KR102601403B1 - Apparatus and method for analyzing urine with curved urine test strip - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a urine testing device and method using a curved test strip.
The urine test method of the disclosed embodiment includes the steps of measuring temperature and humidity and adjusting the duty ratio of the light source according to the measured temperature, receiving test subject information or test items when the test kit is installed, and the installed test kit. Matching the test pad of the kit and the color sensor, sequentially detecting the color of the test pad of the test kit as an RGB value, converting the RGB value into an HSV color value, and converting the converted HSV color value It includes a step of determining the level of the test item by comparing it with the reference color value of the test item in the standard colorimetric table table, and a step of outputting test subject information and level information for each test item of the test subject. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the detection characteristics can be improved by adjusting the detection radius of the FPCB to which the color sensor is attached to be concentric with the radius of the test strip so that the detection directions match each other and are as close as possible. In particular, the number of inspection items can be improved. By grouping color sensors and matching them with inspection pads, it is possible to accurately inspect even if the number or size of color sensors is different from the number or size of inspection pads.

Description

Urine testing device and method using a curved test strip {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING URINE WITH CURVED URINE TEST STRIP}

The present invention relates to a urine test device using a urinalysis test strip, and more specifically, to a urine test device and method using a curved test strip.

In general, urine (urine) is a body fluid that is stored in the bladder after waste products and water in the blood are filtered by the kidneys and then discharged out of the body through the urethra. It contains various ingredients and changes color when there is an abnormality in the body. The degree of turbidity changes, or abnormal substances or cells such as proteins, sugars, red blood cells, bacteria, and white blood cells appear in the urine.

Urinalysis is a test that evaluates the function of a part of the body based on the physical and chemical changes in urine. It is a basic test most often performed during health checkups or disease diagnosis because it can obtain information about health status at an early stage. Common urine tests include a urinary sediment test that quantitatively determines the quality and quantity of red blood cells, white blood cells, and bacteria in the urine by centrifuging urine, and a physical properties test that tests the color and turbidity of urine. There is a colorimetric test (dipstick urinalysis) that uses a chemical change (color change) in a urinalysis stick coated with a reagent. Usually, a urine test in a hospital means a physical property test and a colorimetric test, and the urine sediment test is performed as an additional test depending on the urine test results.

A colorimetric test that uses the color change of a urinalysis test strip (urine dipstick) involves immersing the urinalysis test strip in urine and taking it out. The chart showing the color most similar to the chart color of the urinalysis test strip is visually judged on a standard colorimetric table, and the test results are determined with the naked eye. Select . Typically, urinalysis strips are manufactured on a thin, long plastic plate with a chart (or pad) attached to test urine components. Each chart is coated with a reagent that changes color when exposed to the test subject's urine to determine whether there is an abnormality in the corresponding ingredient. For urine tests, the color standard is based on the degree to which the reagent chart (pad) is discolored in response to the test subject's urine. This is a method of examining the health status of the test subject by comparing it with the health status of the test subject.

However, visual discrimination during colorimetric testing can be subjective and may result in incorrect judgments, so analysis devices that automatically determine colorimetric test results are being developed to objectify test results.

The 'urine test device' announced in the Korean Intellectual Property Office Registered Patent Gazette (B1) as Registration No. 10-2402785 (hereinafter referred to as 'Patent Document 1') uses a stick-type urinalysis test strip (urine dipstick) as in the past. When conducting a urine test, there are many test items, so an example of using two or more urinalysis strips is disclosed. The urine test device of Patent Document 1 is capable of testing increased component analysis items at once by sliding a strip tray on which a plurality of urine test strips are seated and simultaneously sensing the test strips of the plurality of urine test strips.

However, when using a stick-type test strip such as in Patent Document 1, light is irradiated to the entire area of the flat test strip and the reflected light is received to determine the color. However, the test strip is put into contact with urine contained in a collection container and the strip is In the process of shaking the test strip to shake off the urine on the test strip, adjacent reagents are mixed together, making the test results inaccurate, and there is a problem in that urine may splash out and cause discomfort.

Meanwhile, the 'urine test kit and tester' announced in the Korean Intellectual Property Office Registered Patent Gazette (B1) as registration number 10-1904037 (hereinafter referred to as 'patent document 2') is a cup-shaped container for collecting urine. We are launching a urine test kit that can improve the convenience and hygiene of urine tests by attaching a test strip (test paper) as one piece, and a tester that detects the color of the test strip of this urine test kit and automatically analyzes it.

