JP6948069B2 - Lipid measuring device and its method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lipid measuring device and a method thereof.

Postprandial hyperlipidemia is attracting attention as a risk factor for arteriosclerosis. Higher triglyceride levels on a non-fasting basis have been reported to increase the risk of developing events in coronary artery disease.

To diagnose postprandial hyperlipidemia, it is necessary to observe changes in blood lipid concentration 6 to 8 hours after meals. In other words, in order to measure the postprandial hyperlipidemia state, it is necessary to restrain the subject for 6 to 8 hours and collect blood multiple times. Therefore, the diagnosis of postprandial hyperlipidemia is beyond the scope of clinical research, and it has not been realistic to carry out the diagnosis of postprandial hyperlipidemia in clinical practice.

A method for solving such a problem is disclosed in Patent Document 1. According to the method of Patent Document 1, blood sampling can be eliminated by non-invasive lipid measurement. This makes it possible to measure blood lipids not only at medical institutions but also at home. By enabling immediate data acquisition, it becomes possible to measure blood lipids continuously over time.

International Publication No. 2014/087825

However, in the non-invasive lipid measurement method as shown in Patent Document 1, the skill of the measurer is required to determine the optimum measurement site, which is a factor of measurement error.

In addition, the light intensity of light that passes through a living body is attenuated due to the influence of skin, muscles, blood, and the like. In order to detect the concentration of a specific substance in the living body, it is desirable to remove the influence other than the object to be measured as much as possible.

On the other hand, as the accuracy is expressed by the S / N (signal / noise) ratio, it can be said that the measurement accuracy can be improved by detecting the signal intensity of the substance to be measured more strongly.

The measurement method shown in Patent Document 1 is one-dimensional (line-shaped) detection, but since the light diffusion is uneven due to veins, muscles, bones, etc., the measurement device may be displaced or attached or detached during measurement. It is difficult to measure at the same place. Therefore, in order to measure with high accuracy, the skill of the measurer was required.

The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and is to provide an apparatus and a method capable of non-invasive lipid measurement without the skill of a measurer.

The lipid measuring device of the present invention includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined part of the living body with light from outside the living body to a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity. A light intensity detection unit that detects the light reach range at a plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body, and a predetermined light reach range parameter is calculated based on the light reach range and used as the light reach parameter. It has a control unit that calculates the lipid concentration in the living body based on the control unit.

Further, the lipid measurement method of the present invention is an irradiation step of irradiating a predetermined part of a living body with light from outside the living body to a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity. A light intensity detection step of detecting the light reach range at the plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body, and a parameter calculation step of calculating a predetermined light reach range parameter based on the light reach range. It also has a lipid concentration calculation step of calculating the lipid concentration in the living body based on the light reach range parameter.

Further, the lipid measuring device of the present invention is an irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined part of the living body with light from outside the living body to a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity. It has a light intensity detection unit that detects the light reach range at a plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body, and a communication unit that transmits the light reach range detected by the light intensity detection unit. A lipid measuring device that is communicably connected to a user device, calculates a predetermined light reach parameter based on the light reach range transmitted from the user device, and lipids in the living body based on the light reach parameter. It has a control unit that calculates the concentration.

According to the lipid measuring device and method of the present invention, non-invasive lipid measurement is possible without the skill of the measurer.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the structure of the lipid measuring apparatus of an embodiment. It is a schematic front view which shows the structure of the lipid measuring apparatus of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the scattering of light by a blood lipid. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of the lipid measuring apparatus of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the light reach range. It is a figure which shows the light reach range. It is a figure which shows the actual captured image. It is a schematic diagram which shows the reason why the light spreads like a plurality of convex lenses. It is a flowchart of the operation method of the lipid measuring apparatus of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the lipid measurement system of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of the lipid measuring apparatus of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the result of having imaged the light reach range. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change of TG, and the time change of the light reach area. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change of TG, and the time change of the light reach area. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change of TG, and the time change of the light reach area. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change of TG and the time change of the minimum light reach distance. It is a figure which shows the correlation of the TG change amount and the minimum light reach distance l2. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change in TG, and the time change of the volume reached by light. It is a figure which shows the correlation of the TG change amount and the light arrival volume. It is the figure which used the laser for the irradiation part. It is a figure which shows the time change of the amount of change in TG and the time change of a flow rate. It is a figure which shows the correlation of the TG change amount and the flow rate.

