The present invention relates to a blood glucose prediction method, and a blood glucose sensor, and a blood glucose prediction system by non-invasive scheme.
Diabetes is a disease of one in eleven people in the world. The diabetes is a significant economic burden for individuals, families, health systems, and the nation. If blood glucose (blood sugar) levels of diabetic patients is not maintained, diabetic patients will have serious complications, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and diabetic foot, which can cause serious discomfort in patients' life. Therefore, the blood glucose level should be regularly monitored and high blood glucose levels need to be addressed promptly.
In general, the blood glucose levels are determined from blood samples obtained invasively using an enzyme-containing electrochemical reaction sensor. Obtaining the blood through the process of stabbing a finger with a finger at this time may be a great inconvenience to a diabetic patient who needs to measure blood sugar several times a day, and the risk of infection is great. As non-invasive blood glucose measurement methods, a Raman spectroscopy, a diffuse reflection spectroscopy, a thermal emission spectroscopy, a near-infrared absorption spectroscopy, an mm-wave terahertz spectroscopy, a transdermal impedance spectroscopy, a sonophoresis, and an iontophoresis techniques have been developed. However, such a measurement method has a problem in that the precision is deteriorated depending on the secretion of skin tissue or the skin condition.
An exemplary embodiment provides a method for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography.
Another exemplary embodiment provides a sensor for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography.
Yet another exemplary embodiment provides a system for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography.
According to an exemplary embodiment, a method for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography (PAS) is provided. The method includes: acquiring a PAS signal by irradiating light to skin of the body; obtaining a photoacoustic image of the skin from the PAS signal; selecting at least one measurement location based on the photoacoustic image; and predicting the blood glucose based on a photoacoustic spectrum of a PAS signal corresponding to the at least one measurement location among the PAS signals.
The acquiring a PAS signal by irradiating light to skin of the body may include irradiating the light of a plurality of wavelengths in a predetermined band into a predetermined area of the skin.
The irradiating the light of a plurality of wavelengths in a predetermined band into a predetermined area of the skin may include irradiating the light into the predetermined area while gradually increasing a size of the wavelength of the light within a near-infrared (NIR) band or a mid-infrared (MIR) band.
The irradiating the light of a plurality of wavelengths in a predetermined band into a predetermined area of the skin may include irradiating the light into the predetermined area while gradually decreasing a size of the wavelength of the light within a near-infrared (NIR) band or a mid-infrared (MIR) band.
The irradiating the light of a plurality of wavelengths in a predetermined band into a predetermined area of the skin may include irradiating the light into the predetermined area in a zigzag direction, concentrically, or spirally.
The selecting at least one measurement location based on the photoacoustic image may include selecting a location with a relatively low brightness in the photoacoustic image as the at least one measurement location.
The location with a relatively low brightness in the photoacoustic image may indicate a location which does not include a skin hole connected to a gland of the skin.
The location with a relatively low brightness in the photoacoustic image may indicate a valley of a fingerprint when the skin is a finger skin.
The selecting at least one measurement location based on the photoacoustic image may include selecting a location at which a change in photoacoustic spectrum is relatively small during a predetermined time interval as the at least one measurement location.
The predicting the blood glucose based on a photoacoustic spectrum of a PAS signal corresponding to the at least one measurement location among the PAS signals may include: transmitting information about the photoacoustic spectrum to a computing processor or a server; and receiving information on blood glucose predicted based on machine learning using the photoacoustic spectrum from the computing processor or the server.
According to another exemplary embodiment, a sensor for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography (PAS) is provided. The sensor includes: a light emitter configured to emit light to skin of the body; an acoustic resonator configured to amplifying a PAS signal using at least one cavity, wherein the PAS signal is generated by the skin after absorbing heat of the light; and a photoacoustic detector configured to acquire the PAS signal amplified by the acoustic resonator.
The light emitter may be configured to emit the light into a predetermined area of the skin while gradually increasing or decreasing a size of a wavelength of the light within a near-infrared (NIR) band or a mid-infrared (MIR) band.
The light emitter may further be configured to emit the light into the predetermined area in a zigzag direction, concentrically, or spirally.
The acoustic resonator may include a first cavity and a second cavity, the light is emitted onto the skin through the first cavity, and the PAS signal generated from the skin may be detected by the photoacoustic detector connected to an end of the second cavity.
The photoacoustic detector may include a microphone and an amplifier, and a resonance frequency of the microphone may correspond with a resonance frequency of the acoustic resonator within an error range.
