Urinalysis device

Abstract

A urinalysis device, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a seating unit having seated therein a test kit equipped with a curved dipstick comprising a plurality of test pads; a flexible PCB comprising a plurality of light sources for radiating light on the plurality of test pads of the test kit seated in the seating unit, and a plurality of color sensors for detecting the colors of the plurality of test pads by means of light reflected from the plurality of test pads; and a test control unit for conducting a urinalysis by comparing the respective colors of the plurality of test pads detected by the plurality of color sensors with respective reference colors of corresponding test items, wherein the flexible PCB may be arranged so as to be concentric with the curved dipstick so that the positions of the plurality of color sensors and the plurality of test pads are matched.

Description

urine testing device

[0001] The present invention relates to a urine test device using a urine test strip, and more particularly, to a urine test device and method using a flexible test strip.

[0002] In general, urine is a bodily fluid that contains various components and is stored in the bladder after waste products and water in the blood are filtered by the kidneys and then discharged from the body through the urethra. If there is a problem with the body, the color or turbidity may change, or abnormal substances or cells such as proteins, sugars, red blood cells, bacteria, and white blood cells may appear in the urine.

[0003] Urinalysis is a test that evaluates the function of some body parts based on the physicochemical changes in urine. It is the most frequently performed basic test for health checkups or disease diagnosis because it can provide early information about the health status. Common urinalysis tests include urinary sediment test, which quantitatively determines the quality and quantity of red blood cells, white blood cells, and bacteria in the urine by centrifuging the urine; physical property test, which examines the color and turbidity of the urine; and colorimetric test (dipstick urinalysis) that utilizes chemical changes (color changes) of a urine test swab coated with a reagent. Usually, when a urine test is performed in a hospital, it means a physical property test and a colorimetric test, and a urine sediment test is performed as an additional test depending on the urinalysis results.

[0004] A colorimetric test that utilizes the color change of a urine dipstick is performed by dipping the urine test strip in urine, then removing it, and visually judging the chart that shows the color most similar to the chart color of the urine test strip on a standard colorimetric chart to select the test result. Typically, a urine test strip is manufactured in the form of a thin, long plastic plate with a chart (or pad) for testing urine components attached to it. Each chart is coated with a reagent that changes color when it comes into contact with the subject's urine, allowing for the determination of whether there is an abnormality in the corresponding component. A urine test is a method to examine the subject's health by comparing the degree of discoloration of the reagent chart (pad) in response to the subject's urine with a reference color.

[0005] However, since visual judgment during colorimetric testing can be subjective and can lead to mistakes, analysis devices that automatically determine colorimetric test results are being developed to objectify the test results.

[0006] The 'urine test device' published in the Korean Intellectual Property Office Patent Gazette (B1) with registration number 10-2402785 (hereinafter referred to as 'patent document 1') discloses an example in which two or more urine test strips are used because there are many test items when conducting a urine test using a stick-type urine test strip (urine dipstick) as in the past. The urine test device of patent document 1 slides and moves a strip tray on which a plurality of urine test strips are placed while simultaneously sensing the test papers of a plurality of urine test strips so that an increased number of component analysis items can be tested at once.

[0007] However, when using a stick-type test strip such as Patent Document 1, light is irradiated to the entire area of ​​the flat test strip and the reflected light is received to determine the color, but there is a problem that when the test strip is put into contact with urine in a collection container and the test strip is shaken to shake off the urine on the strip, adjacent reagents are mixed with each other, resulting in inaccurate test results and urine splashing, causing discomfort.

[0008] Meanwhile, the 'Urine Test Kit and Tester' published in the Korean Intellectual Property Office's Patent Gazette (B1) under registration number 10-1904037 (hereinafter referred to as 'Patent Document 2') discloses a urine test kit that can improve the convenience and hygiene of urine tests by integrally attaching a test strip (test paper) to a cup-shaped container for collecting urine, and a tester that automatically analyzes the color of the test paper of the urine test kit.

