JP2001004637A - Automatic analysis system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic analysis system capable of effectively coping with insufficiency of calibrators. SOLUTION: This automatic analysis system has at least one automatic analyzer 10 getting a concentration of an objective component in a specimen by dispensing the specimen and a reagent stored in a reagent bottle into a reaction tube and measuring the reaction liquid, a storage box 20 is for storing a calibrator, and a carrier 30 for carrying the calibrator, connected to a part between the automatic analyzer 10 and the storage box 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an automatic analysis system for automatically analyzing a sample such as blood or urine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the field of automatic analysis, a random access type automatic analyzer capable of greatly increasing the number of tests per hour by using a plurality of reaction lines at random has been developed. The trend is drawing attention.

In this random access method, the consumption speed of the reagent increases as the number of tests increases.
Opportunities to switch reagent bottles increase. As is well known, the reagents may have slightly different components as well as different lots, even if the same lot has different bottles. Therefore, when switching the reagent bottles, it is necessary to update the calibration curve using a calibrator (also called a standard solution). For this reason, the consumption of the calibrator increases as the chance of switching the reagent bottles increases. Further, as the number of tests increases, the types of required calibrators also tend to increase.

However, in such an automatic analyzer as described above,
The calibrators are arranged together with the sample on the sample disk, so the number of calibrators that can be arranged is limited, and if the number of calibrators that need to be measured increases, all of them can be arranged on the sample disk. Therefore, the calibrator will be in a shortage state during the measurement. In order to eliminate this state, it is necessary for the operator to replace the calibrator that requires measurement with the calibrator that has already been measured. As the number of calibrators increases, the burden on the operator increases. In addition, as the replacement time increases, the measurement time increases, and it becomes difficult to speed up the measurement.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis system which can effectively cope with a shortage of a calibrator.

[0006]

(1) The automatic analysis system according to the present invention dispenses a sample and a reagent contained in a reagent bottle into a reaction container, and measures the reaction solution to obtain the sample. At least one automatic analyzer for determining the concentration of a target component therein, storage means for storing a calibrator, and transport means for transporting the calibrator between the automatic analyzer and the storage means. And

(2) The present invention relates to the automatic analysis system according to (1), wherein the automatic analyzer confirms the presence of a necessary calibrator in the storage unit at the time of calibration, and if there is, the transportation unit. Means for instructing transportation of the necessary calibrator.

(3) The present invention provides the automatic analysis system according to (1), wherein the automatic analyzer has an arrangement means for arranging a calibrator, and a necessary calibrator exists in the arrangement means at the time of calibration. No, or when there is but the remaining amount is less than the amount necessary for calibration, confirm the presence of the necessary calibrator in the storage means, and if so, transfer the necessary calibrator to the transfer means. It is characterized by having means for instructing.

(4) The present invention provides the automatic analyzer according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the automatic analyzer instructs the storage unit to re-store the calibrator conveyed from the storage unit. It is characterized by having means.

(5) The present invention provides the automatic analyzer according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the automatic analyzer instructs the storage unit to re-store the calibrator conveyed from the storage unit. And a means for instructing the transport means to return the transported calibrator to the storage means.

(6) In the automatic analysis system according to any one of (3) to (5), when a calibrator whose expiration date is less than a predetermined period is included in the storage means, If a calibrator of the same type as the calibrator is in the arranging means, it instructs the conveying means to convey the calibrator in the storage means to the arranging means, and conveys the calibrator in the arranging means to the conveying means. It is characterized by having means for instructing the user to perform the operation.

(7) In the automatic analysis system according to any one of (3) to (5), the period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the storage unit and the period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the placement unit. If the calibrator of the type of the measurement object is present in the storage unit and the arranging unit at the time of calibration, the results of the period detection unit are compared with each other, and the expiration date is determined. And a target determining unit that determines a calibrator that has the shortest time period as a calibrator target.

(8) The present invention is characterized in that, in the automatic analysis system according to any one of (2), (3) and (7), the calibration is performed when the reagent bottle is switched. .

