JP2006015068A - Biological information measuring sensor and biological information measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biological information measuring sensor capable of carrying out reliable and accurate measurement with simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: This biological information measuring sensor 1 is provided with a detecting part 11 for detecting electric information on biological information in contact with collected blood or body fluid, and an identification part 13 having identification information for instructing a method of processing the electric information from the detecting part 11. The detecting part 11 is connected to a biological information measuring device so as to be able to detect the electric information. The identification part 13 is thereby connected to be able to read the identification information in the biological information measuring device. With the operation of correctly mounting the sensor 1 to the biological information measuring device, the biological information measuring device can be provided also with the identification information, and measurement based on correct processing can be performed with simple operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor and apparatus for measuring biological information, for example, information related to blood glucose level, and more particularly to a sensor and apparatus for detecting and measuring biological information as electrical information.

  For the treatment of administering insulin received by a diabetic patient, there is a method in which the patient himself / herself collects blood from a finger or the like several times a day and reads it by a blood glucose measuring device, and administers an amount of insulin corresponding to the blood glucose level. is there. When using a commercially available blood glucose level measuring device that can be performed personally, the blood glucose level measuring step includes attaching a needle to the blood sampling device, collecting blood by the blood sampling device, mounting a sensor chip to the blood glucose level measuring device, and a sensor. There are a plurality of operations such as preparation for measurement of a blood glucose level measuring device in accordance with chip characteristics and introduction of blood into the blood glucose level measuring device. Among these operations, the measurement preparation of the blood glucose level measuring device in accordance with the sensor chip characteristics mainly selects or determines the detection value processing method in relation to the response level of the sensor. Specific operations include manual input of symbols and signals indicating sensor characteristics, and mounting of a chip into which the information is input to a blood sugar level measuring device. However, whether or not these operations have been performed is different from whether or not a new blood collection needle or sensor chip is mounted, and cannot be discerned at a glance. There is a high probability that a value will be obtained. Therefore, the insulin dose may be determined based on an incorrect value.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a biological information measuring sensor that can perform accurate measurement reliably with a simple operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a biological information measuring apparatus that can perform accurate measurement reliably with a simple operation.

As means for solving the above problems, the first invention of the present invention is a detection unit for detecting electrical information related to biological information by contacting collected blood or body fluid, and a method for processing electrical information from the detection unit. An identification unit having identification information for instructing the identification information, and the detection unit is connected to the biological information measurement device so that electrical information can be detected, so that the identification unit is connected to the biological information measurement device so that the identification information can be read. A biological information measuring sensor is provided.
According to this invention, the identification part provided with the identification information which instruct | indicates the processing method of the electrical information from a detection part is provided in the sensor itself provided with a detection part. Then, by attaching the sensor to the biological information measuring device so that the detection unit can detect the electrical information, the identification information of the identification unit can be read by the biological information measuring device. Therefore, this sensor can also provide identification information to the biological information measuring device by an operation of correctly attaching the sensor to the biological information measuring device, and measurement by a correct process is possible by a simple operation.
In addition, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the detection portion and the identification portion are formed by conductive wiring provided on the sensor base material, and the identification portion includes the conductive wiring. Is a biological information measuring sensor to which predetermined identification information is given by being partly disconnected or connected.
According to this invention, the detection unit and the identification unit can be created in the same process, and the sensor can be created with a smaller number of processes. In particular, since the identification information in the identification unit is formed by cutting or connecting a part of the conductive wiring, sensors having different characteristics can be formed from the same wiring pattern, and mass production is easy. .
A third invention of the present invention is the biological information measuring sensor according to the first invention, wherein the identification unit includes an IC chip containing identification information provided on the sensor base material.
According to the present invention, since the identification information can be given to the sensor by placing the IC chip on the sensor, the sensor includes an identification unit that can be created by a simple process. For example, sensors having different characteristics can be easily mass-produced because the mechanical work such as the position where the IC chip is applied may be the same except that the information written in the IC chip to be mounted is different.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting portion to which the sensor according to any one of the first to third aspects is mounted, a first receiving portion capable of receiving electrical information from a detection unit of the sensor mounted on the mounting portion. A second receiving unit capable of receiving identification information from the identification unit of the sensor mounted on the mounting unit, and a process for processing biological information based on the electrical information and the identification information from the first and second receiving units There is provided a biological information measuring device including a unit and an output unit that outputs a processing result by the processing unit.
According to this invention, when a sensor having a detection unit and an identification unit is attached to the attachment unit, the electrical information from the detection unit is received by the first reception unit, and the identification information from the identification unit is received by the second reception unit. Can be received respectively. For this reason, identification information corresponding to the detection unit can be received by mounting the sensor on the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably prevent erroneous identification information from being input, and the apparatus can process the electrical information from the detection unit with a correct processing method.
The fifth invention of the present invention is the biological information measuring apparatus according to the fourth invention, which can be measured by identifying the sensor based on the identification information of the sensor.
According to the present invention, since the biological information can be measured only when the sensor can be identified, the measurement based on erroneous identification information can be reliably avoided, and correct biological information can be provided.

