T2 b: upper part

T2: 2 nd inclined part

W1: first mark

W2: second label

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained below. The configuration or control of the embodiments disclosed below, and the operation and effect of the configuration or control are merely examples. The present invention can be realized by a configuration or control other than those disclosed in the following embodiments, and various effects can be obtained by the basic configuration or control.

Fig. 1 to 4 are related drawings of a support adjustment member and a use method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 5 to 11 are related drawings of a biochemical analyzer and a container corresponding to the support adjustment member.

Referring to fig. 5, as shown in fig. 5, a biochemical analyzer 1 (analysis apparatus) includes a sample processing apparatus 2 and an information processing apparatus 3. The sample processing apparatus 2 obtains a reaction solution by reacting a sample such as serum, plasma, or urine with a reagent, and measures the absorbance of the reaction solution. The information processing device 3 obtains the amount of a component of the sample such as cholesterol based on the absorbance measured by the sample processing device 2. That is, the biochemical analyzer 1 analyzes a sample by a colorimetric analysis method. Such a biochemical analyzer 1 is used for, for example, testing various test items such as a cholesterol value of a specimen. The biochemical analyzer 1 is an example of an analyzer.

The information processing device 3 includes a control unit, a storage unit, a display unit, an operation unit (all not shown), and the like. The control Unit includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The information processing apparatus 3 is communicably connected to the sample processing apparatus 2. The information processing apparatus 3 may be constituted by a personal computer, for example.

The sample processing apparatus 2 includes a housing 10; a specimen library 11; a reagent reservoir 12; a reaction tank 13; a sample dispenser 14; reagent dispensing units 15 and 16; stirring sections 17, 18; a measurement section 19; a cleaning section 20; and a control unit 21.

The specimen storage 11 includes a substantially circular rotating body 31 in a plan view. The rotating body 31 is supported by the housing 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation center axis Axl in the vertical direction of the housing 10. The rotating body 31 is rotated about the rotation center axis Axl by a drive mechanism, not shown. The rotating body 31 can hold a plurality of specimen containers 32. The plurality of sample containers 32 are arranged around the rotation center axis Axl and provided on the rotating body 31, and rotate integrally with the rotating body 31. Fig. 5 shows a part of the plurality of specimen containers 32.

The specimen container 32 accommodates a specimen. The specimen container 32 is attached with a two-dimensional code (not shown) including identification information of the specimen container 32, and the two-dimensional code is read by a two-dimensional code reader (not shown) provided at a position facing the specimen container 32 in the specimen storage 11.

The reagent storage 12 has two rotation support portions 33A and 33B that rotate around a rotation center axis Ax2 (rotation center). The rotation support portions 33A and 33B are configured to be rotatable independently. The drive mechanism, not shown, for rotationally driving the rotation support portions 33A and 33B includes, for example, a rotation source such as a motor, a rotation transmission mechanism such as a gear, a belt, and a pulley, and the like. The drive source of the drive mechanism may be shared by the two rotation support portions 33A and 33B, or may be provided corresponding to the rotation support portions 33A and 33B, respectively.

The rotation support portion 33A supports a plurality of reagent containers 34 (for example, a small container 34a shown in fig. 7) arranged in a ring shape around the rotation center axis Ax 2. The rotation support portion 33B supports a plurality of reagent containers 34 (for example, a large container 34c shown in fig. 7) arranged in a ring shape around the rotation center axis Ax 2.

A two-dimensional code (attached to a container label 50d in fig. 7) for identifying the reagent contained in the reagent container 34 is attached to the radially outer surface of the reagent container 34. The two-dimensional code is read by the two-dimensional code reader 22, and the two-dimensional code reader 22 is positioned radially outward of the rotation center axis Ax2 with respect to the rotation support portions 33A and 33B. The two-dimensional code reader 22 is an example of a reader.

The reaction tank 13 has a substantially circular rotating body 35 in a plan view. The rotating body 35 is supported by the housing 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation center axis Ax3 in the vertical direction of the housing 10. The rotating body 35 is rotated about the rotation center axis Ax3 by a drive mechanism not shown. The rotating body 35 is provided with a plurality of translucent reaction containers 36. The plurality of reaction containers 36 are arranged around the rotation center axis Ax3 and rotate integrally with the rotating body 35. In addition, a part of the plurality of reaction vessels 36 is shown in fig. 5. The reaction vessel 36 may be constituted by a cuvette, for example. A sample and a reagent are dispensed into the reaction container 36. The sample and the reagent react in the reaction container 36 to form a reaction solution. The reaction tank 13 is maintained at a temperature suitable for the reaction between the sample and the reagent.

The sample dispenser 14 includes a pipette 37 and a drive mechanism 38. The pipette 37 is rotated by the drive mechanism 38 about a rotation center axis Ax4 in the vertical direction of the casing 10 between the position above the specimen storage 11 and the position above the reaction chamber 13. Further, the pipette 37 is moved in the vertical direction of the casing 10 by the driving mechanism 38. Further, a suction/discharge mechanism for performing suction and discharge operations of the specimen is connected to the pipette 37. The sample dispenser 14 sucks the sample in the sample container 32 by the pipette 37 inserted into the sample container 32, inserts the pipette 37 into the reaction container 36, and discharges (dispenses) the sample from the pipette 37 into the reaction container 36.

The reagent dispensers 15 and 16 include pipettes 39 and 40 and drive mechanisms 41 and 42, respectively. The pipettes 39 and 40 are rotated by the driving mechanisms 41 and 42, respectively, around the rotation center axes Ax5 and Ax6 in the vertical direction of the casing 10 between the position above the reagent reservoir 12 and the position above the reaction well 13. The pipettes 39 and 40 are moved by the driving mechanisms 41 and 42 in the vertical direction of the casing 10. The pipettes 39 and 40 are connected to a suction/discharge mechanism that performs a suction operation and a discharge operation of the reagent. The reagent dispensing units 15 and 16 respectively suck the reagent in the reagent container 34 by the pipettes 39 and 40 inserted into the reagent container 34, then insert the pipettes 39 and 40 into the reaction container 36, and discharge (dispense) the reagent from the pipettes 39 and 40 into the reaction container 36.