(9) In the automatic analysis system according to (7), when the calibrator to be calibrated determined by the object determination means is a calibrator in the storage means, the automatic analysis apparatus includes: It is characterized by instructing the transport means to transport the calibrator.

(10) In the automatic analysis system according to any one of (3) to (9), the type of the calibrator in the storage means and the type of the calibrator in the arranging means are grasped, and the frequency of use is determined. A high-class calibrator is characterized by having means for controlling it to be present in both the storage means and the placement means.

(11) According to the present invention, in the automatic analysis system according to any one of (1) to (10), a frequently used calibrator is provided in the storage means at a location near a transport port to the transport means. It is characterized by having means for controlling storage.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an automatic analysis system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the automatic analysis system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the automatic analysis system of FIG. This automatic analysis system transports an automatic analyzer 10, a backup calibrator storage 20 having a cooling function for storing a backup calibrator, and a backup calibrator between the automatic analyzer 10 and the backup calibrator storage 20. And a transfer device 30 for performing the operations.
7, 211, 311 and cables 40, 50 so that they can communicate with each other.

The reaction disk 115 and the automatic analyzer 10 are provided with a
A sample disk 117 for storing a specimen and a calibrator, and a reagent disk 11 for storing a reagent
9 and a sampling unit 121 for aspirating a sample or a calibrator from the container of the sample disk 117 and dispensing it into the reaction tube of the reaction disk 115 (this sampling unit transports the calibrator in the container transported by the transport device 30). It is also possible to aspirate at a predetermined sampling position on the line 303 and dispense into the reaction tube in the automatic analyzer 10) and the reagent disk 1
A reagent dispensing unit 123 for aspirating a reagent from the 19 containers and dispensing it into a reaction tube of the reaction disk 115, a washing unit 125 for washing the reaction tube, and agitating a sample or a calibrator with the reagent in the reaction tube. And an ID reader 129 for optically reading a barcode attached to a reaction tube, a sample container, a calibrator container, a reagent bottle, and the like, and recognizing the identification number, and a sample or calibrator. A photometer 113 for measuring the absorbance of the target component of the reaction solution with the reagent is provided, and these operations are controlled by the sequencer 103 connected via the bus 133.

Along with the sequencer 103, a bus 131
Includes a CPU 101, a data analysis processor 105 for calculating the concentration of the target component based on the measurement result of the photometer 113 and a calibration curve, and program codes such as a sequence program code and an analysis program code necessary for an automatic analysis operation. The stored hard disk 107 and a display 111 for displaying an error history, an analysis result, and the like.
And a keyboard 111, a printer, and the like.

The spare calibrator storage 20 has a CP
Together with U201, a calibrator disk 203 for storing a spare calibrator in the bus 209;
A target spare calibrator container is picked up from the calibrator disk 203 and transferred to the transport device 30, or the used spare calibrator container returned from the automatic analyzer 10 via the transport device 30 is received and the calibrator disk 203 is received. And an ID reader 207 for optically reading a bar code attached to the spare calibrator container and recognizing its identification number.

The transport device 30 is connected to the bus 309 along with the CPU 301 and the transport line 303 and the transport line 30.
A robot arm 305 for picking up a spare calibrator container from 3 and placing it on the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 or for receiving a used spare calibrator container from the sample disk 117 and replacing it on the transport line 303; An ID reader 307 for optically reading a bar code attached to the spare calibrator container and recognizing the identification number is connected.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the automatic analyzer 10, the spare calibrator storage 20, and the transfer device 30 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. Analyzer 1
0 indicates that the spare calibrator is ordered or returned from the spare calibrator storage 20, that is, the spare calibrator is stored in the spare calibrator storage 20 similarly to the calibrator stored in the sample disk 117 in the own apparatus. A spare calibrator can be handled. This eliminates the need for cumbersome work such as replenishment of calibrators by the operator for the chronic shortage of calibrators due to the increase in the required amount of calibrators and the required number of calibrators, and without stopping the reaction line. , Can be dealt with. Moreover, since the spare calibrator storage 20 and the transfer device 30 are external to the automatic analyzer 10, the system can be expanded at any time.

