Bodily emission analysis

Abstract

To automatically analyze a bodily emission (feces or urine) of a subject that is disposed within a toilet bowl.SOLUTION: Apparatus and methods are described for use with feces of a subject that is disposed within a toilet bowl (23), and an output device (32). One or more light sensors receive light from the toilet bowl, while the feces are disposed within the toilet bowl. A computer processor (44) analyzes the received light, and, in response thereto, determines that there is a presence of blood within the feces, and determines a source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract. The computer processor (44) generates an output on the output device (32), at least partially in response thereto. Other applications are also described.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 381,288, filed August 30, 2016, to Kapp-Barnea, entitled "Body emission analysis."

[0002] This application is based on Attar's "Detection of Blood in an In Vitro Biological Sample" filed on February 25, 2015. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 6, entitled "Apparatus and method for the remote sensing of blood in an ex-vivo biological sample" Attar, filed February 25, 2016, claiming priority to application No. 2 / 120,639. This application is related to International Application No. PCT / IL2016 / 050223 (published as WO 16 / 135735), entitled "Body emission analysis."

[0003] The above-mentioned applications are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0004] Some applications of the present invention relate generally to the analysis of bodily exudates, and more particularly to devices and methods for analyzing bodily exudates such as urine and feces.

[0005] Colorectal cancer is cancer that originates in the large intestine, such as the colon or rectum. Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor of the stomach. Detection of blood in feces is used as a screening tool for colon and gastric cancer. However, the blood is often occult, meaning it is invisible to the naked eye. The fecal guaiac test is one of several methods for detecting the presence of blood in feces, even when it is not visible. A stool sample is placed on a specially prepared type of paper called guaiac paper, and hydrogen peroxide is applied. If blood is present, the paper turns blue. Patients suspected of having colon or gastric cancer are typically evaluated using colonoscopy, gastroscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and / or external imaging techniques such as CT, PET, and / or MRI.

[0006] Bladder cancer is a condition in which cancer cells grow within the epithelial lining of the bladder. Detecting blood in urine can be useful for screening for bladder cancer. Techniques for detecting blood include placing a test strip containing specific chemicals in a urine sample and detecting a color change in the strip. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to some applications of the present invention, bodily waste (such as feces or urine) of a subject placed in a toilet bowl is automatically analyzed. Typically, while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl, light (reflected from the contents of the toilet bowl) is received from the toilet bowl using one or more optical sensors, e.g., one or more cameras. One or more spectral components in the received light indicative of light absorption by components of red blood cells are detected by analyzing the received light using a computer processor (e.g., by performing spectral analysis on the received light). In response to detection, the computer processor determines the presence of blood in the bodily waste.

[0008] In some applications, the computer processor estimates the amount of blood in the bodily waste. In some applications, the computer processor identifies a location within the gastrointestinal tract from which the blood originated. For example, the computer processor may The spectral content in the received light may be analyzed to determine the blood's time in anaerobic conditions to identify its location. Alternatively or additionally, the computer processor may analyze the extent to which the blood has spread in the feces and / or the location of the blood within the feces to identify the location in the gastrointestinal tract from which the blood originated.

[0009] The computer processor typically generates an output on an output device (such as a phone, tablet device, server, or personal computer). In some applications, an output is generated indicating that the subject should see a medical professional and / or that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon. In some applications, the output device includes an output component (such as a light (e.g., LED) or a screen) built into the device. Typically, after the subject voids a bodily waste into the toilet bowl, the above-described steps are performed without any human action being required. Thus, for example, the subject does not need to add anything to the toilet bowl to facilitate determining whether there is blood in the waste.

[0010] In some applications, the device analyzes and records the results of multiple bodily excretions from a subject over an extended period of time, for example, more than a week or more than a month. Typically, in this manner, the device is configured to screen for the presence of early-stage cancer and / or polyps, which characteristically bleed only intermittently. In some applications, the device compares the amount of blood detected in a bodily excretion (e.g., feces) over a period of time to a threshold amount.

[0011] In some applications, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect microorganisms in feces and / or detect changes therein over time. Alternatively or additionally, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect and classify white blood cells in feces and / or detect changes therein over time.

[0012] Thus, according to some applications of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for use with a subject's feces placed in a toilet bowl and an output device, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while feces is deposited in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: Analyzing the received light In response to the analysis, determining the presence of blood in the feces and determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject; generating output at an output device at least in part in response to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

[0013] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood by measuring the extent to which the blood has spread in the feces. For some applications, the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood by measuring the location of the blood within the feces.

[0014] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional. For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

[0015] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to determine the source of blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject by measuring the intensity of at least a first spectral component and a second spectral component in the received light and normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

[0016] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a first spectral component by measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm, and the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a second spectral component by measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm.

[0017] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a first spectral component by measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm, and the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a second spectral component by measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm.

[0018] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to normalize the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

[0019] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to calculate a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm and the measured intensity of the second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

[0020] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to calculate a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm and the measured intensity of the second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

[0021] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with feces of a subject deposited in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while feces is deposited in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light; and determining, in response to the analysis, the presence of blood in the feces and determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination.

[0022] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate; generating output at an output device at least in part in response to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

[0023] In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces. In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

[0024] In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect a set of three or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical spectrum of the microorganism by detecting one or more spectral components due to the fluorescence of the microorganism.

[0025] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional. For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

[0026] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of microorganisms in the bodily exudate; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination.

[0027] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from a given microorganism; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

[0028] In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces. In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

[0029] In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect three or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from a given microorganism, the three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the microorganism.

[0030] In some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional. In some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to be imminent.

[0031] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components fluorescing from a given microorganism; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of microorganisms in the bodily exudate; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination.

[0032] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from white blood cells; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of leukocytes in the bodily exudate; generating output at an output device at least in part in response to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

[0033] In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of leukocytes in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of leukocytes in the feces. In some applications, the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of leukocytes in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of leukocytes in the urine.

[0034] In some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect three or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components from which white blood cells fluoresce, the three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the white blood cells.

[0035] In some applications, the computer processor is further configured to classify the detected white blood cells as a given type of white blood cell.

[0036] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional. For some applications, the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

[0037] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic of the fluorescence emitted by white blood cells; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of leukocytes in the bodily effluent; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination.

[0038] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; In response to the detection, estimating the amount of blood in the bodily excreta; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the estimation; and a computer processor configured to:

[0039] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily exudate by estimating a concentration of blood in the bodily exudate. For some applications, the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily exudate by estimating a volume of blood in the bodily exudate.

[0040] In some applications, the bodily waste comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily waste by estimating the amount of blood in the feces. In some applications, the bodily waste comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily waste by estimating the amount of blood in the urine.

[0041] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to detect a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical absorption spectrum of the blood component by detecting a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical absorption spectrum of the blood component selected from the group consisting of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, heme, and platelets.

[0042] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; estimating the amount of blood in the bodily effluent in response to the detection; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the estimation.

[0043] The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for analyzing bodily wastes, according to some applications of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates components of a sensor module, according to some applications of the present invention. [Figure 3A] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams of components of the imaging components of the sensor module, according to applications of the present invention. [Figure 3B] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams of components of the imaging components of the sensor module, according to applications of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing spectrograms recorded from stool samples, according to some applications of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a bar graph showing aspects of the spectral content recorded from each sample during experiments conducted in accordance with several applications of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing the results of experiments conducted in accordance with some applications of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a flow chart illustrating steps performed according to some applications of the present invention. [Figure 8]Optical absorption spectra of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions, provided by Bme591wikiproject from English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https: / / commons.wikimedia.org / w / index.php?curid=3447869. [Figure 9] 1 shows infrared transmittance spectra recorded from each bacterial strain in experiments conducted according to several applications of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 shows the ultraviolet transmittance spectra recorded from each bacterial strain in experiments conducted according to several applications of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between light transmittance of blood at 800 nm and age of blood (minutes) as measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 shows optical transmission spectra of blood over time in anaerobic conditions as measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between (a) the optical transmittance of blood at 800 nm (the transmittance is normalized by the optical transmittance at other wavelengths) and (b) the age of the blood (in minutes), as measured by the inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 is a scatter plot graphing the ratio of light intensity reflected from each volume of blood-spiked stool sample measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] Reference is now made to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of an apparatus 20 for analyzing bodily waste according to some applications of the present invention. As shown, the apparatus 20 typically includes a sensor module 22 disposed within a toilet bowl 23. In some applications (not shown), the sensor module (and / or additional components of the apparatus) are integrated into the toilet bowl. The sensor module includes an imaging component 24, which further includes one or more optical sensors configured to receive light from bodily waste (typically urine or feces 26) discharged by the subject and deposited in the toilet bowl. For example, as described in more detail below, the optical sensors may include a spectrometer or one or more cameras. A computer processor analyzes the received light to determine whether blood is present in the bodily waste. Typically, the computer processor analyzes the received light (e.g., by performing spectral analysis on the received light) to detect one or more spectral components in the received light that are indicative of light absorption by components of red blood cells. (Such spectral components are referred to herein as examples of blood signatures, because particular combinations of such components indicate the presence of blood, as described herein.) Further, typically, the steps of receiving light, analyzing the received light, and determining whether blood is present in the bodily waste are performed without requiring any action by a person (e.g., a user, caregiver, or medical professional) after the subject has discharged the bodily waste into the toilet bowl.

