JPH0547404Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial field of application> This invention relates to an infection prevention mechanism in a body fluid measurement device.More specifically, the invention relates to an infection prevention mechanism in a body fluid measurement device. In a body fluid measurement device that measures the amount of a specific substance in a body fluid by detecting the amount of the substance produced or eliminated in the presence of an active substance,
This invention relates to a novel infection prevention mechanism that prevents a part of a person's body from touching the dripping area of body fluid.

<Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention> Focusing on the characteristic that extremely complex organic compounds, proteins, etc. can be detected with high sensitivity and selectively, we have developed a base electrode. Research and development is being carried out to measure the above-mentioned organic compounds, proteins, etc. using biosensors in which physiologically active substances are immobilized on the surface of biosensors.

In particular, the above-mentioned biosensors are most suitable for biochemical analysis of body fluid components for clinical tests and disease prevention, and research and development are being carried out with increasing enthusiasm.

Taking a glucose sensor that measures glucose concentration as an example, as shown in FIG. A wetting liquid holding part (not shown) is provided to keep the electrode main body part 72 in a wet state and keep it in an active state. The electrode main body 72 includes a base electrode 73, an immobilized glucose oxidase membrane (hereinafter referred to as an immobilized GOD membrane) 74 that covers the base electrode 73, and a diffusion limiting membrane 75 that covers the immobilized GOD membrane 74. have.

Therefore, when the glucose concentration is not measured, the wetting liquid holding portion is brought into pressure contact with the electrode main body 72 to maintain the moist state of the electrode main body 72 and to increase the activity of the immobilized GOD membrane 74. hold,
To maintain a state in which accurate glucose concentration measurement can be performed. When measuring the glucose concentration, it is sufficient to release the pressure contact state of the wetting liquid holding section against the electrode main body section 72 and drop the body fluid to be measured, for example, blood, onto the diffusion limiting membrane 75, and drop blood cells, etc. The large-diameter particles are prevented from entering, and only the small-diameter particles reach the immobilized GOD film 74. Among the small particles that have reached the immobilized GOD membrane 74, glucose is
An enzymatic reaction occurs in the presence of glucose oxidase (hereinafter abbreviated as GOD) and oxygen, and gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide are produced. Therefore, by extracting an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of hydrogen peroxide through the base electrode 71,
The glucose concentration in the blood can be accurately measured.

However, when sequentially measuring the glucose concentration in the blood of many people, it is not only necessary to drop blood onto the diffusion limiting membrane 75 each time a measurement operation is performed, but also to It is necessary to prevent the glucose permeability from decreasing by replacing the clogged diffusion limiting membrane 75. Then, while performing these tasks, there is a significant possibility that blood will adhere to a part of the worker's body, such as a finger.

Therefore, if the blood contains pathogenic bacteria, the pathogenic bacteria may adhere to the body of the person being measured, and depending on the type of pathogenic bacteria, there is a possibility that a disease may occur due to the adhesion of the pathogenic bacteria. There is.

Although the above explanation has only been made for measuring the glucose concentration in the blood, it can also be used when measuring the concentration of other substances in the blood, or when measuring the concentration of substances other than blood, such as in urine. , similar problems may occur.

<Purpose of the invention> This invention was created in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is aimed at creating an infection prevention mechanism in a body fluid measuring device that can reliably prevent pathogens from adhering to the person being measured during body fluid measuring operations. is intended to provide.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, the infection prevention mechanism in the body fluid measuring device of this invention is located on the upper surface side of the electrode and is capable of reciprocating along the electrode surface. The inner cover has an opening, and the inner cover is reciprocated in accordance with the opening/closing operation of the outer cover, and when the outer cover is opened, a portion of the inner cover other than the opening covers at least a portion of the electrode. The outer cover and the inner cover are connected via a link member that moves the inner cover up to the point where the inner cover is moved.

