ANALYTICAL STRIP READING APPARATUS AND THE ANALYICAL STRIP USED THEREIN

• US 20100094564A1
• Filed: 01/08/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Actherm Inc.
• Original Assignee: Actherm Inc.
• Inventors: TSENG, Ching-Tai, HSIEH, Wen-Pin, KUO, Chien-Chih
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,175 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48771 Coding of information, e.g. calibration data, lot number
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00029 provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides G01N35/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00663 of consumables
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis

Abstract

The invention discloses an analytical strip reading apparatus and the analytical strip used therein. The analytical strip reading apparatus comprises a housing, a monitor, a delivering device, an optical reader, a reaction signal reader and a control module. The analytical strip comprises at least one optically readable pattern which comprises identification information of the analytical strip.

Claims

1. An analytical strip reading apparatus for acquiring reaction signals emitted from reaction zones on an analytical strip by performing an assay for analytes, the analytical strip having at least one reaction zone for presenting the reaction signal and at least one optically readable pattern with identification information of the analytical strip, in which the identification information essentially comprises a type, a lot number and an expiration date of the analytical strip as well as reagent calibration data corresponding to the lot number, the analytical strip reading apparatus essentially comprising a housing and a monitor provided on the housing, the analytical strip reading apparatus being characterized by further comprising:

a delivering device for supporting and moving the analytical strip along a preset route so as to deliver the analytical strip into or out of the housing;

an optical reader for reading the identification information contained in the optically readable pattern of the analytical strip;

a reaction signal reader located inside the housing for acquiring the reaction signal emitted from the analytical strip; and

a control module comprising a mother board and a firmware device attached to said mother board, said firmware device including;

a database sub-module for storing algorithms corresponding to various types of analytical strips; and

a processing sub-module for retrieving the algorithm stored in the database sub-module corresponding to the type of the analytical strip, combining the reagent calibration data corresponding to the lot number of the analytical strip, and comparing the reaction signal from the analytical strip, so as to come out an analysis result of the assay.

2. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reaction signal reader acquires the reaction signal emitted from the analytical strip on the preset route of the delivering device while the analytical strip is moved into the housing.

3. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reaction signal reader acquires the reaction signal emitted from the analytical strip after the analytical strip is moved to an endpoint of the preset route.

4. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the delivering device moves the analytical strip horizontally.

5. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical reader is located indide the housing and reads the optically readable pattern of the analytical strip while the analytical strip is moved along the preset route.

6. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical reader is located indide the housing and reads the optically readable pattern of the analytical strip after the analytical strip is moved to an endpoint of the preset route.

7. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical reader is provided on a lateral side of the housing and reads the optically readable pattern of the analytical strip before the analytical strip is moved into the housing.

8. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 7, wherein the optical reader further reads an anamnesis barcode or an ID barcode of a test subject corresponding to the analytical strip, so as to perform data integration with respect to the test subject and the analytical strip.

9. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 7, wherein the optical reader is freely detachable from the housing and, when detached, communicates with the analytical strip reading apparatus through wireless or wire-based transmission.

10. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical reader and the reaction signal reader are located on opposite sides of the preset route.

11. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the analysis result is displayed on the monitor, and the analytical strip reading apparatus further comprises an input keyboard for enabling manual input of the identification information of the optically readable pattern of the analytical strip.

12. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output device for outputting the analysis result of the analytical strip.

13. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 12, wherein the output device is selected from the group consisting of a printer output port, a USB output port and a Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15) output port.

14. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing sub-module of the control module stops or allows the reaction signal reader acquiring the reaction signal emitted from the analytical strip according to the expiration date of the analytical strip.

15. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optically readable pattern is selected from the group consisting of a one-dimensional barcode and a two-dimensional barcode.

16. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optically readable pattern is read with the light selected from the group consisting of visible light, ultraviolet light, and infrared light.

17. The analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reaction signal is selected from the group consisting of a photoreaction signal and an electrochemical reaction signal.

18. An analytical strip for being used in the analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, the analytical strip comprising:

at least one reaction zone for presenting at least one reaction signal; and

at least one optically readable pattern with identification information of the analytical strip, wherein the identification information essentially comprises a type, a lot number and an expiration date of the analytical strip as well as reagent calibration data corresponding to the lot number, and in which said at least one reaction zone and said at least one optically readable pattern are defined at different locations.

19. An analytical strip for being used in the analytical strip reading apparatus of claim 1, the analytical strip comprising:

at least one reaction zone for presenting at least one reaction signal;

at least one optically readable pattern with identification information of the analytical strip, wherein the identification information essentially comprises a type, a lot number and an expiration date of the analytical strip as well as reagent calibration data corresponding to the lot number; and

two opposite and non-contact surfaces, the reaction zone and the optically readable pattern being defined on said surfaces, respectively.