JPH07234217A - Urine sampling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a urine sampling device by which urine is surely sampled while using an easily storable urine sampling container with a small dimension in sampling of urine by using a standard type toilet bowl CONSTITUTION:A urine sampling device is provided with a urine sampling container 96 moving in a space inside a bowl, and the urine sampling container 96 is provided with a small urine sump 118 and a urine collecting conduit 110 slanting toward the urine sump 118. In the urine sampling container 96, a urine detecting sensor consisting of a pair of electrodes 126, 128 separated from each other in the vertical direction are arranged so as to detect accumulation of urine. A controller monitors conductivity of fluid between the electrodes for detecting the accumulation of urine, and when the predetermined amount of urine is accumulated, a motor pump is automatically driven, and a urine sample is sucked. As the urine collecting conduit 110 is thin and long, urine can be effectively collected, while the urine sampling container 96 can be easily stored in the limited space below a toilet seat when it is not used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Object of the Invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention broadly relates to a toilet having a urine analysis function. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sampling device for efficiently sampling urine when performing urine analysis using a toilet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the aging of people's longevity, interest in health management is increasing. Urine is an important source of personal health information, and quantitative analysis of urinary sugar, urinary protein, urobilinogen, occult blood, and other urinary components allows for pancreatic disorders such as diabetes, liver disorders, renal disorders, and other functions. The disorder can be examined non-invasively.
Therefore, a toilet equipped with a urine analysis function has been proposed, which can support the individual's health check by sampling and analyzing urine using the toilet at home, workplace or the like.

For example, JP-A-59-217844 and JP-A-63-18
No. 4057, JP-A-63-290961, JP-A-1-178866, JP-A-4-191660, a urine collecting portion is formed on the bowl surface of a Western-style toilet bowl, and urine excreted on the bowl surface is collected in the urine collecting portion. It is proposed to collect and sample. The collected urine sample is designed to be analyzed by a liquid chromatography method, a test strip method, or a polarographic method. The advantage of this sampling method using the urine collecting part on the bowl surface is that urine excreted on the bowl surface can be collected and collected from a considerably large area regardless of the urination direction or the dropping position.

However, the difficulty of this sampling method is that it is not possible to use a standard toilet bowl or an existing toilet bowl, and a special toilet bowl for the purpose of urine sampling in which a urine collecting portion is formed on the bowl surface is required. . Such a special toilet is
Must be specially manufactured separately from the standard toilet bowl,
Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the cost by mass production, and it is too expensive to disseminate it in ordinary households, workplaces and offices. Also, when modifying an existing toilet equipped with a standard bowl-shaped toilet bowl, the existing toilet bowl must first be removed and then a special toilet bowl for urine analysis must be installed. It requires a great deal of expense and labor, and leads to the disposal of existing equipment. Further, after the toilet bowl is washed, wash water, old urine and excrement remain in the urine collecting portion on the bowl surface, dilute or contaminate new urine to be sampled, so that a good sample may not be sampled.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-136573 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764, it is proposed that a rotatable arm is provided on a toilet seat and urine is sampled in the air by a urine collection container attached to the tip of this arm. . This urine collection method has an advantage that it does not require a special toilet bowl for the purpose of urine sampling and can sample urine using a standard toilet bowl.

In the device of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-136573, after collecting urine, the arm is rotated to move the urine collection container to the analyzer, and the urine sensor and test paper are dipped in the urine sample in the urine collection container. In the device of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764, the urine sample received in the urine collection container is sucked by a manual syringe or an automatic syringe and sent to a urine analyzer.

However, a problem with the device of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-136573 is that it is often difficult to hit the urine column to the urine collecting container because a small urine collecting container having a circular inlet opening is used. That is. Especially, as the subject becomes an elderly person who is highly in need of urine analysis, the amount of urine output per one time becomes smaller. Therefore, if the urinary column does not hit the urine collection container properly, there is a risk of losing the sampling opportunity. .
In addition, when the subject is a female, the orbit of the ureter is located posterior to that of a male, and as a result, the subject is often unable to urinate while looking at the urinary column. It's pretty hard to get a certain hit.

[0008] The problem of the urine collection method of Jitsukaihei 5-30764 is
Since the urine collection container in the form of a vertically long urine collection cup is used, the vertical dimension of the urine collection container becomes large, and it is difficult to store the urine collection container under the toilet seat. When using a standard toilet bowl to sample urine, a toilet with a urine analysis function must also be used for normal toilet purposes, so when not in use, place the urine collection container under a toilet seat, etc. It is desirable to be able to store it in an unobtrusive place. However, when the urine collection container is made to have a small size so that it can be stored under the toilet seat, the urine receiving area of the container decreases accordingly, so that it is still difficult to hit the urine column to the urine collection container.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to reliably sample urine when using a standard toilet bowl to sample urine while using a small urine collection container that can be stored in a small space. An object of the present invention is to provide a urine sampling device capable of doing the above.