[0046] In some applications, the device 20 includes a power source 28 (e.g., a battery pack) located inside a housing 30 outside the toilet bowl, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor module is connected to a utility power source (not shown). Typically, the power source and sensor module 22 are connected by wire (as shown) or wirelessly (not shown). Depending on the application, a computer processor that performs the above-described analysis may be connected to the toilet bowel. The sensor module 22 may be located within the bowel (e.g., within the same housing as the sensor module), within the housing 30, or remotely. For example, as shown, the sensor module may communicate wirelessly with a user interface device 32 that includes a computer processor. Such a user interface device may include, but is not limited to, a phone 34, a tablet computer 36, a laptop computer 38, or different types of personal computing devices. The user interface device typically serves as both an input device and an output device, and a user interacts with the sensor module 22 through the user interface device. The sensor module may transmit data to the user interface device, and the computer processor of the user interface device may execute a program configured to analyze the light received by the imaging module and thereby detect the presence of blood in the subject's bodily exudates.

[0047] In some applications, the sensor module 22 and / or the user interface device communicate with a remote server. For example, the device may communicate with a doctor or insurance company over a communications network without intervention from the patient. The doctor or insurance company may evaluate the results and determine whether further testing or intervention is appropriate for the patient. In some applications, data related to the received light is stored in a memory (such as memory 46 described below). For example, the memory may be located within the toilet bowel (e.g., within the sensor unit), within the housing 30, or remotely. The subject may periodically submit the stored data to a facility, such as a medical facility (e.g., a doctor's office or pharmacy) or an insurance company, and a computer processor at the facility may then perform the above-described analysis on batches of data related to the subject's bodily wastes acquired over a period of time.

[0048] It should be noted that the devices and methods described herein include screening tests that do not require the subject to physically touch bodily waste. Furthermore, the subject typically only needs to periodically touch any portion of the dedicated sensing device, for example, to attach the device or to replace or charge the device's batteries. (Note that the subject may handle a user interface device, but this is typically a device (e.g., a phone) that the subject handles even when not using the sensing device.) Furthermore, the devices and methods described herein typically do not require the subject to add anything to the toilet bowl after the subject has discharged bodily waste into the toilet bowl to facilitate spectral analysis of the waste and / or a determination that the waste contains blood. In some applications, the subject is not required to take any action after attaching the device to the toilet bowl. The test is automatic and handled by the device, making monitoring the subject's waste seamless for the subject and not requiring consent from the subject unless an abnormality is detected.

[0049] Typically, after a subject discharges a bodily waste into a toilet bowl (and typically once the subject has finished voiding the bodily waste and the bodily waste is at least partially submerged in the water of the toilet bowl), the bodily waste is imaged by receiving light reflected and / or transmitted from the toilet bowl, without requiring any post-void human action. In some applications, the bodily waste is analyzed while the bodily waste is being discharged into the toilet bowl. Typically, a computer processor (a) analyzes (e.g., spectrally analyzes) the received light, and (b) responsive to the analysis, determines whether there is a presence of blood in the bodily waste (and / or performs additional functions described herein). on the bodily exudate), and (c) generate an output at least in part in response thereto, all without requiring any post-exudation human action. Note that in some applications, as described in more detail below, if an indication of the presence of blood in the bodily exudate is detected, input by the subject is solicited via a user interface device. However, even in such applications, the presence of blood is determined based on automatic spectral analysis, and user input is used to determine the source of the blood and / or whether the source of the blood is a cause for concern.

[0050] In some applications, for each of the subject's bodily wastes, if positive, the device reports the finding to the patient via an output device, such as user interface device 32. In some applications, the output device includes an output component (such as a light (e.g., an LED) or a screen) integrated into device 20. In some applications, if analysis of the bodily waste indicates the presence of blood in the waste, the computer processor drives a user interface to request input from the subject by asking the user several confirmatory questions. For example, the user interface device may ask the user, "Have you eaten red meat in the 24 hours prior to your most recent bowel movement?" because meat contains blood and red meat consumption can cause a false positive. Alternatively or additionally, the user interface device may ask the user, "Have you used aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs?" because ingestion of such drugs has been shown to cause stomach or gastrointestinal bleeding in susceptible individuals. In some applications, the data is analyzed locally, but the results are transmitted to a healthcare provider or insurance company via a network connection.

[0051] In some applications, the device monitors the subject's bodily waste over an extended period of time, for example, for more than a week or more than a month. Typically, in this manner, the device is configured to screen for the presence of malignancies and / or polyps, which characteristically bleed only intermittently. In some applications, the device compares the amount of blood detected in the bodily waste (e.g., feces) over a period of time to a threshold amount. It is well known that there is a normal, physiological, non-pathogenic level of gastrointestinal bleeding, estimated to average less than 2 ml / day. Intestinal bleeding exceeding 2 ml / day is considered abnormal. (Note that the exact amount that is considered abnormal may vary for each individual, depending on, for example, age and gender. Thus, for example, in adult women, a normal blood concentration in the stool may be considered less than 64 micrograms / gram, while in adult men, anything above 20 micrograms / gram may be considered abnormal.) Thus, in some applications, the threshold is calibrated to increase the specificity of the sensing, such that no alert is generated if the level of bleeding is consistent with normal, physiological, non-pathogenic gastrointestinal bleeding, but an alert is generated if, for example, the level of bleeding indicates the presence of cancer and / or polyps.

[0052] In some applications, the computer processor that analyzes the received light uses machine learning techniques, such as anomaly detection and / or outlier detection. For example, the computer processor may be configured to perform personalized anomaly or outlier detection by learning the pattern of each subject's output signal and detecting abnormal changes in the subject's characteristic blood signature. As described above, in some applications, the computer processor that performs the analysis is remote and / or separate from the sensor module. In some applications, the sensor module is disposable, but the computer processor has access to historical data about the subject so that the historical data can be used in machine learning techniques even after the sensor module is discarded.

[0053] Reference is now made to Figure 2, which is a block diagram illustrating the components of a sensor module 22 according to some applications of the present invention. As described herein above, the sensor module Typically, it is placed within the toilet bowl. Furthermore, typically, the sensor module includes an imaging component, which further includes one or more optical sensors configured to receive light from bodily waste discharged by the subject and placed within the toilet bowl. The imaging component is described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B. Typically, the sensor module is housed within a waterproof housing. Furthermore, typically, the face of the sensor module below which the imaging component is mounted is covered with a transparent waterproof cover. Note that FIG. 1 shows the sensor module positioned above the water level within the toilet bowl. However, in some applications, at least a portion of the sensor module (e.g., the entire sensor module) is submerged in the water within the toilet bowl.

[0054] In some applications, the sensor module includes a subject sensor 40. The subject sensor is configured to detect when a subject is on or near the toilet and / or whether the subject has defecated and / or urinated in the toilet bowl. For example, the subject sensor may include a motion sensor configured to detect feces, urine, the subject, or the movement of water in the toilet bowl. Alternatively or additionally, the subject sensor may include a light sensor configured to detect when a light in the bathroom is turned on or when a subject sits on the toilet. In some applications, the light sensor used to detect light from bodily waste is also used for the above-mentioned functions. In some such applications, the sensor module is configured to be in standby mode most of the time (such that the sensor module uses a reduced amount of power). The sensor module is turned on in response to detecting that a subject is on or near the toilet and / or that the subject has defecated and / or urinated in the toilet bowl. Typically, the imaging component of the sensor module acquires images in response to detecting that a subject is on or near the toilet and / or that the subject has defecated and / or urinated in the toilet bowl. In some applications, the subject manually turns on the sensor module.

[0055] In some applications, the sensor module typically includes a vibrating component 42 configured to vibrate the feces in the toilet bowl. The vibrating component may include an ultrasonic transducer, a motor-operated mechanical component, and / or a pump configured to emit a jet of water. The vibrating component is typically configured to break up the feces into small pieces so that blood present in the fecal particles becomes visible to the imaging component. Note that in some applications, the vibrating component is located within the toilet bowl separately from the sensor module. In some applications, a vibrating component is not used, and the device 20 is able to determine with a sufficient level of specificity whether blood is present in the feces by the feces breaking up and falling into the toilet bowl and impacting the bowl.

