JP2000241415A - Health care device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent related data from losing even when service interruption occurs by storing and holding a measurement result even during non-current carrying in a storage means in a manner that correlation with the related data obtained by an obtaining means. SOLUTION: A controller 36 of a measuring unit 11 is constituted as a logical arithmetic circuit mainly having a microcomputer, and includes a CPU for executing each arithmetic process, a ROM storing a control program or the liked required for it, and a RAM for temporality reading or writing various data. In addition, a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) is provided, and stores a measurement result of sampled urine and a position of a urine sampling arm 32 during urine sampling. When a user stores the measurement result, A-D switches on an operating portion 38 are pushed during 'display of measurement result' of a display portion 39 to lighten its LED, and a storing/calling switch is pushed to store the measurement result. At this time, since the EEPROM requiring no power supply is used as a storing means, the measurement result can be held even during non-current carrying.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a health management device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is detachably attached to a Western-style toilet installed in a toilet (including a part that is placed on the floor), and can sample and analyze urine to support personal health checks. There has been proposed a health management device (urine test device) provided with test means. (See, for example,
No. 187,253 discloses a urine test apparatus which collects urine by swinging a swing arm equipped with urine collection in a bowl of a toilet bowl. A test washing area is formed at the rear of the toilet, and a urine sample is analyzed in this area, and the urine collecting container is washed with washing water jetted from a washing nozzle.)

[0003] Urine contains various components such as sugar, protein, occult blood, sodium ion, and uric acid whose concentration varies depending on the health condition of the subject. Therefore, in the urine testing apparatus as described above, a component concentration sensor (hereinafter, simply referred to as “sensor”) that can accurately measure the concentration of the target component to be tested is used, and appropriate measurement conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) are used. Below, an inspection needs to be performed.

[0004]

The apparatus uses a commercial 100 V as a driving power supply. Therefore, when a power failure or the like occurs, not only the device cannot be used, but also important items stored in the device are lost.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems and Actions / Effects Therefor, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention measures the excrement of a user obtained by the stool action in a toilet, and based on the measurement, A health management device for performing a measurement / providing operation for providing information related to the health management of the user, wherein the obtaining unit obtains related data related to the measuring / providing operation; and Storage means for storing and holding the result of the measurement even when power is not supplied, in a mode in which the correlation with the related data is ensured.

[0006] According to the health management apparatus of the present invention, the result of the measurement is stored and held even when power is not supplied, in a form in which the correlation with the related data acquired by the acquisition means is ensured by the storage means. Therefore, even if a power failure occurs, related data is not lost.

Further, according to the health management device of the present invention,
Obtain measurement results from excretions excreted in daily life. That is, it can be measured in daily life regardless of the specialized institution. Therefore, measurement results can be obtained with sufficient frequency to capture changes in health status that progress very slowly or improve, thereby effectively preventing, early detecting and treating various diseases. be able to.
The excrement may be excrement by urine, stool, or other stool action. Further, sweat, saliva, ovulation, menstrual blood, and the like may be used according to the purpose. The predetermined physical quantities related to the excrement include the volume of the excrement itself,
In addition to mass and density, the content and concentration of various components contained in the excrement are exemplified.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the related data includes at least one of the user, the time of the measurement, the contents of the measurement / providing operation, and normal / abnormal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the storage means includes an EEOR
It is characterized by including at least one of an OM, an electrolytic capacitor, and a backup power supply.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the excrement is urine, and the measurement relates to at least one of urine sugar, protein, occult blood, sodium ion, and uric acid.

The measurement data exemplified here has the following meanings. Urine sugar can be used for prevention, discovery, treatment, etc. of diabetes. Protein is also called urinary albumin and can be effectively used for early detection of diabetic nephropathy. In particular, it is said that diabetic nephropathy is discovered very early and will not be cured without treatment, and therefore, detection of urinary albumin is highly effective. It is known that in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy, a small amount of albumin is excreted in urine. Therefore, if such a small amount of albumin can be detected as measurement data, it can be used for early detection of diabetic nephropathy. Naturally, it is also effective in finding non-diabetic nephropathy.

[0012] Occult blood is one of the signs of inflammation, calculus and the like occurring in the kidney, ureter, urethra and the like. In the early stage, it is not possible to confirm at a glance that urine is contaminated with blood, and the individual is in a state called asymptomatic hematuria without any subjective symptoms. In the health management device of the present invention, if occult blood is used as measurement data, occult blood can be detected at the stage of such asymptomatic hematuria, so that it can be used for early detection and treatment of the above various diseases. .

[0013] Sodium is measured data that is a measure of daily salt intake. It is well known that salt causes factors such as hypertension and heart failure. For the prevention and treatment of these diseases, it is preferable to control the salt intake to an appropriate value. However, salt intake is not always in line with taste, and foods that do not feel so salty often contain large amounts of salt. On the other hand, it is known that it is almost proportional to the intake of sodium salt in urine. Therefore, if sodium is detected as the measurement data, the amount of intake of salt can be grasped and utilized for its control.

Uric acid is known as a causative substance such as gout. It is said that about 80% of uric acid is excreted in the urine in less than 80% of the daily amount. Therefore, by measuring uric acid in urine, it is possible to estimate the uric acid level in the body,
It can be used to prevent and treat gout and other diseases.

The various measurement data described here are merely examples, and other various measurement data can be measured by the health management device of the present invention. Of course, a plurality of measurement data may be measured.

In a fifth aspect, a first storage means for sequentially storing the results of the measurement and a plurality of measurement results stored in the first storage means are used for the measurement / providing operation. It is characterized in that statistical processing is included.

Although the measurement data includes various errors caused by daily activities of the user, these errors usually fall within a predetermined range of variation. According to the fifth aspect, the measurement data can be sequentially stored, and the statistical processing is performed based on the stored measurement results, so that the influence of the error can be reduced to the extent that it can be used for health management. Therefore, according to the fourth aspect, it is possible to acquire data that can be used for health management without increasing the number of measurement items or performing complicated correction processing on the measurement data itself. Further, according to the fifth aspect, in order to obtain significant measurement data, it is possible to avoid the trouble of adjusting the conditions for obtaining the excrement, and also to reduce the trouble of inputting the acquisition conditions. Can be avoided. Of course, it is also possible to input an acquisition condition, and to perform statistical processing in consideration of this.

Further, the following statistical processing may be performed. As described above, it is generally considered that the error of the measurement data falls within a predetermined range of variation. Conversely, when measurement data that deviates from the predetermined variation is obtained, it can be assumed that a cause other than a normal error factor, that is, some abnormality has occurred in the user's health condition. Therefore, the standard deviation and the average value are calculated, and the measurement data that is out of the predetermined variation range defined based on the standard deviation with respect to the average value is extracted, and the value and the occurrence frequency of the extracted measurement data are determined. It may be calculated. In this way, the health condition can be managed based on these values and the frequency of occurrence.

The statistical processing method and the number of results required to obtain an appropriate result can be variously set according to the contents of the measurement data. For example, for measurement data having large daily fluctuations such as urine sugar, measurement data having similar acquisition conditions is selected from data acquired over a plurality of days, and the daily change is statistically obtained. It can be. Statistical processing can also be performed on measurement data with relatively small daily fluctuations based on all obtained data. The statistical processing can be executed by various well-known methods such as calculation of an average value and a standard deviation.

[0020] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transfer means capable of exchanging the result of the measurement between the plurality of health management devices.

[0021] In daily life, the place where individuals use toilets is not limited to one place. It is common to use flights at various places, such as at home or on the go. If the health management device is provided with the above-described data transfer means, measurement data can be exchanged between a plurality of devices. Can be managed. As a result, personal analysis data can be acquired more frequently, and more appropriate health management can be performed.

Various means can be applied as the data transfer means. For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which data can be exchanged between health management devices by wired or wireless communication. In this case, in addition to the mode of directly exchanging data between the health management devices, the mode of exchanging data via a network is possible. As the data transfer means, a method of recording personal measurement data on a portable recording medium such as a flexible disk may be adopted.

In the case where a data transfer means is provided, it is more desirable that data can be exchanged with a device other than the health management device, for example, a general-purpose computer.
In this way, more appropriate health management can be performed based on the measurement data.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an identification means for identifying a plurality of users, and a second storage means for storing the result of the measurement in a mode in which a correlation with the identified users is secured. It is characterized by having.

Since the health management device of the present invention is provided in a toilet, there is a high possibility that a plurality of users use one health management device in daily life. In such a case, in claim 7, the measurement data can be stored while securing a correlation with the user. Therefore, even when a plurality of persons use the apparatus, it is possible to appropriately manage the health of each individual.

Various means can be applied to the user identification means. For example, the user may perform an operation for identifying himself / herself. A method of selecting oneself from a list of users input in advance to the health management device may be used, or an ID for identifying oneself may be input at the time of use. The operation unit of the health management device may have a function of measuring a fingerprint. Furthermore, when it is assumed that the user's gender difference, age difference, etc. are greatly apart, such as at home, weight,
The user may be identified based on information such as capacitance.

In the present invention, the measurement data may be different depending on the user. This way,
Since only the measurement data required by each person can be acquired, the cost required for the measurement and the capacity of the storage means for storing the measurement data can be saved.

The embodiments of the present invention are described as follows: (1) Even if power is not supplied to the device from the outside,
There are a super capacitor (aluminum electrolytic capacitor), a battery, a battery, and the like as a means for supplying power to the device, and the power is supplied so that a clock and important data stored in the device are not erased. I do. Also,
A nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) which does not require a power supply even if the device does not have a power supply means is used as a storage means of the device. In this case, even if power is not externally supplied to the device, a super capacitor (aluminum electrolytic capacitor), a battery,
By using a battery, etc., by maintaining the state even when the power is cut off, useless operation even if the power is turned on again, for example, without resetting the time or resetting the timer, etc. good.

Further, even if power is not supplied during the measurement, it is possible to supply a capacity to operate for one sequence. Even if the power supply is interrupted in the middle of the measurement, the operation can be performed to the end so that the operation can be completed. Does not cause any problems for the elderly. In this case, even if there is no power supply means in the device, a non-volatile memory (EEPR
By using OM) as the storage means of the device, the measurement result, the timer setting time, the status information of the device, and the like are not deleted without permission.

The health management device of the present invention can set various measurement targets, but it is particularly preferable to target measurement data capable of detecting a long-term change in the user's health condition.

[0031] Diseases that do not rapidly progress in about one or two days, such as lifestyle-related diseases, but progress slowly over a long period of time are frequently used for the prevention and treatment. It is desirable to perform an inspection. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the health management apparatus of this invention, since analysis data can be acquired appropriately in daily life, an individual can perform a test | inspection with sufficient frequency without feeling a heavy burden. Therefore, if measurement data capable of detecting a long-term change in the user's health condition is targeted, it can be effectively used for prevention, early detection and treatment of lifestyle-related diseases and the like. The term “long term” refers to a term suitable for evaluating the progress of the disease depending on the type and condition of the disease. It may be a few days, or a long term such as weeks or months.

