SENSOR AND SENSOR SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH SAME

• US 20140102895A1
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ezaki, Hirofumi, Higashihara, Akihisa
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/403.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3277 being a redox reaction, e.g. detection by cyclic voltammetry voltammetry per se G01N27/42, G01N27/48

Abstract

This sensor has a diverter, such as a convex portion (608) and a concave portion (508), on the side wall (408) of a cavity (308). A biological sample deposited in a suction opening (52) is drawn into the cavity (308) by capillary action, but if the amount of biological sample is too small, either the biological sample is prevented from moving forward by the convex portion (608) and the concave portion (508), or the time it takes to reach a detecting electrode (33) is increased, which provides the user enough time to supply additional biological sample before a false detection occurs.

Claims

1. A sensor that is used in at least one of the detection and quantification of a target substance contained in a biological sample, said sensor comprising:

a cavity including a side wall;

a suction opening from the outside of the sensor to the inside of the cavity;

a working electrode disposed inside of the cavity;

a counter electrode disposed inside of the cavity;

a detecting electrode disposed inside of the cavity; and

a diverter including at least one of a concave portion and a convex portion, the at least one of a concave portion and a convex portion being a portion of the side wall;

wherein the biological sample advances along a path from the suction opening to the detecting electrode, and

the diverter is configured to extend the path from the suction opening to the detecting electrode.

2. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate;

a spacer disposed on the substrate; and

a cover disposed on the spacer;

the cavity further including;

a bottom including the substrate,

and

a ceiling including the cover; and

wherein the side wall includes the spacer,

the working electrode, the counter electrode, and the detecting electrode are formed on the substrate, and

the detecting electrode is disposed at a position in the cavity furthest from the suction opening.

3. The sensor according to claim 2,

wherein the at least one concave portion and the convex portion is formed on at least one of the bottom and the ceiling.

6. A sensor system, comprising:

the sensor according to claim 1; and

a measurement device configured to measure the concentration of a target substance in a biological sample based on a current value obtained from the sensor.

4. A sensor, capable of at least one of detecting and quantifying a target substance contained in a biological sample, comprising:

a cavity including;

a sidewall,

a first end, and

a second end,

the second end being on an opposite side of the cavity from the first end;

a suction opening disposed at the first end of the cavity, the suction opening communicating the cavity to outside of the sensor;

a working electrode disposed inside of the cavity;

a counter electrode disposed inside of the cavity; and

a detecting electrode disposed inside of the cavity closer to the second end than to the first end;

wherein the side wall of the cavity includes at least one of a concave portion and a convex portion, and

the proportions of the sensor satisfy the relationship

D1≧

1.05×

D2

in which D1 is the distance from the first end to the second end following the shortest path along a surface of the side wall of the cavity, and D2 is the linear distance from the first end to the second end.

5. The sensor according to claim 4, further wherein:

D1 and D2 satisfy the relationship

D1≧

1.65×

D2.

7. A sensor system, comprising:

the sensor according to claim 4; and

a measurement device configured to measure the concentration of a target substance in a biological sample on the basis of a current value obtained from the sensor.