Noninvasive measurement system

• US 7,869,848 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: STI Medical Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: STI Medical Systems LLC
• Inventors: Proniewicz, Walter K., Winther, Dale E.
• Primary Examiner(s): WINAKUR, ERIC FRANK
• Application Number:
  US11/552,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 600/310, 600/316, 600/318, 600/319, 600/320, 600/322, 600/323, 600/340, 600/473, 600/476
• US Class Current: 600/319
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• 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 5/14555 specially adapted for the eye fundus

Abstract

The noninvasive measurement system provides a technique for manipulating wave data. In particular, wave data reflected from a biological entity is received, and the reflected wave data is correlated to a substance in the biological entity. The wave data may comprise light waves, and the biological entity may comprise a human being or blood. Additionally, a substance may comprise, for example, a molecule or ionic substance. The molecule may be, for example, a glucose molecule.

Furthermore, the wave data is used to form a matrix of pixels with the received wave data. The matrix of pixels may be modified by techniques of masking, stretching, or removing hot spots.

Then, the pixels may be integrated to obtain an integration value that is correlated to a glucose level. The correlation process may use a lookup table, which may be calibrated to a particular biological entity. Moreover, an amplitude and phase angle may be calculated for the reflected wave data and used to identify a glucose level in the biological entity. Additionally, the reflected wave data may be used to determine glaucoma pressure.

The glucose level may be displayed on a monitor attached to the computer. The computer may be a portable, self-contained unit that comprises a data processing system and a wave reflection capture system. On the other hand, the computer may be attached to a network of other computers, wherein the reflected wave data is received by the computer and forwarded to another computer in the network for processing.

Claims

1. A method of correlating captured wave data to a substance in a biological entity, comprising:

receiving wave data reflected from the biological entity;

forming a plurality of pixels based on the reflected wave data;

determining an amplitude for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels;

determining a phase angle for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels; and

identifying a glucose level in the biological entity based on the amplitude and phase angle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the amplitude comprises calculating an integrated value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biological entity is an eye.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the amplitude comprises integrating a portion of the plurality of pixels to form an integrated value;

and

the step of identifying the glucose level comprises correlating the amplitude and the phase angle to a glucose level in a look up table.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the integrating step further comprises:

forming a matrix with the plurality of pixels; and

masking a portion of the matrix.

6. An apparatus for correlating captured wave data to a substance in a biological entity, comprising:

means for receiving wave data reflected from the biological entity;

means for forming a plurality of pixels based on the reflected wave data;

means for determining an amplitude for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels;

means for determining a phase angle for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels; and

means for identifying a glucose level in the biological entity based on the amplitude and the phase angle.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising means for calculating an integrated value to obtain the amplitude.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the biological entity is an eye.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for determining the amplitude comprises means for integrating a portion of the plurality of pixels to form an integrated value;

and wherein the means for identifying the glucose level comprises means for correlating the amplitude and the phase angle to a glucose level in a look up table.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the means for integrating comprises:

means for forming a matrix with the plurality of pixels; and

means for masking a portion of the matrix.

11. An apparatus for correlating captured wave data to a substance in a biological entity, comprising:

a memory comprising a plurality of instructions; and

a processing system coupled to the memory and configured to execute the plurality of instructions to;

receive data corresponding with wave data reflected from the biological entity;

form a plurality of pixels based on the reflected wave data;

determine an amplitude for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels;

determine a phase angle for the reflected wave data based on the plurality of pixels; and

identify a glucose level in the biological entity based on the amplitude and the phase angle.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine the amplitude by calculating an integrated value.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine the amplitude by integrating a portion of the plurality of pixels to form an integrated value; and

identify a glucose level by correlating the amplitude and the phase angle to a glucose level in a look up table.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

form a matrix with the plurality of pixels; and

mask a portion of the matrix.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an image capture device coupled to the processing system, and the processing system is further configured to receive the data corresponding with the reflected wave data through the image capture device.