JPH0772730B2 - Urine specific gravity measuring device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a urine specific gravity measuring device for automatically measuring the specific gravity of urine collected from a patient in a hospital or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a hospital or the like, an examination of urine excreted from a patient is performed as one of important clues for knowing a change in a patient's condition. For these purposes, the urine collected by the patient or the nurse is measured for each urine specific gravity and urine volume, and the total daily amount is also measured.

Conventionally, in order to measure these urines,
There is a shelf in the toilet of the hospital to store the collected urine in a urine bottle, etc. The urine is collected every day and the hospital staff measures and records the urine specific gravity and urine volume. Was there.
Further, since a large amount of urine is stored for a long time, it is a major factor of bad smell and uncleanness. Therefore, it has been desired to provide an apparatus that can automatically measure the urine specific gravity and the urine volume of the collected urine without human intervention and that does not require the storage of urine after the measurement. It seems that various types of such devices have been prototyped, but from the inorganic components contained in urine, from uric acid, urate, calcium oxalate, phosphate, calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium, magnesium urate, calcium carbonate, etc. Was easily deposited, and the deposit adhered to the inspection part of the device, immediately deteriorating the measurement accuracy, and it was not possible to sufficiently withstand practical use.

Therefore, the present applicants have proposed a technique for measuring the urine specific gravity and the urine volume without contacting the urine by the inspection unit.
It was proposed by Japanese Patent Application No. 3-160840. The technique previously proposed by the present applicants is such that a pipe for air retention is connected to the lower end of a pipe for measuring specific gravity having a small diameter and a predetermined height and a clear internal volume, and the other end of the pipe for air retention is connected to the pipe. A pressure sensor is arranged, the pressure due to urine injected to a specific height in the pipe for measuring specific gravity is measured by the pressure sensor through the air staying in the air pool pipe, and the temperature of the urine is detected by the temperature sensor. This is a technique for calculating the urine specific gravity by a calculation means from the measured values of the sensor and the temperature sensor.

[0005]

The technique proposed by the present applicants as described above is excellent in durability because the inspection accuracy is not adversely affected by the adherence of the urine discharge.

However, each time the urine specific gravity is measured, it is necessary to clean the pipe for measuring the specific gravity, and for this cleaning, one measurement time is required, for example, about 5 minutes. Therefore, it is desirable to improve so that the portion where urine comes into contact is small and the urine can be easily cleaned and the measurement time can be shortened.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a urine specific gravity measuring apparatus which is easy to wash and can perform one measurement in a short time.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the urine specific gravity measuring apparatus of the present invention has a disposable container in which the relationship between the water level and the internal volume and the self-weight of itself is clear, and the disposable container. Only the electron for measuring the weight of urine is measured, and the water level of urine is measured from the descending length until a pair of electrodes are lowered toward the surface of the urine from above a predetermined height with respect to the container and these electrodes are conducted. Water level measuring means, a temperature sensor provided so as to be immersed in urine as the electrode descends, the weight of urine measured by the electronic weigher and the water level of urine measured by the water level measuring means, and Specific gravity calculating means for calculating the specific gravity of urine from the measured value of the temperature sensor, moving means for shifting the pair of electrodes between a position facing the container and another position, and the pair of electrodes descending at the different position. And its tip is dipped It is configured to include a, a cleaning tank being.

Further, one of the pair of electrodes is formed by a pipe having a longer end protruding than the other electrode and an open end, and the other end of the electrode made of this pipe is communicated with a cylinder. Alternatively, the urine may be sucked and collected.

[0010]

[Operation] Obtain the urine volume from the water level of the urine collected in the container,
The urine specific gravity is calculated from the urine amount, temperature and weight. The container and the pair of electrodes of the water level measuring means and the temperature sensor come into contact with urine, but since the container is a disposable such as a paper cup, only the electrode and the temperature sensor need to be washed, and only the tip of the electrode comes into contact with urine. Therefore, the portion to be washed is small and can be easily washed, and the time required for one measurement can be shortened.

Further, if urine is sucked and collected from one of the electrodes formed by the pipe into the cylinder, a predetermined amount of urine can be easily collected by driving the piston of the cylinder with a crank mechanism, and the cleaning liquid is stored in the cylinder. Can be aspirated and discharged for easy cleaning.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described with reference to. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of an embodiment of a urine specific gravity measuring apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a position (a) at which the measuring unit measures specific gravity and collects urine and discharges urine into a urine collection bag. A position (b) for cleaning and a position (c) for cleaning the electrodes,
4 is a diagram for explaining the sequential rotation of the container, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the container in which urine is collected and the rotation of the measuring unit, and FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram of the device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation procedure of the device of the present invention.

