MULTIPLEXED PATHLENGTH RESOLVED NONINVASIVE ANALYZER APPARATUS WITH NON-UNIFORM DETECTOR ARRAY AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF

• US 20150018644A1
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Zyomed Corp.
• Original Assignee: Zyomed Corp.
• Inventors: Gulati, Sandeep, Ruchti, Timothy, Abul-Haj, Alan, Hazen, Kevin, George, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/504,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20150018644A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/316
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1079 using optical or photographic means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/36 Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/317 Special constructive features
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/359 using near infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's

Abstract

A noninvasive analyzer apparatus and method of use thereof is described comprising a near-infrared source, a non-uniform detector array, and a photon transport system configured to direct photons from the source to the detector via an analyzer-sample optical interface. The non-uniform detector array provides a multitude of distinguishable optical pathlengths, couples to a plurality of optical transmission filters, couples to a plurality of light directing micro-optics, and/or couples to an array of light-emitting diodes.

Claims

1. An apparatus for noninvasively determining an analyte concentration of a subject, comprising:

a near-infrared noninvasive analyzer, comprising;

a near-infrared source;

a sample interface configured to proximately contact the subject during use; and

a non-uniform detector array, said non-uniform detector array comprising;

at least three detector elements positioned along a curved path, said at least three detector elements electrically linked for readout in series,

wherein photons from said near-infrared source arrive at said non-uniform detector array via said sample interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said non-uniform detector array further comprising:

a first set of detector elements forming a first arc at a first distance from a center of said sample interface; and

a second set of detector elements forming a second arc at a second distance from the center of said sample interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said first arc forming a first ring of detector elements about the center of said sample interface, said second arc forming a second ring of detector elements about the center of said sample interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a first optical filter comprising a first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically coupled to said first set of detector elements; and

a second optical filter comprising a second fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically coupled to said second set of detector elements, said first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength at least one hundred nanometers shorter than said second fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a first optical filter comprising a first geometric size optically coupled to at least a first detector of said first set of detector elements; and

a second optical filter comprising a second geometric size optically coupled to at least a second detector of said second set of detector elements, said second geometric size at least twenty percent larger than said first geometric size.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, said first set of detector elements comprising an indium gallium arsenide based material comprising a first fifty percent detectivity cut-off wavelength, said second set of detector elements comprising a second fifty percent detectivity cut-off wavelength, said second fifty percent detectivity cut-off wavelength at least one hundred nanometers larger than said first fifty percent detectivity cut-off wavelength.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, said sample interface further comprising:

at least one light blocking element extending from an otherwise planar section of an optical face of said sample interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, said non-uniform detector array further comprising:

a first detector element comprising a first surface area; and

a second detector element comprising a second surface area, said second surface area at least fifty percent larger than said first surface area.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a first light concentrating optic comprising a first aperture area optically coupled to said first detector element; and

a second light concentrating optic comprising a second aperture area optically coupled to said second detector element, said second aperture area at least fifty percent larger than said first aperture area.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a first optical filter comprising a first fifty-percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically coupled to said first detector element; and

a second optical filter comprising a second fifty-percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically coupled to said second detector element, said second fifty-percent transmission cut-on wavelength at least fifty nanometers longer than said first fifty-percent transmission cut-on wavelength.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, said near-infrared source further comprising:

a first light-emitting diode configured to emit light at least seventy percent passed by said second optical filter and at least seventy percent blocked by said first optical filter.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, said detector array further comprising:

a first detector array comprising a first readout point at a first perimeter point of said first detector array; and

a second detector array comprising a second readout point at a second perimeter point of said second detector array, wherein said first perimeter point, a center of said optical interface, and said second perimeter point form an angle larger than eighty degrees.

13. A method for noninvasively determining an analyte concentration of a subject, comprising the steps of:

providing a near-infrared noninvasive analyzer, comprising;

a near-infrared source; and

a non-uniform detector array, said non-uniform detector array comprising;

at least three detector elements positioned along a curved path, said at least three detector elements electrically linked for readout in series,

proximately contacting a sample interface of said non-invasive analyzer with the subject;

optically coupling photons from said near-infrared source to said non-uniform detector array via said sample interface; and

using the photons to determine said analyte concentration.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

using a controller of said non-invasive analyzer, associating a first detector element of said non-uniform detector array with a first mean optical pathlength;

using said controller, associating a second detector element of said non-uniform detector array with a second mean optical pathlength, said second mean optical pathlength at least fifty percent longer than said first mean optical pathlength; and

determining said analyte concentration using at least said first detector element and said detector element.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

optically coupling said first detector element with a first transmission optic comprising a first mean near-infrared transmission wavelength between 1600 and 1800 nanometers; and

optically coupling said second detector element with a second transmission optic comprising a second mean near-infrared transmission wavelength between 1000 and 1600 nanometers.

16. An apparatus, for noninvasively determining an analyte concentration of a subject, comprising:

a near-infrared noninvasive analyzer, comprising;

a near-infrared source;

a sample interface configured to proximately contact the subject during use; and

a non-uniform detector array,

wherein during use photons from said near-infrared source travel to said detector array via said sample interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, said non-uniform detector array further comprising:

a first indium gallium arsenide based detector element comprising a first cross-sectional length; and

a second indium gallium arsenide based detector element comprising a second cross-sectional width perpendicular to said length, said length at least twenty percent larger than said width.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, said first indium gallium arsenide based detector element comprising a first surface area and said second indium gallium arsenide based detector element comprising a second surface area, said second surface area at least fifty percent larger than said first surface area.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, said non-uniform detector array comprising at least one of:

planar C₂ rotational symmetry;

planar C₄ rotational symmetry; and

S₂ symmetry in the absence of planar rotational symmetry.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, said non-uniform detector array further comprising:

a first set of detector elements forming a first arc at a first distance from a center of said sample interface; and

a second set of detector elements forming a second arc at a second distance from the center of said sample interface.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

an array of optical filters, comprising;

a first optical filter comprising a first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically linked to a first detector element of said non-uniform detector array; and

a second optical filter comprising a second fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength optically linked to a second detector element of said non-uniform detector array, said second fifty percent cut-on wavelength at least fifty nanometers longer than said first fifty percent transmission cut-on wavelength.