In another aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a urine sampling device capable of surely collecting urine irrespective of a difference between men and women, a difference between individuals, and a difference in urine flow momentum.

[0011] In still another aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a urine sampling device capable of surely sampling urine even in a subject such as an elderly person who has a small amount of urine discharged each time. It is in.

In another aspect, it is an object of the present invention to automatically sample a desired amount of urine sample even when the subject urinates in a natural posture, thus reducing the burden on the subject. It is to provide a possible urine sampling device.

[0013]

[Constitution of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Means for Solving the Problems and Outline of Action The sampling device of the present invention comprises a movable urine collection container provided with an elongated urine collection gutter inclined toward a small urine collection, and the urine collection container is controlled by a control device. It is moved in the bowl space by an electric drive mechanism. The urine collection container is preferably provided with a detection device composed of two electrodes so as to detect the accumulation of urine in the urine reservoir.
The control device detects the accumulation of urine by monitoring the conductivity of the fluid between these electrodes, and when a predetermined amount of urine is accumulated in the urine pool, it automatically drives the electric pump to collect the urine sample from the urine pool. Inhale.

Since the urine collection container is provided with the slender urine collecting gutter which is inclined toward the urine reservoir, the urine scattered in the bowl space can be collected with a higher probability. Therefore,
Even if the urine collection container is downsized, the urine sample can be efficiently collected. In addition, since the urine collection is small and the urine collection gutter is elongated, it can be easily stored in a place where it does not interfere when the urine collection container is not used. Since the urine sample is automatically sucked when a predetermined amount of urine is accumulated in the urine reservoir, the urine sample is not diluted with the wash water of the toilet and air bubbles are not mixed in the urine sample, improving the urine analysis accuracy. Can be made.

In a preferred embodiment, the sampling device has flow sensing means such as an optical sensor,
It is designed to detect the flow of urine entering the urine collection gutter. When moving the urine collection container in the bowl space of the toilet bowl, the control means automatically stops the urine collection container when the flow of urine hits the urine collection container, and causes the urine collection container to collect urine at this position. At this position, the urine collection container can be slightly swung back and forth to collect scattered urine from a wider range.

The above-mentioned features and effects of the present invention, as well as other features and advantages, will be made clear by the description of the following embodiments.

[0017]

The urine sampling method and apparatus of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of the urine sampling apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIG. 1 shows a urine analysis unit equipped with the urine sampling apparatus of the present invention as a standard toilet bowl of a toilet. 2 is shown disassembled from the housing of the urine analysis unit shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
Shows a disassembled assembly of the toilet seat and the urine collecting mechanism shown in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a toilet 1
0 has a commercially available standard flush toilet 12
A urine analysis unit 14 equipped with the urine sampling device of the present invention is attached to. The toilet bowl 12 is of a standard type such as a vortex type, a siphon type, a siphon jet type, a washdown type, and other types, and has a normal bowl (bowl) part 16 and a wash water supply part 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the flush water supply section is the cistern mounting section 18
The mounting part 18 consists of a conventional cistern 2
No. 0 is mounted in a known manner, but the urine sampling method and device of the present invention can be applied to a toilet equipped with a toilet bowl of the type in which cleaning water is supplied from a cleaning pipe equipped with a cleaning valve instead of a cistern. it can.

The urine analysis unit 14 has a housing 22 fixed to the toilet 12 and a toilet seat 24 rotatably mounted on the housing 22, as described later. In the illustrated first embodiment, the toilet seat 24 incorporates the urine collection mechanism 28 of the urine sampling device 26 of the present invention, and the toilet seat 24 and the urine collection mechanism 28 form one assembly. A conventional toilet lid 30 is also attached to the housing 22 so that it can be opened and closed. A control unit 32 for controlling the urine analysis unit 14 and outputting the analysis result can be installed on the sidewall of the toilet.

The housing 22 of the urine analysis unit 14 is
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it may be composed of a housing substrate 34, an upper casing 36, and left and right lower casings 38 and 40. These parts of the housing 22 can be manufactured by resin injection molding,
The housing 22 is formed by fastening them together with screws or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the standard toilet bowl 12 has a pair of toilet seat mounting holes 42 between the bowl portion 16 and the flush water supply portion 18, and these toilet seat mounting holes 42 are used. A housing is attached.
For this reason, the board 34 of the housing 22 is
As disclosed in No. 1, by mounting the two T bolts 44 on the lower surface of the substrate 34 by T-groove fitting, inserting these T bolts into the toilet seat mounting holes 42, and fastening the corresponding nuts 46, Bowl part 16 and cistern mounting part 18
And is fixed to the upper surface 48 of the toilet bowl 12 between.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the base plate 34 has a central portion extending transversely to the toilet bowl 12 and side parts extending forward from both ends of the central portion, and the upper casing 36 also has a base portion. It has a shape corresponding to 34. Therefore, the base plate 34, the upper casing 36, and the left and right lower casings 38 and 40 cooperate with each other to form a housing central portion 22C, left side portion 22L, and right side portion 2.
2R (FIG. 1) is formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a measuring unit 50 for analyzing a urine sample sampled by the urine collecting mechanism 28 is provided on the left side portion 22L of the housing.
An electric syringe pump 52 that conveys a urine sample and a carrier liquid to the measurement unit 50, a carrier liquid tank 54,
A calibration liquid tank 56 can be accommodated. A finger sphygmomanometer unit 58 may be arranged on the left side portion 22L of the housing, and the blood pressure may be measured by engaging with the left second finger of the subject. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing central portion 22C includes a conventional bidet device 62 with a cleaning nozzle 60 and a conventional warm air dryer 64.
And a conventional deodorizing device 66 including an ozonizer are arranged, and the toilet 10 equipped with the urine analysis unit 14 is provided.
It is designed to provide each function when used for normal purposes. However, these additional features are not essential and can be omitted. The power supply device 68 of the unit 14 and the operation panel 70 of the bidet device can be housed in the right side portion 22R of the housing.

