BIO-SENSING DEVICE CAPABLE OF AUTOMATICALLY DETECTING SENSING CODE AND SENSING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110184263A1
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R3dstar Biomedical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pensiero Medical Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: CHEN, Chun-Yu, HSIAO, Chung-Chih, TANG, Chung-Ping
• Granted Patent: US 8,308,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/345
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/085 combined with means for recording calibration data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1468 using chemical or electrochemical methods, e.g. by polarographic means A61B5/1486 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bio-sensing device capable of automatically detecting a sensing code and a sensing method thereof. The bio-sensing device has a bio-sensing strip and a process-and-display unit. The bio-sensing strip has a passive component, wherein a physical value of the passive component is able to present a sensing code. When the bio-sensing strip is inserted into the process-and-display unit, the process-and-display unit reads the sensing code to produce an appropriate compensation value of a sample. Moreover, by the sensing method, the process-and-display unit is able to detect the sensing code of the bio-sensing strip, and automatically, to access, calculate, compensate, and display the sensing code of the sample.

Claims

1. A bio-sensing device capable of automatically detecting a sensing code, the bio-sensing device comprising:

a bio-sensing strip comprising;

a first electrode being electrically connectible to an electronic circuit and having enzyme contained therein to react with a sample;

a second electrode being electrically connectible to the electronic circuit and having the enzyme contained therein to react with the sample;

a passive component having an end thereof connected to the first electrode and having a physical value that is able to represent a sensing code of the bio-sensing strip; and

a third electrode being connected to the other end of the passive component so that the passive component is able to be electrically connected to the electronic circuit; and

a process-and-display unit being configured to quantitate an electrochemical reaction signal representing an electrochemical reaction of the sample with the enzyme contained reagent matrix, the process-and-display unit comprising;

a detection circuit being electrically connectible to the bio-sensing strip to detect the physical value of the passive component and configured to convert the physical value into a first digital signal;

a read circuit being electrically connectible to the bio-sensing strip to read the electrochemical reaction signal representing the electrochemical reaction of the sample with the enzyme contained reagent matrix and configured to convert the electrochemical reaction signal into a second digital signal;

a microprocessor being electrically connected to the detection circuit and the read circuit and configured to verify the sensing code of the bio-sensing strip by processing the first digital signal and further set an appropriate compensation value, configured to receive the second digital signal and process the second digital signal into a sample measurement value, and configured to numerically compensate the sample measurement value based on the appropriate compensation value to output an accurate sample magnitude value; and

a display member being electrically connected to the microprocessor to display the accurate sample magnitude value.

2. The bio-sensing device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode is a working electrode, and the second electrode is a counter electrode corresponding to the working electrode, and the third electrode is a sensing code electrode for connection with the passive component.

3. The bio-sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sample is blood.

4. The bio-sensing device of claim 1, wherein the passive component is any of a resistor, a capacitor and an inductor.

5. The bio-sensing device of claim 1, wherein the display member is any of an LCD display and an LED display.

6. The bio-sensing device of claim 1, wherein the read circuit further comprises:

a first operational amplifier having a first amplifier positive input terminal, a first amplifier negative input terminal and a first amplifier output terminal, wherein the first amplifier positive input terminal is coupled to a first reference voltage, and the first operational amplifier is configured to read the electrochemical reaction signal and convert the electrochemical reaction signal into a second voltage signal;

an input resistor being coupled to the first amplifier negative input terminal for use as an input buffering resistor of the first operational amplifier;

a amplifying resistor, being coupled between the first amplifier negative input terminal and the first amplifier output terminal to assist in amplifying an output gain of the first operational amplifier; and

a first A/D converter being coupled to the first amplifier output terminal to receive the second voltage signal and configured to convert the second voltage signal into the second digital signal.

7. The bio-sensing device of claim 6, wherein the detection circuit further comprises:

a second operational amplifier having a second amplifier negative input terminal, a second amplifier positive input terminal and a second amplifier output terminal, and being configured to convert the physical value of the passive component into a first voltage signal;

a conversion resistor being coupled between the second amplifier negative input terminal and the second amplifier output terminal to assist in converting the physical value of the passive component into the first voltage signal; and

a second A/D converter being coupled to the second amplifier output terminal to receive the first voltage signal and convert the first voltage signal into the first digital signal.

8. The bio-sensing device of claim 6, wherein the detection circuit further comprises:

a current source being adapted to charge the passive component to generate a charging voltage across the passive component;

a comparator comprising a comparator positive input terminal, a comparator negative input terminal and a comparator output terminal, wherein the comparator negative input terminal is coupled to a second reference voltage and the comparator positive input terminal is coupled to the passive component, and the comparator being configured to compare the charging voltage with the second reference voltage and output a high-level signal when a value of the charging voltage is higher than that of the second reference voltage; and

a counter being coupled to the microprocessor, the comparator and an activation signal, wherein when the activation signal is set to a high level, the current source charging the passive component and, meanwhile, the counter starting to count until the comparator outputs the high-level signal to the counter, and then the counter stops counting and records a count value.

9. A sensing method for a bio-sensing device, comprising:

(1) inserting a bio-sensing strip having a passive component into a process-and-display unit of the bio-sensing device;

(2) enabling the process-and-display unit to activate a detection circuit therein;

(3) enabling the detection circuit to detect a physical value of the passive component and convert the physical value into a first digital signal;

(4) enabling a microprocessor to receive the first digital signal to verify a sensing code of the bio-sensing strip;

(5) enabling the microprocessor to further set an appropriate compensation value according to the sensing code;

(6) dripping a sample onto enzyme contained reagent matrix of the bio-sensing strip;

(7) enabling the process-and-display unit to activate a read circuit therein;

(8) enabling the read circuit to read an electrochemical reaction signal representing an electrochemical reaction of the sample with the enzyme contained reagent matrix and convert the electrochemical reaction signal into a second digital signal;

(9) enabling the microprocessor to receive the second digital signal and process the second digital signal into a sample measurement value; and

(10) enabling the microprocessor to numerically compensate the sample measurement value based on the appropriate compensation value to obtain and output an accurate sample magnitude value.

10. The sensing method of claim 9, wherein the step (3) further comprises:

(31) enabling a second operational amplifier to receive the physical value of the passive component and convert the physical value into a first voltage signal; and

(32) enabling a second A/D converter to receive the first voltage signal and convert the first voltage signal into the first digital signal.

11. The sensing method of claim 9, wherein the step (8) further comprises:

(81) enabling a first operational amplifier to receive the electrochemical reaction signal and convert the electrochemical reaction signal into a second voltage signal; and

(82) enabling a first A/D converter to receive the second voltage signal and convert the second voltage signal into the second digital signal.

12. The sensing method of claim 9, wherein the step (3) further comprises:

(31) setting an activation signal to a high level to activate a current source and a counter;

(32) enabling the current source to charge the passive component to generate a charging voltage across the passive component;

(33) enabling a comparator to receive the charging voltage and a second reference voltage simultaneously;

(34) enabling the comparator to determine whether the charging voltage is higher than the second reference voltage or not;

if yes, the step (35) will be executed and if not, the step (33) will be executed;

(35) enabling the comparator to output a high-level signal to the counter;

(36) enabling the counter to stop counting and record a count value; and

(37) enabling the counter to output the first digital signal.