A chemical analyzer in which a component of a material to be analyzed acts on a coloring (dye forming) reagent in a reagent layer of the multi-layer type chemical analysis slide. The material to be analyzed is then maintained at a constant temperature for a predetermined period of time, after which the degree of coloration thereof is measured optically so that predetermined parameters of the material are measured with a very high accuracy. A conveying mechanism conveys the chemical analysis slides along an analysis path between two stationary temperature control plates. A first one of the plates having a cut therein has a heating element buried therein extending throughout the plate. The opposed plate has a heating element extending into regions not opposed by the cut in the first plate. The second plate has plural openings through which an irradiating light beam from a light source of a photometric mechanism and a reflection light beam from slides positioned over the openings pass. The lower plate has corresponding reference reflection plates at positions which are irradiated by the irradiating light beam.
Claims:
What is claimed is:
1. A chemical analyzer comprising: a conveying mechanism for conveying along a chemical analysis path a chemical analysis slide including at least one layer impregnated with a material including a component to be measured; driving means for driving said conveying mechanism; temperature controlling means for maintaining said chemical analysis slide at a constant temperature; means for measuring the reflection optical density of said chemical analysis slide; and means for determining the concentration of said predetermined component of said material to be measured in accordance with the reflection optical density thus measured, said constant temperature mechanism comprising at least one stationary temperature control plate in one part of which a temperature changing element is provided to thereby form a discrete heating area, said conveying mechanism being slidably provided on said stationary temperature control plate, said temperature control plate having (a) at least one opening outside the discrete heating area through which an irradiating light beam from a light source of said photometric mechanism and a reflection light beam from said chemical analysis slide pass, and (b) at least one reference reflection plate at a position which is irradiated by said irradiating light beam, said discrete heating area being formed such that said conveying mechanism has at least one chemical analysis slide holding section outside said discrete heating area for loading said chemical analysis slide, whereby an incubation time can be defined by both the rotation speed of the conveying mechanism and the form of the heating area such that chemical analyzer is capable of incubating said chemical analysis slide and measuring the reflection optical density of said incubated chemical analysis slide during one or less rotation of said conveying means.
2. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said constant temperature mechanism comprises first and second stationary temperature control plates, said first stationary temperature control plate having a temperature changing element in a region thereof which confronts said second stationary temperature control plate, said second stationary temperature control plate having a cut and having a temperature changing element in the entire area thereof, and said conveying mechanism being slidably provided between said first and second stationary temperature control plates.
3. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising optical position detecting means for detecting positions of said conveying mechanism.
4. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said first stationary temperature control plate is provided with an opening for discharging said chemical analysis slide.
5. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising a guide roller disposed for depressing slides and covering said at lest one opening when no slide is present.
6. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising a guide roller disposed for depressing slides and covering said at least one opening when no slide is present, the outer wall of said guide roller being covered with a material selected from the group consisting of lusterless black paint, lusterless black flocked fabric, and lusterless black flocked cloth having an optical density greater than 2.5.
7. The chemical analyzer as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising a rotatable filter disc having a plurality of different filter elements disposed in openings therein, said filter disc being operatively disposed in one of the optical path of reflection light and the optical path of irradiating light.
Chemical analyzer