Component measuring device, component measuring device set, and information processing method

Abstract

A component measuring device comprising: a light-emitting unit that emits irradiation light, the light-emitting unit having a tip insertion space for inserting a component measurement tip in which a reagent that reacts with a to-be-measured component in a sample is positioned; a light-receiving unit that receives the irradiation light, or receives light produced when the irradiation light has been transmitted through or reflected by the component measurement tip; and a control unit that uses an actual measured value of received light intensity in the light-receiving unit to measure the to-be-measured component in the sample. The control unit assesses, on the basis of the change in received light intensity in the light-receiving unit, whether the component measurement tip has been inserted into the tip insertion space.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a component measuring device, a component measuring device set, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the fields of biochemistry and medicine, there are known devices that measure components to be measured contained in a sample such as blood as a specimen. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a blood glucose meter that measures the amount of glucose in blood by attaching blood to a measurement chip attached to the blood glucose meter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-064596 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the component measuring device that measures the component to be measured is used by attaching a measurement chip such as the blood glucose meter disclosed in Patent Document 1, the measurement chip needs to be securely attached to the component measuring device when used.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a component measuring device, a component measuring device set, and an information processing method that are capable of detecting that a component measuring chip has been inserted into the component measuring device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A component measuring device as a first aspect of the present disclosure has a chip insertion space for inserting a component measuring chip containing a reagent that reacts with a component to be measured in a sample, and is equipped with an emitter that emits irradiated light, a light receiving unit that receives the irradiated light or light that has been transmitted through or reflected by the component measuring chip from the irradiated light, and a control unit that measures the component to be measured in the sample using an actual measured value of the light received intensity at the light receiving unit, and the control unit determines whether the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space based on a change in the light received intensity at the light receiving unit.

[0007] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit determines whether the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space based on a change in the received light intensity, using the received light intensity at the light receiving unit before the component measuring chip is inserted into the chip insertion space as a reference.

[0008] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the light receiving unit receives light that is transmitted through the component measuring chip from the irradiated light, and the control unit determines that the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space when it detects that the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit has decreased to a predetermined range based on the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit before the component measuring chip was inserted into the chip insertion space.

[0009] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit determines that the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space when it detects that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit has decreased to a predetermined range.

[0010] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the light-emitting unit includes a first light source that emits irradiation light of a first predetermined wavelength for quantifying a measured component, a second light source that emits irradiation light of a second predetermined wavelength that is longer than the first predetermined wavelength and in which a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is equal to or smaller than a second predetermined value, a third light source that emits irradiation light of a third predetermined wavelength that is longer than the first predetermined wavelength and in which a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is larger than the second predetermined value, a fourth light source that emits irradiation light of a fourth predetermined wavelength that is shorter than the first predetermined wavelength and in which a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is equal to or smaller than the first predetermined value, and a fifth light source that emits irradiation light of a fifth predetermined wavelength that is shorter than the first predetermined wavelength and in which a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is larger than the first predetermined value.

[0011] As one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit emits irradiation light as pulsed light from the first light source, the second light source, the third light source, the fourth light source, and the fifth light source, each of which emits irradiation light once in sequence, as one set.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit causes the second light source and the third light source to emit light at timings immediately before and after a timing at which the first light source is caused to emit light.

[0013] A component measuring device set as a second aspect of the present disclosure comprises a component measuring chip having a reagent disposed thereon that reacts with a component to be measured in a sample, and a component measuring device having a chip insertion space for inserting the component measuring chip, the component measuring device comprising a light emitting unit that emits irradiated light, a light receiving unit that receives the irradiated light or light that has been transmitted through or reflected by the component measuring chip, and a control unit that measures the component to be measured in the sample using an actual measured value of the light received intensity at the light receiving unit, and the control unit determines whether the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space based on a change in the light received intensity at the light receiving unit.

[0014] An information processing method as a third aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a component measuring device having a chip insertion space for inserting a component measuring chip containing a reagent that reacts with a component to be measured in a sample, and comprising: a light emitting unit that emits irradiated light; a light receiving unit that receives the irradiated light or light that has been transmitted through or reflected by the component measuring chip from the irradiated light; and a control unit that measures the component to be measured in the sample using an actual measured value of the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit, the information processing method including a step of determining whether the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space based on a change in the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a component measuring device, a component measuring device set, and an information processing method that are capable of detecting that a component measuring chip has been inserted into the component measuring device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view of a component measuring device set in which a component measuring chip is attached to a component measuring device as one embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view showing the component measuring chip shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the component measuring device shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of a plurality of light sources in the component measuring device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing the irradiation position of light emitted from the mixture of the multiple light sources shown in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a component measuring process executed by the component measuring device of FIG. 1. [Figure 10]4 is a flowchart showing an example of a light quantity measurement process executed by the component measuring device of FIG. 1 in the component measurement process. [Figure 11] 8 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the light receiving intensity by a light receiving section of one set of irradiation light emitted from the first light source to the fifth light source in FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 12] 4 is a diagram illustrating the light receiving intensities of the light emitted from the first light source to the fifth light source by the light receiving section. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a diagram illustrating the light receiving intensities of the light emitted from the first light source to the fifth light source by the light receiving section. FIG. [Figure 14] 4 is a diagram illustrating the light receiving intensities of the light emitted from the first light source to the fifth light source by the light receiving section. FIG. [Figure 15] 4 is a diagram illustrating the light receiving intensities of the light emitted from the first light source to the fifth light source by the light receiving section. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a component measuring device, a component measuring device set, and an information processing method according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 15. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote common members.

[0018] First, an embodiment of the component measuring device according to the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a top view showing a component measuring device set 100 in which a component measuring chip 2 is attached to a component measuring device 1 in this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along II in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along II-II in Fig. 1. Figs. 2 and 3 show an enlarged view of the vicinity of the location where the component measuring chip 2 is attached.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the component measuring device set 100 includes a component measuring device 1 and a component measuring chip 2. The component measuring device 1 of this embodiment is a blood glucose level measuring device capable of measuring the concentration of glucose in a plasma component as a component to be measured in a sample. The component measuring chip 2 of this embodiment is a blood glucose level measuring chip that can be attached to one end of the blood glucose level measuring device as the component measuring device 1. The "sample" referred to here may be whole blood (blood) or separated plasma. The sample may also be an aqueous solution containing glucose.

[0020] The component measuring device 1 includes a housing 10 made of a resin material, a group of buttons provided on the upper surface of the housing 10, a display unit 11 configured with liquid crystal or LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like provided on the upper surface of the housing 10, and a removal lever 12 that is operated when removing the component measuring tip 2 attached to the component measuring device 1. The group of buttons in this embodiment is configured with a power button 13 and an operation button 14.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 10 includes a main body 10a having a generally rectangular outer shape as viewed from above, with the above-mentioned button group and display unit 11 provided on the upper surface, and a tip mounting unit 10b protruding outward from the main body 10a and provided with a removal lever 12 on the upper surface. As shown in FIG. 2, a tip mounting space S is defined inside the tip mounting unit 10b, with a tip opening formed on the tip surface of the tip mounting unit 10b at one end. When mounting the component measuring chip 2 to the component measuring device 1, the component measuring chip 2 is inserted from the outside into the tip mounting space S through the tip opening, and the component measuring chip 2 is pushed to a predetermined position. This brings the component measuring chip 2 into a state where the tip mounting unit 10b of the component measuring device 1 engages with the component measuring chip 2, and the component measuring chip 2 can be mounted on the component measuring device 1. The component measuring chip 2 can be engaged by various configurations, for example, by providing a claw portion that can engage with a part of the component measuring chip 2 in the tip mounting unit 10b.

[0022] When removing the component measuring chip 2 attached to the component measuring device 1 from the component measuring device 1, the component measuring chip 2 is released from the locked state by the chip attachment part 10b of the component measuring device 1 by operating the above-mentioned removal lever 12 from outside the housing 10. At the same time, the eject pin 26 (see FIG. 2) in the housing 10 is displaced in conjunction with the above, and the component measuring chip 2 can be removed from the component measuring device 1.

[0023] The housing 10 of this embodiment is configured to include a main body portion 10a that is substantially rectangular when viewed from above (see FIG. 1) and a tip mounting portion 10b that protrudes outward from the main body portion 10a, but the housing is not limited to the shape of the housing 10 of this embodiment as long as it is configured to include a tip mounting portion to which the component measuring tip 2 can be attached. Therefore, in addition to the shape of the housing 10 of this embodiment, various shapes can be adopted that make it easier for an operator to hold it with one hand, for example.

[0024] The display unit 11 can display information on the components to be measured measured by the component measuring device 1. In this embodiment, the glucose concentration measured by a blood glucose measuring device serving as the component measuring device 1 can be displayed on the display unit 11. The display unit 11 may be configured to display not only information on the components to be measured, but also various other information such as the measurement conditions of the component measuring device 1 and instruction information for instructing the operator to perform a specific operation. The operator can operate the power button 13 and operation buttons 14 of the button group while checking the content displayed on the display unit 11.

[0025] 2 and 3, the component measuring device 1 includes a light emitting unit 66 and a light receiving unit 72. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in a state where the component measuring chip 2 is mounted in the chip mounting space S of the component measuring device 1, the component measuring chip 2 is irradiated with irradiation light emitted by the light emitting unit 66. The light receiving unit 72 receives the transmitted light that has passed through the component measuring chip 2 out of the irradiation light irradiated from the light emitting unit 66 to the component measuring chip 2. In this embodiment, the light emitting unit 66 and the light receiving unit 72 are arranged opposite to each other across the chip mounting space S. The arrangement of the light emitting unit 66 and the light receiving unit 72 is not limited to this. The light receiving unit 72 may be located in a position where it can detect light that passes through the object to be measured in the component measuring chip 2. For example, the light emitting unit 66 and the light receiving unit 72 may be arranged on the same side of the component measuring chip 2, and a reflective member may be provided on the side facing the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit across the chip mounting space S and the object to be measured (sample).

[0026] The light emitting unit 66 includes five light sources. Specifically, the light emitting unit 66 includes a first light source 67, a second light source 68a, a third light source 68b, a fourth light source 68c, and a fifth light source 68d. As shown in FIG. 2, the first light source 67, the fourth light source 68c, and the fifth light source 68d are arranged at different positions in a flow direction A (direction toward the right in FIG. 2) in which a sample flows in the flow path 23 of the component measuring chip 2 described later. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, and the third light source 68b are arranged at different positions in a flow path width direction B (both left and right directions in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the flow direction A. The arrangement of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d will be described in detail later (see FIG. 7).

[0027] Next, the component measuring chip 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a top view showing the component measuring chip 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the component measuring chip 2 includes a base member 21 having a substantially rectangular plate-like outer shape, a measurement reagent 22 held on the base member 21, and a cover member 25 that covers the base member 21. The cover member 25 may be formed of a light-shielding material at locations other than the locations that become the measurement spots when the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1. The measurement spots will be described in detail later.

