KR101145687B1 - One coding blood glucose tester and Blood glucose management system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a one-coding blood glucose meter and a blood glucose management system using the same. More specifically, a blood glucose test strip (ie, a strip) is measured regardless of the code number of the blood glucose test strip and a blood glucose meter is measured and measured by the meter. It is about a system for managing blood sugar information.

Description

One coding blood glucose tester and blood glucose management system using the same

The present invention relates to a one-coding blood glucose meter and a blood glucose management system using the same. More specifically, a blood glucose test strip (ie, a strip) is measured regardless of the code number of the blood glucose test strip and a blood glucose meter is measured and measured by the meter. It is about a system for managing blood sugar information.

Products such as Arkray's X-Senser in Japan, Infopia's Future 3.3 and iSense's CareSense N are on the market. These products use automatic or manual coding to recognize the code of the blood glucose test strip inserted in the blood glucose meter.

Such manual coding method or automatic blood glucose test paper code recognition method is a sensor recognition method such as an IR method, which causes inconvenience to patients who frequently use errors due to the inability to measure blood glucose.

In other words, in the case of the manual coding method, there is an inconvenience in that the code number must be adjusted every time the blood glucose is measured.

In addition, the automatic blood sugar test strip code recognition method generates an error when measuring a large number of blood glucose.

An example of an error is that blood glucose is not counted because blood is counted because the blood is inserted and measured, or blood glucose cannot be measured because the blood glucose test sheet is not recognized because the blood glucose is not measured because the blood glucose is not measured. A case is mentioned.

In addition, in order to transmit the measured blood glucose information to a computer system in which a blood sugar management program is installed, a separate interface needs to be purchased and connected.

In other words, most of the transmission cables currently used are RS 232C type and 9-pin connector type, and it is inconvenient to use a separate serial interface to connect to a USB type of a laptop or personal computer that is recently released.

In addition to the hassle of connecting the cable in this way, because the cable purchase price is expensive, it is economically burdening the patients using the blood sugar management program.

The present invention has been proposed to overcome the problems according to the prior art, and aims to provide a blood glucose meter that measures blood glucose immediately by automatically detecting a blood glucose test strip (strip) without setting a code in a manual manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a blood glucose meter which does not generate an error even when a plurality of blood sugars are measured by automatically recognizing a blood glucose test strip (strip).

Another object of the present invention is to provide a blood sugar managing system for transmitting measured blood sugar information to a computer system equipped with a blood sugar managing program without purchasing a separate interface.

The present invention provides a one-coding blood glucose meter for measuring blood glucose irrespective of the code of the blood test paper, in order to achieve the problem posed above.

This one-coding blood glucose meter includes a test strip connector for inserting a blood test strip; A detection unit configured to generate a measurement voltage corresponding to the blood sugar by detecting a blood sugar of the blood by flowing a current as blood is introduced into the blood test paper inserted in connection with the test paper connector; A reference voltage unit generating a reference voltage for comparison with the measured voltage; A measuring unit which calculates a blood glucose level of the blood by comparing the measured voltage with a reference voltage; And a control unit for generating blood sugar information for converting the blood glucose level of the blood into a digital value from the measuring unit.

In this case, the detection unit is characterized in that it does not distinguish the code number of the blood test paper.

The blood glucose meter may further include a display unit displaying the blood sugar information. At this time, the control unit is characterized in that the blood sugar level of the blood sugar information is "Hi" if the predetermined value or more, "Lo" if the predetermined value or less.

The blood glucose meter may further include a wired or wireless communication unit configured to transmit blood sugar information of the blood to the outside.

In this case, the communication unit may further include a phone jack or a mini USB terminal.

The blood glucose meter may further include an operation unit including a menu or a button for selection.

In this case, the test strip connector is characterized in that it comprises a + electrode, a-electrode, a working electrode, a counter electrode, and a third electrode to contact the inserted blood test paper.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a blood sugar management system using the blood glucose meter. This blood sugar management system, the blood glucose meter; An input module connected to the communication unit of the blood glucose meter by wire or wireless communication means to receive blood glucose information of the blood from the blood glucose meter; A storage device for analyzing the input blood sugar information by time, period, and section and storing blood sugar information; And an output module configured to output the blood sugar information to a management program screen or transmit the blood sugar information to an external device.

In this case, the storage device may use a file system or a database system.

