Automatic analyzer

Abstract

To provide an automatic analyzer comprising a reagent refrigerator that can uniformly cool the inside of the entire refrigerator using one cooling apparatus and can prevent dew condensation in the reagent refrigerator.SOLUTION: An automatic analyzer comprises: a reagent refrigerator for keeping multiple reagent containers cold; a heatpipe disposed in the reagent refrigerator for cooling the inside of the reagent refrigerator; a cooling apparatus for cooling the heatpipe; a dehumidifying pipe, at least part of which contacts the heatpipe, or is disposed in the vicinity thereof, for allowing the outside air of the reagent refrigerator to flow and discharging the air into the reagent refrigerator from an end part of the dehumidifying pipe; and a first drain for draining dew condensation water discharged from the end part of the dehumidifying pipe from the reagent refrigerator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer. [Background technology]

[0002] Automated analyzers perform analyses by dispensing a sample solution containing a target substance and a reaction reagent into a reaction vessel, allowing the reaction to occur, and then optically or electrically measuring the reaction solution. For example, some automated analyzers use blood, serum, urine, or other samples to detect specific biological components or chemicals contained in the sample. These automated analyzers are equipped with a reagent refrigerator for storing the reagents at low temperatures, for example, between 5 and 12°C, to ensure stable storage of the reaction reagents. In a hot and humid environment, ambient air may enter the reagent refrigerator through the reagent intake holes, causing moisture in the air to condense inside the refrigerator. Condensation on the top of the reagent container, in particular, could lead to concerns about moisture entering the reagent container and altering the state of the reagent.

[0003] As a prior art solution to the above problem, as described in Patent Document 1, an automatic analyzer has been proposed which has an outlet for discharging condensation water generated inside the reagent refrigerator, an outside air inlet path for directing air from outside the reagent refrigerator into the inside, and multiple coolers installed below the bottom surface of the inner wall of the reagent refrigerator, in which the cooler located below the outside air inlet path on the most downstream side is set to a lower temperature than the other coolers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-181437 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 uses multiple coolers, which provides excellent cooling performance, but the cost of the equipment increases accordingly, making it difficult to apply to reagent refrigerators in small automatic analyzers.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer equipped with a reagent refrigerator that can uniformly cool the entire interior of the refrigerator with a single cooling device and prevent condensation from forming inside the reagent refrigerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. An automatic analyzer comprising: a reagent refrigerator that keeps a plurality of reagent containers cold; a heat pipe that is provided within the reagent refrigerator and that cools the interior of the reagent refrigerator; a cooling device that cools the heat pipe; a dehumidifying pipe that is provided in the vicinity of or at least partially in contact with the heat pipe and that passes air outside the reagent refrigerator and discharges it from its end into the reagent refrigerator; and a first drain that discharges condensation water discharged from the end of the dehumidifying pipe to the outside of the reagent refrigerator. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer equipped with a reagent refrigerator that can uniformly cool the entire interior of the refrigerator with a single cooling device and prevent condensation from forming inside the reagent refrigerator. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of a reagent refrigerator of the automatic analyzer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a drain outlet of a reagent refrigerator of the automatic analyzer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the cooling jacket of the automatic analyzer according to Example 4 of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the automatic analyzer of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, an automatic immunoanalyzer will be described as an example. [Example]

[0011] Example 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the reagent refrigerator of the automatic analyzer of Example 1, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a vertical cross section AA of the reagent refrigerator seen from the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a horizontal cross section BB of the reagent refrigerator seen from the direction of the arrow in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the drain outlet of the reagent refrigerator.

