JP2012013419A - Urine sugar meter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a urine sugar meter capable of easily notifying a user of a degree of sugar contained in urine by color instead of a numeric value at low cost.SOLUTION: Light is irradiated to base ends of a first to a third glass fibers 11 to 13. Urine of a user is attached to surfaces of the first to the third glass fibers 11 to 13. Since refractive index differs depending on concentration of sugar contained in the urine, a degree of sugar contained in the urine of the user is determined based on detection results of light-receiving at a first to a third light-receiving elements 21 to 23. The determination result is notified.

Description

  The present invention relates to a urine sugar meter configured to determine the degree of sugar contained in urine and to notify the determination result.

  In recent years, there are an increasing number of diabetic patients and people who belong to the pre-diabetes army before the onset of diabetes, and diabetes is a national disease along with cancer, stroke and heart disease. When assessing diabetes, clinical hospitals measure blood glucose levels and obtain specific values, but in general homes, for example, a urine sugar sensor is installed in the toilet, A sensor that measures and reports the amount of sugar contained in urine with a sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and a sensor that measures the amount of sugar contained in urine by applying urine to a tape coated with a test reagent are known. It has been.

JP 2000-310633 A

  However, in the thing of patent document 1, since a urine sugar sensor is expensive, and since a urine sugar sensor must be replaced | exchanged regularly, while a troublesome operation | work increases for a user, cost burden increases. To do. Moreover, the expiration date of the tape coated with the test reagent is limited to about 3 years, and the reaction time is as long as about 30 seconds, so it cannot be said that it can be easily measured.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to determine and notify the user of the degree of sugar contained in urine easily and at low cost. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the degree of sugar contained in urine is determined using an optical detection means, and the result is notified to the user.

The first invention is a urine sugar meter configured to determine the degree of sugar contained in urine and to notify the user of the determination result.
A light transmissive member made of a material that transmits light and arranged so that urine adheres to the surface;
A light irradiator for irradiating the light transmitting member with light;
A light detection unit that detects light that is irradiated to the light transmission member by the light irradiation unit and passes through the light transmission member;
It is characterized by comprising notifying means for determining the degree of sugar contained in urine based on the output of the light detection unit and notifying the determination result.

  According to this configuration, the light emitted from the light irradiation unit passes through the light transmission member and is detected by the light detection unit. When urine adheres to the light transmitting member and sugar is contained in the urine, the detection result in the light detection unit varies depending on the amount of sugar. The degree of sugar contained in urine is determined using this, and the determination result is notified to the user.

According to a second invention, in the first invention,
The light transmitting member is made of glass fiber.

According to a third invention, in the first invention,
The light transmitting member is constituted by a prism.

According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
The notification means notifies the first notification method when the amount of sugar contained in the urine is equal to or less than the first amount, and the amount of sugar included in the urine is equal to or less than the second amount greater than the first amount. In this case, the second notification method is used for notification, and when the amount of sugar contained in urine is larger than the second amount, the third notification method is used for notification. It is.

According to a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
It is configured to be portable.

  According to the present invention, light is irradiated to a light transmitting member on which urine adheres to the surface, and light transmitted through the light transmitting member is detected, thereby obtaining and notifying the amount of sugar contained in urine. Yes. Therefore, the degree of sugar contained in urine can be determined without using a conventional urine sugar sensor, which is an expensive consumable item. Further, since the degree of sugar contained in urine is determined by detecting light, the determination time can be shortened compared to the case where a test reagent is used. Thereby, the determination result about the degree of sugar contained in urine can be easily notified to the user at low cost.

1 is a perspective view of a urine sugar meter according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of a urine sugar meter. It is the schematic of the principal part of a urine sugar meter. It is a figure explaining the judgment principle of the degree of sugar contained in urine. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely illustrative in nature, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application, or its use.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a urine sugar meter 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The urine sugar meter 1 is configured to be portable so that it can be carried by the user, and can be used in both a toilet at home and a toilet at the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the urine sugar meter 1 includes a housing 10, first to third glass fibers (light transmitting members) 11 to 13 (shown in FIG. 3), a light irradiation LED (light irradiation). Part) 14, first to third light receiving elements (light detection parts) 21 to 23, blue LED 24, yellow LED 25, red LED 26, buzzer 28, switch 29, battery 30 and control device 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1, about half of the distal end side of the housing 10 is thin, and about half of the proximal end side is thick, and the whole is made of a resin material or the like. A urinalysis opening 33 is provided at the distal end of the housing 10. The urinalysis opening 33 penetrates the housing 10 inward and outward. At the time of use, urine is applied to the urinalysis opening 33 by holding the proximal end side of the housing 10.