[0028] A groove is formed on the outer surface on one side of the thickness direction of the base member 21 (in this embodiment, the direction is the same as the thickness direction C of the component measuring chip 2 shown in Figures 2 and 3, and is hereinafter referred to as the thickness direction C). The groove of the base member 21 is covered with the cover member 25 to become a hollow portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction C, and this hollow portion constitutes the flow path 23 of the component measuring chip 2. At one end of the flow path 23, a supply part 24 capable of supplying a sample from the outside is formed. In addition, a measurement reagent 22 is held at the bottom of the groove of the base member 21 among the inner walls of the flow path 23, and the sample supplied to the supply part 24 from the outside moves in the flow direction A along the flow path 23 by using, for example, capillary action, reaches the holding position where the measurement reagent 22 is held, and comes into contact with the measurement reagent 22. The measurement reagent 22 contains a coloring reagent that dissolves in the sample and reacts with the measured component in the sample to develop a color. Therefore, when the measurement reagent 22 comes into contact with the component to be measured in the sample, a color reaction occurs in which the color-developing reagent contained in the measurement reagent 22 develops color, and a mixture X containing the color-developing component (see Figures 2 and 3, etc.) is produced.

[0029] A gap 23a is formed between the cover member 25 and the measurement reagent 22. The sample moving in the flow direction A through the flow path 23 from the supply unit 24 provided at one end dissolves the measurement reagent 22 and reaches the other end of the flow path 23 while reacting. Therefore, by allowing the sample to reach the entire area of ​​the measurement reagent 22 in the flow direction A, it is possible to make the mixture X containing the color component spread in an area that can become a measurement spot. Here, the mixture X contains at least the sample, the unreacted or reacted measurement reagent 22, and the color component.

[0030] 2, for convenience of explanation, "mixture X" is shown to be present at the holding position of the measurement reagent 22, but mixture X is diffused not only at the holding position of the measurement reagent 22 but also in the vicinity of the holding position of the measurement reagent 22, such as in the gap 23a. More specifically, the sample entering the flow path 23 from the supply unit 24 contacts the measurement reagent 22 at the holding position and reaches the downstream end of the flow path 23 through the gap 23a, so that the inside of the flow path 23 is filled with the sample. The measurement reagent 22 dissolves in the sample, and a color reaction with the sample progresses, resulting in a state in which mixture X is located at the holding position and its vicinity.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the flow path 23 is configured by a hollow portion defined by the base member 21 and the cover member 25, but the flow path is not limited to this configuration. The flow path may be formed only by a groove formed on the outer surface of one side in the thickness direction C of the base member 21.

[0032] It is preferable to use a transparent material for the base member 21 and the cover member 25 so that the amount of transmitted light after the irradiated light passes through the material becomes a sufficient signal for measurement. Examples of the transparent material include transparent organic resin materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), cyclic polyolefin (COP), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), polycarbonate (PC), etc.; and transparent inorganic materials such as glass and quartz.

[0033] The measurement reagent 22 includes a coloring reagent that reacts with the component to be measured in the sample and causes a coloring reaction that changes color depending on the blood concentration of the component to be measured. The measurement reagent 22 of this embodiment is applied to the bottom of the groove as the flow path 23. The measurement reagent 22 of this embodiment reacts with glucose as the component to be measured in the sample. Examples of the measurement reagent 22 of this embodiment include a mixed reagent of (i) glucose oxidase (GOD), (ii) peroxidase (POD), (iii) 1-(4-sulfophenyl)-2,3-dimethyl-4-amino-5-pyrazolone, and (iv) N-ethyl-N-(2-hydroxy-3-sulfopropyl)-3,5-dimethylaniline, sodium salt, monohydrate (MAOS), or a mixed reagent of glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) and a tetrazolium salt. Furthermore, a buffer such as a phosphate buffer or a mediator may be included. The types and components of the measurement reagent 22 are not limited to these.

[0034] However, as the measurement reagent 22 of this embodiment, a coloring reagent is selected in which the peak wavelength in the absorbance spectrum of the coloring component generated by the color reaction with glucose in the sample is different from the peak wavelength caused by the light absorption characteristics of hemoglobin in blood cells. The coloring reagent contained in the measurement reagent 22 of this embodiment has an absorbance spectrum of the coloring component with a peak wavelength around 660 nm, but is not limited to a coloring reagent with a peak wavelength around 660 nm, and is appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, when the component to be measured is measured by the component measuring device 1, the component measuring chip 2 is mounted in the chip mounting portion 10b. When a sample is supplied to the supply portion 24 provided at one end of the component measuring chip 2, the sample moves in the flow path 23 by capillary action, for example, and reaches a holding position in the flow path 23 where the measurement reagent 22 is held, and the glucose in the sample (plasma) reacts with the measurement reagent 22 at this holding position. Then, at the holding position of the flow path 23, a mixture X containing a color-producing component is generated. The so-called colorimetric component measuring device 1 irradiates the mixture X containing the color-producing component with irradiation light, detects the amount of transmitted light (or the amount of reflected light), and obtains a detection signal that correlates with the intensity of color development according to the blood concentration. Then, the component measuring device 1 can measure the component to be measured by referring to a calibration curve created in advance. As described above, the component measuring device 1 of this embodiment can measure the glucose concentration in the plasma component in the sample.

[0036] Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of the component measuring device 1 shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the component measuring device 1 includes a control unit 50, a photometry unit 51, a storage unit 52, a temperature measurement unit 53, a power supply unit 54, a battery 55, a communication unit 56, a clock unit 57, an operation unit 58, a buzzer unit 59, and a display unit 11.

[0037] The control unit 50 is composed of an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) or a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and can realize the control operation of each unit by reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 52 etc. The storage unit 52 is composed of a non-transient storage medium that is volatile or non-volatile, and can read or write various data (including programs) necessary for executing the component measurement method shown in this embodiment.

[0038] The control unit 50 can measure the component to be measured in the sample by operating the photometry unit 51. The process of measuring the component to be measured will be described in detail later.

[0039] The photometry unit 51 is an optical system capable of acquiring optical characteristics of a mixture X containing a color component generated by a color reaction between glucose in a sample and a color-developing reagent contained in the measurement reagent 22. Specifically, the photometry unit 51 includes a light-emitting unit 66 and a light-receiving unit 72.

[0040] The light-emitting unit 66 emits irradiation light toward the chip insertion space S. The light-emitting unit 66 includes a plurality of light sources. Specifically, the light-emitting unit 66 of this embodiment includes five light sources that emit irradiation light having different spectral radiation characteristics (for example, visible light and infrared light). More specifically, as described above, the light-emitting unit 66 of this embodiment includes the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, the third light source 68b, the fourth light source 68c, and the fifth light source 68d. The positional relationship between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is the positional relationship shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Details of the actual positional relationship between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d will be described later (see FIG. 7).

[0041] The peak wavelengths of the light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are λ1 to λ5, respectively. As the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, various light emitting elements such as LED elements, EL (Electro-Luminescence: organic electroluminescence) elements, inorganic EL elements, LD (Laser Diode: laser diode) elements, etc. are applicable. As the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, the above-mentioned LED elements are easy to use in consideration of versatility, etc. In this embodiment, the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are configured by LED elements. Hereinafter, the above-mentioned "peak wavelength" will be described as the wavelength of light emitted from each light source, and for convenience of explanation, the peak wavelength λ1 of the first light source 67 will be described as the "first predetermined wavelength λ1", the peak wavelength λ2 of the second light source 68a will be described as the "second predetermined wavelength λ2", the peak wavelength λ3 of the third light source 68b will be described as the "third predetermined wavelength λ3", the peak wavelength λ4 of the fourth light source 68c will be described as the "fourth predetermined wavelength λ4", and the peak wavelength λ5 of the fifth light source 68d will be described as the "fifth predetermined wavelength λ5". For convenience, the "peak wavelength" in this embodiment is shown as a single numerical value, but may also include a wavelength range of ±20 nm of each numerical value.

[0042] The light receiving unit 72 receives the transmitted light or reflected light of the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 66 in the region where the color component is located. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the light receiving unit 72 of this embodiment is composed of one light receiving element arranged facing the light emitting unit 66 with the component measuring chip 2 in between. In this embodiment, the light receiving unit 72 receives the transmitted light that is irradiated from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d of the light emitting unit 66 to the mixture X generated at the holding position of the measurement reagent 22 on the component measuring chip 2 and transmitted through the component measuring chip 2. As the light receiving unit 72, various photoelectric conversion elements including a PD (Photo diode) element, a photoconductor, and a PT (Photo Transistor) can be used.

[0043] In the present specification, the area irradiated with light detectable by the light receiving unit 72 among the areas irradiated with light from the light emitting unit 66 in the component measuring device 1 is referred to as the measurement area. When the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the chip insertion space S, the color component (mixture X) to be measured is located within the measurement area.

[0044] Each of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d receives a drive power signal from a light emission control circuit included in the photometry unit 51, and turns on and off based on the drive power signal. The light receiving unit 72 outputs an analog signal according to the received light. This analog signal is amplified and AD converted by the light receiving control circuit included in the photometry unit 51, and converted into a digital signal (hereinafter referred to as a detection signal).

[0045] 6 again, the storage unit 52 can be composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, or the like. The storage unit 52 stores, for example, various information and programs for operating the component measuring device 1. The storage unit 52 may also function as a work memory.

[0046] The temperature measuring unit 53 measures the temperature in the vicinity of the component measuring chip 2. The temperature measuring unit 53 measures, for example, the temperature of the chip mounting space S. The temperature measuring unit 53 may be configured, for example, with a known thermometer. The temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 53 can be used, for example, in adjusting the amount of irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 66 described later.

[0047] The power supply unit 54 supplies the power stored in the battery 55 to each functional unit of the component measuring device 1 .

[0048] The communication unit 56 transmits and receives various information by performing wired or wireless communication with an external device. For example, the communication unit 56 transmits the result of the component measurement by the component measuring device 1 to the external device connected in a communicable manner. The communication unit 56 may receive a signal for causing the component measuring device 1 to execute an operation from the external device connected in a communicable manner.

[0049] The clock unit 57 measures and keeps time and may be configured with, for example, an RTC (Real Time Clock).

[0050] The operation unit 58 is an input interface for an operator of the component measuring device 1 to perform input operations on the component measuring device 1. In this embodiment, the operation unit 58 is configured with a power button 13 and an operation button 14. However, the configuration of the operation unit 58 is not limited to the power button 13 and the operation button 14, and may be realized in any form that allows the operator to perform input operations.

[0051] The buzzer unit 59 notifies information by outputting a buzzer sound. The buzzer unit 59 outputs the buzzer sound at a predetermined timing that is set in advance. For example, the buzzer unit 59 outputs the buzzer sound when the component measurement process by the component measuring device 1 is completed, when a malfunction occurs in the component measuring device 1, etc.