Next, the operation of the present system will be described while exemplifying a specific case. First, when switching the reagent bottle of the reagent disk 119 to a new one when the reagent runs out, it is necessary to react it with a calibrator and obtain a calibration curve corresponding to the reagent of the new reagent bottle from the analysis result. If the calibrator required for this operation is not originally stored on the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10, the calibrator is obtained from the spare calibrator storage 20 and placed on the sample disk 117. At this time, when the storage space of the sample disk 117 is full, the obtained calibrator container is, for example, the least frequently used calibrator container or the empty container among the calibrator containers stored in the sample disk 117. Will be replaced with In addition, although the necessary calibrator was initially stored, when the calibrator is used up, the calibrator is ordered from the spare calibrator storage 20 and replaced with the used calibrator container.

In order to perform such an operation, FIG.
As shown in (a), the CPU 101 of the automatic analyzer 10
Outputs a request to carry out the target calibrator to the spare calibrator storage 20, and outputs a request to transport the calibrator to the transport device 30.

CPU of spare calibrator storage 20
201 confirms in the storage list whether the calibrator instructed by the automatic analyzer 10 is stored,
If not, transfer the information to the CPU 101,
On the other hand, if the calibrator container is stored,
The specified container is specified via the reader 207, and the calibrator disk 203 and the robot arm 205 are instructed to carry out the specified container. Thereby, the container is carried to the unloading position by rotating the calibrator disk 203 by an appropriate amount, and is reloaded from the calibrator disk 203 onto the transfer line 303 of the transfer device 30 by the robot arm 205.

The CPU 301 of the transfer device 30 identifies the container received from the spare calibrator storage 20 as an ID.
Recognition is performed via the reader 307, and the transport line 303 and the robot arm 305 are instructed to transport the container and to place the container on the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10. As a result, the container is transported to the loading position of the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 by the transport line 303, and is replaced by the robot arm 305 from the transport line 303 to the sample disk 117.

The container containing the target calibrator transferred from the spare calibrator storage 20 via the transfer device 30 is not limited to being replaced on the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10. For example, without transferring the transported calibrator container from the transport line 303 to the sample disk 117, the container is stopped at a specific position (suction position) on the transport line 303 close to the sample disk 117,
At that position, the calibrator may be sucked by the sampling unit 121 and dispensed to the reaction tube on the reaction disk 115.

As described above, the necessary calibrator is
Even when the calibrator is not in the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10, the calibrator can be obtained from the spare calibrator storage 20 and used. After switching the reagent bottle to a new one,
There is a time lag of a predetermined time between the arrival of the spare calibrator from the spare calibrator storage 20 and the use of the spare calibrator to obtain the calibration curve corresponding to the reagent in the new reagent bottle. During that time, the CPU 101 stops the reaction line. Without using the ID reader 129, a reaction tube using the reagent of the new reagent bottle is specified, and the measurement result of the sample in the reaction tube by the photometer 113 is held. The analysis is performed based on a calibration curve obtained from the obtained spare calibrator and the reagent in the new reagent bottle. Also, CP
Immediately after switching the reagent bottle, U101 switches the calibrator to the spare calibrator when the remaining amount of the used reagent bottle becomes less than the predetermined amount so that the calibration curve corresponding to the reagent of the new reagent bottle can be used. Storage 2
Alternatively, a calibration curve corresponding to the reagent of the reagent bottle to be switched may be obtained in advance by obtaining from 0 and using the reagent bottle to be switched.

Next, if a spare calibrator obtained from the spare calibrator storage 20 remains after its use in order to obtain a calibration curve corresponding to a new reagent, the CPU 101 of the automatic analyzer 10 re-uses it. In order to return the spare calibrator to the spare calibrator storage 20,
Of the sample disk 117 to the spare calibrator storage 20, and outputs a request for receiving the container from the transport device 30 and returning it to the calibrator disk 203 to the spare calibrator storage 20. .

