JPH05107246A - Metering inspection method, and device and method for sampling urine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a weight and a specific gravity of an urine sample to be measured with a simple operation and accurately and the urine sample to be sampled at a specific ratio as needed. CONSTITUTION:While a data is stored by measuring a weight of an urine which is sampled at an urine-sampling cup 12, one portion of urine is sucked from an urine-suction nozzle 21 to a ductwork 23 and a specific gravity of urine is measured by a gravimeter 31 which is incorporated into the ductwork 23 halfway to a delivery part 4, thus obtaining an amount of urine from a weight and a specific weight value. In the case of 24 hour urine, each value is recorded at every hour. Urine is sampled according to a preset sampling ratio temporarily as needed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for quantitatively measuring and further collecting urine, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for testing 24-hour urine and overnight urine imposed on inpatients.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A normal person (healthy person) excretes around 1 liter of urine per day, but the excretion amount becomes extremely large or conversely small in some cases, and the specific gravity changes. Sometimes. Therefore, measurement of urine volume and urine specific gravity is widely performed as an aid to diagnosis. However, the characteristics of urine change greatly, and the amount of urine excreted each time (temporary urine, occasional urine) varies, such as when waking up or after ingesting a large amount of water. Then, it is difficult to know a permanent abnormality. Therefore, in order to make an accurate diagnosis such as a quantitative test, all urine excreted within a certain period of time (usually 24 hours) (24-hour urine) is stored in a single container for each person for inspection. Offering is done. This test is carried out mainly for the amount of excreted urine (24-hour urine volume), urine specific gravity, and urine properties, and if necessary, for pH, glucose, protein, occult blood, other biochemical components, and urine sediment. Depending on the case, the daytime urine and the nighttime urine, which are divided into two in the daytime and the nighttime, may be measured.

By the way, the conventional urine collection operation is mainly required to be performed by the patient.
It is the duty of hospital nurses to measure urine specific gravity. Urine is generally stored in one corner of a toilet in a ward, and the names of patients are written in containers (urine storage bags, urine storage bottles) of about 2 liters and many are arranged on shelves or the like. The patient collects all urine excreted within a predetermined time (24 hours) in a cup, transfers it to this container, and stores it. When the nurse completes the urine collection of the patient he / she is responsible for, the nurse takes out this container, measures the urine volume, specific gravity, etc., and subsequently transfers the aliquoted sample for the biochemical component test to the laboratory.

However, in the conventional method, since a large amount of urine is stored in the toilet of the hospital for the examination, the bad odor is serious, and it is unsanitary and it is hard to say that it is a favorable environment for the patient or the visitor. On the other hand, carrying a container filled with urine is a painful and painful task for nurses. In fact, as a result of taking questionnaires to nurses at multiple hospitals around Nagoya, almost all of them complained of bad odor and hygiene. Also, there is a great deal of discomfort and dissatisfaction with transportation. Moreover, the amount of urine is measured by reading the scale on the container and the specific gravity is measured by a hydrometer, so errors and individual differences are likely to occur, and temperature correction is not performed, so errors occur in summer and winter. Further, since subdivision for chemical analysis tends to be partially biased, there are various problems such as low reliability of measured values.

Therefore, in order to solve these problems, the present applicant fractionally stores a part of each temporary urine in a urine storage cup and automatically measures the urine weight and the urine specific gravity every urination. The method was carried out and the application was filed (JP-A-1-155267). That is, while receiving temporary urine each time in a urine receiving container and automatically measuring its weight and specific gravity to obtain the urine volume by a calculation function, 1 / n of the temporary urine is collected in a urine storage cup and the rest is discarded. To do. Then, the urine volume and average specific gravity of 24-hour urine are obtained based on the measured value data of each temporary urine, and the 24-hour urine reduced to 1 / n is stored in the urine storage cup. A technique for automatically measuring the specific gravity and volume of temporary urine received in a urine receiving container (JP-A-63
-117261) and a proportional collector (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-17076) for collecting temporary urine at a constant rate have been proposed by others.