[0052] Next, a measurement process of a component to be measured in a sample by the control unit 50 of the component measuring device 1 and the arrangement of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d will be described.

[0053] The control unit 50 instructs the photometry unit 51 to perform a measurement operation, and measures the concentration of the component to be measured using the detection signal and various data acquired by the photometry unit 51.

[0054] The storage unit 52 stores the actual measurement value data of the first actual measurement value D1 to the fifth actual measurement value D5, which are the absorbance of the mixture X at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, respectively, measured by the photometry unit 51, correction coefficient data including a group of correction coefficients correlating with the absorbance of the mixture X at the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, and calibration curve data such as a calibration curve showing the relationship between the absorbance of the color component in the mixture X obtained by correcting the absorbance of the mixture X actually measured at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 using the correction coefficient data and various physical quantities (e.g., glucose concentration) and a calibration curve showing the relationship between the absorbance of hemoglobin in the mixture X and the hematocrit value. The "hematocrit value" is a value that indicates the volume ratio of blood cell components in the blood as a sample to blood (whole blood) as a percentage.

[0055] The component measuring device 1 can measure the analyte in the sample based on the optical characteristics of the mixture X containing the color component generated by the color reaction between the analyte in the sample and the reagent. Specifically, the component measuring device 1 can estimate the amount of noise other than the color component contained in the first measured value D1 of the absorbance of the mixture X measured by irradiating the mixture X with the irradiation light of the first predetermined wavelength λ1 as the measurement wavelength, using the irradiation light of the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5. More specifically, the component measuring device 1 can estimate the amount of noise using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5 of the absorbance of the mixture X measured by irradiating the mixture X with the irradiation light of the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, and can measure the absorbance of the color component and further the analyte.

[0056] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d when viewed from the top surface (see Fig. 1) side of the component measuring device 1. For convenience of explanation, in Fig. 7, the position of the light receiving part 72 in the flow channel 23 of the component measuring chip 2 is shown by a two-dot chain line, and in this embodiment, the mixture X is generated at the holding position in the flow channel 23 and in its vicinity.

[0057] 2, 3 and 7, the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are arranged facing the mixture X located in the sample flow path 23. More specifically, the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d in this embodiment are arranged facing the holding position of the measurement reagent 22 in the sample flow path 23 in a direction perpendicular to both the flow direction A and the flow path width direction B (in this embodiment, the same direction as the thickness direction C of the component measuring chip 2).

[0058] 3 and 7, the first light source 67 and the second light source 68a are arranged side by side along a flow path width direction B perpendicular to the sample flow direction A at the position of the mixture X in the sample flow path 23. In this embodiment, the first light source 67 and the second light source 68a are arranged such that a first irradiation position SL1 on the mixture X of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 and a second irradiation position SL2 on the mixture X of the irradiation light from the second light source 68a overlap in the flow path width direction B.

[0059] 3 and 7, the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, and the third light source 68b are arranged side by side in the flow path width direction B with the first light source 67 at the center. In this embodiment, the first light source 67 and the third light source 68b are arranged such that an area in the flow direction A of the mixture X at a first irradiation position SL1 of the irradiated light from the first light source 67 and an area in the flow direction A of the mixture X at a third irradiation position SL3 of the irradiated light from the third light source 68b overlap in the flow path width direction B, as shown in FIG.

[0060] That is, the first light source 67 to the third light source 68b are arranged such that their respective irradiation positions overlap in the flow path width direction B. It is preferable that the first light source 67 to the third light source 68b are arranged side by side along the flow path width direction B, and that the regions of the first irradiation position SL1 to the third irradiation position SL3 in the flow path width direction A overlap in the flow path width direction B. It is more preferable that the regions of the first light source 67 to the third light source 68b in the flow path width direction B of the first irradiation position SL1 to the third irradiation position SL3 also overlap in the flow direction A.

[0061] In this embodiment, the first light source 67 and the second light source 68a are disposed adjacent to each other in the flow path width direction B, and there is no gap between the first light source 67 and the second light source 68a in which another light source can be disposed. The first light source 67 and the third light source 68b are disposed adjacent to each other in the flow path width direction B, and there is no gap between the first light source 67 and the third light source 68b in which another light source can be disposed. In this way, the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, and the third light source 68b are disposed adjacent to each other in the flow path width direction B, with no other light source interposed therebetween.

[0062] 2 and 7, the first light source 67 and the fourth light source 68c are arranged side by side along the flow direction A. Also, as shown in Fig. 2 and 7, the first light source 67 and the fifth light source 68d of this embodiment are arranged side by side along the flow direction A. That is, the first light source 67, the fourth light source 68c, and the fifth light source 68d are arranged side by side along the flow direction A with the first light source 67 at the center.

[0063] In this embodiment, the first light source 67 and the fourth light source 68c are arranged side by side along the flow direction A such that a first irradiation position SL1 in the mixture X of the light irradiated from the first light source 67 and a fourth irradiation position SL4 in the mixture X of the light irradiated from the fourth light source 68c overlap in area while the difference in the angle of incidence to the mixture X is a predetermined value or less. More specifically, there is no gap between the first light source 67 and the fourth light source 68c in the flow direction A in which another light source can be disposed, and the first light source 67 and the fourth light source 68c are adjacent to each other in the flow direction A.

[0064] The first light source 67 and the fifth light source 68d are also arranged side by side along the flow direction A so that a first irradiation position SL1 in the mixture X of the light irradiated from the first light source 67 and a fifth irradiation position SL5 in the mixture X of the light irradiated from the fifth light source 68d can overlap in area while the difference in the angle of incidence to the mixture X is a predetermined value or less. More specifically, there is no gap between the first light source 67 and the fifth light source 68d in the flow direction A where another light source can be disposed, and the first light source 67 and the fifth light source 68d are adjacent to each other in the flow direction A.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d of this embodiment are held by a thin plate-shaped holder member 80. The holder member 80 of this embodiment has a cross-shaped outer shape in a top view, and the first light source 67 is held at the center (intersection of the cross) in a top view. The second light source 68a is held at a position on one side in the flow path width direction B with respect to the center where the first light source 67 is held, and the third light source 68b is held at a position on the other side in the flow path width direction B. The fifth light source 68d is held at a position in the flow direction A with respect to the center where the first light source 67 is held, and the fourth light source 68c is held at a position opposite to the flow direction A.

[0066] In this embodiment, a second light source 68a and a third light source 68b that emit irradiation light of a second predetermined wavelength λ2 and a third predetermined wavelength λ3 are arranged side by side with respect to the first light source 67 along the flow path width direction B. Further, a fourth light source 68c and a fifth light source 68d that emit irradiation light of a fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and a fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 are arranged side by side with respect to the first light source 67 along the flow direction A. Although details will be described later, the above-mentioned second predetermined wavelength λ2 and the third predetermined wavelength λ3 are wavelengths that belong to the infrared region, and the above-mentioned fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 are wavelengths that belong to the visible region.

[0067] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the light receiving unit 72 faces the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d in the thickness direction C across the mixture X located in the flow path 23 of the attached component measuring chip 2, and receives the transmitted light of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d transmitted through the mixture X. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the component measuring device 1 is provided with a first diaphragm unit 69a located between the mixture X and the light receiving unit 72, and adjusting the amount of light reaching the light receiving unit 72 out of the transmitted light transmitted through the mixture X. The difference between the incidence angle of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 on the mixture X and the incidence angle of the irradiation light from each of the second light source 68a to the fifth light source 68d on the mixture X affects the estimation accuracy of the noise amount. Therefore, it is preferable that the difference between the incidence angle of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 on the mixture X and the incidence angle of the irradiation light from each of the second light source 68a to the fifth light source 68d on the mixture X is as small as possible. In other words, it is preferable to increase the distance T1 between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d and the first diaphragm portion 69a in the facing direction (the same direction as the thickness direction C of the component measuring chip 2 in Figs. 2 and 3) in order to improve the estimation accuracy of the noise amount. On the other hand, by decreasing the distance T2 between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d and the light receiving portion 72 in the facing direction, it is possible to improve the light efficiency and reduce the size of the component measuring device 1.

[0068] Furthermore, if there is a large deviation (hereinafter referred to as "measurement field difference") between the area of ​​the first irradiation position SL1 of the first light source 67 and the areas of the second irradiation position SL2 to the fifth irradiation position SL5 of the second light source 68a to the fifth light source 68d, the measurement points do not match, and the accuracy of the measurement results of the components to be measured may decrease. Therefore, it is preferable to make this measurement field difference small. Therefore, it is preferable to shorten the distance T3 between the mixture X and the first aperture section 69a in the facing direction (the same direction as the thickness direction C of the component measuring chip 2 in Figures 2 and 3). More preferably, in addition to the first aperture section 69a, one surface of the component measuring chip 2 is formed of a light-shielding member and an opening through which the measurement light can pass is provided to form an aperture. In this case, only the measurement spot may be formed of a transparent member to form an aperture, or the light-shielding member may be cut out to form an aperture.

[0069] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the component measuring device 1 is provided with a second diaphragm section 69b that is located between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d and the mixture X and adjusts the amount of light that reaches the mixture X from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d. In particular, the second diaphragm section 69b is preferably designed so that light reflected by the inner wall of the second diaphragm section 69b (hereinafter referred to as "stray light") among the light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d does not enter the first diaphragm section 69a. It can be considered that the light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is attenuated to 5% by one wall reflection and disappears after three or more multiple reflections. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the stray light reflected by the inner wall of the second diaphragm section 69b does not reach the first diaphragm section 69b and is reflected by some wall, it will not enter the first diaphragm section 69a due to multiple reflections. In this embodiment, the optical axis of each light source is designed to be specularly reflected by the inner wall of the second diaphragm portion 69b, but in reality, the light is diffusely reflected by the inner wall of the second diaphragm portion 69b, and stray light also has a predetermined distribution. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if a part of the stray light enters the first diaphragm portion 69a, it is preferable to set the above-mentioned distance T4 etc. so that the difference between the incident angle and the incident angle of the first light source 67 is a predetermined value or less.

[0070] The component measuring device 1 of this embodiment is capable of mounting a component measuring chip 2 that defines a flow path 23 through which a sample flows and that has a measurement reagent 22, which includes a color-developing reagent that undergoes a color reaction with a component to be measured in the sample, disposed in the flow path 23. The component measuring device 1 of this embodiment is capable of measuring a component to be measured in a sample based on the optical properties of a mixture that includes a color-developing component generated by reaction with the component to be measured in the flow path 23, by mounting the component measuring chip 2. The component measuring device 1 is preferably configured so that the disposable component measuring chip 2 is detachable.