The measuring unit 19 includes a light source unit 45 and a light receiving unit (not shown). The light source unit 45 is positioned outside the reaction vessel 13 and irradiates the reaction vessel 36 with light such as halogen light. The light receiving unit receives light transmitted through the reaction container 36, and measures the intensity of the received light. The measuring unit 19 obtains the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction vessel 36 based on the intensity of the light measured by the light receiving unit. The light source unit 45 is configured to be capable of switching the wavelength of the emitted light. Thus, the measurement unit 19 can measure the absorption intensities of a plurality of kinds of light having different wavelengths from each other.

The stirring sections 17 and 18 have a stirring member (not shown) that can be inserted into the reaction vessel 36. The stirring units 17 and 18 stir the sample and the reagent dispensed into the reaction container 36 by rotating a stirring member inserted into the reaction container 36.

The cleaning unit 20 removes (discards) the reaction solution in the reaction container 36 and cleans the reaction container 36.

The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The control unit 21 performs various calculations and controls each unit of the sample processing apparatus 2.

The sample processing apparatus 2 configured as described above performs measurement processing. In the measurement process, the sample storage 11, the reagent storage 12, and the reaction vessel 13 are rotated and moved to positions for receiving the processes of the sample dispenser 14, the reagent dispensers 15 and 16, the stirring units 17 and 18, the measurement unit 19, and the cleaning unit 20.

As shown in fig. 6, in the measurement process, the sample dispenser 14 dispenses a predetermined sample in the sample library 11 into a predetermined reaction vessel 36 in the reaction vessel 13 (S1). Next, the reagent dispensing unit 15 dispenses the 1 st reagent in the reagent storage 12 corresponding to the test item into the predetermined reaction vessel 36 (S2). Next, the stirring section 17 stirs the inside of the predetermined reaction vessel 36 (S3). Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stirring, the measuring unit 19 measures the absorbance of the 1 st reaction solution obtained by the reaction between the sample and the 1 st reagent in the predetermined reaction container 36 (S4). The measured absorbance is sent to the information processing device 3.

Next, the reagent dispensing unit 16 dispenses the 2 nd reagent in the reagent storage 12 corresponding to the test item into the predetermined reaction vessel 36 (S5). Next, the stirring section 18 stirs the inside of the predetermined reaction vessel 36 (S6). Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the stirring, the measuring unit 19 measures the absorbance of the 2 nd reaction solution obtained by the reaction between the 1 st reaction solution (the sample and the 1 st reagent) and the 2 nd reagent in the predetermined reaction container 36 (S7). The measured absorbance is sent to the information processing device 3. Next, the cleaning unit 20 removes the 2 nd reaction solution from the predetermined reaction container 36, and cleans the inside of the reaction container 36 (S8). After obtaining two absorbance values by the measurement processing, the information processing device 3 obtains the amount of the component of the sample (for example, a cholesterol value) based on the two absorbance values. The processing in steps S1 to S8 is repeated for each sample and each examination item. The pipettes 37, 39, and 40 are cleaned by a cleaning unit, not shown, at predetermined timings.

As described above, the reagent used in the biochemical analyzer 1 may vary depending on the type of measurement (content of analysis). Further, the amount used at one time may vary depending on the type of measurement (content of analysis). The usable period of the reagent container 34 after opening (after the start of use) may be different. Therefore, in order to use an appropriate amount of reagent for an appropriate period of time, the reagent may be stored in reagent containers 34 of different sizes.

Reagent containers 34 of different sizes are shown in fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows 3 types of small containers 34a (e.g., 20ml bottles), medium containers 34b (e.g., 40ml bottles), and large containers 34c (e.g., 70ml bottles), as an example. The size of the reagent container 34 is not limited to this, and may be set as appropriate, and a larger number of container sizes may be used. The reagent container 34 is composed of a small container 34a, a medium container 34b, and a large container 34c, which have the same basic structure. The reagent container 34 includes a container body 50a formed of resin, metal, glass, or the like, a container lid 50c for closing the container opening 50b, and a container label 50d attached to the container body 50 a. In fig. 7, the large container 34c shows a state in which the container lid 50c is removed and the container opening 50b is exposed. In addition, the large container 34c illustrates a state where the container label 50d is not attached.

As shown in fig. 5, the reagent containers 34 are arranged in the circumferential direction in the cylindrical reagent storage 12 as an example. In the case of fig. 5, the large container 34c is disposed in a container housing holder provided on the rotation support portion 33B on the radially outer side. The small container 34a is accommodated in a container accommodating holder of the rotation support portion 33A provided on the radially inner side thereof. By disposing the reagent containers 34 in the circumferential direction in this manner, a desired reagent container 34 housed in the reagent storage 12 rotationally driven about the rotation center axis Ax2 can be quickly moved to the position of the reagent dispenser 15 or the reagent dispenser 16. Further, more reagent containers 34 can be efficiently and densely stored in the limited space of the sample processing apparatus 2.

As is clear from the large containers 34c, the reagent containers 34 densely stored (arranged) in the circumferential direction have a width of the outer circumferential side surface 52a that is radially outward (outer circumferential side) in the circumferential direction, which is larger than the width of the inner circumferential side surface 52b that is inner circumferential side, and are, for example, substantially isosceles triangles in plan view. The container port 50b is formed on the outer peripheral side surface 52a side, for example. The small-sized container 34a and the medium-sized container 34b may be shaped such that the inner peripheral side surface 52b side (the tip is narrowed) of the large-sized container 34c is cut away. That is, the outer peripheral side surface 52a of the small container 34a and the medium container 34b has the same shape and size as the large container 34 c. Therefore, the position of the vessel mouth 50b (the vessel cover 50c) when the small-sized vessels 34a and the medium-sized vessels 34b are arranged in the circumferential direction is the same as the position of the vessel mouth 50b when the large-sized vessels 34c are arranged in the circumferential direction. As a result, even when the small-sized container 34a, the medium-sized container 34b, and the large-sized container 34c are accommodated in the container accommodating holder 54 (outer container accommodating holder 56) as shown in fig. 8, the positions of the container ports 50b of the small-sized container 34a, the medium-sized container 34b, and the large-sized container 34c can be positioned on the same circumference. That is, the dispensing operation by the reagent dispensing units 15 and 16 can be easily performed by the same operation for any size of the reagent container 34.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an outer container storage holder 56 provided to the rotary support portion 33B (the outer peripheral side of the reagent cassette 12) as an example of the container storage holder 54 provided (mounted or placed) on the cylindrical reagent cassette 12. The container storage holder 54, which is provided so as to be annular as a whole, is divided into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction. That is, the outer container housing bracket 56 has, for example, a substantially fan shape as shown in fig. 8. By dividing the container storage holder 54 into a plurality of outer container storage holders 56 in this manner, the outer container storage holders 56 can be easily handled. For example, the reagent containers 34 having the same consumption rate may be collected in the same outer container storage holder 56, or the outer container storage holders 56 may be used separately according to the start timing of use of the reagent. The container storage holder 54 (outer container storage holder 56) is formed of, for example, a resin material (e.g., hard plastic), a metal (e.g., stainless steel or aluminum), or the like.

