Optical waveguide sensor and measuring apparatus using said optical waveguide sensor, and measuring method using a sensor

A measuring apparatus, including:

• a bodily fluid collecting unit;
• a sensor which analyzes bodily fluid collected by said bodily fluid collecting unit;
• and
• a flow path which introduces the bodily fluid from said bodily fluid collecting unit to said sensor,
• wherein said sensor includes:
• a first waveguide having an inlet end for incoming light;
• a second waveguide having an exit end for detecting light;
• and
• an optical coupling area where said first waveguide and said second waveguide are positioned within a predetermined interval therebetween,
• wherein in the optical coupling area there is provided a detector, disposed between the first waveguide and the second waveguide, which interacts with a substance to be detected,
• wherein said flow path is structured such that the bodily fluid is led to a detector included in said sensor.

An optical waveguide sensor, including:

• a first waveguide having an inlet end for incoming light;
• a second waveguide having an exit end for detecting light;
• an optical coupling area where said first waveguide and said second waveguide are positioned within a predetermined interval therebetween;
• and
• a detector, interacting with a substance to be detected, which is positioned in the close proximity of said first waveguide and is located within an area covered from the inlet end up to the optical coupling area.

A measuring apparatus, including:

• a bodily fluid collecting unit;
• a sensor which analyzes bodily fluid collected by said bodily fluid collecting unit;
• and
• a flow path which introduces the bodily fluid from said bodily fluid collecting unit to said sensor,
• wherein said sensor includes:
• a first waveguide having an inlet end for incoming light;
• a second waveguide having an exit end for detecting light;
• an optical coupling area where said first waveguide and said second waveguide are positioned within a predetermined interval therebetween;
• and
• a detector, interacting with a substance to be detected, which is positioned in the close proximity of the first waveguide and is located within an area covered from the inlet end up to the optical coupling area,
• wherein said flow path is structured such that the bodily fluid is led to a detector included in said sensor.

A measuring method in which used is a sensor having a first waveguide, a second waveguide and an optical coupling area where said first waveguide and said second waveguide are positioned within a predetermined interval therebetween, the method including:

• introducing incoming light in the first waveguide;
• introducing a sample in the optical coupling area to cause a change in a physical property of the optical coupling area;
• measuring the intensity of detecting light outputted from the second waveguide;
• and
• detecting the presence or absence of a substance to be detected or quantitating the substance by said measuring.

A measuring method in which used is a sensor having a first waveguide, a second waveguide and an optical coupling area where said first waveguide and said second waveguide are positioned within a predetermined interval therebetween, the method including:

• introducing incoming light in the first waveguide;
• introducing a sample, in an area in contact with the first waveguide between an introducing end of the incoming light and the optical coupling area, to cause a change in a physical property of the optical coupling area;
• measuring the intensity of detecting light outputted from the second waveguide;
• and
• detecting the presence or absence of a substance to be detected or quantitating the substance by said measuring.