JP3304585B2 - Toilet-mounted urine analysis unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Object of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a urine analysis unit capable of sampling urine excreted by an individual in a home, office, or other toilet and performing urine analysis on the spot. More specifically, the present invention relates to a toilet-mounted urine analysis unit that can be attached to a standard toilet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the longevity and aging of people, interest in health care is increasing. Urine is an important source of information about an individual's health.Quantitative analysis of urinary sugar, urine protein, urobilinogen, occult blood, and other urine components allows for pancreatic disorders such as diabetes, liver disorders, kidney disorders, and other functions. Disorders can be tested in a non-invasive manner.
Therefore, there has been proposed a toilet having a urine analysis function capable of performing sampling and analysis of urine using a toilet at home or at a workplace or the like to support an individual's health check.

For example, JP-A-59-217844, JP-A-63-18
No. 4057, JP-A-63-290961, JP-A-1-178866 and JP-A-4-191660, a urine collecting section is formed on the bowl surface of a Western-style toilet bowl, and urine excreted on the bowl surface is supplied to the urine collecting section. It has been proposed to collect and sample. The collected urine sample is analyzed by a liquid chromatography method, a test strip method, or a polarographic method (voltammetry method).

[0004] A drawback of these devices is that they require a special urinal which is capable of urine sampling and has a urine collecting section formed on the bowl surface. Such special toilets must be specially manufactured separately from the standard toilets, and therefore it is difficult to reduce the cost by mass production, so that they are too expensive to spread to ordinary households, workplaces and offices. Also, when modifying an existing toilet equipped with a normal bowl-shaped standard toilet, the existing toilet must be removed first, and then a special toilet dedicated to urine analysis must be installed. It requires enormous cost and trouble, and causes disposal of existing equipment. Further, after washing the toilet, the washing water remains in the urine collecting section on the bowl surface and dilutes new urine to be sampled, so that there is a possibility that a good sample cannot be sampled.
Further, since the urine collecting portion is formed on the bowl surface, the urine sample is contaminated with old urine and other excrement.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764, it is proposed to attach a urine sampling device to a toilet seat. For this reason,
An arm for supporting a cup-shaped urine collection container is pivotally attached to the toilet seat. In this sampling method, urine is sampled in the air in the bowl space of the toilet,
There is an advantage that urine analysis can be performed using a normal standard toilet without the need for a special toilet.

In this apparatus, a measuring part comprising a reaction liquid container, a pump and an absorptiometer is arranged on the side of the toilet seat, and urine sampled by a urine collecting device provided with the toilet seat is manually or automatically collected by a syringe. Is sent to the measuring unit and subjected to quantitative analysis of glucose. At the time of analysis, a reaction solution is mixed with a urine sample, the glucose concentration is measured by an absorptiometer, and the used reaction solution is discarded in a toilet.

[0007]

The problem with the analysis method of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-30764 is that a reaction solution containing glucose oxidase GHD (a solution obtained by adding an enzyme to a buffer solution) is used. The reaction solution to which the enzyme has been added is expensive, and this reaction solution is thrown away for each measurement, so that the running cost of the urine analyzer increases. In addition, since the reaction solution containing the enzyme must be stored in the refrigerator every time measurement is performed, the analysis operation becomes complicated.

Another problem with this method is that the toilet is not easy to use. That is, since the measuring section containing the reaction solution container and the absorptiometer is installed on the floor of the toilet, it hinders the cleaning and cleaning of the toilet and also hinders the normal use of the toilet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a urine analysis unit capable of performing urine analysis using a commercially available standard toilet and having a low running cost.

In another aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a urine analysis unit that can be easily attached to a standard toilet bowl and that is easy to maintain and operate. In yet another aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a urine analysis unit capable of performing urine analysis while ensuring the convenience of use of a toilet.

[0011]

Configuration of the Invention

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The urine analysis unit of the present invention has a housing, and the housing is provided between a bowl and a washing water supply unit by using a standard toilet (the above-mentioned urine collecting surface is mounted on the bowl surface). It is designed to be mounted on the upper surface of a normal toilet having no part formed thereon. The housing contains a buffer tank, a polarographic cell and a transport pump. The urine analysis unit further has a urine sampling device, which is adapted to collect a sample of urine excreted in the bowl of the standard toilet bowl in the air in the bowl space.

[0012] The collected urine sample is sent to a polarographic cell together with a buffer by a transport pump. The buffer acts as a carrier liquid for transporting the urine sample to the polarographic cell, and performs a buffering action necessary for stable operation of the polarographic cell. The polarographic cell outputs an electric signal corresponding to the concentration of a predetermined component (eg, glucose) in the urine sample, and the control arithmetic circuit calculates the glucose content based on this signal.

According to another feature of the invention, the polarographic cell is adapted to detect glucose without using an enzyme-containing reaction solution or enzyme reagent. For this reason, an enzyme (eg, glucose oxidase) that reacts with glucose is supported on the working electrode of the polarographic cell, for example, in the form of an enzyme-immobilized membrane. When glucose in the urine sample comes into contact with the enzyme-immobilized membrane, the glucose is oxidized by the action of glucose oxidase, and the polarographic cell outputs an electric signal corresponding to the amount of the reaction product.

