Analysis of body waste

Abstract

To provide, generally, analysis of bodily emissions, and specifically, an apparatus and a method for analyzing bodily emissions such as urine and feces.SOLUTION: An apparatus and a method 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 analyzes the received light, in response to the analysis, determines the presence of blood within the feces, and determines the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract. At least partially in response to the determination, the computer processor generates an output on the output device. 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 Aug. 30, 2016, to Kapp-Barnea, entitled “Bodyly emission analysis.”

[0002] This application is related to International Application PCT / IL2016 / 050223, entitled "Bodily emission analysis," filed on February 25, 2016 (published as WO 16 / 135735), to Attar, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 120,639, filed on February 25, 2015, to Attar, entitled "Apparatus and method for the remote sensing of blood in an ex-vivo biological sample."

[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] Colon cancer is cancer that originates in parts of the large intestine, such as the colon or rectum. Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor of the stomach. Detection of blood in stool is used as a screening tool for colon and gastric cancer. However, the blood is often occult, i.e., invisible to the naked eye. The stool guaiac test is one of several methods to detect the presence of blood in stool, even when blood is not visible. A stool sample is placed on a specially made type of paper called guaiac paper, and hydrogen peroxide is applied. A blue color appears on the paper if blood is present. Patients suspected of having colon or gastric cancer are usually 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. Detection of blood in urine can be useful in screening for bladder cancer. Techniques for detecting blood include placing a test strip containing certain chemicals into a urine sample and detecting a color change in the strip. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to some applications of the present invention, a subject's bodily waste (such as feces or urine) 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 a spectral analysis on the received light). In response to detection, the computer processor determines that there is a 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 in the gastrointestinal tract from which the blood originated. For example, the computer processor may determine that time of the blood in anaerobic conditions by analyzing spectral components in the received light to identify a location in the gastrointestinal tract from which the blood originated. Alternatively or additionally, the computer processor may analyze the extent to which the blood has spread in the stool and / or the location of the blood in the stool to identify a 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 expels a bodily waste into the toilet bowl, the above-described steps are performed without requiring any human action to be taken. 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 of the subject over an extended period of time, for example, over more than a week or more than a month. Typically, in this manner, the device is configured to screen for the presence of early cancers and / or polyps that characteristically bleed only intermittently. In some applications, the device compares the amount of blood detected in the bodily excretions (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, in accordance with some applications of the present invention, an apparatus is provided 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 responsive to the analysis, determining the presence of blood in the feces and determining a source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject; Generate an output at an output device in response at least in part 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 stool.For some applications, the computer processor is configured to determine the source of the blood by measuring the location of the blood within the stool.

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

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

[0020] For some applications, the computer processor is configured to calculate a ratio between a measured intensity of a first spectral component and a measured intensity of a 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 nm 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 disposed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while feces is placed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, Analysing the received light; and determining, in response to the analysis, the presence of blood in the stool and determining a 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 an output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while a bodily waste is placed in the toilet bowl; 1. A computer processor comprising: analyzing the received light to detect a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical spectrum of the microorganism; responsive to the detection, determining that there is a presence of the microorganism in the bodily exudate; Generate an output at an output device in response at least in part to the determination. and a computer processor configured to:

[0023] In some applications, the bodily exudate includes 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 includes 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 having 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. 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 soon.

[0026] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject disposed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is disposed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect a set 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 a microorganism 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 an output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while a 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 a given microorganism in fluorescence; responsive to the detection, determining 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 includes 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 includes 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 a given microorganism, where the three or more spectral components have a characteristic relationship to one another within the fluorescence spectrum of the microorganism.

[0030] 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. 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 soon.

