KR102192865B1 - Optical Sensor for a Cancer Diagnosis and Sensing Device therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical sensor, and more particularly, to an optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis. To this end, the case 10 is formed with a cavity 15 therein, an inlet 70 through which gas is introduced and an outlet 75 through which gas is discharged; A light source 20 provided on the cavity 15; A first reflector 60 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a first direction; A seventh reflector 57 for reflecting the light incident from the first reflector 60; A third reflecting mirror 50 and a fourth reflecting mirror 52 provided to face the seventh reflecting mirror 57; A first infrared sensor 30 provided on one of the seventh reflector 57 and the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52; A second infrared sensor 32 provided on the other side of the seventh reflector 57 and the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52; An eighth reflecting mirror 58 for reflecting light incident from the second reflecting mirror 65; A fifth reflecting mirror 54 and a sixth reflecting mirror 56 provided to face the eighth reflecting mirror 58; A third infrared sensor (34) provided on one side of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56); And a fourth infrared sensor 36 provided on the other side of the eighth reflecting mirror 58 and the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56.

Description

Optical Sensor for a Cancer Diagnosis and Sensing Device therewith

The present invention relates to an optical sensor, and more particularly, to an optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis and a sensor device including the same.

According to a recent study, about 874 types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are detected through respiration, 279 types in urine, and 381 types in feces. And, it is known that about 15.7% of VOCs through the respiratory tract show the same VOCs as urine. In patients with bile acid diarrhoea (BAD), 2-flopanol and acetamide are released, and in patients with liver disease, dimethyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and mercaptans Is known to increase. These are caused by imbalance of intestinal microflora, and a concept called “Dysbiosis” has been established.

In other words, the main functions of intestinal microbes are 1) affecting metabolic activity, 2) regulating hormone secretion in the intestinal epithelium, 3) controlling the fidelity of intestinal function, and 4) maintaining homeostasis of intestinal immune function. . Intestinal microbes and their fermentation of food in the intestine, and studies on the types and etiology of VOCs in feces are actively studied through the measurement and discrimination of VOCs through aging of urine and feces.

Therefore, it is indispensable to understand the VOCs generated during the aging (fermentation) process of urine and feces, which are human excrement, and to study the correlation between human etiology.

On the other hand, if you look at the data on the cause of death for Koreans in 2016 published by the National Statistical Office, 4,932 people (about 1.8%) increased compared to 2015, and the number of deaths from cancer by cause of death was the highest, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, It was reported that pneumonia, suicide (intentional self-harm), diabetes, chronic lower respiratory tract disease, liver disease, hypertensive disease, and transportation accidents accounted for 69.5% of the 10 causes of death.

The number of deaths from cancer per 100,000 population is 153, and the death rate from colorectal cancer has been reported to be higher than that of gastric cancer since statistical data were prepared in 1983, and the westernized diet is the most representative cause of colorectal cancer.

By cancer type/male and female, the early mortality rate for men was 188.8, followed by lung cancer (52.2), liver cancer (31.5), stomach cancer (20.8), and colon cancer (18.4). 18.1 patients), colon cancer (14.6 patients), liver cancer (11.6 patients), gastric cancer (11.5 patients), and pancreatic cancer (10.6 patients) were reported by the National Cancer Information Center (see Table 1).

carcinoma International Classification of Diseases Death toll Fraction (%) Mortality rate man Lung cancer C33-C34 13,324 27.6 52.2 Liver cancer C22 8,044 16.7 31.5 Stomach cancer C16 5,318 11.0 20.8 Colon cancer C18-C21 4,686 9.7 18.4 Woman Lung cancer C33-C34 4,639 15.5 18.1 Colon cancer C18-C21 3,746 12.5 14.6 Liver cancer C22 2,957 9.9 11.6 Pancreatic cancer C25 2,713 9.0 10.6

Comparing the domestic situation with advanced foreign countries, it is the same as the international comparison table of the age-standardized incidence rates as shown in [Table 2]. As shown in [Table 2], the incidence of colorectal cancer is among men and women in developed countries including Korea. It can be seen that Korea has a similar incidence of colorectal cancer to that of advanced countries, indicating that the westernization of dietary habits is dominant.

International comparison table of age-standardized incidence rates.
[Unit: persons/10 million persons] ranking* Korea
(2014) 2012 estimate Japan United States of America England - All cancer 297.1 All cancer 260.4 All cancer 347.0 All cancer 284.0 man One top 52.7 top 45.7 prostate 98.2 prostate 73.2 2 lungs 43.7 Leader 42.1 lungs 44.2 Leader 36.8 3 Leader 42.6 lungs 38.8 Leader 28.5 lungs 34.9 4 liver 31.4 prostate 30.4 bladder 19.6 Skin malignancies 13.7 Woman One thyroid 69.8 breast 51.5 breast 92.9 breast 95.0 2 breast 47.7 Leader 23.5 lungs 33.7 lungs 25.8 3 Leader 23.0 top 16.5 Leader 22.0 Leader 24.4 4 top 21.4 lungs 12.9 thyroid 20.0 Malignant skin
Melanoma 15.6

As can be seen in the domestic and foreign cases shown in [Table 1] and [Table 2], the incidence of colorectal cancer is relatively high in both men and women, and gastric cancer in Korean men and breast cancer in women are relatively high. Is shown.

