JPH05288755A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an automatic analyzer which can automate all the operations and processes, etc., from the uppermost stage to the lowest stage and housing of containers in the compact multi-stage constitution and process a large number of samples by continuously performing the operations and processes, etc., and housing of containers in parallel, with enhancing the processing speed. CONSTITUTION:This automatic analyzer automatically analyzes a plurality of samples while moving measuring containers 7. Tables 8, 51 where measuring containers 7 are set and which are used to move the measuring containers 7 are arranged in a plurality of stages every predetermined distance. The tables 8 and 51 are coupled by an elevator part 31 to transfer the measuring containers therebetween. At the same time, each device for a driving means and an analyzing means are connected and coupled to a computer which controls the devices and executes operations, so that a plurality of samples can be automatically continuously processed in parallel in this analyzer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer, and more particularly, to an automatic analyzer which is controlled by a computer to automate a series of continuous and parallel processes for analysis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of chemical analysis and the like, there is a strong demand for automating operations relating to analysis, and many automatic analyzers have been proposed so far for various analyses. Among these automatic analyzers, as typical ones for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples unattended, there are an automatic titrator, an automatic spectroscopic analyzer, and other multifunctional automatic analysis systems. The automatic titrators currently in practical use include a method of detecting and controlling the capacity and a method of detecting and controlling the volume when collecting a sample.

In the former case, by simply placing a beaker or a test tube containing a sample on the turntable of a sample changer, the sample can be measured by volume detection, pretreatment such as drug injection and dilution, and titration can be performed automatically. , And other devices with automated electrode cleaning and drainage are commercially available. However, even higher demands such as sampling, weighing, heating reaction and cooling have not been performed. Also, contamination by previous samples can be a problem.

In the latter case, a human takes and weighs a sample by using a system in which a balance, a titrator and a sample changer are combined (weighed values are taken into the titrator online), and the sample is placed on the turntable of the sample changer. When a beaker containing it is placed, a device for performing drainage treatment from sample addition through titration is commercially available. However, it requires a large space (usually a 200 ml beaker is used), the number of samples that can be set at one time is small (usually 12), the weighing operation must be performed by a human, heating reaction and cooling cannot be performed, etc. There is a problem.

On the other hand, in the case of a more multifunctional automatic analysis system including pretreatment, there are many reports of a system in which a robot is arranged at the center. If a robot is used, there are few studies for automation, but on the other hand, it requires a large space, and there are problems that the system cannot be moved, the processing speed is slow, and the cost is high.

[0006]

As described above, the automatic analyzers currently on the market still have problems to be improved. As one of the causes for this, those devices that utilize the rotation of a turntable as a method for transporting a sample container are currently in the mainstream because of the simplification of the device, low cost, etc. 8752, 59-87350, etc.), the movement path of the sample container is limited to one turntable outer circumference. That is, since the size of the device is limited, it is not possible to increase the number of individual operations by increasing the size of the sample container, and conversely, even if the sample container is reduced in size and the number of operations is increased, the individual devices to be operated are Can't be placed around,
Various problems arise when trying to increase the number of sample containers, the number of operations, the sample volume, and the like. There are also attempts to solve this problem without using a turntable, but other problems often occur, such as when using the robot described above. In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides a turntable type automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples unattended, while utilizing the features of the turntable type, it is compact, has a high processing speed, and is capable of continuous processing and parallel processing. The object is to provide an automatic analyzer that can be processed.

[0007]

The inventors of the present invention have completed the present invention as a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems. That is, the present invention is an automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples while moving a measurement container, in which the tables in which the measurement containers used for the movement of the measurement container are arranged are arranged in a plurality of layers at a predetermined interval, Each table is connected by an elevator unit for transferring the measurement container, and each device used for the driving means and the analyzing means is connected and connected to a computer for controlling and calculating the automatic continuous processing of a plurality of samples and It is configured by an automatic analyzer characterized by being configured so that parallel processing can be performed.

