JP7461646B2 - Inspection Equipment - Google Patents

Description

This embodiment relates to a testing device for testing using a substance contained in a liquid.

Conventionally, testing devices that perform tests using substances contained in liquids such as body fluids and urine are widely known. Such testing devices use urine, for example, to test for the presence or absence of pregnancy, the pH of urine, and the sugar content in urine. The testing device generally has a collection section that collects the liquid, and a test strip that tests the liquid collected by the collection section. When the components contained in the liquid collected by the collection section reach the test strip, they chemically react with the substances contained in the test strip, displaying a visible marker that indicates the test result.

The test device has a rod-shaped main body, a collection section at one end of the main body, and a viewing section such as a window at a position corresponding to the mark on the test piece for viewing the mark. Therefore, the main body of the test device has an opening that serves as the viewing section (see Patent Document 1).

However, because conventional main units are not light-transmitting, it is difficult to confirm whether the liquid collected in the collection unit is being properly guided to the test strip. Furthermore, when urine or other liquid is used as the liquid, if the splashed liquid comes into direct contact with the test strip, it will lead to a decrease in the accuracy of the test results. For this reason, the main unit needs to be fitted with a transparent cover or the like in the position that corresponds to the visual confirmation unit. As a result, the main unit requires a separate part in the position that corresponds to the visual confirmation unit, which leads to problems of an increase in the number of parts and an increase in manufacturing man-hours.

JP 2002-20960 A

Therefore, the objective is to provide a testing device that allows the penetration of the liquid collected in the collection section and the markings on the test piece to be visually observed without increasing the number of parts or manufacturing steps.

In the test device of this embodiment, the visible portion and low-transmittance portion are seamlessly integrated with the main body using the same material. In other words, the main body of the test device is seamlessly integrated with the visible portion, which has high light transmittance and allows the markers on the test piece to be easily seen, and the low-transmittance portion, which has lower light transmittance than the visible portion, using the same material. Therefore, the progress of the penetration collected in the collection portion can be visually observed without increasing the number of parts or manufacturing steps.

In addition, in the test device of this embodiment, the main body has a relatively high transmittance in the visual confirmation section compared to the other low-transmittance section, and a relatively low transmittance in the low-transmittance section. Although the low-transmittance section has a lower transmittance than the visual confirmation section, it is set to a transmittance that allows the test piece and the liquid permeating the test piece to be visible from the collection section. As a result, sufficient visibility is ensured in the visual confirmation section, where it is desired to guide the user's gaze, while visibility is reduced in the low-transmittance section, where it is sufficient to confirm the permeation of the liquid. Therefore, the information required from the test device, i.e., the permeation of the liquid and a marker of the test result by the test piece, can be visually provided at a level according to the need.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a test device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a test device according to an embodiment; Schematic diagram of FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction of arrow III 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line VV in FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a test strip applied to a testing device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the vicinity of a visual confirmation portion in an inspection device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a lid portion is attached to a mounting portion in a testing device according to an embodiment;

Hereinafter, a test device according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the test instrument 10 includes a main body 11, a collection section 12, a test piece 13, a visualizing section 14, and a low-transmittance section 15. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a space 16 extending in the longitudinal direction inside. The longitudinal direction of the main body 11 is the axial direction of the main body 11. The space 16 formed by the main body 11 may penetrate the main body 11 in the axial direction, or may be formed halfway through the main body 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the main body 11 is a flat hexagonal cross section perpendicular to the axis. That is, the main body 11 has three pairs of sides in the hexagonal cross section, one pair of sides is set longer than the other two pairs of sides. In the case of this embodiment, the main body 11 is formed such that the surface 17 corresponding to the upper end and the lower end has one side longer than the other surface 18 in the thickness direction. The visualizing section 14 is provided on the surface 17 at the position corresponding to the upper end. In this way, by giving the main body 11 a flat hexagonal cross-sectional shape, it is ensured that it is as easy to hold as a writing instrument, and the user can intuitively grasp the top and bottom in the thickness direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the collection unit 12 is provided at one end of the main body 11 in the longitudinal direction, i.e., the axial direction. The collection unit 12 collects the liquid to be tested. The collection unit 12 is made of a highly absorbent material, such as nonwoven fabric, paper, or sponge. The collection unit 12 is inserted into the cylindrical main body 11. The liquid to be tested is collected by the collection unit 12, and the collected liquid permeates the collection unit 12.

The test piece 13 is accommodated in the space 16 of the main body 11. One longitudinal end of the test piece 13 is connected to the collection section 12. This allows the liquid collected by the collection section 12 to permeate the collection section 12 and reach the test piece 13. In the present embodiment, the collection section 12 and the test piece 13 are formed integrally. The test piece 13 may be formed separately from the collection section 12, and the collected liquid may permeate the test piece 13 by contacting the collection section 12.

