Apparatus for measuring component and chip

• US 20040210247A1
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Sonoda, Kouichi, Nishikawa, Hisao, Takinami, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 7,780,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/181
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150213 Venting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15113 Manually triggered, i.e. the triggering requires a deliberate action by the user such as pressing a drive button
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15117 comprising biased elements, resilient elements or a spring, e.g. a helical spring, leaf spring, or elastic strap
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1519 comprising driving means, e.g. a spring, for propelling the piercing unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15194 fully automatically retracted, i.e. the retraction does not require a deliberate action by the user, e.g. by terminating the contact with the patient's skin

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide a component measuring instrument with which a predetermined component in blood can be measured securely and in a short time. The component measuring instrument, which is used by mounting therein a chip having a puncture needle, includes: a specimen sampling portion application portion to which a specimen sampling portion to be punctured is applied; puncturing means for moving the puncture needle so as to puncture the specimen sampling portion applied to the specimen sampling portion application portion; pressure reducing means for putting the punctured portion of the specimen sampling portion punctured by the puncture needle, together with a containing space for the puncture needle, into a reduced-pressure condition; measuring means for measuring the amount of a predetermined component in the blood sampled from the punctured portion; and a chip retracting mechanism for moving the chip in a direction away from the specimen sampling portion while maintaining the reduced-pressure condition generated by the pressure reducing means. With the component measuring instrument, the above object is attained.

Claims

1. A component measuring instrument used by mounting therein a chip comprising a puncture needle, comprising:

a specimen sampling portion application portion onto which a specimen sampling portion to be punctured is applied;

puncturing means for moving said puncture needle to puncture said specimen sampling portion applied onto said specimen sampling portion application portion;

pressure reducing means for putting said punctured portion of said specimen sampling portion punctured by said puncture needle, together with a containing space for said puncture needle, into a reduced-pressure condition;

measuring means for measuring the amount of a predetermined component in a blood sampled from said punctured portion; and

a chip retracting mechanism for moving said chip in a direction away from said specimen sampling portion while maintaining said reduced-pressure condition generated by said pressure reducing means.

2. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein the movement of said chip is carried out on the basis of said puncturing means in the condition where said chip is attached to said puncturing means.

3. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip retracting mechanism is operated by utilizing a pressure reducing force generated by the operation of said pressure reducing means.

4. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said chip retracting mechanism comprises a pressure reduction chamber, and at least one passage having a high air passage resistance for communication between said pressure reduction chamber and said containing space, and

the pressure inside said pressure reduction chamber is reduced through said passage, thereby moving said chip in a direction away from said specimen sampling portion.

5. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip retracting mechanism has a drive source for electric driving, and said chip retracting mechanism is operated by the driving of said drive source.

6. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 5, wherein said drive source is a solenoid.

7. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip retracting mechanism has biasing means, and said chip is returned to its position before the operation of said chip retracting mechanism by said biasing means when the operation of said chip retracting mechanism is canceled.

8. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said component measuring instrument comprises a housing for holding said chip and incorporating said puncturing means therein, and

said pressure reducing means puts said containing space in the housing into a reduced-pressure condition.

9. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein the operation of said puncturing means and the operation of said pressure reducing means can be started substantially simultaneously.

10. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip retracting mechanism is operated in succession to the operation of said pressure reducing means.

11. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, comprising moving distance determining means for determining the distance of movement of said chip by said chip retracting mechanism.

12. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip has a contact portion for making contact with said specimen sampling portion, and is used in such a manner that an opening provided on the inside of said contact portion is closed with said specimen sampling portion.

13. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 12, wherein

said specimen sampling portion application portion has a specimen sampling portion application surface, and

the distal end of said contact portion is located at substantially the same position as said specimen sampling portion application surface or slightly projecting from said specimen sampling portion application surface, in the condition where said chip is mounted in said component measuring instrument.

14. The component measuring instrument as set forth in any claim 1, wherein said chip comprises a test paper, and a blood passage for supplying blood to said test paper.

15. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said test paper is a test paper for blood sugar measurement.

29. The component measuring instrument as set forth in claim 1, wherein said chip comprises:

a chip main body having a lumen portion; and

an annularly projecting contact portion which is formed at the distal end of said chip main body and with which a specimen sampling portion is brought into contact, wherein

at least a distal end portion of said contact portion decreases in thickness gradually along the direction from the proximal end toward the distal end thereof.

16. A chip comprising:

a chip main body having a lumen portion; and

an annularly projecting contact portion which is formed at the distal end of said chip main body and with which a specimen sampling portion is brought into contact, wherein

at least a distal end portion of said contact portion decreases in thickness gradually along the direction from the proximal end toward the distal end thereof.

17. The chip as set forth in claim 16, wherein the distal end of said contact portion is sharpened.

18. The chip as set forth in claim 16 or 17, wherein

said contact portion comprises an inner wall surface on the inside thereof, and an outer wall surface on the outside thereof, and

said inner wall surface and/or said outer wall surface is tapered, whereby said contact portion is varied in thickness.

19. The chip as set forth in claim 18, wherein the angle between said inner wall surface and said outer wall surface in the vicinity of the distal end of said contact portion is 0.5 to 60°

.

20. The chip as set forth in claim 16, wherein

said chip main body has a flange at the outer circumference of a distal end portion thereof, and

the distal end of said contact portion projects in the direction of the distal end from a distal end surface of said flange.

21. The chip as set forth in claim 16, wherein the height of said contact portion is 0.1 to 5 mm.

22. The chip as set forth in claim 16, wherein

said contact portion is provided at its distal end with an opening so formed as to open said lumen portion, and

said chip is used with said specimen sampling portion attracted under pressure onto said opening by reducing the pressure inside said lumen portion, in the condition where said opening is closed with said specimen sampling portion.

23. The chip as set forth in claim 22, wherein the aperture area of said opening is 10 to 50 mm².

24. The chip as set forth in any of claims 16 to 23 claim 16, comprising a puncture needle which has a needle point passed through said lumen portion so as to puncture said specimen sampling portion.

25. The chip as set forth in claim 24, wherein said needle point can be moved to a position in the vicinity of or beyond the distal end of said contact portion.

26. The chip as set forth in claim 16, comprising a test paper, and a specimen passage for supplying a specimen to said test paper.

27. The chip as set forth in claim 16, which is used in the state of being mounted in a component measuring instrument.

28. The chip as set forth in claim 27, wherein said component measuring instrument is a component measuring instrument used by mounting therein a chip comprising a puncture needle, the component measuring instrument comprising:

a specimen sampling portion application portion onto which a specimen sampling portion to be punctured is applied;

puncturing means for moving said puncture needle to puncture said specimen sampling portion applied onto said specimen sampling portion application portion;

pressure reducing means for putting said punctured portion of said specimen sampling portion punctured by said puncture needle together with a containing space for said puncture needle, into a reduced-pressure condition;

measuring means for measuring the amount of a predetermined component in a blood sampled from said punctured portion and

a chip retracting mechanism for moving said chip in a direction away from said specimen sampling portion while maintaining said reduced-pressure condition generated by said pressure reducing means.