[0006]

However, according to the method of the present applicant described above, the weight of the temporary urine is measured in a state of being put in the urine receiving container, and the specific gravity value is the weight of the constant volume portion of the urine receiving container. Since it was obtained by measurement, the device was complicated and the accuracy was low. In addition, because temporary urine is taken out directly from the outlet of the urine receiving container, the accuracy of fractionation is not obtained, or the cleaning device is complicated and large because the entire urine receiving container is washed every time. There were various problems above. In addition, of the other technologies described above, the former uses a urine receiving container as in the method by the applicant of the present invention, so that the cleaning device becomes large and complicated, and the specific gravity and capacity are measured by the scale of the float hydrometer. There is a problem in accuracy because it is read by. Also, there is no idea of sorting in this device. On the other hand, the latter is a container with a handle having the principle of a communicating tube, and is used for manually collecting a fixed proportion of urine by volume. Therefore, automatic fractionation is not possible, and the urine volume and urine specific gravity of temporary urine cannot be measured.

Thus, as far as the applicant is aware, automatic collection of temporary urine is only the above method of the applicant. Also,
The device for measuring the urine volume and specific gravity of temporary urine is complicated and difficult to be accurate.

[0008]

Therefore, the present inventor has further improved the above-mentioned method to simplify the operation, simplify the apparatus, and downsize the apparatus, and can accurately and quantitatively test temporary urine. We have developed a method and device that can be sorted according to the requirements.
That is, the weight of the temporary urine is measured in the urine collection cup without being put in the urine receiving container, and the urine necessary for specific gravity measurement and fractionation is sucked by the urine suction nozzle and guided to the duct in the apparatus body. .. The specific gravity of urine is measured by using a pycnometer that can be directly incorporated into the duct to measure the urine that is accumulating or moving. Therefore, cleaning to prevent contamination may be performed only on the urine suction nozzle and the portion of the urine discharge nozzle that is connected to the duct and its end, and the entire structure including the urine weight measurement unit can be simplified and measured. The accuracy can be greatly improved.

First, the basic constitution of the urine treatment system of the apparatus of the present invention comprises a weight measuring section, a urine transport section and a specific gravity measuring section. The weight measuring unit is composed of a weighing scale which is a kind of electronic scale for placing a urine collecting cup and measuring the weight of temporary urine. The urine transfer unit is a urine suction nozzle that sucks urine from a urine collection cup and a urine discharge nozzle that discharges urine are connected by a conduit, and a pump that sucks urine into the conduit is incorporated. The pump may be of any type as long as it is a syringe type, a screw type, or any other type capable of constant-quantity feeding, but a tube pump driven by a stepping motor has a simple structure and is capable of reversible rotation. is there. The specific gravity measuring section is composed of a specific gravity meter incorporated in the conduit. The hydrometer may be of any type as long as it can directly measure urine staying or moving in the duct. Specifically, a vibration type, an optical type, an ultrasonic type and the like can be considered.

On the other hand, the urine discharge nozzle located at the end of the urine transport section faces the discharge section. A urine storage table on which a plurality of urine storage cups are placed is installed in the discharge section, and a urine discharge nozzle drive device is provided to move the urine discharge nozzle to a position above the urine storage cup at a predetermined position. This is to measure the urine of multiple patients simultaneously. The urine storage table may be driven instead of driving the urine discharge nozzle. In addition, a waste liquid reservoir and a waste liquid pipe are provided to discard the urine when the urine is not collected or before the cleaning liquid is collected. Further, in the device of the present invention, a washing tank for washing the urine suction nozzle, a built-in keyboard for setting a patient name, measurement conditions, etc., an operation unit for inputting a patient number, a measurement start command, etc., an input result, an operation procedure, etc. Is provided, a storage / calculation unit for outputting an operation command to each unit and storing / calculating data, an output device for outputting a calculation result, and the like.

The weighing scale measures the weight of the temporary urine based on the calibration curve of the output of the weight sensor and the urine weight which is stored in the storage / calculation unit in advance. This value is stored in the storage device. The weight of the urine collection cup may be measured as the tare weight each time before collecting urine, but as a substantially uniform one,
You may make it memorize | store in a memory | storage device always, and make the value subtract.

A washing tank for a urine suction nozzle is arranged near the weighing scale, and the urine suction nozzle moves between the urine suction position and the washing position according to an instruction from the storage operation unit. While the urine suction nozzle is inserted into the urine collection position, that is, the urine collection cup placed on the weight scale, the suction pump is driven to suck urine into the duct. The aspirated urine reaches the specific gravity meter and the urine specific gravity is measured. This specific gravity value is input to the storage / calculation unit, and the volume of urine is calculated by calculation from the weight value stored in advance. The capacitance value and the specific gravity value are stored in the storage device of the storage / calculation unit together with the time when the measurement is started.