[0012] 1 to 4, reagent containers 6 installed inside the reagent refrigerator 1 rest on a reagent disk 3, which can be rotated by a drive unit 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the top of the reagent refrigerator 1 is provided with suction holes 22 for aspirating reagents from the reagent containers 6. A cooling jacket 2 is provided around and under the reagent disk 3. The cooling jacket 2 is made of a material with relatively high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum, to effectively transfer heat. Insulating materials 4 and 5, such as polystyrene foam, are provided around the cooling jacket 2 to insulate it from the surroundings. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface of the bottom of the cooling jacket 2 is inclined at an angle α (α>0) with respect to the horizontal. A heat conducting member 10 connected to a Stirling refrigerator 9 is provided at a higher position on the top of the bottom of the cooling jacket, and a drain port 18 (sometimes referred to as a "drain") is provided at a lower position on the bottom of the cooling jacket to drain condensed water. Furthermore, a heat pipe 7 is provided in contact with the upper bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2, passing over the heat conducting member 10.

[0013] Heat pipe 7 is a pipe made of copper or other material that has a working fluid sealed inside, and has a high equivalent thermal conductivity. The principle is as follows: 1) The working fluid absorbs heat and evaporates on the inner wall of the high-temperature section. 2) The working fluid vapor moves through the cavity to the low-temperature section. 3) The working fluid vapor cooled in the low-temperature section condenses and returns to liquid, which is absorbed into the core of the capillary structure of the inner wall. 4) The working fluid travels through the core of the capillary structure of the inner wall and returns to the high-temperature section.

[0014] The heat pipe 7 is installed in a ring shape above the bottom surface to match the shape of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2. Meanwhile, an air pipe 8 (also called a "dehumidifying pipe" due to its function) for flowing air is installed so as to be in contact with or near the heat pipe 7. The first air pipe is connected to the inlet air pipe 16 near the drain outlet 18, and the inlet air pipe 16 is connected to the blower 17. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the air pipe 8 is arranged so as to go almost completely around the inside of the refrigerator, and an air pipe outlet 19 is provided near the drain outlet 18.

[0015] Metallic materials such as copper or aluminum are desirable for the material of the air pipe 8, as they conduct heat well. The heat pipe 7 and air pipe 8 are directly connected by brazing or the like, and the heat pipe 7 and air pipe 8 are fixed to the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 by brazing, welding, or mechanical fasteners. The heat pipe 7 and air pipe 8 may also be fixed by mechanical fasteners. Alternatively, the heat pipe 7 and air pipe 8 may not be in direct contact with each other, but may be fixed to the cooling jacket 2 in a nearby position.

[0016] Cooling jacket 2 and heat conductive member 10 are fixed together with bolts or the like (not shown), and a member for reducing contact thermal resistance, such as heat conductive grease or a highly heat conductive sheet member, is provided between them. Heat conductive member 10 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum. Heat conductive member 10 is attached to heat absorption section 11 of Stirling refrigerator 9. Heat dissipation fins 13 are attached to heat dissipation section 12 of Stirling refrigerator 9. Heat dissipation fan 14 draws air into heat dissipation fins 13 from above, and the drawn-in air passes between Stirling refrigerator 9 and casing 15 before being released to the outside by heat dissipation fan 14.

[0017] Stirling refrigerator 9 can provide greater cooling capacity than a Peltier element of similar size. As a result, the interior of reagent refrigerator 1 can be sufficiently cooled with just one Stirling refrigerator 9, making it particularly suitable for small automatic analyzers that require a small refrigerator installation space and that need to be manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, using a Stirling refrigerator in combination with a heat pipe provides the particularly remarkable effect of being able to uniformly cool the interior of the refrigerator with just one refrigerator. The structure of Stirling refrigerator 9 used here is a common one, so a description of it will be omitted.

[0018] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper surface of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 is inclined at an angle α (α>0) with respect to the horizontal plane to facilitate the installation of the heat pipes 7 and air pipes 8. However, the upper surface of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 does not need to be inclined. That is, by installing the heat pipes 7 and air pipes 8 at an angle, it is sufficient to make it easier to discharge condensation generated in the air pipes to the drain outlet 18. For example, even if the upper surface of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 is horizontal, a columnar support member can be provided on the upper surface of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 to install the heat pipes 7 and air pipes 8 at an angle. In this case, the heat conduction member 10 can be provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2, and the upper surface of the heat conduction member 10 can be in contact with the heat pipes 7 and air pipes 8, or the upper surface of the heat conduction member 10 can be shaped so as to encase the heat pipes 7 and air pipes 8.