[0056] Typically, the sensor module includes a computer processor 44, a memory 46, and a communications module 48. The computer processor 44 is configured to drive the imaging components to perform the functions described herein. In some applications, the computer processor is further configured to perform the analysis functions described herein. In such applications, the computer processor 44 typically communicates the results of the analysis (e.g., a positive detection of blood in the feces) to a remote device, such as the user interface device 32 (FIG. 1), via the communications module 48. Alternatively, as described herein, the analysis of the received light may be performed by a remote computer processor, e.g., a computer processor that is part of the user interface device. In such applications, the computer processor 44 typically communicates raw imaging data and / or optical signals to the remote computer processor via the communications module 48. In some applications, the computer processor stores the data in the memory 46. The data may include raw data that may be later retrieved and analyzed and / or results of spectral analysis of the light received by the imaging components. The memory 4 6 may include a memory card such as a physically removable SD card. The communication module typically uses well-known technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (registered trademark), and ZigBee (registered trademark). protocol, or any Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, to communicate with external devices (e.g., user interface device 32).

[0057] In some applications, the sensor module 22 includes an indicator 50, for example, a visual indicator (such as an LED light) or an audible indicator (e.g., a speaker configured to emit an audible alert), configured to indicate to the subject when the sample has been successfully imaged and / or when data has been successfully transmitted to a remote device, such as the user interface device 32. It should be noted that, although not shown, the indicator typically interacts with other components of the sensor module, such as a computer processor and / or a communications module.

[0058] 3A-3B, which are schematic diagrams of components of imaging component 24 according to various applications of the present invention. Imaging component 24 is typically located on the side of sensor module 22 that faces the water in the toilet bowl. Figures 3A-3B are schematic diagrams of the face of the sensor module described above.

[0059] As described in more detail below, to detect blood signatures in bodily exudates, specific spectral bands within light reflected from and / or transmitted by the bodily exudates are typically detected. Typically, the spectral bands are centered at wavelengths within the range of 530 nm to 785 nm (e.g., 530 nm to 600 nm). More typically, two or more spectral bands centered at approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. In some applications, other spectral bands indicative of the presence of blood are measured. For example, a spectral band centered at approximately 425 nm (e.g., 420 to 430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at approximately 500 nm (e.g., 490 to 510 nm) may be detected. The width of the spectral bands is typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm or greater than 8 nm) and / or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm or 12 nm), e.g., 3 to 40 nm, 5 to 20 nm, or 8 to 12 nm. Spectral bands described herein as being approximately centered around a given spectral value should be interpreted to include spectral bands centered plus / minus 5 nm around the given value.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 3A , in some applications, the imaging component 24 of the sensor module 22 includes a light source 68 (e.g., an LED light source or a different type of lighting) that emits white light. In addition, the imaging module includes two or more cameras that function as light sensors. The two or more cameras may include a color camera 60 and / or a monochrome camera that includes filters, such as for detecting a first one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (camera 62), a second one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (camera 64), and / or a third one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (camera 66). The cameras function as light sensors for the device 20, and the light sources function to illuminate the toilet bowl and bodily waste. In some applications, all four cameras are used in the imaging component. In some applications, a different type of light sensor (e.g., a spectrometer) is used instead of or in addition to the cameras.

[0061] In some applications, the computer processor of device 20 is configured to identify the spectral components within each portion of the bodily exudate by individually analyzing each pixel in the images acquired by the cameras. To identify the spectral components of a given portion of the bodily exudate, the computer processor determines correspondences between pixels in the images acquired by each camera. Typically, regardless of how many cameras are used, all cameras will capture images of an area less than 10 square centimeters (e.g., an area less than 5 square centimeters or All cameras are placed very close to each other, so that they are located within an area of ​​less than one square centimeter. In some applications, using cameras placed very close to each other makes it easier to determine pixel-to-pixel correspondences in the images captured by each camera.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 3B, in some applications, the imaging component 24 of the sensor module 22 includes a color camera 60 and two or more light sources (e.g., LED lighting or other types of lighting) that emit light in each spectral band. The two or more light sources typically include light source 68 (configured to emit white light, as described with reference to FIG. 3A) and / or light sources configured to emit light in a first one of the aforementioned spectral bands (light source 72), a second one of the aforementioned spectral bands (light source 74), and / or a third one of the aforementioned spectral bands (light source 76). In some applications, one or more of the light sources are fitted with narrowband filters. The camera functions as a light sensor for the device 20, and the light sources function to illuminate the toilet bowl and bodily waste. In some applications, all four light sources are used in the imaging component.

[0063] It should be noted that in some applications, the imaging component does not include a light source, and the imaging component's optical sensor (e.g., a camera) relies on ambient light. Alternatively, the imaging component's light source and optical sensor may be located on different sides of the toilet bowl. In some applications, the imaging component is configured to detect optical transmission and / or optical reflection of the bodily exudates. Alternatively or additionally, the imaging component is configured to detect optical absorption of the bodily exudates. Generally, the scope of the present application includes detecting spectral components of the bodily exudate optical spectrum described herein by detecting and / or calculating the intensity of spectral components of the optical reflectance spectrum, optical transmission spectrum, and / or optical absorption spectrum of the bodily exudates and / or water in the toilet bowl adjacent to the bodily exudates. In some applications, rather than using one or more cameras configured to detect light pixel-by-pixel, a spectrometer is used to detect the overall spectrum of light reflected from the bodily exudates and analyze the reflected light.

[0064] In some applications, color camera 60 is a multispectral or hyperspectral camera. For example, a hyperspectral camera may be used to capture images of the bodily exudates, and a computer processor may analyze the data by generating a hypercube of data that includes two spatial dimensions and one wavelength dimension. The computer processor may determine whether blood is present in the bodily exudates by analyzing the hypercube.

[0065] It should be further noted that the particular arrangement of light sources and light sensors shown in Figures 3A-3B is an example, and the scope of the present invention includes using alternative or additional arrangements of light sources and / or light detectors. For example, more or fewer than four light sources and / or light sensors may be used. Similarly, the light sources and / or light sensors may be arranged in configurations different from those shown in Figures 3A-3B. The scope of the present invention includes using any combination of light sources and light sensors arranged in any configuration that facilitates performing the measurements described herein.

[0066] Typically, the optical sensor of the imaging component 24 of the sensor module 22 acquires images in response to detecting that a subject is on or near the toilet and / or that the subject has defecate and / or urinate in the toilet bowl, as described herein above. In some applications, during image acquisition by the cameras 60, 62, 64, and / or 66, bursts of images are acquired at given time intervals. For example, bursts may be acquired once every 3 seconds, every 5 seconds, or every 10 seconds. Each burst of images typically contains between 1 and 8 images, e.g., between 3 and 5 images. Typically, all images acquired at a given excretion are acquired within a total time period of less than 20 seconds, such that there is no substantial movement of the body excretion between the acquisition of each image within each burst. In some applications, the maximum exposure time per image frame is typically 10 ms. Alternatively, the exposure time per image frame may be greater than 10 ms, e.g., greater than 35 ms.

[0067] The devices and methods described herein use light reflected back from red blood cells and collected by a light sensor. In some embodiments, this light can be reflected from an ambient light source, and in other embodiments, the light source is an integral part of the system. In some embodiments, such a light source can be an LED or a broadband light source with bandpass filters of one or more wavelengths. As described herein above, red blood cells have an identifiable spectral signature that can be reflected from the test medium and detected by a light sensor; this signature is referred to herein as a blood signature.

[0068] In some applications, the sensor module detects the presence of blood in the bodily exudate in response to detecting that a mathematical function of absorption, transmission, and / or reflection at two or more wavelengths returns a value, or that a weighted function of the wavelengths returns a particular value. As described herein above, in some applications, the sensor module transmits the output of the optical sensor to a user interface device 32 (FIG. 1), and software executed on the device by a computer processor performs the analysis.

[0069] Generally, the device 20 includes an illumination source (i.e., a light source) that typically irradiates biological fluids excreted from a patient and passes through the water in a toilet bowl. In some applications, radiation (e.g., radiation in the visible light range) is emitted at various wavelengths of interest to evaluate the optical signature of the sample. A photodetector is positioned on the opposite side of the light source, on the same side, or anywhere else in the toilet bowl. For example, the photodetector may face the light source to detect light from the light source passing through the bodily waste and / or the water in the toilet bowl adjacent to the bodily waste. It should be noted that while some applications of the present invention relate to using detection of radiation in the visible light range and practicing the techniques described herein, the scope of the present invention includes using radiation in any spectral band and practicing the techniques described herein, mutatis mutandis.

[0070] In some applications, a white light broadband illumination source is used (e.g., white light source 68), and the photodetector may include at least two photodetectors (e.g., two or more of cameras 60, 62, 64, and 66). Each photodetector may include a different filter for collecting different wavelengths of light after passing through the biological fluid. The filters may be narrow band filters, interference filters, absorptive filters, or diffractive optical elements (DOEs). It may also be a filter.

[0071] Reference is now made to Figure 4, which is a graph showing spectrograms recorded from stool samples according to some applications of the present invention. Raw human stool samples and human stool samples spiked with 0.2 ml of blood were placed in glass containers (dimensions 86 x 86 x 90 mm) filled with tap water to a height of approximately 70 mm (approximately 500 cc of water). White LED light in the range of 400-700 nm and with an intensity of approximately 220 lumens was directed into the containers, and spectrograms of the light reflected from the containers were acquired using a standard spectrometer.

