Blood testing unit and blood testing method and apparatus

Abstract

A blood testing unit comprises a closed vessel having a blood introducing section formed at a certain area of the closed vessel. A blood constituent separating section is located within the closed vessel to separate plasma and/or serum from the blood sample introduced through the blood introducing section into the closed vessel. A reagent layer is located within the closed vessel, such that the reagent layer can be seen from the exterior. The reagent layer comprises a region for spreading the plasma and/or the serum, which has been separated by the blood constituent separating section from the blood sample, and a reagent supported on or in the spreading region, the reagent undergoing a reaction with the plasma and/or the serum and forming a color as a result of the reaction.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 400,585, filed on Mar. 28, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference and for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 120.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a blood testing unit for use in performing a test of blood of humans and other animals. This invention also relates to a blood testing method and apparatus using the blood testing unit. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] As blood testing units for use in performing tests of blood of humans and other animals, blood testing units comprising a slide-shaped support and a reagent layer carried on the slide-shaped support, which reagent layer is capable of undergoing a reaction with blood plasma or blood serum and forming a predetermined color, have heretofore been proposed. The blood testing units are proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901. [0...

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Benefits of technology

[0146] With the second blood testing method and apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the blood test is performed by use of the blood testing unit in accordance with the present invention, wherein the plurality of the different kinds of the reagents are supported at different positions on the reagent layer. Also, the measuring light is irradiated to each of reagent areas of the reagent layer, each of which reagent areas has formed the color as a result of the reaction with the blood plasma and/or the blood serum, the measuring light having the wavelength adapted to the reagent contained in each of the reagent areas, the intensity of the light having been reflected from each of the reagent areas is detected, the detection of the intensity of the reflected light being performed with respect to each of the reagent areas, and the optical density of each of the reagent areas is detected in accordance with the thus detected intensity of the light having been reflected from each of the reagent areas. Therefore, the measuring light beams, each of which has a wavelength adapted to one of the reagents, may be irradiated simultaneously or successively at short time intervals to the reagent layer. In this manner, the tests with respect to different substances contained in the blood plasma and/or the blood serum are capable of being performed quickly.

[0147] The second blood testing method and apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be modified such that the measuring light irradiated to each of the reagent areas of the reagent layer is the light component, which has been obtained through light separation so as to have the wavelength corresponding to the reagent contained in each of the reagent areas. Alternatively, the second blood testing method and apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be modified such that the light, which contains the measuring light having the wavelength corresponding to the reagent contained in each of the reagent areas, is irradiated to each of the reagent areas of the reagent layer, and the light having been reflected from each of the reagent areas is detected through light separation into light components, the light separation being performed with respect to each of the reagent areas. With each of the two modifications described above, the light beams having been reflected from the reagent areas are capable of being detected by being clearly discriminated from one another. Therefore, the blood tests with respect to a plurality of test purposes are capable of being performed accurately.

[0148] Further, the second blood testing method and apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be modified such that the intensity of the light having been reflected from each of the reagent areas is detected with the photodetector, which has been divided into the pixels, and with respect to each of the reagent areas. With the modification described above, the intensities of the light beams having been reflected from the reagent areas are capable of being detected accurately by being clearly discriminated from one another.

[0149] Also, in such cases, the second blood testing method and apparatus in accordance with the present

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, there is the risk that persons in charge of the blood tests will come in touch with the blood plasma or the blood serum by m

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