  On the base end side of the housing 10, a switch 29, a blue LED 24, a yellow LED 25, and a red LED 26 are arranged in order toward the base end. These switch 29, blue LED 24, yellow LED 25, and red LED 26 are exposed to the outside of the housing 10.

  A battery 30 is accommodated in the housing 10. A detachable lid 35 for opening and closing the housing portion of the battery 30 is provided at the base end portion of the housing 10. The battery 30 can be easily replaced by removing the lid 35.

  In the housing 10, in addition to the battery 30, first to third glass fibers 11 to 13, light emitting LEDs 14, first to third light receiving elements 21 to 23, a buzzer 28, and a control device 31 are housed. Yes.

  The first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 are made of only an optical fiber core material, and are made of transparent glass having the same refractive index. The first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 are curved as shown in FIG.

  The curvature of the first glass fiber 11 is set to be the largest. The curvature of a part of the second glass fiber 12 is set to be smaller than the curvature of the first glass fiber 11. Further, the curvature of a part of the third glass fiber 13 is set smaller than that of the second glass fiber 12 having the smallest curvature.

  The first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 are arranged so that the curved portions thereof coincide with the urinalysis opening 33 of the housing 10 and are exposed to the outside from the urinalysis opening 33. The curvatures of the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 are preferably set in a range of 1 mm to 30 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light irradiation LED 14 is connected to the control device 31 and is supplied with electric power from the battery 30 to emit white light. As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitted from the LED 14 for light irradiation is irradiated toward the base ends of the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first to third light receiving elements 21 to 23 are connected to the control device 31, and a detection signal is input to the control device 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first light receiving element 21 is arranged so that the light receiving surface thereof faces the tip of the first glass fiber 11, and the light irradiated from the tip of the first glass fiber 11. Presence / absence and strength can be detected.

  The second light receiving element 22 is arranged so that its light receiving surface faces the tip of the second glass fiber 12 and detects the presence and intensity of light irradiated from the tip of the second glass fiber 12. Be able to.

  The third light receiving element 23 is arranged so that its light receiving surface faces the tip of the third glass fiber 13, and detects the presence and intensity of light irradiated from the tip of the third glass fiber 13. Be able to.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the blue LED 24 is connected to the control device 31 and is supplied with power from the battery 30 to emit blue light. The yellow LED 25 and the red LED 26 are also connected to the control device 31 and supplied with electric power from the battery 30 to emit light in yellow and red, respectively. The blue LED 24 is turned on when the sugar contained in the urine is at a level that does not cause a problem, the yellow LED 25 is turned on when the sugar contained in the urine is slightly larger and needs attention, and the red LED 26 is contained in the urine. Lights when a lot of sugar is needed for examination.

  The buzzer 28 is connected to the control device 31 and sounds when the determination of the degree of sugar contained in urine is completed. That is, it is for making a signal to end the determination.

  The switch 29 is connected to the control device 31 and is operated when the user starts using the urine sugar meter 1.

  As the battery 30, for example, a button battery or the like incorporated in an electronic thermometer or the like is preferably used.

  Next, the determination principle by the urine sugar meter 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

4A to 4C show a case where the light emitted from the light emitting LED 14 is irradiated on the proximal end of the glass fiber G. FIG. The refractive index of the glass fiber G is _ng .

In FIG. 4A, the glass fiber G is placed in the air, and nothing is attached to the surface of the glass fiber G. At this time, since the refractive index n _g of the glass fiber G is larger than the refractive index n _a of the air, the light emitted to the proximal end of the glass fiber G is the interior of the glass fiber G curved while being totally reflected move on.

FIG. 4B shows the case where urine not containing sugar adheres to the surface of the glass fiber G. FIG. 4C shows a case where urine containing sugar adheres to the surface of the glass fiber G. The refractive index n _{0T of} urine containing sugar is larger than the refractive index n _{0F of} urine not containing sugar. The refractive index n _{0T of} urine varies depending on the sugar concentration, and the refractive index increases as the concentration increases.

  On the other hand, when the curvature of the glass fiber G increases (becomes tight), light traveling inside tends to exit from the surface of the glass fiber G to the outside as compared with a case where the curvature is small. By setting the curvature of the glass fiber G, if urine having a sugar concentration of a predetermined value or more adheres to the surface of the glass fiber G, the total reflection condition can be removed.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, the curvature of each glass fiber 11-13 is set as follows. The curvature of the portion where the bending of the third glass fiber 13 is the tightest satisfies the total reflection condition when urine having a sugar concentration of 50 mg / dl or less adheres to the surface, and does not satisfy the total reflection condition otherwise. It is set as follows. If the concentration of sugar contained in urine is 50 mg / dl or less, it is generally at a level that does not pose a health problem. If this urine adheres to the surface of the first glass fiber 11, the total reflection condition is satisfied. Thus, the light reaches the tip of the first glass fiber 11.

