JPS6073344A - Biochemical component analytical apparatus using laser beam - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the continuous real time analysis of biochemical components without sampling body fluids, by guiding laser beam to an internal multiple total reflection prism (ATR) colsely adhered to the mucous membrane tissue of a living while measuring reflected light. CONSTITUTION:Laser beam from a CO2 laser beam source 14 branched in a beam branching part 30 is simultaneously guided to an ATR prism 10 for a specimen closely adhered to the mucous membrane tissue of a living body such as a lip and an ATR prism 32 for calibration immersed in a calibration solution and the residual reflected laser beams due to the prisms 10, 32 not absorbed with the biochemical components of a living body and the calibration solution are received by light receiving parts 38, 36 of a measuring and operating part. Because it is unnecessary to collect body fluids, the biochemical components of a living body can be continuously analyzed in a real time on the basis of the light receiving signals of the light receiving parts 38, 36.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a biochemical component analyzer using laser light, and particularly to a device for non-invasively measuring biochemical components by attenuating the energy of laser light that has penetrated into living tissue. Regarding the biochemical component analyzer that can be used.

Prior Art In recent years, in the medical field, it has become essential to measure biochemical components, especially components contained in body fluids such as blood, from both preventive and therapeutic medicine.1 These sample tests provide a large amount of diagnostic information. is being prayed for.

Conventional general sample testing involves collecting a predetermined body fluid from a biological tissue, subjecting the body fluid to a highly recommended treatment such as Separation YNII, and then performing a chemical reaction to identify the components in the body fluid. Therefore, with such conventional devices, it takes a relatively long time to obtain the measurement results, and it is impossible to obtain the results in real time. There was a problem that analysis could not be performed.

In addition, in conventional laboratory tests, the collection of body fluids places a large burden on the test subject. For example, in stress tests known as tests for diabetes, blood is collected from the test subject multiple times, so The problem was that it imposed a burden that could not be ignored.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to be able to continuously measure biochemical components in a non-invasive manner, and to avoid burdening the subject in real time. An object of the present invention is to provide a biochemical component analyzer using laser light that enables biochemical component analysis without any problems.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a sample AT)t prism that is brought into close contact with the mucosal tissue of a living body, a calibration ATR prism through which a portion of laser light is guided, and a sample AT A.T.
A laser light source guides laser light of a predetermined wavelength to the R prism and the calibration ATR prism, and the energy output of the sample ATR prism and the calibration ATR prism are measured, and based on the measurement results, the biochemistry of the living body is determined. The light guide path of the laser light to the ATR prism for sample and the ATR prism for calibration includes a measurement calculation unit that measures the components, and the laser light is branched and the laser light at the same time is transmitted to the ATR prism for sample and the ATR prism for calibration. A light branching section for guiding the light to the prism is provided, and the laser light source is provided with an optical switch that converts the laser light into intermittent light, and the laser light source, the optical switch,
The optical branching section, the ATR prism for the sample, the ATR prism for calibration, and the light guide path of the measurement calculation section each consist of original fibers, and are characterized in that biochemical components are measured non-invasively.

Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a principle diagram of the biochemical component analyzer according to the present invention, in which a laser beam 100 is guided into a sample A'rR (internal multiple total internal reflection) prism 10, and the sample For A
When the TR prism is pressed against a biological tissue, for example, a mucous tissue 12 such as the lips, the laser beam 100 penetrates into the tissue to a depth proportional to its wavelength and is totally reflected, so that biochemical components such as It becomes possible to non-invasively and continuously measure tissue sugar concentration and the like.

A preferred embodiment of the biochemical component analyzer according to the present invention based on the above principle is shown in FIG. 2, in which a carbon dioxide laser beam is guided to the sample ATR prism 10 to inject approximately 10 microns into the mucous tissue such as the lips. By multiply reflecting laser light within a certain depth and measuring its absorption spectrum, tissue sugar concentration can be continuously measured non-invasively.

The output from the laser light source 14 is converted into intermittent light by the optical switch 28, and then applied to the optical branching section 30, which connects the sample AT1t prism 1 () and the calibration ATR prism. The light is divided into 32 parts and guided.

That is, one of the laser beams from the source switch 28 is guided to the sample ATR prism 10, and the other is guided to the calibration ATR prism 10.
The laser light guided by the prism 32 and incident on the sample ATft prism 10 penetrates a very small amount, usually about 10 microns, into the lip mucosa of the subject pressed against the prism surface, and at this time, A portion of the laser light energy is absorbed by mucosal tissue.

As mentioned above, the amount of absorption is approximately proportional to the sugar concentration in the mucosal tissue. Therefore, the output of the light that has undergone multiple total reflection within the sample ATR prism 10 is reduced by the absorption amount within the living tissue, and by measuring this absorption reduction, the biochemical components within the living tissue can be analyzed. becomes possible. That is, the laser light emitted from the sample ATR prism IO is supplied to the measurement calculation unit 34, and the measurement calculation unit 34 analyzes the biochemical components.