Hereinafter, the lipid measuring device and the operating method thereof, which are the embodiments, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the lipid measuring device of the embodiment. FIG. 1B is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the lipid measuring device of the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the lipid measuring device 100 of the embodiment includes a plurality of irradiation units 101a to 101h that irradiate a predetermined part of the living body with light from outside the living body toward the inside of the living body, and emits light from the living body. The light intensity detection unit 102 that receives the light to be received and detects the light reach range F in the living body based on the light intensity, and the light reach range parameter based on the light reach range F detected by the light intensity detection unit 102. It has a control unit 103 that calculates parameters to be calculated and calculates the lipid concentration based on the light reachable range parameter.

The plurality of irradiation units 101a to 101h (hereinafter, may be generally referred to as irradiation units 101) are used to irradiate a predetermined irradiation position with light from outside the living body to the inside of the living body at a predetermined part of the living body. Has a light source. The irradiation unit 101 of the embodiment can adjust the wavelength of the light to be irradiated. The irradiation unit 101 can adjust the wavelength range to other than the wavelength range in which light is absorbed by the inorganic substance of plasma. The irradiation unit 101 can be adjusted to a wavelength range other than the wavelength range in which light is absorbed by the cell components of blood. Here, the cell components of blood are red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the blood. Plasma inorganics are blood water and electrolytes.

The wavelength range of the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 101 is preferably about 580 nm to about 1400 nm and about 1500 nm to about 1860 nm in consideration of the wavelength range in which the light is absorbed by the inorganic substance of plasma. Further, the wavelength range of the light irradiated by the irradiation unit 101 is more preferably about 580 nm to about 1400 nm and about 1500 nm to about 1860 nm in consideration of the wavelength range in which the light is absorbed by the cell components of blood.

By setting the wavelength range used for the irradiation unit 101 to the above range, the light detected by the light intensity detection unit 102, which will be described later, is affected by the absorption of light by the inorganic substances of plasma and the absorption of light by the cell component of blood. Suppress the influence of. As a result, there is not enough absorption to identify the substance, and the light energy loss due to absorption is negligibly small. Therefore, the light in the blood propagates far away due to the scattering by the lipids in the blood and is emitted to the outside of the body.

The irradiation unit 101 of the embodiment can arbitrarily adjust the length of time for irradiating light such as continuous irradiation of light and pulsed irradiation of light. The irradiation unit 101 can arbitrarily modulate the intensity of the light to be irradiated or the phase of the light.

The irradiation unit 101 may use a light source having a fixed wavelength. The irradiation unit 101 may be a mixture of a plurality of light sources having different wavelengths or light having a plurality of wavelengths.

The irradiation units 101a to 101h of the embodiment are arranged rotationally symmetrically on the circumference A centered on the light intensity detection unit 102. In the embodiment, the number of irradiation units 101 is set to 8, but the number is not limited to this. The number of irradiation units 101 is preferably 2 or more, and more preferably 4 or more. Further, the number of irradiation units 101 may be one, and the irradiation unit 101 may be moved to two or more rotationally symmetric positions for measurement.

The light intensity detection unit 102 receives the light emitted from the living body to the outside of the living body, detects the light intensity, and detects the light reach range F in the living body. In the following, the light from the irradiation unit 101h will be described, but the same applies to the irradiation unit 101a to 101g.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing light scattering by blood lipids. As shown in FIG. 2, the light (B in the figure) irradiated from the irradiation unit 101h to the irradiation position (E in the figure) on the surface of the living body D reached the depth at which lipids such as lipoprotein exist. After that, it is reflected by the lipid in the blood in the living body D (A in the figure). Further, the irradiated light is scattered by lipids in the blood, and backscattered light (C in the figure) is emitted from the living body. The light intensity detection unit 102 detects the light intensity of the backscattered light C.