[0009] However, in the case of Patent Document 2, the test strip (chart) is attached to a cup-shaped container and becomes integrated with the container, so it can improve the convenience and hygiene of the test compared to a stick-type test strip, but there is a problem that the test paper (chart) of the test strip is curved, making it difficult to accurately detect the color. In other words, when using a urine test kit equipped with a curved test strip, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine the color of the entire area of ​​the curved test strip when applying the existing test method.

[0010] (Patent Document 1) KR 10-2402785 B1

[0011] (Patent Document 2) KR 10-1904037 B1

[0012] The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of Patent Documents 1 and 2, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a urine test device and method using a curved test sheet.

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention discloses a urine test device using a curved test sheet.

[0014] A urine test device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a mounting portion in which a test kit having a flexible test strip including a plurality of test pads is mounted; a flexible PCB including a plurality of light sources for irradiating light to the plurality of test pads of the test kit mounted on the mounting portion and a plurality of color sensors for detecting colors of the plurality of test pads by light reflected from the plurality of test pads; and a test control portion for performing a urine test by comparing each color of the plurality of test pads detected by the plurality of color sensors with a reference color of a corresponding test item, wherein the flexible PCB may be arranged to be concentric with the flexible test strip such that positions of the plurality of color sensors and the plurality of test pads are matched.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the flexible PCB further includes a temperature sensor, and the inspection control unit can generate a PWM control signal based on a temperature detected by the temperature sensor to adjust the duty cycle of the plurality of light sources.

[0016] According to one embodiment, a guide groove corresponding to a reference protrusion of the inspection kit may be formed in the mounting portion to match the positions of the plurality of color sensors and the plurality of inspection pads.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the number of the plurality of color sensors and the number of the plurality of inspection pads may be different.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the number of the plurality of color sensors and the number of the plurality of inspection pads may be the same.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the inspection control unit can convert RGB color values ​​detected by each of the plurality of color sensors into HSV color values, and compare the converted HSV color values ​​with the reference color of the corresponding inspection item.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, each test pad of a urine test kit is placed in a separate, distinct space and is individually introduced through an independent path, thereby preventing contamination between reagents of the test pads, and a cup-shaped test kit in which the container and test strip are integrated has the advantage of being hygienic and convenient to use.

[0021] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the detection radius of the FPCB to which the color sensor is attached is adjusted to be concentric with the radius of the inspection strip so that the detection directions are aligned with each other and as close as possible, thereby improving the detection characteristics. In particular, by grouping the color sensors according to the number of inspection items and matching them with the inspection pads, there is an effect of enabling accurate inspection even if the number or size of the color sensors is different from the number or size of the inspection pads.

[0022] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a stable light output can be obtained by adjusting the duty ratio of a light source according to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, and GRB Raw data detected by a color sensor is corrected and normalized and then converted into HSV color space, thereby enabling more accurate colorimetric analysis.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of the appearance of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a drawing showing a urine test kit installed in a urine analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the entire configuration of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 is an operation flow chart of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 is a detailed flowchart of the color sensor-inspection pad matching step illustrated in Figure 4.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of RGBW levels detected by a color sensor when the duty ratio of a light source increases in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 7 is a graph showing an example of RGB colors being converted to HUE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] The technical objectives achieved by the present invention and its implementation will become clearer with the help of the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below. The following examples are provided merely to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a drawing schematically illustrating the appearance of a urine testing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a urine testing kit mounted on a urine analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] A urine test device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention detects the color of a chart (hereinafter referred to as a “test pad”) that reacts to the urine of a subject in a cup-shaped urine test kit (10), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby enabling the health status of the subject to be determined.

