JP3304586B2 - Toilet-mounted urine analysis unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Object of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a urine analysis unit capable of sampling urine excreted by an individual in a home, office, or other toilet and performing urine analysis on the spot. More specifically, the present invention relates to a toilet-mounted urine analysis unit that can be attached to a standard toilet. The invention also relates to a sub-assembly of such a urine analysis unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the longevity and aging of people, interest in health care is increasing. Urine is an important source of information about an individual's health.Quantitative analysis of urinary sugar, urine protein, urobilinogen, occult blood, and other urine components allows for pancreatic disorders such as diabetes, liver disorders, kidney disorders, and other functions. Disorders can be tested in a non-invasive manner.
Therefore, there has been proposed a toilet having a urine analysis function capable of performing sampling and analysis of urine using a toilet at home or at a workplace or the like to support an individual's health check.

For example, JP-A-59-217844, JP-A-63-18
No. 4057, JP-A-63-290961, JP-A-1-178866 and JP-A-4-191660, a urine collecting section is formed on the bowl surface of a Western-style toilet bowl, and urine excreted on the bowl surface is supplied to the urine collecting section. It has been proposed to collect and sample. The collected urine sample is analyzed by a liquid chromatography method, a test strip method, or a polarographic method (voltammetry method).

[0004] A drawback of these devices is that they require a special urinal which is capable of urine sampling and has a urine collecting section formed on the bowl surface. Such special toilets must be specially manufactured separately from the standard toilets, and therefore it is difficult to reduce the cost by mass production, so that they are too expensive to spread to ordinary households, workplaces and offices. Also, when modifying an existing toilet equipped with a normal bowl-shaped standard toilet, the existing toilet must be removed first, and then a special toilet dedicated to urine analysis must be installed. It requires enormous cost and trouble, and causes disposal of existing equipment. Further, after washing the toilet, the washing water remains in the urine collecting section on the bowl surface and dilutes new urine to be sampled, so that there is a possibility that a good sample cannot be sampled.
Further, since the urine collecting portion is formed on the bowl surface, the urine sample is contaminated with old urine and other excrement.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764, it is proposed to attach a urine sampling device to a toilet seat. For this reason,
An arm for supporting a cup-shaped urine collection container is pivotally attached to the toilet seat. In this sampling method, urine is sampled in the air in the bowl space of the toilet,
There is an advantage that urine analysis can be performed using a normal standard toilet without the need for a special toilet.

In this apparatus, a measuring part comprising a reaction liquid container, a pump and an absorptiometer is arranged on the side of the toilet seat, and urine sampled by a urine collecting device provided with the toilet seat is manually or automatically collected by a syringe. Is sent to the measuring unit and subjected to quantitative analysis of glucose. At the time of analysis, a reaction solution is mixed with a urine sample, the glucose concentration is measured by an absorptiometer, and the used reaction solution is discarded in a toilet.

[0007]

The problem with the analysis method of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764 is that a reaction solution containing glucose oxidase GHD (a solution obtained by adding an enzyme to a buffer solution) is used. The reaction solution to which the enzyme has been added is expensive, and this reaction solution is thrown away for each measurement, so that the running cost of the urine analyzer increases. In addition, since the reaction solution containing the enzyme must be stored in the refrigerator every time measurement is performed, the analysis operation becomes complicated.

Another problem with this method is that the toilet is not easy to use. That is, since the measuring section containing the reaction solution container and the absorptiometer is installed on the floor of the toilet, it hinders the cleaning and cleaning of the toilet and also hinders the normal use of the toilet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a urine analysis unit capable of performing urine analysis using a commercially available standard toilet and having a low running cost.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a urine analysis unit which can be easily attached to a standard toilet and which is easy to maintain and operate.

[0011] Still another object of the present invention is to perform urine analysis using a standard toilet, which is convenient and easy to use.
It is to provide a compact urine analysis unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a subassembly of such a urine analysis unit.

[0013]

Configuration of the Invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The urine analysis unit of the present invention has a housing, and the housing is provided between a bowl and a washing water supply unit by using a standard toilet (the above-mentioned urine collecting surface is mounted on the bowl surface). It is designed to be mounted on the upper surface of a normal toilet having no part formed thereon. In this housing, a toilet seat and a toilet lid are rotatably mounted, and a polarographic cell and a transport pump are housed therein.
The toilet lid is equipped with a carrier liquid tank containing a carrier liquid for transporting the urine sample to the polarographic cell. The urine analysis unit further has a urine sampling device, which is adapted to collect a sample of urine excreted in the bowl of the standard toilet bowl in the air in the bowl space. The urine sampling device is preferably mounted on a toilet seat.

The urine sample collected by the sampling device is sent by a transport pump to the polarographic cell together with the carrier liquid. The polarographic cell outputs an electric signal corresponding to the concentration of a predetermined component (eg, glucose) in the urine sample, and the arithmetic circuit calculates the glucose content based on the signal.

According to another feature of the present invention, the polarographic cell is adapted to detect glucose without using an enzyme-containing reaction solution or enzyme reagent. For this reason, an enzyme (eg, glucose oxidase) that reacts with glucose is supported on the working electrode of the polarographic cell, for example, in the form of an enzyme-immobilized membrane. When glucose in the urine sample comes into contact with the enzyme-immobilized membrane, the glucose is oxidized by the action of glucose oxidase, and the polarographic cell outputs an electric signal corresponding to the amount of the reaction product.

As described above, since the housing of the urine analyzing unit is mounted on the upper surface of the toilet bowl, and the urine sampling device samples urine in the air in the bowl space, the urine analyzing unit of the present invention comprises: It can be attached to a commercially available standard toilet, and urine analysis can be performed using the standard toilet. The working electrode of the polarographic cell carries an enzyme-immobilized membrane,
The running cost of urine analysis is reduced because expensive enzyme reagents are not consumed in urine analysis. Further, since the enzyme reagent and the enzyme-added reaction liquid are not used, refrigeration and management of the enzyme reagent are not required, and maintenance of the urine analysis unit is simplified.