The outer container housing holder 56 shown in FIG. 8 includes a holder main body 57 capable of housing a plurality of reagent containers 34 in a state of being arranged in the circumferential direction, for example; and a support adjustment member 70 (see fig. 1) for accommodating the small-sized container 34a or the medium-sized container 34 b. Details of the support adjustment member 70 will be left to later. The holder main body 57 has a shape in which a plurality of accommodating portions 58 adapted to accommodate the large containers 34c are arranged in the circumferential direction. The housing portion 58 is a separate housing area of a concave shape defined by the partition wall portion 56a, the support wall portion 56b, the connecting wall portion 56c, and the bottom wall portion 56 d. The partition wall 56a is a wall interposed between the large containers 34c stored adjacently. The support wall 56b is a wall formed to connect the adjacent partition wall portions 56a to each other, for example, on the outer peripheral side of the reagent storage 12. Similarly, the connecting wall portion 56c is a wall formed to connect the adjacent partition wall portions 56a on the inner peripheral side of the reagent storage 12, for example. The bottom wall portion 56d is a wall that forms a bottom surface that supports the adjacent 2 partition wall portions 56a, the support wall portion 56b, and the connecting wall portion 56 c. The large container 34c having a size suitable for the storage portion 58 may be referred to as a 3 rd container. The reagent container 34 having a shorter length than the 3 rd container in the facing direction of the support wall portion 56b and the connecting wall portion 56c, for example, the intermediate container 34b or the small container 34a, may be referred to as a 2 nd container and a1 st container, respectively.

Although not shown in the drawings, a plurality of ribs extending upward from the bottom wall 56d are formed on the partition wall 56a, the support wall 56b, and the connecting wall 56c that define (form) the receiving portions 58. The plurality of ribs can support the container main body 50a of the large container 34c accommodated therein with a small contact area (for example, in a substantially line-contact state). By supporting the large container 34c in the line contact state in this manner, the resistance when the large container 34c is taken out or put into the storage portion 58 is reduced and the large container is easier to put in and out (easier to handle) than when the container body 50a is supported in the surface contact state. Further, by supporting the container label 50d in a line contact state, the container label 50d attached to the large container 34c is less scratched, and breakage of the container label 50d is suppressed.

The bottom wall portion 56d is formed with a plurality of leg portions 56 e. The rack leg portion 56e enables the outer container housing rack 56 to stand by itself in a stable posture when the outer container housing rack 56 is taken out or put in the reagent container 34 such as the large container 34c or set to a predetermined position of the rotation support portion 33B. Further, the holder main body 57 is formed with a grip portion 56f projecting upward. The handle portion 56f is provided with an opening into which a finger can be inserted, for example, and is usable when the outer container storage holder 56 is taken out of or put into the reagent storage 12, when the reagent container 34 such as the large container 34c is stored and transported to another place, and the like. Although not shown, openings may be formed in the walls of the holder main body 57, such as the partition wall 56a, the support wall 56b, the connecting wall 56c, and the bottom wall 56 d. By forming the opening portion in the wall surface, it is possible to maintain the rigidity of the holder main body 57 and to contribute to weight reduction, material cost reduction, and the like. Further, a part of the reagent pack 34 housed in the outer pack housing holder 56 can be exposed from the outer pack housing holder 56 through the opening (vent hole). By exposing a part of the reagent vessel 34, the efficiency of heating or cooling can be improved as compared with the case where the opening is not provided. Therefore, the temperature of the reagent container 34 can be easily adjusted (temperature control) through the opening. The outer container housing holder 56 configured as described above can be used mainly for housing the large container 34c containing a large amount of reagent.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the inner container housing holder 60 as an example of the container housing holder 54 disposed radially inside (on the inner circumferential side) the outer container housing holder 56 in the reagent storage I2. The inner container receiving holder 60 is also divided into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction, for example, has a substantially fan-like shape, and when it is disposed in a state of being arranged in the circumferential direction, it becomes the annular container receiving holder 54, and the same effect as that of the outer container receiving holder 56 can be obtained.

The holder main body 61 of the inner container holding holder 60 shown in fig. 9 can hold the small containers 34a in a state of being arranged in the circumferential direction, for example. The holder body 61 has a shape in which a plurality of accommodating portions 62 adapted to accommodate the small containers 34a are arranged in the circumferential direction, for example, similarly to the holder body 57 of the outer container accommodating holder 56. In the case of the inner container accommodating holder 60, for example, 2 rows (2-fold) of accommodating portions 62 are arranged in the radial direction. The housing portion 62 is a separate housing area of a concave shape defined by the partition wall portion 60a, the support wall portion 60b, the connecting wall portion 60c, and the bottom wall portion 60 d. The partition wall 60a is a wall interposed between the small containers 34a stored adjacently. The support wall 60b is a wall formed to connect the adjacent partition wall portions 60a to each other, for example, on the outer peripheral side of the reagent storage 12. Similarly, the connecting wall portion 60c is a wall formed to connect the adjacent partition wall portions 60a to each other, for example, on the inner peripheral side of the reagent storage 12. The bottom wall portion 60d is a wall that forms a bottom surface for supporting the connected 2 partition wall portions 60a, support wall portions 60b, and connecting wall portions 60 c.