With reference to FIGS. 3 to 8, the urine collecting mechanism 2
8 will be described. Toilet seat 24, as shown cut away in FIG.
Can be formed by joining the upper half 24A and the lower half 24B, which are made of impact resistant resin, for example, by ultrasonic welding, and the electric heater wire 72 for heating the toilet seat is wired as necessary. be able to. Toilet seat 2
4 can be rotatably mounted on the housing 22 by using an arbitrary hinge, and the hinge portion 74 of the retainer block disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 519341 is preferably used as the bearing portion 76 of the housing 22. It is mounted by engaging (Fig. 2).

To accommodate the firing strain that occurs when the toilet bowl 12 is fired, the toilet seat 24 is preferably supported at four points relative to the upper surface of the rim 78 of the toilet bowl 12, similar to conventional toilet seats. For this reason, in the illustrated embodiment, the toilet seat 24 is provided with, for example, two conventional cushioned legs 80 on the underside of the toilet seat 24, as indicated by the dashed lines in FIG. At the other two points, the toilet seat 24 is supported by two legs 84 provided on the urine collection device frame 82 described later. As can be seen from FIG. 8, these legs 80 or 84 provide a clearance between the upper surface 86 of the rim 78 of the toilet bowl and the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 which is approximately 1.5-2 cm high. To be done.
By utilizing this gap, the frame 82 of the urine collecting mechanism 28 is arranged and the urine collecting container of the urine collecting mechanism 28 is accommodated as described later. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 8, recesses 90 and 92 that open downward can be formed on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24 to accommodate some of the components of the urine collecting mechanism 28.

In the illustrated first embodiment, the urine collection mechanism 28 collects a sample of urine excreted in the bowl 16 of the toilet bowl 12 in the air in the bowl space by the urine collection container, and after sampling, the urine collection container is placed in the toilet seat 24. It is designed to be stored in the lower storage position. When returning to the storage position,
The urine collection container can be automatically cleaned. 3 to 8, the urine collecting mechanism 28 supports the swing arm 94 having a substantially crank shape, an elongated urine collecting container 96 detachably attached to a free end of the swing arm, and the swing arm 94. The swinging arm 94 is moved to move the urine collection container 96 in the space of the bowl 16. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the swing arm 94 can be configured by a central elbow 100, an end elbow 102, a pipe 104 connecting the both, and a spindle 106.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the urine collection container 96 comprises a main body 112 having an elongated urine collecting trough 110 having an elongated upper opening 108, and a large-diameter base 114. The urine collection container 96 is liquid-tightly and detachably attached to the end elbow 102 using an O-ring 116.
Small urine reservoir 11 due to base 114 and elbow 102
8 is formed. The urine collecting trough 110 of the main body is inclined toward the urine reservoir 118 so that urine that has fallen into the trough 110 is accumulated in the urine reservoir 118.
The urine collection container 96 is 0.5 to 3 ml, preferably about 1 ml
It is preferable that the size of the urine is small enough to collect in the urine reservoir 118.

The outer periphery of the main body 112 is covered with a rectifying net 120 made of stainless steel wire net or the like to prevent urine excreted from the subject from colliding with the urine collection container 96 and scattering around. As described above, since the rectification net 120 prevents the urine from scattering, the urine hitting the urine collection container 96 can be collected in the urine collection gutter 110 without waste. Further, since the rectifying net 120 is provided, foreign matter can be prevented from entering, and clogging of the urine transport pipe can be prevented.

The urine accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 is the elbow 1
02 through the flexible tube 122 extending inside the swing arm 94 and its spindle 106, and is sucked by the syringe pump 52 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7 and sent to the measurement unit 50 inside the housing 22. . The elbow 102 is provided with an L-shaped suction tube 124 that opens to the bottom of the urine reservoir 118, and sucks only urine that does not contain bubbles and sends it to the measurement unit, thereby stabilizing the measurement accuracy. ing.