Since the carrier liquid tank is attached to the toilet lid, a large tank capacity can be secured. Therefore, the frequency of carrier liquid replenishment can be minimized,
Maintenance can be further simplified. In a preferred embodiment, the carrier liquid tank has a carrier liquid inlet opening at the top of the toilet lid and closed by a cap, the inlet being located at the top of the tank with the toilet lid flipped up. Preferably, at least a portion of the carrier liquid tank is transparent. Since the carrier liquid tank rotates together with the toilet lid, when the toilet lid is flipped up, the carrier liquid tank assumes a substantially vertical posture, so that the remaining amount of the carrier liquid can be easily checked. Since the inlet of the carrier liquid tank is opened on the upper surface of the toilet lid, the cap can be removed with the toilet lid closed so that the carrier liquid can be replenished.

Since the carrier liquid tank is provided on the toilet lid as described above, it is sufficient to house only the polarographic cell and the transport pump in the housing, and the housing can be made small and compact. The housing can be mounted very easily on existing standard toilets.
Further, since the housing can be made compact and mounted on the upper surface of the toilet, it does not hinder normal use of the toilet, and does not hinder daily cleaning and cleaning of the toilet.

Also, the carrier liquid tank is arranged on the toilet lid,
Since only the polarographic cell and the transport pump are accommodated in the housing, the housing can accommodate a bidet device and the like, so that other functions can be added to the urine analyzing function toilet. Preferably, the housing has a central portion extending transversely to the toilet bowl and at least one side portion extending forward from an end of the central portion, wherein a bidet device is arranged in the central portion of the housing. , The polarographic cell and the transport pump are housed in a lateral part of the housing.

The above features and effects of the present invention, as well as other features and effects, will be described in more detail with reference to the following embodiments.

[0021]

FIG. 1 shows the urine analysis unit of the present invention attached to a standard toilet, FIG. 2 shows the urine analysis unit housing disassembled, and FIG. 3 shows the urine analysis unit toilet lid. Shows the disassembled carrier liquid tank,
FIG. 4 shows a disassembled toilet seat and urine sampling device of the urine analysis unit.

Referring to these drawings, the toilet 1
0 has a commercially available standard flush toilet 12 which is
Is mounted with the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention.
The urine analysis unit 14 can be attached to a vortex-type, siphon-type, siphon-jet-type, washdown-type, or other types of standard toilets. The standard toilet 12 has a normal bowl (toilet bowl) section 16 and a washing water supply section 18. In the embodiment shown, the cleaning water supply comprises a cistern mounting 18,
A conventional cistern 20 is mounted in a known manner. The urine analysis unit of the present invention can also be attached to a standard toilet bowl of a type in which flush water is supplied from a flush tube provided with a flush valve instead of a cistern.

The urine analysis unit 14 has a housing 22 fixed to the toilet bowl 12 and a toilet seat 24 rotatably mounted on the housing 22 as described later. In the illustrated embodiment, the toilet seat 24 incorporates a urine sampling device 26 adapted to sample urine in the air in the bowl space 16 to form one assembly 28 (hereinafter referred to as a toilet seat assembly). ing. However, the urine sampling device 26 may be mounted on the housing 22. A toilet lid 30 having a carrier liquid tank is mounted on the housing 22 so as to be openable and closable. A control unit 32 for controlling the urine analysis unit 14 and outputting an analysis result can be installed on a wall on the side of the toilet.

The housing 22 of the urine analysis unit 14
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it can be composed of a frame 34, an upper casing 36, and left and right lower casings 38 and 40. These components of the housing 22 can be manufactured by injection molding of a resin, and are integrally fastened to each other by screws or the like.
Form 2 As shown in FIG. 2, the standard toilet bowl 12
Between the bowl part 16 and the washing water supply part 18
A pair of toilet seat mounting holes 42 are provided, and the housing is mounted using these toilet seat mounting holes 42. For this reason, the frame 34 of the housing 22 is
As disclosed in the above publication, two T-bolts 44 are mounted on the lower surface of the frame 34 by fitting into T-grooves, these T-bolts are inserted into the toilet seat mounting holes 42, and the corresponding nuts 46 are fastened to form a bowl. Part 16 and systern mounting part 1
8 and is fixed to the upper surface 48 of the toilet 12.

As can be clearly seen from FIG.
Has a central portion extending transversely to the toilet bowl 12 and side portions extending forward from both ends of the central portion, respectively. The upper casing 36 also has a shape corresponding to the frame 34. Accordingly, the frame 34, the upper casing 36, and the left and right lower casings 38 and 40 cooperate with each other to form the central portion 22C and the left portion 22L of the housing.
And a right side portion 22R (FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, a measuring unit 50 for analyzing a urine sample sampled by the toilet seat assembly 28 is provided on the left side portion 22L of the housing.
, An electric syringe pump 52 that transports a urine sample or a carrier liquid to the measurement unit 50, and a calibration liquid tank 54. A finger sphygmomanometer unit 56 may be disposed on the left side portion 22L of the housing, and the blood pressure may be measured by engaging the finger sphygmomanometer unit 56 with the left second finger of the subject. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing central portion 22C includes a conventional bidet device 60 with a cleaning nozzle 58,
A conventional hot air drying device 62 and a conventional deodorizing device 64 composed of an ozonizer are arranged.
Each function is provided when the toilet 10 provided with 4 is used for normal purposes. However, these additional functions are not essential and can be omitted. The unit 14 is located on the right side 22R of the housing.
The power supply device 66 and the operation panel 68 of the bidet device can be accommodated.