The test strip 13 is impregnated with a substance that chemically reacts with a specific component contained in the liquid. The test strip 13 displays visible marks 21 and 22 as shown in FIG. 6 due to the reaction between the specific component contained in the liquid and the impregnated substance. Either or both of these marks 21 and 22 are displayed depending on the components contained in the liquid. In the present embodiment, the test strip 13 has a reaction display area 23 and an end display area 24. The reaction display area 23 displays whether or not a specific component is contained in the liquid collected by the collection unit 12. That is, when a specific component is contained in the liquid, this specific component reacts with the substance impregnated in the test strip 13. The reaction display area 23 displays the mark 21 when the liquid contains the specific component as a result of this reaction. The end display area 24 displays the mark 22 when the reaction between the specific component contained in the liquid collected by the collection unit 12 and the substance impregnated in the test strip 13 is completed. The reaction display area 23 is provided closer to the collection unit 12 than the end display area 24. In this embodiment, the reaction display area 23 is set to be longer than the end display area 24 in the width direction of the main body 11.

For example, when the test instrument 10 is used as a pregnancy test to test for the presence or absence of pregnancy, the test strip 13 is impregnated with a substance that reacts with hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), a specific component contained in urine. The substance contained in this test strip 13 is an antibody that reacts with hCG. When urine collected by the collection unit 12 penetrates the test strip 13, the antibody contained in the test strip 13 reacts with the hCG contained in the urine. When the urine contains hCG, the test strip 13 displays a mark 21 in the reaction display area 23 to determine whether the subject is pregnant. On the other hand, when the urine does not contain hCG, the test strip 13 does not display the mark 21 in the reaction display area 23. In addition, when the reaction between the urine and the antibody is completed, the test strip 13 displays a mark 22 in the end display area 24 to indicate that the test is completed, regardless of whether the urine contains hCG. Users who use pregnancy tests place more importance on the mark 21 in the reaction display area 23, which determines whether the subject is pregnant, than the mark 22 in the end display area 24. By setting the reaction display area 23 larger than the end display area 24 as in this embodiment, the user's gaze is more easily guided to the reaction display area 23. This makes it easier to see the mark 21 displayed in the reaction display area 23. It is preferable that the mark 21 and the mark 22 are displayed in an easily visible color, such as red, blue, purple, or black.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the visual recognition section 14 and the low transmission section 15 are seamlessly formed as one piece with the main body section 11 using the same material. For example, the main body section 11 is formed from a synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The visual recognition section 14 and the low transmission section 15 are seamlessly formed as one piece with the main body section 11 using the same material in the middle of the axial direction. The visual recognition section 14 is provided between the collection section 12 and the other end. The marks 21 and 22 on the test piece 13 are visible through the visual recognition section 14 as shown in Figure 7. The low transmission section 15 is provided in the main body section 11 between the collection section 12 and the visual recognition section 14. The low transmission section 15 is set to have a lower light transmittance than the visual recognition section 14. At the same time, the low transmission section 15 is set to have a light transmittance that allows the penetration of the liquid proceeding from the collection section 12 to the test piece 13 to be visually recognized.

As described above, when the test device 10 is used as a pregnancy test, urine is used as the liquid to be tested. In such a case, it is required that the flow of urine permeating from the collection section 12 to the test strip 13 is visually recognizable in order to confirm that the test is being performed reliably. On the other hand, since the target liquid is urine, it is preferable to avoid excessive visibility. Therefore, in the case of the test device 10 of this embodiment, the low-transmittance section 15 is set to a transmittance that allows the flow of liquid to be visually traced while lowering the relative visibility compared to the visible section 14. As a result, the test device 10 of this embodiment meets the conflicting demands of wanting to trace the permeation of the liquid but not needing clear visibility. In contrast, the visible section 14 has a sufficient transmittance to visually recognize the marks 21 and 22 of the test strip 13. In other words, the visible section 14 and the low-transmittance section 15 have relatively different visibility, and the visible section 14 is set to a relatively higher transmittance than the low-transmittance section 15. This allows the user to easily see the marks 21 and 22 on the test strip 13 through the viewing area 14, and allows the user to properly check the flow of urine penetrating the strip.

