WO2013180621A1

WO2013180621A1 - Arrangement at a device for measuring components in body fluids

Info

Publication number: WO2013180621A1
Application number: PCT/SE2013/050466
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gerhard Andersson
Original assignee: Melodia Medical Ab
Priority date: 2012-05-28
Filing date: 2013-04-26
Publication date: 2013-12-05
Also published as: SE536545C2; SE1250547A1

Abstract

Device for determination of a compound in a bodily fluid, comprising a cylindrical, stepwise rotatable cylindrical magazine (2) comprising a number of parallel chambers each comprising a respective testing element (3) arranged to come into contact with said bodily fluid. The magazine is sealed at its respective ends by a first (12) and a second (14) foil. The device comprises a mandrel (6) and a cylindrical sleeve (1 ) with an open first end (7) and a second end (8) which is sealed by a wall (16). The sleeve surrounds the magazine. The sleeve and the mandrel are displaceably arranged in relation to each other. When the sleeve and the mandrel are displaced towards each other, the mandrel is caused to penetrate the first foil and to come into abutment against a first end of the testing element, whereby by continued displacement of the sleeve and the mandrel towards each other, the testing element is displaced in direction towards the second foil, wherein there in the wall of the closed end of the sleeve is an opening (15) through which a testing element is arranged to be protruded. There is a cutting means (17), arranged along the opening and directed inwards into the and on the said wall of the sleeve, which cutting means is arranged to cut through the second foil before the testing element has been displaced up to the second foil.

Description

Arrangement at a device for measuring components in body fluids

The present invention relates to a device at an apparatus for measuring compounds in bodily fluids.

In the international patent application WO 03/042692, an apparatus for measuring compounds in bodily fluids is described .

The apparatus comprises a cylindrical magazine in which a number of testing sticks are stored in a respective chamber each. The testing sticks are arranged along a circle. The magazine is closable using aluminum foil applied at both ends of the magazine.

The apparatus has an essentially cylindrical shape. The magazine is arranged to be brought in under the apparatus, in a non-pivotal manner, on a cylindrical axis. Below a prein- stalled magazine, in the apparatus there is a grip claw provided with two electric contacts. The grip claw is fixedly arranged in relation to the apparatus. Enclosing a pre- installed magazine, a sleeve is threaded, which sleeve is open in its end facing the apparatus, and closed in its oppo- site end. The sleeve is provided with two projections from its envelope surface, arranged to cooperate with a pivot means of the apparatus. When a sample, such as a blood sample, is to be taken, a person turns a ring-shaped element arranged on the outside of the apparatus, which element is connected to the said pivot means. As a consequence thereof, the pivot means is connected to the said two projections, and pulls the sleeve into the apparatus. Thereby, the grip claw penetrates through the first foil of the magazine and further on, until a testing stick in the magazine reaches the bottom of a groove in the grip claw. The electric contacts then abut, with a certain force, against contact surfaces on the testing stick. Upon further turning of the ring-shaped ele- ment, the magazine will be displaced further into the apparatus, while the testing stick is kept still in relation to the apparatus by the testing stick abutting against the grip claw. As a result, the opposite, free end of the testing stick penetrates through the other foil of the magazine and on through an opening in the closed end of the sleeve, until the free end of the testing stick is located some ways outside of the magazine. A sample is taken by bodily fluid being sucked in by capillary forces into a cavity in the testing stick, through an opening in the free end of the testing stick. In the cavity, there are reagents reacting with the bodily fluid, whereby an electric voltage arises and is communicated to the said contact surfaces and on, via the electrodes, to a calculation unit in the apparatus. The apparatus has a display, on which the result of the sampling is shown. Thereafter, the person turns the ring-shaped element in the opposite direction, whereby the sleeve is displaced in a direction away from the apparatus. This results in that the projecting testing stick is pulled into the magazine as a result of friction between the testing stick and the grip claw. Stop lugs are arranged so that the testing stick reaches the bottom in the magazine and leaves the grip claw, which returns to its original position. The pivot means is so arranged so that the next time the ring-shaped element is turned, the magazine will initially be turned so that the next testing stick is fed forward.

The present invention is applicable in relation to such an apparatus . A testing stick is long and narrow, and has the said opening into said cavity in a first end and electrodes in its opposite end. The testing stick is not shape-stable, why it is easily bent and can be deformed. In order to achieve correct results from a measurement, it is essential that the volume of the cavity is correct. Since the free end of the testing stick forcibly penetrates the said second foil, the cavity can be deformed so that its volume becomes incorrect.

