KR101454271B1 - Reflection detection type measurement apparatus for skin autofluorescence - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fluorescence measuring apparatus capable of measuring autofluorescence of skin so as to perform evaluation of various diseases by measuring autofluorescence of skin.
To this end, in the present invention, the light from the light source is uniformly integrated to irradiate the skin tissue with light having improved light integration and optical homogeneity, while minimizing mirror reflection on the skin tissue surface, Type skin fluorescence measurement device.
In addition, in the present invention, the measurement error of the skin fluorescence due to scattering and absorption of the reflected light from the skin surface of the irradiation light and the light generated in the skin can be simply corrected, thereby accurately evaluating the diagnostic factors for various diseases, The present invention provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device capable of improving the sensitivity of the reflected light.
Therefore, in the present invention, a first light source configured to be capable of irradiating light and detecting light to a standard specimen or an object to be measured and irradiating the excitation light; A second light source for emitting light having a wavelength different from that of the first light source; A first photodetector and a second photodetector installed to detect two different wavelengths for the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal; A light source switching controller for controlling on / off of the first light source and the second light source; And a calculation unit for calculating the corrected fluorescence signal from the first photodetector and the second photodetector and the skin fluorescence signal corrected from the reflected light signal, wherein the second light source is excited by the excitation light from the first light source And irradiates light of a wavelength band of skin fluorescence emitted from the light source.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a skin fluorescence measuring apparatus,

The present invention relates to a fluorescence measuring apparatus capable of measuring autofluorescence of skin so as to evaluate various diseases by measuring skin self fluorescence from a substance accumulated in the skin.

In recent years, various facilities using light for diagnosis and treatment of diseases have been developed. In particular, devices for diagnosing various diseases using the fluorescence of skin exiting the skin by excitation light emitted from a light source have been developed and used have.

This fluorescence is that the excitation light is absorbed by the skin and then comes out of the skin again. Since it has the biometric information inside the skin, it can act as a biomarker for the disease and it can be used as a non-invasive method The physiological condition of the whole body can be grasped.

For example, Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) are formed in the oxidation of body organ proteins as a result of the Maillard reaction. These reactions impair many protein functions. Oxidative stress is rapidly increased by acute illnesses such as smoking, high fat acid, or cardiac risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, as well as sepsis. As a result, an end glycation product (AGE) occurs. This final glycation end product (AGE) is slowly degraded and accumulated over the entire time. The increase in the final glycation end product (AGE) is associated with the progression of chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis and tends to accumulate in the body as the age increases over a person's lifetime.

In the case of persistent hyperglycemia, non-enzymatic protein glycation and glycoxidation reactions occur continuously, leading to the formation of Advanced Glycation End products (AGE), a complex of irreversible sugars and proteins. Accumulation of the final glycation end product (AGE) progresses significantly in people suffering from vascular disease such as diabetes, renal failure, cardiovascular disease. The final glycation products (AGE) products accumulate in various tissues, including the skin. The final glycation product (AGE) has the property of emitting autofluorescence (AF) in the blue spectral region (maximum near 440 nm) by excitation light irradiation in the ultraviolet region (maximum near 370 nm).

It is known that the final glycation end product (AGE) can act as a biomarker for a range of diseases and can be used to measure the autofluorescence of the skin by non-invasive methods, The damage can be assessed. Therefore, the final glycation end product (AGE) predicts long-term complications in age-related diseases. Specifically, the amount of autologous skin fluorescence increases in patients with diabetes and renal failure, and is associated with the progression of vascular complications and coronary heart disease (CHD). This accumulation of the final glycation end product (AGE) can be measured noninvasively by skin autologous fluorescence and can be used as a noninvasive clinical tool to assess the risk of long-term vascular complications in the environment associated with diabetes and the accumulation of final glycation end products (AGEs) useful.

As a method and an apparatus proposed for evaluating the final glycation end product (AGE) by skin autofluorescence (AF) measurement, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004-186363 (hereinafter referred to as Document 1) (AGE) is measured by measuring the final glycation end product (AGE).

In Document 1, the excitation light source is a black glass fluorescent lamp that emits light in the ultraviolet region in the wavelength range of 300-420 nm. Collecting and recording light is performed by an optical fiber spectrometer. To increase the measurement area, the end face of the optical fiber is placed at a distance (d: 5-9 mm) from the transparent window of the equipment. To reduce the influence of reflected light from the skin, Direction.

Specifically, in Document 1, the end surface of an optical fiber collecting light is arranged at a distance from the target portion so as to increase the light collecting area, and the target portion area measured in this case is about 0.4 cm 2.

However, in this case, there is a problem that the fluorescence signal collected is greatly reduced by increasing the measurement distance d to increase the area of the measurement target site. Therefore, in the case of the conventional document 1, there is a problem that the reliability of data detection is deteriorated due to the limit of the size of the measurable skin area. In particular, this accuracy problem is largely seen in areas of heterogeneous skin, such as skin spots, blood vessels, wounds, and the like.

On the other hand, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2008-103373 (hereinafter referred to as Document 2) discloses a similar device for measuring the final glycation end product (AGE) for screening diabetic patients. The equipment of Document 2 is configured to perform fluorescence measurement on the haemocytic skin with an optical fiber spectroscope as in Document 1. However, unlike in Document 1, in Document 2, the optical fiber probes are formed in the form of bundles composed of several branch lines.

In the apparatus of Document 2, ultraviolet light and blue light emitted from the light emitting diodes are irradiated to the bottom of the subject through the optical fiber probe, and skin fluorescence and diffuse reflected light from the subject are collected through the probe. The collected light is wavelength dispersed in the spectroscope and detected by a linear array detector. Two of the branch lines of the fiber optic probe (illumination fibers, channel 1 and channel 2) illuminate the target site, and the third collection fibers transmit the light from the object to the multichannel spectroscope. The end surface of the tissue interface where the bundle of optical fiber probe wires is bonded is brought into contact with the skin part to be irradiated.

One of the fiber optic probe wires selects light from the white light LED for the reflected light spectrum measurement and another LED selects the appropriate LED among the LEDs that emits light within the blue light spectrum range from ultraviolet to the switching device to emit light do. Various wavelengths can be selected to select the optimal fluorescence excitation condition. The reflected light spectrum measurement is used to detect the self fluorescence caused by the influence of melanin and hemoglobin and correct the measurement result. Each optical fiber bundle in the optical fiber bundle is arranged in a predetermined order, and the optical fibers coming out from each of the three branch lines in the bundle of optical fiber bundles are arranged in the order of b = 0.5 mm in the form of a mosaic.

However, in Document 2, since the light is irradiated to the bottom of the subject through the optical fiber probe, the optical fiber probe includes the optical fiber probe as the light transmission medium, which causes inherent problems of the optical fiber probe. That is, the optical fiber has a problem in that transmission loss is generated for each specific wavelength depending on the characteristics of its own medium, and further optical design and optical system are required to make the light generated from the light source incident on the optical fiber total reflection condition.