  In the present invention, by providing a biological information measuring sensor capable of reliably performing accurate measurement with a simple operation, and by providing a biological information measuring apparatus capable of reliably performing accurate measurement with a simple operation. It is possible to obtain correct biological information by reducing the occurrence of measurement failures due to erroneous operations.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a biological information measuring sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the sensor 1 is a sensor chip for measuring a blood glucose level.
The sensor 1 is entirely formed of a printed circuit board, and includes a sensor base material 2 and wirings 4 to 9 provided by a plurality of prints. The sensor base material 2 is an insulating plate member such as a plate, resin plate, paper, or the like formed by bonding wood powder, wood fiber, etc., and is a resin plate used in a known printed circuit board in this embodiment. The sensor base material 2 shown in FIG. 1 is formed in a rectangular shape. In the present embodiment, the wirings 4 to 9 are formed of a copper foil applied to the sensor base material by a known method such as a corrosion method.

The sensor 1 is provided with a detection unit 11 and an identification unit 13.
The detection unit 11 has two wires 8 and 9, and each wire 8 and 9 acts as a working electrode and a counter electrode for detecting electrical information related to a living body. Each of the two wires 8 and 9 extends in parallel with the long side of the sensor base material 2 and has one end formed at the terminal portions 8a and 9a and the other end formed at the contact portions 8b and 9b. The terminal portions 8a and 9a are portions connected to a blood glucose level measuring device 31 to be described later, and are formed in a rectangular shape in which one piece coincides with the short side of the sensor base material 2. The contact portions 8b and 9b are provided at the center of the sensor base material 2. One contact portion 8b has a rectangular shape, and the other contact portion 9b has a U-shape surrounding three sides of the contact portion 8b. , Each is formed.
Needless to say, the detection unit 11 may include three wires that act as a working electrode, a counter electrode, and a reference electrode.

  The contact portions 8b and 9b are portions to which a voltage is applied, and can be energized by being in contact with blood or body fluid. The contact portions 8b and 9b of the present embodiment detect the current during energization as electrical information. For this reason, at least one of the contact portions 8b and 9b is subjected to processing for obtaining specific biological information from the contacted body fluid or blood, that is, information on blood glucose level in this embodiment as electrical information. Yes. In the present embodiment, three layers of coating are applied to one contact portion 8b in order to obtain electrical information related to the blood glucose level, although not particularly shown.

Of the coating, the conductive layer of the contact portion 8b, that is, the first layer that is in direct contact with the copper foil is a selection layer for obtaining predetermined biological information. The selective layer can be, for example, a layer containing a predetermined component, for example, an enzyme that reacts with sugars with electron transfer. In this embodiment, glucose oxidase can be used.
The second layer is an electron mediator layer, and compensates for an excessive potential difference between the voltage applied to the contact portion and the potential in the enzyme reaction, and can detect the potential or improve the detection accuracy. In this embodiment, ferrocene carboxaldehyde which is a kind of ferrocene carboxaldehyde-albumin covalent conjugate can be used as the electron mediator. The electron mediator component may be mixed with an enzyme and contained in the selective layer.
The third layer is a cover layer and restricts movement of substances other than the specific substance between the electrode portion and the subcutaneous body fluid. That is, it suppresses that components other than the specific substance (sugar) in blood or body fluid adhere or invade. In the present embodiment, 2-methacryloyloxyethyl-phosphorylcholine (MPC), which is a polymer material that hardly adheres to components in subcutaneous body fluid such as protein, can be used.

  Note that an electrode subjected to these layers may be subjected to an electrolysis process or the like in advance. Moreover, the process for detecting electrical information relating to a predetermined component in body fluid or blood is not limited to the above-described form. For example, provision of an enzyme layer containing an enzyme that reacts with another predetermined substance, or a limited permeable membrane layer that transmits a predetermined substance to be measured and does not transmit a substance that affects the potential measurement of the predetermined substance. But it ’s okay.