In addition, the blood sugar management system, characterized in that it further comprises a download management module for checking whether there is an update item by communicating with the download server through the Internet during the initial booting of the management program or periodically.

According to the present invention, it is possible to measure blood glucose without using a blood sugar test paper by providing a blood sugar test paper connector so that the blood sugar test paper is inserted into the blood sugar test paper connector to determine the normal or error of the blood sugar test paper.

In addition, another effect of the present invention is that when a blood glucose test strip (strip) is automatically recognized, an error does not occur even when a large number of blood sugars are measured by providing a measuring unit for comparing the voltage of the reference voltage unit with the reference voltage unit. Can be mentioned.

In addition, another effect of the present invention is that by providing a communication terminal on one side of the blood glucose meter, it is possible to transmit the measured blood sugar information to a computer system equipped with a blood sugar management program without purchasing a separate interface. .

1 is an exploded perspective view of a blood glucose meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a PCB substrate on which components are mounted in the blood glucose meter of FIG. 1.
3 is a circuit block diagram of a blood glucose meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of the blood glucose test strip connector 320 of FIG. 2.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring blood glucose according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a screen example of displaying a measured blood glucose level according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram of a blood sugar management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The terms or words used in this specification and claims are not to be construed as limiting in their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventors may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best explain their invention in the best way possible. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configuration shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not satisfy all of the technical idea of the present invention, and various equivalents may be substituted for them at the time of the present application. It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

Hereinafter, a blood glucose meter and a blood sugar managing system using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the concept of blood sugar and the principle of measuring blood sugar are briefly introduced as follows.

Blood glucose is the amount of glucose contained in the blood, the normal range is about 70 ~ 110mg / dL, brain cells are the only energy source of glucose, when the blood sugar falls below 50mg / dL, the central nervous system symptoms appear again, Below 30 mg / dL, loss of consciousness and convulsions.

Blood glucose is regulated by the balance between the amount of glucose supplied to the liver and the amount of glucose used in peripheral tissues, and is maintained by the interaction of various hormones centering on the functions of the liver. If the balance of glucose supply and use is broken, problems with glucose metabolism will lead to diabetes.

In the case of such a blood glucose measurement, the glucose in the body cannot be measured directly, so it is measured by an indirect method. Glucose in typical or plasma is reacted to produce a substance, which is measurable, and it is possible to measure a substance produced by a specific reaction of an enzyme in the presence of glucose.

This product is detected by electrochemical or photometric methods. The first method changes the measurable material to electrons on the surface of the electrode to allow current to flow, and the second method measures the degree of color the product reacts with the dye source (the color-representing material) using a photometer. have. In the embodiment of the present invention, a method of measuring blood glucose by flowing a current, which is a first method, is used.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a blood glucose meter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the blood glucose meter includes a front cover 10 and a rear cover 30 forming a housing, and a circuit board 20 inserted and assembled between the front cover 10 and the rear cover 30. do.

Referring to FIG. 1, the front cover 10 is formed of a casting, and the display portion window 11, the blood sugar test strip connector hole 12, the button holes 13, 14, and the like are formed on the front cover 10.

The circuit board 20 is assembled to the front cover 10, and a diagram showing the circuit board 20 is shown in FIG. 2. That is, FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a PCB substrate on which component parts are mounted in the blood glucose meter of FIG. 1.

2, the display unit 360, the blood sugar test strip connector 320, the operation buttons 311 and 312, the power supply unit 330, and the communication connection terminal 371 are mounted on the circuit board 20. Accordingly, the display unit 360, the blood sugar test strip connector 320, the operation buttons 311 and 312, the power supply unit 330, the communication connection terminal 371, and the like are respectively displayed on the display unit window 11, the blood sugar test strip connector 320, It is matched with the buttonhole 13, 14, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1, the circuit board 20 shown in FIG. 2 is seated and fastened in the rear cover 30, and for this purpose, the circuit board 20 is fastened to be fixed at a constant height to the rear cover 30. Protruding portion 31 and the groove 32 is provided for the shape.