On the other hand, as shown in [Table 3], the stage of colon cancer in the localized/localized atmosphere accounts for about 80% of the total in the proportion of patients by major cancer types. However, if colon cancer has metastasized, the survival rate is less than 20%, indicating that early cancer detection and treatment is important.

Five-year relative survival rate by summary stage of major carcinomas (men and women: 2010-2014).
(unit: %) Occur
ranking carcinoma Summary Weapon Limited Topical remote do not know Patient fraction Survival rate Patient fraction Survival rate Patient fraction Survival rate Patient fraction Survival rate One thyroid 42.6 100.6 50.6 100.4 0.7 71.6 6.1 99.1 2 top 60.3 95.9 23.0 60.1 11.2 6.3 5.5 41.9 3 Leader 38.1 95.6 41.2 81.2 14.9 19.3 5.8 60.0 4 lungs 20.0 61.2 26.6 33.7 44.5 5.9 8.8 17.2 5 breast 57.4 98.1 34.6 90.6 4.8 37.3 3.3 83.6 6 liver 46.0 53.1 24.7 19.3 15.9 3.2 13.4 24.1

Therefore, it is possible to lead a healthy life through early diagnosis of cancer, and it can be said that it can be treated.The early diagnosis of colorectal cancer is the Faecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), and the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). ), S-phase colonoscopy (Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, FS), and colonoscopy are being performed. In other words, FOBT or FIT is performed first, and additional clinical trials are conducted after analyzing the results. In the case of FOBT or FIT, sensitivity and specificity are low, and thus, it is not very well received in clinical practice. In particular, it is a situation that is not well received at home and abroad because it is an examination method through stool, which provides discomfort to the patient. On the other hand, the FS or colonoscopy method has superior selectivity compared to the above-described method, but it is a human invasive method and the low accessibility of the patient is acting as an obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment of colon cancer because it is a high-cost test.

Therefore, research on non-invasive early cancer diagnosis methods is underway in the medical and engineering fields, and for this purpose, it is possible to track and manage biomarkers (biomarkers) that occur in the correlation between diseases and substances that cause them and by-products, and detect them. Research on water systems or sensors is ongoing. One of these research directions is a polymer or semiconductor type gas sensor array (array: for example, an array of 32 sensors and an array to check the presence or absence of a specific gas by comparing and evaluating their output changes for various gases) The technology to determine the presence or absence of a specific gas in the mixed gas is applied, but due to the disadvantages of the chemical method sensor (slow recovery time due to chemical reaction, deterioration of durability reliability, etc.), a non-dispersive infrared gas sensor (NDIR) A study on the measurement method of gas concentration using an optical method such as) was first reported in 2017.

However, the conventional NDIR method has the following problems and has not been easily utilized for cancer diagnosis. First, although significantly lower than the semiconductor or polymer type, the infrared light source changes its optical properties over time due to changes in the physical properties of the filament or blackbody surface. In other words, as the period of use or the number of times of use increases, the output voltage decreases due to the characteristic that the intensity of light (light) weakens (depending on aging, after about 3 years), and this causes an error between the actual concentration and the high concentration gas concentration. Was provided. That is, the sensitivity of the gas sensor is deteriorated or there is a problem of measuring a value different from the actual concentration.

Second, the conventional white-cell and non-dispersive infrared gas sensor (NDIR) (Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1810423) having a structure to which it is applied is a light source and an infrared detector (or In the case of using a structure that physically combines four infrared sensors, four components can be detected), so that only one type of gas concentration could be measured. In order to measure the concentration of multiple gases using the white cell structure, it was possible to additionally fabricate another plurality of structures, and there was a problem that additional costs were higher. In other words, it has the disadvantage that the overall system becomes complicated when measuring gas using the conventional method, and there is a disadvantage that it is impossible to manufacture a multi-gas sensor (about 30 or more) systems using the conventional polymer and semiconductor sensor arrangement.

Third, among the fermentation gas components of various cancer patients or colon disease patients (enteritis, Crohn's disease, colon cancer patients) excretion, the specific components and absorption center wavelengths of these gases are presented in [Table 5]. As shown in [Table 5], various biomarkers are known to absorb infrared rays at wavelengths between 3 µm and 10 µm. Therefore, in the case of butyrate gas, for example, if you want to accurately measure this gas in the same wavelength band, you can narrow down about 9 (3.36, 5.78, 6.82, 7.27, 7.65, 7.95, 8.50, 9.10, 9.75 ㎛). Infrared gas sensor with band filter is required, but through recent technological advances, 3.12 ~ 4.4 ㎛ (LFP-3144C-337), 3.8 ~ 5.0 ㎛ (LFP-3850C-337), 5.5 ~ 8.0 ㎛ (LFP-5580C- 337), an infrared sensor having a Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) that can adjust the absorption wavelength at intervals of about 30 nm in the band of 8.0 ~ 10.5 ㎛ (LFP-80105C-337) is being produced in the early stages (Infratec, Germany). Therefore, by arranging these sensors and adjusting the absorption wavelength band, it is possible to secure sensor output in all wavelength ranges within the 3 to 10 µm band, and about 40 characteristic values can be secured from each sensor. By arranging 2 infrared sensors, you can expect the same infrared sensor device as about 120 polymer or semiconductor type sensors. However, development of an optical waveguide capable of integrating and driving these sensors and a sensor system or device using the same is required.