  The identification unit 13 is a part that includes identification information that instructs a method of processing electrical information obtained from the detection unit 11 of the sensor 1. The identification information held by the identification unit 13 is information that enables a processing method corresponding to the characteristics of the sensor 1, that is, processing by an arithmetic expression, in a biological information measuring device that can be used in combination with the sensor 1. Is not particularly limited. For example, an arithmetic expression itself for processing may be used, a coefficient incorporated in an arithmetic expression preliminarily held in the biological information measuring apparatus, or a predetermined arithmetic expression among a plurality of arithmetic expressions held by the biological information measuring apparatus is designated. It may be a symbol to do. In this embodiment, for example, the identification information can be a lot with a graded detection sensitivity, and the processing format in a plurality of lots built in the biological information measuring device is selected based on this identification information.

  The identification information held by the identification unit 13 is typically electrical information. In this embodiment, it has the pattern wiring formed in the base material 2 for sensors, and identification information is provided by connecting this part. Specifically, the pattern wiring has four conducting wires. One end of the first wiring 7 is in contact with the short side of the sensor base material 2 which is the same as the wirings 8 and 9 of the detection unit 11 to form the terminal portion 7a, and includes three branched ends. The second to fourth wirings 4 to 6 are formed at terminal portions 4 a, 5 a, and 6 a that are in contact with the same short side of the sensor base material 2, and the other ends are close to the end portions of the first wiring 7. Is provided. The identification unit 13 creates identification information by configuring a predetermined circuit in the pattern wiring. Specifically, at least one of the first wiring 7 and the second to fourth wirings 4 to 6 can be energized by soldering or the like at end portions facing each other. In FIG. 1, the first wiring 7 and the third wiring 5 are connected by solder 10 to form identification information.

  In this sensor 1, the detection part 11 and the identification part 13 are formed on the same sensor base material 2 by printed wiring, respectively, and can be created in a simpler process. In particular, since the identification unit 13 is formed by pattern wiring, the wiring may be the same even when creating different types of detection units 11. For this reason, identification information can be easily given even when mass-producing sensors having various sensor characteristics. In particular, in the present invention, since the identification information is a symbol for selecting a calculation input in advance to the biological information measuring apparatus, the identification unit 13 has a simple configuration and a sensor that is exchanged for each measurement. It is made of small and small material, and the increase of waste material is reduced well. Further, since the identification unit 13 is integrated with the sensor 1, there is no possibility that the processing information is mistaken for the sensor 1.

  FIG. 2 shows a sensor having an identification portion 21 formed by different pattern wiring as a modification of FIG. The wiring 25 of the sensor identification unit 21 is composed of one continuous wiring having four terminal portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d. In the identification unit 21, identification information is given by cutting one or more parts, for example, in FIG. 2, the second wiring part 27 from the back of the page with a laser or a cutter. Also in this configuration, as in the case of the sensor of FIG. 1, the sensor base material provided with the same pattern wiring can be used even in the case of creating detection sections with various sensitivities, and mass production is easy.

  Examples of information forms other than electrical information of identification information include optical information such as barcodes, magnetic information, and mechanical information such as claws that can form a predetermined engagement relationship with the apparatus side. Further, the electrical information may be configured to include a higher-level information integrated body including other electronic components such as a capacitor, a transistor, and an IC chip. For example, in the case of an IC chip, it can be applied by fixing it to one of the surfaces of the sensor base material 2 on which the detection unit 11 is formed. The identification unit including the IC chip can be connected to the measuring device side by wiring formed in the same manner as the identification unit 13, for example, and the identification information can be read by this connection. Alternatively, the identification information can be read in a non-contact manner on the measuring device side by wireless transmission means using induced current or the like.

  Next, an embodiment of the biological information measurement value according to the present invention in which the sensor 1 can be used will be described with reference to FIGS. The device 31 of this embodiment is a blood sugar level measuring device, and a blood collecting device 37 and a measuring device 39 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer shape of the device 31 is formed by a case 3 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape with the center of the left side protruding leftward in the figure. The measuring instrument 39 inputs a sensor mounting portion 41 provided on the left protrusion of the device 31 in FIG. 3, a display portion 42 provided as an output means provided on the right side of the device 31, and signals such as measurement start. And the processing means (not shown) built in the apparatus 31. The blood collection device 37 is provided in the left region of the device 31 excluding the sensor mounting portion 41 in FIG.

