Umm Electronics, Inc.

Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh

Careside, Inc.

United Medical Manufacturing Company

Richard A Riedel

David E Storvick

Daniel L Kennedy

Michael E Grant

James S Hutchison

Steven R Arbuckle

Roger Hammer

Dino Perin

Russell T Gray

Douglas E Boyd

John W Stoughton

Maurice D Fuller

John Stoughton

Glen Mathews

William R Boyd

James S Hutchinson

Mark A Gregory

James J Ramey

Stephen D Scopatz

Jan B Yates

Ronald K Coleman

Joe E Anderson

William O Reid, Jr

Friedrich Jost

Timothy L Beck

Bradford C Adrian

Prafulla D Goradia

Tyrie R Robbins

Sandra E Sowa

Robert C Yates

Roger L Hammer

William Reid

An analytical instrument for analyzing fluids. The instrument includes a cartridge carousel assembly which receives analytical cartridges. The cartridges are self-contained units which incorporate a sample metering/separation system which is operated by centrifugal force. The cartridge carousel is composed of a cartridge rotor plate which includes a center and a plurality of cartridge ports which are located in spaced relation radially outward from the center of the plate. The analytical instrument further includes an optical detector which measures a detectable analytical property of the fluid sample which is provided by the optical element of the cartridge. The optical detector includes a radiation source which shines a beam of radiation on the optical element. The optical detector further includes a return beam detector which measures the return beam of radiation emitted by the optical element. The radiation source and return beam detector are both located on the same side of the cartridge rotor plate. The analytical instrument includes a tracking and control unit which tracks and controls the rotary drive mechanism and the detector to provide coordinated operation so that the optical detector can make measurements of the optical element while the cartridge rotor is stationary or rotating.

Cartridge-based analytical instrument with optical detector

The instrument includes a cartridge carousel assembly which receives analytical cartridges. The cartridges are self-contained units which incorporate a sample metering/separation system which is operated by centrifugal force. The cartridge carousel is composed of a cartridge rotor plate which includes a center and a plurality of cartridge ports which are located in spaced relation radially outward from the center of the plate. The cartridge ports include a cartridge dock which is shaped to receive the cartridges and a balance weight dock which is located radially inward from the cartridge dock. The cartridge dock is shaped to receive a balance weight. A locking mechanism is provided which holds the cartridge in the cartridge dock during rotation of the cartridge rotor plate. A balancing mechanism is provided which includes a balance weight which is movable to the balance weight dock when a cartridge is inserted into the cartridge dock. An ejection mechanism is provided which ejects the test cartridge from the cartridge port after processing of the test cartridge is completed.

Cartridge-based analytical instrument with rotor balance and cartridge lock/eject system

An analytical instrument for analyzing fluids. The instrument includes a cartridge carousel assembly which receives analytical cartridges. The analytical cartridges include a centrifugal force-operated sample metering/separation system, a pressure-operated sample transport system, and a test element which provides a detectable analytical property of a fluid sample. The cartridge carousel assembly includes a cartridge rotor plate which has a plurality of cartridge ports which receive the cartridges. A rotary drive mechanism rotates the cartridge rotor plate to provide rotation of the plate which activates the centrifugal force-operated sample metering/separation system of the cartridge. The instrument includes a sample transport actuator which activates the pressure-operated sample transport system of the cartridge. In addition, the instrument includes a detector which measures the detectable analytical property of the fluid sample after the sample metering and transport systems have been activated. The instrument includes tracking and control systems which track and control the rotary drive mechanism and sample transport actuator to provide coordinated operation of the centrifugal force-operated sample metering/separation system and the pressure operated sample transport system wherein the coordinated operation provides delivery of a metered amount of sample to the test element of the test cartridge. Further, the tracking and control unit includes a user-input interface for receiving data input from a user of the instrument, a central processing unit, a real-time processor, and a data output interface which provides output of results of the measurements made by the instrument.