As described above, the housing of the urine analyzing unit is mounted on the upper surface of the toilet, and the urine sampling device samples urine in the air in the bowl space. It can be attached to a commercially available standard toilet, and urine analysis can be performed using the standard toilet. The working electrode of the polarographic cell carries an enzyme-immobilized membrane,
The running cost of urine analysis is reduced because expensive enzyme reagents are not consumed in urine analysis. Further, since the enzyme reagent and the enzyme-added reaction liquid are not used, refrigeration and management of the enzyme reagent are not required, and maintenance of the urine analysis unit is simplified.

The buffer tank, polarographic cell and transport pump are compactly housed in a housing, which is mounted on the toilet bowl behind the bowl, so that normal use of the toilet is not hindered. . Further, since the housing is mounted on the toilet and the floor surface of the toilet is opened, it does not hinder daily cleaning and cleaning of the toilet. Therefore, the toilet provided with the urine analysis unit of the present invention is convenient.

Since the housing for accommodating the buffer tank, the polarographic cell and the transport pump is adapted to be mounted on the upper surface of the toilet, the urine analysis unit of the present invention is very easily mounted on an existing standard toilet. be able to.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the polarographic cell can be configured to detect the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated by the oxidation of glucose. The amount of generated hydrogen peroxide can be detected with higher accuracy than when detecting the amount of decrease in oxygen due to oxidation of glucose. Thus, according to this embodiment,
Urine analysis accuracy can be improved.

The above features and effects of the present invention, as well as other features and effects, will be described in more detail with reference to the following embodiments.

[0019]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the urine analysis unit of the present invention mounted on a standard toilet, FIG. 2 shows a disassembled housing of the urine analysis unit, and FIG. 3 shows a urine analysis unit. The toilet seat of the unit and the urine sampling device are shown disassembled.

Referring to these drawings, the toilet 1
0 has a commercially available standard flush toilet 12 which is
Is mounted with the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention.
The urine analysis unit 14 can be attached to a vortex-type, siphon-type, siphon-jet-type, washdown-type, or other types of standard toilets. The standard toilet 12 has a normal bowl (toilet bowl) section 16 and a washing water supply section 18. In the embodiment shown, the cleaning water supply comprises a cistern mounting 18,
A conventional cistern 20 is mounted in a known manner. The urine analysis unit of the present invention can also be attached to a standard toilet bowl of a type in which flush water is supplied from a flush tube provided with a flush valve instead of a cistern.

The urine analyzing unit 14 has a housing 22 fixed to the toilet bowl 12 and a toilet seat 24 rotatably mounted on the housing 22 as described later. In the illustrated embodiment, the toilet seat 24 incorporates a urine sampling device 26 adapted to sample urine in the air in the bowl space 16 to form one assembly 28 (hereinafter referred to as a toilet seat assembly). ing. Housing 2
2, a conventional toilet lid 30 can be attached so as to be openable and closable. A control unit 32 for controlling the urine analysis unit 14 and outputting an analysis result can be installed on a wall on the side of the toilet.

The housing 22 of the urine analysis unit 14
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, it can be composed of a frame 34, an upper casing 36, and left and right lower casings 38 and 40. These components of the housing 22 can be manufactured by injection molding of a resin, and are integrally fastened to each other by screws or the like.
Form 2 As shown in FIG. 2, the standard toilet bowl 12
Between the bowl part 16 and the washing water supply part 18
A pair of toilet seat mounting holes 42 are provided, and the housing is mounted using these toilet seat mounting holes 42. For this reason, the frame 34 of the housing 22 is
As disclosed in the above publication, two T-bolts 44 are mounted on the lower surface of the frame 34 by fitting into T-grooves, these T-bolts are inserted into the toilet seat mounting holes 42, and the corresponding nuts 46 are fastened to form a bowl. Part 16 and systern mounting part 1
8 and is fixed to the upper surface 48 of the toilet 12.

As can be clearly seen from FIG.
Has a central portion extending transversely to the toilet bowl 12 and side portions extending forward from both ends of the central portion, respectively. The upper casing 36 also has a shape corresponding to the frame 34. Accordingly, the frame 34, the upper casing 36, and the left and right lower casings 38 and 40 cooperate with each other to form the central portion 22C and the left portion 22L of the housing.
And a right side portion 22R (FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, a measuring unit 50 for analyzing a urine sample sampled by the toilet seat assembly 28 is provided on the left side portion 22L of the housing.
, An electric syringe pump 52 that transports a urine sample or a buffer to the measurement unit 50, a buffer tank 54, and a calibration liquid tank 56. A finger sphygmomanometer unit 58 may be disposed on the left side portion 22L of the housing, and the blood pressure may be measured by engaging the finger sphygmomanometer unit 58 with the left second finger of the subject. In the illustrated embodiment, a conventional bidet device 62 having a washing nozzle 60, a conventional hot air drying device 64, and a conventional deodorizing device 66 including an ozonizer are arranged in the housing central portion 22C. In addition, each function is provided when the toilet 10 provided with the urine analysis unit 14 is used for normal purposes. However, these additional functions are not essential and can be omitted. The power supply device 68 of the unit 14 and the operation panel 7 of the bidet device are provided on the right side portion 22R of the housing.
0 can be stored.