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

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

[0037] According to some applications of the present invention, there is further provided a method for use with bodily waste of a subject disposed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is disposed in the toilet bowl; Using a computer processor, analyzing the received light to detect one or more spectral components that are characteristic of white blood cells that fluoresce; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of leukocytes in the bodily exudate; 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 an output device located in a toilet bowl, the apparatus comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while a 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 spectrum of the blood components; In response to the detection, estimating an 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 an amount of blood in the bodily excreta by estimating a concentration of blood in the bodily excreta.For some applications, the computer processor is configured to estimate an amount of blood in the bodily excreta by estimating a volume of blood in the bodily excreta.

[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] In some applications, 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 the blood component by detecting a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within 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 disposed in a toilet bowl, the method comprising: receiving light from the toilet bowl with one or more light sensors while bodily waste is disposed 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 an amount of blood in the bodily excreta 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 description of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for analyzing bodily exudates, according to some applications of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that generally 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 a sensor module according to applications of the present invention. [Figure 3B] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams of components of the imaging components of a 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. [Diagram 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 carried out 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 transmission 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 (min) as measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with certain 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) light transmittance of blood at 800 nm (wherein the transmittance is normalized by the light transmittance at other wavelengths) and (b) age of blood (in minutes) as measured by the inventors and used in accordance with some applications of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a scatter plot graphing the percentage of light intensity reflected from each volume of blood-spiked stool sample measured by the present inventors and used in accordance with several applications of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[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 further 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 sensor may include a spectrometer or may include one or more cameras. A computer processor analyzes the received light to determine whether there is a presence of blood in the bodily waste. Typically, the computer processor detects one or more spectral components in the received light that are indicative of light absorption by components of red blood cells by analyzing the received light (e.g., by performing a spectral analysis on the received light). (Such spectral components are referred to herein as examples of blood signatures, because particular combinations of such components are indicative of the presence of blood, as described herein.) Moreover, typically, the steps of receiving light, analyzing the received light, and determining whether there is a presence of blood in the bodily waste are performed without the need for any action to be taken by a person (e.g., a user, a caregiver, or a medical professional) after the subject expels the bodily waste into the toilet bowl.

[0046] In some applications, the apparatus 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 the sensor module 22 are connected by wires (as shown) or wirelessly (not shown). Depending on the application, a computer processor that performs the above-mentioned analysis may be located inside the toilet bowel (e.g., inside the same housing as the sensor module), inside the housing 30, or remotely. For example, as shown, the sensor module may wirelessly communicate with a user interface device 32 that includes a computer processor. Such user interface devices may include, but are 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 a user interface device, and a computer processor of the user interface device may execute a program configured to analyze the light received by the imaging module, thereby detecting 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 communication 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, the data regarding the received light is stored in a memory (such as memory 46 described below). For example, the memory may be located inside the toilet bowel (e.g., inside the sensor unit), inside 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 insurance company, and a computer processor at the facility may then perform the above-mentioned analysis on batches of data regarding the subject's multiple bodily excretions 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. Moreover, the subject typically only needs to periodically touch any part of the dedicated sensing device, for example, to attach the device or to replace or charge the device's battery. (Note that the subject may handle a user interface device, but this is typically a device (such as a phone) that the subject handles even if the subject does not use the sensing device.) Moreover, the devices and methods described herein typically do not require anything to be added to the toilet bowl after the subject discharges 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 does not need to take any action after attaching the device to the toilet bowl. The test is automatic and processed by the device, making monitoring the subject's waste seamless for the subject and does not require consent by the subject unless an abnormality is detected.

[0049] Typically, after the subject has discharged the bodily waste into the 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 to be taken. 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, (b) responsively determines whether there is a presence of blood in the bodily waste (and / or performs additional functions on the bodily waste as described herein), and (c) generates an output at least in part accordingly, all without requiring any post-void human action to be taken. It should be noted that in some applications, as described in more detail below, if an indication of the presence of blood in the bodily waste 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 automated 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 excretions, if positive, the device reports the findings to the patient via an output device, for example, via the user interface device 32. In some applications, the output device includes an output component (such as a light (e.g., LED) or a screen) built into the device 20. In some applications, if the analysis of the bodily excretions indicates the presence of blood in the excretions, 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, "Did you eat red meat in the 24 hours prior to your most recent bowel movement?" since meat contains blood and consumption of red meat can cause a false positive. Alternatively or additionally, the user interface device may ask the user, "Did you use aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs?" since 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 health care provider or insurance company over a network connection.

