US 12,235,282 B2
Automatic analyzer
Yosuke Horie, Tokyo (JP); Manabu Ochi, Tokyo (JP); Tetsuji Kawahara, Tokyo (JP); Kohei Nonaka, Tokyo (JP); and Hiroyuki Takayama, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/279,224
Filed by Hitachi High-Tech Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Oct. 8, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/039672
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 24, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/095604, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-208844 (JP), filed on Nov. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0034928 A1, Feb. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 35/10 (2006.01); B06B 1/02 (2006.01); B08B 3/12 (2006.01); B08B 13/00 (2006.01); B06B 1/06 (2006.01); G01N 35/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 35/1004 (2013.01) [B06B 1/0207 (2013.01); B08B 3/12 (2013.01); B08B 13/00 (2013.01); B06B 1/06 (2013.01); B06B 2201/55 (2013.01); B06B 2201/71 (2013.01); G01N 2035/00346 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatic analyzer, comprising:
a dispensing mechanism having a nozzle for dispensing either a sample or a reagent;
an ultrasonic cleaner to clean the nozzle; and
a controller,
wherein the ultrasonic cleaner includes a cleaning bath, an ultrasonic transducer, and a vibration head which extends from the ultrasonic transducer toward the cleaning bath to cause a tip of the vibration head to be inserted into the cleaning bath, and
wherein the controller is configured to:
perform a heating operation of driving the ultrasonic transducer to heat the ultrasonic transducer at a first voltage, and
perform a cleaning operation of cleaning the nozzle by inserting the nozzle into the cleaning bath and driving the ultrasonic transducer at a second voltage, which is greater than the first voltage, and
wherein the heating operation is performed before the cleaning operation begins and is continued after the cleaning operation ends.