[0019] In addition, in this embodiment, the heat pipe 7 and the air pipe 8 are arranged around the bottom surface of the refrigerator almost completely, but depending on the cooling performance of the refrigerator, it is also possible to arrange them around only half or one-quarter of the bottom surface of the refrigerator.

[0020] Next, the operation of the reagent refrigerator of the automatic analyzer of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. When Stirling refrigerator 9 is operated, heat absorption section 11 of the Stirling refrigerator is cooled to a low temperature. Meanwhile, heat dissipation section 12 of the Stirling refrigerator becomes hot, and heat is dissipated to heat dissipation fins 13 attached to heat dissipation section 12. By operating heat dissipation fan 14 attached to casing 15 so as to blow air in the direction of the arrow, air that has been heated by passing through heat dissipation fins 13 passes between Stirling refrigerator 9 and casing 15 and is expelled to the outside of the casing by heat dissipation fan 14.

[0021] Next, cooling jacket 2 is cooled by transferring heat to heat absorption section 11 of the Stirling refrigerator via thermally conductive grease 21 and thermally conductive member 10. Heat pipes 7 installed on the upper bottom surface of cooling jacket 2 transfer heat to thermally conductive member 10 from locations on cooling jacket 2 that are distant from thermally conductive member 10. Because heat pipes 7 have a very high equivalent thermal conductivity, the entire cooling jacket 2 is cooled relatively uniformly. As the entire cooling jacket 2 is cooled, the air inside cooling jacket 2 is cooled, which in turn cools reagent disk 3, reagent container 6, and the reagent stored in reagent container 6.

[0022] Meanwhile, air sent from outside by blower 17 to inlet air pipe 16 passes through air pipe 8, which is placed near or in contact with heat pipe 7, travels almost completely around the interior of the refrigerator, and is blown into the refrigerator from air pipe outlet 19, which is located near drain outlet 18. At this time, air pipe 8 is cooled by the low-temperature heat pipe 7 with which it is in contact, and moisture in the air condenses inside air pipe 8 and is discharged from air pipe outlet 19. The air is then discharged to the outside of the refrigerator via drain outlet 18, which is located near air pipe outlet 19, and drain pipe 30, and dry, low-humidity air is blown into the refrigerator.

[0023] The top and sides of the reagent refrigerator are often filled with equipment required for reagent intake and replacement, making it difficult to install a refrigeration unit. Therefore, it is desirable to install the refrigeration unit below the reagent refrigerator. In this embodiment, the Stirling refrigerator 9 is installed below the reagent refrigerator. Generally, heat pipes achieve higher heat transfer performance when the heated portion is located below the cooled portion. In this embodiment, the heat pipe 7 is installed on the sloped bottom of the cooling jacket 2, and the thermally conductive member 10 connected to the heat absorption portion 11 of the Stirling refrigerator 9 is located at a high point on the bottom. This allows the heat pipe 7 to exhibit high heat transfer performance and uniformly cool the interior of the reagent refrigerator. Meanwhile, a drain port 18 is provided on the lower side of the bottom of the cooling jacket 2, allowing condensed water from the air inside the cooling jacket 2 to flow toward the drain port and be efficiently discharged.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, air taken in from outside by blower 17 flows through air pipe 8, which is in contact with or located near heat pipe 7, to condense and separate moisture. The moisture that comes out through air pipe outlet 19 is discharged through drainage port 18, and dry air is blown into the chamber from air pipe outlet 19. With this structure, the air pipe 8 is in contact with the low-temperature heat pipe over a long distance, allowing more moisture in the air to condense and be removed, thereby reducing the humidity inside the reagent refrigerator chamber and significantly reducing condensation on reagent containers, etc. Furthermore, because the pressure inside the chamber is maintained higher than outside, it is possible to prevent ambient air from entering through reagent suction hole 22 and causing the temperature inside the chamber to rise. As described above, the structure of this embodiment makes it possible to provide an automatic analyzer equipped with a reagent refrigerator that can uniformly cool the interior of the refrigerator using a single refrigerator and can suppress condensation inside the reagent refrigerator. [Example]