[0033] The urine test kit (10) used in the embodiment of the present invention may include, as shown in FIG. 1, a container (11) for collecting urine, a test pad (13) attached along the inner or outer circumference of the container (11) to react to urine, each of which is housed in a separate space, and a curved test strip (12) for forming a path (14) that allows urine to individually flow into the separate space side of the test pad (13). The passage (14) is divided into a lower passage (14L) that is connected to the lower side of the test pad (13) and an upper passage (14U) that is connected to the upper side. When the air pump (16) attached to the upper passage (14U) is pressed, urine collected in the container (11) flows along the lower passage (14L) to wet the test pad (13), and when the urine in the container (11) is emptied, the urine in the passage (14) is removed, thereby removing excess urine in the test pad (13). A tag (15), etc. for identifying the type of urine test kit and recording the subject's information, may be attached to a part of the container. In one embodiment, the container (11) may be a cylindrical or cup-shaped transparent plastic material, and the test pad (13) and the passage (14) may be formed in a plurality of at least one corresponding to the test items.

[0034] In this way, the urine test kit (10) used in the embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a curved test strip (12) that is horizontally attached to a portion of the cylindrical surface of a cylindrical container (11) for a colorimetric test (dipstick urinalysis) method and has a curved surface bent toward the center, and a test pad (13) that can test urine components like a typical stick-type test strip is attached to the curved test strip (12), and a reagent that can determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the component according to the corresponding test item is applied to each test pad (13).

[0035] In addition, since the urine test kit (10) used in the embodiment of the present invention is cylindrical, a reference point may be marked or a reference protrusion (omitted) may be formed to align the positions of the color sensor and the test pad when inserted into the mounting portion (110) of the urine test device as shown in FIG. 2, and a tag (15; NFC tag, RFID tag, etc.) for identifying the urine test kit (10) according to the test item may be attached or a code (barcode, QR code), etc. may be displayed, and more preferably, the information of the test subject may be recorded on the tag or code. Here, an air pump (16) may also be used as a reference point.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the test items are 11 points, 7 points, and 4 points as shown in the following Table 1 will be described as an example. At this time, it is preferable that the various types of urine test kits (10) be standardized in the same way in terms of container size and test pad height, but the number of test pads (13) and the number of ureters (14) are different, such as 11, 7, and 4, depending on the number of test items. In the embodiment of the present invention, for the convenience of explanation, the case where there are 3 types of urine test kits is described as an example, but the number of test items required may be varied depending on the purpose of the test and standardized in various types.

[0037] Order of inspection items (mark) Initial color 11 point cup 7 point cup 4 point cup 1 Occult blood (OBD) a color ooo 2 Bilirubin (BIL) b color o-- 3 Urobilinogen (URO) c color o-- 4 Ketone bodies (KET) d color o-- 5 Protein (PRO) e color o-- o 6 Nitrate (NIT) f color o-- 7 Glucose (GLU) g color ooo 8 Acidity (pH) h color o-- 9 Specific gravity (SG) i color o-- 10 White blood cells (LEU) j color ooo 11 Vitamin Ck color o--

[0038] Referring to Table 1, the test items include occult blood (OBD), bilirubin (BIL), urobilinogen (URO), ketones (KET), protein (PRO), nitrite (NIT), glucose (GLU), pH, specific gravity (SG), leukocytes (LEU), vitamin C, etc., and 4 to 11 items can be selected and tested depending on the purpose of the test. Each test pad (13) has a sample that reacts to each component according to the test item applied, and the color of the test pad (13) that changes over time as the sample soaked in urine reacts can be analyzed using colorimetric analysis that compares it with the reference color of a standard colorimetric table. The degree of color change of the sample according to the concentration of the component can be classified into levels 2 to 7 for each test item.

[0039] The order of the test items can be arbitrarily determined and standardized, but the items should be arranged so that the initial colors or reaction colors of adjacent test items are not the same, so that the accuracy of the test can be increased when automatically analyzed later with a urine test device (100).

[0040] In particular, the urine test kit (10) used in the embodiment of the present invention is arranged so that each test pad (13) is placed in a separate, separate space, and the urine of the test subject is individually introduced into the corresponding test pad (13) through an independent flow path (14), thereby preventing contamination between reagents.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a urine analysis device (100), as illustrated in FIG. 2, when a urine test kit (10) is placed inside a mounting portion (110), identifies the kit type (11 points, 7 points, 4 points) according to the number of test items of the test kit (10) according to a predetermined test procedure, aligns a color sensor and a test pad mounted in an SMD manner on a flexible PCB (hereinafter referred to as 'FPCB'), detects the color of the reacted test pad, and then performs a colorimetric analysis to determine the test result (level of the corresponding component) of the corresponding test item.