As for the health management device of the present invention, as the configuration of the device, in the embodiment of the present invention, the health management device is configured to have an adoptable unit that can be attached to and detached from the rim portion of the Western-style toilet bowl. On the other hand, the device may have a portable size. In addition to making the entire device portable, portable devices can be configured in various modes. For example, only a unit for collecting and storing urine and a unit for storing conditions for collecting urine may be configured to be portable, and urine analysis itself may be performed ex post fact by the installed health management device main body. Further, a simple method may be employed as a sensor for measuring each component in urine. Furthermore, you may comprise as an apparatus which limited the component to be analyzed.
In this way, measurement data can be acquired without selecting a toilet, and measurement data that can be used for health management can be acquired more frequently and continuously. Further, since the device can be prepared for each individual, there is an advantage that the user can be easily specified.

It is also possible to incorporate the adopted unit into the toilet seat. This makes it possible to stably attach the adopted unit to the Western style toilet. Naturally, by replacing the toilet seat itself, it is possible to later attach the health management device to an already installed Western-style toilet. In addition, it goes without saying that the health management device may be built in a Western-style toilet or cabinet. The urinal to which the urine collection unit is attached is not limited to a Western urinal.

[0034]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above. In the following description, a urine test apparatus equipped with a urine sugar sensor will be described. However, physical quantities (concentration, mass, volume, number, etc.) of other components (protein, occult blood, creatinine, sodium ions, etc.)
It is needless to say that the present invention is also applicable to a urine test apparatus including a component concentration sensor for detecting

FIG. 1 shows a urine test apparatus 10 (including a measuring unit 11 and a rim-mounted urine collection unit 12) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and a Western toilet 100 (toilet seat) to which the urine test apparatus 10 is attached. 102, a toilet lid 104, and a washing water tank 106. The toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 10
4 is an open state). FIG. 2 shows the Western-style toilet 100 of FIG. 1 and the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 (toilet seat 1).
02 and the toilet lid 104 are both in a closed state), FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the urine test apparatus 10.

The western style toilet 100 is equipped with a washing water tank 106 at the upper part thereof.
Is connected to a pipe 14 for supplying cleaning water to the measuring unit 11. The measurement unit 11 is set on the floor as shown in FIG. 1 (details will be described later). The rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 is mounted on the rim of the Western-style toilet 100 as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the measuring unit 11 and the rim-mounted urine collecting unit 12 are provided with a water supply section (not shown, but a strainer for removing dust contained in the supplied water). 15), a pump 16 for supplying water from a washing water tank 106, a rotary valve syringe 18 composed of a rotary valve and a syringe, and water leakage or overflow water from the rotary valve syringe 18. Receiving vessel 25, a rotary valve driving motor 20 for driving the rotary valve (when the rotary valve and the rotary valve driving motor 20 are collectively referred to as an electric rotary valve 176), and a syringe driving motor 22 for driving the syringe. And collect urine excreted by the user , Protraction / storage freely urine collection arm 3
, A urine collection arm driving motor 23, a calibration solution tank 24 for storing a calibration solution, a buffer solution tank 26 for storing a buffer solution, and a urine sugar sensor 28 for converting urine sugar into an electric signal.
A nozzle 30 for cleaning the urine collection arm 32; and an electrode 34 for detecting whether or not urine is collected in the urine collection arm 32.
, Controller 36, and operation unit 3 operated by the user
8, a display unit 39 for notifying the user, a sound source 29 for also notifying the user, a human body detection sensor 260 for detecting the presence or absence of a human body, and urine and calibration supplied to the urine sugar sensor 28 A heating unit 250 for heating a liquid or the like to an appropriate temperature; a temperature sensor 251 for directly or indirectly detecting the liquid temperature; a temperature sensor 261 for monitoring the temperature in the toilet room; The main components are a heating unit 236 for heating the inside of the measuring unit 11 and a temperature sensor 237 for detecting the temperature. In the figure, a dotted line, an arrow (thin line), and an arrow (thick line) indicate an electric path, a flow of water, and a flow of urine, a calibration solution, and a buffer, respectively.

Although not shown, when measuring another component other than urine sugar, it goes without saying that a sensor unit for sensing the component, each liquid tank, piping, etc. are additionally required.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12. The rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 is made of a resin using an antibacterial material (for example, Bactekiller (registered trademark) or Zeomic (registered trademark)) for improving hygiene.
The rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 includes a urine collection arm 32, a washing nozzle 30, a urine collection arm drive motor 23, and a tube 15.
2. A water distribution pipe 186, a water supply pipe 151 to the washing nozzle 30, and the like are provided on a resin base 650. The drain pipe 186 and the waste water outlet of the tube 152 face the toilet, so that drainage can be discharged into the toilet.

As shown in FIG. 4, rubber, a suction cup 651, and the like are attached to a portion of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 which comes into contact with the rim of the Western-style toilet 100.

The rubber, the suction cup 651, etc.
02, the back of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 and the Western-style toilet 10
A part or member having a large coefficient of friction is attached so that the rim of 0 does not slip, thereby enhancing the anti-slip effect.

By setting the place where the rubber, the suction cup 651 and the like are attached below the cushion (toilet seat leg) of the toilet seat 102, the weight of the user is hung on the rubber and the suction cup 651 and the above-mentioned anti-slip effect is further enhanced. be able to.

The rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 includes a toilet seat 102.
Because the cushion (toilet seat leg) abuts, the seat is designed to be lower than other parts (see FIG. 2) to maintain the level of the toilet seat.

FIG. 5 is a structural view of the urine collection arm 32. The urine collection arm 32 is made of a metal plated material in consideration of cleanability and strength. The tip of the urine collection arm 32 (the urine collection part 652) is bowl-shaped, and has a shape that facilitates storage of urine, and is attached so that the urine collection port faces substantially upward at the urine collection position. ing.

FIG. 6 shows the extended position of the urine collection arm during urine collection. The positions suitable for urine collection differ between males and females, and the extension toward the female position is greater (specifically, an adult male is approximately 44 degrees from the horizontal plane, and an adult female is approximately 75 degrees.
Degrees).

Also, it is considered that the position can be finely adjusted to the front-rear position with the standard extension position substantially at the center (see FIG. 7). The urine detection electrode 34 is arranged inside the bowl, and it is easy to determine whether urine has been collected. In addition, when the urine collection arm 32 comes into the toilet at the time of urine collection, the electrode 34 is installed at a position where a liquid amount required for measurement can be secured. Accumulates in the bowl. Therefore, there is no possibility that the measurement is started without a sufficient amount of urine and an erroneous measurement is performed.

A mesh filter 656 is installed in the urine collection section 652 of the urine collection arm 32 in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the urine collection arm 32 and scattering of urine (FIG. 5).
reference).

The mesh filter 656 is used for the urine collection arm 3.
2 (or the urine collection unit 652) so as to be detachable, thereby improving the cleaning performance of the urine collection unit. On the contrary, the urine collection arm 32 is provided to prevent the mesh filter 656 from being lost.
It may be fixed in one piece. Here, the mesh filter 656 has been subjected to an antibacterial treatment in order to enhance hygiene. Of course, the member for preventing foreign matter mixing and urine scattering is not limited to a mesh filter, but may be a sponge-like film, for example.

In the present embodiment, the water supply unit 15 is connected to the washing water tank 106, and supplies tap water in the washing water tank 106 to the rotary valve syringe 18 and the nozzle 30 by using the suction force of the pump 16. are doing.

The water supply unit 15 is directly connected to the water supply to supply water by using the water supply pressure of the water supply, or when a warm water washing toilet seat is separately installed, the hot water washing toilet seat (not shown) is provided. The pump 16 may be omitted if a part of the water flow fed by the pump or the water is branched directly before and after the pressure reducing valve for supplying water to the water supply unit 15. By doing so, the water supply system in the measurement unit 11 can be further simplified.

When a warm water flush toilet seat is provided, a water supply section 15 is provided at a location where the hot water flush toilet seat water supply connection pipe branches from a water supply pipe of the flush water tank 106 (not shown).
May be branched.

Further, when the warm water flush toilet seat is installed, the hot water flush toilet seat water supply connection pipe branched from the water supply pipe of the flush water tank 106 (not shown) is provided at a portion connected to the hot water flush toilet seat. By connecting 15, the branch portion is concealed by the warm water flush toilet seat, and there is no problem in appearance, and the connection work can be simplified.

Next, the measuring unit 11 will be described with reference to FIG.
(Front view), FIG. 9 (right side view, but only lower part), FIG. 1
0 (left side view) and FIG. 11 (top view). As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the measuring unit 11 is configured to be vertically long. In this case, not only can the measuring unit 11 be installed in a small toilet, but also the operation unit ( (Described later) can be easily operated by a user sitting on the toilet without disturbing the sitting posture. On the back surface of the measurement unit 11, three screw mounting portions 112 having a screw hole at the center are provided. If the back surface of the measurement unit 11 is screwed through the screw to the wall 119, the measurement unit 11 falls down. There is no fear. A hook receiver 11 is provided on the back of the measuring unit 11.
When the hook receiver 115 is engaged with a hook 117 separately fixed to a wall 119, not only can the measurement unit 11 be prevented from tipping over, but also the measurement unit 11 can be easily replaced during maintenance and inspection. Can be removed from the wall and moved.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the calibration solution replenishment port 242 and the buffer solution replenishment port 262.

First, the calibration solution replenishing port 242 and the tip 2 of the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 inserted into the calibration solution replenishing port 242
The relationship of 44a will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the calibration liquid replenishing port 242 has three concave portions formed at intervals of 120 ° at a circular entrance.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the tip 244a of the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 is connected to a circular outlet having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the inlet of the calibration solution replenishing port 242. It has two convex portions formed at intervals of °.

At the time of replenishment of the calibration solution, first, the connecting portion 244b of the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 is attached to the nozzle mounting port of the calibration solution bottle (not shown) containing the replenishing calibration solution, and the tip 244a is calibrated. It is inserted into the liquid replenishing port 242. At this time, the tip 244a of the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 can be inserted into the calibration solution replenishing port 242 only when the concave portion and the convex portion match.

Further, a buffer replenishing port 262 and a tip 2 of a buffer replenishing nozzle 264 inserted into the buffer replenishing port 262.
The relationship 64a will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the buffer replenishing port 262 has four concave portions formed at 90 ° intervals in a circular inlet.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, the tip 264a of the buffer replenishing nozzle 264 is connected to a circular outlet having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the inlet of the buffer replenishing port 262 by 180 °. It has two convex portions formed at intervals of °. When replenishing the buffer solution, first, the coupling portion 264b of the buffer solution replenishing nozzle 264 is attached to the nozzle mounting port of a buffer solution bottle (not shown) containing the replenishing buffer solution, and the tip 2
64a is inserted into the buffer replenishing port 262. At this time, only when the concave portion and the convex portion match, the buffer solution replenishing nozzle 2
64 can be inserted into the buffer replenishing port 262.

Further, it is physically impossible to insert the tip 244a of the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 into the buffer replenishing port 262 and the tip 264a of the buffer replenishing nozzle 264 into the calibration solution replenishing port 242. It is possible to avoid a liquid replenishment error.