The CPU 301 of the transfer device 30 receiving the request
Recognizes the container received from the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 via the ID reader 307, and transfers the container to the robot arm 305 from the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 to the transfer line 30.
3 and an instruction to transport the container to the carry-in position of the spare calibrator storage 20 is output to the transport line 303. As a result, the container is transported from the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 to the carry-in position of the spare calibrator storage 20 via the transport line 303 and the return path 309, and the robot arm 205 of the spare calibrator storage 20. Is replaced on the calibrator disk 203. As a result, the remaining spare calibrator is kept in a cool state, there is no possibility of deterioration, and the spare calibrator can be used again.

Incidentally, the spare calibrator storage 2
Although the spare calibrator stored at 0 is stored in a cool state, it cannot be used indefinitely. For this reason, the CPU 201 of the spare calibrator storage 20 stores the container of the calibrator up to the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 before the expiration date inherent to the spare calibrator individually or at regular intervals. Conveyed and its sample disk 117
The request for reloading is output to the transport device 30, and the automatic analyzer 10 is notified of the expiration date together with the identification number of the container.

The CPU 301 of the transfer device 30 receiving the request
Recognizes the container received from the calibrator disk 203 of the spare calibrator storage 20 via the ID reader 307, outputs an instruction to transport the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10 to the loading position of the sample disk 117, and outputs the instruction to the transport line 303. , The container is transferred to a transfer line 303.
Output an instruction to the robot arm 305 to reload the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10.
As a result, the container becomes a spare calibrator storage 2
0 from the calibrator disk 203 to the transport line 3
The robot arm 305 transports the sample disk 117 to the sample disk 117 via the position 03, and transfers the sample disk 117 to the sample disk 117. Thus, before the expiration date, the sample disk 11 of the automatic analyzer 10 can be used.
7, and wasteful disposal of the spare calibrator can be reduced.

The operation related to the expiration of the expiration date will be specifically described. First, consider the case where there is one automatic analyzer 10. When calibrating (creating a calibration curve), the calibrator used for the calibration is
When stored in both the sample disk 117 and the storage 20, the CPU 101 compares the period until the expiration date of the calibrator on the sample disk 117 with the period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the storage 20. As a result, if the period until the expiration date of the calibrator on the sample disk 117 is short, it is determined that the calibrator is preferentially used as the calibrator. Conversely, if the period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the storage 20 is short, an instruction is output to the storage 20 and the transport device 30 to transport the calibrator. Thereby, the storage 20
The corresponding calibrator is transferred to the automatic analyzer 10 via the transfer device 30. The sent container may be stopped at a predetermined position on the transport line 303, and the calibrator may be aspirated by the sampling unit 121 at that position and dispensed into a predetermined reaction tube. Then, the calibrator may be aspirated by the sampling unit 121 and dispensed into a predetermined reaction tube in the same manner as usual.

Next, consider the case where the number of the automatic analyzers 10 is two. One automatic analyzer 1 for performing calibration
If there is no necessary calibrator in the sample disk 117 of No. 0, not in the storage 20, and stored only in the other automatic analyzer 10, the other automatic analyzer 10
CPU 101 issues an instruction to the other automatic analyzer 10 and the transport device 30 to transport the calibrator from the other automatic analyzer 10 via the transport device 30. The sent container may be stopped at a predetermined position on the transport line 303, and the calibrator may be aspirated by the sampling unit 121 at that position and dispensed into a predetermined reaction tube. Then, the calibrator may be aspirated by the sampling unit 121 and dispensed into a predetermined reaction tube in the same manner as usual.