The toilet seat assembly 28 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the toilet seat 24 includes an upper half 2 made of an impact-resistant resin or the like.
4A and the lower half body 24B can be formed by joining, for example, by ultrasonic welding, and an electric heater wire 72 for warming the toilet seat can be wired as necessary. The toilet seat 24 can be mounted on the housing 2 using any hinge.
2, which can be mounted to be rotatable.
Using the retainer block disclosed in No. 5-19341, the hinge portion 74 is connected to the bearing portion 76 of the housing 22 (FIG. 2).
Attach by engaging with.

The toilet seat 24 is preferably supported at four points with respect to the upper surface of the rim 78 of the toilet bowl 12 in order to adapt to the firing distortion generated when firing the toilet bowl 12. For this reason, FIG.
As shown by a broken line in FIG. 7, two cushioned legs 80 can be provided on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24. At the other two points, the toilet seat 24 can be supported by two legs 84 provided on the urine collection case 82 described later.
As can be clearly seen from FIG. 8, the presence of the legs 80 or 84 provides an annular gap between the upper surface 86 of the toilet rim 78 and the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 with a height of about 1.5 to 2 cm. You. By effectively utilizing a part of the annular gap, a part of the urine sampling device 26 can be stored.
As can be clearly understood from FIGS. 3 and 8, recesses 90 and 92 which open downward are formed on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24, and a part of the urine sampling device 26 is further housed in these recesses as described later. Is done.

The urine sampling device 26 collects a urine sample excreted in the bowl 16 of the toilet bowl 12 by using a urine collection container in the air in the bowl space, and after sampling, stores the urine collection container in a storage position below the toilet seat 24. The urine collection container is configured to be automatically cleaned. An example of an embodiment of the urine sampling device 26 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the illustrated embodiment, the urine sampling device 26 includes a swing arm 94 having a substantially crank shape, an elongated urine collection container 96 detachably attached to a free end of the swing arm, and a driving unit 98 for driving the swing arm 94. And a urine collection unit case 82. The swing arm 94 can be composed of a central elbow 100, an end elbow 102, a pipe 104 connecting the two, and a spindle 106, as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the urine collection container 96 has an elongated upper opening 108 and a gutter-shaped recess 110.
, And a large-diameter base 114, and can be attached to the end elbow 102 with an O-ring 116 in a liquid-tight and detachable manner. The recess 110 of the main body is inclined toward the base 114 so that the recess 11
The urine that has fallen into the space 0 accumulates in the urine pool 118 formed by the base 114 and the elbow 102. By covering the outer periphery of the main body 112 with a wire mesh 120 or the like, it is possible to prevent the urine excreted from the subject from colliding with the urine collection container 96 and scattered around, and to be able to effectively collect a urine sample. preferable. Urine pool 1
The urine accumulated in 18 is supplied to the measurement unit 50 in the housing 22 by the suction and the pumping action of the syringe pump 52 through the internal passage of the elbow 102 and the flexible tube 122 extending inside the swing arm 94 and its spindle 106. Sent. Since only urine containing no air bubbles is sucked and sent to the measurement unit, the elbow 102 has a urine pool 11
It is preferable to provide an L-shaped tube 124 that opens at the bottom of the tube 8. In addition, in order to detect that a sufficient amount of urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118, a pair of electrodes 1 vertically separated from each other is detected.
26 and 128 can be provided on the elbow 102. These electrodes are connected to the side housing 2 via the lead wire 130.
It can be connected to the control circuit of the measurement unit 50 arranged in 2L.

Briefly, in the illustrated embodiment,
As can be clearly understood from FIG. 8, the drive unit 98 for driving the swing arm 94 provides the swing arm 94 with a rotational motion and a translational motion to move the urine collection container 96 from the storage position below the front part of the toilet seat into the bowl space. To various different urine collection locations (and vice versa). However, the urine collection container 96 may be moved only by the rotation of the swing arm 94.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the drive unit 98 is stored in a urine collection unit case 82 which is appropriately fixed to the lower surface of the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like. Drive unit 9
8 is a slider 13 slidably mounted on a case 82.
The slider 132 is guided by a pair of guides 134 fixed to the urine collection case 82 so as to slide substantially parallel to the long axis of the toilet 12. A rack 136 is fixed to the slider 132.
A pinion 140 of an output shaft of a stepping motor 138 with a reduction gear fixed to the case 82 is engaged with 36. Therefore, if the motor 138 is rotated in either direction, the slider 132 performs a translational movement back and forth.
The motor 138 is controlled by a control circuit (described later) in the side housing 22L.

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

The driving section 98 further includes a swing arm 94.
And a lever / cam mechanism 144 for controlling the rotation angle position of the urine collecting container 96 when the slider 132 is displaced back and forth by the motor 138. That is, as can be clearly understood from FIG. 5, a lever 146 is fitted to the spindle 106 of the swing arm 94 so as to rotate integrally with the spindle 106 between the two bearings 142, and a tip of the lever 146 has a roller-shaped cam follower. 148 are supported. The cam follower 148 cooperates with a cam plate 150 appropriately fixed to the urine collection case 82 with screws or the like.
50 has two stepped horizontal cam surfaces 152 and 15
4 and an inclined cam surface 156 are 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 the spring is fixed to a bearing 142. The preload of the return spring 158 is set to urge the swing arm 94 to rotate clockwise in FIG.