In this embodiment, the visible portion 14 and the low-transmittance portion 15 are integrally formed with the same material as the main body portion 11, but the thickness of the material constituting the main body portion 11 is different. That is, the visible portion 14 is set to be thinner in the plate thickness direction of the main body portion 11 than the low-transmittance portion 15. Also, the main body portion 11 is a recess that is recessed in the thickness direction of the main body portion 11 at a position corresponding to the visible portion 14. In this way, the main body portion 11 has the visible portion 14 in the thin part and the low-transmittance portion 15 in the thick part. The transmittance of the main body portion 11 naturally correlates with the thickness of the material. Therefore, the thin part of the main body portion 11 becomes the visible portion 14 with high visibility, and the thick part of the main body portion 11 becomes the low-transmittance portion 15. That is, the distance from the test piece 13 to the outer wall of the main body portion 11 is small in the visible portion 14 and large in the low-transmittance portion 15. Because the main body 11 has a recess 31 at a position corresponding to the viewing portion 14, the user's line of sight is easily guided to the viewing portion 14 of the recess 31. In addition, the recess 31 has a curved boundary, such as an oval or ellipse, when the main body 11 is viewed in plan. Therefore, the user's line of sight is easily guided to the viewing portion 14, which is made of the recess 31, which has a curved boundary that gives a soft impression.

In the present embodiment, the entire main body 11 may be made of a transparent material, and the portion corresponding to the low-transmittance portion 15 may be made translucent. In this case, it is preferable to make the low-transmittance portion 15 translucent by forming fine irregularities on the surface of the main body 11 or by applying a hairline finish. In other words, the low-transmittance portion 15 may be made frosted glass-like. Alternatively, the low-transmittance portion 15 may be made translucent by including fine bubbles or particles inside the main body 11. Note that the entire main body 11 may be made of a material with a relatively low transparency, and the visibility may be changed by changing the thickness between the visible portion 14 and the low-transmittance portion 15.

In addition to the above, the test instrument 10 of this embodiment may further include a lid portion 40 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The lid portion 40 can be attached to the main body portion 11 and detached from the main body portion 11. Before use of the test instrument 10, the lid portion 40 is provided on the side of the collection portion 12 as shown in FIG. 2 and covers the collection portion 12. As described above, the collection portion 12 is made of a material that is highly permeable to liquids, such as nonwoven fabric or paper, and has low strength. Therefore, the lid portion 40 covers the collection portion 12 to protect the collection portion 12 until the test instrument 10 is used. In addition, the lid portion 40 is detachable from the main body portion 11. The lid portion 40 detached from the main body portion 11 can be attached to the attachment portion 41 at the end of the main body portion 11 opposite the collection portion 12 as shown in FIG. 8. That is, the main body portion 11 has both ends in the axial direction, which is the longitudinal direction, set to have approximately the same shape. Therefore, the lid 40, which was attached to a position covering the collection unit 12 before use of the test device 10, is attached to the attachment unit 41 on the opposite side of the main body 11 when the test device 10 is used. This makes the main body 11 longer in overall axial length by integrating it with the lid 40. As a result, when urine is used as the liquid, such as in a pregnancy test, the increased overall length of the test device 10 reduces the amount of urine reaching the hand, improving usability.

In the embodiment described above, the visual recognition section 14 and the low transmittance section 15 are seamlessly integrated with the main body section 11 using the same material. That is, the main body section 11 of the testing instrument 10 is seamlessly integrated with the visual recognition section 14, which has high light transmittance and allows the marks 21 and 22 on the test piece 13 to be easily recognized, and the low transmittance section 15, which has lower light transmittance than the visual recognition section 14, using the same material. Therefore, the penetration of the liquid collected by the collection section 12 can be visually recognized without increasing the number of parts or manufacturing steps.

In addition, in the test device 10 of this embodiment, the main body 11 has a relatively high transmittance in the visual confirmation section 14 compared to the other section, the low-transmittance section 15, and a relatively low transmittance in the low-transmittance section 15. Although the low-transmittance section 15 has a lower transmittance than the visual confirmation section 14, it is set to a transmittance that allows the penetration of the liquid from the collection section 12 into the test piece 13 and the penetration of the liquid in the test piece 13 to be visually confirmed. As a result, sufficient visibility is ensured in the visual confirmation section 14, where it is desired to guide the user's gaze, while the visibility is reduced in the low-transmittance section 15, where the penetration of the liquid is sufficient to confirm it. Therefore, the information required from the test device 10, that is, the penetration of the liquid and the marks 21 and 22 of the test results by the test piece 13, can be visually provided at a level according to the need.

In one embodiment, the visible portion 14 and the low-transmittance portion 15 are formed by changing the thickness of the material that constitutes the main body portion 11. Therefore, the visible portion 14 and the low-transmittance portion 15 can be easily formed from the same material as the main body portion 11. Therefore, the structure can be simplified without increasing the number of parts or manufacturing steps.

In one embodiment, the low-transmittance portion 15 is treated to be semi-transparent, for example by forming fine irregularities on the surface of the main body portion 11. As a result, the low-transmittance portion 15 is formed, for example, during molding of the main body portion 11 or by simple processing after molding of the main body portion 11. Therefore, it is possible to ensure visibility in the visible portion 14 and relatively reduce visibility in the low-transmittance portion 15 at the same time, without increasing the number of parts or manufacturing steps.