In the figure, a container 14 in which urine 12 to be measured is collected is placed on an electronic balance 10. The container 14 has a clear relationship between the water level and the internal volume and its own weight. The container 14 is a disposable container made of paper cup, thin plastic, urethane foam or the like.

Then, a measuring section 52 (FIG. 2) provided on the free end of the rotating arm 50 as a moving means above the container 14.
A rack 18 that moves up and down by the rotation of the pinion 16 is provided, and a pair of electrodes 20 and 22 in an electrically insulated state is provided at the lower end portion of the rack 18 below the urine 12
Placed towards the surface of. Then, one electrode 20
Is made of a conductive pipe such as a stainless steel pipe whose both ends are open, and is projected downward from the other electrode 22 and has a temperature sensor 24 at its tip. Then, the electrodes 20 and 22 are connected to the continuity detecting means 26 from their upper ends by a lead wire, and when the two electrodes 20 and 22 descend and come into contact with the urine 12 in the container 14, the two electrodes 2
It is detected that 0 and 22 are electrically connected. The rack 18 is provided with a magnet scale 28 and the like, and the descending length is measured by the descending length measuring means 30. Further, the other opening of the electrode 20 formed of a conductive pipe is communicated with the cylinder 32 via a flexible pipe, and the piston 34 of the cylinder 32 is reciprocally controlled by the crank mechanism 36. A first motor 38 is drivingly connected to the pinion 16 for moving the rack 18 up and down, and a second motor 40 is drivingly connected for controlling the crank mechanism 36.

In such a structure, the rack 18 is set to the highest predetermined position by the first motor 38, and the height l from the electronic balance 10 is made constant. Further, the second motor 40 controls the crank mechanism 36 to control the piston 34.
Is placed at the bottom dead center in the cylinder 32. In such a state, the weight of the container 14 in which the urine 12 placed on the electronic balance 10 is collected is measured (step 1), and then the first motor 38 is controlled to lower the rack 18 ( In step 2), when the continuity detecting means 26 detects continuity (step 3), the lowering of the rack 18 is stopped (step 4). The descent length d of the rack 18 is measured by the descent length measuring means 30, and the urine 1 in the container 14 is measured from the descent length d.
The water level h of 2 is calculated by the water level measuring means 70 (step 5). At the same time, the temperature of the urine 12 is measured by the temperature sensor 24 (step 5). Urine measured in this way 12
The actual volume is calculated by calculating the internal volume from the water level h, subtracting the volumes of the electrode 20 and the temperature sensor 24 in the portion immersed in the urine 12, and calculating the specific gravity of the urine specific gravity from the measured temperature and weight 72. Is calculated (step 6).

Next, the crank mechanism 36 is controlled by the second motor 40 to pull up the piston 34 to the top dead center and suck a predetermined volume of the urine 12 into the cylinder 32 (step 7). Then, the rack 18 is pulled up by the first motor 38 to pull out the electrodes 20 and 22 from the container 14 (step 8).

In this way, when the process at the position (a) for measuring the urine specific gravity is completed, the third motor 54 rotates the rotating arm 50 to move the measuring portion 52 to the cylinder 3.
The urine 12 sucked and collected in 2 is moved to the position (b) for injecting it into the urine collection bag 56 (step 9). Then, at this position (b), the crank mechanism 36 is controlled by the second motor 40 to move the piston 34 to the bottom dead center of the cylinder 32, and the urine 12 in the cylinder 32 is discharged to the urine collection bag 56. (Step 10).

Further, when the process at the position (b) is completed, the third motor 54 rotates the rotating arm 50 to move the measuring portion 52 to another position (c) for cleaning the electrodes 20, 22 and the like. ) (Step 11). And
At this other position (c), the first motor 38 is driven, the rack 18 is lowered, the electrodes 20, 22 are immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 58 (step 12), and the second motor 40 is operated. By being driven, the cleaning liquid is sucked and discharged into the cylinder 32, and the electrodes 20, 22 and the cylinder 32 are driven.
The inside is cleaned (step 13). When these steps are completed, the second motor 38 stops the piston 34 at the bottom dead center, and the first motor 38 stops the rack 1.
8 is pulled up (step 14). Then, the third motor 54 rotates the rotating arm 50 to return the measuring unit 52 to the position (a) for the first urine specific gravity measurement (step 15). These operations are controlled by the electronic balance 10, the temperature sensor 24, the conduction detecting means 26, and the descent length measuring means 3.
The first to third motors 38, 40, 54 are appropriately driven and controlled by the control means 72 to which respective signals of 0 are given. And this control means 72
Includes a water level measuring means 70 and a specific gravity calculating means 72.