Vibration type as a specific gravity meter (vibration density meter)
In the case of using, the middle part of the tube that constitutes the conduit is cut, and a hollow U-shaped tube that serves as a vibrating cell is inserted therein. Then, a small magnet is attached to the tip of the U-shaped tube, and while the U-shaped tube is filled with urine, the U-shaped tube is electrically vibrated by a driver and the vibration period is measured by the receiver. This type of pycnometer is remarkably excellent in accuracy, but it applies the principle that it vibrates slowly as the density increases. On the other hand, although there is a slight difficulty in accuracy, an optical hydrometer that uses the correlation between the degree of refraction of light and specific gravity, and an ultrasonic wave that uses the correlation between the propagation velocity of ultrasonic waves and the liquid density A formula hydrometer is also available. These also cut the middle of the tube and insert an optical cell or the like. The official urine specific gravity is 15 ℃ or 20
Since it is assumed that the temperature is in ° C, the temperature is corrected if necessary. The measurement of the liquid temperature may be incorporated in the pycnometer, or a temperature sensor may be separately incorporated in the conduit to measure the liquid temperature.

When the temporary urine is to be collected, after the specific gravity is measured, the suction of the urine is further continued, and the urine is dispensed from the urine discharge nozzle into a predetermined urine storage cup of the patient. At this time, it is necessary to detect that the tip of the urine stream has reached the urine discharge nozzle, and then suction a predetermined volume with the suction pump to discharge the urine discharge nozzle. The amount of urine to be collected is calculated from the collection ratio (1 / n) stored in advance in the storage operation unit and the urine volume obtained above, but it corresponds to polyuria and oliguria. To obtain, the fractionation ratio can be set for each patient. The normal fractionation rate is 1 / n, where n is about 5 to 20, especially 5, 10, 2
Use a numerical value such as 0. Instead of sucking a predetermined volume with a suction pump, 1 / n of the weight of temporary urine may be sucked with a pump while monitoring the numerical value of the scale.

From the measured value data of each temporary urine obtained as described above, the urine volume and the average specific gravity (weighted average) of 24-hour urine are calculated and output from the output device, and 1 / n is stored in the urine storage cup. Reduced 24-hour urine is stored. In reality, however, since the device based on the method of the present invention is used by a plurality of patients in a fixed and continuous manner, it is necessary to give an identification number to each patient and input the identification number at the time of measurement. .. Since incorrect input in this case makes the measurement completely meaningless, it is possible to take measures such as elaborate confirmation and give each patient a card in which necessary information is input and read it by the card reader of the device. preferable.

Further, since a plurality of urine storage cups are simultaneously used, the urine discharge nozzle is moved to a position above a specific urine storage cup according to the patient. Plural urine storage cups are set on a urine storage table on which a plurality of, for example, about 10 to 30, can be placed. If the urine storage table can be transported together, the collection can be easily performed. It should be noted that if the periphery of this urine storage table is kept cool at 5 to 8 degrees, the deterioration of urine can be prevented. It should be noted that urine remains in the duct even after fractionation. This residual urine is pushed out from the urine discharge nozzle by sucking and sending the wash water from the urine suction nozzle.
At the same time, the inside of the pipeline and the portion of the hydrometer are cleaned.
At this time, the residual urine and cleaning water from the urine discharge nozzle are discharged to the cleaning tank in the urine storage section and discarded outside the system.

Instead of moving the urine discharge nozzle, the urine storage table may be driven. This is to drive the table by a motor that operates according to a command from the storage operation unit so that the urine storage cup that matches the identification number of each patient input to the operation unit comes below the outlet of the urine receiving container. ..

If urine collection is not necessary, or if temporary urine volume is too small to fractionate the sample, after measuring the specific gravity,
Immediately discard the residual urine in the conduit and end the measurement. Whether or not to collect urine is preferably specified for each patient. Furthermore, the amount of temporary urine is small, and it may be difficult to measure the specific gravity. In this case, the weight of the urine provides a temporary guess, so only the weight is measured and the measurement operation is terminated. The weight data in this case should be recorded as a reference value.

