JP2002189025A - Urinanalysis apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a urinanalysis apparatus, in which a cleaned sensor is immersed in a storage solution, when a measurement is not being performed and which can be mounted easily on the existing toilet stool. SOLUTION: The urinanalysis apparatus is composed of the sensor 26, a sensor drive means 29 which moves the sensor 26 to a prescribed terminal position, a flexible connection member 31 which connects the sensor 26 to the means 29, a cleaning-water supply means 42 which cleans the sensor 26, the storage solution 45 in which the sensor 26 is immersed and a housing unit 41 which houses them. The sensor 26 is moved into a toilet stool bowl 22, when the measurement is being conducted. When the measurement is not being conducted, the sensor 26 is cleaned, and it is moved into the storage solution 45 to be at standby. Thereby, an urinanalysis apparatus, which is hygienic and whose measurement accuracy is always satisfactory, can be provided. The apparatus can be mounted on the existing toilet stool 21 via a mounting member 49.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a urine testing device for testing urine components released from a human to a toilet, and more particularly to a device for testing sugar concentration and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Urine is an important source of information on the health of individuals, and various functional disorders can be examined by quantitative analysis of urine components. Therefore, when an individual urinates on a daily basis, a proposal has been made to add a function of analyzing a urine component to a toilet at home or at work in order to detect a functional disorder at an early stage by analyzing the urine. I have.

[0003] For example, an example described in JP-A-60-85133 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a toilet seat body, 2 is a biosensor, which is drivably attached to the toilet seat body 1 via an arm 3 and a rotary solenoid 4,
Equipped so that it can freely appear and disappear in the toilet bowl. With this configuration,
At the time of measurement (at the time of urination), the biosensor 2 is projected into the toilet bowl and comes into contact with urine, and after contact, the biosensor 2 is returned to the back side of the toilet seat main body 1. However, in general, when the biosensor is not a one-time disposable, it is better to keep the biosensor in contact with a storage solution when not in use in order to maintain its measurement performance.

[0004] For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is an example shown in JP 8677, which will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 5 denotes a urine collection container, which is moved to a preset place in the toilet when urine analysis is started, and urine is collected by urinating the subject. Reference numeral 6 denotes a rotor, which rotates to connect the pump chamber 8 of the syringe pump 7 to the urine collection container 5 and drives the piston 9 downward to suck urine. Next, the pump chamber 8 is connected to the discharge line 10 to drive the piston 9 upward to discharge a part of the sucked urine and air into the bowl of the toilet bowl, and then to the polarographic cell 11 to drive the piston 9 upward. Conveys night soil. Here, urine is driven into the transport tube 12. Next, the pump chamber 8 is connected to the cistern 13 and the piston 9 is driven downward to suction the cleaning water into the pump chamber 8, and then connected to the discharge line 10 to drive the piston 9 upward to clean the pump chamber 8. I do.

[0005] Next, the pump chamber 8 is connected to the buffer solution tank 14 to suck the buffer solution (preservation solution).
The urine and the buffer solution are mixed in the transport tube 12 by being connected to the cell 11 and transported, and the urine is diluted and passed through the polarographic cell 11 and further transported with the buffer solution so that the urine and the buffer are transported. The inside of the transfer tube 12 is filled with fresh buffer. The polarographic cell 11 contains a biosensor. When the biosensor is not in measurement, it can be repeatedly measured because it is in contact with the buffer solution. Numeral 15 denotes a calibration liquid tank which replaces urine with polarographic
By transporting the biosensor to the cell 11, the biosensor can be periodically calibrated.

An example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-170512 will be described with reference to FIG. A urine reservoir 16 is formed on the toilet bowl surface, and urine discharged from an individual flows in and accumulates. The sensor 2 is detachably attached to the arm 3, and the arm 3 is attached slidably up and down along the slider 17. The slider 17 is rotatably mounted at the upper end. Reference numeral 14 denotes a storage liquid container, and these driving mechanisms and the storage liquid are stored in a box provided on the upper surface of the toilet. With this configuration, at the time of measurement, the slider 17 rotates and tilts to a predetermined angle, then the arm 3 descends, and the sensor 2 moves to the urine collecting section 16.
The urine component is analyzed when it is immersed in the urine. Thereafter, the sensor 2 is drained to wash the sensor 2, and the arm 3 is raised and rotated to maintain the vertical state, and then the arm 3 is lowered to insert the sensor 2 into the storage liquid container 14. That is, at the time of non-measurement, the sensor is in contact with the storage solution.