[0072] The thick curve is the spectrogram obtained from the raw stool sample, and the thin curve is the spectrogram obtained from the stool containing blood. As can be seen, in the enlarged portion of the graph, the spectrogram obtained from the blood-containing sample contains a characteristic valley-peak-valley shape at approximately 540 nm (trough), 565 nm (peak), and 575 nm (trough). This characteristic shape is an example of a blood signature; this shape indicates the presence of blood. Specifically, this shape The pattern indicates light absorption by oxyhemoglobin present in red blood cells in the blood.

[0073] The above results indicate that blood signatures in stool samples can be detected under certain conditions. Furthermore, the results are obtained by using a spectrogram to analyze the overall spectral profile of the sample. When analyzing the sample pixel by pixel, as in certain applications of the present invention, blood signatures can be expected to be detected with greater sensitivity and specificity.

[0074] Reference is now made to Figure 5, which is a bar graph showing the proportions of spectral components recorded from each sample during experiments conducted in accordance with several applications of the present invention. Using the techniques described above with respect to Figure 4, spectrograms of several samples were analyzed. The samples included: 1. Fresh beets. 2. Fresh raw meat. 3. Blood-free fecal sample. 4. A second stool sample that does not contain blood. 5. A mixture of rum and red food coloring. 6. A sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood. The sample was not stirred. 7. Sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood. The sample was stirred by stirring once with a stick. 8. Sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood. The sample was stirred by stirring twice with a stick. 9. Sample containing feces and 5 drops of blood. The sample was not stirred. 10. Sample containing feces and 5 drops of blood. The sample was agitated by stirring twice with a stick.

[0075] Blood was obtained from a blood bank and stored in citrate.

[0076] For each sample, the received spectrogram was analyzed by calculating two ratios: Ratio 1 is the ratio of the intensity of the 10 nm band centered at 565 nm to the intensity of the 10 nm band centered at 575 nm (I(565) / I(575)); and Ratio 2 is the ratio of the intensity of the 10 nm band centered at 565 nm to the intensity of the 10 nm band centered at 540 nm (I(565) / I(540)). For our experiments, the thresholds were set at 1.05 for Ratio 1 and 0.8 for Ratio 2, such that a Ratio 1 greater than 1.05 and a Ratio 2 greater than 0.8 indicated that the sample contained blood. This is because samples containing blood are expected to have a blood signature with a characteristic valley-peak-valley shape at approximately 540 nm (trough), 565 nm (peak), and 575 nm (trough), while samples without blood are expected to have an increasing slope in the spectrogram from 540 nm to 575 nm, as shown by the bold curve in Figure 4. The results are presented in the bar graph shown in Figure 5 and summarized in the table below.

[0077] [Table 1]

[0078] As can be seen based on FIG. 5 and the table above, generally, using the ratios and thresholds described above, blood was detected in the feces in four out of five cases. Generally, in cases where blood was not present in the sample, blood was not detected using the ratios and thresholds described above, except in the meat sample (Sample 2) described below. These results demonstrate that blood in bodily excretions can be detected by spectrally analyzing the excretions using the techniques described herein. Thus, in some applications of the present invention, spectral bands centered at wavelengths within the range of 530 nm to 785 nm (e.g., 530 nm to 600 nm) are detected. Typically, two or more spectral bands centered at approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. The width of the spectral bands is typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm or greater than 8 nm) and / or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm or less than 12 nm), e.g., 3 to 40 nm, 5 to 20 nm, or 8 to 12 nm. In some applications, the ratio of the intensities of one or more of the above-mentioned spectral bands relative to one another is determined. For example, the ratio of the intensity of a spectral band centered at about 565 nm to the intensity of a band centered at about 575 nm (or vice versa) may be determined, and / or the ratio of the intensity of a spectral band centered at about 565 nm to the intensity of a band centered at about 540 nm (or vice versa) may be determined. In some applications, different relationships between the intensities of the above-mentioned spectral bands relative to each other are determined. In some applications, relationships between parameters of each spectral band other than intensity are determined. In some applications, other spectral bands indicative of the presence of blood are measured. For example, The results of experiments performed by the inventors on whole blood in water showed a valley in the reflectance spectrum at about 425 nm. In the experiments described with respect to Figure 5, some of the fecal samples containing blood showed a peak in their reflectance spectrum at about 500 nm. Thus, in some applications, a spectral band centered at about 425 nm (e.g., 420-430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at about 500 nm (e.g., 490-510 nm) is detected.

[0079] It should be noted that the results shown in Figure 5 and summarized in the table above represent a portion of the samples analyzed. Generally, there were no false positives except when meat samples were analyzed. This is to be expected, as fresh raw meat has residues of animal blood that are dissolved in water. According to some applications of the present invention, such false positives are reduced by asking the subject questions such as whether they ate red meat within a given time interval of excretion, as described herein above.

[0080] A false negative result was observed when blood was injected into solid feces but not into the water (as in sample 6). According to some applications of the present invention, such false negatives are reduced by mixing, shaking, and / or agitating the feces in the toilet bowl in accordance with the techniques described herein. Note that in the experiments, blood was mixed with the feces when it was placed in the glass container. Typically, when a person urinates in a toilet, the feces fall into the bowl and are agitated by impact with the bowl. Therefore, in some applications of the present invention, no active agitation is performed on the feces placed in the toilet bowl. Additionally, a false negative result was observed when blood containing beet was used as a sample (not shown in FIG. 5). In some applications of the present invention, such false negatives are reduced by using a higher light intensity than that used in the above-described experiments. It is further noted that, according to some applications, because the analysis of bodily waste is performed over a period of time, hidden blood that is overlooked in some wastes is likely to be detected in others.

[0081] Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which is a graph illustrating the results of simulations performed in accordance with some applications of the present invention. (a) The spectrogram of feces and (b) the spectrogram of five drops of blood obtained in the experiments described above were used. To simulate a spectrogram of a single drop and improve the signal-to-noise ratio relative to the spectrogram of the single drop of blood used, the spectrogram of the five drops of blood was divided by five. Simulations were performed to artificially mix the spectra, such as to create the effect of mixing feces with various amounts of blood. The first and second ratios described above were then calculated for increasing bandwidths of the spectral filter. FIG. 6 is a plot illustrating the minimum number of drops that were detectable at each bandwidth. It can be seen that up to a bandwidth of 20 nm, two drops of blood were detectable, but for bandwidths of 30 nm and above, a minimum of three drops of blood were required for blood to be detectable. Thus, in some applications of the invention, two or more spectral bands centered at about 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected, and the widths of the spectral bands are typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm or greater than 8 nm) and / or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm, or less than 12 nm), e.g., 3-40 nm, 5-20 nm, or 8-12 nm.

[0082] Reference is now made to Figure 7, a flow chart illustrating the procedural steps performed in accordance with some applications of the present invention.

[0083] In a first step (step 80), as described herein above with reference to FIG. 2, the sensor module 22 (e.g., the subject sensor 40 of the sensor module) detects that a subject is near or on the toilet and / or that a bodily waste has been discharged into the toilet. In response to detection, the imaging component 24 of the sensor module typically Light is received from the toilet bowl by capturing images using one or more cameras (e.g., one or more multispectral cameras or one or more hyperspectral cameras) (step 82). As noted herein above, the scope of the present invention includes receiving radiation in any spectral band and is not limited to receiving radiation in the visible light range.

[0084] The received light is analyzed (e.g., spectrally analyzed) by a computer processor. As described herein, this computer processor may be the computer processor 44 of the sensor module or a different computer processor. Typically, a spectral band centered at a wavelength within the range of 530 nm to 785 nm (e.g., 530 nm to 600 nm) is detected. More typically, a blood signature spectral component is detected (step 84). For example, one or more spectral components in the received light indicative of optical absorption by components of red blood cells (e.g., oxyhemoglobin) may be detected. As described herein, in some applications of the invention, two or more spectral bands centered at approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. In some applications, other spectral bands indicative of the presence of blood are measured. For example, a spectral band centered at approximately 425 nm (e.g., 420 to 430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at approximately 500 nm (e.g., 490 to 510 nm) may be detected. (As noted herein above, spectral bands described herein as being approximately centered around a given spectral value should be interpreted to include spectral bands centered around the given value plus / minus 5 nm.) In some applications, for example, as noted herein above, the detected spectral components are analyzed by calculating the ratio of the intensities of each component relative to one another (step 86). Alternatively, or additionally, the spectral components may be analyzed in a different manner. (Step 86 is within a dotted box to indicate that the particular step of calculating the ratio is optional.) In response to the spectral analysis, the computer processor detects blood (step 88) and generates an output, for example, on the user interface device 32 (step 90).