The automatic analyzer of the present invention automatically analyzes a plurality of samples while moving the measuring container on the table. As a moving means of the measuring container, a belt conveyor system, a robot system and an analytical instrument are widely used. There is a turntable method. The number of stages of the table provided is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, and can be appropriately set in consideration of the height of the device, the size of the measurement container, and the like. In the following, a turntable system having two upper and lower stages will be described as an example. However, other systems are the same as the turntable system except that the analyzing means and the like are not circumferentially installed. In the present invention, in the upper turntable, for example, a means for supplying a sample to a measurement container held on the outer periphery, a means for weighing the supply amount of the sample, and a rotor for supplying a measurement container containing the weighed sample. A weighing unit is provided, which comprises a means for operating the measuring vessel and a means for supplying a funnel to the measurement container. Specifically, for example, the holders of the measurement containers are arranged on the outer circumference of the turntable, and the holders of the sample containers may be arranged concentrically on the inner circumference thereof as the holding positions of the sample containers. .. This turntable is rotated by computer control or the like to move each container to each predetermined position. At this time, various devices such as a sample container opening / closing device, a sample collecting device, a sample discharging device, an automatic rotor feeding device, an automatic funnel feeding device, and a weighing device are provided in the vicinity of the turntable, and these are connected to a computer or the like. By controlling with, it is possible to automate and efficiently perform a series of operations and processes such as sample collection, weighing, sample discharge, rotor automatic supply, funnel automatic supply and the like.

In the lower turntable, for example, a means for adding a required amount of a reagent and / or a solvent to a measuring container with a funnel for containing the sample transferred from the weighing section, and performing a reaction, cooling, etc. It comprises means for removing the funnel from the measurement container after the treatment, means for titrating the reaction liquid in the measurement container with the funnel removed, and means for discharging the reaction liquid in the measurement container after the titration is completed. A reaction titration unit is provided. Specifically, the holders of the measurement containers are arranged on the outer circumference of the turntable as in the upper stage.
This turntable is rotated by computer control or the like to move each container to each predetermined position. At this time, various devices such as a reagent adding device, a reaction tank, a cooling device, a funnel cleaning-removing device, and the like are provided near the turntable.
A titration device, a drainage device, etc. are provided and controlled by a computer to automate and efficiently perform a series of operations such as reagent addition, reaction, cooling, funnel washing-removal, titration, drainage, etc. be able to.

At the bottom of the apparatus below the lower turntable, for example, a storage section is arranged. Specifically, it is a storage unit for storing the measurement container and the like after the drainage transferred from the reaction titration unit. When the series of operations and processes described above is completed, the measurement container is transported and stored in the container storage tray of this storage unit by the elevator unit. In addition, tanks for reagents and the like may be provided in this storage portion, which saves space and is effective in making the apparatus compact.

In the embodiment in which the turntables are stacked and arranged as described above, the weighing unit is usually located at the upper stage, the reaction titration unit is located at the lower stage, and the storage unit is located at the bottom. Is not limited to the aspect of
An automatic analyzer can be constructed by stacking a larger number of layers. Further, each operation or process used for analysis and the like is not limited to the above, and the order thereof is not particularly limited.

Further, the transfer of the measuring container between the respective parts in the automatic analyzer of the present invention is carried out by an elevator part connecting the respective parts. That is, the automatic analyzer of the present invention has an elevator section that is installed between these turntables, and by controlling it with a computer, the measurement container held on the turntable can be transported and transferred. It is possible to continue each operation from the bottom to the bottom through. Specific examples of such an elevator unit include a handling arm that holds a measurement container and a moving unit that can move the measuring arm vertically and horizontally, but are not limited thereto. Not a thing. In this way, by successively performing each operation from the upper stage to the lower stage to the storage of the container at the bottom, it is possible to further utilize the features of the turntable system and the like capable of continuous and parallel processing. In addition, all operations and processes can be automated, and computer control becomes more effective.

The automatic analyzer of the present invention is constructed so that the devices used for the above-mentioned means are connected and connected to a computer for controlling and computing each other and can automatically and continuously process a plurality of samples. There is.
As described above, the automatic analyzer of the present invention can be controlled by a computer or the like, but the computer or the like may be provided outside the automatic analyzer and controlled online, or may be provided inside. When installed inside the device,
It is preferable to use a miniaturized computer such as a microcomputer in order to save space. Further, a dedicated sequence controller may be used to control the driving means and the like, and in this case, the computer may control the driving means and the like via the sequence controller. The method of the program for determining the series of operation procedures at this time may be a rewritable type or a non-rewritable type.

