Blood test device

• US 8,414,504 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Healthcare Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Masaki, Amano, Yoshinori, Nishida, Takeshi, Akiyama, Toshihiro, Nadaoka, Masataka, Matsumoto, Toshiki, Hamanaka, Kenichi, Horikawa, Kiyohiro, Miyoshi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Sean P
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENSON, DEVIN B
• Application Number:
  US12/293,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20090318834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 600/573, 600/583, 606 9- 19, 607/89
• US Class Current: 600/583
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1486 using enzyme electrodes, e.g. with immobilised oxidase
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150022 for capillary blood or interstitial fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150076 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150099 by negative pressure, other than vacuum extraction into a syringe by pulling on the piston rod or into pre-evacuated tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150145 by negative pressure, e.g. suction, vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150213 Venting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150259 Improved gripping, e.g. with high friction pattern or projections on the housing surface or an ergonometric shape
• 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 5/150954 Means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. by temperature sensitive sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/15138 provided with means to ensure the protection of the user, e.g. to avoid laser light entering the eyes of a user
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/157 Devices characterised by integrated means for measuring characteristics of blood

Abstract

A blood test device using a laser as a puncture member. More specifically, in a blood test device using a laser as a puncture member, the skin can be fixed at a definite position by raising the punctured skin under negative pressure, and thus the skin is brought into close contact with a blood sensor and the laser is focused on the vicinity of the blood sensor face. Thus, it is possible to provide a blood test device of the laser puncture type in which the skin can be surely punctured while giving little pain to a patient.

Claims

1. A blood test apparatus comprising:

an apparatus body;

a blood sensor that analyzes blood, the blood sensor having a storage that stores blood flowing from punctured skin and comprises an opening;

a holder that holds the blood sensor, the holder having an aperture;

a puncturer that punctures skin;

a negative pressure section that is provided inside the apparatus body and that creates a negative pressure in a negative pressure chamber near the blood sensor; and

an electrical circuit that is connected to the blood sensor, wherein;

the blood sensor forms a blood sensor unit in an integrated manner with the holder such that the opening of the storage communicates with the aperture before puncture of the skin, and the blood sensor unit is configured to be attached to and removed from the apparatus body;

an area of an opening of the aperture is larger than an area of the opening of the storage before puncture of the skin;

the puncturer comprises a laser emitting apparatus and a lens, laser light emitted from the laser emitting apparatus is focused by the lens and is irradiated to the skin through the storage of the blood sensor of the blood sensor unit; and

the negative pressure section is configured to suck the skin in contact with the holder and to lift the skin to contact the opening of the storage of the blood sensor where the skin is positioned to be punctured, and

the laser light emitted from the laser emitting apparatus is focused near the blood sensor to puncture the skin lifted to contact the opening of the storage of the blood sensor.

2. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser light emitted from the laser emitting apparatus is focused closer to the laser emitting apparatus than the surface of the blood sensor, on the surface of the blood sensor, or closer to an opposite side of the laser emitting apparatus than the surface of the blood sensor.

3. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the negative pressure chamber is partitioned by a wall that is provided closer to the blood sensor than to the laser emitting apparatus, inside the apparatus body.

4. The blood test apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the wall inside the apparatus body is integrated with the lens.

5. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blood sensor unit comprises:

the holder that opens upward and downward;

an attaching part that is formed inside the holder and that is configured to divide an interior of the holder into an upper part and a lower part; and

the blood sensor that is attached to the attaching part.

6. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a guide matching the holder of the blood sensor unit is provided in a part of the apparatus body where the blood sensor unit is attached.

7. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blood sensor is attached to the upper part of the holder.

8. The blood test apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a skin contact sensor that is provided in the lower part of the holder.

9. The blood test apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the laser light is not emitted from the laser emitting apparatus unless the skin contact sensor detects a contact with the skin.

10. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the blood sensor is attached to the lower part of the holder.