Although not shown in the drawings, the partition wall portion 60a, the support wall portion 60b, and the connecting wall portion 60c forming each receiving portion 62 are formed with a plurality of ribs extending upward from the bottom wall portion 60d, for example, so that the container body 50a of the small container 34a received therein can be supported with a small contact area (e.g., in a state of substantially linear contact). That is, the same function as the rib formed in the receiving portion 58 of the outer container receiving bracket 56 can be achieved, and the same effect can be obtained. Further, a plurality of leg portions 60e are formed on the bottom wall portion 60 d. The holder leg portion 60e can perform the same function as the holder leg portion 56e of the outer container receiving holder 56, and the same effect can be obtained. The holder main body 61 is formed with a fixing hook 60f, and the fixing hook 60f is engaged with a drive mechanism, not shown, in the reagent storage 12 shown in fig. 5, and the inner container housing holder 60 is attached to the rotation support portion 33A. The fixing hook 60f also functions as a handle for carrying the inner container housing bracket 60. That is, the fixing hook portion 60f can be used when taking out or putting in the inner container storage rack 60 to the reagent storage 12, when transporting to another place while storing the small container 34a, and the like. Although not shown, an opening may be formed in a wall constituting the holder main body 61. By forming the opening portion in the wall surface, it is possible to maintain the rigidity of the holder main body 61 and to contribute to weight reduction, material cost reduction, and the like of the inner container housing holder 60. Further, a part of the reagent container 34 housed in the inner container housing holder 60 can be exposed from the inner container housing holder 60 through the opening (vent hole). Therefore, the temperature of the reagent container 34 can be easily adjusted (temperature control) through the opening. Further, the temperature of the small-sized container 34a accommodated in the inner container accommodating holder 60 can be easily adjusted (temperature control) through the opening portion. The inner container housing holder 60 shown in fig. 9 shows an example in which the housing portion 62 houses the small container 34a, but may be provided with a housing portion 62 adapted to house the medium container 34 b. In this case, the receiving portions 62 may be formed in a row in the circumferential direction, for example. The outer peripheral side of the inner container housing holder 60 may be the housing portion 62 of the intermediate container 34b, and the inner peripheral side may be the housing portion 62 of the small container 34 a.

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the outer container housing holder 56 and the inner container housing holder 60 are mounted on the rotation support portion 33B and the rotation support portion 33A (see fig. 5) of the reagent cassette 12. In the case of fig. 10, 5 sets of outer container housing brackets 56 are arranged in a substantially annular shape in the circumferential direction. Each of the outer container receiving holders 56 receives 10 large containers 34 c. That is, the reagent storage 12 can store 50 large containers 34c using the outer container storage holder 56. Further, inside the outer container accommodating holder 56, 5 sleeve inner container accommodating holders 60 are arranged in a substantially annular shape in the circumferential direction. Each inner container housing holder 60 houses 5 small containers 34a in the circumferential direction and houses them in 2 rows in the radial direction. That is, 10 small containers 34a are accommodated in each inner container accommodating holder 60. Therefore, in the case of the reagent storage 12, the small containers 34a can be stored in 50 by using the inner container storage holder 60. In fig. 10, an uncontained area 63 in which no reagent container 34 is contained is formed in a part of the outer container housing holder 56 arranged in a ring shape. The non-storage area 63 is a transmission area for reading the two-dimensional code attached to the small container 34a stored in the inner container storage holder 60 by using the two-dimensional code reader 22 (see fig. 5) disposed radially outward of the rotation support portion 33B. The two-dimensional code reader 22 can also collectively read the two-dimensional code attached to the large containers 34c accommodated in the outer container accommodating holder 56.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the outer container housing holder 56 for explaining a state in which the large container 34c is housed in detail. As described above, in the outer container housing holder 56, the housing portion 58 adapted to house the large container 34c as the 3 rd container is defined by the partition wall portion 56a, the support wall portion 56b, the connecting wall portion 56c, and the bottom wall portion 56 d. A rib 68a extending in the vertical direction (the depth direction of the receiving portion 58) is formed on the partition wall portion 56a, a rib 68b extending in the vertical direction is formed on the support wall portion 56b, and a rib 68c extending in the vertical direction is formed on the connecting wall portion 56 c. Each of the ribs 68a to 68c is formed with 1 or more, and supports the container main body 50a of the large container 34c with a small contact area (for example, in a state of substantially linear contact). As shown in fig. 11, the ribs 68b and 68c have inclined contact surfaces, and the large container 34c is inclined toward the support wall portion 56b, and the inclination angle thereof is, for example, 5 degrees. As shown in fig. 11, by storing the large container 34c in a state of being inclined toward the support wall portion 56b, even when the remaining amount of the reagent stored in the large container 34c is small, the remaining reagent can be concentrated at a position immediately below the container port 50 b. That is, the reagent contained in the large container 34c can be dispensed and used easily until the end.

A plurality of stand legs 56e (shown in fig. 8) are formed on the bottom wall portion 56d of the outer container storage stand 56, and the outer container storage stand 56 is made self-standing in a stable posture. The holder leg portion 56e can also function as a positioning member when the outer container storage holder 56 is attached to the rotation support portion 33B (receiving base) of the reagent cassette 12. For example, by inserting the holder leg portion 56e into a positioning hole formed in the rotation support portion 33B, the outer container storage holder 56 can be accurately and stably positioned with respect to the rotation support portion 33B (reagent storage 12). The bottom wall portion 56d is formed with a plurality of engaged portions (engagement hole portions 64a, 64b) with which engagement portions (engagement pins 74a, 74b, see fig. 1) of the support adjustment member 70, which will be described later, are engaged. Details of the engagement holes 64a and 64b will be described later. As described above, the bottom wall portion 56d is formed with an opening (vent hole) for adjusting the temperature of the stored reagent container 34.

As shown in fig. 10, the reagent cassette 12 can accommodate at least two types of reagent containers 34 by using the outer container accommodating holder 56 and the inner container accommodating holder 60. However, there are cases where it is desired to accommodate more medium-sized containers 34b or small-sized containers 34 a. For example, the large-sized container 34c may be 10, but it is sometimes desirable to accommodate 30 medium-sized containers 34b and 60 small-sized containers 34 a. Therefore, the outer container housing bracket 56 of the present embodiment can be fitted with the support adjustment member 70, and the support adjustment member 70 is adjusted so that the housing portion 58 adapted to house the large container 34c is also adapted to house the medium container 34b or the small container 34 a.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the shape of the support adjustment member 70 (spacer). The support adjustment member 70 is a member that positions and accommodates the intermediate container 34b as the 2 nd container or the small container 34a as the 1 st container so as to abut against the support wall portion 56b, and the intermediate container 34b and the small container 34a are shorter in length in the facing direction of the support wall portion 56b and the connecting wall portion 56c than the large container 34c as the 3 rd container that is a size suitable for the accommodating portion 58.

The support adjustment member 70 is a plate-shaped member that extends substantially parallel to the partition wall portion 56a of the outer container housing bracket 56 shown in fig. 11 (in the facing direction of the support wall portion 56b and the connecting wall portion 56 c). The support adjustment member 70 includes a support portion constituted by ribs 70a to 70c, and the ribs 70a and 70c constitute the 1 st support side and the 2 nd support side of the support portion, respectively, the 1 st support side being contactable with the inner peripheral side surface 52b when the small container 34a is accommodated in the accommodation portion 58, and the 2 nd support side being contactable with the inner peripheral side surface 52b when the medium container 34b is accommodated in the accommodation portion 58. In other embodiments, the support portion supporting the adjustment member 70 may not be formed of a plurality of ribs, but may have other suitable forms of structures. The base member 70d below the ribs 70a to 70c is formed with a1 st engaging portion (engaging pin 74a) and a 2 nd engaging portion (engaging pin 74b) that can be fitted to the 1 st engaged portion (engaging hole 64a) and the 2 nd engaged portion (engaging hole 64b) shown in fig. 11. That is, the 1 st engaging portion and the 2 nd engaging portion are connected to the base member 70d of the support portion, and the support portion is engaged with the 1 st engaged portion and the 2 nd engaged portion by the 1 st engaging portion and the 2 nd engaging portion. The engagement holes 64a and 64b are sometimes referred to as the 1 st engagement portion, and the engagement pins 74a and 74b that engage with the engagement holes 64a and 64b are sometimes referred to as the 2 nd engagement portion. The support adjustment member 70 can be positioned and assembled in a predetermined posture (for example, a posture in which it stands in parallel with the partition wall 56 a) with respect to the bottom wall 56d of the housing portion 58 by engaging the engagement pins 74a, 74b with the engagement holes 64a, 64 b.

In this manner, the bottom wall portion 56d is used when the support adjustment member 70 is assembled to the housing portion 58. That is, by adopting the structure in which the 1 st engaging portion (the engaging hole portions 64a, 64b) and the 2 nd engaging portion (the engaging pin 74a, 74b) are engaged with each other in the bottom wall portion 56d, it is no longer necessary to provide a fixing mechanism for changing the size of the accommodating portion 58 in the circumferential direction of the accommodating portion 58, and it is no longer necessary to secure a space (a circumferential space) for forming the accommodating portion 58 excessively, and the accommodating portion 58 has a function of accommodating the reagent container 34. That is, the outer container housing holder 56 having a simple shape can be provided, which can prevent the housing ability of the reagent container 34 from being lowered. Further, since the support adjustment member 70 is assembled using the bottom wall portion 56d that does not affect the accommodation of the reagent vessel 34, a contact area between the base member 70d and the bottom wall portion 56d for assembly can be sufficiently ensured. As a result, the support adjustment member 70 can be firmly and stably assembled.

Either one of the engaging hole portions 64a, 64b as the 1 st engaging portion and the engaging pins 74a, 74b as the 2 nd engaging portion may have elasticity. By providing elasticity to either one of the 1 st engaging portion and the 2 nd engaging portion, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion can be easily attached to and detached from each other. For example, the engaging pins 74a and 74b may have elasticity and function as a snap. In this case, the support adjustment member 70 can be easily attached and detached, and a strong fixing force (holding force, supporting force) that can maintain the posture of the support adjustment member 70 can be obtained. Specifically, the engaging pins 74a and 74b are, for example, in the form of tenons, and the engaging pins 74a and 74b have elastic structures 74a1 and 74b1, respectively, so as to be inserted into the engaging hole portions 64a and 64b by elastic deformation of the elastic structures 74a1 and 74b1, and the engaging pins 74a and 74b are prevented from being separated from the engaging hole portions 64a and 64b by interference between the elastic structures 74a1 and 74b1 and the base member 70 d. The user can apply force to the elastic structures 74a1 and 74b1 to deform the elastic structures so that the engagement pins 74a and 74b can be separated from the engagement hole portions 64a and 64 b. In other embodiments, the engagement hole portions 64a and 64b may have elasticity. In the present embodiment, the engagement pins 74a and 74b are shown as the 2 nd engagement portions, and the engagement hole portions 64a and 64b are shown as the 1 st engagement portions, but other engagement methods are also possible. In another embodiment, an elastic member, for example, a leaf spring or a coil spring may be provided between the connecting wall portion 56c and the support adjustment member 70 to bias the support adjustment member 70 toward the support wall portion 56 b. In this case, the support adjustment member 70 can be more stably attached to the bottom wall portion 56d and the medium-sized container 34b and the small-sized container 34a stored therein. As a result, the support stability of the medium-sized tank 34b and the small-sized tank 34a can be further improved.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the support adjustment member 70 assembled in the first engagement state and the second engagement state in the outer container housing bracket 56. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the outer container housing bracket 56 to which the support adjustment member 70 is attached in the 1 st engagement state. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the outer container housing bracket 56 to which the support adjustment member 70 is attached in the 2 nd engagement state. As shown in fig. 2 to 4, when the support portion (ribs 70a to 70c) supporting the adjustment member 70 is joined to the bottom wall portion 56d of the holder main body 57 (shown in fig. 8) in the 1 st joining state (shown in fig. 3) through the engaging pins 74a, 74b, the 1 st support side (rib 70a) of the support portion faces the support wall portion 56d of the holder main body 57, a small distance corresponding to the small container 34a is provided between the 1 st support side and the support wall portion 56d, and the small container 34a can be positioned in abutment with the 1 st support side and the support wall portion 56 d. When the support portion (ribs 70a to 70c) supporting the adjustment member 70 is engaged with the bottom wall portion 56d of the holder main body 57 (labeled in fig. 8) in the 2 nd engagement state (shown in fig. 4) through the engagement pins 74a, 74b, the 2 nd support side (rib 70c) of the support portion faces the support wall portion 56d of the holder main body 57, a large distance corresponding to the intermediate container 34b is provided between the 2 nd support side and the support wall portion 56d, and the intermediate container 34b can be positioned in abutment with the 2 nd support side and the support wall portion 56 d. That is, reagent containers 34 of different shapes can be mixed and stored in the single type of outer container storage holder 56.