  The curvature of the portion where the bending of the second glass fiber 12 is the tightest satisfies the total reflection condition when the sugar concentration is higher than 50 mg / dl and urine of 100 mg / dl or less adheres to the surface. When higher than dl, the total reflection condition is not satisfied. If the concentration of sugar contained in urine is higher than 50 mg / dl and not more than 100 mg / dl, it is a level that requires attention for health.

  The curvature of the first glass fiber 11 is set so that the total reflection condition is satisfied when the sugar concentration is 100 mg / dl or less and the total reflection condition is not satisfied when urine higher than 100 mg / dl adheres to the surface. Yes. If the concentration of sugar contained in urine is higher than 100 mg / dl, it is a level that requires examination or treatment.

  Then, the control device 31 operates as follows. That is, the control device 31 operates in accordance with a predetermined program built in advance. First, when it is detected that the switch 29 is pressed, power is supplied to the light irradiation LED 14 to emit light. Further, the output signals of the first to third light receiving elements 21 to 23 are received, the degree of sugar contained in the urine is determined based on these signals, and it is determined which of the blue LED 24, the yellow LED 25, and the red LED 26 is lit. To do.

  Specifically, when light is detected by the third light receiving element 23, the concentration of sugar contained in urine is 50 mg / dl or less, which is a level that does not cause health problems. Is lit to notify the user. This is the first notification method of the present invention.

  When light is not detected by the third light receiving element 23 and light is detected by the second light receiving element 22, the concentration of sugar contained in urine is higher than 50 mg / dl and not higher than 100 mg / dl. Therefore, the control device 31 lights the yellow LED 25 to notify the user. This is the second notification method of the present invention.

  When the first to third light receiving elements 21 to 23 are not detected by light, the concentration of sugar contained in the urine is higher than 100 mg / dl, which means that the examination and treatment are required. The device 31 notifies the user by turning on the red LED 26. This is the third notification method of the present invention.

  When the LEDs 31 to 26 are turned on, the control device 31 sounds the buzzer 28 as a signal to end the determination. In addition, since the output signals of the first to third light receiving elements 21 to 23 change as soon as urine adheres to the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13, the time required for notification after applying urine is as follows: A short time of 5 to 10 seconds is sufficient. The blue LED 24, the yellow LED 25, the red LED 26, and the control device 31 constitute the notification means of the present invention.

  Next, the case where the urine sugar meter 1 configured as described above is used will be described. The user presses the switch 29 and then puts urine into the urinalysis opening 33 of the housing 10. Urine adheres to the curved portions of the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13. At this time, if the sugar concentration in the urine is 50 mg / dl or less, the blue LED 24 is turned on, and it can be seen that the user is not worried about diabetes. Further, when the concentration of sugar contained in urine is higher than 50 mg / dl and lower than 100 mg / dl, the yellow LED 25 is turned on, and it can be seen that the user needs attention. Further, when the concentration of sugar contained in urine is 100 mg / dl or more, the red LED 26 is turned on, and it is understood that the user needs an examination.

  After use, the urinalysis opening 33 may be washed with water. Since the portion where urine is applied is made of glass, it does not deteriorate and does not require replacement. When the battery 30 is exhausted, it can be replaced, and can be used any number of times at low cost.

  As described above, since the determination result about the degree of sugar contained in the urine is notified by turning on the blue LED 24, the yellow LED 25, and the red LED 26, even if it is an elderly person, his or her own There is an advantage that it is easy to grasp the health condition.

  As described above, according to the urine sugar meter 1 according to the first embodiment, light is applied to the proximal ends of the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 where urine adheres to the surface, and the first to first The light that has passed through the three glass fibers 11 to 13 is detected, whereby the degree of sugar contained in the urine is determined, and the determination result is reported. Therefore, the degree of sugar contained in urine can be determined without using a conventional urine sugar sensor, which is an expensive consumable item. Further, since the degree of sugar contained in urine is determined by detecting light, the determination time can be shortened compared to the case where a test reagent is used. Thereby, it is possible to easily and inexpensively determine the degree of sugar contained in urine and notify the determination result to the user.

  Further, the first to third glass fibers 11 to 13 have an advantage that they do not have an expiration date like a test reagent and are not affected by humidity.

  Moreover, it is preferable to make urine adhere to the wide range of the 1st-3rd glass fibers 11-13. Thereby, when the protein is contained in urine, it can reduce that a protein exerts influence on determination of the grade of the sugar contained in urine.