However, in the case of Patent Document 2, the test strip (chart) is attached to a cup-shaped container and integrated with the container, so the convenience and hygiene of the test can be improved compared to the stick-type test strip, but the test strip (chart) of the test strip is curved and is integrated with the container. There is a problem in that accurate color detection is difficult. In other words, when using a urine test kit equipped with a curved test strip, there is a problem in that it is difficult to determine the color of the entire area of the curved test strip if the existing test method is applied.

KR 10-2402785 B1 KR 10-1904037 B1

The present invention was proposed to solve the problems of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a urine test device and method using a curved test sheet.

One embodiment of the present invention discloses a urine test device using a curved test sheet.

The disclosed urine test device includes a seating portion in which the test kit is seated, a standard colorimetric table that stores reference color values according to the level of each test item, and a test kit for color detection according to a control signal. At least one light source for irradiating light to the pad, at least one color sensor for detecting the color of the test pad by reflected light, a flexible PCB on which the color sensor is mounted, and the flexible PCB FPCB driving mechanism to adjust the detection radius to match the detection direction of the test pad and color sensor, and when the reference test kit is seated on the seating part in the setting stage, the FPCB driving mechanism is controlled to determine the position of the test pad and color sensor matching, and if the signal received through the color sensor is below a predetermined threshold level, the color sensor is invalidated, and each color sensor is grouped according to the color received by the valid color sensor, thereby matching the test pad and the color sensor. The test kit is identified according to the number of test items and the corresponding information is stored. In the test stage, when the test kit that reacts with the urine of the test subject is placed on the seat, the color of the test pad is sequentially detected according to the set test kit information. It includes a test control unit for determining the level of the test item by comparing it with the reference color of the test item in the standard colorimetric table.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a urine test method using a curved test sheet.

The urine test method of another disclosed embodiment includes the steps of measuring temperature and humidity during the setting process, adjusting the duty ratio of the light source according to the measured temperature, and using a reference test kit of a predetermined standard during the setting process to test a color sensor and a test pad. A matching step, a step of inputting the test subject information and test items when the test kit that reacts to the urine of the test subject is seated during the test process after the setup is completed, and a step of inputting the test pad color of the test kit that reacted according to the set information to the RGB value. sequentially detecting, converting the RGB value into an HSV color value, and comparing the converted HSV color value with a reference color of the corresponding test item in a standard colorimetric table table to determine the level of the test item. It includes a step of outputting test subject information and level information for each test item of the test subject.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, contamination between reagents of the test pads can be prevented by arranging each test pad of the urine test kit in a separate compartment and allowing them to flow individually through an independent flow path, and containing the container. The use of a cup-type test kit with an integrated test strip has the advantage of being hygienic and easy to use.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the detection characteristics can be improved by adjusting the detection radius of the FPCB to which the color sensor is attached to be concentric with the radius of the test strip so that the detection directions match each other and are as close as possible. In particular, the number of inspection items can be improved. By grouping color sensors and matching them with inspection pads, it is possible to accurately inspect even if the number or size of color sensors is different from the number or size of inspection pads.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, stable light output can be obtained by adjusting the duty ratio of the light source according to environmental factors such as temperature or humidity, and after correcting and normalizing the GRB raw data detected by the color sensor, the HSV color space This has the effect of enabling more accurate colorimetric analysis.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a urine testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a diagram showing a urine test kit installed in the urine analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a urine testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a flowchart of the operation of the urine testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a detailed flowchart of the color sensor-test pad matching step shown in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a graph showing an example of the RGBW level detected by the color sensor when the duty ratio of the light source increases in an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a graph showing an example of RGB color converted to HUE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The technical problems achieved by the present invention and its implementation will become clearer through preferred embodiments of the present invention described below. The following examples are merely illustrative for illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a view showing a urine test kit installed in the urine analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the urine test device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a chart (hereinafter referred to as 'test pad') that responds to the urine of the test subject in the cup-type urine test kit 10. It detects color to determine the health status of the test subject.

