Multiple Temperature Measurements Coupled With Modeling

• US 20100128754A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cilag Gmbh International (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Lifescan Incorporated (Duv Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Thomas M., Neubert, Klaus, Kermani, Mahyar Z., Jetter, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,313,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/110
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/427 Temperature calculation based on spatial modeling, e.g. spatial inter- or extrapolation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3274 Corrective measures, e.g. error detection, compensation for temperature or hematocrit, calibration coding of calibration information G01N33/48771

Abstract

The present invention is directed to, inter alia, systems and methods for calculating a temperature associated with an analyte measurement component of a biosensing instrument (such as a blood glucose monitor), with a test strip that is inserted in a biosensing instrument, or both. The present systems and methods may employ at least two temperature sensors, and the acquired temperature information may be used to modulate data regarding an analyte in a biological sample, thereby providing a more accurate measurement of the analyte.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a housing that substantially defines an internal space;

an analyte measurement component that is within said housing or proximate said housing;

a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a first position within said housing and in thermal communication with a heat source;

a second temperature sensor that is disposed at a second position within said housing and in thermal communication with said heat source to a lesser extent relative to said first temperature sensor; and

,

a processor that is disposed within said housing, is in electronic communication with said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor, and uses temperature data from said temperature sensors to calculate a temperature associated with said analyte measurement component.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein insulating material is interposed between said first temperature sensor and said heat source.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein insulating material is interposed between said second temperature sensor and said heat source.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein insulating material is interposed between said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein ambient air contacts said second temperature sensor and displaces heated air proximate said second temperature sensor.

6. The system according to claim 5 comprising a first opening in said housing at a location proximate said second temperature sensor, a second opening at a second location in said housing, a channel extending between said first opening and said second opening and containing said second temperature sensor, wherein each of said openings place said channel in fluid communication with the ambient environment outside of said housing.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein at least a portion of said processor is not separated from said channel by insulating material.

8. The system according to claim 1 comprising a convection system that permits air flow from the ambient environment outside of said housing into at least a portion of said internal space, wherein said air flow displaces heated air proximate said second temperature sensor.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein said heat source generates heat for forming said heated air.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein said heated air is formed by heat transferred from said heat source via a transfer element that contacts said heat source.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein said transfer element is a circuit board.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein said second temperature sensor is positioned proximate an opening in said housing.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein heat conductive material is disposed between said second temperature sensor and said opening in said housing.

14. The system according to claim 13 wherein said temperature sensor is mounted on said heat conductive material.

15. The system according to claim 13 wherein said heat conductive material comprises metal or plastic.

16. The system according to claim 12 wherein said system further comprises insulating material that at least partially isolates said second temperature sensor, said heat conductive material, and said opening from the remainder of the internal space of said housing.

17. The system according to claim 1 wherein said system is configured to reduce the heat transfer resistance between the second temperature sensor and the ambient environment outside of said housing.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein said processor calculates said temperature (TA) associated with said analyte measurement component by performing a calculation according to formula (I)

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein said system compensates for said calculated temperature at said analyte measurement component during a measurement of an analyte on a test strip.

20. A method for calculating temperature associated with a test strip inserted in an analyte assessing system comprising:

measuring a first temperature at a first position that is in thermal communication with a heat source in said analyte assessing system;

measuring a second temperature at a second position in said analyte assessing system that is in thermal communication with said heat source to a lesser extent relative to said first position; and

,

using the measured first temperature and the measured second temperature to calculate the temperature associated with said test strip.

21. The method according to claim 20 wherein said first temperature is measured by a first temperature sensor and said second temperature is measured by a second temperature sensor, and wherein said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor are each housed within said system.

22. The method according to claim 21 wherein insulating material is interposed between said second temperature sensor and said heat source.

23. The method according to claim 21 wherein insulating material is interposed between said second temperature sensor and said first temperature sensor.

24. The method according to claim 21 wherein said system comprises a housing that encloses said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor and substantially defines an internal space, and wherein said second temperature sensor is positioned proximate an opening in said housing.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein heat conductive material is disposed between said second temperature sensor and said opening in said housing.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein said temperature sensor is mounted on said heat conductive material.

27. The method according to claim 25 wherein said heat conductive material comprises metal or plastic.

28. The method according to claim 24 wherein said system is configured to reduce the heat transfer resistance between the second temperature sensor and the ambient environment outside of said housing.

29. The method according to claim 24 wherein said system further comprises insulating material that at least partially isolates said second temperature sensor, said heat conductive material, and said opening from the remainder of the internal space of said housing.

30. The method according to claim 21 wherein ambient air contacts said second temperature sensor and displaces heated air proximate said second temperature sensor.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein said system comprises a housing that encloses said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor, a first opening in said housing at a location proximal to said second temperature sensor, a second opening at a second location in said housing, and a channel extending between said first opening and said second opening and containing said second temperature sensor, wherein each of said openings place said channel in fluid communication with the ambient environment outside of said housing.

32. The method according to claim 20 wherein said temperature associated with said test strip is calculated by a processor housed within said system.

33. The method according to claim 32 wherein said processor is in electronic communication with a first temperature sensor that measures said first temperature, and with a second temperature sensor that measures said second temperature.

34. The method according to claim 32 wherein said processor calculates said temperature (TA) associated with said test strip by performing a calculation according to formula (I)

35. The method according to claim 20 further comprising compensating for said calculated temperature associated with said test strip during a measurement of an analyte on said test strip.

36. A system comprising:

a housing that substantially defines an internal space;

an analyte measurement component that is within said housing or proximate said housing;

a first temperature sensor that is disposed at a first position within said housing and in thermal communication with a heat source;

a second temperature sensor that is disposed at a second position within said housing and in thermal communication with the ambient environment outside of said housing to a greater extent relative to said first temperature sensor; and

,

a processor that is disposed within said housing, is in electronic communication with said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor, and uses temperature data from said temperature sensors to calculate a temperature associated with said analyte measurement component.