[0051] In some applications, the device monitors the subject's bodily excretions 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 that characteristically bleed only intermittently. In some applications, the device compares the amount of blood detected in the bodily excretions (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 that is estimated to be less than 2 ml / day on average. Intestinal bleeding above 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 females, a normal blood concentration in the stool may be considered to be less than 64 micrograms / gram, while in adult males, 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 employs 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 that learns the pattern of each subject's output signal and detects abnormal changes in the subject's characteristic blood signature. As described above herein, in some applications, the computer processor that performs the analysis is separate and / or distinct from the sensor module. In some applications, the sensor module is disposable, but the computer processor has access to historical data about the subject such that the historical data is available for machine learning techniques even after the sensor module is discarded.

[0053] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram that generally illustrates components of the sensor module 22 according to some applications of the present invention. As described herein above, the sensor module is typically located within the toilet bowl. More 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 disposed 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 water-resistant housing. More typically, the face of the sensor module below which the imaging component is mounted is covered with a transparent water-resistant cover. It is noted that FIG. 1 illustrates the sensor module disposed 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 under 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 the subject is on or near the toilet and / or if the subject has defecate 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 switched on or when the subject sits on the toilet. In some applications, the light sensor used to detect light from bodily waste is also used for the functions described above. In some such applications, the sensor module is configured to be in a standby mode most of the time (such that the sensor module uses a reduced amount of power). The sensor module is switched on in response to detecting that the subject is on or near the toilet and / or that the subject has defecate 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 defecate and / or urinate into 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 mechanical element operated by a motor, 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 such that blood present in the feces pieces becomes visible to the imaging component. Note that in some applications, the vibrating component is located within the toilet bowl and separate 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 toilet bowl.

[0056] Typically, the sensor module includes a computer processor 44, a memory 46, and a communication 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., positive detection of blood in the feces) to a remote device, such as the user interface device 32 (FIG. 1), via the communication module 48. Alternatively, as described herein above, 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 the raw imaging data and / or the light signal to the remote computer processor via the communication 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 a spectral analysis of the light received by the imaging components. The memory 46 may include a memory card, such as an SD card, that may be physically removed. The communication module is typically configured to communicate with external devices (e.g., user interface device 32) using well-known protocols such as Wifi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or any Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol.

[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 alarm sound) configured to indicate to a 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. Although not shown, it should be noted that the indicator typically interacts with other components of the sensor module, such as a computer processor and / or a communications module.

[0058] 3A-B, 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-B are schematic diagrams of the face of the sensor module described above.

[0059] As described in more detail below, typically, to detect blood signatures in bodily exudates, specific spectral bands within the light reflected from and / or transmitted by the bodily exudates are 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 about 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 about 425 nm (e.g., 420 to 430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at about 500 nm (e.g., 490 to 510 nm) may be detected. 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 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 emitter 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 the body 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 the device 20 is configured to identify the spectral components in each portion of the bodily exudate by individually analyzing each pixel in the image acquired by the camera. To identify the spectral components of a given portion of the bodily exudate, the computer processor determines the correspondence between the pixels of the images acquired by each camera. Typically, regardless of how many cameras are used, all the cameras are positioned very close to each other, for example, all the cameras are positioned within an area of ​​less than 10 square centimeters (e.g., an area of ​​less than 5 square centimeters or an area of ​​less than 1 square centimeter). In some applications, using cameras positioned very close to each other facilitates the determination of the correspondence between the pixels of the images acquired 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 includes 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 a light source 68 (configured to emit white light, as described with reference to FIG. 3A) and / or a light source configured to emit light in a first one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (light source 72), a second one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (light source 74), and / or a third one of the above-mentioned spectral bands (light source 76). In some applications, one or more of the light sources are fitted with narrow band filters. The camera serves as a light sensor for the device 20, and the light sources serve 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 optical sensor (e.g., a camera) of the imaging component relies on ambient light. Alternatively, the light source and the optical sensor of the imaging component 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 exudate. Alternatively or additionally, the imaging component is configured to detect optical absorption of the bodily exudate. In general, the scope of the present application includes detecting the spectral components of the optical spectrum of the bodily exudate described herein by detecting and / or calculating the intensity of the spectral components of the optical reflection spectrum, optical transmission spectrum, and / or optical absorption spectrum of the bodily exudate and / or the water in the toilet bowl adjacent to the bodily exudate. In some applications, rather than using one or more cameras configured to detect light on a pixel-by-pixel basis, a spectrometer is used to detect the overall spectrum of light reflected from the bodily exudate and analyze the reflected light.