First, the measuring device 39 will be described.
The sensor mounting part 41 is a part to which the sensor 1 is mounted as shown in FIGS. In the present embodiment, the sensor mounting portion 41 is provided so as to be mounted by inserting the sensor 1 into the opening 35 formed in the case 33 from the opening 35. The configuration of the sensor mounting portion 41 is not particularly limited, and is configured by a connector receiver that holds a known printed circuit board in an electrically contacted state. Typically, the sensor 1 is configured to be electrically connectable by pinching the end portions where the terminal portions 4a to 9a of the sensor 1 are provided, and elastically deformed in a case having a resin groove and in the groove of the case It consists of a conductive spring that protrudes as possible. In the present embodiment, among the conductive springs of the sensor mounting portion 41, the springs corresponding to the terminal portions 8a and 9a of the detecting portion 11 of the sensor 1 correspond to the first receiving portion according to the present invention and apply a voltage. It is possible to receive electrical information. Of the conductive springs, the four springs corresponding to the terminal portions 4a to 7a of the first to fourth wires 7 to 4 of the identification portion 13 correspond to the second receiving portion according to the present invention, and are electrically And is configured to be able to receive identification information. These conductive springs are electrically connected to processing means (not shown).

  The processing means can be configured to process the received electrical information and transmit the processing result to the output means, as with various known blood glucose meter or biological information measuring device. The processing means processes the electrical information transmitted from the first receiving unit of the sensor mounting unit 41 to obtain a blood glucose level as a processing result, and appropriately processes other processing results, for example, a preferable insulin dose or a predetermined value. Ask about whether or not The processing means of the device 31 performs processing corresponding to the sensor 1 based on the identification information transmitted from the second receiving unit of the sensor mounting unit 41. The processing means may have a plurality of calculation formulas that match sensor characteristics in advance and may select a calculation formula based on the identification information, or a predetermined coefficient may be provided as the identification information. It is also possible to use a format that includes an arithmetic expression that is completed. Alternatively, the identification information may be an arithmetic expression itself, and may have a processing step completed by incorporating the arithmetic expression. Furthermore, the processing means may include two or more of the above formats, and may select a format corresponding to the identification information obtained from the sensor 1 to be used for processing. Note that the calculation method and processing steps are not particularly limited and can be in a known form, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

The display unit 42 is a part that visually outputs the processing result by the processing unit, and is a liquid crystal display, for example. As the output means, one or more known means for outputting as sound, display, or electrical information can be provided. For example, although not shown, an output terminal that can be connected to a speaker, a personal computer, a telephone line, or the like may be provided.
The operation unit 43 is a button 44 used for inputting data related to a blood collection subject, blood collection time, etc., selecting a type of data desired to be obtained, and instructing an output method from an output means described later in addition to a measurement start signal. It has.
Further, the device 31 may be provided with an input / output terminal that can be connected to a personal computer, a telephone line, or the like (not shown).

  The configuration of blood collection device 37 is not particularly limited, and may be a known configuration. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which a needle is pierced through the skin for blood collection and the skin surface side is depressurized in order to promote blood exudation is performed with reference to the flow shown in FIGS. Briefly explained at the center.

The blood collection device 37 includes a preparation button 51, a needle firing button 53, and a decompression cylinder 55 including an opening 35 through which the puncture needle 60 protrudes toward the skin. A replaceable puncture needle 60 can be attached to the blood collection device 37 in a direction in which the needle extends toward the opening 35. In order to collect blood using the blood collection device 37, first, the puncture needle 60 is attached to the blood collection device 37 as shown in FIG. 4A, and then, as shown in FIG. Press. When the preparation button 51 is pressed, the puncture needle 60 is lowered to a position where the puncture needle 60 does not protrude from the decompression cylinder 55, and a downward elastic force that allows the puncture needle 60 to be projected from the opening 35 and the puncture needle 60 protrude. The upward resilience returning from the applied state to the original position is stored.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the decompression cylinder 55 is pressed against the skin 70 where blood is to be collected, and the needle firing button 53 is pressed. When the needle firing button 53 is pressed, first, the puncture needle 60 pops out of the opening 35 as shown in FIG. 5 (a) and pierces the skin 70, and then is pulled upward to come out of the skin. At this time, the pressed space in the decompression cylinder 55 is decompressed by returning the portion of the puncture needle 60 from the state of FIG. 4C to the same height as FIG. Thereby, bleeding from the puncture part from the skin 70 is promoted.

  Therefore, when measuring the blood glucose level using the apparatus 31 of the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the puncture needle 60 is attached, and further, as shown in FIG. Is mounted on the sensor mounting portion 41 in the opening 35. Furthermore, after inputting predetermined information or the like from the operation unit 43, the preparation button is pressed as shown in FIG. 4B, and then pressed against the skin as shown in FIG. 4C. Thereafter, the needle firing button 53 is pressed, and the puncture needle 60 is stabbed into the skin 70 as shown in FIG. 5A and then pulled out. In the state shown in FIG. Thoroughly bleed from the puncture site. Thereafter, the start of measurement is instructed by the operation unit 43 of the measuring instrument 39, and blood is soaked into the detection unit 11 of the sensor 1 as shown in FIG. As a result, electrical information is detected by the detection unit 11 of the sensor 1, electrical information is transmitted from the first receiving unit to the processing means, and the processing means processes the electrical information. At this time, the processing means receives the identification information of the identification unit 13 from the second reception unit at any time from when the sensor 1 is mounted to when the electrical information from the detection unit 11 is processed. The electrical information is processed according to the processing method supported by the identification information. The obtained processing result is output to the display unit 42 as output means.

