Optical system for measuring metabolism in a body

• US 6,907,279 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2003
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Hiroki, Maki, Atsushi, Kiguchi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KREMER, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US10/452,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 600309-310, 600/344, 600/322, 600/323
• US Class Current: 600/322
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0042 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14553 specially adapted for cerebral tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00

Abstract

The invention provides optical technique for measuring metabolism in a living body that can further reduce an error in measurement even if distance between irradiation and detection is fixed. The living body is classified into measurement regions and different measuring wavelengths are set according to the classification. For example, the head is classified into four regions of a parietal region, a frontal region, a temporal region and an occipital region and a wavelength according to each tissue is set in a wavelength selecting system. In measurement, wavelengths according to each measurement region are selected by multiple wavelengths-light radiating means. Besides, for a region having large personal difference, premeasurement is made using plural combinations of wavelengths and wavelengths are selected using a calculated error in measurement as a criterion.

Claims

1. A biological photometric device comprising:

a plurality of light sources for irradiating a head surface of a test body, each of the light sources irradiating a light of a different wavelength;

a plurality of light detectors for detecting the lights emitted from said light sources and returned from the head surface; and

a control device for calculating a concentration of metabolites in the head and changes in the concentration, said control device having selecting means for selecting a set of lights of different wavelengths from said light sources for irradiating towards different regions of the head surface for each test body to minimize a respective measurement noise thereof,

wherein said light sources and said light detectors are adapted to be disposed on the head surface.

2. A biological photometric device according to claim 1, wherein said control device selects said set of lights of different wavelengths in accordance with a result of a premeasurernent made before measuring the concentration.

3. A biological photometric device according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying a measurement result.

4. A biological photometric device comprising:

a plurality of light sources for irradiating a head surface of a test body, each of the light sources being varied to irradiate lights of different wavelengths;

a plurality of light detectors for detecting the lights emitted from said light sources and returned from the head surface; and

a control device for calculating a concentration of metabolites in the head and changes in the concentration, said control device having selecting means for selecting a set of lights of different wavelengths from said light sources for irradiating towards different regions of the head surface for each test body to minimize a respective measurement noise thereof,

wherein said light sources and said light detectors are adapted to be disposed on the head surface.

5. A biological photometric device according to claim 4, wherein said control device selects said lights of different wavelengths in accordance with a result of a premeasurement made before measuring the concentration.

6. A biological photometric device according to claim 4, further comprising a display for displaying a measurement result.

7. A biological photometric device comprising:

a plurality of light sources for irradiating a head surface of a test body, each of the light sources irradiating a light of a different wavelength or being varied to irradiate lights of different wavelengths;

a plurality of light detectors for detecting the lights emitted from said light sources and returned from the head surface; and

a control device for calculating a concentration of metabolites in the head and changes in the concentration, said control device having selecting means for selecting a set of lights of different wavelengths from said light sources for irradiating towards different regions of the head surface for each test body in accordance with a result of a premeasurement made before measuring the concentration or a wavelength selected via an interface to minimize a respective measurement noise thereof,

wherein said light sources and said light detectors are adapted to be disposed on the head surface.