(1) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0020532 (published on February 19, 2014, composite light source device for optical diagnosis and phototherapy) (2) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1746406 (Notification date June 14, 2017, Non-dispersive infrared gas sensor having an elliptical optical structure and gas concentration measurement method using the same) (3) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1810423 (announced December 20, 2017, gas concentration measurement method of non-dispersive gas sensor and aging compensation method)

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the first object is to check the aging through the voltage measured by the gas sensor and to measure the gas concentration more accurately, as well as to use one light source. It uses multiple infrared sensors and can be used as a multiple gas sensor module. Each infrared sensor can be used as a multiple sensor or sensor array structure by adjusting the infrared absorption wavelength at a certain wavelength interval. It is described in providing an optical sensor capable of early diagnosis of various diseases including cancer by measuring infrared rays in a wide absorption wavelength band and accurately determining the presence or absence of a specific gas in the mixed gas and a sensor device including the same)

A second object of the present invention is to provide an optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis capable of early detection of cancer by analyzing a patient's respiration or fermentation gas of a temporary specimen, and a sensor device including the same.

A third object of the present invention is to provide an optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis and a sensor device including the same, capable of calculating more accurate gas concentration through a plurality of infrared sensors and accurately determining whether a specific gas component is included. To provide.

However, the technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems that are not mentioned are clearly to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the following description. It will be understandable.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, a cavity 15 is formed therein, a case 10 in which a gas inlet 70 and an outlet 75 for discharging the gas are formed; A light source 20 provided on the cavity 15; A first reflector 60 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a first direction; A seventh reflector 57 for reflecting the light incident from the first reflector 60; A third reflecting mirror 50 and a fourth reflecting mirror 52 provided to face the seventh reflecting mirror 57; A first infrared sensor 30 provided on one of the seventh reflector 57 and the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52; A second infrared sensor 32 provided on the other side of the seventh reflector 57 and the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52; An eighth reflecting mirror 58 for reflecting light incident from the second reflecting mirror 65; A fifth reflecting mirror 54 and a sixth reflecting mirror 56 provided to face the eighth reflecting mirror 58; A third infrared sensor (34) provided on one side of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56); And a fourth infrared sensor 36 provided on the other side of the eighth reflecting mirror 58 and the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56. The optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis is provided.

Further, the light source 20 is provided in the central region of the cavity 15.

In addition, one of the first infrared sensor 30 and the second infrared sensor 32 is a reference sensor, the other further includes an FPI filter 120, the third infrared sensor 34 and the fourth The infrared sensor 36 is an infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter and is a sensor capable of measuring infrared intensity at intervals of about 30 nm.

In addition, the case 10 has a rectangular shape, and the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36 are provided in each corner region of the rectangular shape.

In addition, the gas is the fermentation gas of respiration or pseudosample, and the pseudosample is one of urine, feces, blood, sweat, saliva, and hormones.

In addition, at least two of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36 are infrared sensors with built-in FPI filters capable of detecting the concentration of volatile organic compounds contained in the fermentation gas.

An object of the present invention as described above, as another embodiment, the cavity 15 is formed therein, a case 10 formed with an inlet 70 through which gas is introduced and an outlet 75 through which gas is discharged; A light source 20 provided on the cavity 15; A first reflector 60 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a first direction; A seventh reflector 57 for reflecting the light incident from the first reflector 60; A third reflecting mirror 50 and a fourth reflecting mirror 52 provided to face the seventh reflecting mirror 57; A first infrared sensor 30 provided on one side of the seventh reflector 57 and the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52; A second infrared sensor 32 provided on the other side of the seventh reflecting mirror 57 and the third and fourth reflecting mirrors 50 and 52; An eighth reflecting mirror 58 for reflecting light incident from the second reflecting mirror 65; A fifth reflecting mirror 54 and a sixth reflecting mirror 56 provided to face the eighth reflecting mirror 58; A third infrared sensor (34) provided on one side of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56); And a fourth infrared sensor 36 provided on the other side of the eighth reflecting mirror 58 and the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56;

Any one of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36 is a reference sensor, and an FPI filter 120 further included in the remaining sensors; A center wavelength control unit 180 for controlling a center wavelength of the FPI filter 120 based on an output signal from the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36; And a control unit 200 for recognizing a biomarker based on an output signal of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36; and an optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis comprising: Can also be achieved by

In addition, the center wavelength control unit 180 controls the voltage applied to the FPI filter 120 to control the center wavelength.