In addition, since the devices of the above documents 1 and 2 commonly use an optical fiber in a light receiving part for receiving light, inherent problems of the optical fiber probe itself in the light receiving part coexist, and in these documents, an optical fiber spectrometer and a linear array detector It is disadvantageous in that the detection area occupied by the linear array detector of the autofluorescence signal wavelength of the final glycation product becomes relatively small. Therefore, the detected fluorescence signal is dispersed and the light intensity of the wavelength to be detected by the linear array detector becomes relatively small. Also, since the optical fiber probe and the optical fiber spectroscope are included, there is a problem that the facility can not be downsized.

On the other hand, diagnostic devices disclosed in the above documents 1 and 2 are diabetic diseases, and there is a problem that they can not be diagnosed at all for diseases such as diabetic foot commonly accompanied by diabetes.

In the case of such diabetic foot, diabetic foot ulceration occurs according to the progress of the disease, and eventually it is a dangerous disease which progresses to the amputation. Diabetes is reported to occur in 15% of all patients with diabetes, and 40% to 60% of all patients with diabetes mellitus are diabetic. More than 80% of patients with leg amputation are caused by foot ulcers, and most of the amputations are not observed by specialists. More than 90% of patients with diabetic foot can be cured without amputation if they take appropriate measures early on. Autofluorescence testing can be used for early diagnosis of diabetic foot. At the onset of diabetic foot disease, one of the legs develops before the other foot. Therefore, the initial diagnosis of diabetic foot by fluorescence can be seen by comparing the degree of fluorescence of the skin at the symmetric part of the foot. Therefore, in addition to general diagnosis of diabetes, in order to early diagnose a disease such as diabetic foot, a diagnostic apparatus capable of selectively diagnosing a body part desired to be measured is required.

Particularly, in realizing a diagnostic apparatus capable of such selective diagnosis, the miniaturization and mobility of the apparatus must be predetermined, and therefore, efficiency of light irradiation and fluorescence detection in the apparatus is required.

In addition, even if it is intended to perform selective diagnosis on such a body part, the fluorescence intensity generated from the skin is affected not only by the fluorescent substance contained in the skin but also by the scattering and light absorption properties of light generated in the skin.

Therefore, in order to more accurately distinguish between those who have the disease and those who do not, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of light irradiation and fluorescence detection in order to accurately diagnose at a selective diagnosis site, It is very important to reduce the measurement error due to the influence of the absorption properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. In the present invention, in measuring skin fluorescence, light from a light source is efficiently accumulated to irradiate skin tissue, And to provide a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device which improves the light efficiency.

The present invention also provides a reflected-light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device that uniformly integrates light to be irradiated from a light source to a measurement object, thereby improving the light integration degree and the light homogeneity.

In addition, in the present invention, the measurement error of the skin fluorescence due to scattering and absorption of the reflected light from the skin surface of the irradiation light and the light generated in the skin can be simply corrected, thereby accurately evaluating the diagnostic factors for various diseases, The present invention provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device capable of improving the sensitivity of the reflected light.

In addition, the present invention provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device in which an optical system and a light source system can be simply configured so that the diagnostic process can be easily performed.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a light source unit for emitting excitation light; A photodetector for detecting a fluorescence signal by the excitation light emitted from the light source; And an optical prism configured to transmit the excitation light irradiated from the light source unit to an object to be measured and to transmit the fluorescence signal to the optical detection unit, wherein the optical prism has a lower surface connected to the object to be measured, A part of the light emitted from the light source part is directly irradiated to the measurement object side through the lower surface and the other part is reflected in the optical prism and irradiated to the measurement object side And a fluorescence signal from the measurement object is an optical prism installed to be directly or indirectly reflected in the optical prism and to be transmitted to the optical detection unit.

The light source unit may include a first light source that emits excitation light and a second light source that emits light of a different wavelength from the first light source,

Wherein the photodetector unit is configured to include a first photodetector and a second photodetector installed to detect two different wavelengths of a fluorescence signal and a reflected light signal.

The second light source irradiates the light of the wavelength range of the skin fluorescence excited by the excitation light from the first light source.

A light source switching controller for controlling on / off of the first light source and the second light source; And a calculator for calculating a skin fluorescence signal corrected from the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal detected from the first photodetector and the second photodetector.

In addition, the optical prism further includes an optical connection part for contacting the measurement object on the lower surface of the optical prism.

In addition, the optical connection unit may comprise a connection layer made of a liquid material or an elastic material between the optical prism and the object to be measured.

Also, the optical prism includes two upper inclined surfaces and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement target side, and is a triangular prism having a triangular vertical cross-sectional shape.

The first and second light sources are disposed on one side of the optical prism, and a first optical detector and a second optical detector are provided on the other side of the optical prism. to provide.

The optical prism is a quadratic prism having a vertically sectional shape of a trapezoid, including two upper inclined surfaces, an upper surface connected to the two upper inclined surfaces, and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement target side. A detection type skin fluorescence measurement device is provided.

The first and second light sources are disposed on one side of the optical prism, and a first optical detector and a second optical detector are provided on the other side of the optical prism. to provide.

In addition, a first light source is provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism, a second light source is provided on the other upper inclined surface, and a first photodetector and a second photodetector are provided on the upper surface of the optical prism And a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.

In addition, a first photodetector is provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism, a second photodetector is provided on the other inclined upper surface, and a first light source and a second light source are provided on the upper surface of the optical prism And a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.

The optical prism is a quadratic prism having four vertically inclined planes, an upper surface connected to the four upper inclined planes, and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement target side and having a vertical cross-sectional shape of a trapezoid. A detection type skin fluorescence measurement device is provided.

A first light source and a second light source are provided on two upper inclined surfaces of the four upper inclined surfaces of the optical prism, and a first light detector and a second light detector are provided on the other two upper inclined surfaces. A detection type skin fluorescence measurement device is provided.

The first light source and the second light source are provided on two opposing upper inclined surfaces, and the first photodetector and the second photodetector are provided on another two upper inclined surfaces facing each other The present invention provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.

And a polarizer and a cross polarizer are provided between the optical prism, the light source, the optical prism, and the optical detector, respectively.

The light source switching control unit switches the first light source and the second light source so that the lighting state of the first light source and the second light source is temporally separated. do.

In addition, the switching control unit may continuously and repeatedly turn on and off the first light source and the second light source to detect the fluorescent signal and the reflected light signal for the first light source and the reflected light signal for the second light source, respectively The present invention provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.

In addition, the object to be measured and the standard specimen can be selectively positioned on the optical path of the first light source and the second light source.

Also, the first light source irradiates light having a wavelength of 370 nm ± 20 nm.

Also, the second light source irradiates light having a wavelength of 440 nm ± 20 nm.

The switching control unit controls the first light source and the second light source to be turned off before turning on each light source.

When the switching controller turns off both the first light source and the second light source, the first photodetector and the second photodetector measure a dark signal, the operation unit stores the measured dark signal, And the reflected light signal is compensated for by the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal.

The switching control unit controls the first light source unit and the second light source unit to repeatedly turn on and off at a cycle of 10 to 100 Hz.

The apparatus further includes a photodetector switching control unit for controlling on / off of the first photodetector and the second photodetector.

A measurement scanner including the first light source, the second light source, the first photodetector, and the second photodetector; And a main body including the calculating unit electrically connected to the measurement scanner, wherein the main body includes the calculating unit.

In addition, the measurement scanner includes a memory for storing the detected information.

Also, the main body may be provided with a mounting portion on which the measurement scanner can be mounted, and the measurement scanner is configured to be removable on the mounting portion.

In addition, the first light source, the second light source, the first photodetector, and the second photodetector are disposed at one end of the measurement scanner, and the mounting portion includes a groove formed inwardly in a shape corresponding to the shape of one end of the measurement scanner And a structure of the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.

The standard specimen is optically connected to the first light source, the second light source, the first photodetector, and the second photodetector provided in the measurement scanner. A measuring device is provided.

When the measurement scanner is mounted on the mount, the main body performs measurement on the standard specimen, receives detection information about the measurement object and the standard specimen stored in the measurement scanner, and outputs the skin fluorescence value corrected by the operation unit And calculating a reflected light intensity of the reflected light from the reflected light.

The main body further includes a display unit, and the display unit outputs the corrected skin fluorescence signal calculated by the calculation unit.

In addition, the operation unit calculates the skin fluorescence value corrected by the following equation.

_{Formula: AF corr = K [I (} λ2, t1) / I 0 (λ2, t1)] / {[R (λ1)] ^k1 [R (? 2)]} ^k2

(Wherein, R (λ1) = I ( λ1, t1) / I 0 (λ1, t1): diffuse reflection coefficient at the excitation wavelength

R (λ 2) = I (λ 2, t 2) / I ₀ (λ 2, t 2)

I (λ2, t1): Intrinsic fluorescence (skin fluorescence) signal value of skin tissue

I (λ1, t1): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at excitation wavelength

I (λ2, t2): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at the wavelength of emitted light

k1, k2: the exponential coefficient of the calibration function for the excitation and emission wavelengths

I ₀ (λ 2, t 1): Intrinsic fluorescence signal value in standard specimen

I ₀ (λ 1, t 1): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at excitation wavelength

I ₀ (λ 2, t 2): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at the wavelength of emitted light)

As described above, the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, in the present invention, it is possible to easily diagnose diabetic diseases by evaluating autofluorescence of the skin. Mass screening for identification of potential diabetic patients is possible, and risk of heart-vessel and related complications can be predicted.

Second, in the present invention, the light intensity and the light homogeneity with respect to the light emitted from the light source are improved, and more uniform light is irradiated to the measurement object.

Third, in the present invention, the light from the light source is efficiently accumulated to irradiate the skin tissue, and the mirror reflection on the surface of the skin tissue is minimized, thereby improving the light efficiency and miniaturizing the device.

Fourth, in the present invention, in measuring skin fluorescence, it is possible to correct an error due to mirror reflection occurring on the skin surface and an error due to scattering and absorption of light generated in the skin, There is an effect that diagnosis of the exact disease can be done.

Fifth, in the present invention, it is possible to fabricate a small scanner type including a light source and a detection unit, one end of which can be grasped so as to measure skin fluorescence while being in contact with the skin, , It is possible to perform real-time diagnosis by a non-invasive method.

Sixth, according to the present invention, it is possible not only to selectively diagnose an arbitrary body part but also to enlarge the area of a measurement target area through a scanning method, thereby improving the reliability of the signal and improving the accuracy of diagnosis .

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the principle of measurement of a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention, in which light input from a light source and light detected by a light detector are classified by time,
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a preferred arrangement of a light source and a photodetector in a case where there is no space between the light source and the photodetector and the skin to be measured in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a preferred arrangement of a light source and a photodetector in a case where a space exists between a light source and a photodetector and a skin to be measured in a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 5 shows an example of a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, which includes an optical prism and an optical connecting portion,
FIGS. 6 to 10 show another embodiment of a reflected-light detecting type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, which includes an optical prism and an optical connecting portion, respectively.

The present invention relates to a skin fluorescence measuring apparatus for irradiating excitation light to the skin for the purpose of diagnosis of diseases such as diabetes and detecting skin fluorescence generated thereby, It is an object of the present invention to provide a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device capable of accurately measuring skin fluorescence as a parameter for disease diagnosis by improving the light detection efficiency of skin fluorescence detected from the skin and correcting the measurement error accurately.

For this purpose, in the present invention, the measurement object and the standard specimen to be actually diagnosed are sequentially measured, and the information obtained from the measurement object and the information obtained from the standard specimen are compared with each other in order to eliminate the individual deviation of the measurement object The present invention also provides a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device capable of providing a calibrated skin fluorescence value by sequentially controlling on / off of a light source and a photodetector according to predetermined conditions required in the process.

Further, in the present invention, there is provided a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device in which an optical prism is provided between a light source and a photodetector, and an optical connection part is inserted between the optical prism and a skin part to be measured to improve light transmission and light detection efficiency .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In order to measure the fluorescence emitted from the skin, it is necessary to consider factors affecting the fluorescence measured together with the selection of the skin subject. Fluorescence measured depends not only on the fluorescent material contained in the skin but also on the reflection of light from the surface of the skin, as well as on the scattering and light absorption properties of light generated in the skin. In particular, there is a need to correct the fluorescence values measured in consideration of the excitation wavelength to be excited to excite the fluorescent material and the light absorption and light scattering effect at the fluorescence wavelength generated in the fluorescent material. Therefore, the following empirical equations can be considered to reduce the influence of the optical components affecting the fluorescence intensity.

_Corr AF = AF / (R ₁ R ₂ ^{k2 k1)} - formula (1)

The fluorescence value AF measured to obtain the corrected fluorescence value AF _corr is divided by the diffused reflected light value R1 of the excitation and the diffuse reflected light value R2 of the emissioin at the fluorescence wavelength band. The two diffuse reflected light values are adjusted by the orders k1 and k2 without order.

In the present invention, Equation (1) is used to obtain corrected skin fluorescence values, and specific values are introduced to actually obtain corrected fluorescence values through experiments.

I (λ2, t1): Intrinsic fluorescence (skin fluorescence) signal value of skin tissue

I (λ1, t1): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at excitation wavelength

I (λ2, t2): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at the wavelength of emitted light

k1, k2: the exponential coefficient of the calibration function for the excitation and emission wavelengths

The newly derived corrected skin fluorescence values are as follows.

