Blood sugar value measuring method and apparatus

• US 6,149,588 A
• Filed: 05/19/1999
• Issued: 11/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui & Company Limited, Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mitsui & Company Limited, Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited
• Inventors: Kimura, Mikio, Noda, Mitsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cadugan, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/314,705
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/316, 600/322
• US Class Current: 600/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0053 by applying pressure, e.g. compression, indentation, palpation, grasping, gauging
• 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 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6838 Clamps or clips

Abstract

Near infrared rays of λ1, λ2, λ3 in wavelength which are different from and near to one another are irradiated from a light source (2) to a part being measured (F) of a living body in such a state that vein bloodstream at the part being measured is stopped by applying a press force of a cuff (8), and the intensities of the transmitted near infrared rays of λ, λ2, λ3 in wavelength are detected by a photodetector (4) at the same time. In a processing circuit (14), the absorbance secondary differential value of the near infrared rays by the part being measured (F) is calculated on the basis of the transmitted light intensity detection values thus detected at the same time with respect to the three wavelengths, the variation width thereof within a predetermined time is calculated and then the blood sugar value in the living body is determined from the absorbance secondary differential value variation width on the basis of a calibration curve.

Claims

1. A blood sugar value measuring method comprising the steps of exposing a part being measured of a living body to near infrared rays having three wavelengths which are different from one another, but near to one another:

detecting the intensities of the near infrared rays of the three wavelengths transmitted through the part being measured;

calculating the secondary differential value of the absorbance of the near infrared rays of the part being measured from the intensity detection values of the near infrared rays with respect to the three wavelengths;

determining the variation width of the secondary differential value of the absorbance as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the secondary differential value of the absorbance within a predetermined time; and

determining the blood sugar value of the living body on the basis of the variation width of the secondary differential value of the absorbance.

2. The blood sugar value measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intensities of the transmitted near infrared rays of three wavelengths are detected at the same time and the secondary differential value of the absorbance is calculated on the basis of the intensity detection values of the transmitted near infrared rays obtained at the same time.

3. The blood sugar value measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the variation width of the absorbance value is calculated as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the absorbance value within the predetermined time, the variation width of the secondary differential value of the absorbance being corrected on the basis of the absorbance value variation width to obtain a corrected variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value, and the blood sugar value of the living body being determined on the basis of the corrected variation width of the absorbance secondary differential variation width.

4. The blood sugar value measuring method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the correction is carried out by using the equation:

W'"'"'=-V sin θ

+W cos θ

where θ

, represents a correction parameter, W represents the variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value and W'"'"' represents the corrected variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value.

5. The blood sugar value measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intensities of the near infrared rays of the three wavelengths are detected while venous bloodflow at the part being measured is stopped by applying a press force to the living body.

6. The blood sugar value measuring method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intensities of the near infrared rays of three wavelengths incident to the part being measured are controlled so that an integration value or an average value for a time of the intensity of at least one of the near infrared rays of three wavelengths transmitted through the part being measured is near to a predetermined value.

7. A blood sugar value measuring apparatus for exposing a part being measured of a living body to near infrared rays having three wavelengths which are different from one another, but near to one another, detecting the intensities of the near infrared rays of the three wavelengths transmitted through the part being measured and then determining the blood sugar value of the living body on the basis of the near infrared rays intensity detection values with respect to the three wavelengths, comprising:

a light source for emitting near infrared rays of three wavelengths;

a photodetector for detecting the transmitted near infrared rays of three wavelengths transmitted through the living body; and

processing means for performing processing based on the transmitted near infrared rays detection values with respect to the three wavelengths obtained by said photodetector to calculate the secondary differential value of the absorbance of the near infrared rays at the part being measured, determining the variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the absorbance secondary differential value within a predetermined time, and determining the blood sugar value of the living body by using a calibration curve based on the variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value.

8. The blood sugar value measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said processing means calculates the absorbance secondary differential value on the basis of the intensity detection values of the transmitted near infrared rays of three wavelengths which are obtained at the same time by said photodetector.

9. The blood sugar value measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said processing means calculates the variation width of the absorbance value as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the absorbance value within the predetermined time, corrects the variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value on the basis of the absorbance value variation width, and then determines the blood sugar value of the living body on the basis of the corrected variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value.

10. The blood sugar value measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said processing means performs the correction by using the following equation:

W'"'"'=-V sin θ

+W cos θ

where θ

, represents a correction parameter, W represents the variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value, and W'"'"' represents the corrected variation width of the absorbance secondary differential value.

11. The blood sugar value measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising means for applying a press force to the living body.

12. The blood sugar value measuring apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising means for controlling the intensities of the near infrared rays of three wavelengths incident to the part being measured so that an integration value or an average value for a time of the intensity of at least one of the near infrared rays of three wavelengths transmitted through the part being measured is near to a predetermined value.