[0064] In some applications, the color camera 60 is a multispectral or hyperspectral camera. For example, a hyperspectral camera may be used to capture images of the bodily exudate, 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 exudate 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 invention includes using alternative or additional arrangements of light sources and / or light detectors. For example, more or less than four light sources and / or light sensors may be used. Similarly, the light sources and / or light sensors may be arranged in different configurations than those shown in Figures 3A-3B. The scope of the 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 captures images in response to detecting that a subject is on or near the toilet and / or that the subject has defecate and / or urinated in the toilet bowl, as described herein above. In some applications, during image capture by the cameras 60, 62, 64 and / or 66, bursts of images are captured at given time intervals. For example, bursts may be captured once every 3 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds. Each burst of images typically includes 1-8 images, e.g., 3-5 images. Typically, all images captured in a given excretion are captured within a total time period of less than 20 seconds such that there is no substantial movement of the bodily excreta between capture 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 a broadband light source with LEDs or 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 being 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 reflectance at two or more wavelengths returns a value, or that a weighted function of the wavelengths returns a particular value. As described above herein, in some applications, the sensor module transmits the output of the optical sensor to a user interface device 32 (FIG. 1), where software executed on the device by a computer processor performs the analysis.

[0069] In general, the device 20 includes an illumination source (i.e., a light source) that typically illuminates the biological fluid excreted from the patient and passes through the water in the 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 specimen. The photodetector is positioned on the opposite side to 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, etc. It should be noted that while some applications of the invention relate to using detection of radiation in the visible light range and practicing the techniques described herein, the scope of the 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 element (DOE) filters.

[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 86x86x90 mm) containing 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 an intensity of approximately 220 lumens was directed into the containers and a spectrogram of the light reflected from the containers was acquired using a standard spectrometer.

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

[0073] The above results show that blood signatures in stool samples can be detected under certain conditions. Moreover, the above results are obtained by using a spectrogram that analyzes the overall spectral profile of the sample. When analyzing the sample pixel by pixel, as is the case 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. Sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood. Sample was not stirred. 7. Sample containing faeces and 0.2 ml of blood. The sample was agitated by stirring once with a stick. 8. Sample containing feces and 0.2 ml of blood. The sample was agitated by stirring twice with a stick. 9. Sample containing feces and 5 drops of blood. 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)). 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 the experiments, the thresholds were set at 1.05 for Ratio 1 and 0.8 for Ratio 2, such that if Ratio 1 exceeds 1.05 and Ratio 2 exceeds 0.8, it indicates that the sample contains 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 (valley), 565 nm (peak), and 575 nm (valley), while samples without blood are expected to have an increasing slope of 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 above table, generally, using the ratios and thresholds described above, blood was detected in the feces in 4 out of 5 cases. Generally, in cases where blood was not present in the sample, using the ratios and thresholds described above, blood was not detected except in the meat sample (sample 2) described below. These results show that blood can be detected in bodily excretions by spectrally analyzing the excretions using the techniques described herein. Thus, in some applications of the present invention, 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. Typically, two or more spectral bands centered at about 540 nm, 565 nm, and 575 nm are detected. 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), for example, 3 to 40 nm, 5 to 20 nm, or 8 to 12 nm. In some applications, the ratio of one or more of the intensities of the above-mentioned spectral bands to each other 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). 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, 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 FIG. 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 FIG. 5 and summarized in the table above represent a portion of the samples analyzed. In general, there were no false positives except when meat samples were analyzed. This is expected since fresh raw meat has residues of animal blood, which 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] False negatives were observed when blood was injected into the solid feces but did not reach the water (as in sample 6). According to some applications of the present invention, such false negatives are reduced by mixing, shaking and / or stirring the feces in the toilet bowl according to the techniques described herein. It should be noted that in the experiments, blood was mixed with the feces when it was placed in the glass container. Normally, when a person urinates in the toilet bowl, the feces falls into the toilet bowl and is stirred by impacting the toilet bowl. Therefore, in some applications of the present invention, no active stirring is performed on the feces placed in the toilet bowl. In addition, there was a false negative in the case of blood containing beets 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 experiments. It should be further noted that according to some applications, since the analysis of bodily excretions is performed over a period of time, hidden blood that is missed in some excretions tends to be detected in others.