In one embodiment, the test device 10 is provided with a lid 40. The lid 40 protects the collection unit 12 by covering it. This allows the collection unit 12, which has a relatively low strength, to be protected until testing. In addition, when using the test device 10, the lid 40 is attached to the attachment portion 41 at the end of the main body 11 opposite the collection unit 12, thereby increasing the overall length of the test device 10. This makes the test device 10 easier to handle. In particular, when the test device 10 is used for a pregnancy test that uses urine, the increased overall length reduces the amount of urine that splashes back into the hand of the user holding the test device 10. This therefore protects the collection unit 12 and improves usability.

In one embodiment, the viewing area 14 is a recess 31 provided in the main body 11. The boundary between the recess 31 and the main body 11 is set to a curved shape that gives a soft impression. Therefore, while ensuring visibility in the low-transmittance area 15, the user's gaze is naturally guided to the viewing area 14, which is of high importance. Therefore, while ensuring visibility of the flow of the liquid to be tested, it is possible to encourage a natural movement of the gaze to the viewing area 14, where the marks 21 and 22, which are the test results, are displayed.

In one embodiment, the reaction display area 23 and the end display area 24 on the test strip 13 are different in size. Although both the mark 21 and the mark 22 are necessary for judging the test, the more important reaction display area 23 is set larger. Therefore, the user's line of sight is guided to the mark 21 in the reaction display area 23, which is easier to see and has a higher level of importance. Therefore, the required information can be provided appropriately without providing a visual boundary between the reaction display area 23 and the end display area 24.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist of the invention.
That is, in the above embodiment, an example in which the test device 10 is applied to a pregnancy test drug has been described. However, the test device 10 of this embodiment can be applied to various test drugs using urine, such as ovulation date, urine pH, and sugar content in urine, by selecting a drug to be impregnated into the test strip 13. In addition, the test device 10 is not limited to an example in which urine is used as a liquid, but can be applied to an arbitrary biological liquid such as saliva or blood. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which a mark 21 is displayed in the reaction display area 23 and a mark 22 is displayed in the end display area 24 has been described using a pregnancy test drug as an example. However, when the test device 10 of this embodiment is applied to other test drugs, it may be configured to display two or more linear marks, and the test result and the end of the test may be displayed by the number, line width, and shade of the marks. In addition, the marks are not limited to linear shapes, and may be any shape, such as a circle, a polygon, or an X mark.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the testing device, 11 indicates the main body, 12 indicates the collection section, 13 indicates the test piece, 14 indicates the visual recognition section, 15 indicates the low-transmittance section, 16 indicates the space, 21 and 22 indicate the markers, 23 indicates the reaction display area, 24 indicates the end display area, 31 indicates the recess, and 40 indicates the lid.

Claims (9)

A test device for testing a substance contained in urine by applying urine thereto,
A cylindrical main body having an internal space;
a collection section provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the main body section, for collecting the urine by directly pouring the urine to be tested;
a test strip that is housed in the main body, one end of which contacts the collection section, and which displays a visible marker by chemical reaction between an impregnated substance and a specific component contained in the urine ;
a visual recognition section that is seamlessly and integrally made of the same material as the main body section and is provided between the collection section and the other end of the main body section, for visually recognizing the mark displayed by the test piece;
a low-transmittance section which is made of the same material as the main body section and is seamlessly integrated with the visualization section, and is provided in the main body section between the collection section and the visualization section, the low-transmittance section having a lower transmittance than the visualization section and a transmittance which allows visual recognition of the permeation of the urine from the collection section to the test strip;
Equipped with
The main body has a hexagonal cross section perpendicular to the axis,
A testing device in which one pair of sides out of three pairs of sides in the cross section is longer than the other two pairs of sides and extends in the width direction of the sampling portion . The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the visibility portion is set to be thinner in the plate thickness direction of the main body portion than the low-transmittance portion. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the low-transmittance portion is treated to be semi-transparent. The inspection device according to claim 3, wherein the low-transmittance portion has minute irregularities formed on the surface of the main body portion. The testing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a lid portion for covering the collection portion. The testing device according to claim 5, wherein the lid portion is detachable from the main body portion and can be attached to the end portion of the main body portion opposite the collection portion. The test instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the test piece is set such that the distance to the outer wall of the main body is small in the visible portion and the distance to the outer wall of the main body is large in the low-transmittance portion. The inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the visual recognition portion is a recess recessed from one end side to the other end side in the thickness direction of the main body portion. the test strip has a reaction indication area which indicates that a specific component is contained in the urine , and an end indication area which indicates that the test has ended;
The test instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the reaction indication area in the width direction of the main body portion is longer than the length of the end indication area.

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