Method and apparatus for measuring a concentration of a component in a subject

• US 7,107,087 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2004
• Issued: 09/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Gil-won, Jeon, Kye-jin, Han, Sang-joon, Hwang, In-duk
• Primary Examiner(s): WINAKUR, ERIC FRANK
• Application Number:
  US10/801,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 600/309, 600/310, 600/322, 250/339, 250/338.1, 250/341, 356/346, 356/327
• US Class Current: 600/310
• 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: G01J 3/1256 using acousto-optic tunable filter; acousto-optic elements or systems G02F1/11, G02F1/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence

Abstract

A method of measuring a concentration of a component in a subject includes setting an intensity relationship equation between a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam with respect to a reference matter at a particular wavelength, applying a light having a first wavelength band absorbed by the component and detecting an intensity of a positive-order beam output from the subject and an intensity of a negative-order beam output from the reference matter, the positive-order beam and the negative-order beam having a second wavelength band, calculating an intensity of a positive-order beam input to the subject by applying the intensity of the negative-order beam output from the reference matter to the intensity relationship equation, and calculating absorbance using the intensity of the positive-order beam output from the subject and the intensity of the positive-order beam input to the subject and measuring a concentration of the component using the absorbance.

Claims

1. A method of measuring a concentration of a component in a subject, comprising:

setting an intensity relationship equation between a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam with respect to a reference matter at a particular wavelength by measuring both the positive-order and negative-order beams output from the reference matter;

applying a light having a first wavelength band absorbed by the component and detecting an intensity of a positive-order beam output from the subject and an intensity of a negative-order beam output from the reference matter, the positive-order beam and the negative-order beam having a second wavelength band;

calculating an intensity of a positive-order beam input to the subject by applying the intensity of the negative-order beam output from the reference matter to the intensity relationship equation; and

calculating absorbance using the intensity of the positive-order beam output from the subject and the intensity of the positive-order beam input to the subject and measuring a concentration of the component using the absorbance.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein setting the intensity relationship equation comprises:

generating the positive-order and negative-order beams having the second wavelength band from the light, which has the first wavelength band and is provided from a light source, according to a radio frequency (RF) signal having a predetermined frequency;

radiating the positive-order and negative-order beams onto the reference matter and detecting the intensities of the respective positive-order and negative-order beams output from the reference matter; and

setting the intensity relationship equation based on the detected intensities of the positive- order and negative-order beams.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein setting the intensity relationship includes storing intensity relationship equations corresponding to at least one of the first wavelength band, the second wavelength band and the RE signal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein applying the light having the first wavelength band and detecting the intensities of the positive-order beam output from the subject and the negative-order beam output from the reference matter comprises:

generating the positive-order and negative-order beams having the second wavelength band from the light, which has the first wavelength band and is provided from the light source, according to a radio frequency (RF) signal having a predetermined frequency; and

radiating the generated positive-order and negative-order beams onto the subject and the reference matter, respectively; and

detecting the intensity of the positive-order beam output from the subject and the intensity of the negative-order beam output from the reference matter.

5. A computer readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for executing the method as claimed in claim 1.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein setting the intensity relationship includes storing intensity relationship equations corresponding to at least one of the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band.

7. An apparatus for measuring a concentration of a component in a subject, comprising:

a light source that generates a light having a first wavelength band for the component;

a tunable filter that receives the light having the first wavelength band and generates a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam, which have a second wavelength band, according to a tuning signal applied thereto;

a first light detector that detects a first output beam reflected from or transmitted through the subject onto which the positive-order beam generated by the tunable filter has been radiated;

a second light detector that detects a second output beam reflected from or transmitted through a reference matter onto which the negative-order beam generated by the tunable filter has been radiated; and

a signal processor, which has been previously provided with an intensity relationship equation between the positive-order beam and the negative-order beam obtained by measuring both the positive-order and negative-order beams output from the reference matter, that calculates an intensity of the positive-order beam input to the subject by applying an intensity of the second output beam from the reference matter to the intensity relationship equation, calculates absorbance using the intensity of the first output beam from the subject and the intensity of the positive-order beam input to the subject, and measures a concentration of the component using the absorbance.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a condenser lens on an optical path between the light source and the tunable filter to condense the light emitted from the light source.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the light source is a halogen lamp.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second light detectors are photodetectors made of a material selected from the group consisting of InGaAs, PbS, and InSb.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the tunable filter comprises:

a transducer; and

an acoustic-optic medium.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the acoustic-optic medium is a crystal.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a beam guiding unit that guides the positive-order beam generated by the tunable filter to be transmitted to be parallel to the subject and guides the negative-order beam generated by the tunable filter to be transmitted to be parallel to the reference matter.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a refractive index matching unit, which is disposed between the beam guiding unit and the subject, to match an internal refractive index of the subject with an external refractive index of the subject.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second beam guiding units are selected from the group consisting of a tapered aluminum tube, a glass rod, and a hollow waveguide.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the signal processor obtains the intensity relationship equation using a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam, which are output from the reference matter when a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam generated by the tunable filter at a particular wavelength are radiated onto the reference matter.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) signal generator that generates a radio frequency (RF) signal having a predetermined frequency, the RF signal serving as the tuning signal for the tunable filter.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the signal processor stores intensity relationship equations corresponding to at least one of the first wavelength band and the second wavelength band and the RF signal.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein setting the intensity relationship includes storing intensity relationship equations corresponding to at least one of the first wavelength band, the second wavelength band and the tuning signal.