As shown in FIG. 1, the urine test kit 10 used in the embodiment of the present invention is attached to a container 11 from which urine is collected and along the inner or outer circumference of the container 11 to collect urine. It may include a curved test strip (12) for accommodating the test pads (13) that respond to each other in a separate space and forming a flow path (14) that allows urine to flow individually into the separate space of the test pad (13). You can. The passage 14 is divided into a lower passage 14L that communicates with the lower side of the test pad 13 and an upper passage 14U that communicates with the upper side. When the air pump 16 attached to the upper passage 14U is pressed, The urine collected in the container 11 flows in along the lower flow passage 14L to wet the test pad 13, and when the urine in the container 11 is emptied, the urine in the flow path 14 is removed and the test pad 13 It is designed to remove excess urine. A tag 15, etc. may be attached to a portion of the container to identify the type of urine test kit and record test subject information. In one embodiment, the container 11 may be cylindrical or cup-shaped and made of transparent plastic, and the test pad 13 and flow path 14 may be formed in multiple numbers, at least one or more, corresponding to the test item.

In this way, the urine test kit 10 used in the embodiment of the present invention is attached horizontally to a portion of the cylindrical surface of the cylindrical container 11 for a dipstick urinalysis method and has a curved surface curved toward the center. It is equipped with a curved test strip 12, and the curved test strip 12 is attached with a test pad 13 that can test urine components like a normal stick-type test strip, and each test pad 13 ) is applied with a reagent that can determine whether there is an abnormality in the component according to the test item.

In addition, since the urine test kit 10 used in the embodiment of the present invention is cylindrical, a reference point is marked to match the positions of the color sensor and the test pad when inserted into the seating portion 110 of the urine test device as shown in Figure 2. or a reference protrusion (not shown) may be formed, and a tag (15; NFC tag, RFID tag, etc.) to identify the urine test kit 10 according to the test item may be attached or a code (barcode, QR code) may be attached. etc. are displayed, and more preferably, the information of the test subject can be recorded in the tag or code. Here, the air pump 16 may be used as a reference point.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the inspection items are 11 points, 7 points, and 4 points will be described as an example, as shown in Table 1 below. At this time, it is desirable that the various types of urine test kits (10) are standardized in the same container size and height of the test pad. However, the number of test pads (13) and the number of urinary tracts (14) vary depending on the number of test items. There are 11, 7, and 4 different numbers. In an embodiment of the present invention, for convenience of explanation, the case where there are three types of urine test kits is used as an example, but the number of required test items can be varied depending on the purpose of the test and can be standardized into various types.

turn Inspection items (marks) Initial color 11 point cup 7 point cup 4 point cup One Occult Blood (OBD) color a o o o 2 Bilirubin (BIL) color b o - - 3 Urobilinogen (URO) color c o o - 4 Ketone bodies (KET) color d o o - 5 Protein (PRO) e color o - o 6 Nitrite (NIT) f color o o - 7 Glucose (GLU) g color o o o 8 Acidity (pH) h color o o - 9 Specific gravity (SG) color i o - - 10 White blood cells (LEU) color j o o o 11 Vitamin C k color o - -

Referring to Table 1, test items include occult blood (OBD), bilirubin (BIL), urobilinogen (URO), ketones (KET), protein (PRO), and nitrite ( There are nitrite (NIT), glucose (GLU), acidity (pH), specific gravity (SG), leukocytes (LEU), vitamin C, etc., ranging from 4 to 11 depending on the purpose of the test. Items can be selected and tested.

Each test pad 13 is coated with a sample that reacts with each component according to the test item, and the color of the test pad 13, which changes over time as the sample soaked in urine reacts, is compared to the reference color of the standard colorimetric table. It can be analyzed using colorimetric analysis compared with . The degree of color change of the sample depending on the concentration of ingredients can be classified into levels 2 to 7 for each test item.

The arrangement order of the test items can be arbitrarily determined and standardized, but they must be arranged so that the initial colors or colors of adjacent test items are not the same when they react to each other to ensure the accuracy of the test when automatically analyzed later with the urine test device 100. It can be raised.

In particular, in the urine test kit 10 used in the embodiment of the present invention, each test pad 13 is arranged in a separate space, and the urine of the test subject is passed through an independent flow path 14. Contamination between reagents can be prevented by allowing them to flow individually into the test pad 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the urine analysis device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for testing according to a predetermined testing procedure when the urine testing kit 10 is seated inside the seating portion 110. Identify the kit type (11 points, 7 points, 4 points) according to the number of inspection items in the kit (10), and align the color sensor and inspection pad mounted on the flexible PCB (hereinafter referred to as 'FPCB') using SMD method. After the color of the reacted test pad is detected, the test result (level of the corresponding ingredient) of the test item can be determined by colorimetric analysis.

Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a urine testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the urine test device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a seating portion 110 for accommodating the cup-type urine test test kit 10 therein, and N light sources 120- 1~120-N), N color sensors (130-1~130-N), temperature and humidity sensor (132), illuminance sensor (134), NFC reader (136), speaker (138), color sensor (130-1) It consists of an FPCB 102 on which ~130-N) is mounted, an FPCB driving mechanism 140, an operation unit 152, a display 154, a wireless communication unit 160, and an inspection control unit (MCU) 170.

Referring to FIG. 3, the seating portion 110 is formed with a receiving space for accommodating the test kit 10 to which the curved test strip 12 is attached, and this receiving space is provided with the test kit 10. ) is seated and sealed to prevent external light from flowing into the internal accommodation space. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the seating portion 110 has a reference point corresponding to the reference point indicated on the inspection kit 10 in order to match the positions of the inspection pad (13; TP) and the color sensor (130; CS) of the inspection kit. is indicated or a guide groove corresponding to the reference protrusion is formed so that the standardized inspection kit 10 can be seated more accurately. In some cases, the height of the inspection pad of the inspection kit 10 and the height of the color sensor are adjusted. In order to match, a height adjustment means may be further provided to finely adjust the height of the mounted test kit 10 in the vertical (up and down) direction.

The light sources 120-1 to 120-N include a high-brightness white light emitting diode 124 driven by a constant current method and a variable current applied to the light emitting diode 124 according to the PWM control signal of the MCU 170. It is composed of a MOS FET (122) that irradiates light to the test pad (13) of the test kit, and the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) detects color with the light reflected from the test pad (13). make it possible In an embodiment of the present invention, a high-brightness White LED of 5600K can be used as the light emitting diode 124. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, N light sources (120-1 to 120-N) and color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) are arranged in pairs to form one sensing unit, so that the number of light sources is the color sensor. However, the number of light sources 120 may be smaller than the number of color sensors, such as two on both sides of the FPCB or three in the center and on both sides.

The color sensors 130-1 to 130-N are image sensors for detecting the color of the test pad 13 by light reflected from the test pad 13 of the curved test strip, and in the embodiment of the present invention, An RGBW color sensor (eg, VEML 6040) that has an I ² C interface and can detect red, green, blue, and white light can be used. The VEML 6040 used in the embodiment of the present invention is a device with L x W x H of 2.0 x 1,25 x 1.0 mm and each channel (R, G, B, W) having 16-bit resolution, providing flexible They are arranged horizontally at 1 mm intervals on the FPCB board 102, with a curved test strip placed inside and partially surrounding the strip. In addition, the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) and the MCU (170) are connected through the I ² C bus, so that the master MCU (170) detects the slave color sensor (130-1 to 130-N). RGBW data can be read, and between the color sensor (130-1~130-N) and the light source (120-1~120-N), the light from the light source is directly incident on the color sensor (130-1~130-N). It needs to be properly placed or isolated to prevent it from happening. Therefore, only the light reflected from the inspection kit 10 can be received by the color sensors 130-1 to 130-N.

As such, the number of test pads 13 does not match the number of color sensors (130-1 to 130-N), and the sizes of the test pads 13 and color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) are also different. Depending on the purpose of the urine test, different types of test kits (10), such as 11 point, 7 point, and 4 point, are used, so as will be explained in detail later, color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) and A series of matching procedures are required to match the test pads 13.

The temperature and humidity sensor 132 is attached to the FPCB board 102 or one side of the receiving space to detect the internal temperature and humidity of the inspection device. In the embodiment of the present invention, it senses both temperature and humidity and has an I ² C interface. HTU20D can be used.

The illuminance sensor 134 is installed in the receiving space of the seating unit 110 and is used to detect external light being input into the receiving space when the test kit 10 is seated. When external light is input, a measured value is obtained. Since external light is detected through the illuminance sensor 134, an alarm can be generated.

The NFC reader 136 is for reading recorded data from the NFC tag 15 attached to the cup-type test kit 10. The NFC tag 15 contains information about the test subject and whether the test item is 11 points, 7 points, or 4 points. Information on the type of test kit representing the test kit may be recorded. In the embodiment of the present invention, the NFC tag 15 is used as an example, but RFID, barcode, or QR code can also be used to record information on the test subject or kit type information according to the test item.

