Biological information detecting contact

• US 20040267166A1
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Shinji, Shioi, Masahiko, Ooshima, Kiyoko
• Application Number:
  US10/486,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267166A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/590
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/146 for optical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0088 for oral or dental tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/682 Mouth, e.g., oral cavity; tongue; Lips; Teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure

Abstract

An information detecting contact shoe, while contacting a portion-under-measurement, irradiates light, and detects transmitted light, reflected light, or scattered light from the portion-under-measurement. Non-invasive measurement of a particular component contained in the portion-under-measurement is performed. An exposing device is utilized which exposes a labial mucosa of a lip portion which is the portion-under-measurement. Further, a prism is attached to the exposing device.

Claims

1. A vital information detecting contact device, comprising:

first contacting means having a contacting surface which contacts a portion-under-measurement of a subject-under-measurement; and

fixing means which fixes said contacting surface on said portion-under-measurement,

wherein said contacting surface comprises an outgoing area, from which light leaves to said portion-under-measurement, and an incident area upon which all or some of transmitted light, reflected light, scattered light or transmitted and reflected light based on the leaving light impinges upon.

2. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 1, comprising deforming means which deforms at least a part of said subject-under-measurement such that said portion-under-measurement will be able to contact on said contacting surface.

3. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 2, wherein said subject-under-measurement is a lip portion of a living body, said portion-under-measurement is a labial mucosa of said lip portion, and

said deforming means deforms said lip portion such that said labial mucosa will be exposed to outside.

4. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 3, wherein said deforming means comprises press-open means which is held inside the mouth of said living body and heads toward a frenulum labii inferioris from gum outside teeth.

5. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 2, comprising a fitting part which meshes with upper and lower teeth inside the mouth of said living body,

wherein said first contacting means is disposed outside the row of teeth, and as said fitting part meshes with said upper and lower teeth, said contacting surface closely adheres to said labial mucosa.

6. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 3, wherein said deforming means comprises firm holding means which pinches said lip portion at one place at least.

7. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 6, wherein said firm holding means is structured so as to revolve about a sulcus mentolabialis or a portion below the sulcus mentolabialis.

8. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 7, wherein said fixing means comprises holding means which holds said first contacting means, moves when said firm holding means revolves in association with the revolution of said firm holding means, and makes said contacting surface contact on said lip portion.

9. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 1, wherein said subject-under-measurement is a living body, and

said fixing means realizes said fixing when supported by at least one of the row of teeth, the jaw and the head of said living body.

10. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 1, further comprising second contacting means which is located facing said first contacting means beyond said portion-under-measurement, and contacts on a different portion from said portion-under-measurement of said subject-under-measurement, and

said fixing means fixes so that said first contacting means and said second contacting means will be maintained at a constant distance with each other.

11. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 10, wherein said distance fixing means is capable of setting said constant distance to a plurality of distances which are different from each other.

12. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 10, wherein the surface area size of said contacting surface is smaller than the surface area size of a portion on which said second contacting means contacts.

13. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 10, wherein said second contacting means has a substantially convex shape.

14. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 13, wherein said convex shape has a round part.

15. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 10, comprising pressure measurement means which measures the pressure upon said portion-under-measurement applied by said first contacting means and/or said second contacting means.

16. The vital information detecting contact device of claim 15, wherein said pressure measurement means changes said constant distance based on said measured pressure.

17. A vital information measuring device, comprising:

the vital information detecting contact device of any one of claims 1 through 16;

a light source which sends light to said outgoing area of said contacting surface;

light receiving means which receives light from said incident area of said contacting surface; and

calculating means which calculates a light receipt result of said light receiving means and acquires information regarding said portion-under-measurement.

18. The vital information measuring device of claim 17, further comprising confirmation means which confirms a place deformed by said deforming means.

19. The vital information measuring device of claim 18, wherein said confirmation means is contact confirmation by means of a contact sensor.

20. The vital information measuring device of claim 18, wherein said contact confirmation utilizes an end portion of said press-open means.

21. The vital information measuring device according to claim 17, comprising:

light splitting means which splits light from said light source;

light guiding means which guides light from said light splitting means to said outgoing area; and

a holding member which holds as one unit said light source, said light splitting means, said light guiding means, said light receiving means and said vital information detecting contact device.

22. The vital information measuring device according to claim 21, wherein said light guiding means is means which uses a mirror.

23. The vital information measuring device according to claim 22, wherein a position restricting member is attached to said holding member, and using this position restricting member, the position of said information detecting contact device is restricted.

24. A vital information measuring method, comprising the steps of:

making a contacting surface, which comprises an outgoing area, from which light leaves toward a portion-under-measurement of a living body, and an incident area, upon which all or some of transmitted light, reflected light, scattered light or transmitted and reflected light is received from said portion-under-measurement; and

fixing said contacting surface not to move on said portion-under-measurement,

wherein based on light obtained from said incident area, a particular component contained in said portion-under-measurement is measured in a non-invasive manner.

25. The vital information measuring method according to claim 24, further comprising a step of deforming said subject-under-measurement at least partially so that said portion-under-measurement will contact on said contacting surface.

26. A vital information measuring method comprising the steps of:

irradiating light from an information detecting contact shoe which contacts a portion-under-measurement;

detecting transmitted light, reflected light, scattered light or transmitted and reflected light from this portion-under-measurement; and

measuring a particular component contained in the portion-under-measurement in a non-invasive manner,

wherein after a labial mucosa of a living body'"'"'s lip portion which is a portion-under-measurement is exposed, said information detecting contact shoe is made to closely adhere to the labial mucosa.

27. The vital information measuring method according to claim 26, wherein said labial mucosa is exposed, as a contacting member contacting on a lip front surface is moved along a jaw direction.