Biological sample measurement apparatus and biological sample measurement system equipped with same

• US 8,271,015 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Tooru, Okuda, Eiji, Oozawa, Akiyoshi, Ando, Hiroshi, Manabe, Kazuo, Imai, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/600,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20100159835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/69, 455/500, 455/517, 455/575.1, 455/127.1, 455423-425, 455/67.11, 4554141-4144, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 455/403, 455/422.1, 455/550.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 600508-510
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48792 Data management, e.g. communication with processing unit for in vivo diagnostics A61B5/0002; transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A wireless blood glucose meter (2) has a blood glucose level detector (21), a transmitter (22), a receiver (23), a storage component (24), and a transmission power determiner (25). Whether or not an acknowledge signal has been received and the transmission power when the transmitter (22) has transmitted a blood glucose level are stored as history information in the storage component (24), and the transmission power determiner (25) determines the transmission power when the transmitter (22) transmits on the basis of the history information stored in the storage component (24).

Claims

1. A biological sample measurement apparatus for communicating wirelessly with an external device, comprising:

a biological data measurement component for measuring biological data;

a transmitter for transmitting the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component;

a receiver for receiving an acknowledge signal that is returned when the external device has properly received the biological data transmitted by the transmitter;

a storage component for storing as history information whether or not the acknowledge signal was received and transmission power when the transmitter transmitted the biological data; and

a transmission power determiner for determining transmission power of the transmitter on the basis of the history information stored in the storage component, or the history information extracted according to a transmission power determination rule that sets forth extraction conditions.

2. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and determines the transmission power of the transmitter so that the transmission power of the transmitter is lower than the transmission power stored as the history information, when the extracted history information includes at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received.

3. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and determines the transmission power of the transmitter so that the transmission power of the transmitter is higher than the transmission power stored as the history information, when the extracted history information does not include at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received.

4. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising a noise power measurement component for measuring noise power just before the transmitter transmits,

wherein the storage component further stores as the history information the noise power measured by the noise power measurement component.

5. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received according to the transmission power determination rule, and determines the transmission power of the transmitter on the basis of the noise power measured by the noise power measurement component, so that a ratio of the measured noise power to the transmission power of the transmitter is the same as a ratio of the noise power to the transmission power in the extracted history information.

6. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and determines the transmission power of the transmitter on the basis of the noise power measured by the noise power measurement component, so that a ratio of the measured noise power to the transmission power of the transmitter is greater than the ratio of the noise power to the transmission power in the history information, when the extracted history information includes at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received.

7. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and determines the transmission power of the transmitter with respect to the noise power measured by the noise power measurement component, so that a ratio of the measured noise power to the transmission power of the transmitter is less than the ratio of the noise power to the transmission power in the history information, when the extracted history information does not include at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received.

8. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information for the same day of the week as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

9. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information of the same time period as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

10. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission power determiner determines the maximum transmission power which the transmitter is able to output if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is not a value within a specific range.

11. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising an interface having a display component for displaying the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component, an operating setting component for allowing the user to make various operating settings, and an alarm sound output component for outputting an alarm sound,

wherein, if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is lower than a specific value, an alarm sound is outputted from the alarm sound output component, and an emergency status is displayed on the display component.

12. A biological sample measurement apparatus for communicating wirelessly with an external device, comprising:

a biological data measurement component for measuring biological data;

a transmitter for transmitting the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component;

a receiver for receiving an acknowledge signal that is returned when the external device has properly received the biological data transmitted by the transmitter;

a storage component for storing a reference reception power that is the optimal reception power when the external device receives the biological data, and history information that includes whether or not the acknowledge signal was received, transmission power when the transmitter transmitted the biological data, and reception power when the external device has received the biological data; and

a transmission power determiner for determining transmission power when the transmitter transmits on the basis of the history information and the reference reception power stored in the storage component, or the history information extracted according to a transmission power determination rule that sets forth extraction conditions and the reference reception power.

13. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts one piece of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and compares the reception power in the extracted history information with the reference reception power, and if the reception power is higher, the transmission power when the transmitter transmits is determined so as to be lower than the transmission power stored as the extracted history information, and if the reception power is lower, the transmission power when the transmitter transmits is determined so as to be higher than the transmission power stored as the extracted history information.

14. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and if the extracted history information includes at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received, the reference reception power is set lower than the value stored in the storage component.

15. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determiner extracts a specific number of pieces of the history information according to the transmission power determination rule, and if the extracted history information does not include at least a specific number of pieces of the history information for which the acknowledge signal has been received, the reference reception power is set higher than the value stored in the storage component.

16. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information for the same day of the week as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

17. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information of the same time period as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

18. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the transmission power determiner determines the maximum transmission power which the transmitter is able to output if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is not a value within a specific range.

19. The biological sample measurement apparatus according to claim 12,

further comprising an interface having a display component for displaying the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component, an operating setting component for allowing the user to make various operating settings, and an alarm sound output component for outputting an alarm sound,

wherein, if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is lower than a specific value, an alarm sound is outputted from the alarm sound output component, and an emergency status is displayed on the display component.

22. The biological sample measurement system according to claim 16,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information for the same day of the week as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

23. The biological sample measurement system according to claim 16,

wherein the transmission power determination rule is set up so as to extract the history information of the same time period as when the history information is extracted by the transmission power determiner.

24. The biological sample measurement system according to claim 16,

wherein the transmission power determiner determines the maximum transmission power which the transmitter is able to output if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is not a value within a specific range.

25. The biological sample measurement system according to claim 16,

further comprising an interface having a display component for displaying the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component, an operating setting component for allowing the user to make various operating settings, and an alarm sound output component for outputting an alarm sound,

wherein, if the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component is lower than a specific value, an alarm sound is outputted from the alarm sound output component, and an emergency status is displayed on the display component.

20. A biological sample measurement system, comprising:

a biological sample measurement apparatus having a biological data measurement component for measuring biological data, a transmitter for transmitting the biological data measured by the biological data measurement component, a receiver for receiving an acknowledge signal that is returned when the biological data transmitted by the transmitter has been properly received, a storage component for storing a reference reception power that is the optimal reception power when the external device receives the biological data, and history information that includes whether or not the acknowledge signal was received, transmission power when the transmitter transmitted the biological data, and reception power when the biological data has been received; and

a transmission power determiner for determining transmission power when the transmitter transmits on the basis of the history information and the reference reception power stored in the storage component, or the history information extracted according to a transmission power determination rule that sets forth extraction conditions and the reference reception power; and

an external device having an external receiver for receiving biological data transmitted from the biological sample measurement apparatus, an error detector for determining whether or not the external receiver has properly received the biological data, an external transmitter for transmitting an acknowledge signal to the biological sample measurement apparatus when the error detector has determined that the biological data has been properly received, a reception power determiner for measuring the reception power when the external receiver has received the biological data and comparing this with a specific value, and a transmission power selector for selecting the transmission power of the external transmitter on the basis of the determination result of the reception power determiner.

21. The biological sample measurement system according to claim 20,

wherein the transmission power selector selects the maximum power as the transmission power in the external transmitter when the reception power determiner has determined that the reception power when the biological data has been received by the external receiver is lower than the specific value.