The speaker 138 generates an alarm sound to notify the user when external light is detected by the illuminance sensor 134 or an error occurs during the test kit seating process or the test process, and outputs a guidance sound during the test process when necessary. .

The FPCB driving mechanism 140 adjusts the detection radius (r2) of the FPCB (102) on which the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) are mounted according to the control signal from the MCU (170) to detect the test pad (13) and the color. This is to match the sensing direction of the sensors (130-1 to 130-N). The FPCB driving mechanism 140 is implemented by connecting both ends of the FPCB 102 to a part of the inspection device with bellows or elastic springs and then driving it using an actuator, so that the radius (r1) of the inspection kit 10 and the FPCB ( 102), the radius (r1) is made concentric to match the detection direction, and the possible separation distance (d1) is minimized to maximize the detection signal.

The operating unit 152 is used to turn the power on/off, open the lid of the seating unit, and input various settings or user information. It can be implemented in various ways, such as a button or a touch screen, and the display unit 154 is a part of the inspection device. It can be implemented with an LCD that displays operating status, detection values, test subject information, kit type, etc.

The wireless communication unit 160 is connected to the hospital server 200 through a wireless communication method such as WiFi or Bluetooth to transmit the test subject's urine test results and test subject information to the server.

The test control unit 170 can be implemented with an MCU and peripheral devices with built-in memory, and the built-in memory can store firmware and a standard colorimetric table with reference color values for each test item.

When the MCU of the monitoring control unit 170 is turned on, it executes firmware and processes the setting process and inspection process as shown in FIG. 4. When the setting process begins, a PWM control signal to adjust the on-time pulse width (duty ratio) of the light source according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is output to the light source, and the reference test kit 10 is seated on the seating part 110. Then, the FPCB driving mechanism 140 is controlled to match the detection directions of the inspection pad 13 and the color sensors 130-1 to 130-N. And, if the signal received through the color sensor (130-1~130-N) is below a predetermined threshold level, the corresponding color sensor is invalidated, and each color sensor is grouped according to the color received by the valid color sensor, and the test pad and color are used. By matching the sensors, the test kit can be identified according to the number of test items and the corresponding information can be stored. In addition, during the test process, when the test kit that reacts with the test subject's urine is placed on the seat 110, the color of the test pad is sequentially detected according to the set test kit information and compared with the reference color of the corresponding test item in the standard colorimetric table. After determining the level of the relevant test item, it is transmitted to the hospital server 200 through the wireless communication unit 160 along with the test result obtained by analyzing the test subject information and test items.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the overall operation of the urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a detailed flowchart of the step of matching the color sensor and test pad shown in Figure 4.

First, in an embodiment of the present invention, 22 color sensors (130-1 to 130-22; hereinafter referred to as 'CS1 to CS22') are mounted on the FPCB 102, and up to 11 test pads (hereinafter referred to as 'TP1 to TP11') are mounted on the FPCB 102. ') is detected and 11 inspection items (hereinafter referred to as 'UT1 to UT11') can be inspected as an example. This maximum number of test items is only an example, and the maximum number of test items can be increased by increasing the number of test pads and color sensors.

And for efficient use of parts (cost reduction), it is desirable to design the arrangement so that all color sensors operate to detect the color of the corresponding inspection pad for inspection of the maximum number of inspection items, as shown in Table 2 below. However, if the number of test items is smaller than the maximum number of test items, a procedure for matching the color sensor and test pad is necessary during the setup process.

turn Inspection items test pad color sensor One UT1 TP1 CS1,CS2 2 UT2 TP2 CS3,CS4 3 UT3 TP3 CS5,CS6 4 UT4 TP4 CS7,CS8 5 UT5 TP5 CS9,CS10 6 UT6 TP6 CS11,CS12 7 UT7 TP7 CS13,CS14 8 UT8 TP8 CS15,CS16 9 UT9 TP9 CS17,CS18 10 UT10 TP10 CS19,CS20 11 UT11 TP11 CS21,CS22

According to Table 2 above, in order to inspect UT1 inspection items, the color of the TP1 inspection pad is detected and analyzed using the CS1 and CS2 color sensors.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the test kit 10 is a standardized 11-point cup, 7-point cup, and 4-point cup so that 11, 7, and 4 can be tested depending on the number of test items. This will be explained using a case classified as an example. Here, unused cups (testing kits) are defined as '11 point reference cup', '7 point reference cup', and '4 point reference cup', and the test pad is used after the test subject collects urine. The cup (test kit) that reacts with the urine of the test subject is defined as '11 point test target cup', '7 point test target cup', and '4 point test target cup', and when referring to the whole, simply ' It will be called the ‘reference cup’ or ‘test cup’.