[0042] Figure 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] A urine test device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is composed of a mounting portion (110) for accommodating a cup-shaped urine test kit (10) therein, an FPCB (102) having N light sources (120-1 to 120-N), N color sensors (130-1 to 130-N), a temperature and humidity sensor (132), an illuminance sensor (134), an NFC reader (136), a speaker (138), a color sensor (130-1 to 130-N), an FPCB driving mechanism (140), an operating portion (152), a display (154), a wireless communication portion (160), and a test control portion (MCU; 170).

[0044] Referring to FIG. 3, the mounting portion (110) has a receiving space formed therein for receiving a test kit (10) having a curved test strip (12) attached thereto, and this receiving space is sealed after the test kit (10) is mounted thereon to prevent external light from entering the internal receiving space. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the mounting portion (110) has a reference point corresponding to a reference point indicated on the test kit (10) to align the positions of the test pad (13; TP) and the color sensor (130; CS) of the test kit, or a guide groove corresponding to a reference protrusion is formed so that the standardized test kit (10) can be mounted more accurately. In some cases, a height adjustment means may be further provided to finely adjust the height of the mounted test kit (10) in the vertical (up and down) direction to align the height of the test pad (13; TP) and the height of the color sensor of the test kit (10).

[0045] The light source (120-1 to 120-N) is composed of a high-brightness white light-emitting diode (124) driven by a constant current method and a MOS FET (122) that can vary the current applied to the light-emitting diode (124) according to a PWM control signal of an MCU (170), and irradiates light onto the test pad (13) of the test kit so that the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) can detect color from the light reflected from the test pad (13). In the embodiment of the present invention, a high-brightness white LED of 5600K can be used as the light-emitting diode (124). In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, light sources (120-1 to 120-N) and color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) are arranged in pairs in a manner such that N light sources constitute one detection unit, so that the number of light sources is the same as the number of color sensors, but the light sources (120) may be arranged in a smaller number than the number of color sensors, such as two on both sides of the FPCB or three on the center and both sides.

[0046] The color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) is an image sensor for detecting the color of the test pad (13) of the flexible test strip by the light reflected from the test pad (13). In the embodiment of the present invention, an RGBW color sensor (e.g., VEML 6040) having an I2C interface and capable of detecting red, green, blue, and white light can be used. The VEML 6040 used in the embodiment of the present invention is a device having L x W x H of 2.0 x 1.25 x 1.0 mm and each channel (R, G, B, W) having a 16-bit resolution, and is arranged horizontally at 1 mm intervals on a flexible FPCB substrate (102) so as to place the flexible test strip on the inside and wrap a portion of it. In addition, the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) and the MCU (170) are connected via the I2C bus so that the master MCU (170) can read the RGBW data detected by the slave color sensor (130-1 to 130-N), and the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) and the light source (120-1 to 120-N) need to be appropriately positioned or isolated so that the light from the light source does not directly enter the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N). Therefore, only the light reflected from the inspection kit (10) can be received by the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N).

[0047] In this way, the number of test pads (13) does not match the number of color sensors (130-1 to 130-N), the sizes of the test pads (13) and the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) are also different, and different types of test kits (10) such as 11 points, 7 points, and 4 points are used depending on the purpose of the urine test. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, a series of matching procedures are required to match the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) and the test pads (13) in response to the test items.

[0048] The temperature and humidity sensor (132) is attached to one side of the FPCB substrate (102) or the receiving space to detect the internal temperature and humidity of the inspection device. In the embodiment of the present invention, the HTU20D, which detects both temperature and humidity and has an I2C interface, can be used.

[0049] The light sensor (134) is installed in the receiving space of the mounting portion (110) to detect external light entering the receiving space while the inspection kit (10) is mounted. Since external light may affect the measured value when it is input, an alarm may be generated when external light is detected by the light sensor (134).