The urine collection container 96 is provided with a pair of electrodes 126 and 128 which are vertically separated from each other. One electrode 1
28 is disposed so as to face the lower portion of the urine reservoir 118, and the other electrode 126 is disposed at a predetermined level position of the urine reservoir 118. These electrodes are connected to a control circuit (described later) via a lead wire 130. As will be described later, the control circuit monitors the conductivity or the electrical resistance of the fluid (urine, air, or wash water) present between the electrodes 126 and 128 to collect a predetermined amount of urine in the urine reservoir 118. It is detected that the urine sample is sucked by automatically operating the syringe pump 52 accordingly. Electrode 126
Instead of 128 and 128, a photoelectric sensor or a capacitance sensor may be used to detect the accumulation of urine.

In brief, in the illustrated first embodiment, the drive unit 98 for driving the swing arm 94 is as shown in FIG.
As can be seen, the swing arm 94 is provided with pivotal and translational movements to move the urine collection container 96 from its stowed position below the front of the toilet seat to different urine collection positions within the bowl space (and vice versa). ) It is designed to be moved.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the drive unit 98 is mounted on the urine collection mechanism frame 82 which is appropriately fixed to the lower surface of the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like. The drive unit 98 includes a slider 132 slidably mounted on the frame 82, and the slider 132 is the frame 82.
A pair of guides 134 fixed to each other guide the toilet bowl 12 to slide substantially parallel to the long axis of the toilet bowl 12. A rack 136 is fixed to the slider 132, and a pinion 140 of an output shaft of a stepping motor with reduction gear 138 fixed to the frame 82 is meshed with the rack 136. Therefore, when the motor 138 is rotated in either direction, the slider 132 moves back and forth in translation. The motor 138 is controlled by the control circuit.

The swing arm 94 is rotatable and
Slider 13 to move with slider 132
It is pivotally supported by 2. Therefore, as can be seen clearly from FIG. 5, the slider 132 has a pair of trunnion bearings 14.
2 is provided, and the spindle 10 of the swing arm 94 is provided.
6 is pivotally supported. A shaft hole is formed in the spindle 106, and the flexible tube 122 and the lead wire 130 are passed therethrough.

The drive unit 98 further includes a swing arm 94.
A lever / cam mechanism 144 for controlling the rotational angle position of the urine collection container 96 is provided, and the position of the urine collection container 96 is controlled when the slider 132 is displaced back and forth by the motor 138. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 5, a lever 146 is fitted between the two bearings 142 on the spindle 106 of the swing arm 94 so as to rotate integrally, and a tip of the lever 146 is a cam follower in the form of a roller. 148 is supported. The cam follower 148 cooperates with a cam plate 150 that is appropriately fixed to the frame 82 with screws or the like.
Includes two staggered horizontal cam surfaces 152 and 154.
And an inclined cam surface 156 is 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 this spring is fixed to the bearing 142. Return spring 1
The preload of 58 is set so as to urge the swing arm 94 to rotate clockwise in FIG. The initial posture of the swing arm 94 is regulated by a stopper (not shown).

The frame 82 of the urine collecting mechanism 28 is firmly fixed to the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, a storage chamber 160 is defined in the frame 82 to store the urine collection container 96 when not in use. As will be described later, this storage chamber also serves as a washing chamber, and is designed to wash the stored urine collection container 96. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, since a recess 90 having a shape corresponding to the drive portion 98 is previously formed on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24, a component of the drive portion 98, for example, the motor 1
38, pinion 140, cam plate 150, lever 1
46 and the cam follower 148 are partially housed in the recess 90.

Next, the operation of the urine collecting mechanism 28 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 8. When not in use, the slider 132 is in the forward position, and the cam follower 148 engages with the first horizontal cam surface 152 of the cam plate 150. I am fit. Therefore, the swing arm 94 is flipped up in a horizontal posture by the action of the return spring 158, and the urine collection container 96 is stored in the storage position (position A) in the storage chamber 160 of the urine collection mechanism frame 82 below the toilet seat 24. Has been done. In this state, the toilet seat assembly 28 can be opened / closed, and the toilet can be used for normal toilet purposes.

In sampling and analyzing urine, when the subject sits down on the toilet seat 24 and presses the start switch provided in the control unit 32, the motor 138 rotates and the slider 132 is retracted by the rack and pinion mechanism 140/136. First, first, the urine collection container 96 is pulled out horizontally from its storage position. When the cam follower 148 engages the inclined cam surface 156 of the cam plate 150, the lever 14
6 starts rotation of 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 96 is displaced along a curved trajectory in which rotational movement and translational movement are combined as shown in FIG. Let When the motor 138 rotates further, the cam follower 148 comes into engagement with the second horizontal cam surface 154 of the cam plate 150 (position C), and thereafter, the rotation angle position of the swing arm 94 is maintained and the rear end position is maintained. Translate to D.

