1. A microbead automatic recognition method using a camera to acquire an image of a circular surface of a cylindrical microbead having a recognition pattern created on said circular surface and a plurality of reference points also created on said circular surface, each of three of said reference points located on a circumference of a circle that shares a common center with said circular surface of the cylindrical microbead; and acquiring information on the rear/front and/or orientation of said cylindrical microbead from said acquired image on the basis of the positions of said reference points.