3 is a circuit block diagram of a blood glucose meter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the circuit block diagram of the blood glucose meter is connected to an operation unit 310 provided with operation buttons (311 and 312 of FIG. 2) and a blood sugar test strip connector 320 for inserting a blood sugar test strip to insert a blood sugar test strip. Detecting unit 321 for detecting the detection unit, the blood glucose test strip is inserted into the measuring unit 340 for measuring the voltage of the blood sugar in the blood glucose test paper, the reference voltage unit 350 for generating a reference voltage for comparison with the measured blood sugar voltage ), A display unit 360 for displaying the measured blood sugar information, a communication unit 370 for transmitting the measured blood sugar information to the outside, and the like. These configurations are explained as follows.

The controller 300 is composed of a microprocessor or a microcomputer and transmits and receives signals and data to control other components. For example, the control unit 300 receives the detection information of the blood sugar test strip connected to the blood sugar test strip connector 320 from the detection unit 321 and sends it to the measuring unit 340 so that the measuring unit 340 is on the blood sugar test strip. Allow blood glucose information to be generated.

In addition, the generated blood sugar information is displayed on the display unit 360 or transmitted to the outside through the communication unit 370. To this end, the control unit 300 is usually provided with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), converts the analog value to a digital value.

The operation unit 310 may include a menu button (311 of FIG. 2) and a selection button for selecting a corresponding menu from the menu displayed by the menu button 311 for the user to select a function of the blood glucose meter or change information. 312).

As the blood glucose test strip (strip) is inserted into the blood glucose test strip connector 320, the detection unit 330 generates a blood sugar information by measuring the concentration of blood glucose by measuring the current generated by the blood glucose test strip and measuring the current generated by the blood glucose test strip. Do it. Here, the blood glucose test strip (strip) is widely known on the market, and the working electrode (E1: part responsible for the measurement), the third electrode (E2: part for the measurement), and the counter electrode (C: E1, E2 are currents). Ground from which the value can be calculated.

The blood glucose test strip according to an embodiment of the present invention is not given a specific code. Of course, the conventional blood glucose test paper has a specific code for each blood glucose test paper, but in one embodiment of the present invention to eliminate such inconvenience, blood glucose measurement is possible without a specific code.

In addition, these electrodes are in the form of black electrodes, and micropaths exist at the lower end of the substrate, and the microchannels include a biochemical material and a sample inlet (not shown). Since the blood glucose test strip (strip) is well known, further description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, a diagram showing the structure of the test strip connector 320 is shown in FIG. This will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 3, the power supply unit 330 serves to supply power to the blood glucose meter. Of course, as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to use a button type lithium battery (eg, CR2032) to increase the portability of the blood glucose meter, but it is also possible to use a battery or a rechargeable battery.

The memory unit 380 may include a hard disk drive, a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a static RAM (SRAM), a ferro-electric RAM (FRAM), a phase-change RAM (PRAM), and a magnetic RAM (MRAM). Non-volatile memory such as) may be used, and stores existing blood sugar information or newly measured blood sugar information. Of course, the controller 300 includes data for operating, a program for implementing an algorithm, and the like.

The measuring unit 340 is configured as an OP-AMP circuit to compare the current blood sugar current value and the reference current value obtained from the blood sugar information detected by the sensing unit 321 to the control unit 300 only the current value of the reference current value or more. send. Therefore, the control unit 300 receives the current value and converts the blood sugar level into a digital value and displays it on the display unit 360 or transmits it to the outside through the communication unit 370.

The reference voltage unit 350 serves to generate a reference voltage value for the accuracy of the blood glucose meter, and usually sets the reference voltage to about 400 mV.

The display unit 360 serves to display a setting or selection menu of blood sugar information or a blood glucose meter. An example of a screen displaying blood sugar information is shown in FIG. 6. This will be described later. In addition, the display unit 360 includes an LCD, an OLED, and the like.

The communication unit 370 transmits blood sugar information measured to the outside through the communication connection terminal 371. Of course, the communication connection terminal 371 may be a terminal such as a phone jack, mini USB. In the present invention, the communication unit 370 is shown as using a wired communication for easy understanding, it is also possible to use a wireless communication method such as IrDA, Bluetooth.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of the blood glucose test strip connector 320 of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 4, the front end of the blood sugar test strip connector 320 is formed with an insertion hole for inserting a blood sugar test strip (not shown), and the + electrode 322, the-electrode 323, the working electrode 324, and the counter. The electrode 325 and the third electrode 326 are configured. The dual electrode 322 and the negative electrode 323 are configured to turn on the power by switching a blood glucose meter, and the working electrode 324, the counter electrode 325, and the third electrode 326 are formed of the blood glucose test paper. It is a structure for contacting with E1, C, and E2.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring blood glucose according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the blood glucose meter is in a sleep mode (step S500). In other words, the blood glucose meter is in a sleep mode, which is a power saving mode to save power.