11. The blood test apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a skin contact sensor that is provided in a lower part of the blood sensor.

12. The blood test apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the laser light is not emitted from the laser emitting apparatus unless the skin contact sensor detects a contact with the skin.

13. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the holder is slimmer below the attaching part than above the attaching part.

14. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a deodorizer that is provided in the upper part of the holder.

15. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a blood pool that is provided in the upper part of the holder.

16. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a skin contact sensor that is provided in a lower end of the holder of the blood sensor unit.

17. The blood test apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the laser light is not emitted from the laser emitting apparatus unless the skin contact sensor detects a contact with the skin.

18. The blood test apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a lower end of the holder of the blood sensor unit comprises a contact part to contact in line with the skin.

19. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a ceiling face of the storage of the blood sensor is closed and is formed with a material that allows transmission of the laser light.

20. The blood test apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the material that allows the laser light transmission is glass or plastic.

21. The blood test apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

the blood sensor comprises;

a supply channel that is connected to the storage; and

a detector that is provided on the supply channel; and

the supply channel is more hydrophilic than the storage.

22. The blood test apparatus according to claim 19, wherein a surface of the blood sensor irradiated with the laser light is water-repellent and is more water-repellent than the storage.

23. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a ceiling face of the storage of the blood sensor is closed and is to be perforated with the laser light emitted from the laser emitting apparatus.

24. The blood test apparatus according to claim 23, wherein:

the blood sensor comprises;

a supply channel that is connected to the storage; and

a detector that is provided on the supply channel; and

the supply channel is more hydrophilic than the storage.

25. The blood test apparatus according to claim 24, wherein:

the blood sensor comprises;

a substrate that constitutes the storage;

a spacer that constitutes the storage and the supply channel and that is provided on the substrate; and

a cover that constitutes the ceiling face and that is provided on the spacer; and

the substrate, the spacer and the cover are of the same material.

26. The blood test apparatus according to claim 23, wherein a surface of the blood sensor irradiated with the laser light is water-repellent and is more water-repellent than the storage.

27. The blood test apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the negative pressure section sucks the skin in contact with the holder through a hole of the ceiling face perforated with the laser light.

28. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage opens both upward and downward; and

the laser light emitted from the laser emitting apparatus passes through the openings of the storage.

29. The blood test apparatus according to claim 28, wherein a diameter of an upward opening of the storage is smaller than a diameter of a downward opening.

30. The blood test apparatus according to claim 28, wherein:

the blood sensor comprises;

a supply channel that is connected to the storage; and

a detector that is provided on the supply channel; and

the supply channel is more hydrophilic than the storage.

31. The blood test apparatus according to claim 30, wherein:

the blood sensor comprises;

a substrate that constitutes the storage;

a spacer that constitutes the storage and the supply channel and that is provided on the substrate; and

a cover that constitutes a ceiling face and that is provided on the spacer; and

the substrate, the spacer and the cover are made of the same material.

32. The blood test apparatus according to claim 28, wherein a surface of the blood sensor irradiated with the laser light is water-repellent and is more water-repellent than the storage.

33. The blood test apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the negative pressure section sucks the skin in contact with the holder through the openings of the storage.

34. The blood test apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the laser light passes through a position offset farther from the supply channel than a center of the storage.

35. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power supply section including a power supply for the laser emitting apparatus and a power supply for the electrical circuit that is connected to the blood sensor,

wherein the power supply for the laser emitting apparatus and the power supply for the electrical circuit are controlled independently.

36. The blood test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blood sensor is exposed to the outside so as to contact with the skin lifted by the negative pressure section.

37. A blood test method using the blood test apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

placing skin in contact with the holder;

sucking the skin and bringing the skin into close contact with the blood sensor by the negative pressure section;

emitting laser light from the laser emitting apparatus to puncture the skin; and

guiding blood from the punctured skin into the blood sensor.

38. The blood test method according to claim 37, further comprising authenticating a patient having the skin in contact with the holder.