Referring to Figure 4, the operation procedure of the urine test device according to the embodiment of the present invention is largely divided into a setting process (S101 to S107) and a testing process (S108 to S115). The setting process is at the beginning when the power is turned on or It is performed when a reset is necessary due to environmental factors. The test process is a process of testing the urine sample of the actual test subject, and can be repeated multiple times while replacing the test cup after the setup process is completed.

When the MCU (170) is turned on, it initializes variables and setting values and loads the reference value of the standard colorimetric table (S101). At this time, the reference value of the standard colorimetric table is stored as HUE data.

When a random reference cup is input during the setting process, tag identification is used to identify whether the input reference cup is an 11-point reference cup, a 7-point reference cup, or a 4-point reference cup (S102, S103).

Next, the temperature and humidity are measured through the temperature and humidity sensor, and then a PWM control signal is output to adjust the duty ratio of the light source according to the measured temperature (S104). In an embodiment of the present invention, a PWM control signal can be generated so that the duty ratio increases by 2% when the temperature rises by 2 degrees. This light source setting procedure (S104) can be performed at any stage through an interrupt when a change in temperature and humidity is detected.

After identifying the type of reference cup, the MCU (170) controls the FPCB driving mechanism (140) to finely adjust the detection angles of the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) mounted on the FPCB (102) to determine the color Match the sensing directions of the sensors (130-1 to 130-N) and the inspection pad (13) (S105). This position alignment procedure can be performed in various ways, but after turning on all light sources under the control of the MCU, the detection radius (r2) of the flexible PCB 102 to which the color sensor is attached is set so that the detection signal of all color sensors is maximized. It can be implemented by controlling .

Next, in the step of matching the color sensor with the test pad (S106), as shown in FIG. 5, when the identified reference cup is an 11-point reference cup, the color sensors corresponding to the test pad are determined as shown in Table 2, so the preset Load matching data and check matching status (S201 to S213).

Referring to FIG. 5, when the identified reference cup is a 7-point reference cup, the reference test is performed by sequentially turning on the light source and color sensor from the first color sensor (CS1) to the 22nd color sensor (CS22) according to the color sensor scan procedure. The color signal reflected from the test pads (TP1 to TP7) of the kit is received (S221, S222).

If the detection signal of each color sensor that receives the light reflected from the test pad falls below a predetermined threshold, the color sensor in question has no test pad to detect and is classified as an invalid color sensor. If it is above the threshold, it is classified as a valid color sensor. (S223).

Then, if the detection colors of adjacent effective color sensors are the same, it is determined that light from the same test pad has been received, and the color sensors of the same test item are grouped as shown in Table 3 below, and this color sensor group and the corresponding test pad are subjected to one test. Correspond to items (S224, S225).

color sensor Valid/Invalid color value test pad Inspection items CS1 you a TP1 UT1 CS2 you a CS3 radish CS4 radish CS5 you b TP2 UT2 CS6 you b CS7 radish CS8 radish CS9 you c TP3 UT3 CS10 you c CS11 radish CS12 you d TP4 UT4 CS13 you d CS14 radish CS15 you e TP5 UT5 CS16 you e CS17 radish CS18 you f TP6 UT6 CS19 you f CS20 radish CS21 you g TP7 UT7 CS22 you g

Referring to Table 3, color sensors CS1 and CS2 adjacent to each other detect the same color a and are grouped into one color sensor, which can detect the color of the TP1 inspection pad and inspect UT1 inspection items. . In addition, color sensors CS3 and CS4 do not have an inspection pad to detect, so they detect low color signals and are classified as invalid colors.

Additionally, if the identified reference cup is a 4-point reference cup, the light source and color sensors from the first color sensor to the 22nd color sensor are sequentially turned on while receiving the color signal reflected from the test pad of the reference test kit (S231, S232). .