The structure in which the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 is connected to the calibration solution bottle is different from the structure in which the buffer solution replenishment nozzle 264 is connected to the buffer solution bottle (for example, the connection portion of the calibration solution replenishment nozzle 244). The structure of the 244b and the shape, the inner diameter, and the like of the coupling portion 264b of the buffer replenishing nozzle 264 are made different from each other. be able to.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the calibration liquid replenishing port 242 and the buffer
The calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 and the buffer solution replenishing nozzle 264 can be accommodated above the cylinder 62, and only the calibration solution bottle or the buffer solution bottle is discarded. You may make it reusable.

The place for accommodating the calibration solution replenishing nozzle 244 and the buffer replenishing nozzle 264 may be provided on the back side of the cover 116 shown in FIG. 10 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is an inside view showing an embodiment of the measuring unit 11. (However, the inner unit tubes and harnesses are not shown).
8. The display unit 39 and the human body detection sensor 260 are arranged.
The urine sugar sensor 28 is installed on the upper side surface of the measurement unit 11 and is covered with a cover 243. A rotary valve syringe 18 is installed below the urine sugar sensor 28, and a heating section for keeping the temperature of the liquid sent to the urine sugar sensor 28 constant in a piping path between the rotary valve syringe 18 and the urine sugar sensor 28. 250 and a temperature sensor 251 are provided. A resin tank 24 for storing a calibration solution and a buffer solution necessary for measurement is provided at the lowermost portion of the measurement unit 11.
And a heater 236 and a temperature sensor 237 for preventing the tanks 24 and 26 and the liquid in the pipe from freezing.
Are installed near the tanks 24 and 26. Others
A temperature sensor 261 for monitoring the temperature in the toilet room, a pump 281, a power transformer 282, a power supply unit 215, a fall detection switch 283, and the like are arranged at appropriate places. Further, a communication terminal 114 (for example, RS232C) is also provided.

Tanks 24 and 2 for storing buffer solution and calibration solution
6 is arranged below the measuring unit 11. Power supply unit 21
5 and various electric driving means, if the liquid leaks from the tank, the liquid will not adhere to the electronic components and devices.
Safe without damage or deterioration of equipment and no fire or short circuit. A drain 210 is provided at the bottom of the tank.
Are provided, and the bottom surfaces of the tanks 24 and 26 are drain 2
It is inclined toward 10 directions. Since the drain 210 communicates with the outside of the measurement unit 11, the calibration liquid and the buffer solution can be easily drained simply by operating the drain 210 from the outside without disassembling the measurement unit 11.

Further, the stability of the measuring unit 11 itself is increased by disposing the heavy tanks 24 and 26 filled with the calibration liquid and the buffer liquid at the lower part.

The measurement unit 11 is also designed in consideration of the fact that it is not preferable to form a screw hole or the like in the wall 119 (for example, in a toilet room of a rental house). . For example, as can be seen from FIG.
The main body of the measurement unit 11 is configured to widen from the upper part to the lower part in order to stabilize the installation. Also,
Stretchable reinforced legs 1 for more stable installation
11 is provided. The reinforcing leg 111 is provided with a threaded adjuster 111a whose height is adjustable. (Of course, the adjuster 111a is
Alternatively, it may be provided directly on the leg provided on the measurement unit 11. 16) Further, as can be seen from FIG. 16, the calibration liquid tank 24 and the buffer liquid tank 26, which increase in weight when filled with liquid, are arranged at the lower part of the main body, so that a sense of stability is further improved.

Next, the components described above will be described in detail.

The urine test apparatus of the present invention is provided with a human body detection sensor 260 for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the toilet room and the intrusion (or exit) of a person into the toilet room. Various actuators are controlled based on the output of 260, the details of which will be described later. In FIG. 16 of the present embodiment, the human body detection sensor 260 is installed near the operation unit 38 and the display unit 39 of the measurement unit 11 and exemplifies a detection unit that detects infrared reflected light. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is suitable for the installation location and the detection means.

For example, the installation location may be a location other than the measurement unit 11 such as the front surface of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12. The detection means may be a microswitch for detecting the seating of the human body on the toilet seat, a pressurized conductive rubber, or a capacitance type for detecting a change in capacitance. Alternatively, a human body may be indirectly detected by detecting the operation of each switch of the operation unit 38. Further, the human body detecting means provided in the warm water flush toilet seat device may be diverted (shared).

FIG. 17 shows a rotary valve syringe 18.
As shown in FIG. 7, the cylinder has a cylinder 166 and a piston 168, and the piston 168 is moved up and down by converting the rotation of the syringe drive motor 22 into a linear motion by a lead screw mechanism 172. Controller 36
Controls the stroke of the rotary valve syringe 18 by driving the syringe drive motor 22. The port 174 of the rotary valve syringe 18 is connected to the electric rotary valve 176. The electric rotary valve 176 includes a stator 178 having a plurality of ports, a rotor 180, and a rotary valve driving motor 20 controlled by the controller 36. The controller 36 connects the port 174 of the rotary valve syringe 18 to one of the ports of the stator 178 by driving the rotary valve driving motor 20 to rotate the rotor 180, and drives the rotary valve syringe 18 to supply the liquid ( Water, buffer solution, calibration solution, urine, etc.)
Is sucked or discharged. The stator 178 has six ports, each of which has a washing water tank 106 and a buffer tank 2.
6. Calibration solution tank 24, transport tube 150 to inlet 118 of urine glucose sensor 28 (the outlet 120 of urine glucose sensor 28 is extended to the bowl part by tube 152), transport tube 76 from urine collection arm 32, Western style It communicates with a discharge pipe 186 extending to the bowl portion of the toilet 100.

The port 174 is mounted above the cylinder 166 and the piston 168 so that air bubbles sucked into the syringe can be easily removed from the syringe by buoyancy. More preferably, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
The arrangement of the piston 66 and the piston 168 in a substantially vertical direction allows the air in the cylinder 166 to be discharged. With this configuration, no air remains in the syringe, and thus no air bubbles are conveyed into the urine sugar sensor 28 and adversely affect the measured value.

The rotary valve syringe 18 includes:
As can be seen from FIG. 17, the electric rotary valve 176
Is separated from the upper part of the cylinder 166 so that the rotor 180 can be replaced with another rotor. Therefore, for example, if a rotor having a larger number of ports is used instead of the rotor 180, it is also possible to add a sensor or a calibration liquid tank for testing other components other than urine sugar to the measurement unit. .

The transfer tube 150 and the tube 152 (hereinafter, the transfer tube 150 and the tube 152 are collectively referred to as a sensor tube) and the discharge tube 186 are shown in FIG.
Each tip (open end) is fixed at the same height from the floor so that the same pressure (atmospheric pressure) is applied to each port of the stator 178 when the buffer is filled in the pipe filling in step S200. Is done. Therefore, even if the ports of the stator 178 of the transfer tube 150 and the discharge tube 186 communicate with each other, the liquids filled in each other do not mix with each other.
Thereafter, the calibration liquid or the sample (urine) injected into the transport tube 150 can reliably reach the urine sugar sensor 28 by a predetermined amount.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the calibration solution tank 24 and the buffer solution tank 26. Electrodes 62 serving as liquid amount detecting means are provided inside the calibration liquid tank 24 and the buffer liquid tank 26.
1, 622, 623, and 624 are inserted in the vertical direction, and convert the liquid amount into an electric signal.

On the other hand, as the same liquid amount detecting means, a float 625 and a display member 626 indicating the liquid amount on its surface are supported by a float support bar 627 and rotate around an axis 629. The display of the display member can be displayed outside the measurement unit 11 by the window 628. Since this window 628 is provided near the liquid replenishment ports 242 and 262, it is easy to check the liquid volume while replenishing the liquid, and therefore, when replenishing the liquid, the liquid is inadvertently filled with water and overflows. To prevent such things from happening.

The electrodes have the longest electrode as the common, and are the electrode (L) 622, the electrode (M) 623, and the electrode (H) 624 in the longest order. The values in the parentheses of the electrodes represent the liquid level, respectively. The L level for detecting that the amount of liquid required for measurement has run out, and the M for notifying the user of the fact that the amount of liquid has become low is announced. Three levels are set: level and H level for detecting that the liquid replenishment is sufficient. The number of electrodes is not limited to this, and may be any number of two or more according to the required degree of liquid volume measurement.

The above-mentioned M level may be such that the liquid remaining amount is about 5 to 15% of the effective volume in the tank.

In the present embodiment, when the liquid level detecting means goes to the L level or the M level, the calibration liquid replenishment LED 393 and the buffer replenishment LED 392 shown in FIG. However, it is possible to connect means (for example, optical communication or the like) for communicating outside the toilet through the communication terminal 114 in FIG. By doing so, it becomes possible to receive the decrease in the liquid amount by the communication receiving means (for example, a portable remote controller or the like) without the user going to the place. As described above, it goes without saying that the sensor life detecting means described later can be similarly communicated.

In FIG. 18 of the embodiment, an electrode and a float are referred to.
Although two kinds of liquid amount detecting means are provided, a shaft 629 rotated by a float 625 which is movable according to a change in the liquid amount is provided.
By utilizing the rotation of the device, a position detecting means such as a Hall IC or a micro switch may be provided and converted into an electric signal. In this case, no electrode is required. Similarly, the tank signal replenishment ports 242 and 26 are formed by the electric signals detected by the electrodes.
If the liquid amount is displayed near 2, the float 625 may not be used.

As described above, the tank liquid amount is detected by the conduction between the common electrode 621 and each of the liquid amount detecting electrodes 622, 623, 624. Deposits on the electrode. Therefore,
The energization of the electrodes is limited to only a short time when the controller 36 as the control unit needs to check the tank liquid amount, and the energization is not always performed.

The outlet for taking out the liquid to the rotary valve syringe 18 is formed from substantially the lowermost part of the tank, and a strainer 630 is provided here to provide the rotary valve syringe 1.
8 (or the urine sugar sensor 28 ahead thereof) is prevented from entering. Further, the outlet port is provided substantially above the drain 210 provided at the lower part of the tank,
When the drain 210 is removed, the strainer 630 can be easily replaced. Also this drain 21
Since the zero portion is lower than the other portions at the bottom, it is easy to collect liquid even when the remaining amount of liquid is low.

In the above example, the calibration solution tank 24 and the buffer solution tank 26 are provided separately, but it is not always necessary to provide them separately. For example, it is of course possible to divide a single tank into two chambers at an appropriate volume ratio and to use an integrated tank having a liquid replenishing port at the top of each chamber instead of the two tanks. Since the purity of the calibration solution and the buffer directly affects the measurement accuracy, it is necessary to sufficiently control the purity.

However, since the urine sample, the calibration liquid, and the buffer are sequentially supplied to the sensor via the rotary valve syringe 18, the amount is small when the liquid supply is switched. There is a possibility that the liquids may be mixed, and if they are stacked, there is a problem that the measurement accuracy is reduced. Negative pressure is generated in the tank due to suction at the time of liquid feeding, and the liquid easily flows back into the tank by the negative pressure.

Further, the liquid may flow back into the tank even if the rotary valve syringe malfunctions. In any case, it is not preferable that the liquid once sent back to the tank again. Therefore, the rotary valve syringe 18 and the calibration liquid tank 24,
A backflow prevention unit for preventing backflow of the liquid between the buffer solution tanks 26, as a specific example, a backflow prevention valve is provided in the piping tube.