In this sleep mode, when there is a measurement or storage operation, the blood glucose meter is turned on (step S510). In other words, the blood glucose test strip (not shown) is inserted into the test strip connector 320 shown in FIG. 3, or when the menu button configured in the operation unit 310 is pressed, the power of the blood glucose meter is turned on. At this time, when the power is turned on, the blood glucose measurement data value measured immediately before is displayed on the screen of the display unit (360 of FIG. 3).

Of course, when the blood sugar test strip is inserted, the blood glucose meter checks whether the blood sugar test strip is usable (step S520). That is, YES / NO is displayed on the display unit (360 in FIG. 3). In case of “YES”, a blood glucose test paper is available, and in case of “NO”, a blood glucose test paper is not available as an error indication. (Step S521). Of course, although "YES" and "NO" are displayed here, it is also possible to display "YES" and "NO" in a specific shape. For example, in the case of “YES”, the display may be a blood icon.

Error indication is applied in the following situations.

i) reuse of blood test paper

ii ) when the blood was introduced into the blood glucose test paper before an instruction to introduce the blood collected by the blood collector was displayed on the display unit 360;

iii) outside the temperature range (eg 10-40 ° C).

As a result of the determination, if the blood test paper is available, the blood collected by the blood collector is introduced into the blood sugar test paper (step S525). That is, the blood glucose measurement is inserted into the test strip connector 320 to be used to gently push the contact until the end of the blood-shaped icon appears on the screen of the display unit 360, which means that the measurement is possible. At this time, a little blood is drawn out through the skin such as a finger using a blood collector (the amount of blood is more than 0.5μl is sufficient).

The collected blood should laterally touch the arrow-shaped end of the blood test paper, and the blood should be filled in the reagent checking area so that enough blood can be inserted into the test paper connector 320 through the blood check window. .

In other words, when a voltage of 2.5 V is applied to the blood sample in which the blood sample collected from the fingertip after inserting the blood test strip into the test strip connector 320 is applied to the blood test strip, the glucose (hereinafter glucose) concentration is calculated through the generated current. . The principle is that the blood sample reacts with the enzyme components in the blood test paper to produce a constant current.

Of course, as described above, three cases in which an error occurs have been described, but when the amount of blood is insufficient, an error is displayed on the display unit 360.

When the blood is fully inserted into the blood test strip, the flashing blood drop indicator disappears from the screen and a flashing clock icon appears indicating the progress of the test. The blood test strip must not be moved or touched during the measurement.

When blood is introduced into the blood test sheet, 5 seconds are counted, and after 5 seconds, the current blood glucose level measured on the screen is displayed (step S527). If the measured value is lower than 1.1mmol / l (20mg / dl), it is displayed as “Lo”, and if it is higher than 33.3mmol / l (600mg / dl), it is displayed as “Hi.” It is also possible to display only.

The result is displayed on the display 360 for two minutes until the blood glucose meter is turned off or the blood glucose test strip is removed. Of course, when the blood glucose measurement is finished, the user removes the used blood sugar test strip from the test strip connector 320 (step S528). In this case, the blood glucose meter enters the sleep mode (step S550).

When the user selects the menu button of the operation unit 310 of FIG. 3 to select a storage function in step S510, the average value of the blood sugar level is displayed on the display unit 360 (step S530). A diagram showing this is shown in FIG. 6. That is, FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displaying a measured blood glucose level according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, date and time information 610 and an average blood sugar level 600 are displayed.

5, in operation S530, the user may newly set up a date, a time, or the like, and select storage (step S540). If the user selects the menu button 311 in Fig. 2, the setup menu is displayed (step S541). In the setup menu, it is possible to set the average value of the measured blood glucose in units of months, days, hours, and the like. For example, blood glucose measurement results may be averaged in units of 7, 14 and 30 days.

On the contrary, if the user selects the selection button (312 of FIG. 2), the stored data is displayed while storing the blood sugar information (step S542).

When step S541 and step 5421 are finished, the blood glucose meter enters the sleep mode (step S550).

Another embodiment of the present invention has a function of displaying about 250 stored measurement data, and the blood glucose measurement data of the desired date can be recognized.