When the computer is provided outside the automatic analyzer, it is connected to a dedicated or commercially available computer or the like via a dedicated interface. At this time, an input unit such as a keyboard, a display unit such as a display, an output unit such as a printer unit and the like are also connected to the computer and used for a series of operations and processes. The computer used is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of automatically performing a series of processes and operations by controlling each operation / process, calculating data, and the like. When the computer is provided inside the automatic analyzer, a part or all of an input unit such as a keyboard, a display unit such as a display, an output unit such as a printer unit or the like may be provided integrally with the automatic analyzer. Further, in this case, these functions and the like are similar to those provided externally.

[0015]

The automatic analyzer of the present invention has as its constituent elements a table on which a plurality of measurement containers which are vertically stacked are installed. In this way, by arranging the tables vertically and arranging various devices in close proximity to each other, the floor space occupied by the devices can be reduced and the entire device can be made compact. In addition, by stacking the tables in multiple stages, there is a feature that many operations can be performed while keeping the floor space occupied by the apparatus small. Further, in the case of the turntable method, it is possible to move all of the measurement containers and the like held by the one operation of rotation of the turntable to the respective processing positions at the same time, and while making the most of this feature by the above configuration,
Individual operations / processes can be performed continuously and in parallel.

[0016]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Example 1 FIGS. 1 to 5 show an example of the automatic analyzer of the present invention in which a turntable system is adopted as a means for moving a measuring container and a control computer is provided outside the automatic analyzer. FIG. 1 shows the system configuration, and the others show the whole or part of the main body of the automatic analyzer.

The system configuration of FIG. 1 has a keyboard 10
3, a display 102, a printer 104, and a computer unit including a computer main unit 101, a main unit of an automatic analyzer described below, and a connecting unit that connects these units. In the computer unit, the keyboard 103 is used for inputting various data and the like, and the display 102 or the printer 104 is used for displaying or printing the measurement result or the like. In the computer main body 101, various computations, various operations and processes, etc. are controlled by a dedicated program. Here, the drive means and the like are directly controlled by a dedicated sequence controller, which is controlled by a computer. The connecting portion is composed of a plurality of dedicated interfaces and connection cables, and various data for calculation, control signals and the like are transmitted and received through these.

FIG. 2 shows an overall view of the main body of the automatic analyzer, in which the upper part is a weighing part for sampling, weighing, sample discharge, rotor automatic supply and funnel automatic supply, and the reagent addition is lower part. , Reaction, cooling, funnel washing-removal, titration and draining, a reaction titration unit, a storage unit in which a container storage tray 91 and tanks 92 are installed at the bottom of the device, and an elevator unit installed therein. It is configured by. 3 and 4 are plan views showing the upper weighing unit and the lower reaction titration unit of the apparatus main body, respectively. FIG. 5 is a developed view of the lower reaction titration section.

The present apparatus shifts a series of operations, processes and the like in parallel to the measuring container 7 held on the outer circumference of the turntable in steps. Therefore, while one measurement container 7 is moved to the next operation position, other measurement containers 7 are operated and processed, but for the sake of convenience of explanation, a series of operations for only one measurement container 7 is performed. The processing and the like will be described.

The weighing section provided on the upper stage includes a weighing turntable 8, a sampling arm 1, a disposable turntable 9, a suction buret 6, an electronic balance 10, a rotor feeder 11, a funnel feeder 13, and a rotary chuck 15.
(See FIGS. 2 and 3). The weighing turntable 8 has a plurality of holding portions for the sample container 4 and the measuring container 7 arranged concentrically, and holds the sample container 4 on the inner peripheral side and the measuring container 7 on the outer peripheral side, for example. This turntable is a computer (upper sequence controller 108a)
The container can be moved to a predetermined position by being rotated by the control of the driving unit (hereinafter, the same in various driving operations in the upper stage).