[0007]

However, each of the above-mentioned conventional urinalysis devices has a problem.

At the time of measurement, urine components come into contact with the sensor or the like or fly off, which lowers the measurement accuracy and makes the toilet unclean and uncomfortable. Further, at the end of the measurement, it is necessary to clean and store the sensor portion, and to prevent a decrease in measurement accuracy at the next measurement.

In the example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-85133, there is substantially no place for mounting a storage solution container.
That is, since the sensor is stored in the gap between the toilet and the toilet seat so that the sensor is hidden when not in use, it is very difficult to store the storage liquid container in this gap.

The example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-198677 has a complicated structure. In order to transport urine or a preservation solution to the sensor, a rotary valve or the like for switching between a syringe pump and a transport path is required. It is not easy to ensure the reliability of the syringe pump and the rotary valve, including the corrosion resistance due to urine and the maintenance of the sealing property.

The example disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-170512 is substantially difficult to mount on a toilet bowl that is widely used in homes. The portion of the upper surface of the toilet bowl to which the sensor driving means and the storage liquid container shown are attached is a place where a cistern is present or a place where a toilet seat or a toilet lid is placed in a toilet commonly used in homes. . In addition, the urine may have to be provided in the urinal, so that the urine must be attached to a dedicated urinal.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. After cleaning the sensor, the sensor is immersed in a preservation solution at the time of non-measurement, that is, in a standby state, and is easily installed in an existing toilet bowl that is widely used in homes. It is an object of the present invention to provide a urine test device that can be mounted on a urine.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, a urine testing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sensor, a sensor driving means, and a flexible connecting member for connecting the sensor and the sensor driving means. , A washing water supply means and a storage solution provided in a storage unit. The sensor provided in the storage unit is moved into the toilet bowl and the storage liquid by the sensor driving means and the connecting member.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a sensor for generating an output signal having a correlation with the concentration of a specific component contained in urine, and a sensor for moving the sensor to a predetermined terminal position. A driving unit, a flexible connecting member for connecting the sensor and the sensor driving unit, a cleaning water supply unit for cleaning the sensor, a storage solution for immersing the sensor, and a storage unit for storing these; The sensor can be easily moved by the sensor driving means and the connecting member, and the sensor is moved into the toilet bowl at the time of measurement, and at the time of non-measurement, the sensor is washed, then moved into the storage solution and made to stand by, thereby resulting in urine. Since it is not necessary to transport the sensor, the configuration can be simplified, and after the sensor is washed by the washing water supply means, the sensor can be made to stand by in the storage solution, so that it is hygienic and It is possible to provide a measurement accurate urinalysis apparatus. In addition, by storing the urine test apparatus in the storage unit, the urine test apparatus can be unified and downsized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in particular, by providing a speed reducing means between the sensor driving means and the connecting member,
By setting the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction means, an appropriate sensor moving speed can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the moving distance of the sensor can be lengthened by winding and holding the connecting member in the vicinity of the sensor driving means when the sensor moves in the standby direction. At the same time, the space required for storing the connecting member can be minimized, and as a result, the size of the storage unit, that is, the urine test apparatus can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage unit can be attached to an existing toilet through an attachment member, so that the urine can be easily attached to an existing toilet that is widely used at home. An inspection device can be provided. In addition, by directly attaching to the existing toilet bowl, floor cleaning and the like can be performed without changing from the conventional one.

[0018] In the invention according to claim 5, the storage unit is particularly provided outside the toilet via an attachment member.
Since the sensor guide portion protruding from the storage unit faces between the toilet and the toilet seat, the sensor moves along the sensor guide portion located between the toilet and the toilet seat by the sensor driving means and the connecting member, so that when the sensor is measured, In the toilet bowl, it can be moved to the outside of the toilet bowl, that is, in the storage unit when measurement is not performed, and the storage unit can be easily mounted on the existing toilet bowl and toilet seat.