On the other hand, the calibration ATR prism 32 has its prism direction immersed in a calibration solution such as physiological saline, and the laser beam is incident on the measurement calculation section 34 after undergoing a known attenuation. The calibration prism 32 is also a prism similar to the sample ATR prism 1o, and the frequency of the guided laser light,
The energy absorbed by the calibration solution changes depending on the strength and other factors.
By comparing the output of the calibration ATR prism 32 and the sample ATR prism 10, it becomes possible to accurately measure biochemical components.

The measurement calculation section 34 includes a light receiving section 36.38 that converts a light incident signal into an electric signal, and the laser beams emitted from the sample ATRTR prism and the calibration ATR prism 32 are sent to the light receiving sections 38.36, respectively. The energy is detected electrically.

Note that the light receiving sections 36 and 38 are generally of a removable type using original connectors. The outputs of the light receiving sections 36 and 38 are amplified by the -r amplifier 4o, then converted into digital signals by the A/D converter 42, and then supplied to the minicomputer 46 via the interface 44 for desired arithmetic processing. Once completed, the measured values are output and recorded. In the embodiment, the data from the minicomputer 46 is expressed as sugar concentration per unit volume, and is displayed on a predetermined display or printed by a printer.

As described above, according to the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, biochemical components can be measured non-invasively.

In order to improve the stability of the optical system, the present invention is characterized in that the optical system is constructed entirely of optical fins and optical components, thereby preventing the laser beam from being emitted into the external space. It becomes possible to confine it in an optical system. Hereinafter, the effect of improving the stability of the optical system will be explained in detail.

In the embodiment apparatus shown in FIG. 2, a laser light source 14, a main switch 28, a light branching section 30, a sample ATR prism 10,
The light guide paths 200, 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, and 212 of the calibration ATR prism 32 and the measurement calculation unit 34 are each made of an optical fiber, and the control circuit 1
The light guides 214, 216 and 218 in 8 are each also made of optical fiber. Therefore, the optical fiber can prevent the laser light from being emitted to the outside space and improve the stability of the optical system.

As the optical switch 28, for example, a movable fiber type, an optical ICm (thin film waveguide type) that electrically controls on/off operation, etc.
etc., and a fiber movable optical switch is shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, an optical fiber element 50 is provided opposite to the optical fiber element 48, and in order to move the original fiber element 50 in the vertical direction of the figure and to turn on and off the original fiber element 501C, the original fiber element 501C is connected to an excitation coil 52. is wound, and a permanent magnet 54,56 is placed opposite the excitation coil 52.
is provided. When the optical fiber element 50 is located at the position indicated by the broken line in the figure, the edge of the optical fiber element 50 faces the edge of the optical fiber element 48, so that light is turned on and, on the other hand, the excitation coil 52 is 1! When the excitation coil 52 is excited by supplying current, the original fiber element 50
moves to the position indicated by the solid line in the figure, and the edge of the original fiber element 50 comes off from the edge of the original fiber element 48, so that the original is turned off.

Examples of the optical branching section 30 include a multilayer film type, a star coupler type, and an access port type (see FIG. 4).

As described above, according to the embodiment device of FIG.
00 to 218 are composed of optical fibers, and further an optical switch 28 and an optical branching section 3 are provided for converting and branching the laser beam.
Since 0 is provided, the laser beam can be confined in the optical system without being emitted to the outside space, and the stability of the optical system can be improved.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a specific external view of the biochemical component analyzer according to the present invention. The laser light source 14 and its oscillation control unit, as well as the laser light guide device, are housed in the main body 58, and the ATR prism 1 for sample is mounted on the front surface of the main body 58.
0 is exposed at a position suitable for close contact with the subject's lips, and the sample ATR prism 10 is supported with a certain degree of flexibility with respect to the main body 58 so as to fit each subject. There is. 1. As mentioned above, the light guide paths 206 and 210 of the sample ATR prism 10 are made of original fibers, and the laser light is emitted from the sample ATR prism lO by the original fiber, so the sample ATR prism 10
The position of the main body 58 can be moved to some extent. A desktop computer 60 is provided near the main body 58 and performs first, predetermined calculations and data output operations. Historically, cooling water is not supplied to the laser light source within the main body 58 through the cooler 62 to prevent the laser light source from overheating.

FIG. 6 shows an actual measurement state using the analyzer shown in FIG. By guiding a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength from the 10 laser light source 14, the laser beam penetrates into the biological tissue, or in the practical case, the 1st direct tissue, to a depth proportional to the wavelength and is totally reflected, causing the laser beam to penetrate into the tissue. Measurement of sugar concentration non-invasively is the 11th lesson.