In addition, the infrared absorption wavelength of the biomarker is at least one of a band of 3.1 to 4.4 µm, a band of 5.5 to 8.0 µm, and a band of 8.0 to 10.5 µm.

In addition, the first valve 250 is installed on the inlet 70 side to control the inflow of gas; A second valve 260 installed on the outlet 75 side to control the discharge of gas; And a pump 270 for introducing gas into the cavity 15.

In addition, the controller 200 controls the operation of the first and second valves 250 and 260 and the pump 270.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by analyzing the patient's respiration or fermentation gas of a temporary specimen, it is possible to detect early cancer non-invasively, thereby improving the possibility of reaching a cure. .

In addition, it is possible to calculate more accurate gas concentration through a plurality of infrared sensors, and it is possible to check whether it is operating normally, preventing malfunction of the sensor and enhancing reliability, and detection and concentration of biomarkers, especially in respiration gas. You can have the ability to measure.

In addition, through the voltage measured by the gas sensor, the aging can be checked and the gas concentration can be more accurately measured. In addition, there is an advantage of being able to simultaneously measure the concentration of several types of VOCs rather than one type of VOCs.

However, the effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description. I will be able to.

The following drawings appended in the present specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so the present invention is described in such drawings. It is limited to and should not be interpreted.
1 is a schematic plan view of an optical sensor 100 for early cancer diagnosis according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an operational state diagram showing a reflection path of the infrared ray 80 when the optical sensor 100 shown in FIG. 1 operates;
3 is a graph showing the incident energy of each sensor when the light irradiated from the light source 20 is reflected symmetrically from the left to right,
3A is a graph of incident energy of the first infrared sensor (gas sensor) 30,
3B is a graph of incident energy of the fourth infrared sensor (gas sensor) 36,
3C is a graph of incident energy of the second infrared sensor (reference sensor) 32,
3D is a graph of incident energy of the third infrared sensor (reference sensor) 34,
4A is a graph of measurement results showing an example of the center wavelength dependence of the output voltage of a single infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter;
4B is an exemplary graph of the result of the dependence of the sensor accumulated voltage on the carbon dioxide gas using a single infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter,
4C is a graph showing the result of analysis of principal components in a state in which various biomarkers are mixed;
4D is a block diagram showing the components and signal processing system of the optical gas device for early cancer diagnosis.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art may easily implement the present invention. However, since the description of the present invention is merely an embodiment for structural or functional description, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, since the embodiments can be variously changed and have various forms, the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents capable of realizing the technical idea. In addition, since the object or effect presented in the present invention does not mean that a specific embodiment should include all of them or only those effects, the scope of the present invention should not be understood as being limited thereto.

The meaning of the terms described in the present invention should be understood as follows.

Terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one component from other components, and the scope of rights is not limited by these terms. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component. When a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it should be understood that although it may be directly connected to the other component, another component may exist in the middle. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a component is "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in the middle. On the other hand, other expressions describing the relationship between the constituent elements, that is, "between" and "just between" or "neighboring to" and "directly neighboring to" should be interpreted as well.

Singular expressions are to be understood as including plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and terms such as "comprises" or "have" refer to specified features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or It is to be understood that it is intended to designate that a combination exists and does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

All terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Terms defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having the meaning of the related technology in context, and cannot be interpreted as having an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

Example of Configuration

Hereinafter, a configuration of a preferred embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an optical sensor 100 for early cancer diagnosis according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the case 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped (126 mm in width, 76 mm in length, 20 mm in depth) having a substantially rectangular plane. One side of the case 10 is provided with an inlet 70 through which the gas to be measured is introduced, and the opposite side is provided with an outlet 75 for discharging the gas. The inside of the case 10 is emptied into the cavity 15, and various sensors and reflectors are disposed in the inner edge region of the case 10.

The cavity 15 is largely divided into two areas by the light source 20, and the central area is connected. The light source 20 is disposed in the center of the cavity 15 and irradiates infrared rays toward the first and second reflectors 60 and 65.

The first reflector 60 is disposed in front of the light source 20 and is manufactured at an inclined or inclined angle to reflect the infrared rays irradiated from the light source 20 toward the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52.

The third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52 are divided from each other and are arranged side by side so as to face the seventh reflector 57.

The seventh reflector 57 is provided in front of the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52 and is disposed so as to mutually reflect infrared rays with the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52 several times. That is, the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52 are two mirrors that are divided from each other, and the seventh reflector 57 is a single mirror having a mirror surface that is twice or more than the third and fourth reflectors 50 and 52. .

The first infrared sensor 30 is a gas sensor, and is disposed on the upper left side of the case 10 (based on FIG. 1 ). The gas sensor refers to a sensor having a filter corresponding to a specific wavelength or an FPI filter at the front of the first infrared sensor 30 in order to detect the gas concentration of a specific component. The first infrared sensor 30 is configured to adjust a specific wavelength of infrared rays flowing through the filter, detect the signal, and output an electric signal proportional thereto.

