FINGER DEPLOYED DEVICE FOR MEASURING BLOOD AND PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20100105996A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cnoga Holdings Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cnoga Holdings Ltd.
• Inventors: SEGMAN, Yosef
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/322
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02427 Details of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• 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 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics by passing light through human tissue that is configured for deployment on a human finger. The device includes a lower finger-trough configured in the main housing of the device; a hingedly attached closeable lid that has an upper finger-trough configured for deployment of at least one finger stabilizing element, the lid being latchable in a closed position; a finger stabilizing element made of a material having flexibly soft malleable characteristics so as to sealingly engage the top of the finger; a light source that is deployed in the sloped end wall of the lower finger-trough adjacent to the lower portion of the finger tip; and an end cap the is deployable on the open end of the device when the lid is in the closed position, which enables calibration of the device with a minimum of light wave “noise” from ambient light.

Claims

1. A device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics, the device configured for deployment on a finger, the device comprising:

(a) a main housing having a lower finger-trough configured to engage the bottom side of the finger, said lower finger-trough having an open end, a closed end and having cross-sectional contours that are complimentary to a bottom side of the finger;

(b) a closeable lid having an upper finger-trough having an open end and a closed end that corresponds to said lower finger-trough, said lid being hingedly attached to said main housing and latchable in a closed position;

(c) at least one finger stabilizing element configured for deployment in said upper finger-trough and configured to engage a top side of the finger;

(d) at least one light source deployed on said sloped closed end of said lower finger-trough;

(e) at least one light sensor opening configured in a bottom surface of said lower finger-trough; and

(f) an end cap configured for deployment on the device when said lid is in a closed position so as to substantially close said open ends of said upper and lower finger-troughs.

2. The device of claim 1, further including;

(g) a readout display unit deployed on said main housing so as to be adjacent to a palm of a hand of a patient during use.

3. A main housing for a device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics, the device configured for deployment on a finger, the main housing comprising a lower finger-trough configured to engage the bottom side of the finger, said lower finger-trough having an open end, a closed end and having cross-sectional contours that are substantially complimentary to a bottom side of the finger such that a wall of said closed end is sloped so as to substantially correspond to a tip of the finger.

4. The main housing of claim 3, wherein said lower finger-trough is configured for engagement with at least a portion of a finger stabilizing element deployed in a lid of the device so as to substantially enclose the finger when said lid is deployed in a closed position.

5. A closeable lid for device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics, the device configured for deployment on a finger, the closeable lid comprising:

an upper finger-trough having an open end and a closed end, the lid being hingedly attached to a main housing and latchable in a closed position.

6. The closeable lid of claim 5, wherein said hinged attachment is such that the lid rotates about an axis that is parallel to the length of the finger.

7. The closeable lid of claim 5, wherein said upper finger-trough is configured to accept deployment of at least one finger stabilizing element configured to engage a top side of the finger.

8. A finger stabilizing element for stabilizing the position of a finger in a device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics by passing light through at least a portion of a human finger, the finger stabilizing element comprising:

(a) at least first surface configured for engaging the device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics; and

(b) at least a second surface configured for engaging a top side of at least a portion of the finger, said second surface including a finger engagement trough having cross-sectional contours that are substantially complimentary to said top side of the finger becoming narrower and shallower toward the end of said finger engagement trough which substantially corresponds to a tip of the finger;

wherein the finger stabilizing element is configured from a material having flexibly soft malleable characteristics so as to sealingly engage the finger and thereby at least lessen an amount of ambient light noise entering the device.

9. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, wherein said cross-sectional contour that is substantially complimentary to said top side of the finger becomes narrower and shallower in a substantially continuous slope.

10. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, wherein said cross-sectional contour that is substantially complimentary to said top side of the finger becomes narrower and shallower along a slope that varies along its length.

11. The finger stabilizing element of claim 10, wherein said variance in said slope is in stepped increments.

12. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, wherein said first surface is configured to engage at least a portion of an upper finger trough configured in a lid of the device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics.

13. The finger stabilizing element of claim 12, further including a region configured to engage at least a portion of a corresponding lower finger trough configured in a main body of the device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics when said lid is in a closed position.

14. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, further including a plurality of interchangeable elements each having a different sized said finger engagement trough corresponding to different sized human fingers.

15. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, further including a plurality of nesting elements each having a different sized said finger engagement trough corresponding to different sized human fingers wherein said first surface of each nesting element is configured to attachably engage said second surface of a next element in the nesting sequence.

16. The finger stabilizing element of claim 8, wherein said flexibly soft malleable characteristics are such that the finger stabilizing element reshapes to conform to at least a size and a shape of the finger when the device is deployed on the finger.

17. A device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics, the device configured for deployment on a finger, the device comprising:

(a) at least one light source deployed on a sloped wall of a closed end of a lower finger-trough; and

(b) at least one light sensor opening configured in a bottom surface of said lower finger-trough;

wherein light enters a tip of the finger is an area just below the nail and at least a portion of said light exits the finger in an area in the bottom of the finger before the first knuckle, thereby entering said light sensor opening.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein an opening for said light source and said light sensor opening are each configured with a raised lip circumscribing each of said opening for said light source and said light sensor opening, so as to enhance contact with the surface of the finger.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein said at least one light source is configured as an array of light sources.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein light emitted by said at least one light source is directed through at least one light source opening.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein said emitted by said at least one light sources is directed to said at least one light source opening by a light tunnel arrangement.

22. A device for measuring blood and physiological characteristics, the device configured for deployment on a finger, the device comprising:

(a) a main housing having a lower finger-trough configured to engage the bottom side of the finger, said lower finger-trough having an open end;

(b) a closeable lid having an upper finger-trough having an open end that corresponds to said lower finger-trough; and

(c) an end cap configured for deployment on the device when said lid is in a closed position;

wherein said end cap substantially seals said open ends of said upper and lower finger-troughs such that ambient light is unable to enter an interior volume defined by said lower and upper finger-troughs and said end cap.

23. The device of claim 22, further including a system for passing light through at least a portion of a human finger so as to measure blood and physiological characteristics, wherein said sealing of said open ends of said upper and lower finger-troughs enables calibration of said system.