The urine collection case 82 to which the swing arm 94 and the drive unit 98 of the urine sampling device 26 are mounted is firmly fixed to the toilet seat 24 with screws or the like, and the urine sampling device built-in toilet seat assembly 28 is formed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, a recess 90 having a shape corresponding to the drive unit 98 is formed in advance on the lower surface of the toilet seat 24, so that the components of the drive unit 98, for example, the motor 1
38, pinion 140, cam plate 150, lever 1
46, the cam follower 148 is partially stored in the recess 90. Since the components of the urine sampling device 26 are accommodated by effectively utilizing the space in the toilet seat 24, the toilet seat assembly can be made compact.

Next, the operation of the urine sampling device 26 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 8. When not in use, the slider 132 is in the forward position,
48 is engaged with the first horizontal cam surface 152 of the cam plate 150. Therefore, the swing arm 94 returns
The urine collecting container 96 is lifted up by the action of the spring 158, and the urine collecting container 96 is located below the toilet seat 24.
In the storage position (position A). In this state, the toilet seat assembly 28 can be opened and closed, and the toilet can be used for ordinary toilet purposes.

In sampling and analyzing urine, when the subject sits on the toilet seat 24 and presses a switch provided on the control unit 32, the motor 138 rotates and the slider / pinion mechanism 140/136 starts moving the slider 132 backward. First, the urine collection container 96 is pulled out horizontally backward from the storage position. The cam follower 148 is the cam plate 150
The lever 146 starts rotating 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 9
6 is displaced along the curved trajectory shown in FIG. When the motor 138 further rotates, the cam follower 148 comes into engagement with the second horizontal cam surface 154 of the cam plate 150 (position C). Thereafter, the posture of the swing arm 94 is maintained to the rear end position D. Translate. Generally, there is a gender difference in the urination direction. In the case of a man, the urinary column falls relatively forward, and in the case of a woman, it falls backward and there is an individual difference. Therefore, the control switch and the control circuit of the motor 138 automatically stop the urine collection container 96 between the positions B to C in the case of a man, and the positions C to D in the case of a woman.
It is preferable to make a configuration so that the subject can finely adjust the position as well as to stop between the positions. The subject can urinate toward the urine collection container 96 when the urine collection container 96 is brought to an appropriate position.

The urine that has fallen into the urine collection container 96 flows down along the trough-shaped recess 110 and accumulates in the urine reservoir 118. The urine sampled in this manner is suctioned by the syringe pump 52 provided in the housing 22 through the L-shaped tube 124 and the flexible tube 122, and the measurement unit 5
Transported to 0 and subjected to quantitative analysis. The aspiration of a urine sample can be performed automatically when it is detected from the signals from the electrodes 126 and 128 that urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 to the level of the electrode 126.

When the urine is sampled and conveyed to the measuring unit, 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 moves forward and turns 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
6 is stored in a narrow space between the lower surface 88 of the toilet seat 24 and the upper surface 86 of the toilet rim 78 as shown in FIG.

After the urine sampling, it is preferable to wash the urine collection container 96 that has become soiled with urine. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
It is preferable that the cleaning nozzle 162 be disposed facing the cleaning chamber 160 while forming 0. Cleaning nozzle 162
Can be supplied with pressure washing water from the cistern 20 via a hose 164 and an electromagnetic valve (described later). Alternatively, the hose 164 may be connected to a water supply valve of the bidet device 62. As shown in FIG. 3, the urine collection unit case 82 is provided with an openable / closable cover 166, and by closing the washing chamber 160 during washing, scattering of washing water can be prevented. This opening / closing cover 166 is provided with a suitable link (not shown).
When the urine collection container 96 moves in and out of the washing chamber 160, the cover 166 is connected to the lever / cam mechanism 144 through the cover 166.
Can be opened, and the cover 166 can be closed when the urine collection container 96 returns to the storage position in the washing room.
As can be clearly understood from FIG.
A recess 92 opening toward 66 is formed, and the opening / closing cover 166 performs an opening / closing motion using the space in the recess 92.

It is preferable that the used washing water is surely discharged into the bowl 16. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of drain gutters 168 extending rearward from the cleaning chamber 160 along the left and right rims 78 of the toilet bowl can be formed in the urine collection case 82. . These drain gutters 168 are inclined downward toward the rear as can be clearly seen from FIG. 8, and the rear ends of these drain gutters 168 communicate with inclined drain pipes 170 attached to the case 82. Therefore, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is in the horizontal position, the washing water injected from the washing nozzle 162 flows backward along the slope of the drain gutter 168 and is discharged from the drain pipe 170 into the bowl 16. Since the drain pipe 170 is inclined, when the toilet seat assembly 28 is flipped up,
Drops of washing water remaining in the drain gutter 168 fall from the drain pipe 170 into the bowl 16.

As shown in FIG. 3, a cutout 172 is formed at the rear of the urine collection case 82 so that the flexible tube 122, the lead wire and the washing water supply hose 164 from the swing arm 94 can be inserted. Adapter 174 is engaged. Because there is this adapter 174,
It is possible to simplify the arrangement of the piping and wiring between the urine sampling device 26 and the housing 22, and to prevent the piping and wiring from being damaged when the toilet seat assembly 28 is rotated.