Cartridge-based analytical instrument using centrifugal force/pressure for metering/transport of fluids

A method for measuring the fluorescent lifetime of an unknown fluorescent sample, such as a biological liquid, without the requirement of manual intervention or a separate reference standard. An energetic light beam having its low energy component filtered out is shined on the sample. An optical detector is positioned such that the intensity of the components of the light beam reflected from the sample reaching the detector is substantially minimized but light remitted and/or fluoresced by the sample does reach the detector with non-trivial intensity. Errors arising from the electronic components of the system, such as RFI and D.C. offset errors, are isolated and minimized by positioning an opaque filter between the sample and the detector and measuring the resulting signal. The resulting baseline measurement data is stored for later error subtraction. A low-pass filter is selectively placed between the sample and the detector to isolate the high-energy remitted light component coming from the sample and having the same phase as the original energetic beam used to stimulate fluorescence, and a high-pass filter selectively is placed between the sample and the detector to isolate the lower-energy fluoresced light component coming from the sample. The phases of each component are then measured and compared to determine the phase shift of the light fluoresced by the sample, and the phase shift data is used to calculate the fluorescent lifetime of the sample according to tan &phgr;&equals;&ohgr;&tgr;.

Method and apparatus for the determination of phase delay in a lifetime fluorometer without the use of lifetime standards

A method and apparatus for measuring the heart rate of a patient. In one embodiment the apparatus includes a hollow bell mounted on a diaphragm. A transducer element is also positioned therein to receive sound transmitted through the diaphragm, convert the sounds into electrical impulses, and transmit the electrical impulses to a microprocessor. The electrical impulses have real-time wave patterns corresponding to the real-time wave patterns of the original sounds. The microprocessor performs mathematical operations on wave pattern data conveyed by the electrical impulses to determine a numerical value corresponding to the frequency of the wave patterns. This numerical value is sent to a digital output and displayed thereon.

Method and apparatus for passive heart rate detection

The present invention relates to a method for passively determining the application of a sample fluid on an analyte strip using measurement of ambient light passing through the strip. Sample fluid, such as whole blood, is applied to a reagent matrix and the amount of ambient light transmitted through the matrix is periodically measured both before and after application of the sample fluid. A step increase of the transmitted light reading occurs after hydration of the strip, and the occurrence of this step increase is used to start a predetermined incubation period. At the expiration of the incubation period, another light transmission measurement is made which is indicative of an analyte concentration in the sample fluid (such as glucose concentration in a whole blood sample).

Method for passively determining the application of a sample fluid on an

An optical system for measuring the reflectance of flat strips having potentially optically non-uniform surfaces. In one embodiment the systems includes an array of discrete light sources, wherein each light source is driven by its own individual current, such that the pattern reflected onto a photodector is substantially uniform in intensity.

Apparatus for measuring the reflectance of strips having non-uniform

A method for determining the application of a sample fluid on an analyte strip using first and second derivatives. Sample fluid, such as whole blood, is applied to a reagent matrix and sensor readings, such as reflectance readings or current readings, are taken of the fluid/reagent combination. The first and second derivatives of the sensor readings are calculated. A predetermined incubation time period is begun at either a local minimum in the first derivative or a local maximum following a local minimum in the second derivative data. At the expiration of the incubation period, another sensor reading is taken which is indicative of an analyte concentration in the sample fluid (such as glucose concentration in a whole blood sample).

Method for determining the application of a sample fluid on an analyte

An analytical cartridge adapted for use in analyzing fluids for spectrophotometry. The cartridge includes a plumbing system composed of the cuvette and various wells or chambers which are interconnected by passageways. After introduction into the cartridge, liquid samples are separated (if necessary) and transported to a cuvette utilizing a sequential application of centrifugal force followed by pressurization of the system. The cartridge may be used in a wide variety of spectrophotometric procedures to measure the concentration of a wide variety of constituents in fluids, including bodily fluids which contain liquid and solid components.

Spectrophotometric analytical cartridge

A method and apparatus for eliminating the effects of varying sample distance on optical measurements. In a first embodiment, a light source and a detector are both positioned in front of a measurement sample. A light source lens assembly focuses the light such that its focal point is behind the measurement sample, while a detector lens assembly focuses the light reflected from the measurement sample such that its focal point is in front of the measurement sample. Any movement of the measurement sample away from its nominal position does not affect the detector output because the effects of the source lens assembly and the detector lens assembly cancel each other. In a second embodiment, a light source and two detectors are positioned on one side off a measurement sample. The first detector is placed at a small angle relative to the sample normal, while the second detector is placed at a relatively large angle relative to the sample normal. A system output, which does not vary if the measurement sample is moved from its nominal position, comprises the weighted summation of the first and second detector outputs and a correction signal. The correction signal comprises a weighted difference of the first and second detector outputs.