[0071] Next, a method for calculating the concentration of a component to be measured in a sample by the control unit 50 of the component measuring device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0072] In this embodiment, the component measuring device 1 uses a color reaction between glucose as the measured component in the sample and a color reagent in the measurement reagent 22, and performs the color reaction using the sample (e.g., whole blood) and the color reagent without separating the plasma components containing glucose from the sample. Based on the absorbance at various wavelengths of the entire mixture X obtained by this color reaction, the absorbance at a specified measurement wavelength of the color component produced by the color reaction between glucose and the color reagent can be estimated, and the concentration of the measured component can be calculated.

[0073] In general, when a sample contains components other than the color component to be measured, the measurement result of the concentration of the component to be measured based on the absorbance of the color component may be affected as a disturbance factor (noise) due to the occurrence of optical phenomena. For example, the occurrence of "light scattering" due to blood cell components in the sample, the surface of the component measurement chip, or fine particles such as dust attached to the component measurement chip, or "light absorption" due to pigment components other than the color component to be measured (specifically, hemoglobin) tends to result in the measured absorbance being greater than the true value.

[0074] When using a mixture X containing blood as a sample having specific absorption characteristics in addition to the color component to be measured, in order to accurately measure the absorbance due to the color component, it is necessary to remove disturbance factors (noise), such as light scattering due to blood cell components and light absorption by hemoglobin, from the actual measured value of absorbance at a specified measurement wavelength.

[0075] More specifically, it is necessary to estimate the amount of disturbance factors (noise) such as light scattering by blood cell components and light absorption by hemoglobin at a predetermined measurement wavelength (e.g., 660 nm) where the light absorption rate of the color component to be measured is high, and to correct the actual measured value of absorbance at the same measurement wavelength. The component measuring device 1 according to this embodiment performs this correction to calculate the concentration of the component to be measured.

[0076] In this embodiment, the component measuring device 1 can measure the component to be measured in the sample based on the optical characteristics of the mixture X containing a color component generated by a color reaction between the sample and the measurement reagent 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, the concentration of glucose contained in the plasma component in the sample is measured.

[0077] Here, the principle of measuring glucose concentration and the wavelengths λ1 to λ5 of the light emitted by the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, respectively, will be described. Hemoglobin in red blood cells mainly contains oxyhemoglobin bound to oxygen and reduced hemoglobin in which oxygen is dissociated in a place where the oxygen partial pressure is low. Oxyhemoglobin plays a role in transporting oxygen throughout the body through arteries after passing through the lungs and binding to oxygen, and can be found in large amounts in arterial blood. For example, when blood is collected as a sample from the pad of a finger, the blood is from capillaries, so the amount of this oxyhemoglobin is relatively large. Conversely, reduced hemoglobin can be found in large amounts in venous blood.

[0078] In the existing technology, it is common to correct the absorbance obtained at the measurement wavelength corresponding to the color component to be measured, for example, by using the hematocrit value, without considering the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin. However, the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin and the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin do not match, and the absorption amount by reduced hemoglobin and the absorption amount by oxygenated hemoglobin differ depending on the wavelength. For example, when the measurement wavelength for measuring the absorbance of the color component to be measured is 660 nm, the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is about 0.9, and the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin is about 0.09. In other words, if the ratio of oxygenated hemoglobin to reduced hemoglobin is 1:1, the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin corresponds to about 10% of the absorption coefficient of the total hemoglobin. In order to more accurately estimate the absorbance derived from the color component to be measured, it is important to consider the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin.

[0079] Therefore, in the component measuring device 1, the measurement wavelength (first predetermined wavelength λ1) for measuring the absorbance of the color component contained in the mixture X is set to 660 nm, and correction is performed to remove the influence of light scattering by blood cell components, etc. and the influence of light absorption by hemoglobin taking into account the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin as disturbance factors (noise) from the actual absorbance value of the mixture X measured at this measurement wavelength. As a result, the absorbance of the color component contained in the mixture X is estimated, and the glucose concentration is calculated using a calibration curve showing the relationship between this estimated absorbance and the glucose concentration.

[0080] The component measuring method executed by the component measuring device 1 will be described in further detail below.

[0081] First, the color reagent in the measurement reagent 22 used in this embodiment produces a color component by color reaction with glucose in the sample, and the absorbance of the color component has a peak at around 600 nm. In this embodiment, the measurement wavelength for measuring the absorbance of the color component is 660 nm.

[0082] The measurement wavelength for measuring the absorbance of the color component to be measured may be a wavelength at which the light absorptance of the color component is relatively large and at which the influence of light absorption by hemoglobin is relatively small. Specifically, the wavelength may be a wavelength that corresponds to the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum of the color component to be measured and belongs to a wavelength range W3 in which the ratio of absorbance due to light absorption by hemoglobin to the total absorbance is relatively small. The wavelength range "corresponding to the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range" means a range from a wavelength showing half-maximum on the short wavelength side to a wavelength showing half-maximum on the long wavelength side when the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum is specified. The absorbance spectrum of the color component to be measured in this embodiment has a peak wavelength near 600 nm, and a wavelength range corresponding to the full width at half maximum is about 500 nm to about 700 nm. In addition, the influence of light absorption by hemoglobin on the total absorbance is relatively small in a wavelength range of 600 nm or more. Therefore, in this embodiment, the wavelength range W3, which corresponds to the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum of the color component to be measured and in which the ratio of the absorbance due to the light absorption of hemoglobin to the total absorbance is relatively small, is 600 nm or more and 700 nm or less. Therefore, the measurement wavelength is not limited to 660 nm in this embodiment, and another wavelength in the range of 600 nm to 700 nm may be used as the measurement wavelength. Since the signal representing the absorbance of the color component is strong and the ratio of the absorbance due to the light absorption of hemoglobin to the total absorbance is reduced as much as possible in the wavelength range, the absorbance derived from the color component can be measured more accurately, it is preferable to use the measurement wavelength around 660 nm, which is a slightly longer wavelength than the peak wavelength around 600 nm in the absorbance spectrum of the color component. More specifically, the measurement wavelength is preferably a wavelength in the range of 630 nm to 680 nm, more preferably a wavelength in the range of 640 nm to 670 nm, and particularly preferably 660 nm as in this embodiment. A preferred example of such a color-developing reagent is a tetrazolium salt.

[0083] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a coloring reagent is used in which the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum of the coloring component is about 500 nm to about 700 nm, but a coloring reagent in which the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range is different from this range may be used. However, as described above, in consideration of the absorption characteristics of hemoglobin, it is desirable to prevent the wavelength range (600 nm or less) in which the absorbance due to light absorption by hemoglobin is large from overlapping with the measurement wavelength in the absorbance spectrum of the coloring component.

[0084] Hereinafter, a method for estimating the absorbance of the color component at the measurement wavelength of 660 nm in this embodiment will be described. The component measuring device 1 actually measures the absorbance of the mixture X at four second predetermined wavelengths λ2 to 5th predetermined wavelengths λ5 different from the measurement wavelength (660 nm), and corrects the first measured value D1 of the absorbance of the mixture X at the measurement wavelength using the four second measured values ​​D2 to 5th measured values ​​D5 and predetermined correction coefficient data, thereby estimating the absorbance of the color component at the measurement wavelength. The measurement wavelength in this embodiment is the above-mentioned first predetermined wavelength λ1.

[0085] The component measuring device 1 utilizes, as the above-mentioned four second measured values ​​D2 to fifth measured values ​​D5, two second measured values ​​D2 and third measured values ​​D3 of the absorbance of the mixture X at two second predetermined wavelengths λ2 and third predetermined wavelengths λ3, respectively, which are longer than the measurement wavelength, the first predetermined wavelength λ1, and two fourth measured values ​​D4 and fifth measured values ​​D5 of the absorbance of the mixture X at two fourth predetermined wavelengths λ4 and fifth predetermined wavelengths λ5, respectively, which are shorter than the measurement wavelength, the first predetermined wavelength λ1.

[0086] More specifically, as the four second measured values ​​D2 to fifth measured values ​​D5 mentioned above, two measured values ​​D2 and D3 of the absorbance of the mixture X at two second predetermined wavelengths λ2 and third predetermined wavelengths λ3, respectively, which are on the longer wavelength side than the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength, and which belong to a wavelength range in which the influence of light scattering by blood cell components and the like is dominant in the total absorbance, and two measured values ​​D4 and D5 of the absorbance of the mixture X at two fourth predetermined wavelengths λ4 and fifth predetermined wavelengths λ5, respectively, which are on the shorter wavelength side than the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength, and which belong to a wavelength range in which the influence of light absorption by hemoglobin is large in the total absorbance, are used.

[0087] In other words, the component measuring device 1 utilizes, as the above-mentioned second measured value D2 and third measured value D3, the absorbance of the mixture X at the second specified wavelength λ2 and the third specified wavelength λ3, respectively, which belong to a longer wavelength range than the measurement wavelength belonging to the wavelength range corresponding to the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum of the color component to be measured, for example, belong to a long wavelength range W1 on the longer wavelength side than the wavelength range W3.

[0088] In addition, the component measuring device 1 uses, as the above-mentioned fourth measured value D4 and fifth measured value D5, the fourth measured value D4 and the fifth measured value D5, which are the absorbance of the mixture X at a fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and a fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, respectively, which belong to a shorter wavelength range than the measurement wavelength belonging to a wavelength range corresponding to the full width at half maximum of the peak wavelength range in the absorbance spectrum of the color component to be measured, for example, which belong to a short wavelength range W2 on the shorter wavelength side than the wavelength range W3.

[0089] In the component measuring device 1, the control unit 50 acquires the above-mentioned first actual measurement value D1 to fifth actual measurement value D5 from the photometry unit 51. Specifically, the mixture X is irradiated with irradiation light including the emission wavelengths of the first predetermined wavelength λ1 to fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 from the first light source 67 to fifth light source 68d of the light emitting unit 66. The light receiving unit 72 receives the transmitted light that passes through the mixture X among the irradiation light. Then, the control unit 50 calculates the absorbance of the mixture X at each wavelength from the relationship between the irradiation light and the transmitted light, and stores the first actual measurement value D1 to fifth actual measurement value D5, which are the absorbance of the mixture X at each wavelength, in the storage unit 52 as actual measurement value data. The control unit 50 can acquire the actual measurement value data from the storage unit 52. The means by which the control unit 50 acquires the first actual measurement value D1 to fifth actual measurement value D5 is not limited to the above-mentioned means, and various known means can be used to acquire them.

[0090] Then, the control unit 50 corrects the first actual measurement value D1 using the second actual measurement value D2 to the fifth actual measurement value D5, and estimates the absorbance of the color component at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 (660 nm in this example), which is the measurement wavelength. Since the absorbance spectrum of the mixture X becomes approximately linear in the long wavelength region W1 where light scattering of blood cell components and the like is dominant, the component measuring device 1 obtains the second actual measurement value D2, which is the absorbance at the second predetermined wavelength λ2, and the third actual measurement value D3, which is the absorbance at the third predetermined wavelength λ3, and obtains the slope between the second actual measurement value D2 and the third actual measurement value D3, it is possible to estimate to some extent the absorbance at the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength, caused by disturbance factors (noise) other than the absorbance caused by the color component.