Next, an example of an embodiment of the electric syringe pump 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the illustrated embodiment, this electric syringe pump 52
Functions as a main part of a transport system that transports the urine sample collected by the urine sampling device 26 to the measurement unit 50, and executes various functions described later necessary for urine analysis. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the electric syringe pump 52 incorporates the electric rotary valve 202 so that one integrated module 2
Although 00 is formed, the syringe pump 52 and the rotary valve 202 may be formed separately.

The syringe pump 52 has a main body 206 in which a cylinder hole 204 is formed. A piston 210 provided with a seal ring 208 is slidably fitted in the cylinder hole 204, so that the volume of the pump chamber is variable. 212 are formed. The piston 210 is driven reciprocally by a stepping motor 214. A lead screw 216 is connected to an output shaft of the motor 214, and a nut 218 is fitted to the lead screw. Piston 21
A pair of diametrically opposed detent pins 220 penetrate the 0 skirt, and the tips of these pins 220 are screwed into nuts 218. Detent pin 22
0 is a pair of axial slots 22 formed in the body 206
2 is engaged. Therefore, if the motor 214 is rotated in either direction, the piston 21 and the nut 218 are rotated together.
0 is driven up and down to suck the liquid into the pump chamber 212 or to send the liquid. The pump chamber 212 communicates with a central port 224 through which liquid enters and exits the rotary valve 202.

The rotary valve 202 has a disk-shaped rotor 228 which is driven to rotate by a stepping motor 226 with a reduction gear. The rotor 228 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical recess 230 formed in the head of the module 200. Mated. Lower surface and recess 2 of rotor 228
The bottom of 30 is flat and precision machined, and the rotor 2
28 is urged by the coil spring 232 against the bottom surface of the recess 230, so that the lower surface of the rotor 228 contacts the bottom surface of the recess 230 in a liquid-tight manner. The rotor 228 has a central port 234 aligned and opposed to the central port 224 of the syringe pump 52, and has an outer port 236 offset radially outward from the central port 234. And 2
36 are connected to each other by a horizontal internal passage 238.

The bottom surface of the recess 230 has, for example, six ports 2 equally spaced in the circumferential direction at the same radial offset distance as the outer port 236 of the rotor 228.
40A to 240F are open and these ports 2
40A to 240F are nipples 244A to 24F formed by internal passages 242A to 242F formed in the module head.
They are in communication with the 4th floor. These nipples 244A-
As described later with reference to FIG. 18, hoses and conduits extending from the components of the urine analysis unit 14 are connected to the 244F, respectively.

Since the rotary valve 202 has such a configuration, by driving the motor 226,
By rotating the rotor 228 until the 28 outer ports 236 are aligned with any of the ports 240A-240F,
The pump chamber 212 of the syringe pump 52 has a nipple 244
A to 244F. If the syringe pump 52 is operated in this position, the ports 240A to 240A
The liquid can be aspirated from any of the OFs or delivered to any of the ports.

Next, referring to FIGS. 12 to 17,
The measuring unit 50 will be described. In the illustrated embodiment, the measurement unit 50 is configured to quantitatively analyze urine glucose (glucose) in a urine sample by a polarographic cell having a glucose oxidase-immobilized membrane.
However, it may be configured to analyze urine protein, occult blood, and other urine components.

As shown in FIG.
For example, a mounting board 250 fixed to the frame 34 of the housing 22, a socket member 252 appropriately fixed to the board by screws or the like, and the socket 252
Polarographs that are detachably and interchangeably fitted to
And a cell 254, and the mounting substrate 250
A circuit board 258 on which the control circuit 256 of the urine analysis unit 14 is mounted can be arranged on the back side of the device.

As can be clearly understood from the exploded view of FIG. 13, the polarographic cell 254 includes a substrate 260 made of plastic or the like and a ceramic substrate 262 carrying electrodes.
And a spacer 264 made of silicone rubber or the like and an upper plate 266 made of plastic or the like are integrally and liquid-tightly fastened to each other with screws or the like. The ceramic substrate 262 is made of, for example, alumina ceramic, and a working electrode 268 of platinum, a counter electrode 270 of platinum, and a reference electrode 272 of silver / silver chloride are formed by printing and firing a metal paste. Terminal 27 is connected to each electrode.
4 are formed, and these terminals 274 are connected to the upper plate 266.
Are provided in electrical contact with each other. An opening 278 is cut out in the region of the electrode in the spacer 264 so as to form an electrolytic chamber 280 as shown in FIG. A pair of nipples 282 communicating with the electrolysis chamber 280 are formed on the upper plate 266 to supply a urine sample and a buffer to the electrolysis chamber. An O-ring 284 is fitted around the outer periphery of these nipples 282. When the polarographic cell 254 is mounted on the socket member 252, the connection hole 2
86, the nipple 282 is fitted in a liquid-tight manner,
The urine sample and buffer are passed through the electrolysis chamber 280 via 88 and 290. Socket member 2
52 is also provided with a pin hole 292 which engages with the pin 276 so that three kinds of electrodes 268, 270, 272 are connected to the lead wire 294, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 15, the working electrode 26 of platinum
8 is a permselective membrane 296 made of a substance that selectively permeates hydrogen peroxide, such as albumin or cellulose acetate.
And glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilized membrane 29
8 and is coated. The GOD immobilization film 298 is made of GO
D (for example, SIGMA G7141) and albumin are dissolved in water at a ratio of 4: 1, and the solution is dropped on the permselective membrane 296 and then exposed to a glutaraldehyde atmosphere for about 30 minutes. Can be. When glucose in the urine sample in the electrolysis chamber 280 comes into contact with the GOD-immobilized membrane, GOD oxidizes glucose (C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ ) to form gluconolactone (C ₆ H ₁₀ O ₆ ) as follows. Generates hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ).