In FIG. 2, the tip of the irradiation unit 101 is in contact with the living body D, but the tip of the irradiation unit 101 may be separated from the living body D by a predetermined distance. Further, the light receiving portion surface of the light intensity detection unit 102 may also be in contact with or separated from each other. The plurality of irradiation units 101a to 101h may be light sources having different wavelengths from each other. A plurality of irradiation units 101a to 101h may be arranged so as to be close to each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the distance from the irradiation position E of the irradiation unit 101h to the outer circumference of the range where a predetermined level of light intensity can be obtained (hereinafter referred to as the light reach range F) is defined as the light reach distance l.

The lipoprotein to be measured has a spherical structure covered with apoprotein or the like. Lipoproteins exist in the blood in a solid-like state. Lipoproteins have the property of reflecting light. In particular, chylomicrons (CM) and VLDL, which have a large particle size and specific gravity, contain a large amount of neutral fat (TG) and have a property of easily scattering light. Therefore, the light intensity detected by the light intensity detecting unit 102 includes the influence of light scattering by the lipoprotein.

The light intensity detection unit 102 is preferably an array-shaped image pickup device such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). The light intensity detection unit 102 may be a photodiode or the like. Further, the light intensity detection unit 102 may have light receiving elements arranged in an array or concentric circles. When the number of light receiving elements is reduced, the light receiving elements may be arranged in a cross shape or a V shape centered on the irradiation position E, or may be arranged on a straight line and moved or rotated for measurement.

Further, in FIG. 2, the light intensity detection unit 102 is arranged substantially in the center of the circle (A in FIG. 1B) in which the irradiation units 101a to 101h are arranged, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the irradiation units 101a to 101h are not limited to this. Any position may be used as long as it can detect a part or all of the light reachable range F.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the lipid measuring device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the lipid measuring device 100 of the embodiment. CPU (Central Processing Unit) 104, ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, RAM (Random Access Memory) 106, storage unit 107, external I / F (Interface) 108, irradiation unit 102, and The light intensity detection unit 102 is connected. A control unit (controller) 103 is composed of a CPU 104, a ROM 105, and a RAM 106.

The ROM 105 stores in advance a program and a threshold value executed by the CPU 104.

The RAM 106 has various memory areas such as an area for developing a program executed by the CPU 104 and a work area for data processing by the program.

The storage unit 107 stores data in an appropriate numerical range of static parameters and dynamic parameters prepared in advance. The storage unit 107 may be an internal memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores non-volatilely.

The external I / F 108 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as a client terminal (PC). The external I / F 108 may be an interface for data communication with an external device, for example, a device (USB memory or the like) locally connected to the external device, or a network for communication via a network. It may be an interface.

The control unit 103 calculates the light reach range parameter based on the light reach range F detected by the light intensity detection unit 102.

The binarization method may be adopted for the detection of the light reachable range F. The light intensity detected by the light intensity detection unit 102 is set to 256 levels from 0 to 255, and the light intensity detection unit 102 sets the light intensity threshold value to 254, which is the light reach range F in the case of 255.

Further, the farther the light intensity detection unit 102 is from the irradiation unit 101, the better the influence of scattering is reflected. Therefore, the value may be lowered without being limited to the above threshold value. In this case, since it is easily affected by ambient light in actual measurement, it is preferable to set it in a timely manner according to the shape of the device, the degree of shading, and the sensitivity of the light receiving element.

When an element such as a photodiode (PD) is used for the light receiving part of the light intensity detecting unit 102, an AD value or a voltage value may be used, and the measurement range used for the measurement includes the irradiation intensity, the sensitivity of the light receiving element, and the light shielding. It is preferable to set the timely according to the degree of.

In this example, when the operation is performed in a dark room in a state where the ambient light can be ignored, noise having an intensity of about 10 enters, so a case where the intensity is 11 or more is also examined.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a light reach range F on the surface of the living body of light from any of the irradiation units 101a to 10h as viewed from the X direction of FIG. As shown in the figure, in the case of only capillaries, the irradiation light is diffused in a circle with the irradiation position E as the center and the light reach distance l as the radius, and the light reach range F is circular on the surface of the living body.

The control unit 103 sets the light reach range parameter in the light reach range F101a to F101h of the irradiation units 101a to 10h (hereinafter, any one of the light reach ranges F101a to F101h may be referred to as a light reach range F). , The distance from each irradiation position E to the outer periphery (outer edge) of the light reach range (the light reach distance la to hl) is calculated.

The light intensity detection unit 102 images the entire light reach range F101a to F101h of the irradiation units 101a to 10h. However, the arrangement of the light intensity detection unit 102 is limited in terms of device configuration, and the angle of view may be narrowed. In this case, as the captured image of the light intensity detection unit 102, a plurality of substantially convex lens-shaped light spreads (A in the figure) are concentrically captured (FIG. 5A). FIG. 5B is a schematic view showing the reason for the spread of the plurality of convex lens-shaped lights of FIG. 5A. As shown in the figure, the light from each irradiation unit 101a to 10h spreads in a circular shape (F101a to F101h in the figure). On the other hand, the imaging range of the light intensity detection unit 102 is circular (B102 in the figure). Therefore, the outer periphery of the light reachable ranges F101a to F101h of each irradiation unit 101a to 10h is cut off by the imaging range B102 for imaging. As a result, the light reachable ranges F101a to F101h of each irradiation unit 101a to 10h become a convex lens shape and are imaged by the light intensity detection unit 102.

In this case, the light reach distances la to lh are calculated by the following method. First, the distance between the light intensity detection unit 102 and the irradiation unit 101 g (Ag in FIG. 5B) is predetermined from the device design value. By subtracting the linear distance (Bg in FIG. 5B) from the longest part (the apex of the arc) of the captured image from the distance between the light intensity detection unit 102 and the irradiation unit 101g (Ag in FIG. 5B) (that is, Ag-Bg), the light reach distance lg of the irradiation unit 101g is obtained. The light reach distances la to lf and hl are also obtained in the same manner. Since the size of the device is fixed, the device may be an ellipse obtained from the apex of the arc from the edge of the captured image, but in reality, the area is calculated from the brightness value assuming concentric circles.

The control unit 103 may obtain the average light reach distance lm by averaging the light reach distances la to 1 h. As a result, the accuracy of the measured value can be improved. Further, those deviating from the average value may be excluded, and the maximum value and the minimum value may be excluded. Further, as the light reachable range parameter, the sum of the light reachable distances la to 1h may be taken. The accuracy of the measured value can be improved by using the light reachable range parameter based on the light reachable distance la to 1h.

Further, the control unit 103 calculates the area of the light reachable area F (referred to as the light reachable area S) as the light reachable range parameter. The light reachable area S may be calculated from the average light reachable distance lm, or the light reachable areas Sa to Sh may be obtained from the light reachable distances la to 1h and averaged. The light reaching area S may be calculated from the number of pixels having a threshold value of 255. In order to average the measurement error, the light reach area S may be calculated as an elliptical area from the maximum light reach distance and the minimum light reach distance. Further, as the light reachable range parameter, the sum of the light reachable areas Sa to Sh may be taken, or the reachable area S may include the brightness value of the entire captured image by the light intensity detection unit 102. The accuracy of the measured value can be improved by making the light reachable range parameter based on the light reachable area Sa to Sh.

Further, the control unit 103 calculates the volume of the light reachable range F (referred to as the light reachable volume V) as the light reachable range parameter. The light reaching volume V can also be calculated as the light reaching volume V = (4 / 3π × a × b × c) / 2.

A, b, and c in the equation are radii where the coordinate axes x, y, and z directions of the sphere intersect at 90 °, respectively. If there is no distortion in the light reach range, a = b = c, so in FIG. 2, l = r and the light reach volume V is (4 / 3π × l ³ ) / 2). The light reaching volume V may be calculated from the average light reaching distance lm, or the light reaching volumes Va to Vh may be obtained from each light reaching distance la to 1h and averaged. Further, the sum of the respective light arrival volumes Va to Vh may be taken as the light arrival range parameter, or the arrival volume V may be included by including the brightness value of the entire captured image by the light intensity detection unit 102. The accuracy of the measured value can be improved by making the light reachable range parameter based on the light reachable volumes Va to Vh.

As shown in FIG. 2, when a part of each light reach range F101a to F101h intersects with each other, the irradiation units 101a to 101h are alternately lit, or the brightness value of the entire image by the light intensity detection unit 102 is used as the reach range. You may estimate.