When attention is paid only to the prevention of the negative pressure in the tank, a hole or a valve member for eliminating the negative pressure in the tank may be provided in a part of the tank or the liquid inlets 242 and 262 (including the caps 241 and 261). Good.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the urine test apparatus 10 with the controller 36 as the center. The controller 36 is configured as a logical operation circuit centered on a microcomputer.
A CPU 362 for executing various arithmetic processing for controlling the rotary valve drive motor 20 and the like according to a preset control program, a built-in timer, and the like;
A ROM 364 in which a control program, control data, and the like necessary to execute various arithmetic processes in 362 are stored in advance;
A RAM 366 in which various data necessary for executing various arithmetic processing by the CPU 362 is temporarily read and written.
An input processing circuit 368 for inputting detection signals from the various sensors (for example, the electrodes 34) and signals from various switches of the operation unit 38 and converting the signals into signals that can be processed by the CPU 362; Accordingly, the rotary valve drive motor 20, the syringe drive motor 22, the urine collection arm drive motor 23, and the communication terminal 114 (for example, baud rate: 2400 bps, character length: 8b)
it, parity: even, stop bit: 1, code: ASCII, level: RS232C), display unit 39
And an output processing circuit 380 for outputting a drive signal. The controller 36 has a non-volatile memory (E) for storing data and the like, and for storing details of trouble detection.
EPROM 367) so that even if the power is turned off, the stored contents do not disappear.

Although the description of the present embodiment has described that the data storage unit is provided in the measurement unit 11, the measurement is performed by using another storage medium (a floppy disk, a CDROM, or an IC card). Communication terminal 1 of unit 11
The data may be read from the storage medium 14, and the data may be stored in the storage medium to make the storage medium portable.

Particularly, in the case of an IC card, the drive for storage can be reduced in size, so that the effectiveness is extremely high.
By dropping the data from these storage media onto a personal computer, and using special software (which may also be downloaded from the measuring unit), various personal information such as the contents of the individual's meal can be added to the data. It can also be used for effective health management.

Since the backup power supply 670 is provided, even if the power supply is temporarily cut off due to a power failure, for example,
The timer does not shift.

Further, the capacity of the backup power supply 670 can be variously considered by the operation of backing up when the power supply is temporarily cut off. For example, an electrolytic capacitor (super capacitor) may be used as long as the power is as small as the above-described timer.

Further, when the power supply is temporarily cut off during the operation of the apparatus and the operation is to be operated to the end to protect the apparatus, a relatively large power capacity is required. In such a case, a battery is good.

If the battery is of a type that can be charged during normal energization, no maintenance is required and the battery is easy to use.

Although the type of the motor for driving the urine collection arm 32 and the rotary valve syringe 18 and the like is not particularly limited, it is particularly preferable to use a stepping motor because of its characteristics.

The urine collection arm drive motor 23 is normally driven by a two-phase excitation method. For normal extension, storage operation, and positioning, it is driven at a certain constant speed. In this case, it is desirable that the driving speed (for example, 200 pps) is faster in order to shorten the measurement time, but on the other hand, when finely adjusting the arm position, it is slower (for example, 10 pps).
Driving at 0 pps) improves usability.

The urine collection arm 32 in the storage position is used to open and close the toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 104 during storage, and to seat the user.
The position shift is caused by the vibration caused by the unseating operation. In addition, when the urine is extended into the toilet and urine is collected, the position shift occurs due to the impact of urine or the like, and as a result, urine cannot be collected properly. The controller 36 controls the position holding by applying a holding voltage (for example, by one-phase excitation) to the position 23. In this way, the urine collecting arm 32 is extremely accurately controlled in combination with the above-described positioning effect, so that urine can be reliably collected.

In this case, since the power is wasted by constantly applying the holding voltage, the application of the holding voltage is controlled according to the output of the human body detection sensor 260.

More specifically, when the human body detection sensor 260 detects a person, the above-described displacement can be eliminated by driving the urine collection arm 32 in the storage direction. Also,
When the human body detection sensor 260 detects that a person has left, power supply to the urine collection arm drive motor 23 can be stopped to prevent waste of power, which is more preferable.

Subsequently, the rotary valve drive motor 20
And the syringe drive motor 22 will be described.

By using the stepping motor, the driving speed of the syringe driving motor 22, that is, various liquid feeding speeds can be easily and surely changed without complicated control only by changing the pulse rate applied to the stepping motor. Can be done. Rotary valve syringe 1
It is very effective to have a means for varying the driving speed of the piston 168 in the apparatus 8, and a description will be given according to this embodiment.

For example, when cleaning the inside of the cylinder 166 and the piping path, a high-speed first pulse rate (for example, 100 p
ps). By driving at high speed, the time required for cleaning can be reduced.

On the other hand, when a urine sample or a calibration liquid is sent into the urine sugar sensor 28, the urine sample or the calibration liquid is driven at a low second pulse rate (for example, 20 pps) to improve the measurement accuracy.

Also, in the measurement, the amount of urine, a calibration liquid, a buffer solution (when a substance other than urine sugar is measured, a sensor and a liquid suitable for the urine, etc.) to be sent to the urine sugar sensor 28 are extremely accurately controlled. There is a need to. By using a stepping motor for the rotary valve drive motor 20 and the syringe drive motor 22, these can be managed.

When all the stepping motors are started, the excitation is started in the same phase from the previously stopped pulse. At the time of reversal, the number of pulses for absorbing gear and other play is added and applied. In particular, for a rotary valve or a syringe that requires strict position control, it is very effective to perform these controls, and it is possible to control with extremely high precision.

Next, the urine sugar sensor 28 will be described.
The urine sugar sensor 28 is provided so that the liquid does not leak even if the urine sugar sensor 28 is removed when the liquid is filled in the transfer tube 150 or the tube 152.
0 and the tube 152 are disposed at a position having a higher potential energy than the tube 152.

The urine sugar sensor 28 utilizes the detection principle described later (a schematic diagram is shown in FIG. 20A). That is, urine, which is a waste product of life activity, contains a very large number of chemical species. Urinary sugar in the present invention refers to glucose (glucose), but its concentration is considerably lower than that of other components, for example, urea and ammonia, even when it is excreted in a large amount in healthy people as well as diabetic patients. Therefore, the urine sugar sensor 28 needs to have both a function as a probe for specifically identifying glucose from many components and a function as a transducer for converting it into an electric signal. The urine sugar sensor 28 uses glucose oxidase (GOD), which is an enzyme that specifically oxidizes glucose, as a probe, and uses a hydrogen peroxide electrode as a transducer. The detection reaction is shown below.

[0109]

Embedded image

[0110]

Embedded image Further, the hydrogen peroxide electrode also reacts with uric acid and ascorbic acid, giving an output other than the above two equations and causing a measurement error. In order to avoid this, a permselective membrane is formed between the molecular identification section and the signal conversion section to selectively transmit only hydrogen peroxide having a small molecular weight.

As shown in FIG. 20 (b), during the quantitative analysis of glucose in the urine sample, the reference electrode 133 (Ag / AgC
The current flowing between the working electrode 135 and the counter electrode 137 (Ag) such that the potential of the working electrode 135 (Pt) with respect to 1) becomes a positive constant value (for example, +0.6 V) depends on the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide. Will change accordingly. Therefore, by detecting the current flowing between the working electrode 135 and the counter electrode 137,
The amount of generated hydrogen peroxide is detected, and the glucose concentration in the urine sample can be calculated based on the detected amount. The current flowing between the working electrode 135 and the counter electrode 137 is converted into a potential difference by the resistor 132, and the potential difference is amplified by the amplifier circuit 134 and output from the output terminal 136. The output of the output terminal 136 is input to the input processing circuit of the controller 36 and used for calculating the glucose concentration.

In general, a solution containing a known concentration of glucose, ie, a calibration solution, is measured before measuring a sample, and the measurement is performed after clarifying the proportionality constant between the glucose concentration and the amount of change in the current value.

In the buffer, buffers such as KCl, NaCl, and phosphoric acid, which stabilize the potential of the reference electrode 133 and also function as a supporting salt, are dissolved. The higher the Cl ion concentration contained in the buffer is, the smaller the potential change of the reference electrode 133 due to the change of the Cl ion concentration is.
The use of a concentrated salt solution not only leads to an increase in cost, but also has the disadvantage that salts are likely to precipitate during drying or at low temperatures.

Therefore, usually about several tens of mM of KCl or Na is used.
Buffers to which Cl and phosphoric acid have been added have been used.
However, since the Cl ion concentration in urine is not constant (for example, it shows a normal distribution as shown in FIG. 21), the sample is sufficiently diluted so that the Cl ion concentration of the solution that actually comes into contact with the reference electrode 133 becomes higher than that of the buffer solution. It was necessary to make it equal to the ion concentration. If the dilution is not sufficient, the potential of the reference electrode 133 fluctuates, and the working electrode 135 to the counter electrode 137
This is because the current flowing therebetween fluctuates, and the current based on hydrogen peroxide generated from glucose cannot be correctly measured.

When the measurement is performed by the conventional flow method, in order to increase the dilution ratio of the sample with the buffer solution, a method of reducing the amount of the sample to be injected, or increasing the length of the pipe from the sample injection portion to the detection unit or changing the liquid supply Methods have been taken to slow down or to gain time for dilution.

However, especially in a urine test apparatus installed in a toilet in a general household, it is difficult to accurately and minutely collect a small amount of a sample. This has the disadvantage that a large amount of buffer is wasted and the time required for measurement is lengthened.

Therefore, by using a buffer solution and a calibration solution to which KCl or NaCl and phosphoric acid added to the average Cl ion concentration present in urine are added, the amount of the buffer solution used to dilute the urine sample is used. And accurate measurement while saving time until the end of measurement.

FIGS. 22A and 22B are measurement data showing the relationship between the Cl ion and the current value. When glucose in urine containing a large amount of Cl ions is measured using a buffer having a KCl concentration of 50 mM, when the urine sample reaches the reference electrode 133, the potential of the reference electrode 133 drops rapidly, so that the current value sharply increases. Significant reduction occurs. Subsequently, hydrogen peroxide is generated from the urine glucose by the action of the GOD carried on the working electrode 135, and the generated hydrogen peroxide is oxidized on the working electrode 135 to generate an oxidation current of hydrogen peroxide. This is shown in FIG. Since these reactions occur almost simultaneously, only the oxidation current of hydrogen peroxide corresponding to the accuracy of urinary glucose cannot be accurately measured, and the measurement accuracy deteriorates.

On the other hand, when the buffer having a KCl concentration of 170 mM is used, since the decrease in the potential of the reference electrode 133 is small, only the oxidation current of hydrogen peroxide can be accurately measured. This is shown in FIG.

The concentration of Cl ion in urine varies depending on the contents of a meal and the state of exercise, but the concentration of KCl added to the buffer is 170 ± 80 mM (1%) which is the average value of Cl concentration in urine.
σ). The salt to be added is KCl
In addition, NaCl and these may be mixed. Furthermore, the measurement accuracy can be further improved by adding a salt having the same concentration as that of the buffer solution to the calibration solution.