When the measurement is completed, some kind of display is displayed from the device side. After seeing this display, the patient removes the urine collection cup from the weight measuring unit and discards the excess urine in the toilet or the like. Thus, one measurement and preparative operation is completed.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the method of the present invention and a device embodying the same will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a urine treatment system of the device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a urine storage table. The urine treatment system of the present invention comprises a weight measuring unit 1, a urine transporting unit 2, a specific gravity measuring unit 3 and a discharging unit 4. The weight measuring unit 1 is composed of a weight scale 11 which is a kind of electronic scale on which a urine collection cup 12 is placed and which measures the weight of temporary urine. The urine transfer unit 2 connects a urine suction nozzle 21 that sucks urine from the urine collection cup 12 and a urine discharge nozzle 22 that discharges urine with a conduit 23, and a tube pump 24 that sucks urine into the conduit 23. It is built in. Reference numeral 25 is a stepping motor that drives the tube pump 24. Also, the specific gravity measuring unit 3
Is composed of a vibrating hydrometer 31 incorporated in the conduit 23. Furthermore, the discharge section 4 has a plurality of urine storage cups 41.
A urine storage table 42 for mounting the urine is installed, and a urine discharge nozzle drive device 43 is provided to move the urine discharge nozzle 22 to a position above the urine storage cup 41 at a predetermined position.

In the weight measuring unit 1, a urine suction nozzle cleaning tank 13 is arranged in the vicinity of the weight scale 11, and the urine suction nozzle 21 has a urine suction position (position A) and a cleaning position (position B). The space is moved by the urine suction nozzle drive motor 14 in accordance with an instruction from a storage calculation unit (not shown). Cleaning water is constantly or intermittently supplied to the urine suction nozzle cleaning tank 13 from the cleaning water supply pipe 15, and the water after cleaning is discharged from the waste water outlet 16 to the outside of the system. The wash water supply pipe 15 is connected to a water pipe or a separately provided wash water tank. Reference numeral 17 is a flush water injection valve. In addition, cleaning tank 12 for urine suction nozzle
May move up and down for convenience of nozzle cleaning. Further, a fan may be provided to dry the outer circumference of the washed urine suction nozzle 21.

Vibration-type specific gravity meter 31 in the specific gravity measuring section 3
Is a high-precision one called a vibration densitometer.
The middle part of the tube constituting 3 is cut, and a hollow U-shaped tube 32 serving as a vibrating cell is inserted therein. At the base of the U-shaped tube 32, a specific gravity measuring head 36 including a small magnet 33, a driver 34 that drives the magnet, and a receiver 35 that receives the movement of the magnet is attached. The seed pycnometer 31 utilizes the correlation between the vibration period and the density. Since it is greatly affected by the temperature, the measurement is performed in a constant temperature state or the temperature is corrected. The liquid temperature is measured by, for example, the conduit 23 immediately before the hydrometer 31.
The temperature sensor 37 is incorporated therein. A stable and flexible silicone tube is preferably used as the conduit 23, but another tube or a partially rigid tube may be used.

The urine storage table 42 of the discharge unit 4 is provided with a plurality of vertical recesses (42a) (4 × 5 in the figure), and the urine storage cup 41 is placed at an arbitrary position of the recesses (42a). set. Also, in this example, the urine storage cup 41
The urine storage table 42 is separable from the main body of the apparatus and is provided with a handle 42b so that it can be easily carried. Further, the urine storage cup 41 may be provided with a lid 41a for deodorization and for preventing spillage and dust contamination during movement. In addition, the urine discharge nozzle drive device 43 of this example includes a belt 44 and a motor 45 that move the urine discharge nozzle 22 in the X-axis direction, and a belt 46 and a motor 47 that move the urine discharge nozzle 22 in the Y-axis direction.
And a drive source 48 (motor, air cylinder, etc.) for vertically moving (moving in the Z-axis direction) the urine discharge nozzle 22. Further, a urine nozzle cleaning tank 49 that also serves as a waste pipe is provided for discarding urine that has been sucked into the conduit 23 when the urine is not collected, and the cleaning liquid that is performed prior to the separation.

