Urine testing apparatus capable of simply and accurately measuring a partial urine to indicate urinary glucose value of total urine

• US 6,021,339 A
• Filed: 09/28/1998
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Masako, Saito, Atsushi, Saito, Soichi
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASTORINO, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US09/161,648
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 600/345, 600/300, 600/365, 128/897-898, 128/899
• US Class Current: 600/345
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/493 urine

Abstract

A urine multisensor has a sensor element to detect components to be measured, that has a urea component detecting unit and at least one of a detection unit of sodium ions and a detection unit of chloride ions to detect these components contained in urine, so as to know urine specific gravity on the basis of the concentration of each component yielded from the detection signal. Besides, a detection unit of glucose component is added in necessity to add a structure to correct a urinary glucose value (glucose level) with the urine specific gravity finally resulting in that the urinary glucose value of total urine excreted for 24 hours can be simply and accurately known from the partial urine.

Claims

1. A urine testing apparatus comprising:

a sensor element, to detect components to be measured, having a urea detecting unit and at least one of a detection unit of sodium ions and a detection unit of chloride ions to detect urea and at least one of sodium ions and chloride ions that are components to be measured contained in urine;

a signal processing unit for converting a signal generated by detecting each component to be measured in said sensor element to detect components to be measured to a concentration of each component to be measured and for calculating a specific gravity of the urine on the basis of these concentrations; and

a display unit for displaying the urine specific gravity calculated in said signal processing unit and the concentration of at least one of the components to be measured.

2. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a voltage detecting circuit detects a voltage signal generated by detecting the components to be measured using said sensor element to detect components to be measured and said signal processing unit converts a detection signal of each component to be measured outputted from said voltage detecting circuit to the concentration of each component to be measured and calculates the urine specific gravity from the concentrations.

3. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said urine testing apparatus calculates the urine specific gravity on the basis of any one of a concentration of sodium ions or a concentration of chloride ions and a concentration of urea.

4. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said urine detecting unit comprises a measurement electrode and a reference electrode, that are formed on an insulated base material, and a urea detecting film formed on said measurement electrode and containing urease.

5. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said measurement electrode is an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor.

6. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensor element, to detect components to be measured, has both said detection unit of sodium ions and said detection unit of chloride ions in addition to said urea detecting unit, said detection unit of sodium ions, said detection unit of chloride ions and said urea detecting unit having a measurement electrode and a reference electrode formed on an insulated base material and a film for detecting components to be measured, that contains a substance sensitive to sodium ions and a substance sensitive to chloride ions formed on the measurement electrode.

7. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said measurement electrode is an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor.

8. A urine testing apparatus comprising:

a sensor element, to detect components to be measured, having a glucose detecting unit, a urea detecting unit, and at least one of a detection unit of sodium ions and a detection unit of chloride ions to detect glucose, urea and at least one of sodium ions and chloride ions that are components to be measured contained in urine;

a signal processing unit for converting a signal generated by detecting each component to be measured in said sensor element to detect components to be measured to a concentration of each component to be measured and for calculating a specific gravity of the urine on the basis of a concentration of urea and at least one of a concentration of sodium ions and a concentration of chloride ions to correct the concentration of glucose with the urine specific gravity obtained; and

a display unit for displaying the glucose concentration corrected in said signal processing unit, and at least one of the urine specific gravity, the urea concentration, a concentration of sodium ions and a concentration of chloride ions.

9. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein a current detecting circuit detects a current signal generated by detecting glucose with said sensor element to detect components to be measured, a voltage detecting circuit detects a voltage signal generated by detecting urea and at least one of sodium ions and chloride ions, and said signal processing unit converts the current and the voltage signals outputted from said current detecting circuit and said voltage detecting circuit into the concentration of each component to be measured, respectively, and calculates the urine specific gravity and a glucose concentration corrected by the urine specific gravity on the basis of the concentrations.

10. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said sensor element to detect components to be measured has a glucose detecting unit, a urine detecting unit, and any one of a detection unit of sodium ions and a detection unit of chloride ions to calculate the urine specific gravity on the basis of any one of a concentration of sodium ions and a concentration of chloride ions, and the urea concentration.

11. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said glucose detecting unit has a structure comprising a measurement electrode and a reference electrode, that are formed on an insulated base material, and a detecting film, that is formed on the electrode, for components to be measured including glucose oxidase and said measurement electrode is a working electrode or a working electrode and a counter electrode.

12. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said urine detecting unit comprises a measurement electrode and a reference electrodes that are formed on an insulated base material, and a urea detecting film formed on said measurement electrode and containing urease.

13. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said measurement electrode is an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor.

14. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said sensor element, to detect components to be measured, has both said detection unit of sodium ions and said detection unit of chloride ions in addition to said urea detecting unit, said detection unit of sodium ions, said detection unit of chloride ions and said urea detecting unit having a measurement electrode and a reference electrode formed on an insulated base material and a film for detecting components to be measured, that contains a substance sensitive to sodium ions and a substance sensitive to chloride ions formed on the measurement electrode.

15. A urine testing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein asid measurement electrode is an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor.