JP2006296660A - Biological information measuring method, biological information measuring optical element and biological information measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To measure biological information in a biological tissue in the same position seen from the surface of a living body and at different depths. <P>SOLUTION: The biological information measuring method has the process A of irradiating biological tissue abutting against a concave portion from a first position of the concave portion with first light, the process B of irradiating the biological tissue abutting against the concave portion from the second position of the concave portion with second light, the process C of measuring the first light returning to the optical element from the biological tissue, the process D of measuring the second light returning to the optical element from the biological tissue and the process E of obtaining the biological information on the biological tissue on the basis of the result of measurements obtained in the process C and the process D by using an optical element having a concave portion to abut against the biological tissue. The second position is located in a position deeper than the first position in the concave portion, and the first position and the second position of the concave portion are set so that the optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light are superposed on each other seen from a side where the optical element butts against the biological tissue. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical measurement apparatus and measurement method for a body fluid component that noninvasively measures glucose, cholesterol, urea, triglyceride and the like in a body fluid by optically measuring a living tissue.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method for measuring biological information using an optical element having a concave portion that comes into contact with a biological surface has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). As shown in FIG. 6, the biological information measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a light source 11, a plurality of concave portions 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, and convex portions 631, 632, 633, 634, 635 on the surface. , 636, a photodetector 18, a signal detector 64, and a display device 65.

When this biological information measuring device is used, the surface of the biological information detecting contact is brought into contact with the biological tissue 66, and the convex portions 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636 are pushed into the biological tissue 66. The light from the light source 11 is incident on the living tissue 66 that is in contact with the recesses 621, 622, 623, 624, and 625 from the contact for detecting biological information. After light propagates through the living tissue 66, the light is incident on the living body information detecting contact and the light emitted from the living body information detecting contact is detected by the photodetector 18. By adjusting the depths of the recesses 621, 622, 623, 624, and 625, the depth of the living tissue 66 to be measured can be controlled, and the optical characteristics of the specific layer are determined.
International Publication No. 01/58355 Pamphlet

  However, the conventional optical measurement method and optical measurement apparatus as described above have the following problems. That is, in the conventional method, for example, among the plurality of concave portions 621, 622, 623, 624, 625 and the convex portions 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, a concave portion 622 is located at another position. By forming deeper, information of different depths was measured. However, since it is necessary to use the concave portions 622 and 623 provided at different positions, there is a problem that the position at which the living tissue is measured is different from the surface of the living body.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a biological information measurement method and biological information measurement that can measure biological information in biological tissues at the same position and different depths as seen from the surface of the biological body. An object of the present invention is to provide an optical element and a biological information measuring device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
A biological information measuring method comprising a recess for contacting a biological tissue and using an optical element for irradiating the biological tissue with light incident from a light source,
Irradiating the living tissue in contact with the concave portion from the first position of the concave portion with a first light; and
A step B of irradiating the biological tissue in contact with the concave portion from the second position of the concave portion with a second light;
Measuring the first light returned from the biological tissue to the optical element; and
Measuring the second light returned from the living tissue to the optical element; and
Based on the measurement results obtained in the step C and the step D, the step E for obtaining biological information of the biological tissue,
In the recess, the second position is located deeper than the first position,
The first position and the second position of the recess are such that the optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light overlap each other when the optical element is viewed from the side in contact with the living tissue. Provided is a biological information measurement method that has been set.

The present invention also provides:
A recess for contacting the living tissue;
A first light emitting part and a second light emitting part for emitting light incident from a light source toward the living tissue from the recess,
A first light incident portion provided at a position where the first light emitted from the first light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the biological tissue enters the concave portion from the biological tissue;
A second light incident portion provided at a position where the second light emitted from the second light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the biological tissue enters the concave portion from the biological tissue;
In the recess, the second light emitting part is located deeper than the first light emitting part, and the second light incident part is located deeper than the first light incident part. ,
In the recess, the first light emitting part, the second light emitting part, the first light incident part, and the second light incident part are viewed from the side in which the optical element is in contact with the living tissue. An optical element for measuring biological information is provided so that the optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light are overlapped.

  Furthermore, the present invention calculates a light source, the biological information measuring optical element, a photodetector for detecting light emitted from the biological information measuring optical element, and information obtained by the photodetector. There is also provided a biological information measuring device including a computing unit that calculates biological information.

  According to the present invention, there are provided a biological information measuring method, a biological information measuring optical element, and a biological information measuring apparatus capable of measuring biological information in biological tissues at the same position and different depths as viewed from the biological surface. Can do.

The biological information measuring method of the present invention includes a concave portion for contacting with a biological tissue, and uses an optical element for irradiating the biological tissue with light incident from a light source,
A step A of irradiating the living tissue in contact with the recessed portion with the first light from the first position of the recessed portion, and a step of applying the first light to the living tissue in contact with the recessed portion from the second position of the recessed portion. Measuring the first light returned from the biological tissue to the optical element, and measuring the second light returned from the biological tissue to the optical element. And a step E of obtaining biological information of the living tissue based on the measurement results obtained in the step C and the step D, wherein the second position is more than the first position in the recess. The first position and the second position of the concave portion are located at a deeper position when viewed from the side where the optical element is in contact with the living tissue, and the optical axis of the first light and the second light The optical axis is set to overlap.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to measure biological information in biological tissues at the same position and different depths as viewed from the biological surface.

Here, the biological information measurement method of the present invention preferably further includes a step F of correcting the measurement result obtained in the step D using the measurement result obtained in the step C.
According to such a configuration, correction can be performed using the results measured at the same position as seen from the surface of the living body, and therefore, correction with higher accuracy is possible.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the second position is set so that the second light propagates through the skin layer and the dermis layer of the living tissue.
According to such a configuration, the biological information in the dermis layer can be obtained by correcting the influence of the epidermis layer.

In addition, the biological information measuring optical element of the present invention includes a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit configured to emit a concave portion for contacting the biological tissue and light incident from a light source toward the biological tissue from the concave portion. And a first light provided at a position where the first light emitted from the first light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the living tissue enters the concave portion from the living tissue. An incident portion and a second light incident portion provided at a position where the second light emitted from the second light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the biological tissue enters the concave portion from the biological tissue. In the recess, the second light emitting part is located deeper than the first light emitting part, and the second light incident part is deeper than the first light incident part. Located in place, and in the recess, the first light emission The second light emitting unit, the first light incident unit, and the second light incident unit are configured such that the optical axis of the first light and the second light incident unit are the same as the optical axis of the first light when viewed from the side in contact with the biological tissue. It arrange | positions so that the optical axis of 2nd light may overlap.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to measure biological information in biological tissues at the same position and different depths as viewed from the biological surface.

Here, the first light emitting part and the second light emitting part are arranged on different light emitting surfaces, and the first light incident part and the second light incident part are different from each other. May be arranged.
Further, the first light emitting part and the second light emitting part are arranged on the same light emitting surface, and the first light incident part and the second light incident part are on the same light incident surface. It may be arranged. In this case, on the light emitting surface, a first light transmission control unit is provided between the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit, and the first light incident unit and the second light emitting unit are provided. A second light transmission control unit may be provided between the first light incident unit and the second light transmission unit.

  The biological information measuring device of the present invention is obtained by a light source, the biological information measuring optical element, a photodetector for detecting light emitted from the biological information measuring optical element, and the photodetector. And a calculator for calculating biological information by calculating the information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a light source 11, a biological information measuring optical element 12, a light splitter 16, a spectrometer 17, a photodetector 18, and a computing unit 19. It consists of and. Examples of the spectroscope 17 include a spectroscopic device using a grating and a Fourier transform spectroscopic device.

  The biological information measuring optical element 12 is provided with a groove portion 13 corresponding to the concave portion of the present invention, and the skin to be measured is brought into contact with the groove portion 13 for measurement. As shown in FIG. 1, the light from the light source 11 is incident on the biological information measuring optical element 12, and the two light emitting surfaces 14 in the groove that are emitted toward the living tissue, There are two light incident surfaces 15 in the groove, which is a surface where light from the tissue returns to the biological information measuring optical element 12. The two light emitting surfaces 14 are arranged at positions where the depth of the groove 13 is different from each other, and the two light incident surfaces 15 are arranged at positions where the depth of the groove 13 is different from each other.

  Here, of the two light emitting surfaces 14, the light emitting surface 14 located at a deeper location of the groove 13 corresponds to the second light emitting portion, and the light emitting surface 14 located at a shallower location. Corresponds to the first light emitting section. Of the two light incident surfaces 15, the light incident surface 15 located at a deeper location of the groove 13 corresponds to the second light incident portion, and the light incident surface 15 located at a shallower location. This corresponds to the first light incident part. The light emitting surface 14 and the light incident surface 15 are arranged at symmetrical positions in the cross section in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the groove 13.

  As shown in FIG. 1, by changing the angles of the light exit surface 14 in the groove 13 and the light incident surface 15 in the groove 13, the light refraction angle is changed, and information on different depths of the living tissue is measured. The light passing through the light emitting surface 14 in the groove on the upper surface side of the biological information measuring optical element 12 is used to measure deeper information on the living tissue, and the light emitting surface 14 in the groove on the lower surface side of the biological information measuring optical element 12. Measure shallower information in living tissue using light passing through.

The biological information measuring apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by measuring information on body fluid components by measuring only the epidermis, dermis, and living tissue in the vicinity thereof. Here, the information on the body fluid component means information useful for various diagnoses and treatments such as the concentration of the body fluid component and the temporal change of the concentration.
The thickness of the epidermis is generally said to be about 200 μm. A general skin has a four-layer structure as shown in FIG.

Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the epidermis and dermis. From the outermost layer, the stratum corneum 21, the granule layer 22, the spinous layer 23, the basal layer 24, the basement membrane 29, and the dermis 200 are called in order. 26, called spiny cells 27 and basal cells 28.
The stratum corneum 21 is usually formed from several to a dozen layers of stratum corneum cells 25. The stratum corneum 25 is a so-called “dead cell”, and is not subject to life activity such as metabolism. The constituent components are mainly lipids and proteins. For this reason, the stratum corneum 21 influences as a disturbing component when the body fluid component is optically measured.

The granule layer 22 is present at the boundary between the living cells and the dead cells that form the stratum corneum, and mainly functions as a “waterproof barrier” that prevents the deeper layer from flowing out of the body.
The spiny layer 23 is a cell that has differentiated from the basal layer 24 below the spiny layer 23 and occupies most of the epidermis. The spiny layer 23 is a uniform tissue, and performs biological activities such as sugar metabolism and lipid metabolism in the same manner as normal cells.
The basal layer 24 is present at the boundary with the dermis and produces epidermal cells by cell division as stem cells of the epidermis.

  Since these cells forming the epidermis are living cells except for the keratinocytes 25, nutrients must be supplied in order to survive as cells. These cells are then nourished by the capillaries 220 present in the nipple 210 of the dermis 200. In addition, it is known that the glucose concentration in the epidermis changes in direct proportion to the change in blood glucose level (for example, Yamamura, 4 others, “Modern Dermatology University 3B Skin Structure and Function II”). Nakayama Shoten, 1982). The dermis 200 is also rich in blood vessels, and it is known that the glucose concentration present in the dermis follows changes in blood glucose level.

Next, the operation of the biological information measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitted from the light source 11 and incident on the biological information measuring optical element 12 reaches the groove 13 and then exits toward the living tissue from the light emitting surface 14 in the groove. The emitted light passes through the living tissue. At this time, the light is absorbed and scattered by the living tissue. Information on different depths in the living tissue is measured by forming the groove 13 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the light enters the biological information measuring optical element 12 again from the light incident surface 15 in the groove. Thereafter, the light is emitted from the biological information measuring optical element 12, divided by the light splitter 16, and split by the spectroscope 17 in order to separately measure the light transmitted through the respective depths. Finally, the light enters the photodetector 18.

The photodetector 18 detects light and calculates the absorbance from the intensity of the light. At this time, the absorbance of the epidermis and the absorbance of the portion deeper than the epidermis of the tissue can be calculated separately by dividing the light by the light splitter 16.
The computing unit 19 refers to a conversion table representing the correlation between the absorbance and the glucose concentration, and calculates the glucose concentration in the body fluid from the obtained absorbance.

  Next, taking the case of measuring the living tissue of the inner forearm as the measurement site, the state during measurement will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the measurement site is the forearm, but the measurement site is not limited to the forearm, and is not particularly limited, for example, the earlobe, lip mucosa, finger, and upper arm.

  FIG. 3 shows the positional relationship between the groove 13 and the epidermis 31 when the skin is actually in contact. As shown in FIG. 3, the living tissue adheres to the surface of the groove 13. At this time, the living tissue takes a shape as shown in FIG. When light is incident through the groove 13 in this state, the light is refracted at the interface between the living tissue and the groove 13, and the second light 32 is incident on the epidermis 31. At this time, since the dermis 200 is deformed as shown in FIG. 3, the first light 33 is transmitted through the dermis 200.

  In order to refract the groove portion 13 and the living tissue as shown in FIG. 3 as described above, the refractive index of the biological information measuring optical element 12 provided with the groove portion 13 is preferably higher than that of the living tissue. In addition, since the biological tissue is a scatterer and has a refractive index dispersion depending on the wavelength, the refraction angle is dispersed, which may affect the measurement. However, since biological tissue has strong forward scattering and a short optical path length, these effects can be ignored in the present invention.

In order to measure only the epidermis, as shown in FIG. 3, since the epidermis 31 enters the gap of the groove and the thickness of a general epidermis is approximately 200 micrometers, the first light 33 is What is necessary is just to set the maximum value of the depth of the groove part 13 to pass to at least 200 micrometers or less.
The maximum value of the depth of the groove 13 through which the first light passes is basically affected by the thickness of the skin 31. Therefore, for example, if the epidermis is thinner than 200 μm at a certain part, the maximum value of the depth of the groove may be thinner than 200 μm. Similarly, when the thickness of the skin is greater than 200 μm, the maximum value of the depth of the groove may be thicker than 200 μm. And in the position where an individual difference is large, it is good to determine the maximum value of the depth of a groove | channel according to the thickness of an epidermis.

Furthermore, in order to measure different depths, it is preferable that the optical path lengths differ according to the respective depths.
Furthermore, the optical path length of the first light 33 is preferably longer than the optical path length of the second light 32. This is because the information obtained by the first light 33 includes more information on the dermis 200 than the information obtained by the light of the second light 32.

The optimum optical path length varies depending on the wavelength of light used for measurement. For example, when the near infrared region is used, it is preferable to set the optical path length to 1 to 2 mm. Moreover, when using a mid-infrared area | region, it is preferable to set to 100 micrometers or less.
Here, the near-infrared region refers to a region having a wavelength of 800-2500 nm, and the mid-infrared region refers to a region having a wavelength of 2500-25000 nm. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where the mid-infrared region is used will be described.

Further, as a modification of the present invention, there is a biological information measuring optical element 12 as shown in FIG. The groove 13 is set in a convex shape, and the second light 32 and the first light 33 are allowed to pass through the living tissue as shown in FIG.
Even in this case, it is preferable to set the optical path length of the first light 33 longer than the optical path length of the second light 32.

Further, as a modification of the present invention, a biological information measuring optical element 12 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the light transmission control unit 51 may be provided so as to separate the second light 32 and the first light 33. As the light transmission control unit 51, those known in the art can be used without particular limitation.
For example, the light may be absorbed by a light absorber, or the light may be reflected by a light reflector. In addition, it is preferable to form the light absorber with a single-layer film having an appropriate thickness or with a multilayer film because multiple interference of light occurs in the film and unnecessary light can be efficiently absorbed.

In addition, the light absorber and the film material at this time can be used without any particular limitation. For example, Cu, Cr, Mo, Fe, Ni, amorphous Si, SiC, Ge, WSi ₂ , Ti, TiN, Ta, TiW, Co, SiGe, TiSi 2, CrSi 2, MoSi 2, FeSi 2, NiSi 2, CrN, MoN 2, SiO 2, Al 2 O 3, etc. TiO ₂ and the like.
As the light absorber, the groove 13 of the biological information measuring optical element 100 may be formed by doping boron, phosphorus, or the like using, for example, an ion implantation method or the like so as to have absorption by impurities.

  Next, a correction method using the arithmetic unit 19 will be described using equations (1) to (5).

In the measuring method of the present invention, the skin layer becomes a disturbing component of the measurement. As shown in FIG. 3, the thicknesses of the skin layers through which the first light and the second light propagate are approximately equal.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when measuring in a state where the second light propagating through the shallower tissue propagates through the epidermis layer and the dermis layer, the measurement using the first light and the second light are performed. The effect of the skin layer on the measurement used is equal to Beer's law.

Absorbance is expressed by the Lambert-Beer law expressed by equation (1). Where α is the product of the molar extinction coefficient ε and the concentration C. Equation (2) shows the Lambert-Beer law when a deeper tissue is measured, and is the sum of the products of the absorption coefficients and optical path lengths of the various components. Equation (3) shows the shallower tissue. Beer's law when measured.
Comparing equation (2) and equation (3), the optical path length in the epidermis layer is different because the thickness of the epidermis layer is the same as described above, but the angle of light incident on the living tissue is different. 3 can be corrected using θ1 and θ2 in FIG. In addition, the relationship between the optical path lengths in the epidermis at this time is expressed by Expression (4).