In the 1 st engagement state shown in fig. 3, 2 engagement pins 74a, 74b supporting the adjustment member 70 are inserted into the engagement hole 64a and the engagement hole 64b, respectively. In this case, since the engagement pins 74a and 74b as the catches are inserted into the engagement hole portions 64a and 64b, the support adjustment member 70 is firmly fitted to the bottom wall portion 56d (the outer container housing bracket 56). Further, the operation of pulling out the engagement pins 74a and 74b from the engagement hole portions 64a and 64b in order to change the mounting position of the support adjustment member 70 is also facilitated. The ribs 68b formed on the support wall 56b are formed obliquely as described above, and the reagent container 34 (large container 34c) is brought into contact with the support wall 56b in a posture of being tilted toward the support wall. Therefore, the intermediate container 34b is housed in a posture of being inverted toward the support wall portion 56b side, and the inclination angle thereof is, for example, 5 degrees, as in the case of the large container 34 c. By storing the intermediate container 34b in a state of being inclined toward the support wall portion 56b, even when the remaining amount of the reagent stored in the intermediate container 34b is small, the remaining reagent can be concentrated at a position directly below the container port 50 b. That is, the reagent contained in the medium container 34b can be dispensed and used easily until the end.

In the 2 nd engagement state shown in fig. 4, the 2 engagement pins 74a, 74b supporting the adjustment member 70 are inserted into the engagement hole 64b and the engagement hole 64a, respectively. In this case, since the engagement pins 74a and 74b as the catches are inserted into the engagement hole portions 64b and 64a, the support adjustment member 70 is firmly fitted to the bottom wall portion 56d (the outer container housing bracket 56). As described above, the ribs 68b formed on the support wall 56b are inclined by abutting the reagent container 34 (large container 34c) against the support wall 56b, and the inclination angle thereof is, for example, 5 degrees. Therefore, the small container 34a is housed in a posture of being inverted toward the support wall portion 56b side, as in the case of the large container 34c and the medium container 34 b. By storing the small container 34a in a state of being inclined toward the support wall portion 56b, even when the remaining amount of the reagent stored in the small container 34a is small, the remaining reagent can be concentrated at a position directly below the container port 50 b. That is, the reagent contained in the small container 34a can be dispensed and used easily until the end.

More specifically, the engagement pins 74a and 74b supporting the adjustment member 70 are engaged with the engagement holes 64a and 64b in the vertical direction D1 (shown in fig. 3 and 4), and the engagement pins 74a and 74b are symmetrical with respect to the axis a (shown in fig. 3 and 4) extending in the vertical direction D1, and the distance between the 1 st support side (rib 70a) and the axis a is larger than the distance between the 2 nd support side (rib 70c) and the axis a in the horizontal direction D2 (shown in fig. 3 and 4) perpendicular to the vertical direction D1. In the 1 st engagement state shown in fig. 3, the engagement pin 74a is engaged with the engagement hole 64a, and the engagement pin 74b is engaged with the engagement hole 64b, so that the 1 st support side (rib 70a) facing the support wall 56b has a small distance from the support wall 56b corresponding to the small container 34 a. In the 2 nd engagement state shown in fig. 4, the engagement pin 74a is engaged with the engagement hole portion 64b, and the engagement pin 74b is engaged with the engagement hole portion 64a such that the 2 nd support side (rib 70c) facing the support wall portion 56b has a large distance from the support wall portion 56b corresponding to the intermediate container 34 b.

In this manner, the outer container housing holder 56 that can house reagent containers 34 of different sizes can be changed to the outer container housing holder 56 by simply attaching the support adjustment member 70 to the outer container housing holder 56 that is manufactured to fit reagent containers 34 of a single shape (size). Further, since the support adjustment member 70 can be selectively assembled in different engagement states in different directions in the housing portion 58 of the outer container housing holder 56, reagent containers 34 of a plurality of sizes (for example, a large container 34c, a medium container 34b, and a small container 34a) can be housed in a mixed state as shown in fig. 2. Conversely, the outer container housing holder 56, which is a holder dedicated to the large container 34c, can be changed to a holder dedicated to the medium container 34b or a holder dedicated to the small container 34 a. The outer container housing holder 56 can be a mixing holder for the large container 34c and the medium container 34b or a mixing holder for the large container 34c and the small container 34 a.

As described above, when the form of the outer container accommodating holder 56 is changed (modified) to the dedicated holder or the hybrid holder as described above, only the joint state of the support adjustment member 70 having a single shape is selected, and therefore, the management of the support adjustment member 70 is facilitated. Further, since it is not necessary to manufacture a plurality of types of outer container housing brackets 56 or support the adjustment member 70, it is also advantageous to reduce the manufacturing cost. In other words, by preparing the outer container housing holder 56 for the large container 34c and the support adjustment member 70, the outer container housing holder 56 can be used as a holder for the small container 34a or a holder for the medium container 34 b. That is, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of types of holders corresponding to the size of the reagent container or prepare members (spacers and the like) for changing the storage capacity of the holders according to the size of the reagent container, and an increase in manufacturing cost associated therewith can be avoided. In addition, it is possible to contribute to reduction in the manufacturing cost of the sample processing apparatus 2 (biochemical analysis apparatus 1) to which the outer container housing holder 56 is assembled, and to facilitate management of accessories (the outer container housing holder 56 or the support adjustment member 70) when the biochemical analysis apparatus 1 is operated. Further, the support adjustment member 70 is brought into different engagement states adapted to containers of different sizes by changing its own orientation, rather than being brought into different engagement states by being selectively engaged with different engaged portions of the holder main body 57, so that the number of engaged portions (engaging hole portions 64a, 64b) of the holder main body 57 does not need to be larger than the number of engaging portions (engaging pins 74a, 74b) of the support adjustment member 70, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the holder main body 57.