[0081] Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which is a graph showing the results of a simulation carried out in accordance with some applications of the present invention. (a) A spectrogram of feces and (b) a spectrogram of five drops of blood obtained in the experiments described above in this specification were used. In order to simulate a spectrogram of one drop and to improve the signal-to-noise ratio with respect to the spectrogram of one 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 each amount of blood. The first and second ratios mentioned above were then calculated for increasing bandwidths of the spectral filter. FIG. 6 is a plot showing 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., between 3 and 40 nm, between 5 and 20 nm, or between 8 and 12 nm.

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

[0083] In a first step (step 80), the sensor module 22 (e.g., the subject sensor 40 of the sensor module) detects that a subject is present near or on the toilet and / or that a bodily waste has been discharged into the toilet, as described herein above with reference to Figure 2. In response to detection, the imaging component 24 of the sensor module receives light from the toilet bowl (step 82), typically by acquiring images using one or more cameras (e.g., one or more multispectral cameras or one or more hyperspectral cameras). As described herein above, the scope of the 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 above, 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, blood signature spectral components are detected (step 84). For example, one or more spectral components in the received light indicative of light absorption by components of red blood cells (e.g., oxyhemoglobin) may be detected. As described herein above, in some applications of the invention, two or more spectral bands centered at about 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 about 425 nm (e.g., 420 to 430 nm) and / or a spectral band centered at about 500 nm (e.g., 490 to 510 nm) may be detected. (As noted herein above, spectral bands described herein as being generally 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 a ratio of the intensity 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 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, the computer processor determines whether there is feces and / or urine with blood to verify that the detected blood is blood associated with feces and / or urine and not from a different source. Additionally, the scope of the invention includes determining any type of relationship between parameters (e.g., intensity) of each spectral band in the received light, and is not limited to determining a ratio between parameters (e.g., intensity) of each spectral band. Furthermore, even in applications where Ratio 1 and Ratio 2 are calculated as described herein above, the thresholds described as used are exemplary, and the scope of the invention includes using thresholds different from those described herein above. For example, in applications where a calibrated optical sensor is used, a threshold value greater than 1 and / or less than 1.5 (e.g., between 1 and 1.5) may be used for the ratio 1 (i.e., I(565) / I(575)), and a threshold value greater than 0.7 and / or less than 1 (e.g., between 0.7 and 1) may be used for the ratio 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 excreta. In some applications, to confirm the suspicion, the user is requested to provide input by asking the user a confirmation 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 confirmation question (step 92). If the input from the user indicates that the detection of blood is not a false positive (e.g., that 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 the memory 46 of the sensor module. In some applications, the blood event is recorded (step 92) without receiving input from the user. For example, the computer processor may account for false positives in different ways, such as by incorporating the likelihood of a false positive into the thresholds used to monitor blood events over time. (Step 92 is in a dotted box to indicate that this step is optional.)