[0050] The NFC reader (136) is for reading the recorded data of the NFC tag (15) attached to the cup-shaped test kit (10). The NFC tag (15) can record information on the test subject, test kit type information indicating whether the test items are 11 points, 7 points, or 4 points, etc. In the embodiment of the present invention, the NFC tag (15) was described as an example, but the test subject information or kit type information according to the test items can also be recorded using RFID, barcode, or QR code.

[0051] The speaker (138) is intended to notify the user by generating an alarm sound when external light is detected by the light sensor (134) or an error occurs during the test kit installation process or the test process, and to output a guidance sound during the test process if necessary.

[0052] The FPCB driving mechanism (140) is to adjust the detection radius (r2) of the FPCB (102) on which the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) is mounted according to the control signal of the MCU (170) to match the detection direction of the inspection pad (13) and the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N). The FPCB driving mechanism (140) is implemented in a form that connects both ends of the FPCB (102) to a part of the inspection device using a Javara or elastic spring, and then drives it using an actuator, so that the radius (r1) of the inspection kit (10) and the radius (r1) of the FPCB (102) become concentric to match the detection direction, and minimize the possible separation distance (d1) to maximize the detection signal.

[0053] The control unit (152) can be implemented in various ways, such as a button or a touch screen, to turn the power on / off, open the lid of the mounting unit, and input various setting values ​​or user information, and the display unit (154) can be implemented as an LCD, etc., to display the operating status of the inspection device, detection values, subject information, kit type, etc.

[0054] The wireless communication unit (160) is connected to the hospital server (200) via a wireless communication method such as WiFi or Bluetooth to transmit the urine test results and information about the subject to the server.

[0055] The inspection control unit (170) can be implemented with an MCU having a built-in memory and peripheral devices, and the built-in memory can store firmware and a standard colorimetric table having reference color values ​​for each inspection item.

[0056] When the MCU of the monitoring control unit (170) is powered on, it executes the firmware to process the setup process and the inspection process as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the setup process starts, a PWM control signal for adjusting the on-time pulse width (duty ratio) of the light source according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is output to the light source, and when the reference inspection kit (10) is mounted on the mounting unit (110), the FPCB driving mechanism (140) is controlled to align the detection directions of the inspection pad (13) and the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N). In addition, when the signal received through the color sensor (130-1 to 130-N) is below a predetermined threshold level, the corresponding color sensor is invalidated, and by grouping each color sensor according to the color received by a valid color sensor and correspondingly matching the inspection pad and the color sensor, the inspection kit according to the number of inspection items can be identified and the corresponding information can be stored. In addition, when a test kit reacting to the urine of the subject is placed on the placement unit (110) during the test process, the color of the test pad is sequentially detected according to the set test kit information, and the level of the test item is determined by comparing it with the reference color of the corresponding test item in the standard colorimetric table, and then the test result obtained by analyzing the subject information and the test item is transmitted to the hospital server (200) through the wireless communication unit (160).

[0057] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the overall operation of a urine test device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of a step of matching the color sensor and test pad shown in FIG. 4.

[0058] First, in an embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which 22 color sensors (130-1 to 130-22; hereinafter referred to as 'CS1 to CS22') are mounted on an FPCB (102) to detect up to 11 inspection pads (hereinafter referred to as 'TP1 to TP11') and inspect 11 inspection items (hereinafter referred to as 'UT1 to UT11'). This maximum number of inspection items is only one example, and the maximum number of inspection items can be increased by increasing the number of inspection pads and color sensors.

[0059] In order to efficiently use parts (reduce costs), it is desirable to design the layout so that all color sensors operate to detect the color of the corresponding inspection pad for the maximum number of inspection items, as shown in Table 2 below. However, if the number of inspection items is less than the maximum number of inspection items, a procedure for matching the color sensors and inspection pads is required during the setup process.