On the other hand, the apparatus 5 of the present invention, as an example of which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is an operation section 51 for inputting a patient number, a confirmation key and other measurement start commands and the like, and a display section for showing input results and operation procedures. 52, a built-in keyboard 53 for setting a patient name, measurement conditions, etc., a storage / calculation unit (not shown) for outputting operation commands to various parts and storing / calculating data, an output device for outputting calculation results, etc. and an external output It is provided with a terminal (not shown), an alarm device (not shown) for notifying other abnormalities, and the like. Also,
The urine storage table 42 is housed in the drawer 54. The built-in keyboard 53 is housed inside the opening / closing door 55 so that only an administrator such as a nurse can operate it.

Next, a procedure for urine volume and urine specific gravity of a patient by the method of the present invention, and a procedure for collecting urine will be described. First, prior to the measurement, the main switch of the device is turned on, and the information of the patient to be measured on that day, such as the name and number of each person, the presence or absence of the fractionation and the fractionation ratio, and the number of times when the number of times is specified, etc., are input from the built-in keyboard 53. input. Further, the urine storage cups 41, each having a number corresponding to the number of patients to be measured on that day, are labeled and set at predetermined positions in the recess 42a of the urine storage table 42. This set position is entered as information for each patient.
These operations are performed by a nurse or the like at 8:00 am, for example. When the above operation is completed, an instruction for measurement is displayed on the display unit 5.
Shown in 2. The instruction that measurement is possible is also shown when the previous measurement is completed.

After confirming this instruction, the patient sets the urine collecting cup 12 as it is in the weight scale 11 after collecting urine. Next, the user's own patient number is entered on the operation unit 51, and if the name matches the name appearing on the display unit 52, the confirmation key is pressed, the measurement start lamp lights up, and the measurement is started. The urine collection cup 12 may be set on the scale 11 after the measurement start lamp is turned on. Instead of inputting the patient number, a plurality of patient identification buttons may be provided and the name of each patient may be displayed here, or a magnetic card or the like storing the patient number and other necessary items may be used. In addition, it is advisable to take safety measures such as issuing an alarm when an erroneous operation or erroneous input is made. The above operation is one example, and is not the gist of the present invention.

On the other hand, on the apparatus side, after the output of the weight sensor of the weighing scale 11 is stabilized, the weight of the temporary urine is measured based on the calibration curve of the output of the weight sensor and the urine weight which is stored in the storage / calculation unit in advance. To do. This value is stored in the storage device. The weight of the urine collection cup may be measured as the tare weight each time before collecting urine, but as a substantially uniform one,
You may make it memorize | store in a memory | storage device always, and make the value subtract. Next, the urine suction nozzle 21 is inserted into the urine collection cup 12 (position in FIG. 1A), and the tube pump 24
Is driven to suck urine up to the location of the hydrometer 31 in the conduit 23. After the sensor detects that the urine has completely filled the U-shaped tube 32 of the vibrating hydrometer 31, or by checking the number of rotations of the stepping motor 25, the suction is stopped, and the U-tube 32 is vibrated to make the urine specific gravity To measure. The obtained specific gravity value is input to the storage calculation unit, and the volume of urine is calculated by calculation from the weight value stored in advance. The capacitance value and the specific gravity value are stored in the storage device of the storage / calculation unit together with the time when the measurement is started.

When the urine is temporarily collected, the urine suction is continued after the specific gravity is measured, and the urine discharge nozzle 22 is driven by the drive unit 43.
Is moved to the upper side of the patient's predetermined urine storage cup 41 stored in the storage device in advance by
It is inserted from the slit 41b and the urine is dispensed. On this occasion,
In order to eliminate the influence of the volume of the conduit, the sensor detects that the tip of the urine flow has come to the urination nozzle 41, or the number of rotations of the stepping motor 25 is checked, and then the tube pump 24 further collects the preparative volume. A minute portion of urine is sucked and discharged from the urine discharge nozzle. The amount of urine to be collected is calculated from the collection ratio (1 / n) stored in advance in the storage operation unit and the urine volume obtained above, but it corresponds to polyuria and oliguria. To obtain, the fractionation ratio can be set for each patient. It should be noted that, instead of sucking a predetermined volume with a suction pump, while monitoring the value of the weighing scale,
n may be sucked by a pump.