If the detection signal of each color sensor that receives the light reflected from the test pad is less than a predetermined threshold, the corresponding color sensor is classified as an invalid color sensor, and if it is greater than the threshold, it is classified as a valid color sensor (S233).

Then, if the detected colors of adjacent effective color sensors are the same, it is determined that light from the same inspection pad has been received, and the color sensors of the same inspection item are grouped as shown in Table 4 below, and this color sensor group and the corresponding inspection pad are performed as one inspection. Correspond to items (S234, S235).

color sensor Valid/Invalid color value test pad Inspection items CS1 you a TP1 UT1 CS2 you a CS3 you a CS4 radish CS5 radish CS6 you b TP2 UT2 CS7 you b CS8 you b CS9 radish CS10 radish CS11 radish CS12 you c TP3 UT3 CS13 you c CS14 you c CS15 radish CS16 radish CS17 radish CS18 radish CS19 you d TP4 UT4 CS20 you d CS21 you d CS22 radish

Referring to Table 4 above, it can be seen that color sensors CS1, CS2, and CS3 adjacent to each other detect the same color a and are grouped into one color sensor, which detects the color of the TP1 inspection pad and can inspect UT1 inspection items. You can. In addition, color sensors CS4 and CS5 do not have an inspection pad to detect, so they detect low color signals and are classified as invalid colors. Comparing Table 3 and Table 4, it can be seen that the size of the test pad in the case of 4 points is larger than that in the case of 7 points.

According to this embodiment of the present invention, the color sensor, the test pad, and the test items can be matched by performing a matching procedure during the setup process without the need to match the color sensor and the test pad in advance. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the number and size of the test pads of the test kit can be designed somewhat freely, making it convenient to use, especially when the type of test cup is not identified or the size or arrangement can be adjusted to certain specifications. Even if it is out of bounds, the relevant inspection item can be accurately inspected by matching the color sensor and inspection pad through the matching procedure.

Referring again to FIG. 4, when the setting process is completed, the cup to be inspected is inserted into the seating portion 110 during the inspection process (107, S108). At this time, the seated state of the cup to be inspected can be determined, and if it is not seated correctly, a guide sound may be used to request reinsertion or alignment. And when a random inspection target cup is input, tag identification is used to identify whether the inserted inspection target cup is an 11-point inspection target cup, a 7-point inspection target cup, or a 4-point inspection target cup (S108).

After identifying the type of cup, load the matching data shown in Tables 2 to 4 that were matched during the setup process according to the type of the identified cup, and sequentially starting from the first test pad through the corresponding color sensor by referring to the loaded matching data. Sensing the RGBW color value while scanning (S110).

Examples of the RGBW levels detected by each color sensor are shown in the graphs shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D. Figure 6a is an example of a graph showing the level of the white light signal received by the color sensor, Figure 6b is an example of a graph showing the level of the red light signal received by the color sensor, and Figure 6c is a green light signal received by the color sensor. This is an example of a graph displaying the level of , and Figure 6d is an example of a graph displaying the level of the blue light signal received by the color sensor.

Referring to FIG. 6, the vertical axis of each graph represents color temperature (unit °K), and the horizontal axis represents relative time elapse (t). In addition, each detection signal represents the level of the optical signal received when the light source is PWM controlled, and it can be seen that when the tuti ratio increases according to the pulse width of the PWM control signal, the optical output increases and the level of the detection signal also increases.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the MCU 170 performs correction and normalization procedures on the detected color data, if necessary, and then converts the RGB color value into an HSV color value according to the processing procedure shown in Table 5 and the formula in Table 6. Convert (S111). In other words, rather than directly detecting the actual test pad, due to the nature of the test cup, the sample (test pad) is attached to the inside of the transparent cup, so there may be differences from the actual test, so it is necessary to correct the sensor's detection value. .

r = (double)(r/65535);
g = (double)(g/65535);
b = (double)(b/65535);
w = (double)(b/65535);
r = wparam*r;
g = wparam*g;
b=wparam*b;

double cmax = max(r, g, b); // maximum of r, g, b
double cmin = min(r, g, b); // minimum of r, g, b
double diff = cmax-cmin; // diff of cmax and cmin.

if (cmax == cmin)
h = 0;
else if (cmax == r)
h = fmod((60 * ((g - b) / diff) + 360), 360.0);

The conversion formula for converting 16-bit RGB to HSV through the procedure shown in Table 5 can be obtained as shown in Table 6 below.