Method and apparatus for eliminating the effects of varying sample

A method of communicating with one or more microcomputer (200) controlled instruments (10) for determining the concentration of a medically significant component of a body fluid. Each instrument (10) includes a port (220) through which instructions and data can be received from, and transmitted to, an external device. The method comprises the steps of transmitting to each instrument (10) an attention protocol for advising each instrument (10) that a further instruction is to be transmitted, transmitting one of a global address to all of such instruments (10) and an address unique to one of such instruments (10), and transmitting an instruction to all of the instruments (10) or to the above-mentioned one instrument (10).

Method for reading the concentration of a medically significant

A method and apparatus for verifying the operating accuracy of an instrument (10) for detecting the concentration of a medically significant component of a body fluid. The instrument (10) operates by determining the remission of a reacted chemistry contained on a substrate (106) after the chemistry has reacted with the medically significant component of the body fluid. The instrument (10) includes a radiation source (182), a radiation detector (300) and a pathway (164) from the radiation source (182) to the chemistry (106) and from the chemistry (106) to the radiation detector (300) when the substrate (106) is properly inserted into the instrument (10). The remission of the chemistry (106) determines the radiation detected by the radiation detector (300). The method and apparatus include inserting into the instrument (10) a verification substrate (106) having a known remission, a mechanism for energizing the radiation source (182), detecting with a radiation detector (300) the remission from the verification substrate (106), and displaying on a display (76) associated with the instrument (10) an indication that the known remission was detected by the radiation detector (300).

Meter verification method and apparatus

A portable blood chemistry monitoring meter that employs an analog circuit in conjunction with a manually adjustable potentiometer to locate a null position that balances the measure taken of the blood chemistry-induced changes in the chemistries of disposable test strips. The meter displays in pre-printed, man-readable format blood chemistry concentrations that are individually calibrated to the specific batch-lot chemistries of the disposable test strips used with the meter. In a preferred embodiment, the meter is a blood glucose monitoring meter.

Blood glucose reflectance meter including a null prompting means and a

A method and apparatus (10) for determining the remission of a chemistry (106) which reacts with a medically significant component of a body fluid. The remission of the chemistry (106) changes as it reacts. The method and apparatus (10) include irradiating the chemistry (106) with a radiation source (182), detecting remissions of radiation from the chemistry (106) with a radiation detector (300), providing a radiation pathway (164) between the source (182) and the chemistry (106), providing a remission pathway (164) between the chemistry (106) and the detector (300), and detecting the rate of change of remission of the chemistry (106) with respect to time. The irradiating, detecting and rate detecting steps and apparatus comprise initially irradiating the chemistry (106) at a first time rate and detecting remissions therefrom, comparing remission data from remission readings spaced apart by a first number of intervening remission readings, and determining when the difference between compared readings exceeds a first predetermined limit. The time rate of irradiation of the chemistry is changed once the difference between compared readings exceeds the first limit. Remission data from remission readings spaced apart by a second number of intervening remission readings are then compared. The method and apparatus next determine when the difference between compared readings no longer exceeds a second predetermined limit. The last remission reading is then converted to the concentration of the medically significant component of the body fluid.

Apparatus and method for analyzing a body fluid

An instrument for analyzing test strips supporting chemistries which react with a medically significant component of a body fluid to indicate the concentration of the component in the body fluid. The instrument includes a pathway along which radiation is guided from a radiation source to a strip when the strip is inserted into the instrument and along which remission is guided from the strip to a radiation detector. A title provided on the instrument provides a first remission when no strip is inserted into the instrument. The tile is separated from the radiation source by the strip when the strip is inserted into the instrument. The first remission and the strip's remission, respectively, indicate the absence and the presence of the strip in the instrument. The strip also has a surface opposite the chemistry supporting surface characterized by a second strip remission different from the first strip remission. The instrument is capable of determining whether the strip has been inserted into the instrument correctly or backward.

Growing community of inventors

Carmel, IN, United States of America

Richard A Riedel