The toilet seat 24 and the toilet lid 30 can be rotatably mounted on the housing 22 by using an arbitrary hinge, and preferably use a pair of retainer blocks 70 disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. Hei 5-19341. As shown in FIG. 3, they are mounted by engaging their hinges with the mounting portion 72 of the upper casing 36 of the housing 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, a carrier liquid tank 74 is attached to the toilet lid 30 with screws or the like, forming a toilet lid assembly 76. In the tank 74, a carrier liquid for transporting the urine sample to the measurement unit 50 is stored. The carrier liquid is mainly composed of distilled water, and is a pH adjuster such as KH ₂ PO ₄ or Na ₂ HPO ₄ necessary for stable operation of a polarographic cell of the measuring unit 50 described later, or a chlorine adjuster such as KCl. An ionic strength regulator and a preservative can be added.

The carrier liquid tank 74 has a substantially flat shape that fits on the back side of the toilet lid 30, and is formed by plastic blow molding or the like. To facilitate checking the remaining amount of the carrier liquid in the tank 74, the tank 74 is formed of a substantially transparent material. Alternatively, at least one part of the tank 74, for example, only the part of the scale 74A, may be made transparent. In the upper part of the tank 74, the liquid inlet 7
4B is formed, and the entrance 74B is opened to the upper surface of the toilet lid 30 through a metal fitting 74C attached to the toilet lid 30, and is closed by a removable cap 74D. When the toilet lid 30 is flipped up as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the carrier liquid tank 74 is in a vertical position, so that the remaining amount of the carrier liquid can be easily confirmed. When the toilet lid 30 is horizontal, the carrier liquid can be replenished by removing the cap 74D. The carrier liquid in the tank 74 is connected to the syringe pump 52 via a hose 74E.

The toilet seat assembly 28 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. As shown notched in FIG. 4, the toilet seat 24 is formed of an upper half 2 made of an impact-resistant resin or the like.
4A and the lower half body 24B can be formed by joining, for example, by ultrasonic welding, and an electric heater wire 77 for warming the toilet seat can be wired as needed.

The toilet seat 24 is preferably supported at four points on the upper surface of the rim 78 of the toilet bowl 12 in order to adapt to the firing distortion generated when firing the toilet bowl 12. For this reason, FIG.
As shown by a broken line in FIG. 7, two cushioned legs 80 can be provided on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24. At the other two points, the toilet seat 24 can be supported by two legs 84 provided on the urine collection case 82 described later.
As can be clearly seen from FIG. 9, the presence of the legs 80 or 84 provides an annular gap between the upper surface 86 of the toilet bowl rim 78 and the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 with a height of about 1.5 to 2 cm. You. By effectively utilizing a part of the annular gap, a part of the urine sampling device 26 can be stored.
4 and 9, the lower surface of the toilet seat 24 is formed with recesses 90 and 92 which open downward, and a part of the urine sampling device 26 is further housed in these recesses as described later. Is done.

The urine sampling device 26 collects a urine sample excreted in the bowl 16 of the toilet bowl 12 in the air in the bowl space by using a urine collection container, and after sampling, stores the urine collection container in the storage position below the toilet seat 24. The urine collection container is configured to be automatically cleaned. An example of an embodiment of the urine sampling device 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the illustrated embodiment, the urine sampling device 26 includes a swing arm 94 having a substantially crank shape, an elongated urine collection container 96 detachably attached to a free end of the swing arm, and a driving unit 98 for driving the swing arm 94. And a urine collection unit case 82. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the swing arm 94 can be constituted by a central elbow 100, an end elbow 102, a pipe 104 connecting the both, and a spindle 106.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the urine collection container 96 has an elongated upper opening 108 and a gutter-shaped recess 110.
, And a large-diameter base 114, and can be attached to the end elbow 102 with an O-ring 116 in a liquid-tight and detachable manner. The recess 110 of the main body is inclined toward the base 114 so that the recess 11
The urine that has fallen into the space 0 accumulates in the urine pool 118 formed by the base 114 and the elbow 102. By covering the outer periphery of the main body 112 with a wire mesh 120 or the like, it is possible to prevent the urine excreted from the subject from colliding with the urine collection container 96 and scattered around, and to be able to effectively collect a urine sample. preferable. Urine pool 1
The urine accumulated in 18 is supplied to the measurement unit 50 in the housing 22 by the suction and the pumping action of the syringe pump 52 through the internal passage of the elbow 102 and the flexible tube 122 extending inside the swing arm 94 and its spindle 106. Sent. Since only urine containing no air bubbles is sucked and sent to the measurement unit, the elbow 102 has a urine pool 11
It is preferable to provide an L-shaped tube 124 that opens at the bottom of the tube 8. In addition, in order to detect that a sufficient amount of urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118, a pair of electrodes 1 vertically separated from each other is detected.
26 and 128 can be provided on the elbow 102. These electrodes are connected to the side housing 2 via the lead wire 130.
It can be connected to the control circuit of the measurement unit 50 arranged in 2L.

Briefly, in the illustrated embodiment,
As can be clearly understood from FIG. 9, the drive unit 98 for driving the swing arm 94 provides the swing arm 94 with a rotational motion and a translational motion to move the urine collection container 96 from the storage position below the front of the toilet seat into the bowl space. To various different urine collection locations (and vice versa). However, the urine collection container 96 may be moved only by the rotation of the swing arm 94.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the drive section 98 is stored in a urine collection section case 82 suitably fixed to the lower surface of the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like. Drive unit 9
8 is a slider 13 slidably mounted on a case 82.
The slider 132 is guided by a pair of guides 134 fixed to the urine collection case 82 so as to slide substantially parallel to the long axis of the toilet 12. A rack 136 is fixed to the slider 132.
A pinion 140 of an output shaft of a stepping motor 138 with a reduction gear fixed to the case 82 is engaged with 36. Therefore, if the motor 138 is rotated in either direction, the slider 132 performs a translational movement back and forth.
The motor 138 is controlled by a control circuit (described later) in the side housing 22L.