C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ + O ₂ → C ₆ H ₁₀ O ₆ + H ₂ O ₂ (1) When the generated H ₂ O ₂ passes through the permselective membrane 296 and reaches the working electrode 268 of platinum. By the action of platinum, H ₂ O ₂ is decomposed into water and oxygen while giving electrons to the working electrode 268. The presence of the permselective membrane 296 prevents interfering substances having a molecular weight greater than H ₂ O ₂ from reaching the working electrode 268.

As shown in FIG. 16, during the quantitative analysis of glucose in the urine sample, the potential of the working electrode 268 with respect to the reference electrode 272 is set to a positive constant value (for example, +0.6 V) by a potentiostat. Working electrode 268
The voltage applied between and the counter electrode 270 is variably controlled. The current flowing between the working electrode 268 and the counter electrode 270 changes according to the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, working electrode 2
The current flowing between the counter electrode 270 and the counter electrode 270 is controlled by the control circuit 256.
As a result, the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide can be detected, and the glucose concentration in the urine sample can be calculated based on the detected amount.

As described above, the polarographic cell 254 of the present invention detects the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated by the oxidation of glucose. The detection of the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide can be performed much more accurately than the detection of the amount of consumption (reduction) of oxygen in the reaction of the above formula (1). Therefore, the polarographic cell 25 of the present invention
According to 4, the glucose concentration can be measured with high accuracy.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the configuration of the control unit 32 and the control circuit 256. The control unit 32 installed on the toilet wall includes a programmed microcomputer 300, a plurality of operation switches 302, a liquid crystal display panel 304 for displaying instructions to a user and urine analysis results, and urine analysis results and data trends. And a flash memory 308 for storing urine analysis data. 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 is set to a predetermined male urine collection position ( For example, the urine collection container is automatically brought to the appropriate position between positions BC in FIG. 8) and the urine collection container is placed in the female urine collection position (appropriate position between CD and D) when the female switch 302b is pressed. Can be brought to you. Further, the operation switch 302 can be provided with fine adjustment switches 302c and 302d for finely moving the urine collection container 96 back and forth according to individual differences by manipulating the subject from a preset urine collection position for men or women. .

The control circuit 256 has a microcomputer 310 programmed to control the components of the urine analysis unit 14 as shown in the flowchart below. Working electrode 268 and counter electrode 270 of polarographic cell 254
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 whether or not urine has accumulated in the urine reservoir 118 of the urine collection container 96 by detecting the electric resistance of the gap between the urine detection electrodes 126 and 128 of the urine collection container 96. It is input to the A / D conversion circuit of the microcomputer 310. The microcomputer 310 includes a swing arm driving motor 138, a rotary valve driving motor 226, a piston driving motor 214,
Further, an electromagnetic valve 316 for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle 162 is driven. The microcomputers 300 and 310 are connected by a communication cable 318, and transmit data by serial communication via the transceivers 320 and 322.

Next, one mode of operation of the urine analysis unit 14 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 18 and the flowchart of FIG. The subject starts urine analysis switch 3
When the user presses 02a or 302b, the microcomputer 3
Reference numeral 10 rotates the swing arm drive motor 138 to move the urine collection container 96 to a preset urine collection position, and positions the urine collection container 96 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 urine. Urine pool 11 of urine collection container 96 based on a signal from urine detection sensor 314
When it is detected that urine has accumulated in the microcomputer 8, the microcomputer 310 drives the rotary valve drive motor 226 to rotate the rotor 22 until the center port 224 of the syringe pump 52 is aligned with the second port 240B of the rotary valve.
By rotating the pump 8, the pump chamber 212 of the syringe pump 52 is connected to the urine collection container 96. In this state, the microcomputer 310 drives the piston drive motor 214 of the syringe pump 52 to lower the piston 210, and for example, a urine sample of about 2 ml is supplied to the syringe pump 5
2 to suck.

Next, the syringe pump 52 is connected to the discharge line 324 (FIG. 18) by driving the rotary valve again and aligning the center port 224 with the third port 240C of the rotary valve. In this position, the piston drive motor 214 is driven to raise the piston of the syringe pump 52, and a part of the urine sample in the pump chamber is discharged to the bowl of the toilet 12 via the discharge line 324. As a result, air is evacuated from the pump chamber, so that bubbles are prevented from being sent to the polarographic cell 254 even if air is sucked into the pump chamber together with the urine sample.

