Disclosed are a dilution method and a dilution apparatus. The dilution method includes: adding a sample into a first reactor at a first station of a supply unit; transferring the first reactor to a fifth station of a transit apparatus, and receiving a second reactor at the first station of the supply unit; adding a diluent into the first reactor at the fifth station to obtain a diluted sample; uniformly mixing the diluted sample in the first reactor; transferring the first reactor from the transit apparatus to a dilution transport apparatus; transferring part of the diluted sample in the first reactor to the second reactor; transferring the second reactor to the fifth station of the transit apparatus, and continuing to add the diluent into the second reactor; and uniformly mixing substances in the second reactor. The dilution apparatus includes the supply unit and the transit apparatus.

A sample dispensing mechanism configured to dispense a sample and a reagent to the reaction vessel at a first dispensing position and the reaction cell positioned at a second dispensing position; a second reagent vessel disposed on a track of the sample dispensing mechanism; and a control unit configured to control the sample dispensing mechanism, in which the control unit is configured to, based on information on presence or absence of incubation of an analysis item, control the sample dispensing mechanism to dispense a sample and a reagent to the reaction vessel positioned at the first dispensing position in a case where the incubation is not required by the analysis item, and control the sample dispensing mechanism to dispense a sample to the reaction cell positioned at the second dispensing position in a case where the incubation is required by the analysis item.

An automatic analysis apparatus and an operating method for the automatic analysis apparatus. At least two magnetic separation units are introduced, each magnetic separation unit operating independently and being used for performing magnetic separation cleaning on a reaction solution in a reaction cup. Each magnetic separation unit may be used for any magnetic separation cleaning step in a one-step test project or a multi-step test project, thereby significantly increasing the test speed and the test throughput of the automatic analysis apparatus.

Methods of pre-heating a test vessel prior to transfer of the test vessel to an incubator may shorten an incubation cycle, ensure proper temperature of a test specimen in the test vessel, and/or improve testing accuracy and/or throughput in a bio-liquid specimen testing apparatus. The methods include providing a test vessel pre-heating apparatus having a receptacle sized to receive a test vessel therein and having at least one heating unit configured to heat by direct conduction at least one side of the test vessel. The methods also include heating at least one side of the test vessel via direct contact using the at least one heating unit. Specimen testing apparatus and test vessel pre-heating apparatus configured to carry out the method are described, as are other aspects.

Disclosed are a water quality analyzer and a method for analyzing water quality. The water quality analyzer includes a first disc system, a second disc system, a colorimetric system, a cleaning system, a mechanical sampling system, an analysis system and a central control display. The first disc system and the second disc system are axially rotatable. A plurality of sample locating positions and a chemical locating positions are provided on the first disc system along a circumference of the first disc system. A plurality of colorimetric cuvette locating positions are provided on the second disc system, and the colorimetric system is arranged at a circumference edge of the second disc system. The cleaning system and the mechanical sampling system are provided between the first disc system and the second disc system. The method includes water sampling, water sample injection, cleaning, reagent extraction, reagent injection, cleaning and colorimetric analysis.

A pretreatment device for performing pretreatment using a liquid sucked by a probe from an inside of a septum-attached container includes: a container holding unit which has a space for accommodating the septum-attached container and is provided with a hole into which the probe is inserted with respect to a septum of the septum-attached container to be stored; an installation unit in which the container holding unit is detachably installed; and a fixing unit which fixes the container holding unit to the installation unit in a state where the container holding unit is detachably installed in the installation unit, to solve the above-described problem.

When the consumable is to be conveyed by a reagent gripping mechanism 110 and a reagent conveyance mechanism 111 during analysis of the sample, a control unit operates such that an operation of a device to access the storage unit is stopped, and makes a plan of operation of the reagent gripping mechanism 110 and a reagent conveyance mechanism 111 such that the consumable is conveyed also at a timing at which an operation of the device is stopped, the timing inevitably occurring after the former stop. Accordingly, an automatic analyzer is provided in which occurrence of an unnecessary empty cycle caused when plural consumables are replaced during analysis can be suppressed compared to a prior art.

The automatic analyzer includes a storage unit storing the reaction containers of cleaning target by day unit in such a manner that all the reaction containers mounted on a reaction disk are to be cleaning target within a plurality of days, and a control unit exerts a control in such a manner that during an operation state after the sample of analysis object is dispensed to the reaction containers, a sample of analysis object in each of the reaction containers is analyzed, and not the sample but a detergent is dispensed to the reaction containers of cleaning target of an appointed day, the reaction containers of cleaning target of the appointed day being stored in the storage unit, to soak and wash the reaction containers for a certain time.

An automatic analysis device has a plurality of types of photometers having different quantitative ranges, and an analysis control unit for quantifying the desired component in specimens based on measurement values of one or more photometers selected from among the plurality of types of photometers. The analysis control unit: sets a switching region in an overlap region of respective quantitative ranges of the plurality of types of photometers, said switching region having a greater width than does the variation in quantitative values of the desired component based on the measurement values of photometers having the same specimen; compares the quantitative value of a quantitative range portion that corresponds to the switching region and the quantitative values of the desired component based on the measurement values of the photometers; and selects a photometer to be used in quantitative output of the desired component from among the plurality of types of photometers.

In order to increase efficiency, to minimize the size of the apparatus and in order to reduce the workload of the operator who runs the analyzer, the apparatus for the automated analysis of liquid samples, including a sample tray, at least two reagent trays, at least two reaction trays, and at least two measuring devices. The sample tray is arranged in the center of the analysis area, the at least two reaction trays are arranged adjacent to the sample tray, the at least two reagent trays are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays and the at least two measuring devices are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays. Between the sample disc and each of the at least two reaction trays there is a pipetting device. Between each of the at least two reagent trays and their corresponding reaction trays there is a pipetting device.