Other detailed structures for supporting the adjustment member 70 will be described below. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the 2 nd engaging portion (the engaging pin 74b) is further from the axis a than the 2 nd support side (the rib 70c) in the horizontal direction D2. Thus, in the 2 nd engagement state shown in fig. 4, the 2 nd support side (rib 70c) is further away from the support wall portion 56b than the 2 nd engagement portion (engagement pin 74b) to provide a sufficient space to accommodate the medium container 34 b. In other embodiments, the 2 nd engaging portion (the engaging pin 74b) may be closer to the axis a than the 2 nd supporting side (the rib 70c) in the horizontal direction D2, which is not limited by the present invention.

The 1 st support side (rib 70a) of the support adjustment member 70 has a1 st contact portion E1, and the 1 st contact portion E1 is adapted to contact the small container 34a as shown in fig. 3, so that the small container 34a is stably positioned by the 1 st contact portion E1. Similarly, the 2 nd supporting side (rib 70c) of the support adjustment member 70 has a 2 nd fitting part E2, and the 2 nd fitting part E2 is used for abutting against the medium-sized container 34b to firmly position the medium-sized container 34b by the 2 nd fitting part E2. The 1 st and 2 nd urging portions E1 and E2 are, for example, elastic arms, are integrally connected to the support portion supporting the adjustment member 70, and extend downward from the tip of the support portion. The shape of the 1 st supporting side (rib 70a) and the 1 st relief portion E1 thereof are symmetrical to the shape of the 2 nd supporting side (rib 70c) and the 2 nd relief portion E2 thereof, for example. In other embodiments, the 1 st and 2 nd relief parts E1 and E2 may be elastic bodies of other forms, and the shapes of the 1 st and 2 nd supporting sides may be asymmetric, which is not limited in the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, 3 and 4, the support adjustment member 70 further includes a1 st inclined portion T1 and a 2 nd inclined portion T2 connected to the support portion. The lower portion T1a of the 1 st inclined portion T1 is for supporting one end of the bottom of the small-sized container 34a as shown in fig. 3, and the upper portion T1b of the 1 st inclined portion T1 is for abutting against the side surface of the small-sized container 34a as shown in fig. 3 to incline the small-sized container 34a as described above. Similarly, the lower portion T2a of the 2 nd inclined portion T2 is configured to support one end of the bottom of the intermediate container 34b as shown in FIG. 4, and the upper portion T2b of the 2 nd inclined portion T2 is configured to abut against the side of the intermediate container 34b as shown in FIG. 4, so that the intermediate container 34b is inclined as described above. The inclination angle of the small container 34a supported by the lower portion T1a of the 1 st inclined portion T1 and abutted by the upper portion T1b of the 1 st inclined portion T1 is the same as the inclination angle of the medium container 34b supported by the lower portion T1a of the 1 st inclined portion T1 and abutted by the upper portion T1b of the 1 st inclined portion T1. Further, since the middle-sized container 34b is larger in size than the small-sized container 34a such that the end of the bottom of the inclined middle-sized container 34b is farther from the bottom wall portion 56d, the thickness of the lower portion T2a of the 2 nd inclined portion T2 is designed to be correspondingly larger than the thickness of the lower portion T1a of the 1 st inclined portion T1. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the bottom of the container may be smoothly supported by the inclined portion by changing the shape of the bottom.

The support adjustment member 70 further includes a grip portion 76a, and the grip portion 76a and the engagement portions (engagement pins 74a, 74b) are connected to opposite upper and lower ends of the support portion that supports the adjustment member 70, respectively. The surface of the grip portion 76a may be subjected to an anti-slip process. As the anti-slip processing, for example, uneven processing or coating (resin or the like) for anti-slip may be performed on the grip portion 76a so that the user can easily apply force to the grip portion 76a to attach and detach the support adjustment member 70. Further, the holding portion 76a has a1 st mark W1 and a 2 nd mark W2 as shown in fig. 1 and 3, the 1 st mark W1 is marked at a position adjacent to the 1 st supporting side (rib 70a) and includes information (shown as 20mL) related to the small-sized container 34a, and the 2 nd mark W2 is marked at a position adjacent to the 2 nd supporting side (rib 70c) and includes information (shown as 40mL) related to the medium-sized container 34b, so that the user can easily set the support adjustment member 70 in the 1 st engagement state or the 2 nd engagement state as desired. In the embodiment, only one side of the holding portion 76a has the 1 st indicator W1 and the 2 nd indicator W2, but the invention is not limited thereto, and the 1 st indicator W1 and the 2 nd indicator W2 may be formed on both opposite sides of the holding portion 76 a.

The support adjustment member 70 further includes two 3 rd relief portions E3, and the two 3 rd relief portions E3 are connected to the support portion of the support adjustment member 70 and are respectively configured to abut against two adjacent partition wall portions 56a of the holder main body 57 so as to prevent the support adjustment member 70 from wobbling in the holder main body 57. The 3 rd pushed portion E3 is, for example, an elastic arm and is integrally connected to the base member 70d supporting the adjustment member 70, and extends upward from the base member 70 d. The gaps between the ribs 70a to 70c are used to accommodate the 3 rd relief portion E3 of the part and provide a space for the 3 rd relief portion E3 to elastically deform. In other embodiments, the 3 rd payment part E3 may be another type of elastic body, and the invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 4, the outer container housing bracket 56 has a positioning protrusion 68d on the bottom wall portion 56d, a positioning recess N on the bottom end of the support adjustment member 70, and the positioning protrusion 68d and the positioning recess N are engaged with each other, so that the support adjustment member 70 can be accurately joined to the outer container housing bracket 56.