This method is effective not only in the flow method but also in the batch method, and can be widely applied to an amperometric biosensor using an enzyme that generates an electrode active substance. Accurate measurement is possible without significantly increasing the dilution ratio, and the length of the pipe and the measurement time can be reduced.

Next, the operation section will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The operation section 38 includes a man switch 381,
Female switch 382, cancel switch 383, storage / recall switch 384, A to D switch 385, cleaning mode switch 386, A to D LED 396, current time switch 387, power saving time switch 388, adjustment switch 389, urine sugar sensor replacement LED 394 , LED in preparation
395 etc. are provided.

Although not shown, the surface of the various switches of the operation unit 38 is provided with concavities and convexities so that the switches can be specified. The switches are clearly identified, and consideration is given to making the switches much easier to operate. . The switch may be identified not only by the unevenness but also by colored light for each switch. It is also possible to change the size and shape of the switch so that the user can specify it.

Although not shown in the present embodiment, for the same reason, various setting switches that are used less frequently may be set slightly apart from operation switches that are used more frequently, and may be covered with a lid. Often, in this case the user will not be puzzled by the many switches.

The fluorescent display tube 391 is a character display section 391 for displaying a character string of up to four digits consisting of numerals, alphabets, symbols, and the like.
a and a date and time display section 391b for displaying the date and time. As shown in FIG. 23, the lower three digits of the character display portion 391a are each composed of seven light-emitting segments, and display numbers “0” to “9”, an alphabet “E”, a symbol “−” (hyphen), and the like. can do. The uppermost digit is composed of two light-emitting segments, and can display the number “1”. More preferably, the number is a light emitting segment from 0 to 9. The light-emitting segments as described above are also used in the date and time display section 391b. The date and time display section 391b usually shows the current date and time (month, date, hour,
Minute) is displayed, but when the current time switch 387 or the power saving time switch 388 is pressed, the time setting mode is set. When the adjustment switch 389 is operated in the time setting mode, the date and time display changes accordingly. When an abnormality (error) occurs in the device, the letter "E" indicating the abnormality and its number are displayed.

In this embodiment, the fluorescent display tube is used because it is relatively inexpensive and clear and bright and easy to see. Of course, a color liquid crystal or the like may be provided to increase the display variations. The contents to be displayed (not shown) are not limited to the contents described above.

[0128] In addition to the above, it is very preferable for the user to display the explanation of the operation method, the current operation state, the measurement data, the transition of the data of each individual so far, and the instruction of the health management. Become. If the explanation of the operation method is displayed, it can be used easily and easily by a user or an elderly person who uses it for the first time. Also, no malfunction occurs and no erroneous data is provided due to erroneous operation.

Unlike the case of testing at a hospital or the like, the urine testing apparatus of the present invention is mainly used by a single person in a toilet. Therefore, as described above, the operation method is displayed or the current operation is performed. By displaying the status, the user can know what the inspection machine is doing, so that the user does not have to worry during the waiting time, such as during data collection.
Regarding the data to be displayed, not only the measurement data of this time is displayed, but also the transition of the data so far and simple comments about the data and advice on health care, not only characters, but also figures, graphs, people, etc. The images can be fully utilized, and the user can wipe out the dark image of the examination and enjoy the health care.

A color liquid crystal can convey such various information to the user.
By adopting a touch panel in which the display unit 39 and the display unit 39 are integrated, the switch of the operation unit is not required, and if this space is used for the display unit 39, the screen size of the display unit 39 can be increased.
It becomes very easy to operate.

As described above, the operation unit 38 and the display unit 39 are not shown in the figure of the present embodiment, but need not be fixed to the inspection unit, and can be detachably provided with a charging unit and a power supply unit. Or a remote control provided with infrared light communication means.

When the light-emitting segments used in the fluorescent display tube 391 are used for a long time, the luminance and the lighting speed vary depending on the frequency of use. In order to minimize such variations in characteristics, for example, an operation of lighting all the light-emitting segments simultaneously for a predetermined time (for example, several seconds) may be periodically performed. In the case of liquid crystal, a screen saver may be used to prevent deterioration.

The following storage judgment and processing are performed for the A to D LEDs 396 arranged near the A to D switch 385. That is, when the measurement results are stored, when the A to D switches 385 are pressed on the display unit 39 while “measurement results are being displayed (after step S426 in FIG. 26 described later)”, the switches A to D that are pressed are displayed. D LE
When D 396 is turned on and the store / recall switch 384 is pressed, the measurement result is stored. Further, the position of the urine collection arm 32 at the time of urine collection can also be stored.

By pressing an A to D switch 385 different from the A to D switch 385 previously pressed before confirming the storage, the measurement result can be stored again. It should be noted that the cancel switch 383 is pressed or a predetermined time (for example, 5
Disappears after a minute).

When recalling the already stored measurement result, pressing the storage / recall switch 384 during standby (after completion of the preparation for the next measurement in step S650 in FIG. 24 to be described later) or while the preparing LED 395 is blinking. , A-D LE
D396 all blink. Flashing A ~ D LED
When one of the A to D switches 385 arranged near the switch 396 is pressed, the latest data stored in the pressed switch and the time at which the data was stored (hereinafter referred to as data) are displayed, and the pressed switch is displayed. Are turned on, and LEDs other than the pressed switch are turned off. Adjustment switch 3
At 89, the data can be scrolled.

While the stored data is being recalled, an A to D switch 385 different from the A to D switch 385 previously pressed is used.
When is pressed, the data and the like stored in the switch pressed again are displayed. At this time, the LED of the pressed switch is turned on, and the LED that has been turned on is turned off.

The result is displayed on the cancel switch 38.
Press 3 or disappear after a predetermined time (eg, 5 minutes).

To delete stored data, etc.,
The call switch 384 is pressed, and then the switch 385 of any one of A to D is pressed. The data may be scrolled by the adjustment switch 389 and the storage / recall switch 384 may be continuously pressed for three seconds or more. Note that the result display disappears when the cancel switch 383 is pressed or a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) elapses.

For example, when the data and the position of the urine collection arm 32 are stored in the A to D switches 385 by the above operation, instead of pressing the man switch 381 and the female switch 382 at the next measurement, the A to D switches 385 are set. By pressing the button, the urine collection arm 32 is extended to the position stored in the A to D switch 385, and the result after the measurement is stored in the automatically pressed A to D switch 385.
The operation can be simplified and there is no need to wait on the spot until the result is displayed (hereinafter, the man switch 381, the woman switch 382, and A to D after performing the above-described storage operation).
The switch 385 is set to “measurement SW”).

Next, the urine test apparatus 10 thus configured
Operation, that is, the controller 36 of the urine test apparatus 10
Fig. 2 shows the urine sugar test process executed by
This will be described with reference to FIG.

A power plug or a leakage protection plug (FIG. 1)
0), and when the power is turned on, the flow as shown in FIG. 18 is followed. After the initial operation (step S100), the transition to the priming operation of the pump 16 (step S120) is determined by the current time setting determination (step S110), and each motor (rotary valve drive motor 20, syringe drive motor 22, The position of the urine collection arm drive motor 23 is determined (step S).
150), and fill the pipe (step S200). Then, the calibration liquid is sucked (Step S350) and measured (Step S400). At this time, the sensor output is
At 62, the gain (the degree of amplification of the sensor output) is set. Thereafter, the inside of the urine collection arm 32 and the syringe 18 is washed (step S450). After cleaning, the cleaning pipe is emptied (step S500) to discharge the cleaning water, and then the discharge pipe 186 is filled (step S550) and the sensor pipe is filled (step S500).
600) to complete the preparation for the next measurement (step S650) and enter a standby state.

When the measurement SW is turned on and the measurement is started, the “measurement” is determined in the calibration / measurement judgment (step S700).
After performing urine measurement (Step S750), calibration liquid suction (Step S350) is performed, and calibration liquid measurement (Step S400) is performed. Thereafter, washing (step S450), emptying (step S500), filling of the discharge pipe (step S550), filling of the sensor pipe (step S450)
600) in sequence to prepare for the next measurement (step S65).
Go to 0).

Next, each of the above-described steps will be described in detail.

More specifically, the initial operation in step S100 proceeds in the manner shown in the flowchart of FIG. The RAM 366 is checked and cleared (step S102). Fluorescent display tube of display unit 39 and all L
The ED is turned on for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) (step S10).
4) After that, the written contents of the non-volatile memory EEPROM 367 are confirmed and restored (step S106), and read (step S108). Here, the contents read from the EEPROM include, for example, data relating to the life of the sensor, the sensor energizing time, the total energizing time of the controller 38, the number of times of sensor replacement, the freeze history, the presence or absence of safety function operation, and the like. Subsequently, the determination as to whether or not there is a freezing history is performed based on whether or not the freezing history of the calibration solution, the buffer solution, and the various pipes is present (step S110), and the determination as to whether or not the urine glucose sensor 28 is present (step S112). S114 and S116 for detecting the remaining amount of the buffer and the buffer solution
Is performed, and a sensor life detecting function for confirming the sensor life is operated (step S118). In addition, when a negative determination (abnormality or the like) is made in various detection operations, the process shifts to a safety operation of the product and an operation of displaying an abnormality, but details are not described here.

The positioning of each motor in step S150 is, specifically, the extension and storage of the urine collection arm 32 by the urine collection arm drive motor 23 (step S152) and the rotation of the rotary valve as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The urine collection arm drive motor 23, the rotary valve drive motor 20, and the syringe drive motor are driven by the forward / reverse rotation of the rotary valve by the motor 20 (step S154) and the raising / lowering of the syringe by the syringe drive motor 22 (step S156). That is, the positioning of the abutment 22 or the like is performed and each is moved to a predetermined position.

By the way, among the above motors, the motors other than the urine collection arm drive motor 23 are built in the measuring unit 11 installed on the floor, whereas the urine collection unit 12 provided with the urine collection arm drive motor 23 is It is attached to the upper surface, and the user can use the toilet seat 102 or the toilet lid 104.
When the is rotated, the position of the urine collection arm 32 may be shifted. For this reason, it is desirable to carefully perform the positioning of the urine collection arm drive motor 23 in the above positioning.

The filling of the pipe in step S200 is, specifically, suctioning water (the port 174 is connected to the water port by the rotor 180 and the piston 168 is reduced to about 1/2) in the manner shown in the flowchart of FIG. (Step S204), the water is sucked into the cylinder 166).
86 filling (the port 174 is connected to the discharge pipe 1 by the rotor 180)
Communicating with the port 86, the cylinder 166 rises to the top and fills the discharge pipe 186 with water (step S20).
8), determination of buffer level> L (step S214),
Sensor tube filling (port 174 communicates with buffer port by rotor 180, piston 168 descends to about 1/2, sucks buffer into cylinder 166, and then port 174 is transferred by rotor 180 to port 150 of transfer tube. Then, the piston 168 rises to the uppermost part and fills the transport tube 150 and the tube 152 with the buffer solution) (step S216). If a negative determination is made in step S214, the buffer replenishment LED 392 is turned on.