However, it is preferable that the opening is a large-diameter opening that directly faces the electrode when the outer cover is in the closed state. It is preferable that it be in contact with the provided wetting liquid holding section. In particular, it is more preferable for the electrode to be fitted with a diffusion limiting membrane through the space below the inner cover when the outer cover is opened.

More preferably, the inner cover has a pair of protrusions that engage with a pair of guide grooves formed at predetermined positions of the casing, and the protrusions are connected to the outer cover by a link member. .

<Function> The infection prevention mechanism configured as described above has an electrode for body fluid measurement at a predetermined position of the casing, and an external cover that can be opened and closed in accordance with the position of the electrode. It has an inner cover with an opening that is located on the upper surface side of the electrode and can reciprocate along the electrode surface. The outer cover and the inner cover are connected via a link member that moves the inner cover to a state where the portion other than the opening of the inner cover covers at least a portion of the electrode. When performing a measurement, at least a portion of the electrode is covered by the internal cover to prevent a part of the measurer's body, such as a finger, from inadvertently touching the electrode. Therefore, even if pathogenic bacteria is attached to the electrode, it is possible to prevent the pathogenic bacteria from adhering to the body of the person being measured, and to reliably prevent the unexpected onset of illness caused by pathogenic bacteria that cannot be identified from the outside. can do.

Also, when the opening is a large diameter opening that directly faces the electrode when the external cover is closed,
A similar effect to that described above can be achieved. In this case, if the electrode comes into contact with the wetting liquid holding part provided in the external cover through the large diameter opening when the external cover is closed, the wetting liquid holding part is The activity of the electrode can be maintained by bringing the electrode into contact with the electrode. In particular, if the above-mentioned electrode is one in which a diffusion-limiting membrane is attached through the space below the inner cover when the outer cover is open, the upper surface of the diffusion-limiting membrane is covered by the inner cover when attaching or detaching the diffusion-limiting membrane. It can be reliably covered and the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria can be reliably prevented.

Further, if the inner cover has a pair of protrusions that engage with a pair of guide grooves formed at predetermined positions of the casing, and the protrusions are connected to the outer cover by a link member, the structure can be further simplified and still achieve the same effect as above.

<Examples> Hereinafter, examples will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a blood glucose level measuring device, in which a display section 11 and an operation switch 12 are provided at predetermined positions of a casing 1, and an openable/closeable external cover 2 is provided. In correspondence with the outer cover 2, an enzyme electrode 3, a diffusion limiting membrane holding plate attachment member 32, and an inner cover 5 are provided.

A more detailed explanation will be given based on FIG. 1 which shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 6.

Enzyme electrode 3 attached to the casing 1
has a base electrode (not shown) and an immobilized GOD film 31 covering the base electrode, and is formed so that its upper surface is an arcuate convex surface. The diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate attachment member 32 has a through hole 33 through which the enzyme electrode 3 can be inserted, and has a diffusion restriction plate at a predetermined position on the upper surface that has the same width as the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4, which will be described later. It has a membrane holding plate accommodating groove 34, and further includes an upper flange 35 projecting in the direction of the through hole 33 slightly above the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate accommodating groove 34, and an upper flange 35 on the opening side of the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate accommodating groove 34. It has an inner cover positioning protrusion 39 formed to protrude at a predetermined position on the upper part. Further, it has an engaging protrusion 36 at a predetermined position of the diffusion-limiting membrane plate holding/accommodating groove 34, and also has a hole 37 penetrating in the vertical direction.
Further, the entire diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32 is connected to the casing 1 via a shaft 38 so as to be movable up and down, and an engagement mechanism 13 (described later)
The range of vertical movement is regulated by A spring 30 is interposed between the casing 1 and the diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate mounting member 32, and constantly urges the diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate mounting member 32 to rotate upward. Further, a retaining shaft 15 is provided at a predetermined position of the casing 1, and projects upward through the hole 37 in the downward rotating state.

