Apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring

• US 9,662,004 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Biophotonic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Biophotonic Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Yu-Tang, Fan, Chih-Hsun, Chung, Shuang-Chao, Li, Ming-Chia, Chen, Jyh-Chern, Tiao, Kuo-Tung, Chu, Chang-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Chu Chuan (JJ)
• Application Number:
  US14/141,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20140180041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 600310, 600318, 600319, 600316, 600322, 600331, 600340, 600344, 600473, 600476
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0008 provided with illuminating means A61B3/117 takes precedence; goniolenses used for laser treatment A61F9/009; illuminating means for optical instruments G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14558 by polarisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6821 Eye

Abstract

An apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring includes a first light source for emitting at least one ray of first light; a first beam splitter with a focusing function; a set of photo detectors for measuring optical rotatory distribution (ORD) information and absorption energy information of the first light reflected from the eyeball and transmitted through the first beam splitter to the set of photo detectors, and the first light emitted from the first light source being transmitted to the set of photo detectors by the first beam splitter and the eyeball to form an optical path; a processing unit receiving and processing the ORD information and the absorption energy information to obtain glucose information; and an eye positioning device including a second beam splitter disposed on the optical path between the first beam splitter and the eyeball and a camera for receiving image information transmitted from the second beam splitter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring, comprising:

at least one first light source, emitting at least one ray of first light;

a first beam splitter with a focusing function, directing the first light emitted from the first light source into an eyeball and focusing the first light on the eyeball through the first beam splitter;

a polarizer;

a set of light sensing elements, the light sensing elements simultaneously measuring at least two properties of the first light reflected from the eyeball transmitted onto the set of light sensing elements, wherein the at least two properties measured comprises an absorption energy information of the reflected light transmitted by the first beam splitter, and another of the at least two properties measured comprises an optical angular information of the polarized light transmitted through the polarizer;

wherein the first light emitted from the first light source and transmitted to the light sensing elements through the first beam splitter and the eyeball forms an optical path;

a processing unit, the processing unit obtains a glucose information by receiving and analyzing the optical angular information and the absorption energy information by at least two polynomial equations, wherein the at least two polynomial equations comprises a first polynomial equation and a second polynomial equation, the first polynomial equation represents relationship between a biological molecule information and the optical angular difference, and the second polynomial equation represents relationship between the biological molecule information and the absorption energy difference, the biological molecule information comprises the glucose information; and

an eye positioning device, comprising;

a second beam splitter disposed on the optical path between the first beam splitter and the eyeball; and

a camera, receiving an image information transmitted from the second beam splitter, wherein the image information comprises a position on the eyeball irradiated by the first light, and the apparatus determines the reflected light falling within an accurate measuring position of the eyeball according the image information.

2. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the processing unit calculates an optical angular difference and an absorption energy difference between the first light emitted from the first light source and the first light transmitted to the set of light sensing elements, a biological molecule information of a biological molecule is calculated, the biological molecule at least comprises a glucose, the processing unit calculates the glucose information through the biological molecule information, and a blood glucose information is read since the glucose information and the blood glucose information have a corresponding relationship.

3. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the second beam splitter comprises a beam splitter that controls a proportion of transmission and reflection according to a wavelength.

4. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the camera comprises a microcamera.

5. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the eye positioning device further comprises a second light source emitting a ray of second light, the second light is directed into the eyeball through the second beam splitter, and the second light reflected by the eyeball is then transmitted to the camera through the second beam splitter.

6. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 5, wherein the second light source comprises a visible light source or an invisible light source.

7. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 5, wherein the second light source comprises a light-emitting diode or a laser diode.

8. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 5, wherein the eye positioning device further comprises a third beam splitter, the second light emitted from the second light source is transmitted to the second beam splitter through the third beam splitter.

9. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 5, wherein the image information comprises a position on the eyeball irradiated by the second light.

10. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 9, wherein the first light and the second light transmitted to the eyeball through the second beam splitter have a corresponding optical path relationship therebetween.

11. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 10, wherein the corresponding relationship between optical paths are coaxial or non-coaxial.

12. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 10, wherein with the image information of the position on the eyeball irradiated by the second light and the corresponding optical path relationship, a position on the eyeball irradiated by the first light is obtained.

13. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 12, wherein the image information comprises a pattern formed with light spots.

14. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the eye positioning device further comprises a lens system disposed on the optical path between the first light source and the first beam splitter.

15. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein a wavelength of the first light source comprises a glucose absorbable wavelength.

16. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the first beam splitter leads the first light to focus an anterior chamber of the eyeball, and the first light reflected from the eyeball comprises a reflected light from an aqueous humor.

17. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein the first beam splitter comprises an optical film, an optical lens, an optical grating, a diffractive optic element or a combination of any the above elements.

18. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, wherein an optical angular measuring device and an energy measuring device;

respectively measure the first light reflected from the eyeball and then reflected by or passed through the first beam splitter, wherein the angular measuring device comprises the polarizer and one of the set of light sensing elements, and the energy measuring device comprises another of the set of light sensing elements.

19. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 1, further comprising a fourth beam splitter for transmitting the first light reflected from the eyeball and then transmitted through the first beam splitter to the set of light sensing elements.

20. The apparatus for non-invasive glucose monitoring of claim 19, wherein a first light sensing element comprising a first angular measuring device having the polarizer and a first one of the light sensing elements, and a first energy measuring device having a second one of the light sensing elements;

a second light sensing element comprising a second angular measuring device having another polarizer and a third one of the light sensing elements, and a second energy measuring device having a fourth one of the light sensing elements;

the first light sensing element and the second light sensing element respectively measure the first light reflected by or passed through the fourth beam splitter.