[0091] Furthermore, the component measuring device 1 can calculate the glucose concentration in the sample by considering the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin in red blood cells in addition to the optical characteristics of blood cell components in the sample. Therefore, the component measuring device 1 can perform more accurate correction by using two wavelengths (fourth predetermined wavelength and fifth predetermined wavelength) selected according to the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin.

[0092] Specifically, the component measuring device 1 uses a wavelength at which the difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is equal to or less than a first predetermined value as the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, and uses a wavelength at which the difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is greater than the above-mentioned first predetermined value as the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5. More specifically, the component measuring device 1 uses a wavelength at which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is equal to or greater than a first threshold as a predetermined threshold as the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, and uses a wavelength at which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is less than the above-mentioned first threshold as the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5. In other words, two wavelengths, a wavelength at which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is equal to or greater than a first threshold and a wavelength at which the ratio is less than the first threshold, are used as the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5. As a result, when the control unit 50 corrects the first measured value D1 using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5, the control unit 50 can perform a more accurate correction that takes into account the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin.

[0093] The two wavelengths selected based on the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin are preferably two wavelengths with a large difference in light absorption of hemoglobin depending on the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin. Therefore, in this embodiment, the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 is a wavelength at which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is 0.8 or more. In addition, the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 is preferably a wavelength at which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is less than 0.8. In this embodiment, as an example, the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 is 520 nm and the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 is 589 nm.

[0094] In this way, in the short wavelength range W2 where the optical absorption of the entire hemoglobin varies greatly depending on the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin, the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 where the difference in the optical absorption of the entire hemoglobin becomes large can be used to accurately estimate the noise absorbance at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 (660 nm in this embodiment) which is the measurement wavelength, taking into account the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin. Therefore, the component measuring device 1 can accurately measure the absorbance of the color component at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 which is the measurement wavelength, and further the measurement component (glucose concentration measurement in this embodiment).

[0095] In this embodiment, only the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 are wavelengths that take into consideration the influence of the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin. However, it is more preferable to use similar wavelengths for the second predetermined wavelength λ2 and the third predetermined wavelength λ3 in addition to the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 and the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5.

[0096] Specifically, the second predetermined wavelength λ2 in the long wavelength range W1 where light scattering of blood cell components and the like is dominant is a wavelength where the difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is equal to or less than the second predetermined value, and the third predetermined wavelength λ3 in the long wavelength range W1 is a wavelength where the difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin is equal to or less than the second predetermined value. More specifically, the second predetermined wavelength λ2 is a wavelength where the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is equal to or more than the first threshold value and equal to or less than the second threshold value, and the third predetermined wavelength λ3 in the long wavelength range W1 is a wavelength where the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is less than the first threshold value or is greater than the second threshold value. The second threshold value is another predetermined threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. In other words, it is preferable to use two wavelengths in which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is different ranges as the second predetermined wavelength λ2 and the third predetermined wavelength λ3. This allows the control unit 50 to perform a more accurate correction that takes into further consideration the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin when correcting the first measured value D1 using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5.

[0097] In particular, in the long wavelength range W1, although the influence of light scattering due to blood cell components and the like is dominant, the influence of light absorption by hemoglobin is also included to the same extent as the measurement wavelength of the measured component. Therefore, it is preferable to use, as the second specified wavelength λ2 and the third specified wavelength λ3, two wavelengths at which the light absorption by hemoglobin changes relatively greatly depending on the ratio of reduced hemoglobin to oxygenated hemoglobin.

[0098] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is preferable to use, as the second predetermined wavelength λ2, a wavelength in the range in which the ratio of the absorption coefficient of oxygenated hemoglobin to the absorption coefficient of reduced hemoglobin is 0.8 or more and 1.5 or less. In this embodiment, as an example, the second predetermined wavelength λ2 is 850 nm. Note that the second predetermined wavelength λ2 is selected from the range of 790 nm to 850 nm.

[0099] The third predetermined wavelength λ3 is a wavelength in the long wavelength range W1, where the absorbance of the color component included in the total absorbance at the third predetermined wavelength λ3 is 10% or less, preferably 6% or less, more preferably 3% or less, and even more preferably substantially 0% of the absorbance of the color component included in the total absorbance at the measurement wavelength. In other words, it is particularly preferable to use a wavelength that is equal to or greater than the wavelength at the long wavelength side of the peak wavelength range of the absorbance spectrum of the color component. This makes it possible to eliminate the influence of light absorption of the color component and more accurately estimate noise in the long wavelength range W1 that is dominated by the influence of light scattering of blood cell components and the like. In this embodiment, the third predetermined wavelength λ3 is a wavelength selected from 920 to 950 nm, and is, for example, 940 nm. It is particularly preferable to use the third predetermined wavelength λ3 at a wavelength at which the absorbance of the color component is zero, that is, a wavelength at the long wavelength side of the peak wavelength range of the absorbance spectrum of the color component. The "total absorbance" in the above-mentioned "absorbance of the color-forming component included in the total absorbance" refers to the absorbance of the entire mixture. Also, the "absorbance of the color-forming component" in the above-mentioned "absorbance of the color-forming component included in the total absorbance" refers to the absorbance of the reaction product generated by the color reaction between the analyte in the sample and the color-forming reagent in the reagent, i.e., the absorbance derived from the color-forming component in the mixture.

[0100] As described above, the component measuring device 1 can correct the first measured value D1, which is the measured value of the absorbance of the mixture X at the measurement wavelength, using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5, which are the measured values ​​of the absorbance of the mixture X at the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, respectively, and estimate the absorbance of the color component at the measurement wavelength.

[0101] Next, a method of correction processing by the control unit 50 of the component measuring device 1 will be described.

[0102] As described above, the memory unit 52 of the component measuring device 1 stores the actual measurement value data of the first actual measurement value D1 to the fifth actual measurement value D5, which are the absorbance of the mixture X at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, respectively, measured by the photometry unit 51, a group of correction coefficient data correlating with the absorbance of the mixture X at the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, respectively, and calibration curve data showing the relationship between the absorbance of the color component in the mixture X and various physical quantities, which is obtained by correcting the absorbance of the mixture X actually measured at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 using the correction coefficient data.

[0103] The control unit 50 derives the absorbance of the color component at the first wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength, based on the actual measurement value data and the correction coefficient data stored in the storage unit 52.

[0104] Here, the correction coefficient data is derived by a regression analysis carried out in advance using the following formula (1).

[0105]

number

[0106] B(λ) means absorbance at wavelength λ caused by disturbance factors (noise) other than absorbance of color components, and regression calculation is performed by using various blood samples according to the above formula (1) to derive coefficients b0, b1, b2, b3, and b4. As described above, in this embodiment, 850 nm is used as the second predetermined wavelength λ2, 940 nm as the third predetermined wavelength λ3, 520 nm as the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, and 589 nm as the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5. In addition, the various blood samples are based on six blood samples with different component compositions, and blood samples with hematocrit values ​​adjusted to a range of 10% to 70% are prepared, and absorbance spectra of the adjusted blood samples are measured, and coefficients b0, b1, b2, b3, and b4 are derived using regression analysis. Based on the derived coefficients b0 to b4, a group of correction coefficients correlating with the absorbance of mixture X at each of the second predetermined wavelength λ2 to the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5 are derived. By using the correction coefficient data including these correction coefficients, the actual measured value of the absorbance of mixture X at the measurement wavelength of 660 nm can be corrected from the actual measured values ​​of the absorbance of mixture X at 520 nm, 589 nm, 850 nm, and 940 nm, and the absorbance of the color component at 660 nm can be estimated.

[0107] In order to more simply determine the blood glucose level, the above formula can be simplified and the absorbance of the color component at 660 nm can be estimated by correcting the actual measured value of the absorbance of the mixture X at the measurement wavelength of 660 nm from the actual measured value of the absorbance of the mixture X at the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 of 520 nm and the second predetermined wavelength λ2 of 850 nm.

[0108] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a component measurement process executed by the component measuring device 1. As shown in Fig. 9, the component measurement process includes a step S1 of acquiring a first actual measurement value D1 which is the absorbance of the mixture X at a first predetermined wavelength λ1 as a measurement wavelength, a second actual measurement value D2 which is the absorbance of the mixture X at a second predetermined wavelength λ2, a third actual measurement value D3 which is the absorbance of the mixture X at a third predetermined wavelength λ3, a fourth actual measurement value D4 which is the absorbance of the mixture X at a fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, and a fifth actual measurement value D5 which is the absorbance of the mixture X at a fifth predetermined wavelength λ5; The method includes a step S2 of deriving the hematocrit value using at least one of the first to fifth measured values ​​D5, a step S3 of correcting the first measured value D1 using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5 and a correction coefficient obtained by regression calculation to obtain the absorbance of the color component at a first predetermined wavelength λ1 as the measurement wavelength, and a step S4 of calculating the measured component in the sample from the absorbance of the color component at the first predetermined wavelength λ1 as the measurement wavelength and the derived hematocrit value.

[0109] In step S1, as described above, the first actual measurement value D1 to the fifth actual measurement value D5 are obtained using the light-emitting unit 66 and the light-receiving unit 72 of the photometry unit 51. In this embodiment, in step S2, the hematocrit value is derived based on the fourth actual measurement value D4 or based on the fourth actual measurement value D4 and the second actual measurement value D2. Specifically, in step S2, the absorbance of hemoglobin is estimated from the fourth actual measurement value D4 or from the fourth actual measurement value D4 and the second actual measurement value D2, and the hematocrit value is derived. Furthermore, when the fourth actual measurement value D4 or the fourth actual measurement value D4 and the second actual measurement value D2 include absorption of the color component, a correction calculation is performed to subtract the absorption of the color component from the fourth actual measurement value D4 or the fourth actual measurement value D4 and the second actual measurement value D2, respectively, and the hematocrit value is derived from the obtained corrected value. In this embodiment, the hematocrit value is derived from a calibration curve showing the relationship between the absorbance of hemoglobin in the mixture X and the hematocrit value stored in the storage unit 52. In step S3, the first measured value D1 is actually corrected using the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5 and a correction coefficient obtained by regression calculation, and the absorbance of the color component at the first measurement wavelength is estimated and obtained. If the second measured value D2 to the fifth measured value D5 include the absorption of the color component, a correction calculation is performed to subtract the absorption of the color component from each measured value, and recalculation is performed from the obtained correction value to estimate and obtain the absorbance of the color component at the first predetermined wavelength λ1. Finally, in step S4, the glucose concentration is calculated using a calibration curve showing the relationship between the absorbance of the color component at the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the acquired measurement wavelength, and the derived hematocrit value and the glucose concentration.