Next, the rotary valve is driven again, the center port 224 is aligned with the first port 240A of the rotary valve, and the pump chamber 212 is connected to the polarographic cell 25.
Connect to 4. At this position, the piston of the syringe pump 52 is further raised, and about 10 to 20 μl of a urine sample is driven into the transfer tube 288. The pump chamber is connected to the discharge line 324 by driving the rotary valve again, and the excess urine in the pump chamber is discarded in the bowl by raising the piston to the top dead center.

When the urine sample has been driven, the pump chamber of the syringe pump 52 is washed with washing water. This is because the rotary valve is rotated and the syringe pump 52
After connecting the pump chamber to the cistern 20, the piston is lowered to draw the cistern wash water into the pump chamber, and then the rotary valve is driven to connect the pump chamber to the discharge line 324, This is done by raising Washing of the syringe pump can be performed one or more times.

Next, by rotating the rotary valve again and aligning the center port 224 of the syringe pump 52 with the fifth port 240E of the rotary valve, the syringe pump 52 is connected to the buffer tank 54 via the line 326. Let it. The buffer solution in the tank 54 provides a buffer function necessary for stable operation of the polarographic cell.
It consists of an aqueous solution to which a pH regulator such as H ₂ PO ₄ or Na ₂ HPO ₄ or a chloride ion strength regulator such as KCl is added. The buffer further acts as a carrier fluid for transporting the urine sample to the polarographic cell 254, and
It also serves to dilute the urine sample sent to the cell. As described above, the syringe pump 52 is connected to the buffer tank 5.
4, the syringe pump 52 is operated, the buffer is sucked from the buffer tank 54 into the pump chamber 212, and then the rotary valve is switched again, the piston 210 is raised and the buffer is discharged to the first position. Inject to port 240A. As a result, about 10 to 20 μl of the urine sample previously injected into the transfer tube 288 is sent to the polarographic cell 254 while being mixed and diluted with the buffer solution in the transfer tube 288, and the mixture passes through the cell while being passed through the cell. It is discharged from the transfer tube 290 into the toilet bowl. The injection speed of the buffer should be at least about 3 for urine samples.
It can be chosen to be diluted 0-fold before passing through the polarographic cell. The injection amount of the buffer solution can be, for example, about 2 to 4 ml. With this amount,
After the mixture of urine sample and buffer has passed through the polarographic cell, the delivery tube 288 and polarographic cell 254 are again filled with fresh buffer.

As the mixture of the urine sample and the buffer passes through the polarographic cell 254, the amount of the urine glucose in the mixture at the GOD-immobilized membrane 298 of the working electrode 268 depends on the urine glucose concentration in the mixture according to the above equation (1). Hydrogen oxide is generated and the working electrode 26 of the polarographic cell is
A current corresponding to the amount of generated hydrogen peroxide flows between the counter electrode 8 and the counter electrode 270. This current is amplified by the amplifier circuit 312, input to the A / D conversion circuit of the microcomputer 310, and converted into a current value. Microcomputer 3
10 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 value 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 can output the trend from the printer unit 306.

After the urine analysis or urine sampling is completed, the microcomputer 310 drives the swing arm drive motor 138 to move the urine collection container 96 to the storage position A (FIG. 8).
To return to. Next, the electromagnetic valve 316 is opened and the urine collection container 9 is supplied by supplying pressure cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle 162.
6 is washed.

As the urine analysis is repeated, the glucose oxidase activity of the enzyme-immobilized membrane 298 of the polarographic cell 254 may gradually decrease, and the output of the cell may decrease over time. Therefore, it is preferable to periodically calibrate the cell output. For this purpose, a glucose standard solution (calibration solution) of a given known concentration is stored in the calibration solution tank 56, and this calibration solution is sent to the cell instead of the urine sample, and the cell output for the glucose standard solution is adjusted. The urine sugar level can be calculated by periodically measuring and correcting the cell output at the time of urine analysis based on the cell output for the glucose standard solution in the actual urine analysis. Once the polarographic cell 254 has been used for a predetermined lifetime, the old cell 254 can be removed from the socket 252 and easily replaced with a new cell.

Next, a second embodiment of the urine analysis unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The main difference from the above-described first embodiment is that the drive unit 98 of the urine sampling device 26 is disposed in the left side portion 22L of the housing. Therefore, in FIG. 20, the same components as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the differences will be described. A conventional toilet seat 400 is rotatably mounted on the housing 22. It is. A swing arm drive unit (not shown) similar to the swing arm drive unit 98 of the first embodiment is arranged in the housing side portion 22L so as to move the urine collection container 96 in the bowl space. I have. The spindle of the swing arm 94 is longer than that of the first embodiment, and
L of the toilet bowl 12 through the slot 402 formed in the L
8 and extend into the bowl 16.

The swing arm 94 is stored in the storage position,
In addition, in order to perform cleaning in this storage position, the storage case 40 having the storage cleaning portion 404 is provided in the housing side portion 22L.
6 is attached. As shown in FIG. 21, the storage case 406 is supported by the rim 78 of the toilet bowl, and the storage cleaning section 404 includes the cleaning nozzle 1 of the first embodiment.
A cleaning nozzle (not shown) similar to 62 is provided. In the second embodiment, when urine is sampled, the urine collection container 96 can be positioned by the rotation and translation of the swing arm, as in the first embodiment.
In storing in the storing and cleaning unit 404, the storage unit 404 is brought to the storing position only by the turning motion of the swing arm. In other respects, the urine analysis operation of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that described above for the first embodiment, and need not be described again.