Therefore, the light reachable range parameters are the ratio or difference between the light reachable area S, the light reachable distance l, the minimum light reachable distance l2, the light reachable area S and the minimum light reachable distance l2, and the maximum light reachable distance l1 and the minimum light reachable distance l2. , Light reach volume V, light reach volume V and minimum light reach distance l2, or a combination thereof.

The control unit 103 calculates the lipid concentration in the blood based on the calculated light reach range parameters (light reach distance l, light reach area S, light reach volume V, etc.).

As the lipid concentration in the blood changes, the area of diffusion of the irradiation light becomes smaller. It can be determined that this is because the reach of light decreases as the scattering of light by the lipid particles in the blood increases (that is, as the average particle size of the lipid particles in the blood increases). Therefore, the lipid concentration calculation unit 104 calculates the lipid concentration in blood from the light reachable range parameter (light reachable distance l or light reachable area S). This method does not depend on the measurement site because it can measure only information such as capillaries.

The average particle size of lipid means the particle size expressed in nm. The average particle size of lipoprotein is generally CM: 80 to 1000 nm, VLDL: 30 to 80 nm, LDL: 18 to 25 nm, and HDL: 7.5 to 10 nm.

The average particle size referred to here comprehensively expresses the following changes and conditions. That is, there are four types of lipoproteins, and changes in the number of particles also affect scattering. In addition, the number of four types of lipoprotein particles also fluctuates slightly. That is, the average particle size changes as the number of large particles increases or decreases, and the average particle size also changes as the number of small particles increases or decreases. Therefore, the average particle size changes even if the large particles become larger (or smaller), and the average particle size changes even if the smaller particles become larger (or smaller).

As shown in FIG. 11B, a good relationship of a correlation coefficient of -0.751 has been obtained between the amount of change in lipid concentration and the light reaching area S. Therefore, at least in the case of intra-individual variation, a predetermined phase is obtained. It can be calculated from the number of relationships.

Further, the control unit 103 may calculate the lipid concentration after calculating the scattering coefficient from the light reachable range parameter. In clinical practice, concentration and turbidity are sometimes used synonymously, and the concentration in the present invention includes turbidity. Therefore, the control unit 103 can use not only the concentration but also the number of particles per unit amount, the formagine turbidity, or the scattering coefficient as the calculation result.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a light reach range F on the surface of a living body as seen from the X direction of FIG. As shown in the figure, the light from each irradiation unit 101 does not diffuse concentrically when passing through a vein, and the light reachable range F has a maximum light reachable distance l1 and a minimum light reachable distance l2 on the surface of the living body. The shape becomes distorted. Here, the control unit 103 calculates the lipid concentration in blood from the minimum light reach distance l2. This method is a method that can be measured via a vein.

Further, the control unit 103 may calculate the lipid concentration from the light reach area S and the minimum light reach distance l2. As a result, information on veins and capillaries can be comprehensively acquired even at a measurement site including veins.

Further, the control unit 103 may further improve the accuracy of the vein information by taking the ratio or difference between the maximum light reach distance l1 and the minimum light reach distance l2. Further, the control unit 103 obtains the ellipticity of the light reachable range F from the maximum light reachable distance l1 and the minimum light reachable distance l2, or obtains the elliptical area of the light reachable range F to obtain the accuracy as vein information. You may increase it.

In the lipid measuring device 100 having the above configuration, the lipid measuring device 100 executes the lipid measuring process based on a preset program. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the lipid measurement process of the embodiment.

In the irradiation step (S101), the plurality of irradiation units 101a to 101h irradiate the irradiation position of the living body with continuous light. The plurality of irradiation units are arranged rotationally symmetrically on the circumference centered on the light intensity detection position. That is, the irradiation light is irradiated at a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference.

In the light intensity detection step (S102), the light intensity detection unit 102 detects the light intensity emitted from the living body around the irradiation position, and detects the light reach range F101a to F101h in the living body based on this light intensity. For the detection of light intensity, it is preferable to use an array-shaped image sensor such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). A photodiode or the like may be used to detect the light intensity. Further, the light intensity detection unit 102 may have light receiving elements arranged in an array or concentric circles. When the number of light receiving elements is reduced, the light receiving elements may be arranged in a cross shape or a V shape centered on the irradiation position E, or may be arranged on a straight line and moved or rotated for measurement. The light reach ranges F101a to F101h detected in the light intensity detection step are sent to the parameter calculation step.