Further, there is a necessary calibrator on the sample disk 117 of one automatic analyzer 10 for performing calibration, and the calibrator is also provided on the sample disk 117 of the other automatic analyzer 10, If not, the CPU 101 of one of the automatic analyzers 10 compares the period until the expiration date of the calibrator of the one automatic analyzer 10 with the period until the expiration date of the calibrator of the other automatic analyzer 10, If a calibrator for which the period is short is stored in one of the automatic analyzers 10 that performs the calibration, the calibration is directly performed using the calibrator. Conversely, if a calibrator with a short period is stored in the other automatic analyzer 10, the calibrator is transported from the other automatic analyzer 10 to the one automatic analyzer 10 via the transport device 30. It is sampled at a predetermined position on the transfer line 303 and dispensed into the reaction tube, and then the container is returned to the other automatic analyzer 10 via the transfer device 30. Of course, the calibrators may be exchanged between the two large automatic analyzers 1.

If all of the automatic analyzer 10, the other automatic analyzer 10, and the storage 20 have necessary calibrators, if the calibrator with the shortest period until the expiration date is in the storage 20, , One of the automatic analyzers 10 for calibrating the calibrator
To be transported. A calibrator with a longer period on the sample disk 117 of one of the automatic analyzers 10 to be calibrated is sent from the sample disk 117 to the storage 20, and the calibrator from the storage 20 is transferred to the empty space of the sample disk 117. You may replace it. In this case, if the calibrator having the second shortest period is replaced, the calibrator on the transport device 30 (that is, the sample disk 1 of the automatic analyzer 10 that performs calibration first) is replaced.
17), the calibrator is replaced with the calibrator on the sample disk 117 of the other automatic analyzer 10 and the other automatic analyzer 10
May be transported to the storage 20 for storage, and the calibrator may be used preferentially from the shortest period until the expiration date.

By the way, there are various types of calibrators, the frequency of use of which is not constant, and the amount of use of a particular type of calibrator may increase significantly. In this case, as a matter of course, the specific type of calibrator tends to be insufficient. Here, for the calibrator that is frequently used, the sample disk 117 in the automatic analyzer 10 and the storage
It is preferable that the information is always stored in both the calibrator disk 203 and the calibrator disk 203. For this purpose, the operator first stores the type of the calibrator that is frequently used in the hard disk 107 in advance by screen input or the like. Then, the CPU 101 of the automatic analyzer 10 grasps the types of all the calibrators stored in both the sample disk 117 and the storage 20 by ID, and the frequently used calibrators are used by the sample disk of the automatic analyzer 10. 117 is not stored in both the storage 117 and the sample disk 1 of the automatic analyzer 10.
17, but not stored in the storage 20, a message to that effect is displayed on the screen. In order to prevent the operation from being temporarily stopped due to the shortage of the calibrator at the time of calibration, the operator sees the message and replaces the frequently used calibrator with the sample disk 1 of the automatic analyzer 10.
17 and the storage 20 can be prepared in advance. If the frequently used calibrator is stored in the storage 20 but is not stored in the sample disk 117 of the automatic analyzer 10, a message to that effect is displayed on the screen. When the operator sees the message and instructs the automatic analyzer 10 to replace the frequently used calibrator, the CPU 101 retrieves the frequently used calibrator from the storage 20 and transfers it to the sample disk 117. The least frequently used calibrator,
Alternatively, control is performed so as to replace the calibrator that is not used immediately. Note that when the remaining amount of the calibrator on the sample disk 117 becomes small, the storage 20
Is replaced on the screen, a message is displayed on the screen to inform the operator that there is a container that has been transported and returned.

The calibrators in the calibrator disk 203 of the storage 20 are arranged according to the frequency of use so that the frequently used calibrators can be sent to the automatic analyzer 10 in a short time. More specifically, the movement of the robot arm 205 under the control of the CPU 201 causes the transfer device 3
A frequently used calibrator is arranged near the carry-out port to zero, and a less frequently used calibrator is arranged farther from the carry-out port. With such an arrangement,
The efficiency of unloading from the storage 20 to the transfer device 30 can be improved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the spare calibrator storage for storing the spare calibrator and the transfer device can communicate with the automatic analyzer, the situation where the calibrator is insufficient can be solved. , Can be dealt with in the system without operator intervention. In addition, a spare calibrator storage and a transport device can be easily added to the automatic analyzer simply by additional communication-related maintenance, so that the existing automatic analyzer can be used as it is and the system can be simplified. Can be extended.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be implemented with various modifications.