The swing arm 94 is rotatable, and
Slider 13 to move with slider 132
It is supported by two. Therefore, as can be clearly understood from FIG. 6, the slider 132 has a pair of trunnion bearings 14 attached thereto.
2 is provided, and the spindle 10 of the swing arm 94 is provided.
6 is supported. A shaft hole is formed in the spindle 106, and a flexible tube 122 and a lead wire 130 are passed through the shaft hole.

The driving section 98 further includes a swing arm 94.
And a lever / cam mechanism 144 for controlling the rotation angle position of the urine collecting container 96 when the slider 132 is displaced back and forth by the motor 138. That is, as can be clearly seen from FIG. 6, a lever 146 is fitted to the spindle 106 of the swing arm 94 between the two bearings 142 so as to rotate integrally with the spindle 106, and a cam follower in the form of a roller is provided at the tip of the lever 146. 148 are supported. The cam follower 148 cooperates with a cam plate 150 appropriately fixed to the urine collection case 82 with screws or the like.
50 has two stepped horizontal cam surfaces 152 and 15
4 and an inclined cam surface 156 are formed. One end of a return coil spring 158 is fixed to the spindle 106 of the swing arm 94, and the other end of the spring is fixed to a bearing 142. The preload of the return spring 158 is set so as to urge the swing arm 94 to rotate clockwise in FIG.

The urine collection case 82 to which the swing arm 94 of the urine sampling device 26 and its driving portion 98 are mounted is firmly fixed to the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like, thereby forming the urine sampling device built-in toilet seat assembly 28. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, a recess 90 having a shape corresponding to the drive unit 98 is formed in advance on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24.
38, pinion 140, cam plate 150, lever 1
46, the cam follower 148 is partially stored in the recess 90. Since the components of the urine sampling device 26 are accommodated by effectively utilizing the space in the toilet seat 24, the toilet seat assembly can be made compact.

Next, the operation of the urine sampling device 26 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 9. When the urine sampling device 26 is not in use, the slider 132 is in the forward position and the cam follower 1 is not in use.
48 is engaged with the first horizontal cam surface 152 of the cam plate 150. Therefore, the swing arm 94 returns
The urine collecting container 96 is lifted up by the action of the spring 158, and the urine collecting container 96 is located below the toilet seat 24.
In the storage position (position A). In this state, the toilet seat assembly 28 can be opened and closed, and the toilet can be used for ordinary toilet purposes.

In sampling and analyzing urine, when a subject sits on the toilet seat 24 and presses a switch provided on the control unit 32, the motor 138 rotates and the slider / pinion mechanism 140/136 starts moving the slider 132 backward. First, the urine collection container 96 is pulled out horizontally backward from the storage position. The cam follower 148 is the cam plate 150
The lever 146 starts rotating the swing arm 94 (position B). As the cam follower 148 further rides on the inclined cam surface 156, the swing arm rotates while retreating, and the urine collection container 9
6 is displaced along the curved trajectory shown in FIG. When the motor 138 further rotates, the cam follower 148 comes into engagement with the second horizontal cam surface 154 of the cam plate 150 (position C). Thereafter, the posture of the swing arm 94 is maintained to the rear end position D. Translate. Generally, there is a gender difference in the urination direction. In the case of a man, the urinary column falls relatively forward, and in the case of a woman, it falls backward and there is an individual difference. Therefore, the control switch and the control circuit of the motor 138 automatically stop the urine collection container 96 between the positions B to C in the case of a man, and the positions C to D in the case of a woman.
It is preferable to make a configuration so that the subject can finely adjust the position as well as to stop between the positions. The subject can urinate toward the urine collection container 96 when the urine collection container 96 is brought to an appropriate position.

The urine that has fallen into the urine collection container 96 flows down along the trough-shaped recess 110 and accumulates in the urine reservoir 118. The urine sampled in this manner is suctioned by the syringe pump 52 provided in the housing 22 through the L-shaped tube 124 and the flexible tube 122, and the measurement unit 5
Transported to 0 and subjected to quantitative analysis. The aspiration of a urine sample can be performed automatically when it is detected from the signals from the electrodes 126 and 128 that urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 to the level of the electrode 126.

When the urine is sampled and conveyed to the measurement unit, the motor 138 is rotated in the direction in which the slider 132 is moved forward, and the urine collection container 96 is moved to the position B with the forward movement and upward rotation of the swing arm 94. Then, the urine collection container 96 returns to the storage position A by the translational movement of the swing arm, and stands by at this position. Urine collection container 9
6 is stored in a narrow space between the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 and the upper surface 86 of the toilet rim 78, as shown in FIG.

After the urine sampling, it is preferable to wash the urine collection container 96 that has become soiled with urine. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
It is preferable that the cleaning nozzle 162 be disposed facing the cleaning chamber 160 while forming 0. Cleaning nozzle 162
Can be supplied with pressure washing water from the cistern 20 via a hose 164 and an electromagnetic valve (described later). Alternatively, the hose 164 may be connected to a water supply valve of the bidet device 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the urine collection case 82 is provided with an openable / closable cover 166, and by closing the washing chamber 160 during washing, scattering of washing water can be prevented. This opening / closing cover 166 is provided with a suitable link (not shown).
When the urine collection container 96 moves in and out of the washing chamber 160, the cover 166 is connected to the lever / cam mechanism 144 through the cover 166.
Can be opened, and the cover 166 can be closed when the urine collection container 96 returns to the storage position in the washing room.
As can be clearly seen from FIG.
A recess 92 opening toward 66 is formed, and the opening / closing cover 166 performs an opening / closing motion using the space in the recess 92.