In the parameter calculation step (S103), the control unit 103 calculates a predetermined light reach range parameter based on the light reach ranges F101a to F101h. The light reachable range parameter is the average value or sum of the areas Sa to Sh of the light reachable range F, the average value or sum of the volumes Va to Vh of the light reachable range F, or the light from the irradiation position E in the light reachable range F. The average value or the sum of the distances la to 1h to the outer circumference (outer edge) of the reachable range F may be used. The light reachable range parameters are only the minimum light reachable distance l2, the light reachable area S and the minimum light reachable distance l2, the light reachable volume V and the minimum light reachable distance l2, or the ratio of the maximum light reachable distance l1 and the minimum light reachable distance l2. It may be a difference or a combination thereof. The calculated light reach parameter is sent to the lipid concentration calculation step.

In the lipid concentration calculation step (S104), the control unit 103 calculates the lipid concentration in blood based on the light reachable range parameter. In the lipid concentration calculation step, the lipid concentration may be calculated after calculating the scattering coefficient from the light reachable range parameter.

As described above, according to the lipid measuring device and method of the present embodiment, by acquiring the two-dimensional information of the light intensity emitted from the living body, non-invasive lipid measurement can be easily performed without the skill of the measurer. Is possible.

Next, the lipid measuring device of another embodiment will be described. Since the configuration of the lipid measuring device of the other embodiment has some parts in common with the configuration of the lipid measuring device of the above embodiment, the different parts will be mainly described.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the irradiation unit 101, the light intensity detection unit 102, and the control unit 103 are integrally configured is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the irradiation unit 101 and the light intensity detection unit 102 are configured as a user device. , The control unit 103 may be provided in the server device connected to the user device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the lipid measurement system of the embodiment. The system includes a lipid measuring device 200, an access point 300, and a user device 400.

The lipid measuring device 200 is a device for performing a predetermined process based on the light intensity transmitted from the user device 400 and calculating the lipid concentration. Specifically, the number of personal computers, the number of devices, and transmission / reception are transmitted / received. A server device is appropriately used depending on the amount of data.

The user device 400 is a device owned by the user, may be a single device, or may be mounted on a smartphone, a mobile phone, a wristwatch, or the like. Further, as the irradiation unit 401, the light intensity detection unit 402, and the communication unit 404, a camera, lighting, a communication function, or the like provided in a smartphone or a mobile phone may be used.

The user device 400 has an irradiation unit 401 for irradiating light, a light intensity detection unit 402, and a communication unit 404. The communication unit 404 transmits the light intensity detected by the light intensity detection unit 402. The functions and operations of the irradiation unit 401 and the light intensity detection unit 402 have been described above.

The lipid measuring device 200 has a communication unit 208 and a control unit 203. The communication unit 208 receives the light intensity transmitted from the communication unit 404 via the access point 300 and transmits it to the control unit 203.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the lipid measuring device 200 will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the lipid measuring device 200 of the embodiment. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 204, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 205, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 206, a storage unit 207, and a communication unit (external I / F (Interface)) 208 are connected via the system bus 209. Be connected. The control unit (controller) 203 is composed of the CPU 204, the ROM 205, and the RAM 206.

The ROM 205 stores in advance a program and a threshold value executed by the CPU 204.

The RAM 206 has various memory areas such as an area for developing a program executed by the CPU 204 and a work area for data processing by the program.

The storage unit 207 stores data in an appropriate numerical range of static parameters and dynamic parameters prepared in advance. The storage unit 207 may be an internal memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores non-volatilely.

The communication unit (external I / F) 208 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as a client terminal (PC). The external I / F 208 may be an interface for data communication with an external device, for example, a device (USB memory or the like) locally connected to the external device, or a network for communication via a network. It may be an interface. The functions and operations of the control unit 203 have been described above.

In the embodiment, the light intensity is transmitted from the user device 400 to the lipid measuring device 200 via the access point 300, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the user device 400 and the lipid measuring device 200 do not go through the access point. The light intensity may be transmitted by means such as wired communication or wireless communication.

Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

In the lipid measuring device of this embodiment, the irradiation light is reflected and scattered by the blood lipid in the living body, and two-dimensional information of the light intensity emitted from the living body is acquired, so that the measuring device does not have to be skilled. , Enables non-invasive lipid measurement.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the results of photography using this device. As shown in FIG. 5A, each irradiation light from the LED (irradiation unit 101a to 101h) diffuses in a circle in the living body, and the diffusion of each irradiation light becomes a lens shape, and the light intensity detection unit 102 Is imaged by.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the results of imaging after fat loading (after increasing blood turbidity) at the same site on the skin of a living body.

In FIG. 9, similarly to FIG. 5A, the irradiation light from the LED (irradiation unit 101a to 102h) diffuses in the living body and becomes lenticular, but spreads to the periphery of the light as compared with FIG. 5A. It can be seen that is smaller.

From these obtained information, the lipid concentration can be calculated by the following method.
(1) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the light reach area S of light diffusion (method 1)
(2) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the strain of the light reach range F of light diffusion by veins (method 2)
(3) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the light reaching volume V of light diffusion (method 3)

The method of calculating the lipid concentration by each of the above methods will be described below.

(1) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the light reach area S of light diffusion (method 1)
This method does not depend on the measurement site because it is possible to measure only information such as capillaries by analyzing the part other than the vein. Further, the light reachable range or the light reachable area may be simply analyzed as the light reachable distance.

FIG. 10 is a diagram comparing the fluctuation of the lipid concentration by the fat loading test and the light reaching area S. FIG. 10A is a plot of the time change of the amount of TG change and the time change of the light reaching area at the time of fat loading on the wrist. FIG. 10B is a plot of the time change of the amount of TG change and the time change of the light reaching area at the time of fat loading in the forearm. As seen in FIG. 10A, it can be confirmed that the light reaching area S decreases as the lipid concentration increases. It can be judged that this is because the diffusion distance of light decreased as the scattering by the lipid particles increased. It can be seen that there is a correlation of -0.691 between the amount of change in TG and the area reached by light. FIG. 10B shows the measurement data of the forearm portion, and it can be seen that there is a correlation of -0.751 between the TG change amount and the light reach area.
FIG. 10C is a superposed view of FIGS. 10A and 10B, and it can be seen that the correlation is -0.691.

From these facts, it was confirmed that the same data can be easily obtained without deciding the measurement site in detail.

(2) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the strain of the light reach range F of light diffusion by veins (method 2)
When passing through a vein, the light does not diffuse concentrically, and the light reachable range F has a distorted shape. Here, the maximum light arrival distance l1 and the minimum light arrival distance l2 from the light incident point to the light arrival point were compared.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the minimum light reach l2 and the lipid concentration. FIG. 11A is a plot of the time change of the amount of TG change and the time change of the minimum light reach distance l2 at the time of fat loading. FIG. 11B shows the correlation between the amount of change in TG in FIG. 11A and the minimum light reach distance l2. As seen in FIG. 11A, it can be confirmed that the minimum light reach distance l2 decreases as the lipid concentration increases. It can be judged that this is because the diffusion distance of light decreased as the scattering by the lipid particles increased. From FIG. 11B, it can be seen that there is a correlation of 0.877 between the amount of change in TG and the initial light reach distance l2.

(3) A method of calculating the lipid concentration from the light reaching volume V of light diffusion (method 3)
This method does not depend on the measurement site because it can measure only information such as capillaries.

FIG. 12 is a diagram comparing the fluctuation of the lipid concentration and the light reaching volume V by the fat loading test. FIG. 12A is a plot of the time change of the amount of change in TG and the time change of the volume reached by light under fat loading. FIG. 12B shows the correlation between the amount of change in TG and the volume reached by light in FIG. 12A. As seen in FIG. 12A, it can be confirmed that the light reaching volume V decreases as the lipid concentration increases. It can be judged that this is because the diffusion distance of light decreased as the scattering by the lipid particles increased. From FIG. 12B, it can be seen that there is a correlation of 0.851 between the TG change amount and the light reaching volume V.

It is also possible to combine the method 1 and the method 2 to calculate the light reaching area S even at the measurement site including the vein and comprehensively acquire the information of the vein and the capillary.