The second infrared sensor 32 is a sensor having a characteristic capable of transmitting a reference wavelength (for example, 3.90 μm), and is disposed at the lower left side of the case 10 (based on FIG. 1 ). The reference sensor refers to a sensor that has a filter corresponding to a specific wavelength band of infrared rays irradiated from the light source 20 or that can artificially adjust a transmission wavelength so that infrared rays of a specific wavelength can pass through. The second infrared sensor 32 detects a specific wavelength of incoming infrared rays and outputs an electrical signal proportional thereto, and uses this as a reference voltage to measure the voltage of the first infrared sensor 30, or according to deterioration of the infrared light source. It is a sensor that is applied to compensation of the output voltage and can provide a signal including an output in a specific wavelength range.

The second reflector 65 is disposed in front of the light source 20 and is inclined to reflect infrared rays irradiated from the light source 20 toward the fifth and sixth reflectors 54 and 56.

The fifth and sixth reflectors 54 and 56 are divided from each other, and are arranged side by side so as to face the eighth reflector 58.

The eighth reflecting mirror 58 is provided in front of the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56 and is disposed so as to mutually reflect infrared rays with the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56 several times. That is, the fifth and sixth reflectors 54 and 56 are two mirrors divided from each other, and the eighth reflector 58 is a single mirror having a mirror surface of twice or more.

The fourth infrared sensor 36 is a gas sensor, and is disposed at the upper right (based on FIG. 1) of the case 10. The gas sensor refers to a sensor provided with a filter capable of sequentially transmitting a specific wavelength in front of the fourth infrared sensor 36 in order to detect the gas concentration of a specific component. The fourth infrared sensor 36 is configured to detect energy of a specific wavelength of infrared rays flowing through the filter and output an electric signal proportional thereto. In addition, optionally, the filter of the fourth infrared sensor 36 is provided with a filter having an infrared transmission characteristic different from that of the first infrared sensor 30, so that the first infrared sensor 30 / the third infrared sensor 34 and the 4 The infrared sensor 36 may be configured to measure concentrations of different components.

The third infrared sensor 34 is an infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter, and is disposed at the lower right of the case 10 (based on FIG. 1 ). The third infrared sensor 34 has a function of adjusting a specific wavelength of the incoming infrared rays, detects a signal accordingly, and outputs an electrical signal proportional thereto, and through this, sequentially outputs an output voltage according to a change in infrared wavelength. Measure with

The first, third, and fourth infrared sensors transmit 10.5 µm infrared rays from 3.1 µm infrared rays by adjusting the driving voltage of the FPI filter so that the infrared transmission regions are different from each other, and transmit the transmitted infrared rays at a predetermined interval (for example, 30 to 50 µm). nm) to enable the infrared sensor array. Therefore, it is possible to configure an optical sensor array having a specific absorption wavelength of about 80 to 120.

The controller may measure the gas concentration of a specific component of the introduced gas by receiving signals output from the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36 and processing them. Among these components, the presence of cancer can be diagnosed early by detecting the concentration of volatile organic compounds (eg, methane, ethane, acetylene, toluene, ethylene, etc.).

The gas introduced through the inlet 70 is a respiration or fermentation (or aging) gas of the sample, and the sample is one of the patient's urine, feces, blood, sweat, saliva, and hormones.

4D is a block diagram showing the components and signal processing system of the optical gas device for early cancer diagnosis.

The operational amplifier 140 is connected to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th infrared sensors 30,32,34,36, amplifies the received signal to a higher voltage, and transmits the amplified signal to the ADC 160 do. To this end, the operational amplifier 140 has an amplifying circuit of 4 channels.

The ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) 160 converts an analog signal received from the operational amplifier 140 into a digital signal. The ADC 160 transmits a digital signal to the control unit 200.

The control unit 200 is connected to the center wavelength control unit 180 and connected to the pulse generator 210, and the output signal of the control unit 200 is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 230 and/or an RS485 240 It is transmitted to the outside through the port. The control unit 200 may be implemented by an MCU (eg, dsPIC30F4013).

The center wavelength control unit 180 receives the feedback of the output signals of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36, and receives the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36), each center wavelength can be adjusted by controlling the voltage applied to it.

The pulse generator 210 receives a command from the control unit 200 and transmits a pulse signal to the light source 20.

The first valve 250 is installed at the inlet 70 to block or release the gas. To this end, the first valve 250 may be a solenoid valve.

The second valve 260 is installed on the outlet 75 side to block or release the gas discharge. To this end, the second valve 260 may be a solenoid valve.

The pump 270 is installed in the vicinity of the first valve 250 and serves to supply gas to the cavity 15.

Example of action

Hereinafter, the operation of the preferred embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As a background technology for operation, analysis of VOCs by etiology and maturation of excrement of specific patients (colorectal cancer, CD, liver cancer, BAD, etc.) and lung cancer, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), breast cancer, For early diagnosis through respiratory gas analysis of liver cancer patients, GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy) analysis, oxide semiconductor [ www.alpha-mos.com ] or Nanocomposite sensor array [ www.sensigent.com ] using electronic nose ( Electronic-Nose) is being used.