The sensor may further include a photoacoustic analyzer and a communication unit, wherein the photoacoustic analyzer may be configured to transmit information about the PAS signal to a computation device or a server through the communication unit and receive information about the blood glucose predicted based on machine learning using the photoacoustic spectrum of the PAS signal from the computation device or the server through the communication unit.
According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a system for predicting blood glucose in a body using a photoacoustic spectrography (PAS) is provided. The system includes; a blood glucose sensor configured to amplify a PAS signal generated from skin of the body by irradiating light to the skin and acquire the PAS signal; and a photoacoustic analyzer configured to obtain a photoacoustic image of the skin from the PAS signal, selects at least one measurement location based on the photoacoustic image, and predict the blood glucose based on a photoacoustic spectrum of a PAS signal corresponding to the at least one measurement location.
The photoacoustic analyzer may be configured to transmit information about a photoacoustic spectrum of a PAS signal corresponding to the at least one measurement location to a computation device or a server via a wired and/or wireless network, and receive information on the blood glucose which is predicted based on machine learning using the photoacoustic spectrum from the computation device or the server.
The photoacoustic analyzer may be configured to select a location with a relatively low brightness in the photoacoustic image as the at least one measurement location.
The photoacoustic analyzer may be configured to select, as the at least one measurement location, a location in the photoacoustic image where change in the photoacoustic spectrum is relatively small for a predetermined time duration.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily practice the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be modified in various different ways and is not limited to embodiments described herein. In the accompanying drawings, portions unrelated to the description will be omitted in order to obviously describe the present disclosure, and similar reference numerals will be used to describe similar portions throughout the present specification.
Referring to
The light emitter 110 includes a laser 111, a scanning mirror 112, and a controller unit 113. The controller 113 may control the scanning mirror 112 so that a short wavelength light output from the laser 111 scans the skin. For example, the light output from the laser 111 scans a predetermined area on the skin by the scanning mirror 112 under the control of the controller 113. That is, the light emitter 110 may irradiate the light onto a predetermined area of the skin in a zig-zag direction, along with a concentric circle, or in a spiral shape. The light emitter 110 may emit the light having various wavelengths in a wavelength band at which the blood glucose may be most effectively measured. For example, the light emitter 110 may irradiate the light of a plurality of wavelengths into a predetermined band while gradually increasing or decreasing a size of the wavelength of the light within a near-infrared (NIR) band or a mid-infrared (MIR) band so that a photoacoustic spectrum indicating a change in the magnitude of the PAS signal for each wavelength can be obtained. The wavelength band of light emitted from the light emitter 110 may vary depending on the kind of substance in the body to be measured.
The acoustic resonator 120 may amplify a photoacoustic spectrography (PAS) signal generated after the laser output from the light emitter 110 is irradiated onto the skin through at least one cavity included in the acoustic resonator 120. The PAS signal is an acoustic signal generated when the light such as a laser is radiated onto a narrow area of the skin surface at a high density and then the skin tissue absorbs heat of the light to expand instantaneously. At this time, the PAS signal is emitted in a pulse shape within a very short time interval (nanosecond scale), and the size of the PAS signal is amplified due to the structural characteristic of the resonance structure 120 and is detected by the photoacoustic detector 130.
Referring to
The photoacoustic detector 130 includes a photoacoustic receiver 131 (for example, a microphone), and further includes a filter 132 and an amplifier 133 for signal processing of the PAS signal. Alternatively, the photoacoustic detector 130 may amplify the PAS signal through a lock-in amplifier (not shown).
The blood glucose sensor 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include a photoacoustic analyzer (PAS analyzer) 140 and a communication unit (not shown).
The photoacoustic analyzer 140 may analyze the PAS signal to predict the blood glucose level in the body. The photoacoustic analyzer 140 may directly predict the blood glucose level by analyzing the PAS signal. Alternatively, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 transmits information about the PAS signal to an external computation device or a server when the amount of calculation required for predicting the blood glucose is excessive and receives information about the blood glucose predicted based on machine learning using the PAS signal by the external computation device or the server. That is, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 may transmit the information about the PAS signal to the external computation device or the server through the communication unit, and receive the blood glucose level determined based on the machine learning by using the photoacoustic spectrum of the PAS signal from the computation device or the server through the communication unit. The external computation device may be a mobile communication device connected to a short-range wireless communication network (e.g., WLAN, Bluetooth), or a personal computer of a user connected to a wired network (e.g., LAN, USB interface), or a remote server connected to a long-distance wireless communication network (e.g., WAN). The functions of the photoacoustic analyzer 140 described below include photoacoustic analyzing functions used by the external computation device or the server.