[0060] Sequential inspection item inspection pad color sensor 1UT1TP1CS1, CS22UT2TP2CS3, CS43UT3TP3CS5, CS64UT4TP4CS7, CS85UT5TP5CS9, CS106UT6TP6CS11, CS127UT7TP7CS13, CS148UT8TP8CS15, CS169UT9TP9CS17, CS1810UT10TP10CS19, CS2011UT11TP11CS21, CS22

[0061] According to the above Table 2, in order to test the UT1 test item, it can be seen that the TP1 test pad is analyzed by detecting the color with the CS1 and CS2 color sensors. In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the test kit (10) is divided into an 11-point cup, a 7-point cup, and a 4-point cup, which are standardized so that 11, 7, and 4 test items can be tested, respectively, as an example. Here, the cup (test kit) that is not used is defined as an '11-point reference cup', a '7-point reference cup', and a '4-point reference cup', and the cup (test kit) that the test pad reacts to the urine of the test subject after the test subject collects urine is defined as an '11-point test target cup', a '7-point test target cup', and a '4-point test target cup', and when referring to the whole, it is simply called a 'reference cup' or a 'test target cup'.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 4, the operation procedure of the urine test device according to the embodiment of the present invention is largely divided into a setting process (S101 to S107) and a test process (S108 to S115). The setting process is performed when the power is turned on or when reset is required due to environmental factors, and the test process is a process of testing a urine sample of an actual test subject, and can be repeated multiple times by replacing the test target cup after the setting process is completed.

[0063] When the MCU (170) is powered on, it initializes variables and setting values ​​and loads the reference values ​​of the standard colorimetric table (S101). At this time, the reference values ​​of the standard colorimetric table are stored as HUE data.

[0064] When a random reference cup is inserted during the setup process, tag identification identifies whether the inserted reference cup is an 11-point reference cup, a 7-point reference cup, or a 4-point reference cup (S102, S103).

[0065] Next, after measuring the temperature and humidity through the temperature and humidity sensor, a PWM control signal is output to adjust the duty ratio of the light source according to the measured temperature (S104). In an embodiment of the present invention, a PWM control signal can be generated so that the duty ratio increases by 2% when the temperature rises by 2 degrees. This light source setting procedure (S104) can be performed at any stage through an interrupt when a change in temperature and humidity is detected.

[0066] After identifying the type of reference cup, the MCU (170) controls the FPCB driving mechanism (140) to finely adjust the detection angles of the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) mounted on the FPCB (102) to match the detection directions of the color sensors (130-1 to 130-N) and the inspection pad (13) (S105). This position alignment procedure can be performed in various ways, but can be implemented in a way that the detection radius (r2) of the flexible PCB (102) to which the color sensors are attached is adjusted so that the detection signals of the entire color sensors are maximized after turning on the entire light source under the control of the MCU.

[0067] In the step (S106) of matching the color sensor with the inspection pad, as shown in Fig. 5, if the identified reference cup is an 11-point reference cup, the color sensors corresponding to the inspection pad are determined as shown in Table 2 above, so the preset matching data is loaded and the matching status is checked (S201 to S213).

[0068] Referring to FIG. 5, when the identified reference cup is a 7-point reference cup, the light source and color sensors are sequentially turned on from the first color sensor (CS1) to the 22nd color sensor (CS22) according to the color sensor scan procedure, and the color signals reflected from the test pads (TP1 to TP7) of the reference test kit are received (S221, S222).

[0069] If the detection signal of each color sensor that receives the light reflected from the inspection pad is below a predetermined threshold, the color sensor is classified as an invalid color sensor because there is no inspection pad to detect, and if it is above the threshold, it is classified as a valid color sensor (S223).

[0070] Next, if the detection colors of adjacent valid color sensors are the same, it is determined that light from the same inspection pad has been received, and the color sensors of the same inspection item are grouped as shown in Table 3 below, and this color sensor group and the corresponding inspection pad are matched as one inspection item (S224, S225).