[0110] When executing the component measurement process, the control unit 50 of the component measurement device 1 causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit irradiation light in accordance with a predetermined algorithm, and the light receiving unit 72 measures the received light intensity. Hereinafter, the light quantity measurement process executed by the control unit 50 when executing the component measurement process will be described in detail.

[0111] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a light amount measuring process executed by the component measuring device 1 in the component measuring process.

[0112] Here, when performing the component measurement process, the control unit 50 causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit the irradiation light in sequence, with each process being one set of emitting the irradiation light as pulsed light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of one set of irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, and is a graph showing the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d by the light receiving unit 72. In FIG. 11, the horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the light receiving intensity. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 50 causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit light in sequence at a predetermined time interval. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 50 causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit light at a predetermined time interval of 1 msec. 11, the control unit 50 controls the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit light so that the light emitted from each of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d has substantially the same light intensity at the light receiving unit 72. The substantially same intensity means that when the component measurement process is performed with the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72, the difference in the light receiving intensity is within a range that does not affect the result of the component measurement process.

[0113] Here, the control unit 50 causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit light in a predetermined order in one set of emission processing. In particular, the control unit 50 causes the second light source 68a and the third light source 68b to emit irradiation light of the second predetermined wavelength λ2 and the third predetermined wavelength λ3, which are predominantly affected by light scattering by blood cell components, to emit light at timings adjacent to and before and after the timing at which the first light source 67 emits pulsed light of the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength.

[0114] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 50 emits irradiation light to the measurement region in the order of the fifth light source 68d, the third light source 68b, the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, and the fourth light source 68c in one set of emission processing. Therefore, the light receiving unit 72 receives irradiation light in the order of the fifth predetermined wavelength λ5, the third predetermined wavelength λ3, the measurement wavelength (first predetermined wavelength λ1), the second predetermined wavelength λ2, and the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 at a predetermined time interval (1 msec). Light scattering by blood cell components varies over time due to the influence of Brownian motion and sedimentation of molecules, and further interference as a property of waves. Therefore, it is preferable that the second actual measurement value D2 and the third actual measurement value D3 used to correct the influence of light scattering are obtained at a timing closer in time to the first actual measurement value D1 to be corrected. This is because obtaining the values ​​closer in time makes them less susceptible to the influence of temporal fluctuations. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by emitting irradiation light of the second predetermined wavelength λ2 and the third predetermined wavelength λ3, which are dominated by the influence of light scattering by blood cell components, etc., at timings adjacent to and before and after the timing at which the first light source 67 is made to emit pulsed light of the first predetermined wavelength λ1, which is the measurement wavelength, as in the present embodiment, the influence of light scattering can be corrected with higher accuracy.

[0115] The control unit 50 does not necessarily have to emit the irradiation light in the order of the fifth light source 68d, the third light source 68b, the first light source 67, the second light source 68a, and the fourth light source 68c in one set of emission processing. The control unit 50 may cause the second light source 68a and the third light source 68b to emit light at timings adjacent to and before and after the timing at which the first light source 67 emits light.

[0116] 10, when the control unit 50 detects an operation input for starting a component measurement process by, for example, an operator of the component measuring device 1, the control unit 50 starts emitting irradiation light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d (step S11). At this time, the control unit 50 executes emission of irradiation light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so that it can detect whether or not the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1.

[0117] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d by the light receiving unit 72 in step S11 of FIG. 10. In FIG. 12, the horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the light receiving intensity. As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 50 repeatedly outputs the set of the emission process described in FIG. 11. For example, the control unit 50 repeatedly executes the set of the emission process 1 to 200 times per second. In this embodiment, the set of the emission process is repeatedly executed 16 times per second. After repeating the set of the emission process 16 times, the control unit 50 stops outputting the irradiation light. Then, after a predetermined time (here, 1 second) has elapsed from the start of the set of the 16 emission processes, the control unit 50 again repeatedly outputs the set of the emission process 16 times without interruption. After repeating the set of the emission process 16 times, the control unit 50 stops outputting the irradiation light again. The control unit 50 repeats this combination of outputting a set of 16 emission processes and stopping the output of the irradiation light every second until step S14, which will be described later.

[0118] Next, the control unit 50 executes a first received light intensity determination (step S12). Specifically, the control unit 50 determines whether the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within a normal range in the first received light intensity determination process (step S12).

[0119] If the control unit 50 determines that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is not within the normal range (No in step S12), it notifies the user that an error has occurred, for example by outputting a buzzer sound from the buzzer unit 59 (step S23).

[0120] When the control unit 50 determines that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within the normal range (Yes in step S12), it determines whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip insertion space S based on a change in the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72. Specifically, the control unit 50 determines in step S14 whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip insertion space S. Alternatively, the control unit 50 may determine in steps S13 and S14 whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip insertion space S.

[0121] More specifically, for example, the operator mounts the component measuring chip 2 on the component measuring device 1. That is, the operator inserts the component measuring chip 2 into the chip mounting space S of the component measuring device 1. While the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the chip mounting space S, at least a part of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is absorbed by the members constituting the component measuring chip 2 and does not reach the light receiving unit 72. Then, when the component measuring chip 2 is mounted on the component measuring device 1 and is in the state shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an optical path is formed between the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d and the light receiving unit 72 through a part of the component measuring chip 2. The part where the optical path is formed in the component measuring chip 2 is the measurement spot. In this embodiment, the measurement reagent 22 is located in the middle of the optical path. That is, the measurement spot is located on the measurement reagent 22. Therefore, of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d toward the measurement region, only a portion of the light that has passed through the measurement reagent 22 is received by the light receiving unit 72. In other words, when the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1, a difference occurs in the intensity of received light at the light receiving unit 72 compared to when the component measuring chip 2 is not attached.

[0122] For this reason, the control unit 50 detects a change in the intensity of received light at the light receiving unit 72, thereby determining whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been attached to the component measuring device 1. The control unit 50 determines that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip attachment space S when it detects that the intensity of received light at the light receiving unit 72 has fallen within a predetermined range that indicates that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip attachment space S after the amount of received light at the light receiving unit 72 is less than a predetermined amount (i.e., a state in which at least a part of the irradiated light is blocked by a member constituting the component measuring chip 2 and does not reach the light receiving unit 72).

[0123] In this embodiment, the control unit 50 determines that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip mounting space S when it detects that the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 falls within a predetermined range that indicates that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the chip mounting space S, based on the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit before the component measuring chip 2 was inserted into the chip insertion space S (step S14).

[0124] In addition, when the component measuring chip 2 is formed of a light-shielding material except for the measurement site, after the amount of received light becomes a state where it is not received (that is, a state where the irradiated light is blocked by a material constituting the component measuring chip 2 and does not reach the light receiving unit 72), the control unit 50 may detect that the intensity of the received light is within a predetermined range to determine whether the component measuring chip 2 is inserted. In this case, first, the control unit 50 determines whether the light receiving unit 72 is in a state where the irradiated light is not received (step S13). In this specification, the state where the irradiated light is not received includes a case where the amount of light having a received light intensity that is detected by the light receiving unit 72 when the irradiated light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is blocked by the component measuring chip 2 is detected. Whether the irradiated light is not received can be determined by, for example, setting a threshold value in advance and determining whether the output value of the AD converter of the received light intensity in the light receiving unit 72 is below the threshold value. When the control unit 50 determines that the light receiving unit 72 is not in a state where the irradiated light is not received (No in step S13), the control unit 50 repeats step S13 until it determines that the light receiving unit 72 is in a state where the irradiated light is not received. When the control unit 50 determines that the light receiving unit 72 is in a state where the irradiated light is not received (Yes in step S13), the control unit 50 executes a second received light intensity determination process (step S14). Note that step S13 may be omitted, and steps S12 and S14 may be performed.

[0125] The second determination process of the received light intensity is a process for determining whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been attached (inserted) to the component measuring device 1. Specifically, in the process of determining the second received light intensity, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the component measuring device 1 based on the received light intensity (for example, the received light intensity shown in FIG. 12) at the light receiving unit 72 before the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1. More specifically, the control unit 50 determines that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the component measuring device 1 when it detects that the received light intensity determined in step S14 has decreased to a predetermined range based on the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 before the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1. The predetermined range here is a predetermined range in which the component measuring chip 2 is presumed to have been attached to the component measuring device 1, and is determined in advance based on, for example, the intensity of the irradiated light and the properties of the measurement reagent 22, etc. As a result, the component measuring device 1 can detect that the component measuring chip 2 has been inserted into the component measuring device 1. In this embodiment, the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 before the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1 is taken as 100%, and when the light receiving intensity determined in step S14 is detected to have dropped to 30% or less, the control unit 50 determines that the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1. When a portion other than the measurement spot of the cover member 25 of the component measuring chip 2 is used as a light shielding portion, the control unit 50 may determine that the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the component measuring device 1 when a drop of more than 5% to 30% or less is detected. Furthermore, the control unit 50 may determine that the chip is not recognized when the light receiving intensity in step S14 is 5% or less. When the control unit 50 determines that the chip is not recognized, it may notify the operator to urge him or her to correctly attach the component measuring chip 2.

[0126] Furthermore, in the second received light intensity determination process, the lower limit threshold and the upper limit threshold may be determined for each of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d. For example, the properties of absorption and reflection in the measurement reagent 22 may differ depending on the wavelengths λ1 to λ5 of the irradiated light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d. Therefore, for example, by setting the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold lower for the irradiated light of a wavelength having a higher absorptance in the measurement reagent 22, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1 according to the properties of the irradiated light.

[0127] In addition, in the second determination process of the received light intensity, the control unit 50 may determine that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within a predetermined range in which it is presumed that the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1 when the output value from the AD converter is within the predetermined range over a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be determined, for example, by a predetermined time. In this case, the predetermined period is determined, for example, as 3 seconds. The predetermined period may be determined, for example, by the number of times the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d emit light. In this case, the predetermined period is determined, for example, as three sets of output of a set of 16 emission processes and stoppage of output of the irradiation light (i.e., three consecutive sets). In this specification, the control unit 50 determines that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within a predetermined range in which it is presumed that the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1 when the output value from the AD converter is within the predetermined range in three consecutive sets in the second determination process of the received light intensity, and the following description will be given. In this way, by setting a predetermined period for judgment in the second received light intensity judgment process, it becomes easier to prevent erroneous judgment that the component measuring chip 2 has been attached to the component measuring device 1 when the output value from the AD converter temporarily falls within a predetermined range due to some factor other than the insertion of the component measuring chip 2.

[0128] In addition, when the control unit 50 determines the predetermined period based on the number of times of light emission of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, when the light receiving unit 72 detects reception of light for the first time after the state in which the irradiation light is not received in step S13, the control unit 50 may change the interval at which the set of output of the 16 times of emission processing and the stop of output of the irradiation light are executed. In particular, the control unit 50 may shorten the interval at which the set of output of the 16 times of emission processing and the stop of output of the irradiation light are executed. For example, as described above, in step S11, when the set of output of the 16 times of emission processing and the stop of output of the irradiation light are executed every second, the control unit 50 may shorten the interval at which this set is executed to 0.5 seconds. This makes it possible to shorten the interval at which the set of output of the 16 times of emission processing and the stop of output of the irradiation light are executed, making it easier to determine the result of the second received light intensity determination process earlier.