The photoacoustic analyzer 140 according to another exemplary embodiment may obtain a photoacoustic image corresponding to each wavelength from the PAS signal generated from the light having various wavelengths, and may predict blood glucose levels in the body by performing a machine learning based on a plurality of photoacoustic images corresponding to the respective wavelengths. That is, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 (or an external computation device or a server) may perform deep learning using a plurality of photoacoustic images corresponding to the respective wavelengths. The photoacoustic analyzer 140 may apply regression analysis using a convolutional neural network (CNN) for the deep learning.
Referring to
The photoacoustic analyzer 140 according to an exemplary embodiment may generate a two-dimensional photoacoustic image of the skin and select at least one measurement location to be used in the blood glucose prediction in the two-dimensional photoacoustic image.
Referring to
Also, skin conditions over time may be considered to select the measurement location. Referring to
As described above, by using the photoacoustic image generated based on the PAS signal, the influence of the secretions of the skin, the state of the skin, the uniformity of the skin surface, and the like may be effectively removed from the measurement result and the accuracy of the blood glucose prediction may be enhanced. Further, by using the photoacoustic spectrum of the measurement location corresponding to the part of the photoacoustic images, the computing resources consumed in the computation device for performing the machine learning can be reduced, and the speed of the machine learning for the blood glucose prediction may be remarkably improved.
Referring to
Then, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 (or an external computation device or a server receiving the information about the PAS signal from the photoacoustic analyzer 140) obtains a two-dimensional photoacoustic image of the skin from the PAS signal (S120), and selects at least one measurement location to be used for predicting blood glucose based on the photoacoustic image (S130). According to the exemplary embodiment, the at least one measurement location may be selected in order of low lightness in the photoacoustic image. For example, when n measurement locations for predicting blood glucose are required, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 may select the n measurement locations in order of low lightness in the photoacoustic image. The area of the photoacoustic image that has a relatively low lightness may indicate an area which does not include a skin hole connected to the gland of the skin. Alternatively, the area of the photoacoustic image where the brightness is relatively low may indicate a valley of a fingerprint when the skin is the finger skin. Also, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 may select an area of the photoacoustic image having a relatively small change in the photoacoustic spectrum as a measurement location for predetermined time duration.
Thereafter, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 predicts the blood glucose based on the photoacoustic spectrum of the PAS signal corresponding to the selected measurement location (S140). To acquire the photoacoustic spectrum of the PAS signal corresponding to the selected measurement location, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 may perform a wavenumber scan at the selected measurement location. The photoacoustic analyzer 140 may perform the machine learning using the photoacoustic spectrum of the PAS signal corresponding to the selected measurement location (or receive a result of the machine learning performed by the computation device or the server which are located outside therefor) and may predict the blood glucose according to the result of the machine learning. At this time, the photoacoustic analyzer 140 may transmit the information about the selected measurement location in the photoacoustic image and the photoacoustic image to the external computing device or the server through the communication unit to reduce the calculation load (alternatively, transmit the photoacoustic spectrum), and use the results of the machine learning performed by the external computing device or the server.
Referring to
The blood glucose prediction system according to an exemplary embodiment may be implemented as a computer system, for example a computer readable medium. Referring to
Thus, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as a computer-implemented method or as a non-volatile computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon. In the exemplary embodiment, when executed by a processor, the computer-readable instructions may perform the method according to at least one aspect of the present disclosure. The communication device 1020 may transmit or receive a wired signal or a wireless signal.
On the contrary, the embodiments of the present invention are not implemented only by the apparatuses and/or methods described so far, but may be implemented through a program realizing the function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present disclosure or a recording medium on which the program is recorded. Such an embodiment can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art from the description of the embodiments described above. Specifically, methods (e.g., network management methods, data transmission methods, transmission schedule generation methods, etc.) according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of program instructions that may be executed through various computer means, and be recorded in the computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the computer-readable medium may be those specially designed or constructed for the embodiments of the present disclosure or may be known and available to those of ordinary skill in the computer software arts. The computer-readable recording medium may include a hardware device configured to store and execute program instructions. For example, the computer-readable recording medium can be any type of storage media such as magnetic media like hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media like CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical media like floptical disks, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Program instructions may include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that may be executed by a computer via an interpreter, or the like.
While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical example embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2017-0162169 | Nov 2017 | KR | national |
10-2018-0150953 | Nov 2018 | KR | national |
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2017-0162169 and 10-2018-0150953 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov. 29, 2017, and Nov. 29, 2018, respectively, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.