AF _tissue = [I (λ2, t1)] / [I (λ1, t1) ^k1I (λ2, t2) ^k2 ]; k1, k2 < 1: - (2)

Here, AF _tissue is a correction signal of the intrinsic fluorescence of the skin tissue.

The light measurements are repeated periodically at different time intervals t1 and t2, and the obtained measurement results are averaged to improve accuracy. Measurements are recorded in the form of time diagrams to track changes in a timely manner.

On the other hand, there is a need for calibrations for deviations that depend on the instrument and calibration measurements for comparison with the results obtained from different specimens. Therefore, in the present invention, the same measurement was performed by introducing a standard specimen together with the measurement of the skin tissue. To increase the measurement accuracy, the standard specimen's reflected light signal values I ₀ (λ 1, t 1) and I ₀ (λ 2, t 2) in the standard specimen fluorescence intensity I ₀ (λ 2, t 1) .

The signal values generated during the measurement of the introduced standard specimen are indicated as follows, similar to the target skin tissue symbol.

I ₀ (λ 2, t 1): Intrinsic fluorescence signal value in standard specimen

I ₀ (λ 1, t 1): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at excitation wavelength

I ₀ (λ 2, t 2): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at the wavelength of emitted light

The processing of the signal obtained from the standard specimen is also applied through the following equation (3) similarly to equation (2).

_{AF reference = [I 0 (λ2} , t1)] / [I 0 (λ1, t1) k1 I 0 (λ2, t2) k2] - Formula (3)

The results obtained by dividing the AF _tissue by the AF _reference are as follows. The normalized and finally corrected intrinsic fluorescence values are as follows.

AF _corr = K (AF _tissue / AF _reference )

_{AF corr = K [I (λ2} , t1) / I 0 (λ2, t1)] / {[I (λ1, t1) / I 0 (λ1, t1)] k1 [I (λ2, t2) / I 0 ( ? 2, t2)]} ^k2 - Equation (5)

(Where K is the ratio factor taking into consideration the characteristics of the standard specimen used).

Expression (5) can be simplified as follows.

_{AF corr = K [I (λ2} , t1) / I 0 (λ2, t1)] / {[R (λ1)] k1 [R (λ2)]} k2 - (6)

R 1 (λ 1) = I (λ 1, t 1) / I ₀ (λ 1, t 1)

R (λ 2) = I (λ 2, t 2) / I ₀ (λ 2, t 2)

Therefore, in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the calibrated skin fluorescence value is calculated through the above calculation process.

In this regard, the principle proposed for measurement is described in detail in Fig.

FIG. 1 is a time chart illustrating the light input from a light source and the light detected by a light detector in order to explain the principle of measurement of the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, In the detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus, the first condition for irradiating the light corresponding to the wavelength range of the excitation light (first wavelength,? ₁ ) as the input and the first condition for the wavelength range of the skin fluorescence (second wavelength,? ₂ ) The second condition for irradiating the light corresponding to the first condition is temporally separated and the measurements under the first condition and the second condition are continuously performed. The wavelength range of the irradiation light corresponding to the first condition and the second condition may be selectively configured according to the skin fluorescence to be detected. For example, considering the case of detecting skin fluorescence for AGE as a preferred embodiment of the present invention , Light having a first wavelength of 370 nm ± 20 nm can be used as the excitation light for fluorescence excitation under the first condition and a second wavelength having a wavelength of 440 nm ± 20 nm corresponding to the wavelength of the skin fluorescence for AGE under the second condition Light can be selectively used.

That is, by using the measurement scanner 100 including the light sources emitting light of two different wavelengths and the light detector detecting light of two different wavelengths, The reference sample and the measurement scanner 100 are brought into contact with each other during measurement or tissue calibration.

Regarding the measurement process, FIG. 1 (a) shows a time diagram of operation showing that each light source for two different wavelengths is operating in a temporally separate manner. At this time, the light? (? 1, t1) emitted from the first light source 111 as the excitation light source is different from the light? (? 2, t2) emitted from the second light source 112 as the standard light source of the other wavelength range, It is important to configure it to exist in the time zone.

On the other hand, FIG. 1 (b) shows an operation time diagram for two photodetectors. Two signals for excited skin fluorescence and reflected light are generated in the same time period when the light? (? 1, t1) from the first light source 111 is irradiated with light. That is, the two signals generated at the excitation wavelength are the reflected light signal I (λ1, t1) and the excited fluorescence signal I (λ2, t1).

On the other hand, only a single signal is formed at the time when the light? (? 2, t2) emitted by the second light source 112 is irradiated with light. That is, in the signal generated by the second light source 112, only the reflected light signal I (? 2, t2) is detected in the wavelength range of the irradiated light.

Therefore, in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the light irradiation by the first light source 111 and the light irradiation by the second light source 112 are continuously measured A signal detected from the photodetector is collected at each light irradiation, and then the calculated skin fluorescence value is calculated by the above equation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a reflected-light detecting type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is implemented according to the above-described measurement principle.

2, the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention includes a measurement scanner 100 that irradiates excitation light to the skin and can detect skin fluorescence and the like, And a main body 200 for analyzing the information detected from the scanner and displaying the information.

However, if the measurement scanner 100 and the main body 200 are configured as described above, it is not necessary to configure a separate main body according to need, And may be manufactured by connecting additional components.

The reflected-light detecting type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention is configured to include a light source and a photodetector so as to irradiate light to an object to be measured and detect skin fluorescence generated by the irradiated light.

In particular, in the present invention, in order to correct the detected skin fluorescence value and provide an accurate skin fluorescence value, two light sources for irradiating light of different wavelengths and two different wavelengths of reflected light and skin fluorescence And a plurality of photodetectors capable of detecting the photodetector.

Specifically, the two light sources include a first light source 111 that emits light corresponding to the wavelength range of the excitation light (first wavelength,? ₁ ) and a wavelength band of the skin fluorescence generated by the excitation light (second wavelength? ₂ ), and the two photodetectors are constituted by a first photodetector 121 for detecting the reflected light (? ₁ ) with respect to the excitation light from the first light source 111 And a second photodetector 122 for detecting reflected light (? ₂ ) from the fluorescence from the skin fluorescence (? ₂ ) generated by the excitation light and the radiation from the second light source (112).

Therefore, the two light sources and the photodetector are disposed so as to simultaneously detect reflected light and skin fluorescence, and are preferably disposed at one end of the measurement scanner 100 to irradiate light toward the measurement object T, such as skin, And the like can be detected.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, light having a first wavelength of 370 nm ± 20 nm can be used as excitation light for fluorescence excitation for detecting skin fluorescence with respect to AGE, and the light having a wavelength corresponding to a wavelength of skin fluorescence for AGE And light having a second wavelength of 440 nm ± 20 nm can be used.