It is preferable that the used washing water is surely discharged into the bowl 16. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of drain gutters 168 extending rearward from the cleaning chamber 160 along the left and right rims 78 of the toilet bowl can be formed in the urine collection case 82. . These drain gutters 168 are inclined downward toward the rear as can be clearly seen from FIG. 9, and the rear ends of these drain gutters 168 communicate with inclined drain pipes 170 attached to the case 82. Therefore, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is in the horizontal position, the washing water injected from the washing nozzle 162 flows backward along the slope of the drain gutter 168 and is discharged from the drain pipe 170 into the bowl 16. Since the drain pipe 170 is inclined, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is flipped up,
Drops of washing water remaining in the drain gutter 168 fall from the drain pipe 170 into the bowl 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, a notch 172 is formed at the rear of the urine collecting case 82 so that the flexible tube 122, the lead wire and the washing water supply hose 164 from the swing arm 94 can be inserted. Adapter 174 is engaged. Because there is this adapter 174,
It is possible to simplify the arrangement of the piping and wiring between the urine sampling device 26 and the housing 22, and to prevent the piping and wiring from being damaged when the toilet seat assembly 28 is rotated.

Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12,
An example of the embodiment of the electric syringe pump 52 will be described.
In the illustrated embodiment, this electric syringe pump 5
2 functions as a main part of a transport system for transporting the urine sample collected by the urine sampling device 26 together with the carrier liquid to the measurement unit 50, and performs various functions described later necessary for urine analysis. I have. Also,
In the illustrated embodiment, the electric syringe pump 52 incorporates the electric rotary valve 202 to form one integrated module 200. However, the syringe pump 52 and the rotary valve 202 may be formed separately. Good.

The syringe pump 52 has a main body 206 in which a cylinder hole 204 is formed. A piston 210 having a seal ring 208 is slidably fitted in the cylinder hole 204, and a pump chamber having a variable volume is provided. 212 are formed. The piston 210 is driven reciprocally by a stepping motor 214. A lead screw 216 is connected to an output shaft of the motor 214, and a nut 218 is fitted to the lead screw. Piston 21
A pair of diametrically opposed detent pins 220 penetrate the 0 skirt, and the tips of these pins 220 are screwed into nuts 218. Detent pin 22
0 is a pair of axial slots 22 formed in the body 206
2 is engaged. Therefore, if the motor 214 is rotated in either direction, the piston 21 and the nut 218 are rotated together.
0 is driven up and down to suck the liquid into the pump chamber 212 or to send the liquid. The pump chamber 212 communicates with a central port 224 through which liquid enters and exits the rotary valve 202.

The rotary valve 202 has a disk-shaped rotor 228 which is driven to rotate by a stepping motor 226 with a reduction gear. The rotor 228 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical recess 230 formed in the head of the module 200. Mated. Lower surface and recess 2 of rotor 228
The bottom of 30 is flat and precision machined, and the rotor 2
28 is urged by the coil spring 232 against the bottom surface of the recess 230, so that the lower surface of the rotor 228 contacts the bottom surface of the recess 230 in a liquid-tight manner. The rotor 228 has a central port 234 aligned and opposed to the central port 224 of the syringe pump 52, and has an outer port 236 offset radially outward from the central port 234. And 2
36 are connected to each other by a horizontal internal passage 238.

The bottom surface of the recess 230 has, for example, six ports 2 equally spaced in the circumferential direction at the same radial offset distance as the outer port 236 of the rotor 228.
40A to 240F are open and these ports 2
40A to 240F are nipples 244A to 24F formed by internal passages 242A to 242F formed in the module head.
They are in communication with the 4th floor. These nipples 244A-
As described later with reference to FIG. 19, hoses and conduits extending from the components of the urine analysis unit 14 are connected to the 244F, respectively.

Since the rotary valve 202 has such a structure, driving the motor 226 causes the rotor 2 to rotate.
By rotating the rotor 228 until the 28 outer ports 236 are aligned with any of the ports 240A-240F,
The pump chamber 212 of the syringe pump 52 has a nipple 244
A to 244F. If the syringe pump 52 is operated in this position, the ports 240A to 240A
The liquid can be aspirated from any of the OFs or delivered to any of the ports.

Next, referring to FIGS. 13 to 18,
The measuring unit 50 will be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the measurement unit 50 is configured to quantitatively analyze urine glucose (glucose) in a urine sample by a polarographic cell having a glucose oxidase-immobilized membrane.
However, it may be configured to analyze urine protein, occult blood, and other urine components.

As shown in FIG. 13, the measuring unit 50
For example, a mounting board 250 fixed to the frame 34 of the housing 22, a socket member 252 appropriately fixed to the board by screws or the like, and the socket 252
Polarographs that are detachably and interchangeably fitted to
And a cell 254, and the mounting substrate 250
A circuit board 258 on which the control circuit 256 of the urine analysis unit 14 is mounted can be arranged on the back side of the device.