[0025] Fig. 5 shows a vertical cross section of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to another embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention, and Fig. 6 shows a horizontal cross section. Parts common to embodiment 1 are numbered the same. In this embodiment, heat pipes 7 are arranged so that they overlap each other at a low position on the upper surface of the jacket bottom. By arranging the heat pipes in this manner, the contact area between heat pipes 7 and cooling jacket 2 at a position far from heat conduction member 10 connected to Stirling refrigerator 9 increases, increasing the amount of heat dissipation. This improves cooling performance at positions far from the refrigerator and enables more uniform cooling inside the refrigerator. [Example]

[0026] Figure 7 shows a vertical cross section of a reagent refrigerator of an automatic analyzer according to another embodiment (Example 3), and Figure 8 shows a horizontal cross section. Parts common to Example 1 are given the same numbers. In Figures 7 and 8, heat pipe 7 is installed above the bottom surface of cooling jacket 2 so as to pass over heat conductive member 10. Inlet air pipe 16 branches into inlet air pipe 24 and inlet air pipe 25, which are connected to air pipe 25 and air pipe 26, respectively. Air pipe 25 and air pipe 26 are installed near or in contact with heat pipe 7.

[0027] A second drain outlet 29 is provided near the heat conduction member 10. An outlet 27 of the air pipe 25 is installed near the second drain outlet 29, and an outlet of the air pipe 26 is installed near the drain outlet 18. The air sent to the air pipe 25 is cooled by the heat pipe 7, and the moisture in the air passing through the air pipe 25 condenses on the inside of the air pipe 25.

[0028] The moisture that has condensed on the inside of air pipe 25 is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator from air pipe outlet 27 through second drain port 29, drain pipe 31, and drain pipe 30. The air sent to air pipe 26 is similarly cooled by heat pipe 7, and the moisture in the air passing through air pipe 26 condenses on the inside of air pipe 26. The moisture that has condensed on the inside of air pipe 26 is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator together with the air from air pipe outlet 28 through drain port 18 and drain pipe 30.

[0029] Because the temperature of the cooling jacket 2 near the heat conductive member 10 is low, moisture in the air may condense directly on the upper surface of the bottom of the cooling jacket 2. In such cases, the moisture condensed on the cooling jacket 2 is guided to the drain outlet 29 and discharged to the outside of the chamber. The structure of Example 4 maximizes the performance of the heat pipe 7 to uniformly cool the inside of the chamber, suppresses condensation inside the reagent refrigerator, and further enables moisture condensed on the cooling jacket 2 near the heat conductive member 10 to be efficiently discharged to the outside of the chamber. [Example]

[0030] FIG. 9 shows a vertical cross section of a reagent refrigerator of an automated analyzer according to another embodiment (Example 4), FIG. 10 shows a horizontal cross section, and FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the bottom portion of the cooling jacket 2. Parts common to Example 1 are numbered the same. In FIGS. 9 to 11, in this example, the bottom surface of the cooling jacket 2 is sloped so that the outer side of the upper surface is lower and the inner side is higher (angles α>0, β>0 in FIG. 9). The heat pipe 7 is installed near the inner edge 200 of the jacket bottom surface on the heat conductive member 10 side, and near the outer edge 201 of the jacket bottom surface on the drain outlet 18 side, so that the heat pipe 7 near the heat conductive member 10 is higher than the opposite side (see FIG. 11).