The suction of the calibration liquid in step S350 is, specifically, the suction of the calibration liquid (the port 174 is communicated with the calibration liquid port by the rotor 180, and the piston 168 is １ ／ of which, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 28). Descend to the extent,
The calibration liquid is sucked into the cylinder 166) (Step S35)
4), discharging excess liquid (port 174 communicates with urine collection port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises to the middle between the above-mentioned lowered position and the uppermost position, and discharges calibration liquid in cylinder 166) (step S358). It is.

Before suctioning the calibration liquid in step S354 (port 174 communicates with port 150 of transfer tube by rotor 180 and piston 168 rises to the uppermost position), piston 168 is lowered several steps to transfer tube 150. Bubbles adhering in the vicinity of the port may be sucked, and the buffer solution containing the bubbles may be discarded into the discharge pipe 186.

The calibration liquid measurement in step S400 specifically means that the calibration liquid sucked into the cylinder 166 in step S402 is discharged (the port 174 is connected to the discharge pipe 186 by the rotor 180) as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The piston 168 rises and a small amount of the calibration liquid is discharged (step S402), and the calibration liquid is injected (the port 174 communicates with the sensor port by the low-pressure filter 180, the piston 168 rises, The calibration liquid is driven into the transport tube 150 (step S404), and the excess calibration liquid is discharged (the port 174 is connected to the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the uppermost position, and the calibration liquid is discharged) (step S406). , Syringe cleaning first time (port 174 communicates with water port by rotor 180, piston 168 It descends to about 1/4, sucks water into the cylinder 166, and thereafter, the port 180 is connected to the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the uppermost part, and the water in the cylinder 166 is discharged (step S408). ), Second time of syringe washing (port 174 communicates with water port by rotor 180, piston 168 descends to about 1/4, sucks water into cylinder 166,
Thereafter, the port 174 communicates with the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the uppermost position, and drains the water in the cylinder 166 (step S410), and the buffer suction (the port 174 is connected to the buffer port by the rotor 180). In communication, the piston 168 descends to about 1/3 to suck the buffer solution into the cylinder 166 (step S41).
4), bubble removal (port 174 communicates with the discharge port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises, and a small amount of buffer is discharged) (step S418), base voltage adjustment (step S420), and calibration liquid supply (rotor 180) The port 174 communicates with the sensor port, the piston 168 rises, and urine is sent to the urine sugar sensor 28 with a buffer solution (step S422), calculation (step S424), and result display (step S426).

However, calibration / measurement judgment (step S70)
0), when it is determined to be “measurement”, in the above-described calculation (step S424), “the concentration of the measured object =
(Output for sample / output for calibration solution) × concentration of calibration solution ”, and then display the result (step S426).

On the other hand, calibration / measurement judgment (step S70)
0), when it is determined to be “calibration”, in the above-described calculation (step S424), “sensor output is set to CP
U362 and set gain (amplification degree of sensor output) ”to end the process (the result is not displayed).

At the start of the feeding of the calibration liquid (step S422), immediately after the port 174 is connected to the sensor port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 is raised several steps at a high speed (for example, 100 PPS). The bubbles in the urine sugar sensor 28 may be discharged to the tube 152 using the buffer solution described in the above.

More specifically, the washing in step S450 means that the pump is turned on (step S452) and the excess buffer solution is discharged (rotor 180) as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
Port 174 communicates with the urine collection port by means of the piston 1
68 rises to the top and discharges the buffer in the cylinder 166 (step S454), water suction (port 174 communicates with the water port by rotor 180, piston 168
Goes down to the bottom end and sucks water into the cylinder 166)
(Step S456), water discharge (port 174 communicates with urine collection port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises to the top, and discharges water in cylinder 166) (step S458), water suction (port 1 by rotor 180)
74 communicates with the water port, the piston 168 descends to the lowermost end, and sucks water into the cylinder 166) (step S4).
60), water discharge (port 174 communicates with urine collection port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises to the top, and discharges water in cylinder 166) (step S46)
2), a small amount of suction and discharge (the port 174 communicates with the water port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 descends to about 1/3, and sucks a small amount of water into the cylinder 166. Then, the port 174 is connected to the urine collection port by the rotor 180. In this state, the piston 168 repeatedly repeats a reciprocating motion of rising once to the uppermost portion and then descending to about 1/3 twice, whereby the small amount of water flows to the urine collection arm 32. The water reciprocates in the path to clean the flow path (step S464), water suction (the port 174 communicates with the water port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 descends to the lowermost end, and the water flows into the cylinder 166). (Suction) (step S466), water discharge (port 174 communicates with urine collection port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises to the top, and Discharging the water in the 166) (step S468), and to pump off (step S470).

The emptying in step S500 is, specifically, air suction (the port 174 communicates with the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 descends to the lowermost end, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 31). Cylinder 1
Air is sucked into the inside of the rotor 66 (water in the transfer tube 76 is sucked at the same time) (step S502), and discharged (rotor 180).
Port 174 communicates with the discharge pipe 186 port, the piston 168 rises to the top, and discharges air and water in the cylinder 166 (step S504), and air suction (the port 174 communicates with the urine collection port by the rotor 180). , The piston 168 slowly descends to the lowest end,
The air is sucked into the cylinder 166 (water in the transfer tube 76 is also sucked at the same time) (step S506), and the air is discharged (the port 174 is communicated with the discarded port by the rotor 180), the piston 168 rises to the uppermost part, (Step S508).

The filling of the discharge pipe in step S550 is, specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 32, in which water is sucked (the port 174 is connected to the water port by the rotor 180, and the piston 168 is lowered to the lowermost end. , Cylinder 16
6 (step S552), filling with water (port 174 is communicated with the discharge pipe 186 by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the top, and the discharge pipe 18
6 is filled with water) (step S554).

The filling of the sensor tube in step S600 is as follows.
More specifically, in the manner shown in the flowchart of FIG. 33, determination of calibration solution level> L (step S601), determination of buffer solution level> L (step S602), suction of buffer solution (port 174 is set to buffer port 174 by rotor 180) Communicating with the port, the piston 168 descends to about 1/2, sucking the buffer solution into the cylinder 166 (step S604), judging that the buffer solution level> L (step S606), removing bubbles (port 174 by the rotor 180). Communicates with the discharge pipe 186 port, the piston 168 rises, and a small amount of buffer is discharged.)
(Step S608) is to send the liquid to the urine sugar sensor 28 (Step S610).

The above-described filling of the sensor tube (step S
After 600), the piston 168 may be pulled back several steps to suck air bubbles remaining near the port 150 of the transfer tube 150, and the buffer solution containing air bubbles may be discarded to the discharge pipe 186.

The next measurement preparation in step S650 is as follows.
Specifically, in the manner shown in the flow chart of FIG. 34, the piston is positioned (the syringe is raised by the syringe drive motor 22) (step S652), the piston is locked (the syringe is lowered by the syringe drive motor 22) (step S654), Rotor positioning (reverse / forward rotation of rotary valve by rotary valve drive motor 20)
(Step S656).

The calibration / measurement determination in step S700 is, specifically, the CPU 362 reset state determination (step S70) in the manner shown in the flowchart of FIG.
2) To determine whether the measurement SW is on (step S706).

The urine measurement in step S750 is specifically performed in the manner shown in the flowcharts of FIGS.
Determination of turning on man switch 381 (step S752)
Then, the urine collection arm 32 is extended to the man's position (see FIG. 2) (step S754), and urine detection is performed (the urine collection arm 32).
In step S756, a sample (urine) is sucked (step S758), and the urine collection arm 32 is stored (step S760). Thereafter, a surplus sample (urine) is discharged (step S762). Thereafter, the sample sucked into the cylinder 166 is discharged (the port 17 is moved by the rotor 180).
4 communicates with the discharge port to which the discharge pipe 186 is connected, the piston 168 rises and discharges a small amount of sample (step S787), and the sample is injected (the port 174 communicates with the sensor port by the low-pressure filter 180). Then, the sample is driven into the transport tube 150 (step S788). Here, the life cycle of the sensor is counted up (step S789). After that, the excess sample is discharged (the port 174 communicates with the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the top,
The sample is discharged) (step S790), the first time of syringe washing (port 174 is connected to the water port by rotor 180, piston 168 is lowered to about 1/4, water is sucked into cylinder 166, and then, by rotor 180, The port 174 communicates with the urine collection port, the piston 168 rises to the top, and discharges the water in the cylinder 166 (step S791), and the second syringe cleaning (rotor 180)
Port 174 communicates with the water port by means of the piston 16
8 descends to about 1/4 and sucks water into the cylinder 166, then the port 180 is connected to the urine collection port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 rises to the uppermost part, and the water in the cylinder 166 is discharged.) Step S792), buffer suction (the port 174 communicates with the buffer port by the rotor 180, the piston 168 descends to about 1/3, and sucks the buffer into the cylinder 166) (step S7)
93), bubble elimination (port 174 communicates with the discharge port by rotor 180, piston 168 rises and discharges a small amount of buffer) (step S794), base voltage adjustment (step S795), sample liquid supply (by rotor 180) Port 174 communicates with the sensor port and piston 168
Rises and sends urine to the urine sugar sensor 28 with buffer solution)
(Step S796), the calculation (Step S797) is performed, and the processing ends.

In the above calculation (step S797),
The CPU 36 outputs the output of the urine sugar sensor 28 for the urine sample.
2 is performed. On the other hand, step S75
2 (see FIG. 36), when the female switch 382 is determined to be ON, the urine collection arm 32 is extended to the female position (see FIG. 2) (step S764), and the urine collection arm 3
After stopping at an appropriate position, the urine collection arm is finely adjusted (step S768) by the ON determination of the adjustment switch 389 (step S766).

If it is determined in step S756 that no urine is detected for one minute after extending the urine collection arm 32, the urine collection arm 32 is stored (see FIG. 2) (step S772) by one minute elapsed determination (step S770). . Thereafter, the above-described cleaning (step S450) and emptying (step S5)
00), filling of the discharge pipe (step S550), preparation for the next measurement (step S650), and the apparatus enters a standby state.

When the measurement switch is turned on, the urine sugar sensor 2
8 (0.6 V) is applied to the instantaneous low voltage (0
V), and may be returned to the applied voltage (0.6 V) again, or may be set to a low voltage (0 V) at all times except for the measurement operation, and the applied voltage (0.6 V) may be applied only at the time of measurement. (Details will be described later).

FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing another example of urine collection in urine measurement (step S750). In this flowchart, a step for determining whether or not the cancel switch 383 has been turned on for a predetermined time (for example, one minute) after the urine collection arm 32 has extended to a predetermined position (a man position or a woman position: see FIG. 2). S782
Is provided. If no urine is detected in step S756 and no ON of the cancel switch 383 is detected in step S782, step S7 is performed.
Proceed to 70 for one minute determination.