As shown in FIGS. 2A, B, and C, the inner cover 5 has a guide groove 5 formed in a predetermined area close to the shaft 38 of the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32.
The shaft 38 has a pair of inward protrusions 51 that are slidably and rotatably engaged with the shaft 38.
It has a large diameter hole 53 that directly faces the through hole 33 at a position farthest from the hole. That is, the large diameter hole 5
3 is a combination of a hole having a diameter sufficiently larger than that of the through hole 33 and a hole having approximately the same diameter as the through hole 33 (see FIG. 6). It has a downward protrusion 54 on the lower surface of the end parallel to the sliding direction, and a downward protrusion 55 that engages with the inner cover positioning protrusion 39 at a predetermined position closer to the inside.

The external cover 2 is rotatably attached to the casing 1 by a shaft 21 at the end on the guide groove 52 side, and is attached to the casing 1 at the other end.
An engaging portion 22 is provided which maintains the closed state of the lid when engaged with the slide engaging portion 14 provided at a predetermined position. A wetting liquid storage tank 23 is removably attached to a predetermined position on the lower surface of the outer cover 2, and an opening 24 that directly faces the enzyme electrode 3 when the lid is closed is formed in a protruding manner. 25 are accommodated. Furthermore, a downward flange 26 is formed at the end of the outer cover 2 adjacent to the shaft 21, and a tip of a link 28 rotatably connected to the downward flange 26 by a shaft 27 forms an inward protrusion. 51
is engaged with. Incidentally, 29 is an inward protrusion formed at a predetermined position of the casing 1, which engages with a predetermined position near the base of the inner cover 5 that moves following the opening operation of the outer cover 2, and spreads the inner cover 5. It is made to come into pressure contact with the limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32. (See the solid line in FIG. 2A.) As shown in FIG.
An opening 41 that directly faces the enzyme electrode 3 in the attached state.
and openings 42 and 43 directly facing the engaging protrusion 36 and hole 37,
The opening 41 is covered with a diffusion limiting film 44. Furthermore, a downward protrusion 45 is formed at the center of the end on the side of the engagement protrusion 36, so that the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4 can be easily gripped regardless of the surface on which the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4 is placed. That's what I do.

FIG. 4A is a vertical sectional view of a main part showing the positioning mechanism 13, and FIG. 4B is a partially see-through bottom view of FIG. 6.
4C to 4F are enlarged views showing the operation of the positioning mechanism 13.

The diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32 has a flange 61 on the lower surface of the tip.
An engagement shaft 6 extending toward the shaft 38 is located at a predetermined position at the bottom of the
It has 2. A lever 64 is provided at a predetermined position of the casing 1 and is rotatable horizontally about the shaft 63, as well as a spring 65 that urges the lever 64 to rotate away from the shaft 38. . Furthermore, a stopper 67 is provided in the center of the lever 64, which has a groove 66 that engages with the engagement shaft 62 and swings about an upper shaft 67a following the vertical movement of the engagement shaft 62. It is being The groove 66 has a pair of upward recesses 66a and 66b located on a straight line with respect to the center of rotation, and the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate can be attached to the upper or lower rotation limit position. When the member 32 is rotated, the engagement shaft 62 is engaged with one of the corresponding recesses. Further, 68 is a rotating member exposed to the outside from the lower surface of the casing 1, and the spring 6
5 to allow rotation of the lever 64 (fourth
(See the solid line in FIG. 4B), that is, the state in which the engaging state of the engagement shaft 62 and the groove 66 is maintained, and the state in which the lever 64 is prevented from rotating by the spring 65 (see the dashed-dotted line arrow in FIG. 4B). , that is, the engagement shaft 62 and the groove 66
This selects the state in which to release the engagement.

The operation of the blood glucose level measuring device having the above configuration is as follows.