  The identification information may be received based on an input signal from the operation unit 43. Typically, however, the identification information is attached to the sensor 1, the measurement is started, electrical information is received from the detection unit 11, and the like. It is preferable to perform it automatically at the timing. More preferably, the identification information is received when the sensor 1 is inserted into the device 31 or when the power switch is turned on when there is a power switch or when the sensor 1 is inserted into the device 31, whichever is later It is. In addition, it is preferable that the device 31 receives the identification information from the identification unit 13 of the sensor 1 and can measure only when the sensor 1 can be identified. With this configuration, measurement cannot be performed when the sensor 1 cannot be identified based on the identification information, so that incorrect biological information may not be output. Specifically, when the sensor can be identified based on the identification information, a message indicating that the sensor can be measured, for example, a standby display is output, and when measurement is not possible, an error message is output. The user can easily determine whether the measurement is possible.

  According to this apparatus 31, since the identification information regarding the characteristic of the sensor 1 is set to be receivable by the operation of mounting the sensor 1, the identification information can be received more reliably by the processing means. In particular, since the identification information is automatically received, the processing unit can surely perform the processing by the processing method corresponding to the sensor 1.

  The biological information measuring device according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Of course, a configuration without a blood collection device may be used. Further, for example, the sensor mounting portion 41 and the processing means and output means may be formed separately. In this form, for example, a memory for storing electrical information from the detection unit 11 received by the first reception unit and identification information from the identification unit 13 received by the second reception unit is provided in the sensor mounting unit 41, The processing means may be configured to acquire electrical information and identification information from the memory. In this embodiment, for example, the processing means and the output means are not limited to those dedicated to the biological information measuring apparatus, and may be, for example, a personal computer used for other purposes. In addition, the operation unit 43 is not particularly provided, and the sensor 1 is mounted on the sensor mounting unit 41 so that measurement is possible and the identification information of the identification unit 13 is received. This device 31 further reduces the number of operations for measurement and is simple to use. Further, the first and second receiving units are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and have various configurations corresponding to the reading formats of the detection unit and the identification unit of the sensor. For example, anything using non-contact magnetism or light, mechanical, electrical, etc. may be used.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the sensor for biological information measurement which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows another embodiment of the sensor for biological information measurement which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing preparation for blood collection in the biological information measuring device of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which blood is collected after blood preparation and blood glucose level is measured in the biological information measuring device of FIG. 3.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sensor 2 Sensor base material 4-9, 25 Wiring 4a-9a, 25a-25d Terminal part 8b, 9b Contact part 10 Solder 11 Detection part 13,21 Identification part 27 Wiring part 31 Apparatus 33 Case 35 Opening 37 Blood collecting device 39 Measuring instrument 41 Sensor mounting part 42 Display part 43 Operation part 44 Button 51 Preparation button 53 Needle firing button 55 Depressurization cylinder 60 Puncture needle 70 Skin

Claims (5)

A detection unit that detects electrical information related to biological information by contacting the collected blood or body fluid;
An identification unit having identification information for instructing a method of processing electrical information from the detection unit,
A sensor for measuring biological information, wherein the detecting unit is connected to the biological information measuring device so that electrical information can be detected, and the identifying unit is connected to be able to read the identification information in the biological information measuring device.   The detection unit and the identification unit are formed by conductive wiring provided on the sensor base material, and predetermined identification information is given to the identification unit by cutting or connecting a part of the conductive wiring. The biological information measuring sensor according to claim 1, wherein   The biometric information measuring sensor according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit includes an IC chip containing identification information provided on the sensor base material. A mounting portion to which the sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is mounted;
A first receiving unit capable of receiving electrical information from a detection unit of a sensor mounted on the mounting unit;
A second receiving unit capable of receiving identification information from the identification unit of the sensor mounted on the mounting unit;
A processing unit that processes biometric information based on electrical information and identification information from the first and second receiving units;
A biological information measuring device comprising: an output unit that outputs a processing result by the processing unit. The biological information measuring device according to claim 4, wherein measurement is possible when the sensor can be identified based on the identification information of the sensor.

Images