Among the techniques for analyzing the concentration of VOCs, the GC/MS method has a large amount of accurate database, but it takes about 4 to 5 hours for quantitative analysis, so it takes a long time to confirm the disease and the equipment is expensive. It is difficult to provide.

In addition, even if VOCs, which are etiological factors, are detected according to the GC/MS method, it is a non-invasive method in terms of diagnostic medicine because it requires the discrimination of liver cancer and colon cancer through a biopsy or colonoscopy, which is an additional high-reliability detailed examination. Is extremely preferred.

Of the papers related to the medical approach of the electronic nose (EN) studied so far, 24% are the types of sensors, 19% are objects, 18% EN, 15% are clinical, 14% are carcinomas, and 7% are sensors. The chemical reaction of, 2% relates to data analysis, 1% other etiology. Gas sensors used in electronic noses recognize the change in the surface resistance of the sensor when they contact VOCs while being heated at about 150 ~ 450 ℃ to check patterns for various VOCs.

At this time, the problem of resilience of organic/inorganic compounds arises, which inevitably requires regular inspection and correction. Therefore, periodic calibration work is not involved, and research on non-chemical gas sensors that require stable sensor characteristics for a long period is indispensable.

FIG. 2 is an operational state diagram illustrating a reflection path of the infrared ray 80 when the optical sensor 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 operates. As shown in FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present invention uses a structure that dramatically increases an optical path using a white cell structure. Light (light) irradiated from the light source 20 through the white cell structure causes the collected infrared rays to reach the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36 without using a separate lens.

In addition, it is designed so that the infrared rays 80 irradiated from one light source 20 pass through two white cell structures and are divided into four branches of light (light). Among them, two light (light) having a long optical path is incident on the first and fourth infrared sensors 30 and 36. In addition, the remaining two lights (lights) reach the second and third infrared sensors 32 and 34 and are used as a reference when measuring broadband or multiple gases, or determining and correcting the sensor output compensation or aging. At this time, the energy received from the infrared detector follows the following LamBert-Beer's Law.

Here, I _d is the light energy in the infrared detector, I _o is the initial light energy, a is the absorption coefficient of the gas, x is the concentration of the gas, and L is the optical path.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the infrared ray 80 finally passing through the white cell structure has about 12 reflections, and the optical path at this time is about 767 mm. In addition, the infrared rays 80 irradiated from the light source 20 have radiation in the direction of ±30° from the optical axis, and are reflected by the seventh reflector 57 and the eighth reflector 58, respectively, of the light deviating from the optical axis by ±13° There are two paths. Where this light (light) is condensed, there are second and third infrared sensors 32 and 34 capable of measuring a reference voltage.

3 is a graph of a simulation analysis showing the incident energy of each sensor when the light irradiated from the light source 20 is reflected symmetrically, and FIG. 3A is a graph of the incident energy of the first infrared sensor (gas sensor) 30, 3B is a graph of the incident energy of the fourth infrared sensor (gas sensor) 36, FIG. 3C is a graph of the incident energy of the second infrared sensor (reference sensor) 32, and FIG. 3D is a third infrared sensor (reference sensor) ( 34) is a graph of the incident energy.

3A and 3B show energy incident on the first and fourth infrared sensors 30 and 36, respectively, after light (light) irradiated from the light source 20 reflects the white cell structure 12 times. 3C and 3D show that the light irradiated from the light source 20 has a radiation range of about ±30° to the optical axis, and the first and second reflectors 60 and 65 are arranged in parallel with the optical axis. This is the incident amount of energy of light directly reflected from the adjacent seventh and eighth reflectors 57 and 58 without encountering them. As shown in FIG. 3, the infrared rays 80 having a continuous wavelength emitted from the light source 20 are irradiated to the 1.2mm×1.2mm active areas of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36, respectively. do. [Table 4] is a table showing the amount of energy incident on each infrared sensor.

Left incident energy (W) Right incident energy (W) Gas sensor (light path 767mm) 0.0076 0.0073 Reference sensor (light path 96mm) 0.0023 0.0016

On the other hand, Figure 4 shows an example of the actual measurement results for the early cancer diagnosis optical gas device to be secured in the present invention.

Figure 4a shows the output voltage and ethanol and carbon dioxide gas of the infrared sensor according to the center wavelength in a nitrogen gas state using an infrared sensor (LFP-3144C-337) equipped with an FPI filter provided by Infratec (Dresden, Germany). It shows the actual measurement result of the output voltage difference according to the change of the center wavelength in the presence of. As shown in Fig. 4a, it is known through the measurement results that there is a change in the output voltage in a specific wavelength region (only near the infrared absorption region of ethanol and carbon dioxide gas shown in [Table 5]) in the state of 2000 ppm ethanol and 500 ppm carbon dioxide. I can. In addition, when the case of carbon dioxide gas is described as an example, it can be determined that more sophisticated gas sensors can be manufactured by summing the outputs of the center wavelength where the difference in output voltage occurs and analyzing the correlation between these voltages and gas concentration. . In addition, since the infrared sensor does not react with any gas at the center wavelength of 3.91 µm in general, the reference voltage output state can be indicated, so it has the advantage of being able to perform two functions with one infrared sensor.