When the blood sugar level is not to be measured, it is sufficient to simply close the external cover 2, and the engaging portion 22 engages with the slide engaging portion 14 to maintain the closed state, and the wetting liquid storage tank 23 The sponge 25 accommodated in the opening 24 contacts the enzyme electrode 3 to keep the immobilized GOD membrane 31 in a wet state, and the immobilized GOD
The activity of the membrane 31 is maintained without decreasing (see FIG. 3A). Incidentally, when the outer cover 2 is initially closed, the inner cover 5 is closed by the link 28.
Since a force almost parallel to the sliding direction is applied to the inner cover 5, the inner cover 5 slides smoothly.
The large-diameter hole 53 moves to a position directly facing the through-hole 33, thereby ensuring contact between the sponge 25 accommodated in the opening 24 of the wetting liquid storage tank 23 and the enzyme electrode 3.

When measuring the blood sugar level, the slide engaging portion 14 is slid to open the external cover 2, and the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4 with blood dropped into the opening 41 is attached to the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32. After that, the immobilized GOD membrane 31 and the diffusion limiting membrane 44 are brought into close contact by rotating the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate attachment member 32 downward, and in this state, the operating switch 12 is operated, and the enzyme electrode 3 is removed. The blood sugar level can be visually displayed on the display unit 11 by performing necessary processing based on the electrical signal obtained.

To explain in more detail, the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32 is pressed downward by the lid-closing operation, and the engagement shaft 62 is in a state in which it has escaped from the upward recess on the lower side (the fourth (See FIG. Then, the outer cover 2 is rotated upward to a certain extent (see FIGS. 2A and 3B), and after that, the outer cover 2 can be freely rotated. When the external cover 2 is rotated, the link 28 moves toward the shaft 21 with its own rotation being significantly suppressed, since the tip end is engaged with the inward protrusion 51. As a result, the inner cover 5 is also moved toward the shaft 21 (see FIGS. 2 and 3C). Since the inner cover 5 only has a pair of inward protrusions 51 engaged with the guide groove 52, there is a possibility that the inner cover 5 will rotate upward as it is, but by engaging with the inward protrusions 29, Since a downward force is applied, a state is created in which the downward protrusion 54 is pressed against the upper surface of the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate attachment member 32 and the downward protrusion 55 engages with the inner cover positioning protrusion 39. Can be done.

In this state, the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4 on which blood has been dropped is inserted into the diffusion-limiting membrane plate-accommodating groove 34, and positioned so that the opening 42 of the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4 engages with the engagement protrusion 36, In this state, by applying a downward force to the inner cover 5, it is rotated downward together with the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate attachment member 32, and the engagement shaft 62 is engaged with the upward recess on the lower side (Fig. 4E). (see), it is possible to maintain the downward rotating state and to ensure that the diffusion limiting membrane 44 of the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4 is in pressure contact with the immobilized GOD membrane 31 of the enzyme electrode 3. And hole 37
Since the retaining shaft 15 protruding through the opening 43 engages with the opening 43, the diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate 4 is prevented from being forcibly pulled out, and is thereby prevented from being immobilized due to friction.
Deterioration of the GOD film 31 can be prevented. still,
Also when attaching the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4, deterioration of the immobilized GOD membrane 31 due to friction can be prevented.

Therefore, in this state, the operation switch 1
By operating 2, the blood sugar level can be measured, and the measurement results can be visually displayed on the display unit 11.

After the measurement is completed, it is sufficient to disengage the engagement shaft 62 from the lower upward recess by applying a downward force to the inner cover 5 (see FIG. 4E).
Since the inner cover 5 and the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate mounting member 32 are rotated upward by the biasing force of the spring 30, the pressure contact state between the diffusion limiting membrane 44 and the immobilized GOD membrane 31 is released, and the retaining shaft 15
The engagement between the opening 43 and the opening 43 is released.

Therefore, the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4 can be removed without applying any frictional force to the immobilized GOD membrane 31.

If the blood sugar level is to be measured again, blood may be dropped onto a new diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4 and the series of operations described above may be performed.

