Sample discriminating method

• US 6,824,670 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2001
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc, PHC Corporation (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tokunaga, Hiroyuki, Miyazaki, Shoji, Hamamoto, Katsumi, Iketaki, Kazuo, Baba, Hideyuki, Inoue, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Noguerola, Alex
• Application Number:
  US09/890,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20020139692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 205/775, 205/777.5, 205/787, 205/789, 205/792, 205/787.5, 205/782, 205/780.5, 205/778.5, 205/775.5, 204/400, 204/401, 204/403.01, 204/416, 204/431, 204/433, 702/19, 702/22, 702/23
• US Class Current: 205/792
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3274 Corrective measures, e.g. error detection, compensation for temperature or hematocrit, calibration coding of calibration information G01N33/48771
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis

Abstract

A glucose sensor system comprising the steps of using as a sample discriminating parameter a ratio (I/ΔI) of a measured current value I to the time-differential value of the current value ΔI, defining a discrimination function that discriminates whether a sample is blood or control fluid and uses the discriminating parameter as an independent variable, quantitating as a discriminating index a numeric value obtained by substituting a discriminating parameter value into this discrimination function, and automatically discriminating, based on this index, whether the sample is blood or a control fluid, whereby a kind of the sample can be automatically quantitated by measuring electric current when a sensor system is used for quantitating the concentration of an analysis object in the sample.

Claims

1. A method of discriminating a sample for a sensor system which quantitates a concentration of a target substance contained in the sample by measuring electric current, said method comprising the steps of:

using a ratio of a measured current value to a time differential value of the current value as a discriminating parameter;

defining a discrimination function for discriminating kinds of a plurality of samples, said discrimination function using said discriminating parameter as an independent variable;

using a numeric value obtained by substituting the value of said discriminating parameter into said discrimination function, as a discriminating index; and

discriminating the kind of any one of the plurality of samples based on said discriminating index,

wherein said discrimination function is defined by means of an expression of a high degree for said discriminating parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said discrimination function is defined by means of an expression using a plurality of said discriminating parameters.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the kinds of the samples to be discriminated are a body fluid and a control fluid.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising the steps of:

judging whether said sensor system is operating properly or not based on a quantitated value of the concentration of the target substance; and

indicating a result of the judging step.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

indicating that the step of discriminating the kind of the sample has not been automatically performed when the discriminating index is within a predetermined range such that it is difficult to discriminate the kind of the sample.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

designating that a manual operation is required when the discriminating index is within the predetermined range such that it is difficult to discriminate the kind of the sample.