[0085] The scope of the present invention includes detecting any spectral components indicative of light absorption by components of red blood cells, such as hemoglobin, methemoglobin, and / or heme. In some applications, spectral components indicative of light absorption by urine and / or feces are detected. In some applications, a computer processor determines whether feces and / or urine are present along with blood to verify that the detected blood is blood associated with the feces and / or urine and not from a different source. Additionally, the scope of the present invention includes determining any type of relationship between parameters (e.g., intensities) of each spectral band in the received light, and is not limited to determining ratios between parameters (e.g., intensities) of each spectral band. Furthermore, even in applications where Ratio 1 and Ratio 2 are calculated as described above in this specification, the thresholds described as used are exemplary, and the scope of the present invention includes using thresholds different from those described above in this specification. For example, in applications where a calibrated optical sensor is used, a threshold greater than 1 and / or less than 1.5 (e.g., between 1 and 1.5) may be used for a ratio of 1 (i.e., I(565) / I(575)), and a threshold greater than 0.7 and / or less than 1 (e.g., between 0.7 and 1) may be used for a ratio of 2 (i.e., I(565) / I(540)). In applications where the optical sensor is not calibrated, the ratios may be different.

[0086] It should be noted that at this stage, the output may indicate a suspicion that the subject's blood is in the bodily exudates. In some applications, to confirm the suspicion, the user is required to provide input by asking the user a confirmatory question (the answer to which typically indicates the source of the detected blood), as described herein above. The computer processor receives input from the subject regarding the confirmatory question (step 92). If the input from the user indicates that the detection of blood is not a false positive (e.g., which may be due to the subject having eaten red meat), The computer processor records that a blood event has occurred (step 94). For example, the computer processor may record the event in memory 46 of the sensor module. In some applications, the blood event is recorded (step 92) without receiving input from a user. For example, the computer processor may account for false positives in different ways, such as by incorporating the likelihood of false positives into thresholds used to monitor blood events over time. (Step 92 is within a dotted box to indicate that this step is optional.)

[0087] Typically, steps 80-90 in FIG. 7 (the steps within the large dashed box) are performed after the subject has discharged bodily waste into the toilet bowl without requiring any action by the subject or any other person.

[0088] Reference is now made to FIG. 8, which illustrates the optical absorption spectra of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb) in the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions, provided by the Bme591wikiproject at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https: / / commons.wikimedia.org / w / index.php?curid=3447869. As discussed above, in some applications, a blood signature is detected by detecting two or more (and typically three or more) spectral components that exhibit characteristic shapes of the optical absorption curves of blood components. For example, as discussed above, a characteristic valley-peak-valley shape at approximately 540 nm (trough), 565 nm (peak), and 575 nm (trough) may be detected. This characteristic shape is an example of a blood signature, and this shape indicates the presence of blood. Specifically, this shape indicates optical absorption by oxyhemoglobin present in red blood cells in the blood.

[0089] The scope of the present invention includes identifying any series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical absorption spectrum of blood components. Typically, the three or more components are in the ultraviolet, visible, and / or near-infrared regions of the spectrum. For example, a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical absorption spectrum of deoxyhemoglobin may be detected. Referring to FIG. 8, an example of such a series of three components is the peak-valley-peak shape shown at approximately 435 nm (peak), 480 nm (trough), and 555 nm (peak) in the optical absorption spectrum of deoxyhemoglobin. In some applications, one of the three spectral components used to identify blood is approximately 425 nm (e.g., 420-430 nm). In some applications, one of the three spectral components used to identify blood is approximately 500 nm (e.g., 490 nm-510 nm). (Note that because FIG. 8 shows the absorption spectra of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin, the relationship between these components of light reflected from bodily exudates will be different from that shown in FIG. 8. If the absorption spectrum exhibits a peak-valley-peak shape, the reflected or transmitted light spectrum will exhibit a valley-peak-valley shape, and vice versa. Similarly, the valley-peak-valley pattern of the oxyhemoglobin curve shown in FIG. 4 (showing the reflected light spectrum) appears as a peak-valley-peak pattern in FIG. 8.) In some applications, a set of three or more spectral components having characteristic relationships to one another are detected in the light absorption spectra of different components of blood. For example, the components of blood may include blood components present in red blood cells (e.g., methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, and / or heme) and / or non-red blood cell components (such as platelets).

[0090] As described herein above, in some applications, a spectral band centered on a spectral component of interest is detected, and the width of the spectral band is typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm or greater than 8 nm) and / or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm or less than 12 nm), e.g., 3-40 nm, 5-20 nm, or 8-12 nm.

[0091] Typically, the techniques described herein above are used to distinguish blood components from other components in bodily excretions. According to the method, a set of at least three spectral components is detected. However, the scope of the present invention includes detecting two or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to one another in the absorption spectrum of blood components. Typically, the components are in the ultraviolet, visible, and / or near-infrared regions of the spectrum, e.g., 400 nm to 600 nm.

[0092] Reference is now made to Figure 9, which shows the infrared transmittance spectra recorded from each bacterial strain in experiments conducted in accordance with some applications of the present invention, and to Figure 10, which shows the ultraviolet transmittance spectra recorded from each bacterial strain.

[0093] The experiments used Escherichia coli (E. coli) serotypes O25 and O87 and Lactobacillus plantarum ("L. plantarum") strains. All bacteria were grown overnight in tryptic soy broth (Sigma-Aldrich) medium at 37°C. Equal volumes (5 mL) of fresh cultures were placed in Petri dishes and subjected to spectral analysis. The experiments were carried out over two sessions using different bacterial cultures. In the first session, E. coli O25 and L. plantarum were used. In the first session, 10 ml of fresh, clean tryptic soy broth medium was used, and in the second session, all three of the above strains were used. As a control, an additional 5 ml of fresh, clean tryptic soy broth medium was used in a Petri dish.

[0094] Attached to an optical fiber (StellarNet, F600 VIS-NIR) and connected via a USB port A spectrometer (StellarNet, BLUE-Wave Miniature Spectrometer) connected to a computer Each dish was tested for light transmission using a computer running SpectraWiz software, which allows for the reading of photon counts from wavelengths of 200 nm to 1000 nm using the software's scope mode for a set period of time (integration time).

[0095] Three different wavelength ranges: white light range (OPT machine vision PI0803, 400 nm ~ 750nm), ultraviolet range (OPT machine vision PI0803, 360nm~410nm) and red A light source with an outer wavelength range (860 nm to 1000 nm) was used.

[0096] The light source and detector were placed on a vertical stand, and the Petri dish was placed between them so that the detector received photons transmitted from the Petri dish. Ambient light was turned off during the experiment. First, the light source was turned on and positioned directly below the control dish and the light sensor. To find the minimum integration time with a maximum peak without saturation (i.e., photon counts below 50,000), the intensity was measured using different integration times using SpectraWiz software. The light source was then turned off to set a dark spectrum. After this, the intensity of each dish was tested using the light source. While checking the maximum peak of the control dish, a new integration time and dark spectrum were set for each light source. To obtain the fraction of light transmitted by each bacterial strain, the intensity of each bacterial strain was divided by the intensity of the control to calculate the light transmittance for each bacterial strain.

[0097] Figure 9 shows the transmittance of each bacterial strain when using an infrared source, recorded in the second session. The upper (solid) curve is the transmittance spectrum of E. coli 25, the middle (dotted) curve is the transmittance spectrum of E. coli 87, and the lower (dotted) curve is the transmittance spectrum of Lactobacillus plantarum. It can be seen that there are differences between the spectra. Figure 10 shows the transmittance of each bacterial strain recorded in the second session using an ultraviolet light source. Again, differences can be seen between the transmittance spectra of each bacterial strain. Similar results were observed when using a visible light source. With regard to the ultraviolet transmittance spectra shown in Figure 10, it is hypothesized that at least a portion of the transmitted light is due to bacterial fluorescence.

[0098] Thus, according to some applications of the present invention, light transmitted or reflected from bodily exudates (e.g., feces and / or urine) may be used to identify one or more strains of bacteria or other microorganisms present in the bodily exudates. The bodily waste is analyzed to identify the organisms. In some applications, the analysis is performed automatically after the subject has discharged the bodily waste into a toilet bowl, according to the techniques described above. In some applications, light (e.g., ultraviolet, visible, and / or infrared light) is transmitted toward the bodily waste, and light transmitted from the bodily waste is detected and analyzed. The detected transmitted light may be due to reflection from and / or fluorescence of the microorganisms.