As can be clearly seen from the exploded view of FIG. 14, the polarographic cell 254 includes a substrate 260 made of plastic or the like and a ceramic substrate 262 carrying electrodes.
And a spacer 264 made of silicone rubber or the like and an upper plate 266 made of plastic or the like are integrally and liquid-tightly fastened to each other with screws or the like. The ceramic substrate 262 is made of, for example, alumina ceramic, and a working electrode 268 of platinum, a counter electrode 270 of platinum, and a reference electrode 272 of silver / silver chloride are formed by printing and firing a metal paste. Terminal 27 is connected to each electrode.
4 are formed, and these terminals 274 are connected to the upper plate 266.
Are provided in electrical contact with each other. An opening 278 is cut out in the area of the electrode in the spacer 264 so as to form an electrolytic chamber 280 as shown in FIG. A pair of nipples 282 communicating with the electrolysis chamber 280 are formed on the upper plate 266 to supply a urine sample and a carrier liquid to the electrolysis chamber.
An O-ring 284 is fitted around the outer periphery of the nipple 282. When the polarographic cell 254 is mounted on the socket member 252, the nipple 282 fits in the connection hole 286 of the socket member 252 in a liquid-tight manner, and the transfer tube The urine sample and the carrier liquid pass through the electrolysis chamber 280 via 288 and 290. The socket member 252 is also provided with a pin hole 292 that engages with the pin 276, and the three kinds of electrodes 268, 270, 27
2 are connected to the lead wires 294, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 16, the working electrode 26 of platinum
8 is a permselective membrane 296 made of a substance that selectively permeates hydrogen peroxide, such as albumin or cellulose acetate.
And glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilized membrane 29
8 and is coated. The GOD immobilization film 298 is made of GO
D (for example, SIGMA G7141) and albumin are dissolved in water at a ratio of 4: 1, and the solution is dropped on the permselective membrane 296 and then exposed to a glutaraldehyde atmosphere for about 30 minutes. Can be. When glucose in the urine sample in the electrolysis chamber 280 comes into contact with the GOD-immobilized membrane, GOD oxidizes glucose (C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ ) to form gluconolactone (C ₆ H ₁₀ O ₆ ) as follows. Generates hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ).

C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ + O ₂ → C ₆ H ₁₀ O ₆ + H ₂ O ₂ (1) When the generated H ₂ O ₂ passes through the permselective membrane 296 and reaches the working electrode 268 of platinum. By the action of platinum, H ₂ O ₂ is decomposed into water and oxygen while giving electrons to the working electrode 268. The presence of the permselective membrane 296 prevents interfering substances having a molecular weight greater than H ₂ O ₂ from reaching the working electrode 268.

As shown in FIG. 17, during the quantitative analysis of glucose in the urine sample, the potential of the working electrode 268 with respect to the reference electrode 272 becomes a positive constant value (for example, +0.6 V) by a potentiostat. Working electrode 268
The voltage applied between and the counter electrode 270 is variably controlled. The current flowing between the working electrode 268 and the counter electrode 270 changes according to the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, working electrode 2
The current flowing between the counter electrode 270 and the counter electrode 270 is controlled by the control circuit 256.
As a result, the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide can be detected, and the glucose concentration in the urine sample can be calculated based on the detected amount.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 32 and the control circuit 256. The control unit 32 installed on the toilet wall includes a programmed microcomputer 300, a plurality of operation switches 302, a liquid crystal display panel 304 for displaying instructions to a user and urine analysis results, and urine analysis results and data trends. And a flash memory 308 for storing urine analysis data. As the operation switch 302, a male urine analysis start switch 302a and a female start switch 302b can be separately provided, and when the male switch 302a is pressed, the urine collection container 96 is set to a predetermined male urine collection position ( For example, the urine collection container is automatically brought to the appropriate position between positions BC in FIG. 9) and the urine collection container is placed in the female urine collection position (appropriate position between CD and D) when the female switch 302b is pressed. Can be brought to you. Further, the operation switch 302 can be provided with fine adjustment switches 302c and 302d for finely moving the urine collection container 96 back and forth according to individual differences by manipulating the subject from a preset urine collection position for men or women. .

The control circuit 256 has a microcomputer 310 programmed to control the components of the urine analysis unit 14 as shown in the flow chart described later. Working electrode 268 and counter electrode 270 of polarographic cell 254
Is amplified by the amplifier circuit 312 and then input to the A / D conversion circuit of the microcomputer 310. The urine detection sensor 314 detects whether or not urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 of the urine collection container 96 by detecting the electric resistance of the gap between the urine detection electrodes 126 and 128 of the urine collection container 96. It is input to the A / D conversion circuit of the microcomputer 310. The microcomputer 310 includes a swing arm driving motor 138, a rotary valve driving motor 226, a piston driving motor 214,
Further, an electromagnetic valve 316 for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle 162 is driven. The microcomputers 300 and 310 are connected by a communication cable 318, and transmit data by serial communication via the transceivers 320 and 322.

Next, one mode of operation of the urine analysis unit 14 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 19 and the flowchart of FIG. The subject starts urine analysis switch 3
When the user presses 02a or 302b, the microcomputer 3
Reference numeral 10 rotates the swing arm drive motor 138 to move the urine collection container 96 to a preset urine collection position, and positions the urine collection container 96 at a desired position according to the fine adjustment switch 302c or 302d. When the positioning of the urine collection container is completed, the subject can urinate toward the urine collection container and start sampling urine. Urine pool 11 of urine collection container 96 based on a signal from urine detection sensor 314
When it is detected that urine has accumulated in the microcomputer 8, the microcomputer 310 drives the rotary valve drive motor 226 to rotate the rotor 22 until the center port 224 of the syringe pump 52 is aligned with the second port 240B of the rotary valve.
By rotating the pump 8, the pump chamber 212 of the syringe pump 52 is connected to the urine collection container 96. In this state, the microcomputer 310 drives the piston drive motor 214 of the syringe pump 52 to lower the piston 210, and for example, a urine sample of about 2 ml is supplied to the syringe pump 5
2 to suck.

Next, the syringe pump 52 is connected to the discharge line 324 (FIG. 19) by driving the rotary valve again and aligning the center port 224 with the third port 240C of the rotary valve. In this position, the piston drive motor 214 is driven to raise the piston of the syringe pump 52, and a part of the urine sample in the pump chamber is discharged to the bowl of the toilet 12 via the discharge line 324. As a result, air is evacuated from the pump chamber, so that bubbles are prevented from being sent to the polarographic cell 254 even if air is sucked into the pump chamber together with the urine sample.

