Measuring apparatus used for determining an analyte in a liquid sample, comprising polymer electronic components

• US 20060121625A1
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Clemens, Wolfgang, Rosicke, Bernd, Gerlt, Axel
• Granted Patent: US 7,641,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/514
• 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 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150358 Strips for collecting blood, e.g. absorbent optical reagent test strips G01N21/8483; chemical reagent test strips G01N33/4875, G01N33/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150412 Pointed piercing elements, e.g. needles, lancets for piercing the skin blade-like piercing elements A61B5/150442
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150969 Low-profile devices which resemble patches or plasters, e.g. also allowing collection of blood samples for testing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15105 Purely manual piercing, i.e. the user pierces the skin without the assistance of any driving means or driving devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15142 Devices intended for single use, i.e. disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/157 Devices characterised by integrated means for measuring characteristics of blood
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48785 Electrical and electronic details of measuring devices for physical analysis of liquid biological material not specific to a particular test method, e.g. user interface or power supply

Abstract

A measuring apparatus used for determining an analyte in a liquid sample has the following apparatus components: a test element with a test field for applying the liquid sample, the test element experiencing a detectable modification due to the analyte to be determined, a detector which detects the modification and generates an electrical detector signal as a function of it, an evaluation circuit arranged downstream of the detector, which evaluates the detector signal to form a measurement result, a display device connected to the evaluation circuit for displaying the measurement result, and an electrical power supply for supplying electrical power to the electrical apparatus components.

So that the analyte can be determined in a straightforwardly, conveniently and inexpensively, at least some of the electrical apparatus components (5 to 12) are formed on the basis of polymer electronics.

Claims

1. A measuring apparatus for determining an analyte in a liquid sample comprising:

a test element with a first test field for applying the liquid sample, the test element experiencing a detectable modification due to the analyte to be determined;

a first detector which detects the modification and generates an electrical detector signal as a function of the detected modification;

an evaluation circuit coupled to the detector to evaluate the detector signal and generate a measurement result;

a display device connected to the evaluation circuit for displaying the measurement result; and

an electrical power supply for supplying electrical power to the aforementioned components comprising the tester, detector, evaluation circuit, and display device such that at least some of the aforementioned electrical apparatus components including the power supply component are formed on the basis of polymer electronics.

2. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a flat support wherein the electrical apparatus components are formed on the flat support.

3. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the components including the test field and the test element or the test field, the test element and the detector are formed in a first apparatus unit, including a coupling interface for coupling to a further apparatus unit which contains the remaining apparatus components of said electrical apparatus components.

4. The measuring apparatus as claimed in one of the preceding claims wherein the apparatus components furthermore comprise a controller which controls the determination of the analyte in a measurement process.

5. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the controller includes an arrangement for activating the measurement process, which arrangement responds to at least one of the following events:

an operating element on the measuring apparatus is actuated, a cover on the measuring apparatus is removed, the test element is coupled to a card-shaped support, the liquid sample is applied onto the test field

6. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the controller includes an arrangement for preventing further measurement processes with the same test element.

7. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the display device and controller are arranged to display that the measuring apparatus is unusable.

8. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the evaluation circuit includes a calibration data memory with calibration data for correcting the measurement results to be displayed.

9. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the measuring apparatus includes at least one removable cover at least in the region of the test field, which cover seals against environmental effects.

10. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electrical power supply is a chargeable storage capacitor.

11. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pricking aid is coupled to the test element to obtain blood as the liquid sample.

12. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including at least one further test element with a further test field and a second detector, in that the first and second detectors are connected via a selection circuit to the evaluation circuit and in that the selection circuit always selects only one of the first and second detectors and joins the selected one detector only for single use to the selection circuit and subsequently selects an as yet unused detector after the measurement has taken place.

13. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein the selection circuit drives the display device so that the display device displays the test field assigned to the currently usable detector.

14. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 12 or 13 wherein the first and further test fields are respectively covered with a cover to be removed before use, in that the detectors joined to the selection circuit are arranged in the regions of the covers and in that the selection circuit detects that the covers have been removed.

15. The measuring apparatus as claimed in one of claims 12 and 13 wherein the apparatus components are formed on a flat support, the test fields are arranged in the edge region of the support in zones separated from one another by break lines and in that each zone is arranged to be broken off from the support after the test field lying in it has been used.

16. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the test fields in the zones are arranged so that they are respectively covered by a neighboring zone and are accessible only after this neighboring zone has been broken off.

17. The measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the detectors joined to the selection circuit are arranged in the regions of the break lines and in that the selection circuit detects zones having been broken off.