[0099] Regarding the expanded portions of the spectra shown in Figures 9 and 10, it should be noted that the spectrum of each bacterial strain contains spectral components that have characteristic relationships to one another. For example, Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) exhibits spectral components at 854 nm, 857 nm, and 859 nm. The wavelengths of E. coli 87 have a valley-peak-valley pattern at 852 nm, 854 nm, and 859 nm. Similarly, E. coli 87 has a valley-peak-valley pattern at 852 nm, 854 nm, and 859 nm. Based on these results, in some applications, the methods and devices for detecting blood in bodily exudates described herein are used to detect the presence of a given type of microorganism (e.g., a parasitic microorganism such as a bacterium, virus, or fungus) that may be present in the bodily exudate. For example, a microorganism may have a characteristic light spectrum (e.g., a transmission spectrum, a reflectance spectrum, an absorption spectrum, and / or a fluorescence spectrum). Typically, a microorganism is detected by detecting a set of three or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical spectrum of the microorganism. In some applications, a microorganism is detected by detecting a set of two or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical spectrum of the microorganism. Typically, the spectral components are in the ultraviolet, visible, and / or near-infrared regions of the spectrum. In some applications, the detected spectral components are due to the fluorescence of the microorganism. In some applications, the computer processor determines the level of infection in the subject's gastrointestinal tract based on the fluorescent signal of the microorganism. In some such applications, in response to the determination, the computer processor generates an output indicating that the subject currently suffers from a condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease and / or dysentery, and / or predicting the onset of an event associated with such a condition. Alternatively or additionally, the computer processor may generate an output recommending that the subject see a medical professional.

[0100] In some applications of the present invention, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect white blood cells in bodily exudates (such as feces or urine) and / or to classify white blood cells, for example, by distinguishing between leukocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and / or eosinophils. For example, a computer processor may detect the presence and / or quantity (e.g., concentration, count, and / or volume) of white blood cells. In some such applications, white blood cells are made to autofluoresce by exciting them with light transmitted from one of a number of light sources (e.g., using excitation signals of 250-370 nm, 250-265 nm, and / or 366-436 nm), for example, according to the techniques described in "Natural fluorescence of white blood cells: spectroscopic and imaging study," by Monici et al. (Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 30 (1995) 29-37). Typically, the presence and / or classification of leukocytes is identified by a computer processor detecting a characteristic signature in the autofluorescence signal (e.g., a signature including three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another) according to the techniques described herein. In some applications, the computer processor determines a level of infection in the subject's gastrointestinal tract based on the leukocyte autofluorescence signal. In some such applications, in response to the determination, the computer processor generates an output indicating that the subject currently suffers from a condition, such as inflammatory bowel disease and / or dysentery, and / or predicting the onset of an event associated with such a condition. Alternatively or additionally, the computer processor may generate an output recommending that the subject see a medical professional.

[0101] In some applications, the devices and methods described herein may be used to treat bile, iron, vitamin D, and other conditions. The devices and methods described herein are used mutatis mutandis to detect bodily secretions and / or hormones (such as cortisol and / or human ciliary gonadotropin), such as vitamins (such as vitamin A, vitamin B, and / or vitamin D). Typically, the bodily secretions are detected by a computer processor detecting a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical spectrum (e.g., a transmission spectrum, a reflectance spectrum, an absorption spectrum, and / or a fluorescence spectrum) of the bodily secretion, for example, using the techniques described herein above. In some applications, the bodily secretions are detected by a computer processor detecting a set of two or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another in the optical spectrum of the bodily secretion. Typically, the spectral components are in the ultraviolet, visible, and / or near-infrared regions of the spectrum. In some applications, the detected spectral components are due to the fluorescence of the bodily secretion. In some applications, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect the amount and / or concentration of vitamins present in bodily excretions (e.g., urine or feces). In some applications, upon detection, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect vitamin overuse by a subject.

[0102] In some applications, the devices and methods described herein are used mutatis mutandis to detect the color and / or texture of a subject's stool and / or to detect changes in the color and / or texture of a subject's stool over time. In some applications, the presence or concentration of any one of the above-mentioned bodily secretions is detected by a computer processor detecting the color and / or texture of the subject's stool and / or detecting changes in the color and / or texture of the subject's stool over time.

[0103] Physiological conditions (e.g., stress, exertion, pregnancy, etc.) and certain medical conditions (e.g., celiac disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, lactase deficiency, hepatitis, hepatobiliary disease, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption syndromes, allergies, inflammation, autoimmune syndromes, etc.) affect the color and / or texture of stool. Thus, in some applications, in response at least in part to the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool and / or changes in the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool over time, a computer processor identifies the subject as experiencing one or more physiological conditions (e.g., stress, exertion, pregnancy, etc.). In some applications, in response at least in part to the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool and / or changes in the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool over time, a computer processor identifies the subject as suffering from one or more medical conditions (e.g., celiac disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, lactase deficiency, hepatitis, hepatobiliary disease, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption syndromes, allergies, inflammation, autoimmune syndromes, etc.). In some applications, in response at least in part to the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool and / or a change in the detected color and / or texture of the subject's stool over time, the computer processor generates an alert indicating that the subject suffering from inflammatory bowel disease may be experiencing a symptomatic episode.

[0104] Reference is now made to FIG. 11, which is a graph showing the relationship between the optical transmittance of blood at 800 nm and the time (in minutes) the blood spent in anaerobic conditions, as measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. A 0.5 ml blood sample was collected from a healthy adult under 45 years of age. The sample was then diluted with carbon dioxide-enriched phosphate buffered saline ("PBS") solution at a ratio of 1 part blood to 10 parts carbon dioxide-enriched PBS solution. The sample was then placed in a Tecan Infinite® 200 PRO plate reader in 200 nm to 1000 nm transmission spectroscopy mode and examined for changes in transmittance over time for a total of 3 hours and 25 minutes.

[0105] Figure 11 shows the change in transmittance at 800 nm versus age of blood samples. It can be seen that there is a linear relationship between transmittance and age of blood, and that transmittance decreases as a function of age of blood in anaerobic conditions.

[0106] Reference is also made to FIG. 12, which shows optical transmission spectra of blood aged in anaerobic conditions, as measured in the experiments described above and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. As described with reference to FIG. 11, for example, at 800 nm, there is a decrease in transmission intensity as the blood ages. Similarly, with reference to FIG. 12, there is a decrease in transmission intensity as the blood ages at other wavelengths within spectral region C (i.e., approximately 590 nm to 1000 nm) and at wavelengths within spectral region A (i.e., approximately 480 nm to 520 nm). In contrast, as shown in FIG. 12, within spectral region B (i.e., approximately 520 nm to 590 nm), blood has roughly similar transmission intensity regardless of the blood's age in anaerobic conditions.

[0107] Reference is now made to FIG. 13, which is a graph showing the relationship between (a) the optical transmittance of blood at 800 nm (the transmittance is normalized by the optical transmittance at other wavelengths) and (b) the age of the blood (minutes), as measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. As described with reference to FIG. 12, within certain spectral regions (e.g., regions A and C in FIG. 12), the transmittance of blood changes as the age of the blood in anaerobic conditions increases, while within other spectral regions (e.g., region B in FIG. 12), blood has roughly similar transmission intensities regardless of the age of the blood in anaerobic conditions. If the transmittance at wavelengths where the transmittance changes with the age of the blood is normalized to the transmittance at wavelengths where the transmittance remains constant, this should be a good indication of the age of the blood, and this indication is independent of the absolute transmittance detected. Therefore, using the results measured in the above experiments, the transmittance detected for each age of blood at 800 nm was normalized by calculating the ratio of the transmittance at 800 nm to the transmittance at (a) 535-545 nm, (b) 555-565 nm, and (c) 575-585 nm. The average of these ratios was then calculated to obtain a normalized measure of the transmittance detected for each age of blood at 800 nm. Figure 13 shows a graph of normalized transmittance intensity at 800 nm versus age of blood in anaerobic conditions. It can be seen that there is a linear relationship between the normalized intensity at 800 nm and age of blood in anaerobic conditions, with transmittance intensity decreasing as a function of age of blood in anaerobic conditions. The above results indicate that the transmittance intensity of blood in bodily excretions provides an indication of the length of time blood has been in anaerobic conditions and can therefore be used to indicate the source of blood within the gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, if the transmission intensity at a particular wavelength (e.g., the transmission intensity in regions A and C of FIG. 12) is normalized to the transmission intensity at another wavelength (e.g., the transmission intensity in region B of FIG. 12), this can be used to obtain an indication of the length of time course of blood in anaerobic conditions independent of the absolute transmission intensity.

[0108] In accordance with the above results, in some applications of the present invention, device 20 (shown in FIG. 1) is used to detect blood in stool, for example, using the techniques described herein above. In some applications, the device is additionally configured to determine the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract (e.g., whether the blood is from an upper gastrointestinal bleeding site (which may indicate the subject has a polyp) or from a lower bleeding site (e.g., which may be due to anal trauma)). In response to the determination, the device typically generates an output. For example, the device may generate an alert indicating that the subject should see a medical professional in response to detecting blood from an upper gastrointestinal bleeding site.