[0041]

According to the present invention, a situation such as a shortage of a calibrator can be dealt with by ordering the calibrator from the storage means to the automatic analyzer via the transport means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the automatic analysis system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of communication among the automatic analyzer, the calibrator storage, and the transport device of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Automatic analyzer, 20 ... Calibrator storage with a cooling function, 30 ... Transfer device, 40 ... Cable, 50 ... Cable, 101 ... CPU, 103 ... Sequencer, 105 ... Data analysis processor, 107 ... Hard disk, 109 ... Display 111 keyboard, 113 photometer, 115 reaction disk, 117 sampler, 119 reagent disk, 121 sampling unit, 123 reagent dispensing unit, 125 washing unit, 127 stirring unit, 129 ID reader, 131 bus, 133 bus, 135 interface, 137 interface, 201 CPU, 203 calibration disk, 205 robot arm, 207 ID reader, 209 bus, 211 interface Face, 301 ... CPU, 303 ... transfer line, 305 ... robotic arm, 307 ... ID Reader, 309 ... bus, 311 ... interface.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A method according to claim 1, wherein a sample and a reagent contained in a reagent bottle are dispensed into a reaction container, and the concentration of the target component in the sample is determined by measuring the reaction solution.
An automatic analysis system comprising: a plurality of automatic analyzers; storage means for storing a calibrator; and transport means for transporting the calibrator between the automatic analyzer and the storage means. 2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising means for confirming the presence of a necessary calibrator in said storage means during calibration, and instructing said transport means to transport said required calibrator if present. The automatic analysis system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The automatic analyzer has an arrangement means for arranging a calibrator, and a necessary calibrator does not exist in the arrangement means at the time of calibration, or the remaining amount is required for calibration. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for confirming the presence of the necessary calibrator in the storage means when the amount is less than an appropriate amount, and instructing the transport means to transport the necessary calibrator if it is present. Automatic analysis system. 4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the automatic analyzer has a unit for instructing the storage unit to re-store the calibrator conveyed from the storage unit. Analysis system. 5. The automatic analyzer instructs the storage unit to re-store the calibrator transported from the storage unit, and instructs the transport unit to return the transported calibrator to the storage unit. The automatic analysis system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means. 6. When there is a calibrator whose expiration date is within a predetermined period in the storage unit, if a calibrator of the same type as the calibrator is in the placement unit, the storage unit is added to the transport unit. 6. A device according to claim 3, further comprising means for instructing to transport the calibrator in the arranging means to the arranging means and instructing to transport the calibrator in the arranging means to the carrying means. The automatic analysis system according to claim 1. 7. A period detecting unit for detecting a period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the storage unit and a period until the expiration date of the calibrator in the arranging unit. When present in the storage unit and the arranging unit, it has a target determining unit that compares the detection results obtained by the period detecting units and determines a calibrator having the shortest period until the expiration date as a calibrator target. The automatic analysis system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein 8. The automatic analysis system according to claim 2, wherein the calibration is performed when the reagent bottle is switched. 9. When the calibrator to be calibrated determined by the object determination unit is a calibrator in the storage unit, the automatic analyzer instructs the transport unit to transport the calibrator. The automatic analysis system according to claim 7, wherein 10. A type of calibrator in the storage unit and a type of calibrator in the arranging unit,
The automatic analysis system according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein a calibrator of a type that is frequently used includes a unit that controls the calibrator to be present in both the storage unit and the arrangement unit. 11. The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to store a frequently used calibrator at a location close to a transfer port to the transfer unit. The automatic analysis system according to claim 1.