In the invention according to the sixth aspect, the storage liquid can be easily exchanged only by opening and closing the opening / closing means, particularly by providing the storage unit with an opening / closing means that opens and closes when the storage liquid is exchanged.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the opening / closing means is provided on the front side of the toilet and the storage unit, the opening / closing means is located on the side of the space used by the person, so that the storage solution can be easily exchanged. it can.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, particularly, the mounting member is formed on the toilet via a fixing member for fixing the toilet seat body, so that there is no need for a new mounting work or a member for mounting, and the storage is possible. The unit can be easily attached to an existing toilet in a short time.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the mounting member is provided with a contact portion with the side wall of the toilet to prevent damage due to deformation or the like, particularly when an external force is applied to the storage unit from above. Can be.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the abutting portion of the mounting member is provided with the adjusting means, the size of the existing toilet bowl and the error range can be absorbed by the adjusting means.

[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to the urine test apparatus shown in FIG.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a configuration in which a urine test apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a standard toilet, and FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the same.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a flush-type standard toilet, which comprises a toilet bowl 22, a washing water pipe portion 23, and a freely rotatable toilet seat 24.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a drive base.
Above the sensor, an enzyme sensor 26 that generates an output signal correlated with the concentration of a specific component contained in urine is held by a sensor holding unit 27. Reference numeral 28 denotes a sensor drive unit for moving the sensor 26 to a predetermined terminal position. The sensor drive unit 28 includes a well-known stepping motor as the sensor drive unit 29 and a spur gear as the reduction unit 30.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a sensor 26 and a sensor holding unit 27.
And a flexible connecting member for connecting the sensor driving means 29 and
A well-known rack is machined in the form of a rope, and is configured to move the sensor 26 via the speed reducing means 30 with the sensor driving means 29. This connecting member 31 is connected to the sensor 26.
Is configured to be wound and held in the sensor drive unit 28 when it moves in the return direction.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a sensor switching unit, and a motor 33
And the composite main gear 3 driven by the motor 33
4, a path switching rack 35 connected to the main gear 34 at the rear, and a path switching guide 36 fixed to the path switching rack 35, and connected to one of the main gears 34 at the front. A variable direction gear 37 and a variable direction guide 38 integrated with the variable direction gear 37 are configured.

Reference numeral 39 denotes a sensor guide at the end position of the sensor 26. The sensor 26 is configured to swing back and forth in the sensor guide 39 together with the direction variable guide 38. Reference numeral 40 denotes a cleaning nozzle for cleaning the sensor 26.

The drive base 25 includes a storage unit 41
The storage unit 41
The sensor guide section 39 and the cleaning nozzle 40 are configured to protrude outside the box.

Reference numeral 42 denotes a washing water supply means provided in a lower chamber of the storage unit 41 partitioned up and down by the drive base 25, and a solenoid valve 43 connected to water supply and a washing valve connected to the solenoid valve 43. The washing water pump 44 is connected to the washing nozzle 40 at the outlet side.

Numeral 45 denotes a storage solution disposed in front of the lower chamber of the storage unit 41, which is a ring-shaped sealing member 4.
6 are stored in a storage solution container 47 having Reference numeral 48 denotes an opening / closing means provided in the storage unit 41 so as to face the storage liquid container 47. The opening / closing means 48 opens and closes when the storage liquid 45 is exchanged.

A configuration in which the storage unit 41 is mounted on the existing toilet 21 will be described.

Reference numeral 49 denotes a mounting member to which the storage unit 41 is fixed. The mounting member 49 is attached to the upper surface 51 of the toilet 21 by fastening together via a fixing member 50 for fixing the body of the toilet seat 24. Since the upper surface 51 of the toilet 21 is basically the same plane, the mounting member 4 has a dimensional relationship in which the sensor guide portion 39 protruding from the storage unit 41 is placed on the toilet 21.
9 is configured.

Thus, the storage unit 41 is located outside the toilet 21, and the sensor guide 39 is connected to the toilet 21 and the toilet seat 24.
It is attached to the existing toilet 21 in a configuration facing the middle.

Reference numeral 52 denotes an abutting portion provided on the mounting member 49, the tip of which is in a state where the storage unit 41 is mounted.
It is configured to contact the side wall 53 of the toilet 21. The contact portion 52 is provided with an adjusting means 5 by screwing, for example, by rotation.
4 is provided to move and adjust the contact portion 52 according to the size of the existing toilet bowl 21 so as to contact the side wall 53.

The operation of the above configuration will be described.

The subject first sits on the toilet seat 24. Here, when the measurement switch (not shown) is operated, the sensor driving means 29 and the deceleration means 30 are driven, rotate once in the direction of winding the connecting member 31 into the sensor driving unit 28, and wait in the storage solution 45. The sensor 26 is moved to the start position.