On the other hand, if it is detected in step S782 that the cancel switch 383 is turned on, the urine collection arm 32 is stored (step S784), and the flow proceeds to a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) elapse determination (step S786). here,
The five-second elapsed determination is to determine whether or not the elapsed time from setting the urine collection arm 32 to the predetermined position in step S754 or S764 is 5 seconds or more. If it is determined in step S786 that the elapsed time is 5 seconds or longer, the above-described cleaning (step S450)
Emptying (step S500), filling the discharge pipe (step S500)
500), prepare for the next measurement (step S650) and wait. On the other hand, if it is determined that the elapsed time is less than 5 seconds, the process directly enters the standby state.

The embodiment described above proposes a sequence for performing more accurate measurement in consideration of a sensor characteristic described later.

That is, immediately after the urine measurement (step S750), the calibration liquid is measured (steps S350 to S350).
Step S400) is a sequence for comparing the two and displaying the result.

The detection principle and structure of the urine sugar sensor 28 used in this embodiment have been described with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20B. The characteristics of the urine sugar sensor 28 will be described below. As described above, Pt (platinum) is used as the material of the working electrode 135, and a constant voltage (for example, a voltage of 0.6 V) is applied to the working electrode 135 with respect to the reference electrode 133 (FIG. 20).
(B)).

When the voltage is continuously applied to the working electrode 135, the surface of the electrode is gradually oxidized. When the surface of the electrode is oxidized, the sensitivity of platinum to hydrogen peroxide decreases (see FIG. 39).

That is, the glucose sensitivity (output) of the urine sugar sensor 28 decreases. Therefore, as described above, an error occurs in the measurement result due to an obstruction contained in the urine (for example, a false positive output with respect to the sensor output due to uric acid, ascorbic acid, or the like).

It has been described above that the urine sugar sensor 28 carries an enzyme film (see FIG. 20 (a)). However, since this enzyme film is a protein, it is easily affected by the temperature. -10 ° C), the enzyme activity decreases,
Since the reaction of hydrogen peroxide on the working electrode 135 is also slowed down, the sensor output is reduced as a result (see FIG. 40).

Conversely, when the temperature is high (for example, 30 ° C. to 40 ° C.), the enzymatic activity increases, and the reaction of hydrogen peroxide on the working electrode 135 improves, resulting in an increase in the sensor output (see FIG. 40). .

Furthermore, the enzyme membrane gradually loses its activity with the passage of time, and the output decreases with time (not shown).

Thus, according to the above-described measurement sequence,
Since the calibration liquid is measured in a short time after the urine measurement, the measurement environment (particularly the temperature) is not affected, and highly accurate measurement is always possible.

However, in this sequence, after the urine measurement (step S750), the calibration solution measurement (step S350)
Step S400) is performed and the calculation is performed, so that the time required to display the result is long.

In order to shorten the time until the above-mentioned result is displayed, the calibration liquid is not measured after the urine measurement (step S750) (step S350 to step S400), but is performed before the measurement switch is pressed. It is preferable to perform the measurement (Step S350 to Step S400).

This sequence will be described in detail with reference to FIG. For example, when the power plug or the earth leakage protection plug is inserted into the outlet and the power is turned on, after the initial operation (step S100), the current time setting is determined (step S110), and the priming operation to the pump 16 is performed (step S120). Is determined, the motors (rotary valve drive motor 20, syringe drive motor 22, and urine collection arm drive motor 23) are positioned (step S150), and the pipes are filled (step S200).
I do. Then, the calibration liquid is sucked (Step S350) and measured (Step S400). At this time, the sensor output is taken into the CPU 362 to set Gain (amplification degree of the sensor output) and to store the output value as a calibration value. Thereafter, the inside of the urine collection arm 32 and the syringe 18 is washed (step S450). After the cleaning, the cleaning pipe is drained (step S500) and the cleaning water is discharged.
6 (step S550) and sensor tube filling (step S600) to prepare for the next measurement (step S65).
0) is completed and the apparatus enters a standby state.

At the time of measurement, when the measurement SW is turned on and the measurement is started, it is determined to be “measurement” in the calibration / measurement determination (step S700), and urine measurement is performed (step S750). The sensor output at the time of measurement is measured with a calibration solution (step S40).
The calculation is performed by comparing with the sensor output (calibration value) stored at 0). Thereafter, washing (step S450), emptying (step S500), filling of the discharge pipe (step S55).
0), sensor tube filling (step S600) is sequentially performed,
The process proceeds to the next measurement preparation (step S650).

In the above-described sequence, the measurement time and the time until the result are displayed are shortened. However, since it is affected by the above-mentioned change in the sensor characteristics (temperature dependency: see FIG. 40), the urine sugar sensor 28 is not used. If there is a difference between the temperature of the measurement environment at the time of calibration and the temperature of the measurement environment at the time of measuring urine, a slight error occurs in the measurement result.

Since the above-mentioned two sequences have respective features (advantages and disadvantages), a selection switch (not shown) may be provided on the operation unit 38 so that the two can be selected according to the needs of the user. good. In addition, a method of calibrating at a predetermined time (for example, every 24 hours) or at a predetermined number of uses (for example, every 20 times) using a timer means, a use number measurement means, or the like can be adopted. Further, it is also possible to perform control so as to change the predetermined time according to the timing or measured value after replacing the sensor or turning on the power. This control will be described in detail below.

After the power is turned on or after the urine sugar sensor 28 is replaced, the calibration is carried out every predetermined time 1 (for example, every 2 hours). At this time, if the calibrated value is equal to or more than a predetermined value compared to the previous output, the calibration is continuously performed every predetermined time 1 (two hours). Automatic operation (automatic calibration) is performed every 2 (for example, 24 hours). Thus, the calibration time is shortened, and not only the amount of the calibration liquid used can be reduced, but also the deterioration of the urine sugar sensor 28 over time (see FIG. 39) can be compensated.

The time of automatic calibration may be based on turning on the power supply or exchanging the urine sugar sensor 28. Alternatively, the automatic calibration may be performed once a day at a time set by the user.

It is more preferable to carry out automatic calibration based on the number of times of measurement in addition to the above-mentioned automatic calibration on time. For example, when the number of measurements performed after the previous calibration exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 20 times), temporary automatic calibration is performed without waiting for the next scheduled automatic calibration. If the number of times of measurement is stored in the non-volatile memory 367, the memory will not be lost even when the power is cut off, and the counting can be reliably performed.

Next, the heating section mechanism shown in this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 16, a heating unit 250 for heating urine, a calibration liquid, and the like sent to the urine sugar sensor 28 to an appropriate temperature inside the measurement unit 11 and directly or indirectly detecting the liquid temperature. A temperature sensor 251 and a temperature sensor 261 for monitoring the temperature in the toilet room, and a calibration solution and a buffer solution (or indirectly in the measurement unit 11).
As described above, the heating unit 236 for heating and the temperature sensor 237 for detecting the temperature are provided. These will be described in detail below.

The above-described heating units 236 and 250 correspond to FIG.
The signals from the temperature sensors 237, 251 and 261 are transmitted from the input processing circuit 368 in the controller 36 to C as shown in FIG.
The result is taken into the PU 362 and the operation result is outputted to the output processing circuit
By outputting more, feedback control is performed.

FIGS. 41A and 41B show heating units 236 and 250 for heating the liquid temperature provided in the transfer tubes 92 and 150 from the buffer solution tank 26 to the urine sugar sensor 28 and the temperature sensor 2.
It is a schematic block diagram of 37,251. Transfer tube 92,
150 and the heating units 236 and 250 are sandwiched between aluminum foils 263 having good heat conductivity and are adjacent to each other. In order to save heating space, the transfer tubes 92 and 150 are preferably formed with bent portions, and are formed in a cylindrical spiral shape as shown in FIG. 41A and sandwiched between aluminum foils 263 having good heat conductivity. Heating units 236 and 250 are also provided inside the cylinder made of the transfer tubes 92 and 150 and the aluminum foil 263.
Inscribed in a state sandwiched by. By disposing the temperature sensor 251 near the end of the heating unit 250 connected to the urine sugar sensor 28, the accuracy of the temperature of the liquid flowing into the urine sugar sensor 28 can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 41 (b), when the transfer tubes 92 and 150 and the heating units 236 and 250 are arranged on a flat spiral to form a flat plate, not only the thickness can be reduced, but also the measurement can be performed, for example. Fixing is easy, such as fixing to the unit case plane. In addition, not only the liquid temperature but also the urine sugar sensor 28
The liquid temperature in the vicinity can also be heated.

The heating units 236 and 250 are preferably tubing heaters or planar heating means in view of cost and ease of shape processing, but are not particularly limited thereto. It is also possible to use.

The heating units 236 and 250 may be shared with other heat sources without special provision. For example, when combined with a hot water flush toilet seat, the heating unit 236 is screwed into a hot water tank or the like, which is a heat source of the hot water flush toilet seat, or the like.
250 may be omitted.

Next, the role of the above-described heating unit will be described below based on this embodiment.

[0192] The temperature in the toilet room may drop at night in winter, etc., and water pipes and the like often freeze. When freezing occurs, not only may the tanks and pipes be damaged, but also the damage may occur. Calibration solutions and buffers that have been frozen once will change their properties even when they are not present. The calibration solution is an aqueous glucose solution (200 mg / dl in this embodiment),
Once frozen, thawing does not result in the glucose concentration before freezing.

Further, as described above, the buffer may be KCl or Na.
It is a phosphate buffer containing a salt such as Cl. Once frozen, these lysates crystallize and do not return to the buffer composition before freezing even when thawed. For example, if the temperature in the toilet room drops at night and the buffer solution or calibration solution freezes, and then the temperature rises during the daytime and is thawed, the measured value will not change at all in appearance. Large fluctuations occur. That is, accurate measurement cannot be performed, and the value becomes unreliable.

In addition, the characteristics of the urine sugar sensor 28 have been described above, but it is necessary to perform the measurement under appropriate measurement conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.). Therefore, the output value of the urine sugar sensor 28 fluctuates due to the fluctuation of the ambient temperature in the toilet room, and the measured value fluctuates greatly not only by the season (temperature) change but also by the change in the room temperature of the toilet day and night. Especially at low temperature, urine sugar sensor 2
Since the eight outputs are reduced, accurate measurement becomes impossible and the reliability becomes low.

As a solution to the above-mentioned problem, the temperature sensor 2
61 measures the ambient temperature in the toilet room, and when the temperature falls below a certain temperature (for example, 5 ° C.), the heating unit 236 is heated,
The temperature of the calibration solution tank 24, the buffer solution tank 26, and the inside of the measurement unit 11 are raised to an appropriate temperature (for example, 10 ° C.). Since the heating unit 236 is disposed below the measurement unit 11, the inside can be completely heated by natural convection. When the measurement unit is relatively large and the internal temperature distribution has a gap, the circulation may be forcibly circulated by a fan or the like. In this case, a hot air fan having both heating and circulation may be used.

Although the provision of the heating section prevents the freezing of the tank and the like, the controller 36 serving as the control section controls the calibrating solution tank 24 and the buffer solution tank in the event of freezing. 26 is provided with a freeze detection function for detecting freezing.

As a specific embodiment, the temperature sensor 2
If the detected values of 37 and 251 are lower than a certain value (for example, 1 ° C.), “freezing” of the tank is stored and the display 39
To be displayed. As another freezing determination method, a method may be used in which the calibration liquid or buffer in the tank is heated and the presence or absence of freezing of the liquid is detected based on the temperature gradient.