Looking at the case of FIG. 4B, which shows the change in the accumulated output voltage by adding all the outputs of a certain portion of the central wavelength according to the change in the carbon dioxide gas concentration to which the above-described matters are actually applied, the accumulated voltage increases as the gas concentration increases, and the measurement It can be seen that it is also possible to manufacture a sensor that can predict the entire concentration range with an error of less than 5% in the state of being used. In addition, as can be seen in [Table 5], the output voltage of carbon dioxide is 4.26㎛, acetone is 5.80㎛, toluene and butyrate are 6.65/6.80㎛, butyrate alone is 8.50㎛, acetone is around 9.38㎛. It can be seen that the presence or absence of the target gas can be measured even in the low concentration range through the cumulative calculation. Therefore, it is possible to secure the advantage of improving the accuracy of diagnosis by paralleling the presence or absence of a specific biomarker and the concentration calculation.

4C is a sensor device equipped with only one infrared sensor (LFP-3144C-337) equipped with an FPI filter, and shows the result of principal components analysis in a state in which various biomarkers are mixed. However, in FIG. 4C, sprite is carbonated drinking water, CK1 is perfume, M is methanol, I is isopropyl alcohol, A is acetone, and T is toluene liquid. This is the result of analyzing the gases flowing into the sensor through nitrogen gas by flowing nitrogen gas into these mixed liquids. As can be seen in Fig. 4c, it was not possible to distinguish between CK1 and methanol, but an infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter for sprite and M, M+I, M+I+A, M+I+A+T gases ( LFP-3144C-337) alone can confirm that the presence or absence of a specific gas could be accurately checked. That is, the presence or absence of biomarkers (acetone, ethanol, toluene, isopropyl alcohol, etc.) belonging to the feces of various cancer patients can be accurately identified.

Therefore, the reason for limiting to three or more through a combination of three or more FPI-equipped sensors is as shown in [Table 5]. Looking at the infrared absorption wavelengths of biomarkers known to date, 3.1 ~ 4.4 ㎛ band, Since it is known to mainly absorb infrared rays in the 5.5 ~ 8.0 µm band and 8.0 ~ 10.5 µm band, it can be judged that all biomarkers shown in [Table 5] can be detected. In addition, we made an infrared gas device equipped with a combination of these three infrared sensors and a reference sensor (infrared sensor with a narrow band filter of 3.91 µm center wavelength) to determine the deterioration of the infrared light source, and check the presence or absence of a specific gas. An optical gas device equipped with a judgment algorithm (for example, a principal component analysis algorithm) can accurately determine the presence or absence of cancer or various diseases by accurately discriminating the biomarkers contained in the fermented gas of human excrement.

4D is a block diagram showing the components and signal processing system of the optical gas device for early cancer diagnosis. As shown in FIG. 4D, the power supply unit 220 divides into two analog/digital power supplies to provide separate power for analog signal and digital signal processing. One light source 20 irradiates infrared rays 80 through the pulse generator 210. Since a very small amount of biomarkers may be present in the optical sensor 100, gas inflow and outflow are controlled by controlling the first and second valves 250 and 260 of the inlet 70 and outlet 75 of the optical sensor 100.

And, after storing the output voltage in the gaseous state in which the organic mixture gas does not exist, the pump 270 is used for a certain period of time (a time when a gas of a volume slightly larger than the internal volume of the cavity 15 can be sucked). Inhale the sample gas. Then, after measuring the target gas for a certain period of time (approximately 5 times of measurement), the difference between the results is calculated, and the principal component analysis (PCA) analysis is performed to enable early cancer diagnosis. .

In addition, the first, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 34, and 36 use an infrared sensor equipped with an FPI filter 120. A voltage control circuit is incorporated in the center wavelength control unit 180 for adjusting the center wavelength of the FPI filter 120. The center wavelength control unit 180 measures the supplied voltage and returns negative feedback to ensure accuracy of the filter control voltage. In each sensor, the output voltage of the sensor according to the change in the center wavelength is amplified through the OP amplifier 140 having a small offset voltage, and then converted into a digital signal through the ADC 160. The converted digital signal is subjected to an algorithm (PCA or Discriminant Gas Analysis) for analyzing biomarkers present in the mixed gas in the control unit 200. By outputting this result through the DAC 230 or RS485 240 communication, it is configured to diagnose cancer or disease early.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed as described above has been provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement and implement the present invention. Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, a person skilled in the art may use the components described in the above-described embodiments in a manner that combines with each other. Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the detailed description above should not be construed as restrictive in all respects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. In addition, the embodiments may be configured by combining claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the claims, or may be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

10: case,
15: joint,
20: light source,
30: first infrared sensor,
32: second infrared sensor,
34: third infrared sensor,
36: the fourth infrared sensor,
50: third reflector,
52: fourth reflector,
54: fifth reflector,
56: sixth reflector,
57: seventh reflector,
58: the eighth reflector,
60: first reflector,
65: second reflector,
70: inlet,
75: outlet,
80: infrared,
100: sensor.
120: FPI filter,
140: op amp,
160: ADC,
180: center wavelength control unit,
200: control unit,
210: pulse generator,
220: control unit,
230: DAC,
240: RS485.
250: first valve,
260: second valve,
270: pump.