Another problem is that, since the free end of the testing stick forcibly penetrates the said second foil, some users experience that the ring-shaped element must be turned with force during the penetration.

In the European patent 0622119, a system and a method for dispensing testing sticks is described, in which, according to the system in question, the testing stick is also forced through a second foil. The free end of the testing stick is then angled towards the longitudinal axis of the testing stick, so that the angled end first penetrates the foil at a point, after which the angled end gradually cuts the foil open. However, even in this case the cavity can be put under pressure when the part of the testing stick where the cavity is located is pressed through the foil, so that the cavity can become damaged.

The present invention solves these problems. Hence, the present invention relates to a device for quantitative and/or qualitative determination of a compound in a bodily fluid, comprising a cylindrical, stepwise rotatable magazine comprising a number of parallel chambers each com- prising a respective testing element, and which magazine is sealed at its respective ends by a first and a second foil, respectively, and which testing elements are arranged to come into contact with said bodily fluid, and comprising a mandrel and a cylindrical sleeve with an open first end and a second end which is sealed by a wall, which sleeve surrounds the magazine and which sleeve and said mandrel are displaceably arranged in relation to each other, whereby when the sleeve and the mandrel are displaced towards each other, the mandrel is caused to penetrate the first foil and to come into abutment against a first end of the testing element in the chamber in question, whereby by continued displacement of the sleeve and the mandrel towards each other, the testing element is displaced in a direction towards the second foil, wherein there in the wall of the closed end of the sleeve is an opening with a size which is somewhat larger than the cross-section of a testing element and which is substantially aligned with a second end of the testing element in each step which the magazine is arranged to assume, through which open- ing a testing element is arranged to be protruded, and is characterised in that there is a cutting means, arranged along the opening and directed inwards into the sleeve and on the said wall of the sleeve, which cutting means is arranged to cut through the second foil before the testing element has been displaced up to the second foil.

Below, the invention is described in closer detail, partly in connection to an embodiment of the invention, which is shown in the appended drawings, where

- figure 1 shows a sleeve according to the invention

- figure 2 shows a cross-section through the said sleeve when mounted in a partly shown dispensing unit and meter - figure 3 shows the said sleeve partly cut away

- figure 4 shows a cross-section corresponding to the cross- section shown in figure 2, in larger scale

- figure 5 shows a spring.

In figure 1, a sleeve 1 is shown, see figure 1, which is arranged to be threaded onto a magazine 2. The magazine 2 contains testing sticks, testing elements, 3 of the above described type. The magazine 2 is threaded, in a non-pivotal manner, onto an axis 4 belonging to the said apparatus 5 for dispensing measurement sticks and for measuring compounds in blood or other bodily fluids. Only the upper part of the apparatus is shown in figure 2. For example, the apparatus is the one described in the above mentioned international patent application WO 03/042692.

As is shown in figure 3, the sleeve 1 is open in its first end 7, facing towards the apparatus, and closed in its second, opposite end 8.

Below an installed magazine 2, in the apparatus there is a mandrel in the form of a grip claw provided with two electrical contacts. The grip claw is fixedly arranged in relation to the apparatus. The sleeve 1 is arranged with two protru- sions 9, 10 from its envelope surface, arranged to cooperate with the above mentioned pivot means belonging to the apparatus. When a person turns a ring-shaped element 11, arranged on the outside and connected to the said pivot means, the pivot means is connected to said two projections 9, 10, whereby the sleeve 1 is pulled into the apparatus. As the sleeve 1 is pulled into the apparatus, the other end 8 of the sleeve pushes against the magazine 2 so that this is brought inwards towards the apparatus. Hereby, the grip claw 6 pene- trates through the first foil 12 of the magazine, see figure 4, and on until a testing element 3 in the magazine reaches the bottom of a groove in the grip claw 6. The electrical contacts will then abut against contact surfaces on the testing element with a certain force. When the ring-shaped element 11 is further turned, the magazine 2 will be displaced further into the apparatus while the testing element 6 is held still in relation to the apparatus by the testing element abutting against the grip claw 6. As a consequence, the opposite, free end 13 of the testing element 3 forcibly penetrates the other foil 14 of the magazine 2, see figure 4, and further through an opening 15 in the said other end 8 of the sleeve 1 until the free end of the testing element is located some distance outside of the magazine.