[0031] 9 with respect to the horizontal plane may be made smaller than the angle α so that the drain port portion of the cooling jacket 2 is at a lower position, and the height of the inner edge 200 of the cooling jacket 2 may be kept constant and the drain port side of the outer edge 201 may be made lower, thereby allowing moisture that condenses directly on the cooling jacket 2 to be efficiently guided to the drain port 18. The structure of Example 4 makes it possible to maximize the performance of the heat pipe 7, uniformly cool the inside of the chamber with a single cooler, suppress condensation inside the reagent refrigerator, and further make it possible to efficiently discharge moisture that condenses on the cooling jacket 2 other than the inside of the air pipe 8 to the outside of the chamber. [Example]

[0032] FIG. 12 shows a vertical cross section of a reagent refrigerator of an automated analyzer according to another embodiment (Example 5), and FIG. 13 shows a horizontal cross section. Parts common to Example 1 are labeled with the same numbers. In FIGS. 12 and 13, as in Example 4, the upper surface of the bottom of cooling jacket 2 is sloped so that the outer side is lower and the inner side is higher. Heat pipe 7 is installed near the inner edge of the jacket bottom on the side of thermally conductive member 10 and near the outer edge of the jacket bottom on the side of drain outlet 18, so that the position of heat pipe 7 near thermally conductive member 10 is higher than the opposite side. Also, as in Example 4, the angle β with respect to the horizontal plane in FIG. 7 may be smaller than the angle α, so that the drain outlet portion of cooling jacket 2 is lower. Therefore, the height of inner edge 200 of cooling jacket 2 may be constant, and the drain outlet side of outer edge 201 may be lower.

[0033] In this embodiment, inlet air pipe 36 connected to blower 17 branches to send air to air pipes 32 and 33. Air pipes 32 and 33 are each installed so as to come into contact with heat pipe 7. The air passing through air pipes 32 and 33 is cooled by heat conduction to heat pipe 7 as well as heat conduction member 10, and moisture in the air condenses inside air pipes 32 and 33 and is discharged from air pipe outlets 34 and 35, and then through drain outlet 18 and drain pipe 30 to be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator. On the other hand, the air blown out from air pipe outlets 34 and 35 is low-humidity, dry air, which reduces the humidity inside the refrigerator and suppresses condensation inside the refrigerator.

[0034] According to this embodiment, the interior of the chamber can be uniformly cooled with a single cooler, condensation inside the reagent refrigerator can be suppressed, and moisture condensed on the cooling jacket 2 other than the inside of the air pipe 8 can also be efficiently discharged outside the chamber. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by dividing the air pipe into two above the heat conduction member 10, more moisture can be condensed inside the tube by heat conduction to the heat conduction member 10 in addition to the heat pipe 7. Moreover, because the air tube is divided into two, the amount of moisture condensing inside each air pipe does not increase, moisture condensed inside the air pipe can be efficiently discharged, and the air pressure loss inside the air tube can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the power required for the fan 17.

[0035] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer equipped with a small reagent refrigerator that can uniformly cool the interior of the refrigerator with a single cooler and can suppress condensation inside the reagent refrigerator.

[0036] Although the above embodiment has been described using a Stirling refrigerator as an example of a cooling device, other cooling devices, such as a Peltier element, can also be used.

[0037] Furthermore, although the above embodiment is directed to an automatic immunoanalyzer, it is also possible to apply the present invention to other analyzers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1...reagent refrigerator, 2...cooling jacket, 3...reagent disk, 4, 5...thermal insulation, 6...reagent container, 7...heat pipe, 8...air pipe, 9...Stirling refrigerator, 10...thermal conduction member, 11...heat absorption section, 12...heat dissipation section, 13...heat dissipation fin, 14...heat dissipation fan, 15...casing, 16...inlet air pipe, 17...blower, 18...drainage port, 19...air pipe outlet, 20...drive section, 21...thermal conduction grease, 22...reagent suction hole, 23, 24...branched inlet air pipe, 25, 26...air pipe, 27, 28...air pipe outlet, 29...second drainage port, 30, 31...drainage pipe, 32, 33...air pipe, 34, 35...air pipe outlet, 36...inlet air pipe, 200...inner edge of bottom of cooling jacket, 201...outer edge of bottom of cooling jacket