Thereafter, the sensor driving means 29 and the deceleration means 30
Is rotated in the reverse direction to advance the sensor 26 by the connecting member 31, and the motor 33 and the main gear 34 of the sensor switching unit 32 are driven to move the path switching guide 36 and the path switching rack 35 to the toilet 21 side. It is moved to a predetermined end position, that is, into the toilet bowl 22.

Here, the subject starts urinating.

The sensor switching unit 32 is a motor 3
3. The main gear 34 is driven, and the sensor 26 in the sensor guide portion 39 is swung back and forth by the variable direction gear 37 and the variable direction guide 38, so that the urine discharged from the subject can be reliably received. I do.

In the case of a woman, unlike a man, it is difficult to adjust the drop position of urine, so that the swing operation of the sensor 26 becomes very effective. In the swing operation of the sensor 26, the sensor driving means 29 can change the protruding distance of the sensor 26 according to the swing angle, and can control the sensor 26 so that the sensor 26 is always located at the left and right center of the toilet bowl 22.

Since the output of the sensor 26 starts to change when it comes into contact with urine, it is known that urine has been received.

At this time, the sensor 26 is moved to a predetermined end position by the motor 33, the main gear 34, and the variable direction gear 37, and the sensor 26 calculates the concentration of sugar contained in urine from a change in the output, and displays it on the display unit. (Not shown).

Next, the connecting member 31 is connected to the sensor drive unit 2.
8, the sensor driving means 29, the speed reducing means 3
The cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 40 connected to the cleaning water pump 44 while the solenoid valve 43 as the cleaning water supply means 42 is opened.

The sensor holding portion 27 and the sensor 26 located in the toilet bowl 22 are washed when they pass through the washing nozzle 40 from which the washing water flows.
Preferably, control is performed to stop the sensor driving means 29 once to ensure cleaning, to detect the degree of cleaning by the output of the sensor 26, and then to close the electromagnetic valve 43. Also,
If it takes time for the urine that has entered the inside of the sensor 26 to be washed, water can be saved by intermittently supplying wash water.

Thus, the sensor driving means 29 and the deceleration means 3
At 0, the connecting member 31 is taken up, and the sensor 26 is once moved to the start position. Thereafter, the sensor driving means 29 again
The deceleration means 30 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the connection of the sensor 2
6, the motor 33 and the main gear 34 of the sensor switching unit 32 are driven, and the path switching guide 3
6 and the path switching rack 35 are moved to the outside of the toilet 21 to cause the sensor 26 to move straight, whereby the seal member 47 is moved.
Closes the sensor holding section 27, moves the sensor 26 into the storage solution 45, and waits.

Even if the storage unit 49 is detached and tilted in this state, the preservation liquid is prevented from flowing out by the seal member 47.

In the urine testing apparatus constructed as described above, the sensor 26, the sensor driving means 29, and the sensor 2
Flexible connecting member 3 for connecting the sensor driving means 29 with the sensor driving means 29
By providing the cleaning unit 1, the washing water supply unit 42 and the storage solution 45 in the storage unit 41, the sensor 26 can be easily moved by the sensor driving unit 29 and the connecting member 31, and the sensor 2
6 is moved into the toilet bowl 22 at the time of measurement, and the sensor 26 is washed at the time of non-measurement.
The urine does not need to be conveyed as a result, so that the configuration can be simplified, and the sensor 26 can be washed in the washing water supply means 42 and then can be held in the storage solution 45. It is possible to provide a urine test apparatus that is hygienic and always has high measurement accuracy. Further, by storing the urine test apparatus in the storage unit 41, it is possible to achieve unification and downsizing of the urine test apparatus.

The sensor driving means 29 and the connecting member 31
And a suitable sensor moving speed can be obtained by setting the speed reduction ratio of the speed reduction means 30.

Further, the connecting member 31 is wound up and held near the sensor driving means 29 when the sensor 26 moves in the standby direction, so that the moving distance of the sensor 26 can be lengthened, and conversely, The space required for storing the connecting member 31 can be minimized, and as a result, the storage unit 41, that is, the urine test apparatus can be downsized.

The storage unit 41 is attached to the mounting member 49.
, The urine test apparatus can be easily attached to the existing toilet bowl 21 which is widely used in the home. In addition, by directly attaching to the existing toilet 21, floor cleaning and the like can be performed without changing from the conventional case.