After one measurement and collection is completed through the above process and the display device indicates that, the patient takes the urine collection cup 12 from the scale 11 and discards the remaining urine in the toilet or the like. Next, on the apparatus side, after the specific gravity is measured after the completion of the fractionation or when the fractionation is not performed, the inside of the pipe line 23 is washed to prepare for the next measurement. In this case, the urine suction nozzle 21 is moved to the washing position (the position shown in FIG. 1B) to wash the outside with washing water and suck the inside to wash the inside. The urine remaining in the conduit 23 and the suctioned cleaning water are discharged from the urine discharge nozzle 22 to the urine discharge nozzle cleaning tank 49. In the measurement from the next time, in order to wash away the wash water remaining in the conduit 23 with a new urine sample, the specific gravity measurement and the fractionation are performed after the extra urine is sucked. When cleaning, the U-tube 32 of the hydrometer 31
The inside is filled with cleaning water. The specific gravity may be measured in this state to calibrate the specific gravity meter.

With the above, one measurement and preparative operation are completed. This operation is performed by a plurality of patients in a fixed manner continuously for 24 hours, and the next measurement is performed after confirming the display that the previous measurement / preparation operation is completed. The total volume and specific gravity of the temporary urine of each person thus obtained and, if necessary, the weight thereof are stored in a storage device together with the measurement time, the patient number, the number of urine collections of the corresponding patient, and the like. The stored data is displayed on the display as required, or all data is printed out at the time when the measurement of one day is completed. In addition, the urine storage sample together with the urine storage table is carried to the laboratory for analysis of necessary biochemical components. By the way, depending on the patient's condition and the amount of medication, the amount of temporary urine may be extremely small, and the specific gravity may not be measured as a matter of course. In this case, only the weight measurement may be performed and the value may be recorded as a reference value. It should be noted that the time required for one measurement / fractionation is about 1 minute or less, depending on the suction speed of the pump and the like, and it can be processed in 2 to 3 minutes or less even if the washing step is included. Therefore, if there are about 2 to 30 people, one device can sufficiently deal with the problem.

Although the urine storage table 42 is fixed in the above embodiment, the urine storage table 42 may be moved by fixing the movement of the urine discharge nozzle 22 in the X-Y axis directions. For example, a disk-shaped urine storage table 4 as shown in FIG.
It is conceivable that a plurality of recessed portions 42a for mounting the urine storage cup 41 and a plurality of through holes 42c for position detection are provided in the peripheral portion of the No. 2, and the center thereof is rotatably supported.
In this case, the urine storage table 42 is rotated so that the urine storage cup 41 designated by each patient is located below the urine discharge nozzle 22 in response to a command from the storage / calculation device. The positioning is performed by the positioning sensor 42d checking the position of the through hole 41c. The urine nozzle cleaning tank 49 is located directly below the urine nozzle 22, and discards excess urine and cleaning water with the notch 42e of the urine storage table 42 positioned above it.

Further, instead of the vibrating specific gravity meter 31, an optical specific gravity meter 6 or an ultrasonic specific gravity meter 7 can be used. The former is a refractometer in principle. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a U-shaped tube 61, which is a kind of cell, is installed in the conduit 23, and the light from the light source 62 is incident on the U-shaped tube 61 at an angle. .. The transmitted light reaches the line sensor 63, and the line sensor 63 outputs a signal corresponding to the degree of refraction. For example, the arrival position when there is no refraction is P0, and the arrival point when refraction is P is the electrode 6 depending on this position.
If the line sensor 63 in which the voltage between 4 and 65 changes is used, this voltage can be output to the arithmetic unit as a parameter. Then, the urine specific gravity value is obtained from the correlation between the refractive index of urine and the specific gravity value.

On the other hand, the latter, that is, the ultrasonic pycnometer 7 utilizes the property of ultrasonic waves that the propagation velocity depends on the components and temperature of the sample liquid. FIG. 7 shows an example thereof, in which an ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 72 is attached to one end of a hollow U-shaped tube 71 having a long base.
An ultrasonic reflection plate 73 is installed at the other end, and a temperature sensor 74 is installed above it. Then, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity is calculated from the ultrasonic wave propagation time and the propagation distance in the urine, and the urine specific gravity value is calculated from the velocity and the urine temperature based on the calibration curve.
The densitometer according to the present invention is not limited to the one described above, and any densitometer can be used as long as it can be incorporated into the conduit 23 and the measurement result can be taken out as a parameter.