In this case, the first light source 111 may be a light emitting diode that emits light of a first wavelength range of 370 nm ± 20 nm, and the second light source 112 may emit light of a second wavelength range of 440 nm ± 20 nm Emitting diodes. The first photodetector 121 may be a photodiode for detecting light in a first wavelength band and the second photodetector 122 may be a photodiode for detecting light in a second wavelength band.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, the reflected-light detecting type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention includes a light source switching control unit for controlling on / off of the first light source 111 and the second light source 112 And may further include a photodetector switching control section for controlling on / off of the first photodetector 121 and the second photodetector 122.

The light source switching control unit and the photodetector switching control unit perform switching control so that each light source and photodetector can distinguish and operate correctly according to detection conditions of skin fluorescence and reflected light emitted to accurately calculate and calibrate the skin fluorescence value.

That is, the light source switching control section controls the on / off of the light source, that is, the light source is turned on or off according to the light irradiation condition in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus. For example, ₁₎ to the respective light sources in the first condition that the irradiation with the measuring object, only the second light source 112 is turned off and the first light source (111 by lighting the first light source 111 a) to irradiate the light of the first wavelength band The first light source 111 is turned off and the second light source 112 is turned on only in the second wavelength range from the second light source 112 to the second light source 112 under the second condition of irradiating the object to be measured with the radiation (? ₂ ) And to control each light source so that the second light source 112 is turned on so that irradiation is performed.

Similarly, the photodetector switching controller also controls on / off of the photodetector in accordance with each measurement condition, and turns on / off the power of the photodetector for detecting the light of the wavelength band to be detected under the current measurement condition .

In particular, in the case of configuring the photodetector switching control section, it is necessary to detect the optical signal for the second wavelength in both the first condition for irradiating the excitation light of the first wavelength band and the second condition for irradiating the radiation light of the second wavelength band It is preferable that the second photodetector 122 for optical detection of the second wavelength is kept on continuously.

During the entire measurement process including the first condition and the second condition, the switching control for the light source is sequentially performed for a predetermined time, and the switching cycle of each light source is controlled by the flow rate It is preferable that the switching control is performed at a high frequency of 10 to 100 Hz so that the change of the reflectance does not affect the measurement.

In addition, when the measurement scanner 100 is manufactured in a form capable of being held by the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, such high-speed switching is used as a scanning method for continuously measuring skin fluorescence while moving in a measurement region, The measurement can be made at almost the same measurement site in the measurement, despite the movement of the measurement scanner 100.

Although not shown in FIG. 2, in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, an optical filter may be selectively installed in front of the light source and the photodetector, and preferably, A pair of polarizers 130 and a cross polarizer 131 for eliminating the influence of the reflected light may be provided between the corresponding light source and the photodetector in order to prevent detection of the skin fluorescence having a relatively weak light intensity, have.

That is, the polarizer arranges the polarizer and the cross polarizer, which are mutually intersecting positions, with respect to each pair of the first light source 111 / first photo detector 121 and the second light source 112 / second photo detector 122 Should be.

Meanwhile, the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention can be configured to include a main body 200 connected to a measurement scanner 100 including two light sources and two photodetectors, (200) may be configured to include an operation unit for calculating the size of the skin fluorescence corrected from the information measured by the measurement scanner (100).

The body 200 may be configured to be optically, electrically, and mechanically connectable to the measurement scanner 100.

Specifically, a mounting portion 210 having a structure corresponding to the shape of the measurement end side of the measurement scanner 100 is provided on the main body 200 so that the measurement scanner 100 can be mechanically mounted, and the mounting portion 210 The measuring scanner 100 is configured to be mechanically coupled and mounted and fixed.

Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first light source 111, the second light source 112, the first photodetector 121, and the second photodetector 122 are provided at one end of the measurement scanner 100 And the mounting portion 210 is configured to include a groove structure formed inwardly in a shape corresponding to the shape of one end of the measurement scanner 100 so that the light source and the photodetector and the mounting portion 210 are opposed to each other So that it can be fixed.

Preferably, the main body 200 is configured to be electrically connected to the measurement scanner 100 as the measurement scanner 100 is fixedly mounted on the main body 200 as described above, (T) to obtain information on the detected skin fluorescence and reflected light. More preferably, a standard specimen for comparison with a measurement object is disposed on the mounting portion 210 of the main body 200. When the measurement scanner 100 is placed on the mounting portion 210 of the main body 200, The light source of the scanner 100 and the photodetector are optically connected to the standard specimen. At this time, the standard specimen can be selected to have optical characteristics of fluorescence and diffuse reflection similar to the body tissue to be measured.

Therefore, when the measuring scanner 100 is mounted on the mounting portion 210 of the main body 200 and is electrically and optically connected, the measuring scanner 100 can perform the light irradiation and optical detection And the measured information on the measurement object and the standard specimen are transmitted to the operation unit of the main body 200. [

The calculation unit calculates the corrected skin fluorescence value for the actual measurement target using the information about the transmitted fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal, and the calculated result is transmitted through the display unit 220 formed on the main body 200 And is displayed as an exterior.

Therefore, in order to perform the calculation process in which the sequential measurement is repeated and the calibration is performed according to the repeated measurement results, the acquired measurement information is all stored in the measurement scanner 100 through the memory, It can be configured to store measurement results in the form of time diagrams to track changes in the measurement results.

A charging terminal may be installed on the mounting part 210 formed on the main body 200 so that the measuring scanner 100 can be charged and the charging terminal is mounted on the mounting part 210 of the measuring scanner 100 So that charging can proceed if mechanically coupled.

In addition, the measurement scanner 100 may be connected to the main body 200 through Bluetooth.

Examples of the specific arrangement of the light source and the photodetector in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig.

FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the light source and the photodetector are directly disposed without any space between the skin to be measured. FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the light source and the photodetector form a space between the skin to be measured Respectively. In Fig.

3, the respective light sources and the photodetectors are arranged in parallel to each other so as to be vertically arranged with respect to the object to be measured. In order to form an optimal detection region, a first light source 111 and a second light source Two light sources 112 are arranged, and a first detector and a second detector are disposed therebetween.

When a predetermined space is formed between the light source and the photodetector and the measurement target in the measurement scanner 100 as shown in FIG. 4, the light sources and the photodetectors are obliquely arranged obliquely with respect to each other, The detector should be arranged so as to form light irradiation paths and light detection paths so as to irradiate light to the same area of the object to be measured and to detect light generated in the same area. Preferably, the angle of the corresponding light source and photodetector may be arranged to be 45 degrees. For example, if the light source irradiates light perpendicular to the surface of the skin, Can be reduced. The angle between the first light source 111 and the second light source 112 and the first photodetector 121 and the second photodetector 122 is minimized in accordance with the structure of the apparatus. More preferably, a pair of cross polarizers 130 for removing mirror reflected light together with an optical filter are provided between the light source and the photodetector in front of the light source and the photodetector, respectively, so that the influence due to mirror reflection can be minimized have.

