Medical device

• US 8,233,956 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Izumi, Eiichiro, Ohama, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, In Suk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wecker, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/395,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20090227854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/345
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1468 using chemical or electrochemical methods, e.g. by polarographic means A61B5/1486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4875 Details of handling test elements, e.g. dispensing or storage, not specific to a particular test method test-elements per se B01L, automatic analysers G01N35/00, in-vivo analysis on the human body for medical diagnosis A61B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/144444 Glucose

Abstract

A medical device includes a connector which contacts a sensor to electrically connect the sensor with a measurement circuit in a medical device, a contact terminal which constitutes the connector, and a slide pin which ejects the sensor out of the medical device. The slide pin performs the operation of pushing up the contact terminal contacting the sensor as well as the operation of pushing the sensor out of the medical device. Since the contact terminal is completely lifted up by the inclined surface of the upper end part of the slide pin before the sensor is discarded, there occurs no reaction due to rebound of the contact terminal which might occur at the moment when the contact terminal of the connector is separated from the sensor, and thereby the sensor can be discarded so as to fall freely.

Claims

1. A medical device which performs measurement and inspection using a sensor for analyzing components of blood or body fluid, said medical device comprising:

a measurement circuit;

a connector part configured to contact the sensor so as to electrically connect the sensor with said measurement circuit in said medical device;

a plurality of contact terminals forming said connector part; and

a discarding device configured to eject the sensor out of said medical device;

wherein said discarding device includes a slide pin configured to push the sensor out of said medical device, and a discarding lever connected to said slide pin and being disposed on an outside surface of said medical device, said discarding lever configured to enable each contact terminal of said plurality of contact terminals to disengage from the sensor by moving each said contact terminal with said slide pin prior to the sensor being ejected by said discarding device.

2. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said connector part includes a sensor detection part configured to sandwich or press the sensor to hold the sensor, and configured to detect that the sensor is inserted, and

said sensor detection part is a metal or a resin.

3. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said slide pin has an inclined part having an inclined surface at an upper end of a plane that is configured to push the sensor.

4. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said discarding lever has concavities and convexities on a surface thereof.

5. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein said discarding lever has a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being on a sensor ejection side, the second end portion being on a side opposite the sensor ejection side, and said first end portion is raised relative to said second end portion.

6. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

at least a part of said discarding lever is a transparent or semi-transparent material.

7. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said slide pin is configured to move in said connector part.

8. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said discarding device and said connector part are configured to perform mutually relative operations to hold or discard the sensor.

9. A medical device as defined in claim 8 wherein

said discarding device holds the sensor when the sensor is moved to a first end in said connector part, and

said discarding device discards the sensor when the sensor is moved to a second end in said connector part.

10. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said plurality of contact terminals are disposed so as to be symmetrical about a center line along a longitudinal direction of the sensor.

11. A medical device as defined in claim 1 wherein

said slide pin includes an inclined part that is configured to lift said plurality of contact terminals away from the sensor prior to discharging the sensor.