In general, there is a difference between men and women in the urination direction, and the urinary column tends to fall relatively forward in the case of men and backward in the case of women. There are also individual differences and momentum differences in the direction of urination. Therefore, the control switch and control circuit of the motor 138 automatically stop the urine collection container 96 between the positions B to C in the case of a male, and the positions C to C in the case of a female.
It is preferable that the urine collection container 96 is stopped between D and the subject can further finely adjust the position of the urine collection container 96 by pressing the fine adjustment switch. The subject can urinate toward the urine collection container 96 when the urine collection container 96 is brought to an appropriate position.

Since the urine collection container 96 is elongated, the urine collection gutter 11
Zero can be given as long as necessary, regardless of the diameter of the urine collection container 96. The length of the urine collection gutter 110 is preferably 5 to 10 cm, for example. In this way, the diameter of the urine collection container 96 is reduced and the urine collection 118
Although the size of the urine collection gutter 110 is small, the urine collection gutter 110 has a sufficient length, so that the urine collection gutter 110 has a high probability of receiving the urinary columns or droplets of urine excreted in the bowl 16 and reliably. Urine can be collected.

The urine that has fallen into the urine collection container 96 is collected in the urine collection gutter 1.
It flows down along 10 and accumulates in the urine reservoir 118. When urine has accumulated to the level of the upper electrode 126, the control circuit operates the syringe pump 52 as described later to cause the suction tube 12 to operate.
4 and the flexible tube 122 to automatically aspirate urine and send the urine sample to the measurement unit 50.

When urine sampling and transportation to the measurement unit are completed, 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 as the swing arm 94 is moved forward and upward. 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
Since 6 is formed in an elongated shape, it can be easily stored in a narrow storage chamber 160 formed between the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 and the upper surface 86 of the toilet rim portion 78 as shown in FIG.

After the urine sampling, it is preferable to wash the urine-stained urine collection container 96. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage chamber 1 of the urine collection mechanism frame 82
A cleaning nozzle 162 is arranged to face 60. The cleaning nozzle 162 can be supplied with pressure cleaning water from the cistern 20 via a hose 164 and a solenoid valve (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, the urine collection mechanism frame 82 is provided with a cover 166 that can be opened and closed so that the washing chamber 160 can be washed during washing.
The washing water is prevented from scattering by closing the. The opening / closing cover 166 is interlocked with the lever / cam mechanism 144 via an appropriate link (not shown), and when the urine collection container 96 enters and leaves the washing chamber 160, the cover 166 is opened so that the urine collection container 96 is kept in the washing chamber. The cover 166 may be closed when returning to the storage position.

The used wash water is preferably discharged into the bowl 16. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of drain gutters 168 extending rearward from the washing chamber 160 along the left and right rims 78 of the toilet bowl may be formed in the frame 82 of the urine collecting mechanism. it can. These drain gutters 168 are inclined downward toward the rear, as can be seen from FIG. 8, and the rear ends of these drain gutters 168 are connected to the inclined drain pipe 170 attached to the frame 82. Therefore, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is in the horizontal posture, the cleaning water sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 162 flows rearward along the inclination of the drain gutter 168 and is discharged from the drain pipe 170 into the bowl 16. Since the drain pipe 170 is slanted, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is flipped up, drops of washing water remaining in the drain gutter 168 are drained.
It falls from 0 into the bowl 16.

Next, an example of an embodiment of the electric syringe pump 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the electric syringe pump 52 incorporates an electric rotary valve 202 to form an integral module 200, although these may be formed separately. The syringe pump 52 has a cylinder hole 204.
Has a main body 206 in which a piston 210 having a seal ring 208 is slidably fitted in the cylinder hole to form a variable volume pump chamber 212. The piston 210 is reciprocally driven by a stepping motor 214, a lead screw 216 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 214, and a nut 218 is fitted to this lead screw. Piston 2
A pair of diametrically opposed detent pins 220 pass through the skirt of 10, and the tips of these pins 220 are screwed into nuts 218. Non-rotating pin 2
20 is a pair of axial slots 2 formed in the body 206
22 is engaged. Therefore, if the motor 214 is rotated in either direction, the nut 2
10 is driven up and down to suck the liquid into the pump chamber 212 or deliver the liquid. The pump chamber 212 leads to a central port 224, through which liquid enters and exits the rotary valve 202.

The rotary valve 202 includes a disk-shaped rotor 228 that is driven to rotate by a stepping motor 226 with a reduction gear. The rotor 228 is precisely rotatably mounted in a cylindrical recess 230 formed in the head of the module 200. It is fitted. Lower surface of rotor 228 and recess 2
The bottom surface of 30 is precisely machined to be flat, and the rotor 2
28 is biased by the coil spring 232 to the bottom surface of the recess 230, and the lower surface of the rotor 228 comes into liquid-tight contact with the bottom surface of the recess 230. The rotor 228 is provided with a central port 234 that is aligned and opposed to the central port 224 of the syringe pump 52, and is formed with an outer port 236 that is radially outwardly offset from the central port 234. And 2
The 36 are connected to each other by a horizontal internal passage 238.

