System for non-invasive measurement of an analyte in a vehicle driver

• US 10,099,554 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety Inc.
• Original Assignee: Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety Inc.
• Inventors: Steeg, Benjamin Ver, Ridder, Trent, Cech, Len, Krause, Joseph Kae
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/090,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20170050518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0075 by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy A61B5/0071 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0836 due to alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/27 using photo-electric detection G01N21/31 takes precedence; circuits for computing concentration logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3563 for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0612 Laser diodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/08 Optical fibres; light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/12 Circuits of general importance; Signal processing

Abstract

A system for non-invasively measuring an analyte in a vehicle driver and controlling a vehicle based on a measurement of the analyte. At least one solid-state light source is configured to emit different wavelengths of light. A sample device is configured to introduce the light emitted by the at least one solid-state light source into tissue of the vehicle driver. One or more optical detectors are configured to detect a portion of the light that is not absorbed by the tissue of the vehicle driver. A controller is configured to calculate a measurement of the analyte in the tissue of the vehicle driver based on the light detected by the one or more optical detectors, determine whether the measurement of the analyte in the tissue of the vehicle driver exceeds a pre-determined value, and provide a signal to a device configured to control the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for non-invasively measuring an analyte in a vehicle driver and controlling a vehicle based on a measurement of the analyte, the system comprising:

a laser bar comprising at least two laser diodes located on a single semiconductor chip in a linear array, the at least two laser diodes being disposed in sufficiently close proximity to one another as to enable a single temperature control to regulate temperature of the at least two laser diodes, a first laser diode of the at least two laser diodes configured to emit a first wavelength of light and a second laser diode of the at least two laser diodes configured to emit a second wavelength of light;

optical fibers for collecting and combining light from the at least two laser diodes emitting the first and second wavelengths of light, the opposing ends of the optical fibers being combined into a bundle;

a sample device configured to introduce the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light into a tissue of the vehicle driver;

an optical detector configured to detect a first portion of the first wavelength of light and a second portion of the second wavelength of light that are not absorbed by the tissue of the vehicle driver; and

a controller connected to the optical detector and to a vehicle control device configured to control the vehicle, the controller being configured to calculate a measurement of the analyte in the tissue of the vehicle driver based on the first portion and the second portion detected by the optical detector, determine whether the measurement of the analyte in the tissue of the vehicle driver exceeds a pre-determined value, and provide a signal to the vehicle control device in response to determining that the measurement of the analyte does not exceed the pre-determined value, whereby to permit operation of the vehicle when the measurement of the analyte does not exceed a predetermined value.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a biometric device configured to identify or verify an identity of the vehicle driver.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the biometric device collects a set of biometric data from the vehicle driver and compares the set of biometric data with a set of enrollment data corresponding to a plurality of authorized vehicle drivers stored in the biometric device to identify which, if any, of the plurality of authorized vehicle drivers provided the set of biometric data.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a prospective vehicle driver provides a purported identity to the vehicle, the biometric device collects a set of biometric data from the prospective vehicle driver, and the biometric device verifies whether an actual identity of the prospective vehicle driver is the purported identity of the prospective vehicle driver by comparing the set of biometric data of the prospective vehicle driver with the set of enrollment data corresponding to the purported identity of the prospective vehicle driver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a respective intensity of each of the at least two laser diodes is independently modulated.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a light homogenizer coupled to each of the at least two laser diodes.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light have a wavelength between 1,000 nm and 2,500 nm.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the light homogenizer is configured to provide uniform radiance of the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light introduced, by the sample device, into the tissue of the vehicle driver.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller configured to turn the at least two laser diodes on and off according to a set of states defined by a pre-determined modulation scheme.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two laser diodes are each configured to be tuned to multiple peak wavelength locations such that the system is capable of measuring more wavelength locations than a total number of laser diodes of the at least two laser diodes provided in the system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement of the analyte comprises a presence, a concentration, a rate of change of the concentration, a direction of change of the concentration or a combination thereof of the analyte.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the measurement of the analyte is obtained using multivariate analysis.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two laser diodes on the laser bar are arranged in a planar array.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two laser diodes are divided into one or more groups and each of the at least two laser diodes within the one or more groups is mounted onto a common carrier with a predefined spacing between each of the at least two laser diodes.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser bar comprises one or more groups of laser diodes, wherein a first group of the one or more groups of laser diodes emits the first wavelength of light and a second group of the one or more groups of laser diodes emits the second wavelength of light, and wherein the first wavelength of light is different from the second wavelength of light.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to measure more than one analyte.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the bundle comprises a hexagonal cross section of optical waveguides.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the optical waveguides homogenize light prior to introduction of the first wavelength of light and the second wavelength of light into the tissue of the vehicle driver.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the optical waveguide homogenize light into a single aperture.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least two laser diodes comprise DFB laser diodes.