At this time, the first light source 111, the second light source 112, the first photodetector 121, and the second photodetector 122 are connected to the light guide to the measurement object side end of the measurement scanner 100 And the like. On the other hand, a transparent protective film such as a glass plate can be provided on the surface where the skin and the sensor are in contact to protect it from foreign substances such as moisture.

Experimental examples of light irradiation, light detection and calculation performed by the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus having the above-described configuration are as follows.

[Experimental Example 1]

In order to obtain the corrected fluorescence value, it is necessary to measure the two objects introduced above, that is, the object to be measured and the standard sample, among which the light measurement is performed on the skin of the body to be measured.

A measurement scanner is measured from a light source and a photodetector in contact with or near the measurement object at the upper abdomen of the subject for diagnosis, and the measurement scanner measures the skin area of about 5 to 19 cm 2.

Before the measurement, all the light sources are turned off, and the level of the dark signal is evaluated to perform automatic compensation for the light leaking from the outside.

The light source module sequentially generates the first light source illumination light? (? 1, t1) and the second light source illumination light? (? 2, t2) having the wavelengths? ₁ and? ₂ at different time intervals t1 and t2.

During the entire measurement process, the light generated from the two light sources is sequentially irradiated at t1 and t2 by repeating the switching on / off process at intervals of 50 Hz.

Next, the light irradiated from the light source is detected by the photodetector and converted into an electric signal.

That is, the first light source illumination light? (? 1, t1) in the near-ultraviolet spectrum range (near 370 nm) excites the object fluorescence to form the corresponding signal I (? 2, t1) through the photodetector, And forms a signal value I (? 1, t1) proportional to the excitation reflection light diffused and reflected by the diffraction grating.

Further, the illumination light? (? 2, t2) of the second light source in the blue spectral range (near 440 nm) corresponds to the maximum value of the intrinsic fluorescence generated in AGE and NADH, To form the value I (lambda 2, t2).

The above measurements are repeated periodically at different time intervals t1 and t2, and the measurement results are calculated and stored as an average.

The same measurement procedure is performed on the standard specimen in the same manner, and the information calculated in each process is processed in the arithmetic unit to calculate the calibrated skin fluorescence value.

The time diagram for the operation of the light source having two wavelengths in the above experimental example is shown in Table 1 below.

In this experimental example, each cycle time is 20 ms, and the measurement scan time is 2 seconds, so that 100 measurement cycles are performed.

The measured information according to the present example is stored and stored in the measurement scanner internal memory. When the measurement scanner is placed on the main body mounting part, the detection information is automatically moved to the operation part on the main body and is calculated and statistically processed according to the function conversion, and the measurement result is displayed on the display.

In the meantime, the present invention proposes a structure in which an optical prism and an optical connection portion are provided on an optical path so as to improve light transmission and optical detection efficiency.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an embodiment of a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention having such a structure in comparison with a general reflection light detecting type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus, in which (a) (B) a case in which light irradiation and light detection are performed through an optical prism and an optical connecting portion are compared with each other.

First, in case (a) where direct light irradiation and optical detection are performed without optical prism and optical connection part, the excitation light is irradiated by the light source part 310 and the fluorescence by the excitation light is detected by the photodetector part 320 .

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5A, when a light source used as an excitation light source such as an LED has a wide divergence angle and is irradiated with light, a light loss to be irradiated to a region to be measured is generated, The amount of fluorescence detected by the photodetector and the fluorescence scattered from the skin region are also lost.

Since the detected skin fluorescence is significantly smaller than other irradiated excitation light or its reflected light, such a light loss is a factor that greatly reduces the accuracy of the measurement and the reliability of diagnosis even in a minute amount.

On the other hand, in order to prevent such light loss, the present invention proposes a reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device including an optical prism as shown in FIG. 5 (b).

Referring to FIG. 5B, in the present invention, the optical prism 330 is used to condense the excitation light emitted from the light source unit 310, thereby improving the light homogeneity in the skin region to be measured.

More specifically, the optical prism 330 in this embodiment includes a structure including two upper inclined faces 331 and 332 adjacent to the light source unit 310 and the light detecting unit 320, respectively, and a lower face 333 adjacent to the skin side And the excitation light emitted from the side of the upper inclined plane 331 adjacent to the light source 310 with a wide divergence angle is incident on the optical detector 320 of the optical prism 330 as indicated by a solid line in FIG. Side inclined face 332 and the like, and is condensed to the skin side as much as possible. The heterogeneity of the light source through the condensed light, that is, the property of decreasing the light intensity toward the outer side as compared with the center of the optical axis is reduced, Thereby obtaining a homogeneous light homogeneity.

The optical prism 330 collects the secondary light generated by the light transmitted to the skin tissue site into the optical detector 320. Therefore, in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the optical signal is improved and the measurement error is reduced, so that the optical sensor can perform optical measurement on a wide area of the skin without taking a scanning method.

Meanwhile, in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to configure the optical connection unit 340 to reduce the mirror reflection component reflected from the surface of the skin to be measured and effectively penetrate the light into the skin .

The optical connection part 340 is configured to be positioned between the lower surface 333 of the prism adjacent to the skin to be measured and the skin surface and the optical connection part 340 is in contact with the lower surface 333 of the prism and the skin surface .

The optical connection part 340 is a contact layer which is in contact with the lower surface 333 of the prism and the surface of the skin to form a connection layer which is in optical contact with the refractive index at the boundary thereof. And effectively penetrates the skin with light.

That is, the optical connection unit 340 adjusts the refractive index between the two media so as to prevent leakage light that may occur between the two media due to refraction and scattering of the excitation light between the optical prism 330 and skin tissue in contact with each other , And fine irregularities of the skin tissue.

The optical connection part 340 in the present invention may be made of a liquid material such as water or an infusion oil or an elastic material and is selected from a material similar to the optical prism 330 and the refractive index of the skin.

The total internal reflection of the irradiation light does not occur in the prism at the boundary between the prism and the skin tissue through the optical connection part 340 and the efficiency of light emitted by the light source into the skin tissue is greatly improved.

Therefore, in the case of the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device including the optical prism 330 and the optical connection part 340, it is possible to improve the light integration degree and the light homogeneity while the light irradiated from the light source is reflected by the mirror surface The reflected component can be greatly reduced.

[Experimental Example 2]

As a comparative example, a light source and a photodetector are disposed at the same position, and a direct light without an optical prism and an optical connection is used as a comparative example. And a device configured to perform irradiation and optical detection were respectively fabricated.

In this experimental example, an ultraviolet LED (N033, Nichia) emitting light of 365 nm was used as a light source, an optical fiber spectrometer (AVaspec-2048) was used as a photodetector, and an optical photodiode . The optical prism was a model (Right Angle Prism, Uncoated, 20mm, Edmund Optics).

In this experiment, water was used as an optical connecting portion and inserted between the optical prism and the skin surface to be measured.

For this experimental example, the mirror reflection component for the light emitted from the light source was measured, and the mirror reflection component was also measured for the device implemented as the comparative example.