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

[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 light regions, provided by Bme591wikiproject at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https: / / commons.wikimedia.org / w / index.php?curid=3447869. As described herein above, in some applications, the blood signature is detected by detecting two or more (and typically three or more) spectral components that exhibit a characteristic shape of the optical absorption curve of the components of blood. For example, as described herein above, a characteristic valley-peak-valley shape at about 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 is indicative of the presence of blood. Specifically, this shape is indicative of 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 a component of blood. 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. With reference to FIG. 8, an example of such a series of three components is a peak-valley-peak shape shown at about 435 nm (peak), 480 nm (valley), 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 about 425 nm (e.g., 420-430 nm). In some applications, one of the three spectral components used to identify blood is about 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 the light reflected from the bodily excreta will be different than that shown in FIG. 8. If the absorption spectrum shows a peak-valley-peak shape, the reflected or transmitted light spectrum will show 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 in the light absorption spectra of different components of blood are detected. For example, the components of blood may include components of blood 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, the width of which 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., between 3 and 40 nm, between 5 and 20 nm, or between 8 and 12 nm.

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

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

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

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

[0095] Light sources with three different wavelength ranges were used, namely, the white range (OPT machine vision PI0803, 400 nm to 750 nm), the ultraviolet range (OPT machine vision PI0803, 360 nm to 410 nm), and the infrared range (860 nm to 1000 nm).

[0096] The light source and detector were placed on a vertical stand, and the Petri dish was placed between the light source and the detector so that the detector received the photons transmitted from the Petri dish. The ambient light was turned off during the experiment. First, the light source was turned on and placed directly under 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 SpectraWiz software was used to measure the intensity using different integration times. The light source was then turned off to set a dark spectrum. After this was done, 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 was set for each light source. To receive the fraction of light transmitted by the bacterial strain, the intensity of each bacterial strain was divided by the intensity of the control to calculate the light transmittance of each bacterial strain.

[0097] FIG. 9 shows the transmittance of each bacterial strain recorded in the second session using an infrared source. The top (solid) curve is the transmittance spectrum of E. coli 25, the middle (dotted) curve is the transmittance spectrum of E. coli 87, and the bottom (dotted) curve is the transmittance spectrum of L. plantarum. It can be seen that there are differences between the transmittance spectra of each bacterial strain. FIG. 10 shows the transmittance of each bacterial strain recorded in the second session using an ultraviolet source. Again, it can be seen that there are differences between the transmittance spectra of each bacterial strain. Similar results were seen when using a visible light source. For the ultraviolet transmittance spectra shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed 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) is analyzed to identify one or more bacterial strains or other microorganisms present in the bodily exudates. In some applications, the analysis is performed automatically after a subject discharges the bodily exudate into a toilet bowl, according to the techniques described herein above. In some applications, light (e.g., ultraviolet, visible and / or infrared light transmitted toward the bodily exudate) is transmitted toward the bodily exudate and the light transmitted from the bodily exudate is detected and analyzed. The transmitted light detected may be due to reflection from and / or fluorescence of the microorganisms.