Further, the urine discharge nozzle 22 can be driven by other means such as a rack and pinion or an air cylinder.
Further, various modifications are conceivable, such as removing the functions of weight measurement and sorting from the apparatus of the embodiment and using it as an apparatus for measuring only specific gravity.

[0035]

According to the method of the present invention, the weight of the temporary urine collected by each patient as described above is measured with the urine collection cup, and a part of the urine is sucked by the urine suction nozzle to measure the specific gravity during urine transfer. ,
The volume of temporary urine is calculated from both measured values to store each of these data. Further, if necessary, it is collected in a predetermined ratio to collect urine. Therefore, the patient simply places the urine collecting cup containing the temporary urine on the scale 1 and presses the key, and the operation becomes extremely simple. Since the weight is directly measured without transferring the temporary urine to the urine receiving container and the temporary urine is sucked by the nozzle, it is not necessary to wash or dry the weight measuring unit, which simplifies the operation. Specific gravity is measured directly rather than by volume and weight, so less sample is needed and accuracy is increased. Collection is performed easily and accurately. Therefore, there is no need to store, store or transport a large amount of urine, the working environment improves and the burden on the nurse is greatly reduced. The patient's urination time and the urine volume and specific gravity of each time are recorded, so it is easy to check for abnormalities and mistakes. It has many advantages such as the urine collection ratio can be easily changed according to the patient's condition.

Further, the apparatus of the present invention does not require a cleaning or urine discharging mechanism in the weight measuring section, the urine transporting section is composed of the nozzle and the conduit, and the specific gravity measuring section is also incorporated in the conduit, so that the entire apparatus is However, it has a simple structure, can be made compact, and can be obtained at low cost.
The measurement operation can be simplified, and the collected urine storage cups can be transported together with the urine storage table, which makes the handling extremely simple before and after the measurement, and can save a great amount of labor for the administrator such as a patient or a nurse.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a urine treatment system embodying the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a urine storage table.

FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of a state where the same is partially opened.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing another example of a urine storage table.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing another example of the hydrometer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing an example of a different hydrometer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Weight Measuring Section 11 Weighing Scale 12 Urine Collection Cup 13 Urine Sucking Nozzle Wash Tank 2 Urine Transfer Section 21 Urine Sucking Nozzle 22 Urine Nozzle 23 Pipeline 24 Tube Pump 3 Specific Gravity Measuring Section 31 Vibration Type Densitometer 4 Discharging Section 41 Urine Storage Cup 42 Urine storage table 49 Urination nozzle cleaning tank 5 Device of the present invention 6 Optical hydrometer 7 Ultrasonic hydrometer

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 28, 1991

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0015

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

From the measured value data of each temporary urine obtained as described above, the urine volume and the average specific gravity (weighted average) of 24-hour urine are calculated and output from the output device, and 1 / n is stored in the urine storage cup. Reduced 24-hour urine is stored. In reality, however, a plurality of patients continuously use the device based on the method of the present invention in any order, and thus it is necessary to give an identification number to each patient and input the identification number at the time of measurement. Since incorrect input in this case makes the measurement completely meaningless, it is possible to take measures such as elaborate confirmation and give each patient a card in which necessary information is input and read it by the card reader of the device. preferable.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0021

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In the weight measuring unit 1, a urine suction nozzle cleaning tank 13 is arranged in the vicinity of the weight scale 11, and the urine suction nozzle 21 has a urine suction position (position A) and a cleaning position (position B). The space is moved by the urine suction nozzle drive motor 14 in accordance with an instruction from a storage calculation unit (not shown). Cleaning water is constantly or intermittently supplied to the urine suction nozzle cleaning tank 13 from the cleaning water supply pipe 15, and the water after cleaning is discharged from the waste water outlet 16 to the outside of the system. The wash water supply pipe 15 is connected to a water pipe or a separately provided wash water tank. Reference numeral 17 is a flush water injection valve. Note that the urine suction nozzle cleaning tank 13
May move up and down for convenience of nozzle cleaning. Further, a fan may be provided to dry the outer circumference of the washed urine suction nozzle 21.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0022