[0129] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d by the light receiving unit 72, mainly in steps S13 to S16 or steps S14 to S16 in Fig. 10. In Fig. 13, the horizontal axis shows time and the vertical axis shows the light receiving intensity. Fig. 13 shows the light receiving intensity by the light receiving unit 72 after, for example, the determination in step S12 in Fig. 10 is Yes.

[0130] For example, when an operator starts to insert the component measuring chip 2 into the chip mounting space S of the component measuring device 1, the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is blocked by members constituting the component measuring chip 2. In this case, as shown from time t1 to t2 in Fig. 13, the light receiving unit 72 is in a state where it is not receiving the irradiation light.

[0131] When the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1 at time t2, the light receiving unit 72 receives the light that is transmitted through the measurement reagent 22 out of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d (time t3 in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 13, the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is smaller than that before the component measuring chip 2 is attached. Furthermore, the degree of change in the received light intensity before and after the component measuring chip 2 is attached differs for each of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d.

[0132] When the control unit 50 receives the light transmitted through the measurement reagent 22 at time t3, it shortens the interval for executing the set of output of 16 times of ejection processing and the stop of output of irradiation light from 1 second to 0.5 seconds. Then, when the output value from the AD converter is within a predetermined range in three consecutive sets, the control unit 50 judges that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within a predetermined range in which it is estimated that the component measuring chip 2 is attached to the component measuring device 1. If the state in which the output value from the AD converter is within the predetermined range is not achieved in three consecutive sets, the control unit can continue to execute the set of output of 16 times of ejection processing and the stop of output of irradiation light until the output value from the AD converter is within the predetermined range in three consecutive sets.

[0133] 10, when the control unit 50 determines that the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is not within a predetermined range (No in step S14), it notifies the user that an error has occurred, for example by outputting a buzzer sound from the buzzer unit 59 (step S23). This makes it possible to determine, for example, that a used component measuring chip has been inserted by mistake.

[0134] When the control unit 50 determines that the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 is within a predetermined range, that is, when it determines that the component measuring chip 2 is inserted into the chip insertion space S (Yes in step S14), it adjusts the amount of irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 66. When the component measuring chip 2 is completely attached, the control unit 50 adjusts the amount of irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 66 by adjusting the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d (step S15). The control unit 50 adjusts the amount of irradiation light so that the amount of irradiation light becomes a predetermined intensity used in the measurement of the component to be measured. The predetermined intensity used in the measurement of the component to be measured may be appropriately determined according to the specifications of the light receiving unit 72, and is preferably an intensity that can ensure the measurement resolution required for the measurement of the component to be measured.

[0135] Specifically, the control unit 50 adjusts the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so as to increase it. By increasing the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, the amount of irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d increases. More specifically, the control unit 50 adjusts the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so as to increase the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d at the light receiving unit 72. In particular, it is preferable that the control unit 50 adjusts the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so that the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d at the light receiving unit 72 becomes an intensity suitable for performing the component measurement process described with reference to FIG. 9.

[0136] The control unit 50 can adjust the currents supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, respectively. The control unit 50 can adjust the currents supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so that the light receiving unit 72 receives light from each of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d in a uniform light intensity. The term "uniform" used here includes not only a predetermined light receiving intensity, but also a case where the light receiving unit 72 receives light within a predetermined range from the predetermined light receiving intensity. For example, the control unit 50 adjusts the currents supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so that the output value of the light receiving unit 72 from the AD converter of the light receiving intensity is substantially constant. In this case, for example, the output value of the light receiving intensity from the AD converter (12 bits) can be treated as being uniform in a range of 3300±50. By adjusting the current in this manner, the measurement resolution of the light receiving unit 72 is improved, making it easier to perform more accurate component measurement. Such current adjustment can suppress the influence of fluctuations in the amount of light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, even if the amount of light fluctuates due to changes in the environmental temperature. In this embodiment, a 12-bit AD converter is used, but it can be set to have an equivalent output value according to the resolution.

[0137] In step S15, the control unit 50 may determine the amount of current to be supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d based on the temperature measured by the temperature measurement unit 53. This makes it easier to suppress fluctuations in the amount of irradiated light due to temperature.

[0138] In addition, in step S15, when the control unit 50 adjusts the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d so that the output value from the AD converter of the received light intensity in the light receiving unit 72 becomes a predetermined value (e.g., 3300), if the current supplied exceeds a predetermined current threshold (e.g., 15 mA) before the output value from the AD converter of the received light intensity in the light receiving unit 72 reaches the predetermined value, the control unit 50 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the component measuring device 1 and alert the user to this effect with a buzzer sound.

[0139] 13, as is shown after time t4, the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is amplified in step S15, and the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 72 increases. That is, after the measuring tip 2 is correctly attached, the amount of light of the light sources is increased, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0140] 10 again, the control unit 50 acquires a reference received light intensity (step S16) after adjusting the current supplied to the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d in step S15. The reference received light intensity is an output value of the received light intensity in the light receiving unit 72 from the AD converter at a specific time point after executing step S15. The reference received light intensity is preferably acquired immediately after executing step S15. The reference received light intensity is used in a third received light intensity determination process in step S19, which will be described later.

[0141] The control unit 50 also causes the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d to emit light continuously (step S17). Specifically, the control unit 50 continuously executes a set of emission processes shown in Fig. 11. In this manner, pulsed light is emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, for example, every 1 msec. The control unit 50 continues to output such pulsed light until it is determined in step S19, which will be described later, that the sample and the measurement reagent 22 have come into contact with each other.

[0142] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, and mainly shows the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 after step S17 in Fig. 10 is executed. As shown in Fig. 14, pulsed light is continuously emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d, and the light receiving unit 72 receives this pulsed light. By continuously emitting light from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d in this way, it is possible to improve the time resolution of the determination performed in checking the third received light intensity in step S19 described later.

[0143] The control unit 50 calculates a moving average of the light receiving intensity received by the light receiving unit 72 while the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are continuously emitting light in step S17 (step S18). The control unit 50 can calculate the moving average of the light receiving intensity of an appropriate number of pulsed lights, and can calculate the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed lights of, for example, five light sources. It is preferable that the control unit 50 calculates the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light for each light source. In this embodiment, at least the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 (520 nm) used in the next step S19 is calculated. The control unit 50 may calculate the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 (940 nm) in addition to the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4. In this case, blood with a wide range of hematocrit values ​​can be measured.

[0144] Then, the control unit 50 executes a third determination process of the received light intensity (step S19). The third determination process of the received light intensity is a process for determining whether or not to start component measurement, that is, whether or not to start acquiring the first to fifth measured values ​​in step S1 of FIG. 9. The control unit 50 starts acquiring the first to fifth measured values ​​when the sample that has flowed through the flow path 23 according to the flow direction A shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 reaches the measurement reagent 22 (starts the reaction). The control unit 50 determines whether or not the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 based on the received light intensity of the irradiated light received by the light receiving unit 72. Specifically, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the difference between the received light intensity received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference received light intensity acquired in step S16 exceeds a predetermined value (step S19).

[0145] More specifically, in this embodiment, the control unit 50 judges whether or not the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 using the reference light receiving intensity acquired in step S16, and the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 and the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 calculated in step S18. In this embodiment, the control unit 50 judges in step S19 that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 when the moving average of the light receiving intensity of the pulsed light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 received by the light receiving unit 72 is higher than the reference light receiving intensity by a first judgment threshold or more. The first judgment threshold can be appropriately determined. For example, the first judgment threshold can be set to 101.3% of the reference light receiving intensity. In this embodiment, in step S19, the control unit 50 determines that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 when the moving average of the received light intensity of the pulsed light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 received by the light receiving unit 72 becomes lower than the reference received light intensity by a second determination threshold or more. The second determination threshold can be determined appropriately. For example, the second determination threshold can be set to 98.5% of the reference received light intensity.

[0146] Here, in this embodiment, the reason for using irradiation light of two different wavelengths, the third predetermined wavelength λ3 and the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, in the determination process of the third received light intensity will be described. The sample used for the component measuring device 1 according to this embodiment may be whole blood or plasma. However, the properties such as absorbance for irradiation light of each wavelength are different when the sample is whole blood and when it is plasma. However, by using irradiation light of two different wavelengths, the third predetermined wavelength λ3 and the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, as in the component measuring device 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to detect that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 regardless of whether the sample is whole blood or plasma.

[0147] For example, when the sample is whole blood, the sample contains red blood cells. When the whole blood containing red blood cells is irradiated with the irradiation light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 (940 nm), the refractive index of the whole blood is larger than that of the air, so the difference in refractive index between the component of the component measuring chip 2 containing the measurement reagent 22 is small, and the transmitted light passing through the measurement reagent 22 increases, increasing the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72, while the irradiation light is scattered by the red blood cells, decreasing the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72. Therefore, the increase in the light receiving intensity due to the refractive index and the decrease in the light receiving intensity due to scattering by the red blood cells offset the increase and decrease in the light receiving intensity. Therefore, when the sample is whole blood, there are cases where the irradiation light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 (940 nm) cannot detect that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22.

[0148] In contrast, when whole blood is irradiated with irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 (520 nm), an increase in the light receiving intensity due to the refractive index and a decrease in the light receiving intensity due to scattering by red blood cells occur, similar to when the irradiation light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 is irradiated. However, when the irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 is irradiated, hemoglobin has a property of easily absorbing light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4, so that the irradiation light is largely absorbed by hemoglobin, and the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 decreases. In addition, the glucose contained in the whole blood reacts with the measurement reagent 22 to develop a color, so that more light in the band of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 is absorbed, and the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 decreases. Therefore, when the whole blood is irradiated with irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 (520 nm), when the sample reaches the measurement reagent 22, the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 decreases due to the effect of absorption of the irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4. Therefore, when the sample is whole blood, the arrival of the sample at the measurement reagent 22 can be detected by the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4.

[0149] On the other hand, when the sample is plasma, the sample does not contain red blood cells or hemoglobin. When the irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 (520 nm) is irradiated to plasma not containing red blood cells or hemoglobin, the refractive index of the plasma is larger than that of the air, so the refractive index difference with the member of the component measuring chip 2 containing the measurement reagent 22 is small, and the transmitted light passing through the measurement reagent 22 increases, and the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 increases, while the glucose contained in the plasma reacts with the measurement reagent 22 to develop color, and the light in the band of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 is absorbed, and the received light intensity at the light receiving unit 72 decreases. Therefore, the increase in the received light intensity due to the refractive index and the decrease in the received light intensity due to the color development offset each other. Therefore, when the sample is plasma, there are cases where the contact of the sample with the measurement reagent 22 cannot be detected by the irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 (520 nm).

