Information Acquisition Device, Measurement System, and Information Acquisition Method

• US 20130200140A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Hiramura, Fumito, Kawabata, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,939,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0295 Strip shaped analyte sensors for apparatus classified in A61B5/145 or A61B5/157 disposable multilayered or laminated electrodes G01N27/307; details of handling chemical test elements G01N33/4875
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7495 using a reader or scanner device, e.g. barcode scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

An information acquisition device 10 includes a data acquisition unit 11 acquiring measurement data from an external measuring device 20; a code reading unit 12 reading a code to acquire the information represented by the code; and a data processing unit 13 that associates the information acquired by the code reading unit 12 with the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit 11. Medical measuring devices used to measure patient status can be suggested as the measuring device 20. In such a case, for example, codes representing identifiers that identify patients can be used as the code.

Claims

1. An information acquisition device comprising:

a data acquisition unit that acquires measurement data from an external measuring device;

a code reading unit that reads a code to acquire the information represented by the code; and

a data processing unit that associates the information acquired by the code reading unit with the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit.

2. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein

if the external measuring device is a medical measuring device used to measure patient status,

at least one type of code selected from a code representing an identifier that identifies a medical practitioner and a code representing an identifier that identifies a patient is used as the code.

3. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein

if the external measuring device can perform measurement of a target component in a sample and accuracy testing of a reference solution used for the measurement of the target component with a sensor, and

as the code, a code representing a first use-by date set for the sensor and a code representing a second use-by date set for the reference solution are further used,

then, the code reading unit acquires the first use-by date and the second use-by date, and

the data processing unit determines whether or not at least one of the first use-by date and second use-by date acquired by the code reading unit has expired and, if it has expired, exercises control intended to ensure that no processing of the sample-related measurement data is performed in said information acquisition device, issues an outbound notification, or does both.

4. The information acquisition device according to claim 3, wherein,

when the data acquisition unit acquires reference solution-related measurement data output by the measuring device during accuracy testing,

the data processing unit further determines whether or not the reference solution-related measurement data meets preset conditions and exercises control intended to ensure that no processing of the sample-related measurement data is performed in said information acquisition device, issues an outbound notification, or does both if the reference solution-related measurement data does not meet the preset conditions.

5. The information acquisition device according to claim 4, wherein, if neither the first use-by date nor the second use-by date has expired and, at the same time, the reference solution-related measurement data meets the preset conditions, the data processing unit issues an outbound notification to that effect.

6. The information acquisition device according to claim 4, wherein the data processing unit exercises control intended to ensure that processing of the sample-related measurement data is carried out in said information acquisition device if neither the first use-by date nor the second use-by date has expired and, at the same time, the reference solution-related measurement data meets the preset conditions.

7. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein:

if a code representing sensor identification information used for identifying the sensor is used as the code,

the code reading unit acquires the sensor identification information,

the data processing unit determines whether or not the sensor identified by the acquired sensor identification information can be used in the measurement device,

exercises control such that processing of the sample-related measurement data is performed in said information acquisition device if the sensor can be used in the measurement device, and

exercises control such that no processing of the sample-related measurement data is performed in said information acquisition device, issues an outbound notification, or does both if the sensor cannot be used in the measuring device.

8. The information acquisition device according to claim 4, wherein if at least one of the following applies, namely, if the code reading unit cannot acquire the first use-by date, if the code reading unit cannot acquire a second use-by date, if the data acquisition unit cannot acquire the reference solution-related measurement data, or if the data acquisition unit cannot acquire the sample-related measurement data,

the data processing unit exercises control intended to ensure that no processing of the sample-related measurement data is performed in said information acquisition device, issues an outbound notification, or does both.

9. The information acquisition device according to claim 3,

wherein said information acquisition device is adapted to enable operation involving switching between operational modes including a quality control mode, and

if the operational mode is set to the quality control mode, the data processing unit determines whether or not at least one date selected from the first use-by date and the second use-by date acquired by the code reading unit has expired.

10. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit associates dummy data with the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit if the code reading unit could not acquire the information.

11. The information acquisition device according to claim 1,

wherein the code reading unit reads a plurality of codes representing different information items to acquire the information represented by each respective code, and

the data processing unit associates the acquired plurality of information items with the measurement data.

12. The information acquisition device according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of barcodes are used as the codes and the number of digits in each one of the plurality of barcodes is determined by the type of information represented by said barcode.

13. The information acquisition device according to claim 1, further comprising an input receiving unit receiving external information input,

wherein the data processing unit associates information received by the input receiving unit with the measurement data.

14. A measurement system including a measuring device and an information acquisition device, wherein the information acquisition device comprises:

a data acquisition unit acquiring measurement data from the measuring device;

a code reading unit reading a code and acquiring information represented by the code; and

a data processing unit associating the information acquired by the code reading unit with the measurement data acquired by the data acquisition unit.

15. An information acquisition method utilizing a measuring device and a code representing specific information, comprising the steps of:

(a) acquiring measurement data from the measuring device;

(b) reading the code and acquiring the information represented by the code; and

(c) associating the information acquired in Step (b) with the measurement data acquired in Step (a).