Multiplexed pathlength resolved noninvasive analyzer apparatus with stacked filters and method of use thereof

• US 9,375,170 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zyomed Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zyomed Corp.
• Inventors: Ruchti, Timothy, Abul-Haj, Alan, Hazen, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUTIERREZ, GISSELLE M
• Application Number:
  US14/938,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20160058340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 230 Days
• Field of Search: 250/339.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/04 Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• 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 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface

Abstract

A noninvasive analyzer apparatus and method of use thereof is described using a plurality of sample illumination zones optically coupled to at least two optically stacked two-dimensional optical filter arrays. Sectioned pixels and/or zones of a detector array are optionally filtered for different light throughput and/or are passed through various pathlengths using the stacked two-dimensional optical filter arrays. Resulting pathlength resolved/wavelength controlled groups of spectra are subsequently analyzed to determine an analyte property.

Claims

1. An apparatus for noninvasive analyte property estimation of a constituent of a human subject, comprising:

a near-infrared analyzer, comprising;

a near-infrared source;

a detector array;

a photon transport system configured to transport photons along an optical train from said near-infrared source to said detector array via an analyzer-subject interface;

a first planar two-dimensional filter array comprising a first set of optical filters, said first set of optical filters comprising at least two optical filters; and

a second planar two-dimensional filter array comprising a second set of optical filters,

said optical train sequentially passing through said first planar two-dimensional filter array and said second planar two-dimensional filter array,

said first planar two-dimensional filter array substantially parallel to said second planar two-dimensional filter array.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said first set of optical filters further comprising:

a first optical filter optically linked to a first set of at least three detector elements of said detector array; and

a second optical filter optically linked to a second set of at least three detector elements of said detector array,

a first portion of said first optical filter overlapping said second optical filter, and

a second portion of said first optical filter not-overlapping said second optical filter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said first set of optical filters and said second set of optical filters further comprising:

a first optical connection to a common detector element of said detector array.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, said detector array comprising a larger surface area detector element positioned further from a center of said analyzer-subject interface than a smaller surface area detector element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, said first set of optical filters further comprising at least one longpass filter substantially blocking visible light.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, said second set of optical filters further comprising at least one shortpass filter overlapping said at least one longpass filter.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, said first set of optical filters further comprising:

a square filter; and

a non-square, rectangular filter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a two-dimensional focusing optic array in said optical train.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, said two-dimensional focusing optic array further comprising:

a first optic comprising a mean optical path tilted away from a photon illumination zone of said analyzer-subject interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, said two-dimensional focusing optic array further comprising:

a second optic comprising a mean optical path tilted toward a vector passing perpendicular to the subject through said analyzer-subject interface.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, said first set of optical filters further comprising:

a first filter comprising a first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength;

a second filter comprising a second fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength at least one hundred nanometers less than said first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength; and

a third filter comprising a third fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength at least one hundred nanometers less than said second fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength.

12. A method for noninvasive analyte property estimation of a constituent of a human subject, comprising the steps of:

providing a near-infrared analyzer, comprising;

a near-infrared source;

a detector array;

a first planar two-dimensional filter array comprising a first set of optical filters, said first set of optical filters comprising at least two optical filters;

a second planar two-dimensional filter array comprising a second set of optical filters; and

a photon transport system; and

transporting photons along an along an optical train from said near-infrared source to said detector array via an analyzer-subject interface using said photon transport system, said optical train sequentially passing through said first planar two-dimensional filter array and said second planar two-dimensional filter array,

said first planar two-dimensional filter array substantially parallel to said second planar two-dimensional filter array.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a first filter of said first two-dimensional filter array, said first filter comprising an edge; and

a second filter of said second two-dimensional filter array, said second filter comprising a non-edge, surface filter area,

wherein said edge of said first filter optically overlaps said non-edge, surface filter area of said second filter.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the photons through both a first combination of filter elements and a second combination of filter elements, said second combination of filter elements passing a second mean wavelength at least one hundred nanometers longer than a first mean wavelength passed by said first combination of filter elements; and

positioning said second combination of filter elements closer to a center of said analyzer-subject interface compared to a position of said first combination of filter elements.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

using said detector array to detect light passing through at least twenty distinct combinations of filters of said first two-dimensional filter array and said second two-dimensional filter array.