W ' =W/65536 =Wparam
R ' = R /65535
G ' = G /65535
B ' = B /65535
Cmax = max( R ', G ', B ', W')
Cmin = min( R ', G ', B ', W')
△wparam = Cmax - Cmin

In other words, the three important properties that make up the color perceived by the human eye are hue (H), brightness (brightness or lightness, Br), and saturation (St), where H is red. It is expressed as a combination of , R), green (green, G), and blue (blue, B). Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the RGB value detected by the color sensor is not directly used, but is converted to a HUE value as shown in FIG. 7, and then the level (concentration) of the corresponding test item is determined by colorimetric analysis with the reference value of the standard colorimetric table ( S112).

When the colorimetric analysis of all test items is completed by comparing the converted HSV color value with the reference color of the test item in the standard colorimetric table, the test subject information and the level information (analysis result) for each test item of the test subject are stored in the data not shown. It is printed on a printer or transmitted to the server 200 through the wireless communication unit 160, and the inspection target cup for which the test has been completed is discharged (S113 to S115).

In the above, the present invention has been described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings, but those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom.

10: Urine test kit 13: Test pad
102: FPCB 110: Seating part
120-1~120-N: Light source 122: MOS FET
124: LED 130-1~130-N: Color sensor
140: FPCB driving mechanism 152: operating unit
154: Display 160: Wireless communication unit
170: Test control unit 200: Hospital server

Claims (5)

A seating portion in which the inspection kit is seated;
Standard colorimetric table that stores reference color values according to level for each inspection item;
At least one light source for irradiating light to the test pad of the test kit for color detection according to a control signal;
At least one color sensor for detecting the color of the test pad by reflected light;
A flexible PCB on which the color sensor is mounted;
an FPCB driving mechanism for matching the detection direction of the inspection pad and the color sensor by adjusting the detection radius of the flexible PCB; and
In the setting step, when the reference test kit is seated on the seat, the FPCB driving mechanism is controlled to match the positions of the test pad and the color sensor, and if the signal received through the color sensor is below a predetermined threshold level, the corresponding color sensor is invalidated, each color sensor is grouped according to the color received by the valid color sensor, the test pad and the color sensor are matched, the test kit is identified according to the number of test items, and the relevant information is stored.
In the test step, when the test kit that reacts with the test subject's urine is placed on the seating part, the color of the test pad is sequentially detected according to the set test kit information and compared with the reference color of the test item in the standard colorimetric table. A urine test device using a curved test strip including a test control unit to determine the level of test items. The method of claim 1, wherein the urine testing device
It further includes a seating unit driving mechanism for adjusting the height of the seating unit to match the vertical direction of the test pad and the color sensor,
The inspection control unit
A urine test device using a curved test strip, characterized in that when the test kit is seated on the seat, the seat drive mechanism is controlled to match the positions of the test pad and the color sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the urine testing device
Further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting temperature,
The inspection control unit
A urine test device using a curved test strip, characterized in that outputting a PWM control signal to the light source to adjust the on-time pulse width (duty ratio) of the light source according to the detected temperature. Measuring temperature and humidity during the setting process and adjusting the duty ratio of the light source according to the measured temperature;
Matching the color sensor and test pad using a reference test kit of a predetermined standard during the setup process;
After the setup is completed, when the test kit that reacts with the urine of the test subject is seated during the test process, receiving the test subject information and test items;
Sequentially detecting the color of the test pad of the test kit reacted according to the set information as RGB values;
Converting the RGB values into HSV color values;
Comparing the converted HSV color value with a reference color of the corresponding test item in a standard colorimetric table to determine the level of the corresponding test item; and
A urine test method using a curved test strip including the step of outputting test subject information and level information for each test item of the test subject. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of matching the test pad and the color sensor is
A step of adjusting the detection radius of the flexible PCB to which the color sensor is attached so that the detection signal of all color sensors is maximized;
If the signal detected from each color sensor is less than a predetermined threshold, the color sensor is classified as an invalid color sensor, and if it is greater than the threshold, the color sensor is classified as a valid color sensor;
If the detected colors of adjacent effective color sensors are the same, it is determined that light from the same inspection pad has been received, and the color sensors of the same inspection item are grouped, and this color sensor group and the corresponding inspection pad are matched to one inspection item. A urine test method using a curved test strip comprising:

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