Analyzing Device, Sensor Testing Device, Testing Method and Computer-Readable Storage Medium

• US 20160161439A1
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Original Assignee: ARKRAY, Inc
• Inventors: Sekimoto, Shinjiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,295,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1486 using enzyme electrodes, e.g. with immobilised oxidase
• 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

There is provided a sensor testing method including: applying at least one of a first voltage that obtains a response caused by a substance and a second voltage that either obtains no response or substantially no response caused by the substance across a first electrode and a second electrode of a sensor; measuring current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode; and determining whether or not there is a defect present in the sensor based on a quantity related to an amount of change per specific period of time of a current measured when the first voltage and/or the second voltage have been applied.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A sensor testing method comprising:

applying to a reagent layer of a sensor section at least one of a first voltage across a first electrode and a second electrode to generate a response current by reaction of a reagent present in the reagent layer with a target substance in a sample liquid and a second voltage that results in no response current or substantially no response current, where the sensor section comprises the reagent layer, an electrode section comprising the first electrode, the second electrode and an external layer membrane for making contact with the reagent layer;

measuring the response current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

computing a time required for an amount of change in the response current per specific amount of change in time resulting from the application of the first voltage to reach a value in a predetermined first specific range prior to when the response current reaches a steady state for determining whether there is a defect present in the external layer membrane, or

computing a time required for an amount of change in the response current per specific amount of change in time resulting from the application of the second voltage to reach a value in a predetermined second specific range prior to when the response current reaches a steady state for determining whether there is a defect present in the external layer membrane.

15. The sensor testing method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing a first relationship between the time required for an amount of change in the response current per specific amount of change in time resulting from the application of the first voltage to reach a value in a predetermined first specific range and a set of defect ratios corresponding to the time required for the response current resulting from the application of the first voltage;

storing a second relationship between the time required for an amount of change in the response current per specific amount of change in time resulting from the application of the second voltage to reach a value in a predetermined second specific range and a set of defect ratios corresponding to the time required for the response current resulting from the application of the second voltage; and

correcting the response current value measured when a defect is determined to have occurred in the external layer membrane,

wherein the correcting is based on at least one of the first relationship or the second relationship.

16. The sensor testing method of claim 15, wherein the correcting of the response current value measured is based on a relationship between the defect ratio of the external layer membrane and the response current value measured from the sensor section provided with an external layer membrane having defects corresponding to the defect ratio.

17. The sensor testing method of claim 16, wherein the defect ratio based on both the first relationship and the second relationship is computed as the average value, the maximum value or the minimum value of a first defect ratio estimated based on the first relationship and a second defect ratio estimated based on the second relationship.

18. The sensor testing method of claim 13, further comprising outputting a signal indicating that a defect has occurred in the sensor section when a defect is determined to have occurred in the external layer membrane.

19. The sensor testing method of claim 13, wherein the first voltage and the second voltage are applied alternately.

20. The sensor testing method of claim 13, wherein the response current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode is continuously measured.

21. The sensor testing method of claim 13, wherein the sensor section is disposed under the skin of a user of the method and the target substance is present under the skin.

22. The sensor testing method of claim 13, wherein the reagent layer extracts electrons from the target substance and supplies the extracted electrons to the electrode section.

23. The sensor testing method of claim 13, wherein the reagent in the reagent layer includes an enzyme.

14. (canceled)