[0099] With respect to the enlarged portion of the spectrum shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, it should be noted that the spectrum of each bacterial strain includes spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to each other. For example, Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) has a valley-peak-valley pattern at 854 nm, 857 nm, and 859 nm. Similarly, E. coli 87 has a valley-peak-valley pattern at 852 nm, 854 nm, and 859 nm. According to these results, in some applications, the method and device for detecting blood in bodily excretions 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 excretions. For example, a microorganism may have a characteristic light spectrum (e.g., a transmission spectrum, a reflection spectrum, an absorption spectrum, and / or a fluorescence spectrum). Usually, a microorganism is detected by detecting a series of three or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to each other in the light spectrum of the microorganism. In some applications, a microorganism is detected by detecting a series of two or more spectral components that have a characteristic relationship to each other in the light 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 fluorescence of the microorganisms. In some applications, the computer processor determines a level of infection in the gastrointestinal tract of the subject based on the fluorescence signal of the microorganisms. In some such applications, in response to the determination, the computer processor generates an output indicating that the subject is currently suffering 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 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 white blood cells, monocytes, neutrophils, and / or eosinophils. For example, a computer processor may detect the presence and / or amount (e.g., concentration, count, and / or volume) of white blood cells. In some such applications, the white blood cells may be made to auto-fluoresce by exciting them with light transmitted from one of the light sources (e.g., using excitation signals of 250-370 nm, 250-265 nm, and / or 366-436 nm) according to, for example, 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 white blood cells is identified by the 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 white blood cell autofluorescence signal. In some such applications, in response to the determination, the computer processor generates an output indicating that the subject is currently suffering 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 are used mutatis mutandis to detect bodily secretions such as bile, iron, vitamins (such as vitamin A, vitamin B, and / or vitamin D) and / or hormones (such as cortisol and / or human ciliary gonadotropin). 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., transmission spectrum, reflectance spectrum, absorption spectrum, and / or 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 a bodily excretion (e.g., urine or feces). In some applications, upon detection, the devices and methods described herein are used to detect overuse of vitamins 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 (such as stress, exertion, pregnancy, etc.) and certain medical conditions (such as celiac disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, lactase reduction, hepatitis, hepatobiliary disease, inflammatory bowel disease, malabsorption syndromes, allergies, inflammation, autoimmune syndromes, etc.) affect the color and / or texture of the 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 that the subject is experiencing one or more physiological conditions (such as 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 that the subject is suffering from one or more medical conditions (such as celiac disease, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, lactase reduction, 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 symptom 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) of blood 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 taken from a healthy adult under 45 years of age. The sample was then diluted with carbon dioxide enriched phosphate buffered saline ("PBS") solution in 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 the transmitted intensity and age of blood, and that the transmitted intensity 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, at other wavelengths in spectral region C (i.e., about 590 nm to 1000 nm), and at wavelengths in spectral region A (i.e., about 480 nm to 520 nm), there is a decrease in transmission intensity as the blood ages. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 12, within spectral region B (i.e., about 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 (where 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 of the present application 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 of 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 of FIG. 12), blood has roughly similar transmission intensity 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 measurement of the transmittance detected for each age of blood at 800 nm. FIG. 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 the 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 excreta provides an indication of the length of time of blood in anaerobic conditions and can therefore be used to indicate the source of blood in 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 other wavelengths (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 that is 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 that 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 the stool is in an anaerobic environment as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, in some applications, the results shown in Figures 11-13 are implemented in determining the source of blood in the stool. Typically, the computer processor 44 normalizes (a) the intensity of one or more spectral components in the range of 480-520 nm (corresponding to region A in Figure 12) and / or 590-1000 nm (corresponding to region C in Figure 12) relative to (b) the intensity of one or more spectral components in the range of 520-590 nm (corresponding to region B in Figure 12). 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 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 possible 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 a relationship between their intensities is determined to determine the source of blood in the stool. For example, a first one of the components may have a wavelength between 480 nm and 520 nm (corresponding to region A in FIG. 12), a second component may have a wavelength between about 520 nm and 590 nm (corresponding to region B in FIG. 12), and a third component may have a wavelength between about 590 nm and 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 stool, the device 20 analyzes the spatial distribution of blood in the stool to determine the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract. For example, the computer processor may analyze the extent to which the blood is spread in the stool and / or the location of the blood within the stool. Typically, in response to detecting that the blood is uniformly spread, the system determines that the source of the blood is the upper colorectal tract (where the stool is relatively fluid and therefore the blood can be uniformly spread, and where peristaltic mixing occurs between the stool and blood). More typically, in response to detecting that the blood is located within a separate volume within the stool, the system determines that the source of the blood is a downstream bleeding site in the colorectal tract (where the stool is typically more solid and therefore the blood cannot be uniformly spread within the stool due to peristaltic mixing, and the blood is more irregularly spread within the stool). More typically, if blood is found on the surface of the feces or spread into the toilet bowl water, the system will determine that the source of the blood is near and / or in the rectum.