On the bottom surface of the recess 230, for example, six ports 2 are equally spaced in the circumferential direction at the same radial offset distance as the outer port 236 of the rotor 228.
40 are open and these ports are connected to the nipple 244 by an internal passage 242 formed in the module head.
Are in communication with each other. These nipples 244 are shown in FIG.
As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the components are connected to the urine analysis unit 14 including the urine collection container 96 via hoses and pipes. Therefore, by driving the motor 226 of the rotary valve 202, the rotor 228 is rotated until the outer port 236 of the rotor 228 is aligned with any of the ports 240, and at this position the syringe pump 5 is rotated.
By operating the motor 214 of No. 2,
Liquid is aspirated from 40 or delivered to either port. As can be seen clearly in FIG. 11, in the illustrated embodiment, the syringe pump 52 is used not only for suctioning and delivering the urine sample to the measuring unit 50, but also for delivering carrier liquid or calibration liquid to the measuring unit 50. It

The swing arm drive motor 138, syringe pump drive motor 214, and rotary valve drive motor 226 of the urine collection mechanism 28 are controlled by the control circuit 250. The control circuit 250 can be arranged near the measuring unit. Control circuit 250 and control unit 3
An example of the configuration of No. 2 is shown in FIG. The control unit 32 installed on the wall of the toilet has a programmed microcomputer 300, a plurality of operation switches 302,
It can be composed of a liquid crystal display panel 304 for displaying a user's instruction and a urine analysis result, a printer unit 306 for outputting a urine analysis result and a data trend, a flash memory 308 for storing the urine analysis data, and the like. 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 has a preset male urine collection position ( For example, the urine collection container is automatically brought to the position (appropriate position between positions C and C in FIG. 8) and when the female switch 302b is pressed, the urine collection container is located at the proper female collection position (appropriate position between C and D). Can be brought to you. Furthermore,
The operation switch 302 includes a fine adjustment switch 3 for finely moving the urine collection container 96 back and forth in accordance with the individual difference from the preset male or female urine collection position by the operation of the subject.
02c and 302d can be provided.

The control circuit 250 has a programmed microcomputer 310. As shown in FIG. 12, the microcomputer 310 uses the respective drivers to drive the swing arm drive motor 138, the syringe pump drive motor 214, and the rotary valve drive motor 22.
Connected to 6. In addition, the microcomputer 31
0 is connected to the measurement unit 50 and the urine detection sensor 314. The measurement unit 50 is composed of, for example, a polarographic flow cell having a glucose oxidase-immobilized membrane, and outputs a signal corresponding to the glucose content in the urine sample. The output of the polarographic cell 50 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 the conductivity (electrical resistance) of the fluid present in the gap between the urine detection electrodes 126 and 128 of the urine collection container 96 to detect the urine collection container 9
It detects whether or not urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 of No. 6, and its output is A / of the microcomputer 310.
It is input to the D conversion circuit. The urine detection sensor 314 is the electrode 1
It can be configured to apply a predetermined voltage between 26 and 128 and detect the voltage drop between them.

In the illustrated configuration example, the microcomputers 300 and 310 are connected by the communication cable 318, and data is transmitted by serial communication via the transceivers 320 and 322. However, the control circuit 250 and the control unit 32 may be integrated into one.

Next, to explain one mode of operation of the urine analysis unit 14, when the subject presses the urine analysis start switch 302a or 302b, the microcomputer 310 rotates the swing arm drive motor 138, and as described above. The urine collection container 96 is moved to a preset urine collection position, and the urine collection container 96 is positioned 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 of urine.

The microcomputer 310 monitors the conductivity of the fluid present in the urine reservoir 118 by checking the urine detection sensor 314. Since the conductivity of urine is higher than the conductivity of air or water, when an increase in the conductivity of the fluid in the urine reservoir 118 is detected, the microcomputer 31
0 determines that fresh urine has been collected in the urine pool 118 to the level of the upper electrode 126. When the accumulation of urine is determined based on the change in conductivity in this manner, the accumulation of wash water and the accumulation of urine diluted with wash water is not detected and malfunction occurs.

When it is detected by the signal from the urine detection sensor 314 that urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 of the urine collection container 96, the microcomputer 310 drives the rotary valve drive motor 226 to drive the syringe pump 52 and the urine collection container. After connecting 96, the piston drive motor 214 of the syringe pump 52 is driven to lower the piston 210, and for example, about 2 ml of the urine sample is sucked by the syringe pump 52. The urine sample sucked by the syringe pump 52 is sent to the polarographic cell 50 by the carrier liquid in the carrier liquid tank 54, and the urine glucose is quantitatively analyzed.

The output of the polarographic cell 50 is 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 level 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 output it from the printer unit 306.

