Abstract: Provided is a punching apparatus for use in dispensing, having a blood specimen contained therein, and punching a dispensing hole in a plug body of a test tube serving as a specimen container closed by the plug body whose upper end opening is made of a rubber or synthetic resin material, the apparatus comprising a guide rail serving as a transport passage which transports the test tube while the plug body thereof is held at the upper side in a vertical state, an elevating mechanism provided at a punch position P in the middle of the guide rail, and an ultrasonic cutter which is supported by the elevating mechanism, and which is lowered when the test tube reaches the punch position, thereby punching a dispensing hole immediately before penetrating the plug body from a top face thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a punching apparatus for use in dispensing, having a blood specimen contained therein, and punching a dispensing hole in a plug body of a test tube serving as a specimen container closed by the plug body whose upper end opening is made of a rubber or synthetic resin material, the apparatus comprising a guide rail serving as a transport passage which transports the test tube while the plug body thereof is held at the upper side in a vertical state, an elevating mechanism provided at a punch position P in the middle of the guide rail, and an ultrasonic cutter which is supported by the elevating mechanism, and which is lowered when the test tube reaches the punch position, thereby punching a dispensing hole immediately before penetrating the plug body from a top face thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus main body which is arbitrarily elevated is provided in the middle of a guide rail which transports a test tube containing a blood specimen. A first movable base which turns around a first rotary shaft is provided at the apparatus main body, and a second movable base which turns around a second rotary shaft is provided on the first movable base. A pinch mechanism which pulls up the test tube and a sampling and dispensing probe which is retractably driven with respect to the test tube to sample the blood specimen inside the test tube are provided on the second movable base. When the blood specimen is sampled by the sampling and dispensing probe, the first movable base is turned to incline the test tube, and the second movable base is turned to incline the test tube with respect to the axis of the sampling and dispensing probe.

Abstract: A test tube holder includes a main body and an adapter. The main body includes a cylindrical hollow portion for accommodating a test tube. The adapter is provided in the cylindrical hollow portion to hold the test tube. The adapter includes bottom portions, holding portions and loop portions, which are U-shaped as a whole. The bottom portions are located to cross the center axis of the cylindrical hollow portion. The loop portions are provided at the ends of the bottom portions, and coiled at least one. The holding portions are continuous with the loop portions and the bottom portions. The bottom portions of first and second spring steel wires are provided in the cylindrical hollow portion to intersect with each other. The holding portions of the first and second spring steel wires are projected upwards from the cylindrical hollow portion.

Abstract: A bar-code reading device includes a container, a holder and a bar-code reader. The container has an outer circumferential surface on which a bar code is provided. The holder holds the container in an upright position. The bar-code reader reads the bar code from the container. A pulling mechanism pulls up the container from the holder until the bar code is completely exposed, when the bar code reader reads the bar code.

Abstract: A blood sample sensing apparatus includes a moving device which moves a sample container containing a blood sample to a sensing position, a turning mechanism which is connected to the moving device and tilts the sample container such that a bottom of the sample container is directed upward when the sample container is located in the sensing position, and an optical sensor which is located in the sensing position and determines whether the blood sample in the sample container is coagulated.

Abstract: A blood sample contained in a sample container is separated into a serum and a clot by a separating medium. An apparatus for sensing the blood sample includes a first sensing unit which senses the separating medium using an infrared sensor and outputs a first sensing signal, a second sensing unit which senses the serum and the clot using an infrared sensor and outputs a second sensing signal, a driving unit which moves the first sensing unit and the second sensing unit relative to the sample container, a position sensing unit which outputs a position sensing signal indicating a position of the first sensing unit and a position of the second sensing unit, and a controller which calculates positions of the separating medium, the serum and the clot in response to the first sensing signal, the second sensing signal and the position sensing signal.

Abstract: A tube-plug extracting apparatus has a clamping mechanism, movable frame, chucking mechanism, rotation mechanism, and vertical motion mechanism. The clamping mechanism holds a test tube upright. The movable frame is located over a plug extracting position and slides in a vertical direction. The chucking mechanism chucks a plug attached to the test tube. The rotation mechanism rotates the chucking mechanism. The vertical motion mechanism moves the movable frame in a direction to extract the plug. The vertical motion mechanism has ball screws and a drive motor. The ball screws have a stroke long enough to move the movable frame in order to shift a lower-limit stop position for chucking the plug corresponding to the size of test tube.