In the wall 16 of the other, closed end 8 of the sleeve, the said opening 15 is arranged with a size which is somewhat larger than the cross-section of a testing element 3 and located substantially aligned with the free end of the testing element 3 at each step that the magazine is arranged to assume by turning it. A testing element is arranged to project through the opening 15 when the sleeve is displaced further inwards towards the apparatus.

According to the invention, there is a cutting means 17 arranged along the opening 15 and oriented inwards into the sleeve 1 and on the said wall 16 of the sleeve, arranged to cut through the second foil 14 of the magazine before the testing element 3 is displaced up to the second foil 14.

This is accomplished by there being a distance in the magazine between the end of the testing element and the second foil 14 of the magazine, when the sleeve has been displaced so that the cutting means 17 of the sleeve in the wall 16 hits the second foil 14 of the magazine. Upon further displacement of the sleeve 1, the cutting means will cut through the second foil of the magazine. At a further displacement of the sleeve, the free end of the testing element will pass out through the cut-up foil.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cutting means 17 is a sharp, ridge-shaped projection. Suitably, the cutting means is formed in the said wall 16 of the sleeve.

According to another preferred embodiment, there is a cutting means 17 along one or several sides of the said opening 15. According to an important other, preferred embodiment, a compression spring 18 is arranged on the inside of the said wall 16 of the sleeve 1. The height of the compression spring 18 when unloaded exceeds the height of the cutting means 17, see figure 4. The height of the compression spring 18 in its loaded, compressed, state is less than the height of the cutting means 17. This prevents the sleeve 1 from being unintentionally displaced in relation to the second foil 14 of the magazine so that the cutting means 17 would unintentionally cut up the second foil. This could damage the testing elements since moisture could penetrate into the magazine.

The compression spring 18 is in the form of a wave-shaped ring. The compression spring is suitably made of flexible plastic material.

Preferably, the sleeve is made from a stiff plastic material. It is apparent that the present invention solves the initially mentioned problems .

Above, the invention has been described in connection to an apparatus according to the international patent application WO 03/042692. However, this apparatus is only one example of an apparatus by which the invention advantageously can be applied. The present invention is applicable to any apparatus in which the testing element is stored in a magazine which is sealed by a foil in both ends, in which a sleeve encloses the magazine and wherein a force is applied by a mandrel onto a first end of the testing element in order to push the other end of the testing element through a first foil of the magazine by relative motion between the magazine and the sleeve.

Therefore, the present invention shall not be limited to the above described embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the enclosed claims.

Claims

Claims .

1. Device for quantitative and/or qualitative determination of a compound in a bodily fluid, comprising a cylindrical, stepwise rotatable magazine (2) comprising a number of parallel chambers each comprising a respective testing element (3), and which magazine (2) is sealed at its respective ends by a first (12) and a second (14) foil, respectively, and which testing elements (3) are arranged to come into contact with said bodily fluid, and comprising a mandrel (6) and a cylindrical sleeve (1) with an open first end (7) and a second end (8) which is sealed by a wall (16), which sleeve (1) surrounds the magazine and which sleeve and said mandrel (6) are displaceably arranged in relation to each other, whereby when the sleeve (1) and the mandrel (6) are displaced towards each other, the mandrel is caused to penetrate the first foil (12) and to come into abutment against a first end of the testing element (3) in the chamber in question, whereby by continued displacement of the sleeve and the mandrel towards each other, the testing element is displaced in a direction towards the second foil (14), wherein there in the wall (16) of the closed end (8) of the sleeve is an opening (15) with a size which is somewhat larger than the cross-section of a testing element (3) and which is substantially aligned with a second end (13) of the testing element in each step which the magazine (2) is arranged to assume, through which opening (15) a testing element (3) is arranged to be protruded, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that there is a cutting means (17), arranged along the opening (15) and directed inwards into the sleeve (1) and on the said wall (16) of the sleeve, which cutting means is arranged to cut through the second foil (14) before the testing element (3) has been displaced up to the second foil (14) .

2. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the cutting means (17) is a sharp, ridge-shaped protrusion .

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the cutting means (17) is formed in one piece together with the sleeve (1) .

4. Device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that a cutting means (17) is arranged along one or several of the sides of said opening (15) .

5. Device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, c h a r a c - t e r i s e d i n that a compression spring (18) is arranged on the inside of the wall (16) of said sleeve (1), in that the height of the compression spring in unloaded condition exceeds the height of the cutting means (17) , and in that the height of the compression spring in its loaded, compressed state is lower than the height of the cutting means (17) .