[0150] In contrast, when plasma is irradiated with irradiation light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 (940 nm), an increase in the received light intensity occurs due to the refractive index, as in the case of irradiation with irradiation light of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4. On the other hand, even if glucose contained in plasma reacts with the measurement reagent 22 to develop a color, light in the band of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 is not easily absorbed. Therefore, when plasma is irradiated with irradiation light of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 (940 nm), the effect of the increase in the received light intensity due to the refractive index has a large influence, and the received light intensity received by the light receiving unit 72 increases. Therefore, when the sample is plasma, it is possible to detect that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 by the third predetermined wavelength λ3.

[0151] Based on the above principle, the control unit 50 can determine whether the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 when the sample is plasma based on whether the third predetermined wavelength λ3 has increased compared to the reference light receiving intensity, and can determine whether the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 when the sample is whole blood based on whether the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 has decreased compared to the reference light receiving intensity. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to detect whether the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 whether the sample is whole blood or plasma. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to detect whether the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22 even if it is unknown whether the sample is whole blood or plasma.

[0152] In this embodiment, the reference received light intensity is compared with the moving average of the third predetermined wavelength λ3 and the moving average of the fourth predetermined wavelength λ4 in determining whether the sample has come into contact with the measurement reagent 22. By using the moving average in this manner, it becomes easier to prevent erroneous determination that the sample has come into contact with the measurement reagent 22 when the received light intensity temporarily increases or decreases due to some factor other than contact between the sample and the measurement reagent 22.

[0153] In step S19, the control unit 50 may further provide a threshold value for determining whether the component measuring chip 2 has been removed from the component measuring device 1. For example, when the component measuring chip 2 is removed from the chip mounting space S, the irradiated light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is reduced by the members constituting the component measuring chip 2, as in the case where the component measuring chip 2 is inserted, and does not reach the light receiving unit 72. Therefore, the control unit 50 may determine that the component measuring chip 2 has been removed from the component measuring device 1, for example, when the relative output value from the AD converter of the received light intensity becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value. The relative output value refers to the difference between the output value from the AD converter when the light is being emitted from the light emitting unit 66 (the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d) and the output value from the AD converter when the light emitting unit 66 (the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d) is not emitting light. At this time, for example, a buzzer sound may be output from the buzzer unit 59 to notify that an error has occurred. Furthermore, when the component measuring chip 2 is completely removed from the component measuring device 1, the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d is directly irradiated onto the light receiving unit 72, and the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit 72 increases. Therefore, for example, when the relative output value of the light receiving intensity from the AD converter becomes larger than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 50 may determine that the component measuring chip 2 has been removed from the component measuring device 1. At this time, for example, the buzzer unit 59 may output a buzzer sound to notify that an error has occurred.

[0154] If the control unit 50 determines that the difference between the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference intensity of the light does not exceed a predetermined value (No in step S19), it proceeds to step S18 and repeats steps S18 and S19.

[0155] When the control unit 50 determines that the difference between the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference intensity of light received exceeds a predetermined value (Yes in step S19), it determines an initial value of the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 (step S20). The initial value (reference value) is an actual measurement value of the absorbance of the irradiated light in the mixture X at a specific time before the sample reaches the measurement reagent 22, that is, an output value of the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 from the AD converter. In step S19, the control unit 50 can determine the output value of the intensity of light received a predetermined time before the time when it is determined that the difference between the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference intensity of light received exceeds the predetermined value as the initial value. The predetermined time can be set appropriately, for example, to 0.5 seconds. The shorter the predetermined time, the more the output value under conditions (e.g., the surrounding environment) after the sample reaches the measurement reagent 22 can be set as the initial value. For example, when the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are successively made to emit light, the temperature of the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d may rise, and the amount of light emitted by the irradiated light may change. However, by shortening the predetermined time, the actual measurement value acquired in the next step S21 can be made closer to the acquisition condition of the output value. In this way, by determining the initial value after it is determined that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22, the output value immediately before the sample reaches the measurement reagent 22 is set as the initial value (reference value), and the actual measurement value can be derived.

[0156] Furthermore, when the control unit 50 determines that the sample has reached the measurement reagent 22, it starts acquiring actual measured values ​​of the absorbance of the irradiated light in the mixture X in order to measure the component to be measured (step S21). The actual measured values ​​correspond to the first to fifth actual measured values ​​in the flow of FIG. 9. In this way, the control unit 50 can automatically start acquiring the actual measured values ​​when it determines that the sample containing the component to be measured has started a color reaction with the measurement reagent 22. Therefore, the component measuring device 1 has improved usefulness.

[0157] The control unit 50 ends the acquisition of the actual measurement values ​​after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of acquisition of the actual measurement values ​​in step S21 (step S22). At this time, the control unit 50 may stop light emission from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d. The predetermined time can be appropriately determined depending on the properties of the measurement reagent 22, etc., and can be, for example, 9 seconds. In this way, the control unit 50 ends the irradiation light emission process executed in the component measurement process.

[0158] The control unit 50 can measure the glucose concentration in the sample by executing the component measurement method described in this embodiment using the acquired actual measurement value. Note that, in the above embodiment, the method for measuring the glucose concentration when the sample is whole blood has been described, but the glucose concentration can also be measured by a similar method when the sample is plasma.

[0159] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the light receiving intensity of the irradiation light emitted from the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d by the light receiving unit 72, mainly in steps S18 to S21 of Fig. 10. In Fig. 15, the horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the light receiving intensity.

[0160] While the first light source 67 to the fifth light source 68d are continuously emitting light in step S17, the control unit 50 calculates a moving average of the intensity of received light received by the light receiving unit 72 (step S18). In step S19, the control unit 50 executes a third received light intensity determination process. The control unit 50 repeats steps S18 and S19 until it is determined in the third received light intensity determination process that the difference between the received light intensity received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference received light intensity exceeds a predetermined value (until time t6 in FIG. 15).

[0161] When the control unit 50 determines that the difference between the intensity of received light received by the light receiving unit 72 and the reference intensity of received light exceeds a predetermined value at time t6 (Yes in step S19), it determines an initial value of the intensity of received light received by the light receiving unit 72 (step S20). For example, the control unit 50 determines the output value of the intensity of received light from the AD converter at time t5, which is 0.5 seconds before time t6, as the initial value. The control unit 50 also starts acquiring the actual measurement value from time t6 (step S21). After a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 50 ends acquiring the actual measurement value (step S22).

[0162] The component measuring device, the component measuring device set, and the information processing device according to the present invention are not limited to the specific description of the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the glucose concentration is measured as the measurement of glucose as the measured component, but it is not limited to the concentration, and another physical quantity may be measured. In the above-mentioned embodiment, glucose in the plasma component is exemplified as the measured component in blood, but it is not limited to this, and for example, cholesterol, sugars, ketone bodies, uric acid, hormones, nucleic acids, antibodies, antigens, etc. in blood can be used as the measured component. Therefore, the component measuring device is not limited to a blood glucose measuring device. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the light receiving unit 72 receives the transmitted light that passes through the component measuring chip 2, but it may be a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light reflected from the component measuring chip 2. [Industrial Applicability]

[0163] The present invention relates to a component measuring device, a component measuring device set, and an information processing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 1: Component measuring device 2: Component measurement chip 10: Housing 10a: Main body 10b: Tip mounting part 11: Display section 12:Removal lever 13: Power button 14: Operation buttons 21: Base material 22: Measurement reagents 23: Flow path 23a: void 24: Supply section 25: Cover material 26: Eject pin 50: Control unit 51: Photometry section 52: Storage part 53:Temperature measurement part 54: Power supply section 55:Battery 56: Communications Department 57: Clock section 58:Operation unit 59: Buzzer section 66: Light emitting part 67: 1st light source 68a:Second light source 68b: Third light source 68c: 4th light source 68d: 5th light source 69a: First throttle section 69b: Second squeeze section 72: Light receiving part 80: Holder parts 100: Component measuring device set

Claims

1. A component measuring chip on which a reagent that reacts with a component to be measured in a sample is disposed; A component measuring device having a chip insertion space for inserting the component measuring chip; Equipped with The component measuring device is A light emitting unit that emits irradiation light; a light receiving unit that receives the irradiated light or light that is transmitted through or reflected by the component measuring chip; a control unit that measures the component to be measured in the sample using an actual measurement value of the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit; Equipped with The component measuring chip comprises: A base member made of a transparent material on which the reagent is held; a cover member covering the base member and formed of a light-shielding material having light-shielding properties except for a location that becomes a measurement spot; Equipped with The cover member of the location that becomes the measurement spot is formed of a transparent member or is formed by cutting out the light-shielding member, The control unit determines whether the component measuring chip is inserted into the chip insertion space and the measurement spot is positioned on the optical path between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit based on a change in the received light intensity at the light receiving unit.

2. The control unit determines whether the component measuring chip is inserted into the chip insertion space and the measurement spot is positioned on the optical path between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit based on a change in the received light intensity, using the received light intensity at the light receiving unit before the component measuring chip is inserted into the chip insertion space as a reference.

3. The light receiving unit receives light that is transmitted through the component measuring chip by the irradiation light, A component measuring device set as described in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the control unit determines that the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space and that the measurement spot is positioned on the optical path between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit when it detects that the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit has decreased to a predetermined range based on the light receiving intensity at the light receiving unit before the component measuring chip was inserted into the chip insertion space.

4. The component measuring device set described in claim 3, wherein when the control unit detects that the received light intensity at the light receiving unit has decreased to a predetermined range, it determines that the component measuring chip has been inserted into the chip insertion space and that the measurement spot is positioned on the optical path between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit.

5. The light emitting unit includes: a first light source that emits irradiation light of a first predetermined wavelength for quantifying a component to be measured; a second light source that emits irradiation light of a second predetermined wavelength that is longer than the first predetermined wavelength and has a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin that is equal to or smaller than a second predetermined value; a third light source that emits irradiation light of a third predetermined wavelength that is longer than the first predetermined wavelength and has a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin that is greater than the second predetermined value; a fourth light source that emits irradiation light of a fourth predetermined wavelength that is shorter than the first predetermined wavelength and has a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin that is equal to or smaller than a first predetermined value; a fifth light source that emits irradiation light of a fifth predetermined wavelength that is shorter than the first predetermined wavelength and has a difference in absorption coefficient between reduced hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin that is greater than the first predetermined value; The component measuring device set according to claim 1 .

6. The component measuring device set according to claim 5, wherein the control unit emits irradiation light as pulsed light from the first light source, the second light source, the third light source, the fourth light source, and the fifth light source, each of which emits irradiation light once in sequence, as one set.

7. The component measuring device set according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit causes the second light source and the third light source to emit light at timings immediately before and after a timing at which the first light source emits light.

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