Next, the rotary valve is driven again, the center port 224 is aligned with the first port 240A of the rotary valve, and the pump chamber 212 is connected to the polarographic cell 25.
Connect to 4. At this position, the piston of the syringe pump 52 is further raised, and about 10 to 20 μl of a urine sample is driven into the transfer tube 288. The pump chamber is connected to the discharge line 324 by driving the rotary valve again, and the excess urine in the pump chamber is discarded in the bowl by raising the piston to the top dead center.

When the urine sample has been driven, the pump chamber of the syringe pump 52 is washed with washing water. This is because the rotary valve is rotated and the syringe pump 52
After connecting the pump chamber to the cistern 20, the piston is lowered to draw the cistern wash water into the pump chamber, and then the rotary valve is driven to connect the pump chamber to the discharge line 324, This is done by raising Washing of the syringe pump can be performed one or more times.

Next, by rotating the rotary valve again and aligning the center port 224 of the syringe pump 52 with the fifth port 240E of the rotary valve, the syringe pump 52 is connected to the carrier liquid tank 74 via the hose 74E. . Next, the syringe pump 52 is operated, and the carrier liquid is supplied from the carrier liquid tank 74 to the pump chamber 2.
After sucking into the 12, the rotary valve is switched again, and the piston 210 is raised to inject the carrier liquid into the first port 240A. Thereby, about 10 to 20 μl of the urine sample previously injected into the transfer tube 288 is sent to the polarographic cell 254 while being mixed and diluted with the carrier liquid in the transfer tube 288, and the mixture passes through the cell while being passed through the cell. It is discharged from the transfer tube 290 into the toilet bowl. The injection rate of the carrier liquid can be chosen such that the urine sample is diluted at least about 30-fold before passing through the polarographic cell. The injection amount of the carrier liquid can be, for example, about 2 to 4 ml. With this amount, after the mixture of urine sample and carrier liquid has passed through the polarographic cell,
The transfer tube 288 and the polarographic cell 254 are again filled with fresh carrier liquid.

As the mixture of the urine sample and the carrier liquid passes through the polarographic cell 254, the working electrode 26
At the GOD-immobilized membrane 298 of No. 8, hydrogen peroxide is generated according to the urine glucose concentration in the mixture according to the above formula (1), and between the working electrode 268 and the counter electrode 270 of the polarographic cell as described above. Flows a current corresponding to the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated. This current is amplified by the amplifier circuit 312, input to the A / D conversion circuit of the microcomputer 310, and converted into a current value. The microcomputer 310 transmits the obtained current value data to the microcomputer 300 of the control unit 32 by serial communication. The microcomputer 300 calculates the urine sugar value based on the current value data, and displays it on the display panel 304.
The urine sugar value data is also stored in the flash memory 308. The microcomputer 300 can calculate the trend of the urine sugar value according to the instruction of the subject, and can output the trend from the printer unit 306.

When the urine analysis or urine sampling is completed, the microcomputer 310 drives the swing arm drive motor 138 to move the urine collection container 96 to the storage position A (FIG. 9).
To return to. Next, the electromagnetic valve 316 is opened and the urine collection container 9 is supplied by supplying pressure cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle 162.
6 is washed.

As the urine analysis is repeated, the glucose oxidase activity of the enzyme-immobilized membrane 298 of the polarographic cell 254 may gradually decrease, and the output of the cell may decrease over time. Therefore, it is preferable to periodically calibrate the cell output. For this purpose, a glucose standard solution (calibration solution) of a given known concentration is stored in the calibration solution tank 54, and this calibration solution is sent to the cell instead of the urine sample, and the cell output for the glucose standard solution is adjusted. The urine sugar level can be calculated by periodically measuring and correcting the cell output at the time of urine analysis based on the cell output for the glucose standard solution in the actual urine analysis. Once the polarographic cell 254 has been used for a predetermined lifetime, the old cell 254 can be removed from the socket 252 and easily replaced with a new cell.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made. For example, the drive unit 98 of the urine sampling device 26 may be provided on the side portion 22R or 22L of the housing, and the swing arm 94 may be extended into the bowl 16. Alternatively, the central part 22 of the housing
It is also possible to arrange a telescopic drive unit in C and move the urine collection container into and out of the bowl. In addition, although the working electrode of the polarographic cell 254 has a glucose oxidase-immobilized membrane and the polarographic cell has been described as detecting glucose, the polarographic cell may be configured to measure urine components other than urine glucose. it can. Further, instead of the syringe pump 52, a rotary pump or another urine transport device can be employed. Further, the control unit of the urine analysis unit 14 has been described as including the control unit 32 installed on the wall and the control circuit 256 arranged in the housing 22, but these can be combined into one.

[0068]

As described above, the housing 22 of the urine analysis unit 14 according to the present invention is adapted to be mounted on the upper surface of the toilet bowl, and the urine sampling device 26 is configured to collect urine in the air in the bowl 16 space. Since sampling is performed, the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention can be mounted on a standard toilet, and can enjoy the advantage that urine analysis can be performed using the standard toilet. Moreover, the urine analysis is performed by the polarographic cell 254 provided with the enzyme-immobilized membrane 298, and therefore, the urine analysis does not consume an expensive enzyme reagent, so that the running cost of the urine analysis can be reduced. Further, since no enzyme reagent is used, refrigeration and management of the enzyme reagent are not required, and operation and maintenance of the urine analysis unit are facilitated.

Further, in the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention, the carrier liquid (buffer solution) tank 74 is attached to the toilet lid 30, so that a large tank capacity can be secured. Therefore, the frequency of carrier liquid replenishment can be minimized, and maintenance can be further simplified.