As a result of the measurement from the above Experimental Examples and Comparative Examples, the mirror reflection component was measured to be reduced by at least 10 times in the present example, compared with the Comparative Example without the optical prism and the optical connecting portion.

6 is a reflection-type detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus implemented as in Experimental Examples 1 and 2, which includes two light sources 311 and 312 and two photodetectors 321 and 322. In FIG. 5, A reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device having a structure in which an optical prism 330 and an optical connection part 340 are inserted between the light sources 311 and 312 and the photodetectors 321 and 322 and the skin T to be measured .

The optical prism 330 in this embodiment has a structure including two upper inclined surfaces 331 and 332 adjacent to the light source and the photodetector and a lower surface 333 adjacent to the skin side, A triangular prism 330 may be used to have a vertical cross-sectional shape. Preferably, two light sources 311 and 312 are provided on one upper inclined face 331 of the upper inclined faces 331 and 332 of the triangular prism 330, and two light detectors 311 and 312 are provided on the other opposite side face. 321, and 322, respectively, so that the lower surface 333 is in contact with the skin.

In this case, when two different light sources 311 and 312 are provided on the upper inclined plane 321, since the intrinsic optical axes of the respective light sources are different from each other, a region irradiated with light on the skin T to be measured There are different problems.

However, in the present invention, since the light source is connected to the measurement target T side by the optical prism 330, homogeneous light in which the optical axis difference is corrected can be obtained through light reflection inside the optical prism 330 .

Further, a polarizer 351 and a crossed polarizer 352 may be provided between the light source and the photodetector and the prism to remove reflected light, respectively. 6, a polarizer is provided between the first light source 311 and the second light source 312 and the upper inclined surface of the optical prism 330, and the first photodetector 321 and the second light The cross polarizer 352 for the polarizer 351 is disposed between the detector 322 and another upper inclined surface of the optical prism 330.

6, an optical connection part 340 is disposed between a portion of the skin T to be measured and a lower surface of the optical prism 330. The optical connection part 340 includes a lower surface 333 of the prism, And the surface of the skin (T), respectively, so that the refractive index can be matched at the boundary thereof to make an optically perfect contact.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the mirror reflection component generated on the surface of the skin is reduced by the optical connection part 340, and the light partially reflected by the difference in refractive index between the surface of the skin T and the optical coupling part 340 is reflected by the optical detector 340, Is further suppressed by the crossed polarizers disposed in front.

In this embodiment, a light source switching control unit for controlling on / off of the first light source and the second light source, and a calculation unit for calculating a correction value for the skin fluorescence signal from the detected fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal 360, respectively.

Each light source and photodetector in the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement apparatus according to the present embodiment can also be installed at one end of the measurement scanner as in the example described with reference to FIG. 2 and the like, The corrected skin fluorescence value can be obtained through the same calculation process except that light irradiation is performed.

7 shows another embodiment of the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 7, the upper surface 431 and the lower surface 432 and the two opposite sloping surfaces 433 and 434 The vertical cross-sectional shape of the trapezoid includes the optical prism 430 of the quadrangular prism and the optical connecting portion 440 inserted between the lower surface 432 and the skin T. FIG. 7, two light sources 411 and 412 are positioned on the upper inclined surfaces 433 and 434, respectively, and two photodetectors 421 and 422 are disposed on the upper surface.

In contrast to FIG. 6, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the optical prism 430 is formed in a rectangular column shape including two upper inclined surfaces and a lower surface in addition to an upper surface.

Specifically, the optical prism in this embodiment further includes an upper surface 431 in addition to two upper inclined surfaces 433 and 434 adjacent to the light source and the photodetector, respectively, and a lower surface 432 adjacent to the skin T side And a light source and a photodetector are disposed on the two upper inclined surfaces 433 and 434 and the upper surface 431, respectively.

6, a first light source 411 that emits excitation light, a second light source 412 that emits light of a different wavelength from the first light source 411, Are provided on both upper side inclined surfaces 433 and 434 of the optical prism 430 and the first and second optical detectors 421 and 422 are disposed to detect two different wavelengths of the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal, (422) is mounted on the upper surface (431) connected to the two upper inclined surfaces (433, 434).

6, a polarizer 451 and a crossed polarizer 452 may be provided between the light source and the photodetector and the prism to remove reflected light, respectively. 7, polarizers 451 are provided between the first light source and the second light source and the upper inclined surfaces 433 and 434 of the optical prism, respectively, and the first photodetector 421 and the second photodetector The cross polarizer 452 for the polarizer 451 may be disposed between the upper surface 431 of the prism and the upper surface 431 of the optical prism.

Also in this embodiment, the optical connecting part 440 may include an optical connecting part 440 between the skin T to be measured and the lower surface of the optical prism. The optical connecting part 440 may include a lower surface 433 of the prism, T), respectively.

8 and 9 illustrate still another embodiment of the reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measuring apparatus according to the present invention. The vertical prismatic shape of the trapezoid is the same as that of the example 7, The examples relate to different arrangements.

8 shows that two light sources 411 and 412 are provided on the upper surface 431 of the optical prism and two photodetectors 421 and 422 are disposed on the upper two inclined surfaces 433 and 434 of the optical prism, And the like.

9 shows an example in which two light sources 411 and 412 are provided on one upper inclined surface 433 of the optical prism and two photodetectors 421 and 422 are disposed on the other upper inclined surface 434 .

10, two light sources 411 and 412 and two light sources 411 and 412 are provided on respective upper inclined surfaces of a quadrangular prism optical prism having four upper inclined surfaces 433, 434, 435, and 436 as another embodiment of the present invention. The photodetectors 421 and 422 are respectively positioned.

10, the first light source 411 and the second light source 412 are selectively installed on the two upper inclined surfaces 435 and 436 and the other upper inclined surfaces 433 and 434 on which the light sources are not provided And the first photodetector 421 and the second photodetector 422 are selectively installed.

Preferably, the first light source 411 and the second light source 412 are provided on two opposing upper inclined surfaces 435 and 436, and the first and second light detectors 421 and 422 422 are mounted on another two upper inclined surfaces 433, 434 facing each other.