Further, the absorption coefficient of the skin layer is almost the same in each measurement because the tissue at the same position is measured. Therefore, the only difference between the formula (2) and the formula (3) is the optical path length in the dermis layer. Therefore, in the correction step, for example, the absorbance calculated by the equation (3) is subtracted from the absorbance calculated by the equation (2) from the equation (2) as in the equation (5). Thus, the influence of the skin layer can be canceled.
And the glucose concentration in the body fluid in a dermis layer can be calculated | required with reference to the conversion table showing the correlation with a light absorbency and glucose concentration from the light absorbency obtained by Formula (5).

In the present embodiment, this process is used as a correction process. Further, in the present embodiment, the epidermis layer has been considered. However, for example, saliva, sweat, and tears may be used as an obstacle.
According to the present invention, even when a stratum corneum, saliva, sweat, tears, and the like that exist as interference components when measuring a body fluid component (glucose in the present embodiment) are measured in a living tissue, different depths are measured. Thus, the influence of the disturbing component on the body fluid component information can be reduced or eliminated.

The concentration of the body fluid component is not uniform and there is a concentration distribution. For example, the glucose concentration in the epidermis has a concentration distribution because the source is capillaries in the dermis layer, and glucose leaked from the capillaries is supplied to the epidermis while diffusing into the epidermis. . Therefore, when the measurement is performed at different positions from the surface of the living body, the concentrations of the body fluid components obtained by the measurement may be different.
According to the present invention, it is possible to measure biological information in biological tissues at the same position and different depths as seen from the surface of the biological body, so that the interference component can be corrected with higher accuracy than in the past.

Next, the light source 11 may be any light source that emits light having an absorption wavelength of a measurement component that is a measurement target. In the case of light in the mid-infrared region, for example, a global light source obtained by sintering SiC in a rod shape, a CO ₂ laser, a tungsten lamp, or the like can be used. As glucose, wavenumber 1033cm ^-1, when measuring substances, such as an absorption peak in the infrared region such as 1080 cm ^-1, even in the long wavelength region of about 10μm may cover a relatively wide wavelength range From the viewpoint of good emission, a global light source is preferred. Moreover, if it is the light of a near infrared region, a halogen light source, a semiconductor laser, LED, etc. will be mentioned, for example.

As the material of the biological information measuring optical element 12, materials known in the art can be used. For example, at wavelengths in the mid-infrared region, silicon, germanium, SiC, diamond, ZnSe, ZnS and KrS can be mentioned.
Here, as glucose, in the case of measuring the substance, such as an absorption peak in the mid-infrared region of the wavenumber 1033cm ^-1 or 1080 cm ^-1 it is of high transmittance in the infrared wavelength of about 9~10μm From the viewpoint, silicon or germanium having a small impurity content such as boron or phosphorus and a resistivity of 100 Ωcm or more is preferable. Furthermore, those having a resistivity of 1500 Ωcm or more are particularly preferable.

In the case of the near infrared region, examples thereof include fused quartz and single crystal silicon.
Among these, single crystal silicon is preferable from the viewpoint of a high refractive index, and the single crystal silicon preferably has a low content of impurities such as boron and phosphorus and has a resistivity of 100 Ωcm or more. Furthermore, those having a resistivity of 1500 Ωcm or more are particularly preferable. Further, glass or resin may be used.

The groove portion 13 only needs to have a shape that exhibits the function of measuring the epidermis or dermis. In particular, any depth can be used as long as the measurement depth can be set to 500 μm or less. For example, in addition to the shape shown in FIG. 1, a step-like groove as shown in FIG.
Further, in the above description, the case of obtaining biological tissue information at two different depths using the first light and the second light has been described. For example, using the third light and the fourth light, Further, the measurement depth may be changed. For example, the stratum corneum in the epidermis may be measured using the third light, the spiny layer in the epidermis may be measured using the second light, and the dermis information may be measured using the first light. By doing in this way, since the information regarding depth is obtained further, it is preferable.

The light splitter 16 may be any known in the field to which the present invention belongs, and is not particularly limited as long as it can separate the light whose depth is measured and can enter the light into the photodetector 18. Can be used.
Examples thereof include a mechanical chopper, a filter, and an acousto-optic modulator. Moreover, you may provide the photodetector 18 directly in the output end of each light.

As the spectroscope 17, those known in the field to which the present invention belongs can be used. For example, a spectroscope using a grating or a Fourier transform spectroscope may be used.
As the photodetector 18, those known in the field to which the present invention belongs can be used. For example, in the mid-infrared region, pyroelectric sensors, thermopiles, thermistors, and MCT detectors (HgCdTe detectors, which are a kind of quantum detectors) can be mentioned. In the near infrared region, an InGaAs detector, a photodiode, a PbS detector, an InSb detector, an InAs detector, and the like can be given.