The sampling arm 1 is arranged in the peripheral portion of the weighing turntable 8 and has a handling chuck 2 and a disposable insertion nozzle 3 at its tip. This sampling arm 1 is capable of expansion / contraction, rotation, and vertical movement,
The sample container 4 and the disposable chip 5 are attached and detached and moved under the control of the computer. Here, the operation of the weighing unit will be described step by step. First, as a preparatory work, the rotor 12
To the rotor feeder 11, the funnel 14 to the funnel feeder 13,
Weighing turntable 8 for measuring container 7 and sample container 4
And the disposable chip 5 are set on the disposable turntable 9.

When the sample container 4 and the measuring container 7 are moved to predetermined positions by the rotation of the weighing turntable 8, the sampling arm 1 is lowered and the handling chuck 2 holds the cap portion of the sample container 4. The sampling arm 1 moves up to move on the rotary chuck 15, and then descends to move the sample container 4 to the rotary chuck 1.
The container body is gripped by 5. At this time, the handling chuck 2 still holds the sample container 4, and the rotary chuck 15 rotates to open the lid of the sample container 4.

The weighing turntable 8 is lowered, the measuring container 7 is set on the electronic balance 10, and the container weight is measured. The sampling arm 1 moves up, moves onto the disposable turntable 9, and then descends to attach the sample-collecting disposable tip 5 set on the disposable turntable 9 to the disposable insertion nozzle 3. After installation,
The disposable turntable 9 rotates one step for the next supply. Rotary chuck 15 with disposable tip 5
And move it to the sample container 4 with the lid open,
The tip of the disposable tip 5 is inserted into the sample container 4, and the suction buret 6 is operated under the control of a sequence controller (hereinafter, the same applies to various burettes) to suck a part of the sample into the disposable tip 5 and collect it. The sampling arm 1 is moved up and moved onto the weighing turntable 8 and then moved down to insert the tip of the disposable tip 5 into the measuring container 7, and the suction buret 6 is operated to make the sample in the disposable tip 5 electronic balance 10. It is discharged into the measuring container 7 above and weighed.

The density of the sample is determined from the initial sampling volume calculated from the predicted value and the weighed value, the next sample sampling amount is calculated from the density by a computer, and the second suction amount is determined. The suction buret 6 is operated again in the same manner to suck the sample into the disposable chip 5, and then the measurement container 7
The sample quantity discharged into the measurement container 7 is weighed. As described above, by sampling twice, the target weight can be accurately weighed. The sampling arm 1 is moved onto the chip tray 17, and the disposable chip 5 is discarded there. Further, the lid of the sample container 4 is closed in the reverse order of opening the lid, and the sample container 4 is returned to the original position again.

The weighing turntable 8 is raised again, and the measuring container 7 is removed from the electronic balance 10. The weighing turntable 8 rotates, and the measuring container 7 is moved to the position where the rotor feeder 11 is installed. The rotor feeder 11 is a device for feeding the rotors 12 one by one into the measurement container 7 by making good use of the repulsive force of the magnetic force of the rotor 12, and thereby feeding the rotors 12.

The weighing turntable 8 is rotated again, and the measuring container 7 is moved to the position where the funnel feeder 13 is installed. The funnel feeder 13 sets the funnels 14 one by one on the measurement container 7 under the control of the computer. By setting the funnel 14 in this manner, it is possible to prevent evaporation of the reagents and the like during the reaction. The weighing turntable 8 rotates again, and the measuring container 7 is moved to the position where the elevator 31 is installed.

The elevator section comprises a handling arm 32 having a chuck 33 at its tip and an elevator 31 for vertically moving it. The chuck 33 can hold the measurement container 7 transferred to the position of the elevator section, and the handling arm 32 is configured to be expandable and contractible. These are also controlled by the computer. The chuck 33 holds the transferred measurement container 7 and the measurement arm 7 is conveyed and transferred to the lower reaction titration turntable 51 by the expansion and contraction of the handling arm 32 and the vertical movement of the elevator 31.

