View from Roche blood glucose meter portable medical equipment design strategy

Nowadays an increasing number of diabetes patients.

According to the United States CDC (Centers for disease control and prevention) statistics, 2007 United States have 2360 million patients with diabetes, and number each year continues to increase. In today's healthcare system is overburdened, expensive, cost-effective family medical devices has become a very attractive solution. For example, you can now buy either pharmacies to the home blood glucose meter (BGM) products.

Glucose meter market attracted including Roche (Roche), Johnson and Johnson, Bayer, Abbott and Home Diagnostics, many large corporations and small companies.

This issue's dismantling object is Roche Diagnostics (Roche Diagnostics) company Roche blood glucose meter product.

First, we'll look at the work process of blood sugar.

Blood glucose measurement from preparation test begins. Each batch of test strip are equipped with a chip, the chip contains important information such as the validity period. If the test is no problem, you can code chip into a blood glucose meter to begin testing. First you want to collect from the respondents ' blood samples. Roche blood glucose meter with an independent blood pen, it can be painless condition as possible to the appropriate amount of blood collected for testing. Collection of blood samples to set to release the specified region of the test strip, and then test the contact side into glucose meter. In this way, blood glucose meters can begin work. Approximately 5 seconds after you can read the results on the LCD screen. Test results from the rate is the home blood glucose meter manufacturers committed to improved performance. This glucose meter can store 500 group test results, you need to also be displayed to the user 7, 14 or 30-day average. Roche blood glucose meter also has a reminder function, user-set day 4 different point in time, the buzzer to alert users to do blood sugar test in a timely manner. This glucose meter can be located at the top of the infrared port to communicate with home PCs.

Let's take a look at the blood glucose meter's internal structure.

Open the glucose meter device shell, we can see relatively simple electronic design. In the plastic shell is a PCB, the PCB connection with LCD screen, and two buttons. In this highly cost-effective design, semiconductor devices is limited, the major devices from TI company of two IC.

Blood glucose meters of total control function by TI's MSP430U334 implementation.

According to the MSP430 model code rules, the device is MSP430x3xx traditional family, running at a relatively slow clock frequency. This particular device is another characteristic: with 1kB RAM and 32kB non-volatile memory of LCD controller/driver. Model of the "U" there is no document description, maybe the MSP430 series devices secondary for medical electronics special category code. MSP430U334 control infrared port, LCD monitor, operations and results storage.

TI company of another device--7001201 is used to control strip on the current response.

During testing, 7001201 produces a voltage that is applied to blood samples. The voltage applied to blood samples will produce current, 7001201 reading this current, and to provide results MSP430U334. Roche blood glucose meter utilizing current instrument & Electric Co. chemical reaction to read blood glucose in the blood. At a specific point in time of current proportional to the concentration of glucose in the blood. Current law and coulometric method is a modern blood glucose meter for blood glucose measurement in two of the most popular method.

It is expected that with the family of diabetic care needs increase, as well as market competitors are emerging and future glucose meter products will continue to increase functionality and reduce costs.

Figure 1, Roche blood glucose meter adopts highly cost-effective design strategy.

Figure 2: TI company 7001201 SoC