Patent ID: 7833170

Claim:
A lancing apparatus configured for sampling a body fluid out of a skin, the apparatus comprising a housing including a cylindrical portion adapted to be brought into contact with the skin, an insertion element movable relative to the housing for sticking the skin, and a negative pressure generator configured to generate a negative pressure inside the cylindrical portion to cause the skin to swell upward, wherein the apparatus further comprises a height detector and a pressure controller configured to cooperate with the height detector, the height detector being configured for detecting that the skin has been raised to a predetermined height inside the cylindrical portion, the height detector being provided separately from the insertion element and including a tapered face that is adapted to come into contact with the skin when the skin swells upward, the pressure controller being configured to execute a control so as to maintain a pressure inside the cylindrical portion within a specific range, the pressure controller being configured to execute the control based on detection by the height detector that the skin has been raised to the predetermined height, the pressure controller being configured to define the specific range by granting a specific tolerance to a reference pressure that the pressure controller is configured to set at a lower value than the pressure inside the cylindrical portion at a time that the height detector has detected that the skin has been raised to the predetermined height.