[0071] Color sensor presence / absence Color value inspection pad inspection items CS1 presence aTP1UT1CS2 presence aCS3 absence CS4 absence CS5 presence bTP2UT2CS6 presence bCS7 absence CS8 absence CS9 presence cTP3UT3CS10 presence cCS11 absence CS12 presence dTP4UT4CS13 presence dCS14 absence CS15 presence eTP5UT5CS16 presence eCS17 absence CS18 presence fTP6UT6CS19 presence fCS20 absence CS21 presence gTP7UT7CS22 presence g

[0072] Referring to Table 3 above, it can be seen that adjacent color sensors CS1 and CS2 detect the same color a and are grouped as one color sensor, which can detect the color of the TP1 inspection pad and inspect the UT1 inspection item. In addition, it can be seen that color sensors CS3 and CS4 detect a low color signal because there is no inspection pad to detect and are classified as invalid colors. In addition, when the identified reference cup is a 4-point reference cup, the light source and color sensors from the 1st color sensor to the 22nd color sensor are sequentially turned on to receive the color signal reflected from the inspection pad of the reference inspection kit (S231, S232).

[0073] If the detection signal of each color sensor that receives the light reflected from the inspection pad is below a predetermined threshold, the color sensor is classified as an invalid color sensor, and if it is above the threshold, the color sensor is classified as a valid color sensor (S233).

[0074] Next, if the detection colors of adjacent valid color sensors are the same, it is determined that light from the same inspection pad has been received, and the color sensors of the same inspection item are grouped as shown in Table 4 below, and this color sensor group and the corresponding inspection pad are matched as one inspection item (S234, S235).

[0075] Color sensor presence / absence Color value inspection pad inspection items CS1 Yes aTP1UT1CS2 Yes aCS3 Yes aCS4 No CS5 No CS6 Yes bTP2UT2CS7 Yes bCS8 Yes bCS9 No CS10 No CS11 No CS12 Yes cTP3UT3CS13 Yes cCS14 Yes cCS15 No CS16 No CS17 No CS18 No CS19 Yes dTP4UT4CS20 Yes dCS21 Yes dCS22 No

[0076] Referring to Table 4 above, it can be seen that adjacent color sensors CS1, CS2, and CS3 detect the same color a and are grouped as one color sensor, which can detect the color of the TP1 test pad and test the UT1 test item. In addition, it can be seen that color sensors CS4 and CS5 detect a low color signal because there is no test pad to detect, and are classified as invalid colors. Comparing Tables 3 and 4, it can be seen that in the case of 4 points, the size of the test pad is larger than in the case of 7 points. Thus, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the color sensor, the test pad, and the test item can be matched by performing a matching procedure during the setup process without the need to match the color sensor and the test pad in advance. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the number and size of the test pads of the test kit can be designed to a certain extent freely, which is convenient to use, and in particular, even when the type of the test cup is not identified or the size or arrangement deviates to some extent from the standard, the corresponding test item can be accurately tested by matching the color sensor and the test pad through the matching procedure.

[0077] Referring back to FIG. 4, once the setup process is completed, the cup to be inspected is inserted into the mounting portion (110) during the inspection process (107, S108). At this time, the mounting status of the cup to be inspected is determined, and if it is not properly mounted, a guidance sound may be generated to request re-introduction or alignment. In addition, when a random inspection cup is inserted, tag identification is used to identify whether the inserted inspection cup is an 11-point inspection cup, a 7-point inspection cup, or a 4-point inspection cup (S108).

[0078] After identifying the type of cup, matching data such as Tables 2 to 4 matched in the setup process according to the type of identified cup are loaded, and RGBW color values ​​are sensed by sequentially scanning from the first inspection pad through the corresponding color sensor with reference to the loaded matching data (S110).

[0079] Examples of RGBW levels detected by each color sensor are as shown in the graphs in Figs. 6a to 6d. Fig. 6a is an example of a graph indicating the level of a white light signal received by the color sensor, Fig. 6b is an example of a graph indicating the level of a red light signal received by the color sensor, Fig. 6c is an example of a graph indicating the level of a green light signal received by the color sensor, and Fig. 6d is an example of a graph indicating the level of a blue light signal received by the color sensor.