The reaction titration unit provided in the lower stage is a reaction titration turntable 51, reagent addition arm 53, magnetic stirrer 56, reaction tank 68, water addition arm 69, funnel removal arm 58, titration electrode arm 60, titration burette. 64 and a drainage arm 67 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). As a preparatory work, the reaction reagents, solvents, and titrant are supplied to the tank, and the waste liquid tank and the waste water tank are set in advance.

On the reaction titration turntable 51, the holding portions of the measuring container 7 are arranged on the outer circumference, and a circular funnel recovery tray 52 is provided inside thereof. This turntable can be rotated to move each container to a predetermined position by control of a drive unit by a computer (lower sequence controller 108b) (hereinafter, the same applies to various lower drive operations). Reaction titration turntable 5
1 is provided with a circular hole larger than the measuring container 7 so that the measuring container 7 moves up and down by the operation of the lift 74. During the movement, the lift 74 is controlled to move up and down so as to match the height of the lift 74 and the like in the next step. Further, the reagent addition arm 53, the water addition arm 69, the titration electrode arm 60, and the drainage arm 67 are lowered only when a reagent or the like is added, and are raised when the measurement container 7 is moved.

In the reaction titration section, the measurement container 7 carried from the elevator section is moved to the position of the reagent addition arm 53. The reagent addition arm 53 includes a reagent addition nozzle 54 and a solvent addition nozzle 55 at the tip of the arm. This moves vertically and horizontally, and reagents and the like are added to the measurement container 7 from both nozzles. At this time, the rotor 12 inside is rotated by the magnetic stirrer 56 installed under the turntable to make the sample solution in the measurement container 7 uniform.

The reaction titration turntable 51 rotates, and the measurement container 7 is moved to the position where the reaction tank 68 is installed. The reaction tank 68 is provided below the holding portion of the measurement container 7, and has an arc-shaped overflow tank and a preliminary tank, a circulation pump 73, a plurality of vertically controllable lifts 74, and a plurality of magnetic stirrers. 56 (see FIG. 5). The measurement container 7 is dipped in the temperature-controlled reaction tank 68 containing the heat medium by the descent of the lift 74 to start the reaction. The reaction is carried out by the plurality of magnetic stirrers 56 while stirring the reaction solution as necessary, and the reaction is stopped by the lift 74 rising. Lift 7 here
By making 4 independently controllable, the reaction time can be set for each sample.

The measurement container 7 moved to the position of the water addition arm 69 adds water for hydrolysis to the measurement container 7 from the water addition nozzle 57 provided at the tip. After that, it is immersed again in the reaction tank 68, and the reaction is carried out while being stirred by the magnetic stirrer 56 if necessary. The reaction titration turntable 51 rotates again, the measurement container 7 is moved to the position where the cooling tank 75 is installed, and is immersed in the cooling tank 75. The reaction titration turntable 51 is rotated again, the measurement container 7 is moved to the position of the funnel removal arm 58, and the solvent is added from the solution addition nozzle 59 provided at the tip. The funnel is removed by the funnel removing arm 58, and is stirred by the magnetic stirrer 56.

The reaction titration turntable 51 is rotated again, and the measuring container 7 is moved to the position where the titration electrode arm 60 is installed. The titration electrode arm 60 is a titration nozzle 6
1, a stirring blade 62 and a titration electrode 63. This moves up and down and horizontally to insert these parts into the measurement container 7,
While stirring by the stirring blade 62 and the magnetic stirrer 56, titration is performed by the titration buret 64. The data at this time is sent to an external computer and output to the display 102 and the printer 104. After the titration is completed, the titration electrode arm 60 is returned to its original position (electrode cleaning tank 76).
Then, the stirring blade 62 and the washing water pump are operated to wash the titration nozzle 61, the stirring blade 62, and the titration electrode 63.

The reaction titration turntable 51 is rotated again, and the measuring container 7 is moved to the position where the drainage arm 67 is installed. The drainage arm 67 is provided with a suction nozzle 66 at the tip. This moves up and down, and the drainage pump 78 is operated to drain the reaction liquid in the measurement container 7 into the waste liquid tank of the storage section. The reaction titration turntable 51 rotates again, and the measurement container 7 is moved to the position where the elevator 31 is installed.