As is clear from the above explanation, the diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate 4 is connected to the diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate mounting member 32.
When the inner cover 5 slides, the large-diameter hole 53 is displaced from the position directly facing the enzyme electrode 3. When it is necessary to concentrate on pressing the inner cover 5, operating switch 12, etc., it is almost impossible to touch the blood that has been inadvertently dripped onto the diffusion limiting membrane holding plate 4. It is possible to reliably prevent the inconvenience of touching a part of the body. Of course, when attaching or removing the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4, or when dropping blood onto the diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate 4, the blood is exposed, so a part of the body may come into contact with it. Although this is possible, since no other operations are performed while these operations are being performed, there is little room for carelessness to intervene.

Note that this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples; for example, cholesterol, neutral fat,
It can be applied to devices that measure urea, etc. Furthermore, by making the inner cover a two-layer structure and moving only one side, the opening area can be reduced, and the gist of this invention has been changed. It is possible to make various design changes within the scope.

<Effects of the invention> As described above, this invention is provided with an inner cover that moves to cover at least a portion of the electrode when the outer cover is open, so it is easier to concentrate on the measurement operation. This has a unique practical effect in that it can reliably eliminate the inconvenience of inadvertently touching a part of the body with the body fluid to be measured and being infected by pathogenic bacteria contained in the body fluid to be measured.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the infection prevention mechanism, Figs. 2 A to C are schematic diagrams of main parts explaining the operation of the infection prevention mechanism, and Figs. 3 A to C are the operations of the blood sugar level measuring device. FIG. 4A is a vertical sectional view of the main part showing the positioning mechanism, FIG. 4B is a partially see-through bottom view of FIG. 6, and FIGS. 4C to 4F are enlarged views explaining the operation of the positioning mechanism. , FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a diffusion-limiting membrane holding plate, FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a blood glucose level measuring device incorporating an infection prevention mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal section showing a conventional example. Surface diagram. 1... Casing, 2... External cover, 3...
Enzyme electrode, 4... Diffusion limiting membrane holding plate, 5... Internal cover, 28... Link, 32... Diffusion limiting membrane holding plate attachment member, 33... Through hole, 23... Wetting liquid storage tank, 34... ...Diffusion-limiting membrane retaining plate housing groove,
44...Diffusion limiting film, 51...Protrusion, 52...Guide groove.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A body fluid measuring device having an electrode 3 for body fluid measurement at a predetermined position of a casing 1, and an external cover 2 that can be opened and closed in accordance with the electrode position, It has an inner cover 5 having an opening 53 which is located on the upper surface side of the electrode 3 and can reciprocate along the electrode surface, and the inner cover 5 is reciprocated following the opening and closing operation of the outer cover 2. The outer cover 2 and the inner cover 5 are connected to each other via a link member 28 that moves the inner cover 5 to a state where the portion other than the opening 53 of the inner cover 5 covers at least a portion of the electrode 3 when the outer cover 2 is opened. An infection prevention mechanism in a body fluid measuring device characterized by being connected. 2. The infection prevention mechanism in the body fluid measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the opening 53 is a large-diameter opening 53 that directly faces the electrode 3 when the external cover 2 is in a closed state. 3. Infection prevention mechanism in the body fluid measuring device according to claim 2 of the above-mentioned utility model registration claim, in which the electrode 3 comes into contact with the wetting liquid holding portion provided in the outer cover 2 through the large-diameter opening 53 when the outer cover 2 is in the closed state. . 4. The body fluid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electrode 3 is fitted with a diffusion restriction membrane 44 through the space below the inner cover 5 when the outer cover 2 is in an open state. Infection prevention mechanism in measuring equipment. 5 The inner cover 5 has a pair of protrusions 51 that engage with a pair of guide grooves 52 formed at predetermined positions of the casing 1, and the protrusions 51 are connected to the outer cover 2 by the link member 28. An infection prevention mechanism in a body fluid measuring device according to claim 1 of the above-mentioned utility model registration.