Further, in the method 2, the accuracy of the vein information can be further improved by taking the ratio or difference between the maximum light reach distance l1 and the minimum light reach distance l2. Further, in the method 2, it is possible to obtain the ellipticity from the maximum light reachable distance l1 and the minimum light reachable distance l2, or to improve the accuracy of vein information from the elliptical area.

Further, in order to improve the accuracy of the vein information, it is possible to increase the incident points of the irradiation light by the irradiation unit 101 and specify the vein position from the information from a plurality of points.

FIG. 13 shows that the blood flow of the capillaries (light reach depth of about 1 mm) was measured by using a laser on the irradiation unit 101, irradiating the laser over a wide range, and measuring the speckle of the laser.

The reach depth of the light may be adjusted by adjusting the amount of light from the light source. Further, the light reach depth may be adjusted according to the wavelength.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the results of measurement in the same posture at the time of measurement and in a resting state in consideration of the influence of body temperature, pulse and the like.

FIG. 14A is a plot of the time change of the TG change amount and the time change of the flow rate at the time of fat loading. FIG. 14B shows the correlation between the amount of change in TG and the flow rate in FIG. 14A. As seen in FIG. 14A, it can be confirmed that the flow rate decreases as the lipid concentration increases and changes. From FIG. 14B, it can be seen that there is a correlation of 0.757 between the amount of change in TG and the flow rate. From this result, it was found that it is possible to calculate the lipid concentration from blood information other than veins.

Metabolic information can be obtained more accurately by comparing with venous information using the methods described in the references. It is also possible to obtain information on veins only by comparing the case where the light source is in contact with the case where the light source is not in contact.

100 Lipid measuring device 101 Irradiation unit 102 Light intensity detection unit 103 Control unit

Claims (11)

An irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined part of the living body with light from the outside of the living body to a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity.
A light intensity detection unit that detects the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body.
A control unit that calculates a predetermined light reach parameter based on the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions and calculates the lipid concentration in the living body based on the light reach parameter.
A lipid measuring device characterized by having. The lipid measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the light intensity detecting unit is an array-shaped element arranged substantially at the center of the predetermined circumference. The lipid measuring apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light reach parameter is based on the area of the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions. The lipid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light reach parameter is based on the distance from the irradiation position in the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions to the outer circumference of the light reach range. Measuring device. The lipid measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light reach parameter is based on the volume of the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions. From claim 1, the light reach parameter includes a ratio or difference between a maximum distance and a minimum distance from the irradiation position in the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions to the outer circumference of the light reach range. 5. The lipid measuring device according to any one of 5. The lipid measuring device according to any one of 1 to 6, wherein the light reach range is based on the average particle size of lipids in blood. The control unit
The lipid measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the scattering coefficient is calculated from the light reachable range parameter, and then the lipid concentration is calculated. The control unit calculates the light reach distance of the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions, averages the light reach distances at each of the plurality of positions, calculates the average light reach distance, and calculates the average light reach distance. The lipid measuring apparatus according to any one of 1 to 8, wherein the light reachable range parameter is calculated based on the above. An irradiation step of irradiating a predetermined part of the living body with light from outside the living body to a predetermined part of the living body at a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity.
A light intensity detection step of detecting a light reach range at each of the plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body.
A parameter calculation step of calculating a predetermined light reach parameter based on the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions, and a parameter calculation step.
A lipid concentration calculation step of calculating the lipid concentration in the living body based on the light reachable range parameter, and
A lipid measuring method characterized by having. An irradiation unit that irradiates a predetermined part of the living body with light from the outside of the living body to a plurality of rotationally symmetric positions on a predetermined circumference with a predetermined light intensity.
A light intensity detection unit that detects the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions in the living body based on the light intensity emitted from the living body, and a light at each of the plurality of positions detected by the light intensity detecting unit. A lipid measuring device that is communicably connected to a user device having a communication unit that transmits a reachable range.
A control unit that calculates a predetermined light reach parameter based on the light reach range at each of the plurality of positions transmitted from the user device and calculates the lipid concentration in the living body based on the light reach parameter. A lipid measuring device characterized by having.

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