The storage unit 41 is attached to the mounting member 39.
The sensor 26 is provided on the outside of the toilet 21 via the storage unit 41 and the sensor guide 39 protruding from the storage unit 41 faces between the toilet 21 and the toilet seat 24. Toilet seat 2
Since the sensor 26 moves along the sensor guide portion 39 located between the four, the sensor 26 can be moved into the toilet bowl 22 during measurement, and can be moved to the outside of the toilet 21, that is, into the storage unit 41 during non-measurement. Can be easily attached to the existing toilet 21 and toilet seat 24.

Further, since the storage unit 41 is provided with the opening / closing means 48 which opens and closes when the storage liquid 45 is exchanged, the storage liquid 45 can be easily exchanged only by opening and closing the opening / closing means 48.

By providing the opening / closing means 48 in front of the toilet 21 and the storage unit 41, the opening / closing means 4 is provided.
Since the storage liquid 8 is located on the side of the use space of the person, the preservation liquid 45 can be easily exchanged.

Further, since the mounting member 49 is formed on the toilet 21 via the fixing member 50 for fixing the body of the toilet seat 24, there is no need for a new mounting work or a member for mounting, and the storage unit 41 is already installed. Can be easily attached to the toilet 21 in a short time.

Further, by providing the mounting member 49 with the contact portion 52 with the toilet bowl side wall 53, it is possible to prevent damage due to deformation or the like, particularly when an external force is applied to the storage unit 41 from above.

The provision of the adjusting means 54 at the contact portion 52 of the mounting member 49 allows the adjusting means 54 to absorb the size and error range of the existing toilet bowl.

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sensor can be easily moved by the sensor driving means and the connecting member, and the sensor is moved into the toilet bowl at the time of measurement, and the sensor is washed at the time of non-measurement. Since the urine does not need to be conveyed as a result of moving into the storage solution and making it stand by, the configuration can be simplified, and the sensor can be made to stand by in the storage solution after being washed by the washing water supply means. It is possible to provide a urine test apparatus that is hygienic and always has high measurement accuracy. In addition, by storing the urine test apparatus in the storage unit, the urine test apparatus can be unified and downsized. In addition, by allowing the storage unit to be attached to an existing toilet via an attachment member, it is possible to provide a urine test apparatus that can be easily attached to an existing toilet that is widely used in homes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a configuration in which a urine test apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a standard toilet.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a urine test apparatus according to a first conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a urine test apparatus according to a second conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a urine test apparatus according to a third conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Toilet bowl 22 Toilet bowl 24 Toilet seat 26 Sensor 29 Sensor drive means 30 Reduction means 31 Connecting member 39 Sensor guide part 41 Storage unit 42 Washing water supply means 45 Preservation liquid 48 Opening / closing means 49 Mounting member 50 Fixing member 52 Contact part 53 Toilet bowl side wall 54 Adjusting means

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Kawamoto 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kazuma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.F-term (reference)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A sensor for generating an output signal correlated with the concentration of a specific component contained in urine, a sensor driving unit for moving the sensor to a predetermined terminal position, and the sensor and the sensor driving unit. A flexible connection member for coupling, a cleaning water supply unit for cleaning the sensor, a storage solution for immersing the sensor, and a storage unit for storing the same; the sensor driving unit is a toilet when measuring the sensor; A urine test apparatus that is moved into a bowl, washed in a non-measurement state, and then moved into a preservation solution and waited. 2. The urine test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor driving means includes a speed reducing means between the sensor driving means and the connecting member. 3. The urine test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member winds and holds the sensor near the sensor driving means when the sensor moves in the standby direction. 4. The urine test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit can be attached to an existing toilet via an attachment member. 5. The urine test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is provided outside the toilet via a mounting member, and a sensor guide protruding from the storage unit is provided between the toilet and the toilet seat. 6. The urine test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes an opening / closing unit that opens and closes when the storage solution is exchanged. 7. The urine test apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the opening / closing means is provided on the front side of the toilet and the storage unit. 8. The urine test apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the mounting member is formed on the toilet via a fixing member for fixing the toilet seat body. 9. The urine test apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the attachment member has a contact portion with the side wall of the toilet. 10. The urine test apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the attachment member has an adjusting means at a contact portion.