Automatic analyzer

1 . An apparatus configured to discard a used container in an automatic analyzer, the apparatus comprising:

a housing portion which houses the used container;

a hollow discarding cylinder which guides the container to the housing portion in a vertical direction;

a container gripping mechanism which grips the container by moving a plurality of gripping pieces close to each other in a horizontal direction and lets the container fall by separating the plural gripping pieces from each other in the horizontal direction; and

a control section which controls the container gripping mechanism, wherein

a discarding hole in an upper end of the discarding cylinder is formed by a container guide portion for guiding the container and a gripping piece separating portion forming a space for the plural gripping pieces to be separated from each other, and

the gripping piece separating portion is a notch made in the upper end of the discarding cylinder,

wherein the plurality of gripping pieces includes a first gripping piece that has a claw, which is arranged at a bottom end of the first gripping piece and is configured to engage a flange of the container, and a second gripping piece that does not have a claw and has a curved abutment surface that abuts against a curved outer surface of the container above the flange.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a vertical moving mechanism which moves the plural gripping pieces in the vertical direction;

wherein, when the plural gripping pieces are falling through the vertical moving mechanism, a lower end of the container is lower than a lower end of the gripping piece separating portion and a lowermost end of the plural gripping pieces is in a higher position than an upper end of the gripping piece separating portion, the control section separates the plural gripping pieces from each other to let the container fall, and then further moves down the plural gripping pieces through the vertical moving mechanism and blocks an inside-diameter side of the gripping piece separating portion.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, when an upper end of the container is in a lower position than the discarding hole, the control section separates the plural gripping pieces from each other and lets the container fall.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, when the container falls, the plural gripping pieces block an inside-diameter side of the gripping piece separating portion and the plural gripping pieces guide the container.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

when the container falls, an inside-diameter side end of the plural gripping pieces is nearer to an inside-diameter side than the container guide portion.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , comprising:

the vertical moving mechanism which moves the plural gripping pieces in the vertical direction, wherein

after separating the plural gripping pieces from each other, the control section activates the vertical moving mechanism to move up the plural gripping pieces when the upper end of the container is lower than the lowermost end of the plural gripping pieces.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , comprising:

the vertical moving mechanism which moves the plural gripping pieces in the vertical direction, wherein

after separating the plural gripping pieces from each other, the control section stops the vertical moving mechanism for a prescribed time and then activates the vertical moving mechanism to move up the plural gripping pieces.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first gripping piece and the second gripping piece are disposed on opposites sides of the container.