Although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made. For example, urine sampling may be performed by disposing a telescopic drive unit in the central portion 22C of the housing and moving the urine collection container into and out of the bowl. Further, the working electrode of the polarographic cell 254 has a glucose oxidase immobilized membrane,
Although the polarographic cell has been described as detecting glucose, it may be configured to measure urine components other than urine glucose. Further, instead of the syringe pump 52, a rotary pump or another urine transport device can be employed. Further, the control unit of the urine analysis unit 14 has been described as including the control unit 32 installed on the wall and the control circuit 256 arranged in the housing 22, but these can be combined into one.

[0066]

【The invention's effect】

1) As described above, the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention
Is mounted on the upper surface of the toilet bowl, and the urine sampling device 26 is designed to sample urine in the air in the bowl 16 space. There is an advantage that the urine analysis can be performed by using a standard toilet bowl, and the urine analysis can be performed using the standard toilet bowl.

2) Polarographic cell 254
Is provided with an enzyme-immobilized membrane 298, and therefore does not consume expensive enzyme reagents in urine analysis, so that the running cost of urine analysis can be reduced. Further, since no enzyme reagent is used, refrigeration and management of the enzyme reagent are not required. When the polarographic cell is not used, the activity of the enzyme-immobilized membrane of the working electrode can be maintained for a long time because the polarographic cell is filled with the buffer solution. Therefore, maintenance of the urine analysis unit is simplified.

3) In another aspect, the housing 22
Is mounted on the toilet bowl behind the bowl, the buffer tank 54, the polarographic cell 254 and the syringe pump 5
2 is stored in the housing 22, so that there is no hindrance when the toilet is used normally. In addition, since the floor of the toilet is opened, it does not interfere with daily cleaning and cleaning of the toilet. Therefore, the toilet provided with the urine analysis unit of the present invention is convenient.

4) Since the housing 22 for accommodating the buffer tank 54, the polarographic cell 254, and the syringe pump 52 is mounted on the upper surface of the toilet, the urine analysis unit 14 of the present invention is already installed. The toilet can be easily attached to the standard toilet, and the toilet having the standard toilet can be easily converted into a toilet with a urine analysis function.

5) According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the polarographic cell 254 is configured to detect the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated by oxidation of glucose, In comparison, the analysis accuracy can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing that a urine analysis unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a standard toilet.

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

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a partly cutaway view of a toilet seat assembly of the urine analysis unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the urine sampling device of the toilet seat assembly, showing a state where a toilet seat, a cam plate, and an opening / closing cover are removed, a toilet seat is shown by a two-dot chain line, and a toilet bowl is shown by a three-dot chain line. It is.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a part of a swing arm drive part, in which one part is cut away.

FIG. 6 shows a top view of a urine collection container mounted on a swing arm.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view 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.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10, showing the rotor removed.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the measurement unit with a notch.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a polarographic cell.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the polarographic cell taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of a working electrode taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a wiring diagram showing that a potentiostat and an amplifier circuit are connected to electrodes of a polarographic cell.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a control unit and a control circuit.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a transport system of the urine analysis unit.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the urine analysis unit.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the urine analysis unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention attached to a standard toilet.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along the line XXI-XXI in FIG. 20;

[Explanation of symbols]

 12: standard toilet 14: urine analysis unit 16: toilet bowl 18: toilet flush water supply unit 22: urine analysis unit housing 24: toilet seat 26: urine sampling device 52: transport pump (syringe pump) 54: buffer solution Tank 254: Polarographic cell 268: Working electrode of polarographic cell 298: Enzyme-immobilized membrane 300/310: Operation means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toshio Oguro 2-1-1, Nakashima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Touchi Kiki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Tsuboi 2 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Chome 1-1 No.1 Totoki Kiki Co., Ltd. (56) References Japanese Utility Model H5-30764 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 63-187055 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model No. 1-179265 (JP, U) Kaihei 2-99340 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 27/416 E03D 9/00 G01N 1/10 G01N 33/493

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing adapted to be mounted on the upper surface of a standard toilet bowl between a bowl and a washing water supply unit, and a urine for collecting a urine sample discharged in the bowl in the air in the bowl space. Sampling means, a polarographic cell comprising a working electrode carrying an enzyme for reacting a predetermined component in the urine sample, and outputting an electrical signal according to the amount of reaction product generated; and urine sample to the polarographic cell. A buffer solution tank containing a buffer solution to be transported; transport means having a pump for transporting the urine sample and the buffer solution to a polarographic cell; and the component in the urine sample based on an output signal of the polarographic cell. Calculating means for calculating the content of the buffer solution, the polarographic cell and the transport pump are housed in the housing. Toilet wearable urinalysis unit characterized in that it is. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the enzyme is an enzyme that oxidizes glucose in a urine sample, and the polarographic cell outputs an electric signal corresponding to an amount of hydrogen peroxide generated by oxidizing glucose. A urine analysis unit according to claim 1. 3. The urine analysis unit according to claim 1, wherein the urine analysis unit includes a toilet seat rotatably mounted on the housing, and the urine sampling means is mounted on the toilet seat.