[0080] Referring to Fig. 6, the vertical axis of each graph represents the color temperature (unit: °K), and the horizontal axis represents the relative passage of time (t). In addition, each detection signal represents the level of the light signal received when the light source is PWM controlled, and it can be seen that when the duty cycle increases according to the pulse width of the PWM control signal, the light output increases, and thus the level of the detection signal also increases.

[0081] Referring back to FIG. 4, the MCU (170) performs correction and normalization procedures on the detected color data, if necessary, and then converts the RGB color values ​​into HSV color values ​​according to the processing procedures in Table 5 and the formula in Table 6 (S111). That is, since the actual inspection pad is not directly detected, but the sample (inspection pad) is attached to the inside of the transparent inspection cup due to the nature of the inspection cup, there may be a difference from the actual value, so it is necessary to correct the detection value of the sensor.

[0082] r = (double)(r / 65535);g = (double)(g / 65535);b = (double)(b / 65535);w = (double)(b / 65535);r = wparam*r;g = wparam*g;b= wparam*b;double cmax = max(r, g, b); / maximum of r, g, bdouble cmin = min(r, g, b); / minimum of r, g, bdouble diff = cmax-cmin; / diff of cmax and cmin.if (cmax == cmin)h = 0;else if (cmax == r)h = fmod((60 * ((g - b) / diff) + 360), 360.0);

[0083] The conversion formula for converting 16-bit RGB to HSV using the same procedure as Table 5 can be obtained as shown in Table 6 below.

[0084] W'=W / 65536 =WparamR' = R / 65535G' = G / 65535B' = B / 65535Cmax = max(R', G', B', W')Cmin = min(R', G', B', W')△wparam = Cmax - Cmin△ = 0

[0085] That is, the three important properties that constitute the color perceived by the human eye are hue (H), brightness (Br), and saturation (St), and H is expressed as a combination of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the RGB value detected by the color sensor is not directly used, but is converted into a HUE value as shown in FIG. 7, and then the level (concentration) of the corresponding test item is determined by colorimetric analysis with the reference value of the standard colorimetric table (S112). When the HSV color value converted in this way is compared with the reference color of the corresponding test item in the standard colorimetric table and the colorimetric analysis for all test items is completed, the test subject information and the level information (analysis result) for each test item of the test subject are printed out to a printer (not shown) or transmitted to the server (200) through the wireless communication unit (160), and the test subject cup for which the inspection is completed is discharged (S113 to S115).

[0086] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to one embodiment shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible.

Claims

1. In the urine test device, A mounting portion in which a test kit having a curved test strip including a plurality of test pads is mounted; A flexible PCB including a plurality of light sources for irradiating light onto the plurality of inspection pads of the inspection kit mounted on the mounting portion and a plurality of color sensors for detecting the colors of the plurality of inspection pads by light reflected from the plurality of inspection pads; Includes a test control unit that performs a urine test by comparing each color of the plurality of test pads detected by the plurality of color sensors with the reference color of the corresponding test item, A urine test device, wherein the flexible PCB is arranged concentrically with the flexible test strip so that the positions of the plurality of color sensors and the plurality of test pads are matched.

2. In paragraph 1, The above flexible PCB further includes a temperature sensor, A urine test device, wherein the above inspection control unit generates a PWM control signal based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to control the duty cycle of the plurality of light sources.

3. In paragraph 1, A urine test device, wherein a guide groove corresponding to a reference protrusion of the test kit is formed in the above-mentioned mounting portion to match the positions of the plurality of color sensors and the plurality of test pads.

4. In paragraph 1, A urine test device, wherein the number of the plurality of color sensors and the number of the plurality of test pads are different.

5. In paragraph 1, A urine test device, wherein the number of the plurality of color sensors and the number of the plurality of test pads are the same.

6. In paragraph 1, A urine test device, wherein the above test control unit converts the RGB color values ​​detected by each of the plurality of color sensors into HSV color values ​​and compares the converted HSV color values ​​with the reference color of the corresponding test item.

Images