In this case, the light source and the photodetector are arranged to have an angle of 90 degrees with each other, and such an orthogonal arrangement can reduce the mirror reflection component.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. There will be. In addition, many modifications may be made to the particular situation or material within the scope of the invention, without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but includes all embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

100: measurement scanner 200: main body
111: first light source 112: second light source
121: first optical detector 122: second optical detector
130: polarizer 131: crossed polarizer
210: mounting part 220: display part
310: light source part 320:
311: first light source 312: second light source
321: first photodetector 322: second photodetector
330: optical prism 340: optical connection part
351: Polarizer 352: Cross Polarizer
360: Body
411: first light source 412: second light source
421: first optical detector 422: second optical detector
430: optical prism 440: optical connection part
451: polarizer 452: crossed polarizer
T: Measurement target (skin)

Claims (33)

A light source unit for emitting excitation light;
A photodetector for detecting a fluorescence signal by the excitation light emitted from the light source;
And an optical prism configured to transmit the excitation light emitted from the light source unit to an object to be measured and to transmit the fluorescence signal to an optical detection unit,
Wherein the optical prism is configured to include a lower surface connected to an object to be measured, at least two upper surfaces on which the light source and the light detector are installed, and a part of the light emitted from the light source is transmitted directly And the other part is reflected in the optical prism and irradiated to the measurement object side, and the fluorescence signal from the measurement object is reflected by the optical prism or directly into the optical prism, And the reflected light is detected.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light source unit is configured to include a first light source that emits excitation light and a second light source that emits light of a different wavelength from the first light source,
Wherein the photodetecting unit is configured to include a first photodetector and a second photodetector installed to detect two different wavelengths of the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the second light source irradiates the light of the wavelength range of the skin fluorescence excited by the excitation light from the first light source.
The method of claim 2,
A light source switching controller for controlling on / off of the first light source and the second light source;
An operation unit for calculating a skin fluorescence signal corrected from the fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal detected from the first photodetector and the second photodetector;
And the reflected light is reflected by the reflected light.
The method according to claim 1,
And a lower surface of the optical prism further includes an optical connection part for contacting the object to be measured.
The method of claim 5,
Wherein the optical connection part comprises a connection layer made of a liquid material or an elastic material between the optical prism and the object to be measured.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the optical prism includes two upper inclined surfaces and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement target side, and is a triangular prism having a triangular vertical cross-sectional shape.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein a first light source and a second light source are provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism and a first photodetector and a second photodetector are provided on the other upper inclined surface.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the optical prism is a quadrangular prism having a vertical cross-sectional shape of a trapezoidal shape including two upper inclined surfaces, an upper surface connected to the two upper inclined surfaces, and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement object side, Skin fluorescence measuring device.
The method of claim 9,
Wherein a first light source and a second light source are provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism and a first photodetector and a second photodetector are provided on the other upper inclined surface.
The method of claim 9,
A first light source is provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism, a second light source is provided on the other upper inclined surface, and a first photodetector and a second photodetector are provided on the upper surface of the optical prism Reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.
The method of claim 9,
A first photodetector is provided on one upper inclined surface of the optical prism, a second photodetector is provided on an inclined surface on the other side, and a first light source and a second light source are provided on an upper surface of the optical prism Reflected light detection type skin fluorescence measurement device.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the optical prism is a quadratic prism having a vertical cross-sectional shape of a trapezoid, including four upper inclined surfaces, an upper surface connected to the four upper inclined surfaces, and a lower surface adjacent to the measurement target side, Skin fluorescence measuring device.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein a first light source and a second light source are provided on two upper inclined surfaces of the four upper inclined surfaces of the optical prism and a first photodetector and a second photodetector are provided on the other two upper inclined surfaces, Skin fluorescence measuring device.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the first light source and the second light source are provided on two upper inclined surfaces facing each other and the first photodetector and the second photodetector are provided on another two upper inclined surfaces facing each other And the reflected light is detected.
The method according to claim 1,
And a polarizer and a cross polarizer are provided between the optical prism, the light source, the optical prism, and the optical detector.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the light source switching control unit switches and controls the first light source and the second light source so that the lighting states of the first light source and the second light source are temporally separated.
The method of claim 4,
The light source switching control unit sequentially detects the fluorescent signal and the reflected light signal for the first light source and the reflected light signal for the second light source while continuously repeating the process of sequentially turning on and off the first light source and the second light source, And the reflected light is detected by the reflected light detecting device.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the measurement object and the standard specimen are selectively positioned on the optical path of the first light source and the second light source.
The method of claim 2,
Wherein the first light source irradiates light having a wavelength of 370 nm ± 20 nm.
The method of claim 2,
And the second light source irradiates light having a wavelength of 440 nm ± 20 nm.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the light source switching control unit controls the first light source and the second light source to be turned off before turning on the respective light sources.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein when the light source switching control unit extinguishes both the first light source and the second light source, the first photodetector and the second photodetector measure a dark signal, the operation unit stores the measured dark signal, And the reflected fluorescence signal and the reflected light signal are compensated for.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the light source switching control unit controls the first light source unit and the second light source unit to be repeatedly turned on and off at a cycle of 10 to 100 Hz.
The method of claim 4,
And a photodetector switching control unit for controlling the on / off states of the first photodetector and the second photodetector.
The method of claim 4,
A measurement scanner including the first light source, a second light source, a first photodetector, and a second photodetector;
And a main body including the calculating unit electrically connected to the measurement scanner, wherein the main body is separated from the measurement scanner.
27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the measurement scanner includes a memory for storing the detected information.
27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the main body is formed with a mounting portion on which the measurement scanner can be mounted, and the measurement scanner is configured to be removable on the mounting portion.
29. The method of claim 28,
The first light source, the second light source, the first photodetector, and the second photodetector are disposed at one end of the measurement scanner, and the mounting portion has a groove structure formed inwardly in a shape corresponding to the shape of one end of the measurement scanner And the reflected light is reflected by the reflected light.
29. The method of claim 29,
And a standard specimen is optically connected to the groove structure of the mounting portion so as to be optically connected to the first light source, the second light source, the first photodetector, and the second photodetector provided in the measurement scanner. .
32. The method of claim 30,
The main body performs measurement on the standard specimen when the measurement scanner is mounted on the mount, receives the detection information about the measurement object and the standard specimen stored in the measurement scanner, and calculates the skin fluorescence value corrected by the operation unit And the reflected light is reflected by the reflected light.
27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the main body further comprises a display unit, and the display unit outputs the corrected skin fluorescence signal calculated by the calculation unit.
The method of claim 4,
Wherein the calculation unit calculates the skin fluorescence value corrected by the following equation.
_{Formula: AF corr = K [I (} λ2, t1) / I 0 (λ2, t1)] / {[R (λ1)] k1 [R (λ2)]} k2
(Wherein, R (λ1) = I ( λ1, t1) / I 0 (λ1, t1): diffuse reflection coefficient at the excitation wavelength
R (λ 2) = I (λ 2, t 2) / I ₀ (λ 2, t 2)
I (λ2, t1): Intrinsic fluorescence (skin fluorescence) signal value of skin tissue
I (λ1, t1): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at excitation wavelength
I (λ2, t2): Reflected light signal value of skin tissue at the wavelength of emitted light
k1, k2: the exponential coefficient of the calibration function for the excitation and emission wavelengths
I ₀ (λ 2, t 1): Intrinsic fluorescence signal value in standard specimen
I ₀ (λ 1, t 1): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at excitation wavelength
I ₀ (λ 2, t 2): Reflected light signal value at standard wavelength at the wavelength of emitted light)

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