Claims

1. a reagent refrigerator that keeps a plurality of reagent containers cool; a heat pipe provided in the reagent refrigerator for cooling the inside of the reagent refrigerator; a cooling device that cools the heat pipe; a dehumidifying pipe at least partly in contact with or disposed in the vicinity of the heat pipe, through which air outside the reagent refrigerator flows and is discharged into the reagent refrigerator from an end thereof; a first drain for discharging condensed water discharged from an end of the dehumidifying pipe to the outside of the reagent refrigerator; An automatic analyzer comprising:

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, the dehumidification pipe is arranged so as to be led from the first drain into the reagent refrigerator, make a substantial circle around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator, and return to the vicinity of the first drain. An automatic analyzer characterized by:

3. 2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, the cooling device is provided below the reagent refrigerator, and a cooling unit of the cooling device is provided at least in part at a position directly below or in the vicinity of the heat pipe in the reagent refrigerator. An automatic analyzer characterized by:

4. 3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, the dehumidifying pipe is provided at a position in the middle of a path that substantially goes around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator, the position being higher in the vertical direction than other positions; the cooling device is provided below the reagent refrigerator, and a cooling unit of the cooling device is installed at least in a part of a position immediately below or in the vicinity of the position that is higher than the other positions in the vertical direction; An automatic analyzer characterized by:

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, an automatic analyzer further comprising a blower for blowing air from outside the reagent refrigerator into the dehumidifying pipe;

6. 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4, the end of the dehumidifying pipe is provided at the lowest position in a path that substantially goes around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator; An automatic analyzer characterized by:

7. 3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, the heat pipe extends substantially around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator so as to follow the dehumidification pipe; An automatic analyzer characterized by:

8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 7, the cooling device is provided below the reagent refrigerator, and a cooling section of the cooling device is provided directly below or in a portion of the vicinity of the heat pipe in the reagent refrigerator, and the heat pipes are provided in a greater number of positions farther from the cooling section than nearer to the cooling section; An automatic analyzer characterized by:

9. 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4, a second drain is provided in the vicinity of the cooling unit to discharge condensed water formed in the reagent refrigerator to the outside of the reagent refrigerator; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

10. 4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3, the dehumidifying pipe is configured to be two dehumidifying pipes that go around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator, a first dehumidifying pipe is led from the first drain into the reagent refrigerator and has its end near a second drain that is provided near the cooling unit and discharges condensed water that has condensed inside the reagent refrigerator to the outside of the reagent refrigerator, and a second dehumidifying pipe is led from the second drain into the reagent refrigerator and has its end near the first drain; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

11. 4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3, the dehumidifying pipe is led from the vicinity of the cooling unit into the reagent refrigerator, branches midway, and is configured to run almost completely around the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator, and each end of the branched dehumidifying pipe discharges condensed water from the first drain to the outside of the reagent refrigerator; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

12. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3, the side of the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator where the cooling unit is provided is vertically higher than the side where the first drain is provided; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

13. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3, the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator has a slope that is vertically higher on the inner periphery side and vertically lower on the outer periphery side, and the cooling unit is provided on the inner periphery side of the position where the drain is provided; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

14. The automatic analyzer according to claim 11, the bottom surface of the inner surface of the reagent refrigerator has a slope that is higher on the inner periphery side and lower on the outer periphery side, and the slope on the side where the cooling unit is provided has a smaller angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal than the slope on the side where the first drain is provided; An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

15. The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 14, The cooling device is a Stirling or Peltier type refrigerator. An automatic analyzer characterized by the above.

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