CONTAINER HOLDER REFLECTANCE FLAG

摘要

A bottle retaining mechanism (10) holds a culture bottle (1) in place in a cell in an incubating apparatus which agitates the culture bottle (1) and detects the growth of microorganisms in the culture bottle (1). When a bottle (1) is not present in the cell of the apparatus, the retaining mechanism (10) moves to a position which reflects light from the light emitter to the light detector in an amount greater than the amount of light reflected off a bottle (1) when present, so as to indicate when a bottle (1) is not present in a cavity of the bottle holder (3). The retaining mechanism (10)/reflectance flag (20) is also capable of providing a reference signal for auto-calibration purposes.