7 is a block diagram of a blood sugar management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the blood glucose meter 700 is connected to the personal computer 710 through the communication unit 370. As described above, the communication connection terminal 371 of the blood glucose meter 700 may be a phone jack or a mini USB. That is, the blood glucose meter 700 may be a jack or a mini USB terminal. In this case, the personal computer 710 becomes a general USB terminal. Therefore, the connection cable between the blood glucose meter 700 and the personal computer 710 may be a phone jack cable or a mini USB cable. The phone jack cable is jack on one side and regular USB on the other side, and the mini USB cable is mini USB on one side and normal USB on the other side.

 The personal computer 710 stores an input module 711 that receives blood sugar information from the blood glucose meter 700, an analysis and processing module 712 that receives and analyzes the blood sugar information, and stores the analyzed blood sugar information. A device 715, an output module 713 for outputting the analyzed blood sugar information, a setting and management module 717 for setting and managing a blood sugar management program, a management module 714 for downloading specific information, and the like. . These components are described as follows.

The input module 711 receives blood glucose information measured from a USB port connected to the blood glucose meter 700, and imports blood sugar information stored in an external Excel file or a text file into a management program.

The analysis and processing module 712 analyzes the input blood sugar information by time, period, and section and stores the blood sugar information in the storage device 715.

The storage device 715 is a storage of blood sugar information using a file system 715-1 for a small family, and a DB system 715-2 for a large hospital or the like. In addition, the storage device 715 stores basic information about diabetes, such as a diabetic notebook, a diagnostic message, and therapy, and stores data and software for a blood sugar management program.

The output module 713 outputs blood sugar information to a management program screen or transmits blood sugar information to an external device. In addition, the blood sugar trend is produced in a grid or chart 740 for screen output or stored in a moving disk 741 as a file such as Excel or text. In addition, blood sugar information is sent by e-mail attached.

The download management module 743 communicates with the download server 730 through the internet network 720 at the time of initial booting of the management program or periodically to check whether there is an update item. If there is an update item, the update file is automatically downloaded and automatically installed. Update items include version updates of the blood sugar management program and function updates.

The setting and management module 717 sets user setting and communication port, and sets personalization such as setting blood sugar target value.

10: front cover 20: circuit board
30: back cover
311: Menu button 312: Selection button
320: test paper connector 321: insertion hole
330: power supply unit 360: display unit
700: blood glucose meter 710: personal computer
720: Internet network 730: server

Claims (10)

A test strip connector for inserting a blood test strip with a code number;
It is connected to the test strip connector and detects only the insertion of the blood test strip irrespective of the code number of the blood test strip and starts the measurement of blood sugar when the blood test strip is inserted. A detector configured to detect blood sugar of blood and generate a measurement voltage corresponding to the blood sugar;
A reference voltage unit generating a reference voltage for comparison with the measured voltage;
A measuring unit which calculates a blood glucose level of the blood by comparing the measured voltage with a reference voltage; And
A control unit for generating blood sugar information for converting the blood glucose level of the blood into a digital value from the measuring unit;
One coding blood glucose meter comprising a. delete The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a display unit for displaying the blood sugar information,
And the control unit displays the blood sugar level of the blood from the blood sugar information as "Hi" if the predetermined value or more, and "Lo" if it is below the predetermined value. The method of claim 3, wherein
One-coding blood glucose meter further comprises a wireless or wired communication unit for transmitting the blood glucose information of the blood to the outside. The method of claim 4, wherein
The communication unit further comprises a phone jack or a mini USB terminal. The method of claim 4, wherein
One-coding blood glucose meter further comprising an operation unit provided with a button for menu or selection. The method of claim 4, wherein
The test strip connector includes a + electrode, a-electrode, a working electrode, a counter electrode, and a third electrode to contact the inserted blood test paper. A one-coding blood glucose meter according to any one of claims 5 to 7;
An input module connected to the communication unit of the blood glucose meter by wire or wireless communication means to receive blood glucose information of the blood from the blood glucose meter;
A storage device for analyzing the input blood sugar information by time, period, and section and storing blood sugar information; And
An output module that outputs the blood sugar information to a management program screen or transmits the information to an external device
Blood sugar management system comprising a. The method of claim 8,
And the storage device is a file system or a database system. The method of claim 8,
And a download management module configured to check whether there is an update item by initial booting the management program or periodically communicating with a download server through an internet network.

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