[0109] Typically, blood in feces is in an anaerobic environment as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, in some applications, the results shown in FIGS. 11-13 are implemented in determining the source of blood in feces. Typically, computer processor 44 measures the intensity of one or more spectral components within the ranges of (a) 480-520 nm (corresponding to region A in FIG. 12) and / or 590-1000 nm (corresponding to region C in FIG. 12), and (b) 520-590 nm (corresponding to region D in FIG. 12). The computer processor normalizes the intensity of one or more spectral components within a range of the normalized intensity (corresponding to region B of the normalized intensity). Typically, the computer processor determines the age of the blood based on the normalized intensity. In some applications, the computer processor determines the source of the blood present in the stool from within the gastrointestinal tract and generates an output in response to the determination. For example, the computer processor may generate an indication of the presence of blood in the stool, an indication of the likely source of the blood, an indication of a prediction of an upcoming episode (e.g., an inflammatory bowel disease episode), and / or an indication that the subject should see a medical professional.

[0110] For example, a ratio may be determined between (a) the intensity of a spectral component having a wavelength between about 480 nm and 520 nm (corresponding to region A in FIG. 12 ) and (b) the intensity of a spectral component having a wavelength between about 520 nm and 590 nm (corresponding to region B in FIG. 12 ). Alternatively or additionally, a ratio may be determined between (a) the intensity of a spectral component having a wavelength between about 590 nm and 1000 nm (corresponding to region C in FIG. 12 ) and (b) the intensity of a spectral component having a wavelength between about 520 nm and 590 nm (corresponding to region B in FIG. 12 ). In some applications, a representative value (e.g., an average or weighted average) of two or more such ratios is determined. In some applications, three or more spectral components are detected and the relationship between their intensities is determined to determine the source of blood in the feces. For example, a first of the components may have a wavelength of 480 nm to 520 nm (corresponding to region A in FIG. 12), a second component may have a wavelength of approximately 520 nm to 590 nm (corresponding to region B in FIG. 12), and a third component may have a wavelength of approximately 590 nm to 1000 nm (corresponding to region C in FIG. 12).

[0111] In some applications, instead of or in addition to analyzing the spectral profile of blood in the feces, device 20 analyzes the spatial distribution of blood in the feces to determine the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract. For example, the computer processor may analyze the extent to which blood is spread throughout the feces and / or the location of blood within the feces. Typically, in response to detecting uniformly spread blood, the system determines that the source of the blood is the upper colorectal tract (where the feces are relatively fluid and therefore the blood can be spread uniformly, and where peristaltic mixing occurs between the feces and blood). Furthermore, in response to detecting that blood is located in separate volumes within the feces, the system typically determines that the source of the blood is a downstream bleeding site within the colorectal tract (where the feces are typically more solid and therefore the blood cannot be spread uniformly within the feces due to peristaltic mixing, resulting in a more irregular spread of blood within the feces). Furthermore, typically, if blood is found on the surface of the feces or dispersed in the toilet bowl water, the system will determine that the source of the blood is near and / or in the rectum.

[0112] In accordance with the description of FIG. 1 , typically, the subject does not need to physically touch the feces to perform the above-described steps. Furthermore, the subject typically only needs to periodically touch any portion of the dedicated sensing device, for example, to attach the device or to replace or charge the device's batteries. (Note that the subject may handle a user interface device, but this is typically a device (e.g., a phone) that the subject handles even when not using the sensing device.) Furthermore, typically, performing the above-described steps does not require adding anything to the toilet bowl after the subject discharges bodily waste into the toilet bowl to facilitate spectral analysis of the waste, a determination that the waste contains blood, and / or a determination of the source of the blood. In some applications, the subject does not need to take any action after attaching the device to the toilet bowl. The testing is automatic and handled by the device, making monitoring the subject's waste seamless for the subject and not requiring consent from the subject unless an abnormality is detected.

[0113] 1 is a scatter plot graphing the ratio of light intensity reflected from each volume of blood-spiked stool sample measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention; Please refer to FIG. 14.

[0114] As described herein above, in some applications of the present invention, two or more spectral bands centered at approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. In some applications, the detected spectral components are analyzed by calculating the ratio of the intensity of each component relative to one another. For example, the ratio of the intensity of a 10 nm band centered at 565 nm to the intensity of a 10 nm band centered at 575 nm (I(565) / I(575)) may be calculated and / or the ratio of the intensity of a 10 nm band centered at 565 nm to the intensity of a 10 nm band centered at 540 nm (I(565) / I(540)) may be calculated. In response to the spectral analysis, the computer processor detects blood in the bodily exudate and generates an output, for example, on the user interface device 32.

[0115] Thirty samples were tested, each consisting of 100 g of feces mixed with four different amounts of blood: 0 μL, 125 μL, 250 μL, and 500 μL. The intensity ratios (I(565) / I(575) and I(565) / I(540)) were measured for each sample. Figure 14 shows a scatter plot of the intensity ratios recorded for each sample. Results for samples containing 0 μL of blood are indicated by triangles, and the linear trend lines for these samples are indicated by dashed and dotted lines. Results for samples containing 125 μL of blood are indicated by circles, and the linear trend lines for these samples are indicated by dashed lines with large dashes. Results for samples containing 250 μL of blood are indicated by diamonds, and the linear trend lines for these samples are indicated by dashed lines with small dashes. Results for samples containing 500 μL of blood are indicated by squares, and the linear trend lines for these samples are indicated by dotted lines. The results shown in Figure 14 indicate that the intensity ratios described herein can indicate not only the presence of blood in bodily exudates (such as urine or feces), but also the amount (e.g., concentration or volume) of blood in the exudates.

[0116] Thus, according to some applications of the present invention, spectral bands centered at wavelengths within the range of 530 nm to 785 nm (e.g., 530 nm to 600 nm) are detected in bodily wastes (such as urine or feces) deposited in a toilet bowl according to the techniques described herein. Typically, two or more spectral bands centered at approximately 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. The widths of the spectral bands are typically greater than 3 nm (e.g., greater than 5 nm or greater than 8 nm) and / or less than 40 nm (e.g., less than 20 nm, or less than 12 nm), e.g., 3-40 nm, 5-20 nm, or 8-12 nm. In some applications, one or more ratios of the intensities of the above-described spectral bands relative to one another are determined by a computer processor. For example, the ratio of the intensity of a spectral band centered at about 565 nm to the intensity of a band centered at about 575 nm (or vice versa) may be determined, and / or the ratio of the intensity of a spectral band centered at about 565 nm to the intensity of a band centered at about 540 nm (or vice versa) may be determined. In some applications, different relationships between the intensities of the above-mentioned spectral bands relative to one another are determined by a computer processor. In some applications, relationships between parameters of each spectral band other than intensity are determined. In some applications, other spectral bands indicative of blood are measured. For example, a spectral band centered at about 425 nm (e.g., 420-430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at about 500 nm (e.g., 490-510 nm) may be detected and used in a generally similar manner.

[0117] In response to the above measurements, the computer processor (a) determines that there is a presence of blood in the bodily exudate, and (b) estimates the amount (e.g., concentration or volume) of blood in the bodily exudate. Typically, the computer processor generates an output (e.g., on the user interface device 32) in response to the estimated concentration. For example, the computer processor may generate an output (e.g., on the user interface device 32) in response to the subject's An output may be generated recommending that a medical professional be seen or indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

[0118] Applications of the invention described herein may take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) that provides program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system, such as computer processor 44 or a computer processor of user interface device 32. For purposes of this specification, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device), or propagation medium. Typically, the computer-usable or computer-readable medium is a non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable medium.

[0119] Examples of computer-readable media include semiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, removable computer diskettes, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), rigid magnetic disks, and optical disks. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read-only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read / write (CD-R / W), and DVD. In some applications, cloud storage is used.

[0120] A data processing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code includes at least one processor (e.g., computer processor 44 or a computer processor of user interface device 32) connected directly or indirectly to memory elements (e.g., memory 46 or a memory of user interface device 32) via a system bus. The memory elements may include local memory used during the actual execution of the program code, mass storage, and cache memory for temporarily storing at least some program code to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from mass storage during execution. The system can read instructions of the present invention on a program storage device and follow these instructions to perform the techniques of embodiments of the present invention.

[0121] A network adapter can be connected to a processor and can connect the processor to other processors or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the types of network adapters currently available.

[0122] Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be implemented in Java, Smalltalk, It may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages.

[0123] 7, and combinations of blocks within the flowcharts, may be implemented by computer program instructions that are provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and that execute via the processor of the computer (e.g., computer processor 44, or the computer processor of user interface device 32) or other programmable data processing apparatus to implement the functions / acts shown in the flowcharts and / or algorithms described herein. The computer program instructions may also be stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) that can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, thereby forming an article of manufacture that includes instruction means whereby the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium perform the functions / acts shown in the flowchart blocks and algorithms. The computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause the computer or other programmable device to execute a series of operational steps to create a computer-implemented process, where the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable device provide a process for performing the functions / acts shown in the flowcharts and / or algorithms described herein.

[0124] Typically, computer processor 44, and the other computer processors described herein, are hardware devices that are programmed with computer program instructions to form a dedicated computer. For example, when programmed to execute the algorithm described with reference to Figure 7, the computer processor typically operates as a dedicated bodily waste analysis computer processor. Typically, the operations described herein performed by the computer processor transform the physical state of the memory, which is an actual physical item, to have a different magnetic polarity, charge, etc., depending on the memory technology used.