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Vibration-type specific gravity meter 31 in the specific gravity measuring section 3
Is a high-precision one called a vibration densitometer.
The middle part of the tube constituting 3 is cut, and a hollow U-shaped tube 32 serving as a vibrating cell is inserted therein. At the base of the U-shaped tube 32, a specific gravity measuring head 36 including a small magnet 33, a driver 34 that drives the magnet, and a receiver 35 that receives the movement of the magnet is attached. This kind of hydrometer 31 utilizes the correlation between the vibration period and the density. Since it is greatly affected by the temperature, the measurement is performed in a constant temperature state or the temperature is corrected. The liquid temperature is measured by, for example, the conduit 2 immediately before the hydrometer 31.
The temperature sensor 37 is incorporated in the unit 3. A stable and flexible silicone tube is preferably used as the conduit 23, but another tube or a partially rigid tube may be used.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0030

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

With the above, one measurement and preparative operation are completed. This operation is performed by a plurality of patients in random order continuously for 24 hours, but the next measurement is performed after confirming the display that the previous measurement / preparation operation is completed. The total volume and specific gravity of the temporary urine of each person thus obtained and, if necessary, the weight thereof are stored in a storage device together with the measurement time, the patient number, the number of urine collections of the corresponding patient, and the like. The stored data is displayed on the display as required, or all data is printed out at the time when the measurement of one day is completed. In addition, the urine storage sample together with the urine storage table is carried to the laboratory for analysis of necessary biochemical components. By the way, depending on the patient's condition and the amount of medication, the amount of temporary urine may be extremely small, and the specific gravity may not be measured as a matter of course. In this case, only the weight measurement may be performed and the value may be recorded as a reference value. It should be noted that the time required for one measurement / fractionation is about 1 minute or less, depending on the suction speed of the pump and the like, and it can be processed in 2 to 3 minutes or less even if the washing step is included. Therefore, if there are about 2 to 30 people, one device can sufficiently deal with the problem.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0035

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0035]

According to the method of the present invention, the weight of the temporary urine collected by each patient as described above is measured with the urine collection cup, and a part of the urine is sucked by the urine suction nozzle to measure the specific gravity during urine transfer. ,
The volume of temporary urine is calculated from both measured values to store each of these data. Further, if necessary, it is collected in a predetermined ratio to collect urine. Therefore, the patient simply puts the urine collection cup containing the temporary urine on the scale and presses the key, which makes the operation extremely simple. Since the weight is directly measured without transferring the temporary urine to the urine receiving container and the temporary urine is sucked by the nozzle, it is not necessary to wash or dry the weight measuring section, and the mechanism and operation are simplified. Specific gravity is measured directly rather than by volume and weight, which reduces sample size and increases accuracy. Collection is performed easily and accurately. Therefore, there is no need to store, store or transport a large amount of urine, the working environment improves and the burden on the nurse is greatly reduced. The patient's urination time and the urine volume and specific gravity of each time are recorded, so it is easy to check for abnormalities and mistakes. It has many advantages such as the urine collection ratio can be easily changed according to the patient's condition.

[Procedure correction 6]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. The weight of the temporary urine in the urine collection cup is measured by a weight sensor and the data is stored in a storage device, while a part of the urine is sucked from a urine suction nozzle and guided into a duct to be discharged to a discharge part. On the way to the end, the specific gravity of urine in a staying or moving state is measured by a densimeter incorporated in the pipeline, and the volume of temporary urine is calculated by a computing device from the specific gravity value and the weight value of the temporary urine. Urine quantitative test method. 2. A method for injecting and collecting an amount of urine calculated from a measured amount of temporary urine and a preset fractionation ratio into a urine cup from a urine discharge nozzle of a discharge part. Item 2. A method for quantitatively examining and collecting urine according to Item 1. 3. A weight measuring unit for placing a urine collecting cup to measure the weight of temporary urine, a urine suction nozzle for sucking urine from the urine collecting cup and a urine discharging nozzle for discharging urine from the urine collecting cup, and suctioning the same. A urine measurement and inspection device, comprising: a urine transfer unit incorporating a pump; and a hydrometer incorporated in a conduit. 4. A urine storage table, on which a plurality of urine storage cups are mounted, is installed in a discharge portion facing the urine discharge nozzle, and a drive device for moving the urine discharge nozzle to a position above an arbitrary urine storage cup is provided. An apparatus for measuring and collecting urine according to claim 3, which is mounted on a urine storage table. 5. An apparatus for measuring and collecting urine according to claim 3, wherein the urine storage table is detachably installed from the measuring device.