Blood sensor, blood testing apparatus, and method for controlling blood testing apparatus

• US 20070123803A1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Masaki, Aibara, Shusei, Terashima, Noriyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,057,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/583
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14535 for measuring haematocrit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1486 using enzyme electrodes, e.g. with immobilised oxidase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150083 by vibration, e.g. ultrasound
• 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 5/150229 Pumps for assisting the blood sampling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150282 for piercing elements, e.g. blade, lancet, canula, needle
• 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 5/150389 Hollow piercing elements, e.g. canulas, needles, for piercing the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150511 Details of construction of shaft
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150541 Breakable protectors, e.g. caps, shields or sleeves, i.e. protectors separated destructively, e.g. by breaking a connecting area
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150618 Integrally moulded protectors, e.g. protectors simultaneously moulded together with a further component, e.g. a hub, of the piercing element
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150717 manually removed
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150977 Arrays of piercing elements for simultaneous piercing
• 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 5/157 Devices characterised by integrated means for measuring characteristics of blood

Abstract

A blood sensor comprises a base (12), a detection part (16) disposed on the base (12), a blood collection needle (13) disposed at a front end (12a) of the base (12), a negative pressure generation part (17) for applying negative pressure to a portion of the blood collection needle (13), and a supply path (15) for supplying blood collected by the blood collection needle (13) to a detection part (16).

Claims

1. A blood sensor comprising:

a base;

a hollow needle for blood collection which is disposed at a front end of the base;

a detection part for detecting a component of blood collected by the blood collection needle, and a blood supply path for supplying the blood collected by the blood collection needle to the detection part, said detection part and said blood supply path being provided in the base; and

a negative pressure generation part for applying negative pressure to the hollow part of the blood collection needle through a negative pressure supply path, said negative pressure generation part being provided in approximately the center of the base.

2. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein the blood supply path shares a portion with the negative pressure supply path that forms the negative pressure generation part, and the detection part is provided at an end of the blood supply path that shares a portion with the negative pressure supply path.

3. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein detection electrodes are disposed on the detection part, and contact electrodes connected to the detection electrodes are disposed on an end surface of the base.

4. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein said blood collection needle comprises plastic.

5. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow blood collection needle has a circular cross section.

6. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow blood collection needle has a triangular cross section.

7. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow blood collection needle has a polygonal cross section.

8. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein a blood collection needle cover that covers the blood collection needle is formed integrally with the base.

9. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of the blood collection needles are provided in parallel with each other at the front end of the base.

10. A blood sensor as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one surface of the detection part comprises a transparent material.

11. A blood testing apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical casing;

a slider that is forward or backward movably provided in the cylindrical casing;

a blood sensor as defined in claim 1, which is attached at a front end of the slider;

a first negative pressure generator for supplying negative pressure to a negative pressure generation part provided in the blood sensor; and

a blood collection button for instructing the slider to move forward.

12. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein a cylindrical cap is provided at a front end of the casing.

13. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 11 further including a second negative pressure generator for supplying negative pressure, which is provided in the casing.

14. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein forward movement of the slider is given momentum by a coil spring.

15. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 11 further including a vibration generator for vibrating the blood collection needle.

16. A blood testing apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical casing;

a slider that is forward or backward movably provided in the cylindrical casing;

a blood sensor as defined in claim 2, which is attached at a front end of the slider;

a first negative pressure generator for supplying negative pressure to a negative pressure generation part provided in the blood sensor;

a blood collection button for instructing the slider to move forward;

contact terminals to which the contact electrodes provided in the blood sensor are connected, said contact terminals being provided on the slider; and

a measurement unit for measuring a component of blood that is collected and detected by the blood sensor, said measurement unit being connected to the contact terminals.

17. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said measurement unit comprises:

an I/V converter connected to the contact terminals;

an A/D converter to which an output of the I/V converter is connected;

an operation unit having an input to which an output of the A/D converter is connected, and the other input to which an output of a control unit is connected; and

a display unit to which an output of the operation unit is connected.

18. A blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 17 further including a transmission unit for transmitting the result of operation obtained by the operation unit, said transmission unit being connected to the control unit.

19. A method for controlling a blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 16, comprising:

an attachment step of attaching the blood sensor to the blood testing apparatus;

a puncture preparation step of applying the blood testing apparatus to a measurement site, after the attachment step;

a puncture operation step of puncturing the measurement site with the blood collection needle, after the puncture preparation step;

a blood collection step of applying negative pressure to the hollow part of the blood collection needle by the first negative pressure generator to collect blood from the measurement site, after the puncture operation step; and

a measurement step of detecting and measuring a component of the collected blood, after the blood collection step.

20. A method for controlling a blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein, in the blood collection step, the blood collection needle is vibrated by the vibration generator.

21. A method for controlling a blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein, in the attachment step, a cap is put on the front end of the casing of the blood testing apparatus after a blood collection needle cover that covers the blood collection needle of the blood sensor is removed.

22. A method for controlling a blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 21 wherein, in the puncture preparation step, the cap is applied to a measurement site, and negative pressure is added into the casing the blood testing apparatus including the cap by the second negative pressure generator.

23. A method for controlling a blood testing apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein, after the measurement step, the measured data are transmitted to an injection unit for a curative drug.