In another aspect, since the carrier liquid tank 74 is provided on the toilet lid 30 in this manner, the housing 22
Need only accommodate the polarographic cell 254 and the transport pump 52. Therefore, the housing 22 can be made small and compact. Since the housing 22 is mounted on the upper surface of the toilet, the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention can be extremely easily attached to an existing standard toilet, and the urine analysis unit 14 can be used to remove a toilet made of a standard toilet. It can be easily converted to a toilet with an analysis function. Also, since the housing 22 is mounted on the toilet at the back of the bowl, there is no hindrance to normal use of the toilet, and the floor of the toilet is opened, so that daily cleaning and cleaning of the toilet can be performed. Do not get in the way. Therefore, the toilet provided with the urine analysis unit of the present invention is convenient.

The carrier liquid tank 74 rotates together with the toilet lid 30, so that when the toilet lid is flipped up, the carrier liquid tank assumes a substantially vertical posture. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when a portion of the carrier liquid tank 74 is made substantially transparent, the remaining amount of the tank can be easily confirmed.

When the urine sampling device 26 is mounted on the toilet seat according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the urine analysis unit 14 can be easily mounted on the toilet.

In another aspect, since the carrier liquid tank 74 is provided on the toilet lid 30 and the housing 22 accommodates only the polarographic cell 254 and the transport pump 52, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided. Accordingly, the housing can accommodate the bidet device 60 and the like. In that case, other functions can be further added to the urine analyzing function toilet, and a comfortable and convenient toilet can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state where a urine analysis unit of the present invention is attached to a standard toilet.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a housing of the urine analysis unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly of a urine analysis unit shown in FIG. 1 and a toilet lid and a carrier liquid tank.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the toilet seat assembly of the urine analysis unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the urine sampling device of the toilet seat assembly, in which the toilet seat, the cam plate, and the opening / closing cover have been removed, the toilet seat is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the toilet bowl is indicated by a three-dot chain line. It is.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a part of a swing arm driving part, in which one part is cut away.

FIG. 7 shows a top view of a urine collection container mounted on a swing arm.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the line IX-IX of FIG. 5, showing the swing arm and the urine collection container at various different positions.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a syringe pump with a rotary valve.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG. 11 and shows a state where a rotor is removed.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the measurement unit with a notch.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a polarographic cell.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the polarographic cell taken along the line XV-XV in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a working electrode taken along line XVI-XVI in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a wiring diagram showing a state where a potentiostat and an amplifier circuit are connected to electrodes of a polarographic cell.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a control unit and a control circuit.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a transport system of the urine analysis unit.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the urine analysis unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12: standard toilet 14: urine analysis unit 16: toilet bowl 18: toilet flush water supply unit 22: urine analysis unit housing 24: toilet seat 26: urine sampling device 30: toilet lid 52: transport pump (syringe pump) 74: Carrier liquid tank 74A: Remaining amount confirmation means (scale) 76: Toilet lid assembly 254: Polarographic cell 268: Working electrode of polarographic cell 298: Enzyme-immobilized membrane 300/310: Arithmetic means

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Naoki Sato 2-1-1, Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A 5-30764 (JP, U) JP-A 63-187055 (JP, U) JP-A-1-179265 (JP, U) JP-A-2-99340 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 27/416 A47K 13/00 E03D 9/00 G01N 1/10 G01N 33/493

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing adapted to be mounted on an upper surface of a standard toilet between a bowl and a flush water supply unit; a toilet seat and a toilet lid rotatably mounted on the housing; A urine sampling means for collecting a urine sample excreted in the bowl in the air in the bowl space; and a working electrode carrying an enzyme for reacting a predetermined component in the urine sample, the amount corresponding to the amount of reaction product generated. A polarographic cell that outputs an electrical signal; a carrier liquid tank that stores a carrier liquid for transporting a urine sample to the polarographic cell; and a transport that includes a pump that transports the urine sample and the carrier liquid to the polarographic cell. Means for calculating the content of the component in the urine sample based on the output signal of the polarographic cell. The urine analysis unit according to claim 1, wherein the carrier liquid tank is mounted on the toilet lid, and the polarographic cell and the transport pump are stored in the housing. 2. The urine according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the carrier liquid tank is substantially transparent so that the remaining amount of the carrier liquid can be confirmed when the toilet lid is flipped up. Analysis unit. 3. The urine analysis unit according to claim 1, wherein said urine sampling means is mounted on said toilet seat. 4. The housing includes a central portion extending transversely to the toilet bowl and at least one side portion extending forward from an end of the central portion, wherein the central portion of the housing includes a bidet. 4. A urine analysis unit according to claim 1, wherein an apparatus is arranged and said polarographic cell and transport pump are housed in said lateral part of the housing. 5. A housing adapted to be mounted on an upper surface of a standard toilet between a bowl and a flush water supply unit; a toilet seat and a toilet lid rotatably mounted on the housing; and the toilet seat. A urine sampling means mounted on the toilet and collecting a urine sample excreted in the bowl of the toilet bowl in the air in the bowl space; and a working electrode housed in the housing and carrying an enzyme for reacting a predetermined component in the urine sample. Polarograph that outputs an electric signal according to the amount of reaction product generated.
A cell, a carrier liquid tank mounted on the toilet lid and containing a carrier liquid for transporting a urine sample to the polarographic cell, and a transport pump stored in the housing, the urine sample and the carrier liquid A urine analysis unit comprising: transport means for transporting to the polarographic cell; and arithmetic means for calculating the content of the component in the urine sample based on the output signal of the polarographic cell. 6. A substantially flat carrier liquid tank provided with a remaining amount checking means is incorporated in a toilet lid which can be opened and closed, and the carrier liquid is supplied to a polarographic urine analyzer provided in the toilet. A toilet lid assembly characterized by the following. 7. The carrier liquid tank is disposed on the back side of the toilet lid, and the tank has a closable carrier liquid inlet opening to the upper surface of the toilet lid, and the inlet is provided with the tank lid in a posture in which the toilet lid is flipped up. 7. The toilet lid assembly according to claim 6, which is located at the top.