Optical measurement instrument for living body

• US 20060184045A1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atsushi Maki, Hideaki Koizumi, Yuichi Yamashita
• Original Assignee: Atsushi Maki, Hideaki Koizumi, Yuichi Yamashita
• Inventors: Yamashita, Yuichi, Maki, Atsushi, Koizumi, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/476
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0242 for varying or adjusting the optical path length in the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14553 specially adapted for cerebral tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/03 Computed tomography [CT] echo-tomography A61B8/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4795 spatially resolved investigating of object in scattering medium in vivo A61B

Abstract

An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain includes light incident units for irradiating light on a head of a subject, a light detector for detecting a light irradiated from the light incident units and reflected within the subject, a signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detector, and a display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured. Measurement points are arranged about a middle of the light incident units and the light detector, and the light incident units and the light detector are arranged such that the measurement points are arranged to form a lattice whose circumference is square.

Claims

1. An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain, comprising:

a plurality of light incident means for irradiating light on the head of a subject;

a plurality of light detection means for detecting the light irradiated from the light incident means and reflected within the subject;

signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detection means; and

display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from subject to be measured;

wherein the light incident means and the light detection means are arranged alternately to form a lattice, and the light detection means are arranged such that a imaginary line forms a square when a plurality of adjacent light detection means arranged in circumference side are linked with the imaginary line.

2. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to 1, wherein distances between the adjacent light incident means and light detection means are equidistant.

3. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 1, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of the light irradiated by the light incident means with predetermined modulation frequencies, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to the modulation frequency.

4. The optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of brain according to claim 3, wherein the light modulation means modulates the intensity of light with different frequencies according to the position of the light incident means.

5. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 3, wherein the light incident means irradiate a plurality of lights of different frequencies.

6. The optical measurement for a living body according to claim 3, wherein the selection means is constituted by lock in amp driven by modulated signals from the light modulation means.

7. An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain, comprising:

a plurality of light incident means for irradiating light on the head of a subject;

a plurality of light detection means for detecting the light irradiated from the light incident means and reflected within the subject;

signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detection means; and

display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from subject to be measured;

wherein the light incident means and the light detection means are arranged alternately to form a lattice, and the light incident means are arranged such that an imaginary line forms a square when a plurality of adjacent light incident means arranged in circumference side are linked with the imaginary line.

8. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 7, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of the light irradiated by the light incident means with predetermined modulation frequencies, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to the modulation frequency.

9. An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain, comprising:

first to ninth light incident means for irradiating light on a head of a subject;

first to fourth light detection means for detecting light irradiated from the light incident means and reflected within the subject;

a signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detection means; and

a display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured;

wherein the first, the third, the ninth and the seventh light incident means are arranged clockwise in this order on each apex of a square, the second light incident means is arranged about the middle of the first light incident means and the third light incident means, the sixth light incident means is arranged about the middle of the third light incident means and the ninth light incident means, the eighth light incident means is arranged about the middle of the ninth light incident means and the seventh light incident means, the fourth light incident means is arranged about the middle of the seventh light incident means and the first light incident means and the fifth light incident means is arranged about the middle of the second light incident means and the eighth light incident means; and

wherein the first light detection means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the first, the second, the fifth and the fourth light incident means, the second light detection means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the second, the third, the sixth and the fifth light incident means, the third light detection means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the fourth, the fifth, the eighth and the seventh light incident means and the fourth light detection means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the fifth, the sixth, the ninth and the eighth light incident means.

10. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to 9, wherein distances between the adjacent light incident means and light detection means are equidistant.

11. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 9, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of the light irradiated by the light incident means with predetermined modulation frequencies, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to the modulation frequency.

12. An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain, comprising:

first to fourth light incident means for irradiating light on a head of a subject;

first to ninth light detection means for detecting light irradiated from the light incident means and reflected within the subject;

a signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detection means; and

a display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured,

wherein the first, the third, the ninth and the seventh light detection means are arranged clockwise in this order on each apex of a square, the second light detection means is arranged about the middle of the first light incident means and the third light incident means, the sixth light detection means is arranged about the middle of the third light incident means and the ninth light incident means, the eighth light detection means is arranged about the middle of the ninth light incident means and the seventh light incident means, the fourth light detection means is arranged about the middle of the seventh light incident means and the first light incident means and the fifth light detection means is arranged about the middle of the second light incident means and the eighth light incident means; and

wherein the first light incident means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the first, the second, the fifth and the fourth light detection means, the second light incident means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the second, the third, the sixth and the fifth light detection means, the third light incident means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the fourth, the fifth, the eighth and the seventh light detection means and the fourth light incident means is arranged about the middle of the square formed with the fifth, the sixth, the ninth and the eighth light detection means.

13. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 12, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of the light irradiated by the light incident means with predetermined modulation frequencies, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to the modulation frequency.

14. An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain, comprising:

a plurality of light incident means for irradiating light on a head of a subject;

a plurality of light detection means for detecting a light irradiated from the light incident means and reflected within the subject;

a signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detection means; and

a display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured;

wherein measurement points are arranged about a middle of the light incident means and the light detection means, and the plurality of the light incident means and the plurality of the light detection means are arranged such that the measurement points are arranged to form a lattice whose circumference is square.

15. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 14, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of the light irradiated by the light incident means with predetermined modulation frequencies, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to the modulation frequency.

16. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to claim 14, further comprising light modulation means for modulating an intensity of light irradiated by the light incident means with different modulation frequencies according to wavelength, and selection means for selecting the light modulated by the light modulation means according to modulation frequency.

17. The optical measurement instrument for a living body according to 14, wherein distances between the adjacent light incident means and light detection means are equidistant.