13 and 14 show a modified form of the urine collection container 96. In this configuration, the target 260, which is a lamp such as an LED, is provided at the bottom of the urine collection gutter 110, and the subject can easily aim at the urine collection container 96 and urinate even if the space in the bowl 16 is dim. You can do it. LED 260 has appropriate wiring (not shown)
Through the microcomputer 3 as shown in FIG.
Connected to 10. The microcomputer 310 turns on the LED when the urine sampling start switch is pressed. Urine collection container 9 based on a signal from the urine detection sensor 314
When it is detected that urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 of 6, and about 2 ml of urine is then aspirated, the LED is turned off to notify the subject that a necessary amount of urine sample has been collected. In this way, the load on the subject can be reduced. The LED 260 or other light source may be provided in the housing 22, light from this light source may be incident on one end of the optical fiber, and the other end of the fiber may be provided on the urine collection container 96 to form a target.

In the variation shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the urine collection container 96 is also provided with a pair of light projecting element 262 and light receiving element 264 across the inlet opening of the urine collecting trough 110. These elements are connected to the microcomputer 310 as shown in FIG. When this variation is used, when the urine sampling start switch is pressed, the microcomputer 310 starts driving the swing arm 94 while monitoring the output of the light receiving element 264. When the urine column hits the urine collection container while the urine collection container 96 moves and the light beam to the light receiving element 264 is blocked, the microcomputer 310 stops the swing arm at that position. By doing so, the subject automatically collects urine only by spontaneously urinating, so that the load on the subject is significantly reduced. Urine collection container 96 centered around this stop position
By oscillating about 1 cm back and forth, for example, urine can be more effectively sampled.

When the light projecting element 262 and the light receiving element 264 are provided, as shown in FIG. 14, a brush 268 or felt like a brush is provided in the passage of the urine collection container 96 (for example, the base 266 of the washing chamber cover 166). It is preferable to provide cleaning means. In this way, when the urine collection container enters and leaves the storage and cleaning chamber 160 when sampling urine, the element 2
Since 62 and the element 264 are automatically cleaned, reliability can be ensured for a long period of time. Instead of providing the light projecting / receiving elements 262 and 264 in the urine collection container 96, the light projecting / receiving elements 262 and 264 may be provided in the housing 22, and light projecting / receiving light may be performed across the inlet opening of the urine collecting trough 110 via a light fiber.

16 and 17 show a urine analysis unit having a urine sampling device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Components common to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same or similar reference numerals. In this second embodiment,
The urine collection container 96 is formed only by the rotational movement of the swing arm 94.
Is designed to be moved. Therefore, the electric drive unit of the swing arm 94 is simplified. Moreover, the urine analysis unit is configured to be used by being hooked on the rim of the toilet bowl.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the analysis unit 300 has a housing 302, which can be formed of two upper and lower halves which are snap-fitted to each other. Inside the housing 302, a measuring unit 50 including a polarographic cell similar to that of the first embodiment, an electric syringe pump 52, a carrier liquid tank 5 are provided.
4, a calibration liquid tank (not shown), and a control arithmetic circuit (not shown) are stored.

A swing arm 94 of a urine sampling device 326 is pivotally supported on the upper portion of the housing 302, and a urine collection container 96 is rotated in the bowl 16 of the toilet bowl 12 by a motor 304 and a gear mechanism. The urine collection container 96 can be configured similarly to the first embodiment described above. The housing 302 is formed with vertical lugs 306 that act as hooks so that the analysis unit 300 can be hooked onto the rim 78 of the toilet bowl. The housing 302 is further provided with a support 308 which is curved along the inner contour of the rim 78, and at the tip of this support 308 is provided a storage cleaning case 310 for storing and cleaning the urine collection container 96. is there. The storage cleaning case 310 is formed with a horizontal lug 312 supported on the toilet rim 78,
The storage cleaning case 310 is positioned by the rim when the analysis unit 300 is hung on the rim 78 of the toilet, and
It is supposed to be supported. The storage / cleaning case 310 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 162 so that the urine collection container 96 stored in the case 310 is cleaned. The washing water to the washing nozzle 162 is supplied from the washing water conduit 314 connected to the water pipe, and the washing water is supplied to the housing 3
It can be controlled by a solenoid valve (not shown) arranged in 02.

In this embodiment, the housing 302
When the urine analysis start switch 316 provided at the upper part of the table is pressed, the motor 304 is operated and the swing arm 94 is moved to the urine collection position only by the rotational movement. When it is detected that urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118, urine suction is automatically started. After that, the urine sample is sent to the flow cell 50 by the carrier liquid and the urine analysis result is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 318 provided on the upper portion of the housing 302, as described above in the operation of the first embodiment. . In this embodiment, the structure of the drive unit of the swing arm 94 can be simplified. Further, the urine analysis unit 300 can be attached to a standard toilet bowl very easily.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various design changes can be made. For example, the urine collection mechanism 28 can be arranged in the housing 22. Also,
The configuration of the control circuit can be changed as appropriate.