  Further, the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting LED 14 is preferably in a wavelength region that transmits the protein.

  In addition, the influence of the protein can be suppressed by simultaneously examining the rotation of light caused by the sugar contained in urine.

  In addition, since the urine sugar meter 1 can notify the degree of sugar contained in urine by color instead of numerical values as described above, even an elderly person with poor eyes can easily understand and grasp his / her health condition. Can be used as a health monitor. Furthermore, since the urine sugar meter 1 does not notify the amount of sugar contained in urine with specific numerical values, it does not fall under the category of highly managed medical equipment or specially managed medical equipment. Can be sold at pharmacies and general supermarkets that do not have Thereby, it can be widely spread to general households.

  The urine sugar meter 1 is easy to handle because it only needs to be washed with water after use, and it can be used for a long time by replacing the battery 30.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 shows a schematic structure of a main part of the urine sugar meter 1 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a prism (light transmission member) 40 is provided instead of the glass fiber. Hereinafter, a different part from Embodiment 1 is demonstrated in detail.

  The light emitting surface 40 a of the prism 40 is irradiated with light emitted from the light emitting LED 14. The light passes through the prism 40. The urine attachment surface 40b opposite to the light irradiation surface 40a of the prism 40 is disposed so as to coincide with the urinalysis opening 33 of the housing 10 and faces the outside.

  When urine having a sugar concentration of 50 mg / dl or less adheres to the urine attachment surface 40b, light is emitted toward the first light receiving element 21 due to the influence of the refractive index. Further, when urine with a sugar concentration higher than 50 mg / dl and less than or equal to 100 mg / dl adheres to the urine attachment surface 40 b, the light is emitted toward the second light receiving element 22. In addition, when urine having a sugar concentration higher than 100 mg / dl adheres to the urine attachment surface 40 b, light is emitted toward the third light receiving element 23.

  When light is detected by the first light receiving element 21, the control device 31 turns on the blue LED 24, and when light is not detected by the first light receiving element 21 but light is detected by the second light receiving element 22. In this case, the yellow LED 25 is turned on, and if no light is detected by the first and second light receiving elements 21 and 22 and light is detected by the third light receiving element 23, the red LED 26 is turned on.

  As described above, according to the urine sugar meter 1 according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the degree of sugar contained in the urine can be determined without using an expensive urine sugar sensor. This eliminates the need to replace the urine sugar sensor. Further, since the degree of sugar contained in urine is determined by detecting light, the determination time can be shortened compared to the case where a test reagent is used. Thereby, it is possible to easily and inexpensively determine the degree of sugar contained in urine and notify the determination result to the user.

  The blue LED 24, the yellow LED 25, and the red LED 26 are examples, and the colors may be changed. The yellow LED 25 may be an orange LED, and the blue LED 24 may be a green LED. Moreover, you may provide another light emitting element instead of the blue LED24, yellow LED25, and red LED26.

  The battery 30 may be a rechargeable battery.

  As described above, the urine sugar meter according to the present invention can be used, for example, when determining the degree of sugar contained in urine in a general household.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Urine sugar meter 10 Housing 11-13 The 1st-3rd glass fiber (light transmissive member)
14 LED for light irradiation (light irradiation part)
21-23 First to third light-receiving elements (light detection units)
29 Switch 24 Blue LED
25 Yellow LED
26 Red LED
28 Buzzer 30 Battery 31 Control device 33 Urine analysis opening 34 Lid 40 Prism (light transmitting member)

Claims (5)

In a urine sugar meter configured to determine the degree of sugar contained in urine and inform the user of the determination result,
A light transmissive member made of a material that transmits light and arranged so that urine adheres to the surface;
A light irradiator for irradiating the light transmitting member with light;
A light detection unit that detects light that is irradiated to the light transmission member by the light irradiation unit and passes through the light transmission member;
A urine sugar meter comprising: a notification unit that determines the degree of sugar contained in urine based on the output of the light detection unit and notifies the determination result. The urine sugar meter according to claim 1,
A urine sugar meter, wherein the light transmitting member is made of glass fiber. The urine sugar meter according to claim 1,
A urine sugar meter, wherein the light transmitting member is constituted by a prism. In the urine sugar meter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The notification means notifies the first notification method when the amount of sugar contained in the urine is equal to or less than the first amount, and the amount of sugar included in the urine is equal to or less than the second amount greater than the first amount. The urine is configured to be notified by the second notification method in the case of, and to notify by the third notification method when the amount of sugar contained in the urine is larger than the second amount. Sugar meter. In the urine sugar meter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A urine sugar meter characterized by being configured to be portable.

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