[0125] In accordance with some applications of the present invention, the following inventive concepts are described.

[0126] Concept of the Invention 1. A method for use with bodily wastes of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of blood in the bodily exudate; and generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination.

[0127] Inventive concept 2. The method of inventive concept 1, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and determining the presence of blood in the bodily exudates includes determining the presence of blood in the feces.

[0128] Inventive concept 3. The method of inventive concept 1, wherein the bodily exudates include urine, and wherein determining the presence of blood in the bodily exudates includes determining the presence of blood in urine.

[0129] Inventive Concept 4. The method of inventive concept 1, wherein detecting a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a blood component comprises detecting a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a blood component selected from the group consisting of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, heme, and platelets.

[0130] Inventive Concept 5. An apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; determining, in response to the detection, that there is blood present in the bodily exudate; generating output at an output device at least in part in response to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

[0131] Inventive concept 6. The apparatus of inventive concept 5, wherein the bodily waste comprises feces, and wherein the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of blood in the bodily waste by determining the presence of blood in the feces.

[0132] Inventive concept 7. The apparatus of inventive concept 5, wherein the bodily exudates include urine, and wherein the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of blood in the bodily exudates by determining the presence of blood in the urine.

[0133] Inventive concept 8. The apparatus of inventive concept 5, wherein the computer processor is configured to detect a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a component of blood by detecting a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a component of blood selected from the group consisting of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, heme, and platelets.

[0134] Inventive Concept 9. An apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; In response to the detection, estimating the amount of blood in the bodily excreta; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the estimation; and a computer processor configured to:

[0135] Inventive concept 10. The apparatus of inventive concept 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily exudate by estimating the concentration of blood in the bodily exudate.

[0136] Inventive concept 11. The apparatus of inventive concept 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily excreta by estimating the volume of blood in the bodily excreta.

[0137] Inventive concept 12. The apparatus of inventive concept 9, wherein the bodily waste comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily waste by estimating the amount of blood in the feces.

[0138] Inventive concept 13. The apparatus of inventive concept 9, wherein the bodily exudates include urine, and wherein the computer processor is configured to estimate the amount of blood in the bodily exudates by estimating the amount of blood in the urine.

[0139] Inventive Concept 14. A computer processor detects a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a blood component selected from the group consisting of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, heme, and platelets. 10. The apparatus of inventive concept 9, configured to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another.

[0140] Inventive Concept 15. A method for use with bodily wastes of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectra of the blood components; estimating the amount of blood in the bodily effluent in response to the detection; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to the estimation.

[0141] Inventive concept 16. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein estimating the amount of blood in the bodily exudate includes estimating the concentration of blood in the bodily exudate.

[0142] Inventive concept 17. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein estimating the amount of blood in the bodily excreta includes estimating the volume of blood in the bodily excreta.

[0143] Inventive concept 18. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein the bodily waste comprises feces, and estimating the amount of blood in the bodily waste comprises estimating the amount of blood in the feces.

[0144] Inventive concept 19. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein the bodily exudates include urine, and estimating the amount of blood in the bodily exudates includes estimating the amount of blood in urine.

[0145] Inventive Concept 20. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein detecting a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a blood component comprises detecting a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of a blood component selected from the group consisting of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, heme, and platelets.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically shown and described above, but rather the scope of the present invention includes combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described above, as well as variations and modifications that would occur to one skilled in the art upon reading the above description and that are not within the prior art.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for use with a subject's feces placed in a toilet bowl and an output device, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while the feces is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light; determining the presence of blood in the stool in response to said analyzing and determining the source of said blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject; generating an output at the output device in response at least in part to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood by measuring the extent to which the blood has spread in the feces.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood by measuring the location of the blood within the feces.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

5. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicative of an upcoming inflammatory bowel disease episode being predicted.

6. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject by measuring intensities of at least first and second spectral components in the received light and normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a first spectral component by measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm, and the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a second spectral component by measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm.

8. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a first spectral component by measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm, and the computer processor is configured to measure the intensity of a second spectral component by measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm.

9. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer processor is configured to normalize the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to calculate the ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between a measured intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm and a measured intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

11. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to calculate the ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component by calculating a ratio between a measured intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm and a measured intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

12. 1. A method for use with feces of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors while the feces is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light; and determining the presence of blood in the stool in response to the analysis and determining a source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to said determining.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the source of the blood comprises measuring the extent to which the blood has spread in the feces.

14. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the source of the blood comprises measuring a location of the blood within the feces.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

16. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

17. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject comprises measuring intensities of at least a first spectral component and a second spectral component; and normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein measuring the intensity of the first spectral component comprises measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm, and measuring the intensity of the second spectral component comprises measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm.

19. Measuring the intensity of the first spectral component includes measuring a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm, and measuring the intensity of the second spectral component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein measuring the intensity of a spectral component comprises measuring a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

20. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component comprises calculating a ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein calculating the ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component comprises calculating a ratio between a measured intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm and a measured intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

22. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein calculating the ratio between the measured intensity of the first spectral component and the measured intensity of the second spectral component comprises calculating a ratio between a measured intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 590 nm and 1000 nm and a measured intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 and 590 nm.

23. 1. An apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and an output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism; determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate in response to said detecting; generating an output at the output device in response at least in part to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

24. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudates by determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces.

25. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

26. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the computer processor is configured to detect the set of three or more spectral components having the characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism by detecting one or more spectral components due to fluorescence of the microorganism.

27. 27. The apparatus of any one of claims 23 to 26, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

28. The computer processor may generate an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to occur soon.

27. An apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 26, configured to generate an output by generating a force.

29. 1. A method for use with bodily wastes of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a series of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism; determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate in response to said detecting; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to said determining.

30. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudates includes determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces.

31. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate comprises determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

32. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein detecting the set of three or more spectral components having the characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism comprises detecting one or more spectral components due to fluorescence of the microorganism.

33. 33. The method of any one of claims 29 to 32, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

34. 33. The method of any one of claims 29 to 32, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to be imminent.

35. 1. An apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and an output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from a given microorganism; determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate in response to said detecting; generating an output at the output device in response at least in part to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

36. 36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudates by determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces.

37. 36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

38. 36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the computer processor is configured to detect three or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from the given microorganism, the three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the microorganism.

39. 39. The apparatus of any one of claims 35 to 38, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

40. 39. The apparatus of any one of claims 35 to 38, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicative of an impending inflammatory bowel disease episode being predicted.

41. 1. A method for use with bodily wastes of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components that fluoresce from a given microorganism; determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate in response to said detecting; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to said determining.

42. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudates comprises determining the presence of the microorganism in the feces.

43. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and determining the presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate comprises determining the presence of the microorganism in the urine.

44. 42. The method of claim 41 , wherein detecting one or more spectral components that are characteristic of the fluorescence of a given microorganism comprises detecting three or more spectral components that are characteristic of the fluorescence of the given microorganism, wherein the three or more spectral components have a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the microorganism.

45. 45. The method of any one of claims 41 to 44, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

46. 45. The method of any one of claims 41 to 44, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to be imminent.

47. 1. An apparatus for use with a subject's bodily waste and an output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic of the fluorescence emitted by white blood cells; determining, in response to said detecting, the presence of leukocytes in said bodily exudate; generating an output at the output device in response at least in part to the determination; and a computer processor configured to:

48. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the bodily exudate comprises feces, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the leukocytes in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the leukocytes in the feces.

49. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of the leukocytes in the bodily exudate by determining the presence of the leukocytes in the urine.

50. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the computer processor is configured to detect three or more spectral components that are characteristic spectral components from which the white blood cells fluoresce, the three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the white blood cells.

51. 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the computer processor is further configured to classify the detected white blood cells as white blood cells of a given type.

52. 52. The apparatus of any one of claims 47 to 51, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

53. 52. The apparatus of any one of claims 47 to 51, wherein the computer processor is configured to generate the output by generating an output indicative of an impending inflammatory bowel disease episode being predicted.

54. 1. A method for use with bodily wastes of a subject placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl using one or more light sensors while the bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic of the fluorescence emitted by white blood cells; determining the presence of leukocytes in the bodily exudate in response to said detecting; generating an output at an output device in response at least in part to said determining.

55. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the bodily exudates include feces, and determining the presence of the leukocytes in the bodily exudates includes determining the presence of the leukocytes in the feces.

56. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the bodily exudate comprises urine, and determining the presence of the leukocytes in the bodily exudate comprises determining the presence of the leukocytes in the urine.

57. 55. The method of claim 54, further comprising classifying the detected white blood cells as a white blood cell of a given type.

58. Generating the output includes generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

58. A method according to any one of claims 54 to 57, comprising generating a force.

59. 58. The method of any one of claims 54 to 57, wherein generating an output comprises generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to be imminent.

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