[0062]

As described above, since the urine sampling container 96 of the urine sampling device of the present invention is provided with the elongated urine collection gutter 110, the urine reservoir 118 is made smaller and the urine sampling container 96 is made smaller.
Even if the size is reduced, urine scattered in the bowl space can be reliably collected. Therefore, a desired amount of urine can be sampled even when the subject urinates in a natural posture. In addition, even in the case of a subject having a small amount of urine, the chance of collecting urine is not lost.

The urine reservoir 118 is made smaller than the length of the urine collection gutter 110, and since the suction of the urine sample is automatically performed in accordance with the accumulation of urine, there is no possibility of mixing wash water or air bubbles. No fresh urine sample can be taken. Therefore, the accuracy of urine analysis can be improved.

Furthermore, the urine reservoir 118 is small, and
Since the urine collection gutter 110 is elongated, the urine collection container 96 can be easily stored under the toilet seat when not in use. Therefore, a convenient toilet can be provided.

A urine collection gutter 11 using an optical sensor 264 or the like.
When detecting the flow of urine coming in to 0 and positioning the urine collection container 96 accordingly, automatically sample a desired amount of urine even when the subject freely urinates in a natural posture. The load on the subject can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a urine analysis unit equipped with a urine sampling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is attached to a standard toilet bowl.

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

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway exploded perspective view of the toilet seat and the urine collecting mechanism shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the urine collecting mechanism shown in FIG. 3, showing a state where the cam plate and the opening / closing cover are removed, the toilet seat is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the toilet bowl is shown by a three-dot chain line. is there.

5 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a part of the swing arm drive unit shown in FIG. 3 with a notch.

FIG. 6 shows the urine collection container shown in FIG. 3 as seen from above.

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 4, showing the swing arm and the urine collection container at various different positions.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a syringe pump with a rotary valve.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship with a syringe pump.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a control unit and a control circuit.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 7, showing a modified form of the urine collection container.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a cleaning mechanism of the urine collection container shown in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit when the urine collection container shown in FIG. 13 is used.

FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a urine analysis unit equipped with a urine sampling device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is attached to a standard toilet bowl.

17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12: Standard type toilet bowl 26: Urine sampling device 28: Urine collection mechanism 52: Syringe pump 92: Urine collection mechanism drive unit 94: Swing arm 96: Urine collection container 110: Urine collection gutter 118: Urine collection reservoir 124: Urine collection container 124: Urine sample suction tube 126, 128: Urine detection electrode 250/32: Electronic control device

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Naoki Sato 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroyuki Tsuboi, Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture 1-1-1 Totoki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshio Oguro 2-1-1 1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sampling device for sampling urine using a standard toilet bowl, comprising: a movable urine collection container having an elongated urine collection gutter inclined toward a small urine collection; Electric drive means for moving within the bowl space; urine detection means for electrically detecting accumulation of urine in the urine pool; electric pump for sucking a urine sample accumulated in the urine pool; controlling the drive means And an electronic control unit that controls the electric pump based on a signal from the urine detection unit and operates the electric pump when urine is accumulated in the urine reservoir; 2. The urine detection means includes a first electrode exposed at the bottom of the urine reservoir, and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode and exposed at the urine reservoir at a predetermined level, 2. The urine sampling device according to claim 1, wherein the control means detects the accumulation of urine by monitoring the electrical conductivity of the fluid between the first electrode and the second electrode. 3. A flow detecting means for detecting a flow of urine coming into the urine collecting gutter and outputting an electric signal to the control means, wherein the control means places the urine collection container in the bowl space of the toilet bowl. 2. The electric drive means is controlled so as to move and stop the urine collection container when the flow of urine entering the urine collection gutter is detected based on the signal of the flow detection means. 2. Urine sampling device based on 2. 4. The control means controls the electric drive means to swing the urine collection container within a predetermined distance after stopping the urine collection container in response to detection of urine flow. A urine sampling device according to claim 3. 5. The flow detection means comprises an optical sensor arranged across the inlet opening of the urine collection gutter, and the urine sampling device comprises cleaning means for cleaning the optical sensor as the urine collection container moves. The urine sampling device according to claim 3 or 4. 6. The urine sampling device according to claim 1, wherein the urine collection container is provided with a lamp that acts as a urination target. 7. The urine sampling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit turns off the lamp when a predetermined amount of urine is sampled, and notifies the subject that urine collection is completed. . 8. A urine sampling device according to claim 1, wherein a net is provided across the inlet opening of the urine collection gutter. 9. A sampling device for sampling urine using a standard toilet bowl, comprising: a movable urine collection container with an elongated urine collection gutter inclined toward a small urine pool; An electric drive means for moving in the bowl space; a flow detection means for detecting a flow of urine entering the urine collection gutter; an electric pump for sucking a urine sample accumulated in the urine reservoir; the drive means and Electronic control means for controlling the electric pump, wherein the urine collection container is moved within the bowl space of the toilet bowl, and the drive means is controlled to stop the urine collection container when the flow of urine entering the urine collection gutter is detected. A urine sampling device comprising: