Dermatologically non-abrasive blood testing using an interferometry optical design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10512425-B2
Application number	US-201615228187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2016
Priority date	Aug 4, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for dermatologically noninvasive testing for blood sugar concentration using an interferometry optical design. The present apparatus, method and system are used to measure the optical properties of blood, without puncturing the skin or drawing blood samples. They incorporate the use of an electromagnetic light source and two optical polarizers. A dermatological sample, e.g., the earlobe, webbing between fingers, is illuminated with polarized electromagnetic light. When the linearly polarized light passes through this dermatological sample, the blood in the dermatological sample acts as an optical rotator due to the optical interaction with the blood sample. The presence of molecular chirality in the blood sample induces optical activity. After the skin is illuminated, a second polarizer finds the orientation of the polarization by maximizing the intensity on the photo detector. As a result, the blood sugar concentration may be determined.

First claim

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for dermatologically noninvasive blood sugar testing, the apparatus comprising:
an electromagnetic light source configured to emit electromagnetic light;
a linear polarizer device configured to receive the emitted electromagnetic light, the linear polarizer device being further configured to linearly polarize the emitted electromagnetic light, and to provide the linearly polarized light in a first polarization state to a blood sample;
a polarizer analyzer that is configured to receive the linearly polarized light in a second polarization state from the blood sample, wherein the polarizer analyzer is a liquid crystal display having an interferometry design configured to detect optical activity; and
a photodetector optically coupled to the polarizer analyzer, the photodetector being configured to detect a change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
wherein the apparatus is configured to be attached to a user's body or clothing such that the apparatus is portable as it detects the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
a non-transitory processor-readable data storage medium communicably coupled to the photodetector, the data storage medium being configured to receive and record data related to the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory processor-readable data storage medium stores processor-executable instructions, the apparatus further comprising:
a processor communicably coupled to the data storage medium; and
wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform edge filtering on the recorded data related to the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
processor-executable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to determine a blood sugar concentration change based on the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the apparatus is adapted to be coupled to an insulin delivery device, wherein the insulin delivery device is configured to receive the determined blood sugar concentration change, and wherein the insulin delivery device is adapted to deliver insulin to a user, without user intervention, and wherein the insulin delivery device is configured to determine when an insulin level of the user is outside of an acceptable range.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the insulin delivery device is further configured to deliver insulin to the user in an amount that brings the insulin level of the user within the acceptable range.

6. A method for dermatologically noninvasive blood sugar testing, the method comprising:
providing, by at least one light source, linearly polarized electromagnetic light in a first polarization state, wherein the linearly polarized light is configured to be provided to a blood sample,
receiving, at a polarizer analyzer, linearly polarized light in a second polarization state from the blood sample, wherein the polarizer analyzer is a liquid crystal display having an interferometry design configured to detect optical activity;
detecting, at a photodetector, a change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
wherein the at least one light source, the polarizer analyzer, and the photodetector are configured to be attached to a user's body or clothing such that the at least one light source, the polarizer analyzer, and the photodetector are portable as the photodetector detects the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
receiving and recording, at a non-transitory processor-readable data storage medium communicably coupled to the photodetector, data related to the angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
causing, by processor-executable instructions executed on a processor, the processor to determine a blood sugar concentration change based on the data related to the angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

8. A method for dermatologically noninvasive blood sugar testing, the method comprising:
providing, by at least one light source, linearly polarized electromagnetic light in a first polarization state, wherein the linearly polarized light is configured to be provided to a blood sample,
receiving, at a polarizer analyzer, linearly polarized light in a second polarization state from the blood sample, wherein the polarizer analyzer is a liquid crystal display having an interferometry design configured to detect optical activity;
detecting, at a photodetector, a change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
wherein the at least one light source, the polarizer analyzer, and the photodetector are configured to be attached to a user's body or clothing such that the at least one light source, the polarizer analyzer, and the photodetector are portable as the photodetector detects the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state,
performing, at a processor, edge filtering on data related to the change in angle between the first polarization state and the second polarization state.

Assignees

• Us Navy

Inventors

• Pascoguin Bienvenido Melvin L
• Lu Ryan P
• Ramirez Ayax D

Classifications

• A61B5/14532 Primary

  for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement · CPC title

• A61B5/6816

  Ear lobe · CPC title

• A61B5/4839

  combined with drug delivery · CPC title

• A61B5/1455

  using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters · CPC title

• A61B5/6826

  Finger · CPC title