NONINVASIVE BLOOD MEASUREMENT PLATFORM

• US 20140114151A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HALO Wearables LLC
• Original Assignee: Convergence Biometrics LLC
• Inventors: MILLER, DAVID R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,949,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/322
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• 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 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1477 non-invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger

Abstract

A noninvasive blood measurement platform may be used to determine the amounts of various constituents of the blood based on the bulk absorption characteristics of the blood. The platform may measure bulk absorption of energy such as, a broad-spectrum light, to determine maximum and minimum blood volumes. The platform may measure bulk absorption of energy at the maximum and minimum blood volumes. The bulk absorption measurements may be transformed using a transformation operation to determine bulk absorption characteristics in terms of frequency and/or wavelength. A time-varying component of the bulk absorption characteristics may be derived by comparing the bulk absorption characteristics at the maximum blood volume to the bulk absorption characteristics at the minimum blood volume. Multivariate analysis may be performed on the time-varying component to determine the amount of the one or more constituents of the blood.

Claims

1. An apparatus for noninvasive measurement of blood constituents in a subject, the apparatus comprising:

a broad-spectrum light source configured to emit light in a broad spectrum at the subject;

a broad-spectrum light detector configured to measure bulk absorption by the subject of the light emitted by the broad-spectrum light source, wherein the broad-spectrum light detector is configured to measure bulk absorption at a maximum blood volume and measure bulk absorption at a minimum blood volume; and

a processor configured to;

receive bulk absorption measurements from the broad-spectrum light detector,

and

determine an amount of at least one constituent of the blood.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the broad spectrum light detector further configured to continuously measure bulk absorption by the subject of the light emitted by the broad-spectrum light source.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate spectral characteristics of the bulk absorption measurements,

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein calculating the spectral characteristics comprises:

calculating a frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements; and

extracting a time-varying component of the frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein extracting the time-varying component comprises performing a mathematical comparison operation between frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the maximum blood volume and frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the minimum blood volume.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein performing the mathematical comparison operation comprises calculating a difference or a ratio between at least one point in the frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the maximum blood volume and at least one point in the frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the minimum blood volume.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein determining the amount of the at least one constituent of the blood comprises performing multivariate analysis of the time-varying component of the frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a narrow-spectrum light detector configured to measure bulk absorption by the subject of light in a narrow spectrum.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the broad-spectrum light detector is configured to measure bulk absorption at a maximum blood volume detected from the bulk absorption of the light in the narrow spectrum and measure bulk absorption at a minimum blood volume detected from the bulk absorption of the light in the narrow spectrum.

10. A method for noninvasively measuring blood constituents in a subject, the method comprising:

emitting a first form of energy at the subject;

emitting a second form of energy at the subject

measuring bulk absorption by the subject of the first form of energy at the maximum and minimum blood volumes using a first energy detector;

measuring bulk absorption by the subject of the second form of energy at the maximum and minimum blood volumes using a second energy detector;

calculating, using a processor, spectral characteristics of bulk absorption measurements made by the first energy detector and the second energy detector; and

determining, using the processor, an amount of at least one constituent of the blood.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first form of energy is a broad-spectrum light and the first energy detector is an optical spectrometer; and

the second form of energy is an electrical signal and the second energy detector is an impedance spectrometer.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining identification parameters of the subject based on the spectral characteristics of the bulk absorption measurements.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating the spectral characteristics comprises:

calculating a frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements; and

extracting a time-varying component of the frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein extracting the time-varying component comprises performing a mathematical comparison operation between frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the maximum blood volume and frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the minimum blood volume.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein performing the mathematical comparison operation comprises calculating a difference or a ratio between at least one point in the frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the maximum blood volume and at least one point in the frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the minimum blood volume.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the amount of the at least one constituent of the blood comprises performing multivariate analysis of the time-varying component of the frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising calibrating the spectral characteristics by comparing the spectral characteristics with reference data.

18. A system for noninvasive measurement of blood constituents in a subject, the system comprising:

a processor; and

an inflection point detection module configured to;

detect a maximum blood volume and a minimum blood volume, and

emit energy from an energy source at the subject during the maximum blood volume and during the minimum blood volume;

a measurement conversion module configured to;

receive measurements of bulk absorption by the subject of the energy at the maximum and minimum blood volumes from an energy detector, and

calculate spectral characteristics of the bulk absorption measurements received from the energy detector; and

a blood analysis module configured to;

determine an amount of at least one constituent of the blood.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the spectral characteristics are calculated by:

calculating a frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements received from the energy detector; and

extracting a time-varying component of the frequency transform of the bulk absorption measurements.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the time-varying component is extracted by performing a mathematical comparison operation between frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the maximum blood volume and frequency-transformed bulk absorption measurements at the minimum blood volume.

21. A non-invasive biometric device operable to associate medical information with a subject, the device having computer circuitry configured to:

perform at least one bulk absorption measurement of the subject;

determine at least one medical parameter of the subject using the at least one bulk absorption measurement; and

associate the medical parameter with the subject based on at least one substantially unique characteristic of the bulk absorption measurement of the subject.

22. The computer circuitry of claim 21, the computer circuitry further configured to determine at least one identification parameter of the subject using the at least one bulk absorption measurement.

23. The computer circuitry of claim 22, wherein the at least one identification parameter includes at least one medical parameter.

24. The computer circuitry of claim 22, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to identify the subject using the at least one identification parameter.

25. The computer circuitry of claim 22, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to determine the at least one identification parameter or the at least one medical parameter using an analyzed form of the at least one bulk absorption measurement.

26. The computer circuitry of claim 21, wherein the computer circuitry is further configured to identify the subject based on the bulk absorption measurement of the subject.