The calibration solution tank 24 and the buffer solution tank 2
6 may be detected to be empty, and in this case, a mask may be applied so as not to determine that the temperature sensor is frozen even if the detected value of the temperature sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

The temperature sensors 237, 25
It is also possible to prevent freezing by connecting an automatic return type bimetal switch (not shown) in series with the heating unit 236 instead of 1. The heating unit 236 may be anything, such as a tubing heater, an infrared heater, a planar heating element, or a ribbon heater.

[0200] The history of freezing is stored in the non-volatile memory 367, and if the storage is canceled by performing a predetermined operation or liquid exchange, it is ensured that the frozen calibration solution or buffer solution is used for measurement. Can be prevented.

Further, as another measure to cope with the problem, an embodiment for keeping the temperature of the liquid flowing into the urine sugar sensor 28 high and constant will be described.

The temperature at which the output of the urine sugar sensor 28 is highest and stable is about 37 ° C. Therefore, the urine sugar sensor 28
Temperature of the inflowing liquid into the urine sugar sensor 28 itself,
When the temperature of the entire inside of the measurement unit 11 is controlled by the temperature, the measurement can be performed with the highest accuracy.

However, what has been described above is ideal, and a device that satisfies all requirements is expensive. further,
The urine sugar sensor 28 characteristics at this temperature are good, but the life is shortened (not shown).

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is proposed to control the temperature of the liquid flowing into the urine sugar sensor 28 to a relatively low temperature (specifically, approximately 25 ° C.) in consideration of the characteristics and life. I have.

However, the needs of the users differ from individual to individual, and some users consider the sensor life as a priority (in this case, the sensor output, that is, the measurement accuracy is relatively inferior). Consider the measurement accuracy first (in this case, the sensor life becomes relatively short).

Therefore, in order to meet such various needs of the user, it is preferable to provide a liquid temperature setting means in the controller 36 and the operation unit 38. For example, by setting the setting unit (not shown) in the operation unit 38 to “high accuracy”, the liquid temperature is set to the temperature with the highest measurement accuracy (for example, approximately 37 ° C.), and the setting is set to “low accuracy”. By doing so, the liquid temperature is set to a temperature with a long sensor life (for example, approximately 25 ° C.).

The heating of the liquid has been described above. However, when the temperature of the liquid is maintained at a certain value or more, only such a heating section may be provided. However, when it is desired to maintain the liquid temperature at a temperature lower than the general room temperature (especially in summer), it is preferable to similarly provide a liquid cooling unit using a Peltier element or the like in addition to the heating unit.

Here, prevention of mold and germ propagation by the urine test apparatus will be described.

[0209] Urine contains substances that are nutrients for mold and various bacteria. As described above, a urine test apparatus has a urine transporting path such as a urine collecting section and a pipe through which urine passes, to which mold and germs floating in the air adhere and propagate. Needless to say, these are unsanitary, and if they are not used for a long period of time, the entrance and inside of the tube, which is the passage of urine, will be clogged due to the growth of bacteria and mold, which will hinder urine collection and measurement. Would.

Therefore, by providing a means for passing a liquid having a bacteriostatic and antifungal effect in the urine transport path, it is possible to suppress the growth of mold and various bacteria in the urine transport path.

In this embodiment, a small amount (for example, less than 0.05 to 0.1%) of a component having a bacteriostatic and antifungal effect (for example, sodium azide) is mixed in the buffer solution.

The timing at which the above-described buffer solution is passed through the urine transport path may be timing 1 (once / day), timing 2 (once / week), timing 3 (once / measurement), or the like. Can be These timings are relatively short timings 1 when molds and germs adhere and are easy to grow (for example, rainy season), and conversely, relatively long timings when molds and germs are hard to attach and breed (for example, winter). 2
It is also possible to change to the condition described.

Furthermore, when the number of measurements per day is relatively large, for example, the urine transport path is well washed, and it is difficult for fungi and germs to adhere and propagate. Conversely, when the number of measurements per day is relatively small, or when the measurement is not performed for several days, molds and other germs are attached and the breeding tends to occur. Therefore, it is also possible to change the timing at which liquid is passed in consideration of the number of measurements per day.

Finally, the means for informing the user of the replacement timing of the urine sugar sensor 28 and the timing will be described in this embodiment. Since the calibration solution and the buffer solution have been described above, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

As described in the characteristics, the urinary glucose sensor 28 has a limited number of times of use and a long life because the enzyme film is a protein.

First, regarding the number of times of use, as described above, "sensor life count up" (step S789) is described in the flowchart of FIG. 37. Here, the data of the number of times of use of the sensor is updated. Of course, this step may be inserted in any place during the measurement process.

Next, regarding the time life, the energization time to the controller 36 is stored in the EEPROM at regular intervals (for example, every hour) using a time timer in the CPU 362.

In this embodiment, the M level and the L level are provided for the life expectancy of the sensor as well as the calibration solution and the buffer solution, and the means for informing the user is to use the urine sugar sensor replacement LED 394 of the operation unit 38. Flashing and lighting.

The notifying means is not limited to the means described above,
As with the calibration solution and the buffer solution, the communication terminal 11 shown in FIGS.
Means to communicate outside the toilet by 4 (for example, optical communication)
Can be connected. By doing so, it becomes possible to receive the sensor usage history (including the service life notice) by the communication receiving means (for example, a portable remote controller) without the user going to the place.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. Obviously you can get it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a urine test apparatus 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
0 (including the measuring unit 11 and the rim-mounted urine collecting unit 12) and the Western-style toilet 100 equipped with the urine testing device 10 (the toilet seat 102, the toilet lid 104, and the washing water tank 106).
FIG. 4 is an external view of the toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 104 in an open state.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the Western style toilet 100 and the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 (the toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 104 are closed) in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the urine test apparatus 10.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an inner unit of the urine collection unit 12.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a urine collection arm 32.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 showing the positions of the urine collection arm 32 male and female.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rim-mounted urine collection unit 12 showing a female position adjustment range of the urine collection arm 32;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the measurement unit 11;

FIG. 9 is a right side view of a lower portion of the measurement unit 11.

FIG. 10 is a left side view of the measurement unit 11;

11 is a top view of the measurement unit 11. FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a calibration solution replenishment port 242 and a buffer solution replenishment port 262.

13A is a plan view of a calibration solution replenishing port 242, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tip of a calibration liquid replenishing nozzle 244, and FIG.

14A is a plan view of a buffer replenishing port 262, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the tip of a buffer replenishing nozzle 264, and FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a structure in which a liquid replenishing nozzle is housed in a cover 116.

FIG. 16 is an internal machine configuration diagram of the measurement unit 11.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the rotary valve syringe 18;

FIG. 18 is a configuration diagram of an internal unit of a calibration solution and buffer solution tanks 24 and 26.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the urine test apparatus 10 with a controller 36 as a center.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a detection principle of a urine sugar sensor.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a chlorine (Cl) ion concentration distribution in urine.

FIG. 22 (a) KCl ion concentration in a buffer solution 50 mM
The figure which shows the output of the urine sugar sensor 28 at the time of. (B) Urinary glucose sensor 2 when KCl ion concentration in buffer is 170 mM
FIG.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged view of the upper surface of the measurement unit 11;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a program urine sugar test process executed by the controller of the urine test apparatus 10.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a data reading process in step S100.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a motor position finding process in step S150.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a pipe filling process in step S200.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a calibration liquid suction process in step S350.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a calibration solution measurement process in step S400.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing a cleaning process in step S450.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the emptying process in step S500.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing a discharge pipe filling process in step S550.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a sensor tube filling process in step S600.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing the next measurement preparation process in step S650.

FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing calibration / measurement determination processing in step S700.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing a urine collection process in step S750.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing urine measurement processing in step S750.

FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing another example of the urine collection process in step S750.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing output fluctuations after energization of the urine sugar sensor.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing temperature characteristics of the urine sugar sensor 28.

FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a configuration of heating units 236 and 250.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: measurement unit, 12: rim-mounted urine collection unit,
14: Water supply unit 16: Pump, 18: Rotary valve syringe, 20
... Rotary valve drive motor, 22 ... Syringe drive motor 24 ... Calibration solution tank, 26 ... Buffer solution tank, 28 ... Urine sugar sensor 30 ... Nozzle, 32 ... Urine collecting arm, 34 ... Electrode, 36 ...
Controller 38: operation unit, 39: display unit, 76: transport tube, 1
00: Western toilet 102: Toilet seat, 104: Toilet lid, 106: Wash water tank 111a: Adjuster, 111: Reinforcement leg, 113: Cover 114: Communication terminal, 116: Cover, 150: Transport tube 166: Cylinder, 168 ... Piston, 172: Lead screw mechanism 174: Port, 176: Electric rotary valve, 17
8 ... Stator 180 ... Rotor, 186 ... Discharge pipe 241 ... Cap, 242 ... Calibration solution replenishment port, 244 ... Calibration solution replenishment nozzle 261 ... Cap, 262 ... Buffer solution replenishment port, 264 ... Buffer solution replenishment nozzle 362 ... CPU 368, an input processing circuit, 380, an output processing circuit 381, a man switch, 382, a female switch 383, a cancel switch, 384, a storage / recall switch 385, an A to D switch, 386, a cleaning mode switch 387, a current time switch, 388: Calibration time switch 389: Adjustment switch, 391: Fluorescent display tube 392: Buffer replenishment LED, 393: Calibration liquid replenishment LED 494: Urine sugar sensor replacement LED, 396: A to D LE
D

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2G045 AA15 AA36 AA39 BB14 BB19 BB50 BB51 CB03 DA01 DA31 DA36 DB09 DB21 FB01 FB05 GC07 GC08 GC20 GC22 HA08 HA09 JA01 JA02 JA04 JA07 JA08

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A health monitor which measures a user's excrement obtained by a toilet action in a toilet and performs a measurement / providing operation for providing information related to the user's health management based on the measurement. An acquisition unit for acquiring related data related to the measurement / providing operation, wherein the correlation between the acquired data and the related data acquired by the acquisition unit is ensured. And a storage means for storing and holding the data. 2. The health management device according to claim 1, wherein the related data includes at least one of the user, the time of the measurement, the content of the measurement / providing operation, normal / abnormal, and the like. A health management device characterized by the following. 3. The health management device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes at least one of an EEPROM, an electrolytic capacitor, and a backup power supply. 4. The health care device according to claim 1, wherein the excrement is urine, and the measurement is performed using at least one component of urine sugar, protein, occult blood, sodium ion, and uric acid. A health management device characterized by the above. 5. The health management device according to claim 1, wherein the first storage unit sequentially stores a result of the measurement, and the first storage unit stores the measurement / providing operation. A health management device characterized by including statistical processing using a plurality of stored measurement results. 6. The health management device according to claim 1, further comprising a data transfer unit capable of exchanging a result of the measurement between the plurality of health management devices. 7. The health management device according to claim 1, wherein the identification result for identifying a plurality of users and the result of the measurement are secured in a form in which a correlation with the identified users is ensured. A health management device comprising a second storage means for storing the information.