Figure 6117 shows the absorption spectrum of the 1d1 laser beam in a sugar aqueous solution, and it is understood that the absorbance increases as the sugar content increases.Also, this absorbance changes significantly depending on the wavelength, and at a given wavelength By selecting , sugar concentration can be measured with Shokai resolution In the example, 9.6
By supplying a laser beam having a wavelength of about 5 < 1000 nm to the sample ATR prism 10, it becomes possible to measure the sugar concentration in the lip tissue with extreme accuracy.

As mentioned above, in order to make the sample ATR prism 1o fit properly to the subject's lips, the sample TR prism 1o is
It is preferable that the main body 58 itself has some degree of flexibility, and for this reason, it is preferable to use an original fiber for the light guide paths 206 and 210 that guide the laser beam. In Fig. 8, A '1' for such a sample is shown.
The state of connection between the R prism 1o and the optical fiber 66 is shown, and the optical fiber 66 consists of a core 68 forming a central light guiding portion and a cladding 7o forming an outer skin of the core 68. The cladding 7o is a sample ATR. It is adhesively fixed to the prism 1o. As is clear from the implementation row in FIG. 8, the original fiber 6
6 has good flexibility itself, so it is suitable for sample ATR.
Even if the prism 1 () changes its support position with respect to the main body, the laser beam can reliably enter the sample ATR prism 10.

FIG. 9 shows a sample ATR prism 10 suitable for the present invention.
In this embodiment, the tip of the core 68 is processed into a lens shape, so that the laser beam 100 is directed to the core 68 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the sample ATR prism 10 which is focused into parallel light beams without being scattered at the exit of the sample beam and which can be used for high-intensity measurements can be obtained.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the sample ATR
The prism is directly brought into close contact with the mucous tissue of the human body, and in this state of close contact, a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength is guided to the sample ATR prism. It is possible to analyze the biochemical components of the mucosal tissues of the human body, and has the advantage of being capable of continuous non-invasive measurement.

Further, in the present invention, the laser light source, the optical switch, the optical branching section, the sample ATR prism, the calibration ATR prism, and the light guide path of the measurement calculation section are each made of an original fiber,
An optical switch and an optical branching section are provided to convert and branch the laser beam, and the optical system is entirely composed of optical fibers and optical components. Therefore, since the laser beam can be confined in the optical system without being emitted to the outside space, there is an advantage that the stability of the optical system can be improved against vibrations and disturbances of the apparatus. Furthermore, since the laser beam is not emitted into the external space, the apparatus has the advantage of being miniaturized, allowing freedom of arrangement, and not being adversely affected by air pollution or dust in the air.

In addition, according to the present invention, the laser light source can arbitrarily select its wavelength and guide laser light suitable for the biological tissue to be analyzed to the ATR prism, and for this purpose, the laser light source is a wavelength variable device. It is also possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an original map showing the biochemical component analysis function of the present invention, FIG. 21 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the biochemical component analyzer according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of a fiber movable optical switch. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the access hold type optical branching section, FIG. 5 is a concrete external view of the embodiment of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is an explanation showing the measurement state in the analyzer of FIG. 5. Figure, 7th
The figure is a characteristic diagram showing an analysis example of the present invention, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams each showing a connection state between the sample ATR prism and its light guide path according to the present invention. 10... ATR prism for sample 12... Mucosal tissue 14... Laser light source 28... Optical switch 30... Source branching section 32... ATR prism for calibration 34... Measurement calculation section 64...・Subject 100...Laser light 200-218...Light guide path applicant Aloka Co., Ltd. Tsume 3 Figure Rough 5 Figure 0 蒺7 Figure 1053 1042 1031 1020 c Hanging 1: J
lL number of numbers 8 diagrams

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A sample ATR prism that is in close contact with the mucosal tissue of a living body, a calibration ATR prism through which part of the laser light is guided, and a sample AT, R prism, and calibration A T l prism with a predetermined wavelength. a laser light source that guides laser light;
a measurement calculation unit that measures the energy output of the ATR prism for sample and the energy output of the ATR prism for calibration, and measures the biochemical components of the living body based on the measurement results, the ATR prism for sample and the ATR prism for calibration; The laser light guide path is provided with a two-branch section for branching the laser light and guiding the laser light at the same time to the sample ATR prism and the calibration ATR prism, and the laser light source has an intermittent laser light source. An optical switch is provided to convert the light into standard light, and includes the laser light source, the main switch, the optical branch, and the sample ATl.
A biochemical component analyzer using a laser beam, characterized in that the prism and the light guide path of the measurement calculation unit are each made of an optical fiber, and the biochemical components are measured non-invasively.