Claims (13)

A case 10 having a cavity 15 formed therein, an inlet 70 through which gas is introduced and an outlet 75 through which the gas is discharged;
A light source 20 provided on the cavity 15;
A first reflector 60 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a first direction;
A second reflector 65 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a second direction;
A seventh reflector 57 for reflecting the light incident from the first reflector 60;
A third reflecting mirror 50 and a fourth reflecting mirror 52 provided to face the seventh reflecting mirror 57;
A first infrared sensor (30) provided on one side of the seventh reflector (57) and the third and fourth reflectors (50,52);
A second infrared sensor (32) provided on the other side of the seventh reflector (57) and the third and fourth reflectors (50,52);
An eighth reflecting mirror 58 for reflecting light incident from the second reflecting mirror 65;
A fifth reflecting mirror (54) and a sixth reflecting mirror (56) provided to face the eighth reflecting mirror (58);
A third infrared sensor (34) provided on one of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56); And
Including; a fourth infrared sensor (36) provided on the other side of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56),
The gas is the fermentation gas of respiration or temporary specimen,
The false specimen is one of urine, feces, blood, sweat, saliva, and hormones,
At least two of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36 further include an FPI filter 120 capable of detecting the concentration of volatile organic compounds contained in the fermentation gas. Optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis characterized by. The method of claim 1,
The light source (20) is an optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that provided in the central area of the cavity (15). The method of claim 1,
One of the first infrared sensor (30) and the second infrared sensor (32) is a reference sensor, and the other is an optical sensor for early cancer diagnosis, further comprising the FPI filter (120). The method of claim 1,
At least one of the third infrared sensor (34) and the fourth infrared sensor (36) is a sensor including the FPI filter (120). The method of claim 1,
The case 10 has a rectangular shape,
The first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors (30, 32, 34, 36) are optical sensors for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that provided in each corner region of the rectangular shape. delete delete delete A case 10 having a cavity 15 formed therein, an inlet 70 through which gas is introduced and an outlet 75 through which the gas is discharged; A light source 20 provided on the cavity 15; A first reflector 60 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a first direction; A second reflector 65 reflecting light irradiated from the light source 20 in a second direction; A seventh reflector 57 for reflecting the light incident from the first reflector 60; A third reflecting mirror 50 and a fourth reflecting mirror 52 provided to face the seventh reflecting mirror 57; A first infrared sensor (30) provided on one side of the seventh reflector (57) and the third and fourth reflectors (50,52); A second infrared sensor (32) provided on the other side of the seventh reflector (57) and the third and fourth reflectors (50,52); An eighth reflecting mirror 58 for reflecting light incident from the second reflecting mirror 65; A fifth reflecting mirror (54) and a sixth reflecting mirror (56) provided to face the eighth reflecting mirror (58); A third infrared sensor (34) provided on one of the eighth reflector (58) and the fifth and sixth reflector (54,56); And a fourth infrared sensor 36 provided on the other side of the eighth reflecting mirror 58 and the fifth and sixth reflecting mirrors 54 and 56;
Any one of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, 36 is a reference sensor, and an FPI filter 120 further included in the remaining sensors;
A center wavelength control unit 180 for controlling a center wavelength of the FPI filter 120 based on an output signal of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors 30, 32, 34, and 36; And
Including; a control unit 200 for recognizing a biomarker based on an output signal of the first, second, third, and fourth infrared sensors (30, 32, 34, 36),
The gas is the fermentation gas of respiration or temporary specimen,
The false specimen is one of urine, feces, blood, sweat, saliva, and hormones,
The FPI filter 120 is an optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that it can detect the concentration of volatile organic compounds contained in the fermentation gas. The method of claim 9,
The central wavelength control unit 180 controls the central wavelength by controlling the voltage applied to the FPI filter 120. The optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that. The method of claim 9,
The infrared absorption wavelength of the biomarker is at least one of a band of 3.1 to 4.4 µm, a band of 5.5 to 8.0 µm, and a band of 8.0 to 10.5 µm. The method of claim 9,
A first valve 250 installed at the inlet port 70 to control the inflow of the gas;
A second valve 260 installed on the outlet 75 side to control the discharge of the gas; And
An optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that it further comprises a pump (270) for introducing the gas into the cavity (15). The method of claim 12,
The control unit 200 is an optical sensor device for early cancer diagnosis, characterized in that for controlling the operation of the first and second valves (250, 260) and the pump (270).

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