Next, according to each step of urine specific gravity measurement, urine 1
The movement of the container 14 in which 2 is collected will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, when the container 14 in which the urine 12 is collected is placed on the input table 60, the container 14 is appropriately detected by a photoelectric tube or the like, and the first arm 62 is swung to turn the container 14 into a turntable. Move up to 64.
The container 14 on the turntable 64, which is constantly rotating,
When it reaches the stop guide 66, its movement is restricted and the slides are lined up in order on the turntable 64 in a sliding state. The stop guide 66 is controlled to open and close so as to pass the containers 14 one by one according to the urine specific gravity measurement operation. When the container 14 that has passed through the stop guide 66 is moved to the position (a) by the turntable 64, this is appropriately detected and the second arm 68 is swung to keep the container 14 electronic. Move to place on 10. In the stop guide 66, the rotation arm 50 has positions (a), (b),
Each time the process (c) is completed and the process returns to the position (a), a new container 14 is controlled to pass through. Also,
The container 14 previously placed on the electronic balance 10 has the second arm 6 after the specific gravity measurement at the position (a) is completed.
Although 8 may be appropriately swung to remove it from the electronic weigher 10, it may be removed by pushing a new container 14 placed on the electronic weigher 10.

In the description of the above embodiment, in order to measure the descending length of the rack 18, the magnescale 28 is used.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other displacement sensors may be used. Further, the electronic balance 10 may be any one of a tuning fork type, a strain gauge load cell type, and an electromagnetic force balance type as long as the vertical displacement of the plane on which the container 14 is placed is small. Further, the means for collecting the urine 12 is not limited to the cylinder 32, and a pump or the like may be used.

[0021]

Since the urine specific gravity measuring apparatus of the present invention is constructed as described above, the following special effects are obtained.

Since the measurement of the specific gravity of urine is calculated by calculating the volume and weight based on the temperature and the water level of urine, by using a disposable and clean container for collecting urine,
The part that is in contact with urine and should be washed for each measurement is a small part such as an electrode for measuring the water level. Therefore, washing can be performed in a short time, and one measurement operation of urine specific gravity can be performed in a short time.

If a pipe is used as the electrode for measuring the water level of urine and urine is sucked and collected into the cylinder through this pipe, a predetermined amount can be easily collected by the stroke of the piston. Moreover, the inside of the cylinder can be easily washed by the reciprocating movement of the piston, and the collection and washing of urine can be performed by the same mechanism, and the structure is simple.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of an embodiment of a urine specific gravity measuring apparatus of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Position of the specific gravity measurement and urine collection in the measurement unit (a)
It is a figure explaining that it turns to a position (b) which discharges urine into a urine collection bag, and a position (c) which wash | cleans an electrode etc.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating movement of a container in which urine is collected and rotation of a measurement unit.

FIG. 4 is a block circuit diagram of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Electronic Weapons 12 Urine 14 Containers 18 Racks 20, 22 Electrodes 24 Temperature Sensors 26 Conduction Detection Means 28 Magnescale 30 Descent Length Measuring Means 32 Cylinders 34 Pistons 70 Water Level Measuring Means 72 Specific Gravity Calculating Means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A disposable container in which the relationship between the water level and the internal volume and its own weight is clear, an electronic weighing device for measuring the weight of urine collected in this container, and a pair from above a predetermined height with respect to the container. The water level measuring means for measuring the water level of the urine from the descending length until the electrodes of the electrode are lowered toward the surface of the urine, and the electrode is soaked in the urine as the electrode descends. Temperature sensor, a specific gravity calculation means for calculating the specific gravity of urine from the weight of urine measured only by the electronic and the water level of the urine measured by the water level measuring means and the measurement value of the temperature sensor, and the pair of And a cleaning tank in which the electrodes are moved to a position different from the position facing the container and a different position, and a cleaning tank in which the pair of electrodes are lowered at the different position and the tips thereof are immersed. Urine specific gravity measuring device characterized by . 2. The urine specific gravity measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of electrodes is formed of a pipe having an opening at the tip of which is made to project longer than the other of the electrodes, and an electrode made of this pipe. A urine specific gravity measuring device, characterized in that the other end is connected to a cylinder and urine is sucked and collected in the cylinder.