The chuck 33 holds the moved measuring container 7 and conveys the measuring container 7 to the container at the bottom of the apparatus by expanding and contracting the handling arm 32 and moving the elevator 31 up and down. Store in 91. A plurality of tanks 92 containing reagents, solvents, water, waste liquids, etc. are installed in the storage section.

As described above, by continuing each operation / process from the upper stage to the lower stage to storing the container at the bottom, all the operations / processes can be automated and the control by the computer is more effective. Is becoming In addition, by performing each operation / treatment at the bottom part in parallel from the upper part to the lower part, it is possible to speed up the analysis of all samples.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples unattended, it is possible to automate all the operations and treatments from the uppermost stage to the lowermost stage and storing the container, Since the apparatus has a multi-stage structure, the apparatus is compact, and by performing operations and processing of each table in parallel, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer having a high processing speed and a large number of processed samples.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an example of an automatic analyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a specific perspective view of the main body of an example of the automatic analyzer of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an upper weighing unit of the apparatus main body shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lower reaction titration section of the apparatus main body section shown in FIG. 2;

5 is a developed view of a lower reaction titration section of the apparatus main body section shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Sampling Arm 2 Handling Chuck 3 Disposer Insertion Nozzle 4 Sample Container 5 Disposable Tip 6 Suction Burette 7 Measuring Container 8 Weighing Turntable 9 Disposable Turntable 10 Electronic Balance 11 Rotor Feeder 12 Rotor 13 Funnel Feeder 14 Funnel 15 Rotary Chuck 17 Chip Tray 31 Elevator 32 Handling Arm 33 Chuck 51 Reaction Titration Turntable 52 Funnel Recovery Tray 53 Reagent Addition Arm 54 Reagent Addition Nozzle 55 Solvent Addition Nozzle 56 Magnetic Stirrer 57 Water Addition Nozzle 58 Solvent Addition Nozzle 60 Solvent Addition Nozzle 60 Titration Electrode Arm 61 Titration nozzle 62 Stirring blade 63 Titration electrode 64 Titration buret 65 Reagent addition nozzle Immersion tank 66 Suction nozzle 67 Drainage arm 68 Reaction tank 69 Water Addition Arm 73 Circulation Pump 74 Lift 75 Cooling Tank 76 Electrode Cleaning Tank 78 Drainage Pump 91 Container Storage Tray 92 Tanks 101 Computer Main Body 102 Display 103 Keyboard 104 Printer 105 Interface 106 RS-232C Board 107a Upper Drive 107b Lower Drive Part 108a Upper sequence controller 108b Lower sequence controller 109a Upper operation panel 109b Lower operation panel 110a Upper power switch 110b Lower power switch 111 Potentiometer 112 Various bullets

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shozo Kanai 423-34 Sakaeya Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture (72) Inventor Yuji Suzuki 3-4-24 Sakaemachi, Soka City, Saitama Lions Plaza Matsubara Danchi Room No. 304

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic analyzer for automatically analyzing a plurality of samples while moving a measurement container, a table in which the measurement containers used for the movement of the measurement container are arranged is arranged in a plurality of layers at predetermined intervals. Each table is connected by an elevator unit for transferring the measurement container, and each device used for the driving means and the analyzing means is connected and connected to a computer for controlling and calculating the automatic continuous processing and parallel processing of a plurality of samples. An automatic analyzer characterized in that it is configured so that it can perform processing. 2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of turntables are stacked and arranged. 3. The means for supplying the sample to the measuring container held on at least the outer circumference of the turntable, wherein the analyzing means comprises:
Means for weighing the supply amount of the sample, means for supplying a rotor to a measurement container containing the weighed sample, and means for supplying a funnel to the measurement container, a reagent and / or a measurement container with a funnel containing the sample Alternatively, by adding a required amount of solvent, reaction, means for performing treatment such as cooling, means for removing the funnel from the measurement container after the treatment, means for performing titration of the reaction liquid in the measurement container with the funnel removed, and The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, comprising means for draining the reaction solution in the measurement container after the titration is completed.