The computing unit 19 can be used without any particular limitation. For example, an arithmetic processing device such as a computer may be used.
In the above description, the method and apparatus for measuring glucose by using the human inner forearm as the living tissue as the test sample has been described. However, for example, the ear lobe, the lip mucosa, the finger, the upper arm, and the like can also be used. is there. In addition, if the body fluid component is a substance that can be measured optically, it is possible to measure body fluid components other than glucose.

  As described above, the living body information measuring method, the living body information measuring optical element and the living body information measuring apparatus according to the present invention are the same position as viewed from the living body surface, and different depths of living tissues, for example, surface tissues and the like. Deep layers can be selectively measured. The present invention is particularly useful for measuring body fluid components in medical applications.

It is the schematic which shows one Embodiment of the biological information measuring device which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of human skin. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the groove | channel part 13 part of the said optical element for biological information measurement which shows a mode that the optical element for biological information measurement shown in FIG. 1 is contacting the skin. It is a figure which shows another example of the groove part of the optical element for biological information measurement. It is a figure which shows another example of the groove part of the optical element for biological information measurement. It is a figure which shows the conventional contact for biometric information detection.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Biological information measuring device 11 Light source 12 Optical element for biological information measurement 13 Groove part 14 Light emission surface in groove part 15 Light incident surface in groove part 16 Optical splitter 17 Spectrometer 18 Photo detector 19 Calculator 21 Horny layer 22 Granule layer 23 Existence Spinous layer 24 basal layer 25 corneocytes 26 granule cells 27 spinous cells 28 basal cells 29 basement membrane 200 dermis 210 papillae 220 capillary 31 epidermis 32 second light 33 first light 34 apex angle 51 light transmission control unit 621 622, 623, 624, 625 Concavity 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636 Convex part 64 Signal processing part 65 Display device 66 Biological tissue

Claims (8)

A biological information measuring method comprising a recess for contacting a biological tissue and using an optical element for irradiating the biological tissue with light incident from a light source,
Irradiating the living tissue in contact with the concave portion from the first position of the concave portion with a first light; and
A step B of irradiating the biological tissue in contact with the concave portion from the second position of the concave portion with a second light;
Measuring the first light returned from the biological tissue to the optical element; and
Measuring the second light returned from the living tissue to the optical element; and
Based on the measurement results obtained in the step C and the step D, the step E for obtaining biological information of the biological tissue,
In the recess, the second position is located deeper than the first position,
The first position and the second position of the recess are such that the optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light overlap each other when the optical element is viewed from the side in contact with the living tissue. Biological information measurement method that has been set.   The biological information measuring method according to claim 1, further comprising a step F of correcting the measurement result obtained in the step D using the measurement result obtained in the step C.   The biological information measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the first position is set so that the first light propagates through an epidermis and a dermis of the biological tissue. A recess for contacting the living tissue;
A first light emitting part and a second light emitting part for emitting light incident from a light source toward the living tissue from the recess,
A first light incident portion provided at a position where the first light emitted from the first light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the biological tissue enters the concave portion from the biological tissue;
A second light incident portion provided at a position where the second light emitted from the second light emitting portion and scattered and / or absorbed by the biological tissue enters the concave portion from the biological tissue;
In the recess, the second light emitting part is located deeper than the first light emitting part, and the second light incident part is located deeper than the first light incident part. ,
In the recess, the first light emitting part, the second light emitting part, the first light incident part, and the second light incident part are viewed from the side in which the optical element is in contact with the living tissue. An optical element for measuring biological information arranged so that the optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light overlap. The first light emitting part and the second light emitting part are arranged on different light emitting surfaces;
The optical element for biological information measurement according to claim 4, wherein the first light incident part and the second light incident part are arranged on different light incident surfaces. The first light emitting part and the second light emitting part are arranged on one light emitting surface;
The optical element for biological information measurement according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the first light incident part and the second light incident part are arranged on one light incident surface. In the light emitting surface, a first light transmission control unit is provided between the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit,
The optical element for biological information measurement according to claim 6, wherein a second light transmission control unit is provided between the first light incident unit and the second light incident unit. A light source, an optical element for measuring biological information according to any one of claims 4 to 7, a photodetector for detecting light emitted from the optical element for measuring biological information, and the photodetector. A biological information measuring device comprising: an arithmetic unit that calculates biological information by calculating information.

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