In the above-described embodiment, the support adjustment member 70 is shown as being detachable from the bottom wall portion 56d, but the support adjustment member 70 may be attached to the bottom wall portion 56d by a fastening mechanism such as a screw or an adhesive, for example, when the user wants to attach the reagent vessel 34 in a mix mode. In this case, when the user selects any one of the mixture modes, the outer container housing bracket 56 and the support adjustment member 70 having the same shape may be provided, so that the versatility of the parts can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

In the above example, the support adjustment member 70 is attached to the outer container housing holder 56, and the outer container housing holder 56 can be made to be a small container 34a, a medium container 34b, or a large container 34c, or a small container 34a or a medium container 34 b. In another embodiment, for example, the small-sized container 34a and the medium-sized container 34b may be mixed by providing the inner container housing bracket 60 in a shape suitable for the medium-sized container 34b and attaching the support adjustment member similar to the support adjustment member 70 to the inner container housing bracket 60.

In the above-described embodiment, the outer container receiving holder 56 and the inner container receiving holder 60, which are annularly arranged as the container receiving portions, are shown as the container receiving holders 54. In another embodiment, for example, the receiving portions of the container receiving racks may be arranged in a straight line. In this case, for example, the support adjustment member 70 may be attached to a storage portion dedicated to a large container, and the storage portion may be changed to a storage portion suitable for storing a medium-sized container or a small container.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments are merely examples. The embodiments may be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Note that the configuration or shape of the embodiment may be partially replaced with another configuration or shape. Further, the specifications (structure, type, direction, angle, shape, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, and the like) of each configuration, shape, and the like can be implemented by appropriately changing them.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A support adjustment member, comprising:

a support portion having a1 st support side and a 2 nd support side opposite to each other,

wherein in a1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion of the holder main body, the 1 st support side faces the support wall portion of the holder main body, and the 1 st container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in abutment with the 1 st support side and the support wall portion,

in a 2 nd engagement state different from the 1 st engagement state in which the support portion is engaged with the bottom wall portion, the 2 nd support side faces the support wall portion, and a 2 nd container accommodated in the holder main body is positioned in abutment with the 2 nd support side and the support wall portion, wherein a size of the 1 st container is different from a size of the 2 nd container.

2. The support adjustment assembly of claim 1, wherein said support portion includes at least one engaging portion, said bracket body has at least one engaged portion, and said engaging portion of said support portion engages said engaged portion of said bracket body.

3. The support adjustment member according to claim 2, wherein the at least one engagement portion includes a1 st engagement portion and a 2 nd engagement portion, the at least one engagement portion includes a1 st engaged portion and a 2 nd engaged portion, the 1 st engagement portion is engaged with the 1 st engaged portion and the 2 nd engagement portion is engaged with the 2 nd engaged portion when in the 1 st engagement state, the 1 st engagement portion is engaged with the 2 nd engaged portion and the 2 nd engagement portion is engaged with the 1 st engaged portion when in the 2 nd engagement state.

4. The support adjustment member according to claim 3, wherein the 1 st engagement portion and the 2 nd engagement portion are engaged with the 1 st engaged portion and the 2 nd engaged portion in a vertical direction, the 1 st engagement portion and the 2 nd engagement portion are symmetrical with respect to an axis extending in the vertical direction, and a distance between the 1 st support side and the axis is larger than a distance between the 2 nd support side and the axis in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

5. The support adjustment component of claim 4, wherein said 2 nd engagement portion is further from said axis than said 2 nd support side in said horizontal direction.

6. The support adjustment member of claim 1, wherein the shape of the 1 st support side and the shape of the 2 nd support side are symmetrical to each other.

7. The support adjustment member according to claim 1, wherein the 1 st support side has a1 st biasing portion, the 1 st biasing portion is in contact with the 1 st container, the 2 nd support side has a 2 nd biasing portion, and the 2 nd biasing portion is in contact with the 2 nd container.

8. The support adjustment member according to claim 1, comprising a1 st inclined portion and a 2 nd inclined portion, wherein the 1 st inclined portion and the 2 nd inclined portion are connected to the support portion, the 1 st inclined portion supports one end of a bottom portion of the 1 st container to incline the 1 st container, and the 2 nd inclined portion supports one end of a bottom portion of the 2 nd container to incline the 2 nd container.

9. The support adjustment assembly of claim 8, wherein the 1 st container has an inclination angle supported by the 1 st inclined portion that is the same as an inclination angle of the 2 nd container supported by the 2 nd inclined portion.

10. The support adjustment member according to claim 1, comprising a1 st inclined portion and a 2 nd inclined portion, wherein the 1 st inclined portion and the 2 nd inclined portion are connected to the support portion, the 1 st inclined portion abuts against a side surface of the 1 st container to incline the 1 st container, and the 2 nd inclined portion abuts against a side surface of the 2 nd container to incline the 2 nd container.

11. The support adjustment member according to claim 10, wherein an inclination angle of the 1 st container by abutment of the 1 st inclined portion is the same as an inclination angle of the 2 nd container by abutment of the 2 nd inclined portion.

12. The support adjustment member of claim 1, comprising a grip portion, wherein the grip portion is connected to the support portion, and wherein the grip portion and the engagement portion are located at opposite ends of the support portion, respectively.

13. The support adjustment member of claim 12, wherein the grip portion has a1 st indicator portion and a 2 nd indicator portion, the 1 st indicator portion indicating a position adjacent to the 1 st support side and including information relating to the 1 st container, and the 2 nd indicator portion indicating a position adjacent to the 2 nd support side and including information relating to the 2 nd container.

14. The support adjustment assembly of claim 1, comprising at least a 3 rd relief portion, wherein said 3 rd relief portion is connected to said support portion and abuts said bracket body.

15. A container receiving stand, comprising:

a support adjustment member as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14; and

the support main body.

16. The container housing stand according to claim 15, wherein the stand body has a plurality of housing portions defined by partition wall portions interposed between the adjacently housed containers, the support wall portions formed to connect the adjacent partition wall portions, connecting wall portions formed to face the support wall portions, and the bottom wall portions.

17. An analysis apparatus, wherein an information processing apparatus and the container housing rack according to claim 15 or claim 16 are mounted.