[0112] According to the description of FIG. 1, the subject typically does not need to physically touch the feces to perform the above-mentioned steps. Moreover, the subject typically only needs to periodically touch any part of the dedicated sensing device, for example, to attach the device or to replace or charge the device's battery. (Note that the subject may handle a user interface device, which is typically a device (such as a phone) that the subject handles even if the subject does not use the sensing device.) Furthermore, the performance of the above-mentioned steps typically does not require anything to be added 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 test is automatic and handled by the device, and monitoring the subject's waste is seamless to the subject and does not require consent by the subject unless an abnormality is detected.

[0113] Reference is now made to FIG. 14, which 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 several applications of the present invention.

[0114] As described herein above, in some applications of the invention, two or more spectral bands centered at about 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 performed in which 100 g of feces was mixed with four different amounts of blood, namely 0 microliters, 125 microliters, 250 microliters, and 500 microliters. For each sample, the intensity ratios mentioned above (I(565) / I(575) and I(565) / I(540)) were measured. Figure 14 shows a scatter plot of the intensity ratios recorded for each sample. The results of samples containing 0 microliters of blood are shown with triangular symbols, and the linear trend lines for such samples are shown with dashed and dotted lines. The results of samples containing 125 microliters of blood are shown with circular symbols, and the linear trend lines for such samples are shown with dashed lines with large dashes. The results of samples containing 250 microliters of blood are shown with diamond symbols, and the linear trend lines for such samples are shown with dashed lines with small dashes. The results of samples containing 500 microliters of blood are shown with square symbols, and the linear trend lines for such samples are shown with dotted lines. The results shown in FIG. 14 indicate that the intensity ratios described herein can indicate not only the presence of blood in a bodily exudate (such as urine or feces), but also the amount (e.g., concentration or volume) of blood in the exudate.

[0116] Thus, according to some applications of the present invention, spectral bands centered at wavelengths in 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 above. Typically, two or more spectral bands centered at about 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., 3-40 nm, 5-20 nm, or 8-12 nm. In some applications, one or more ratios of the intensities of the above-mentioned 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). In some applications, different relationships between the intensities of the above-mentioned spectral bands relative to each other are determined by the 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 recommending that the subject should see a medical professional or an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected soon.

[0118] The inventive applications 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 called from mass storage during execution. The system can read instructions of the present invention on the 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 currently available types of network adapters.

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

[0123] It will be understood that the blocks of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and combinations of blocks within the flowchart may be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, and the instructions executed 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 configure the machine to form a means for performing the functions / operations shown in the flowcharts and / or algorithms described herein. These computer program instructions may also be stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) capable of instructing the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular state, such that the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium constitute an article of manufacture including instruction means for performing the functions / operations 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 data processing apparatus to execute a series of operational steps to generate a computer-implemented process, and the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide a process for performing the functions / operations shown in the flowcharts and / or algorithms described herein.

[0124] Typically, computer processor 44, and 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 waste 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 disposed 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 determining the presence of blood in the bodily exudates includes determining the presence of blood in the urine.

[0129] Inventive concept 4. The method of inventive concept 1, wherein detecting a set 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 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.

[0130] Inventive concept 5. 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 a 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 spectrum of the blood components; determining, in response to the detection, that there is a presence of blood in the bodily exudate; Generate an output at an output device in response at least in part 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 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 exudate comprises urine, and the computer processor is configured to determine the presence of blood in the bodily exudate 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 the blood component by detecting a set of three or more spectral components having a characteristic relationship to one another within the optical absorption spectrum of the blood component 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 an output device placed in a toilet bowl, comprising: one or more light sensors configured to receive light from the toilet bowl while a 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 spectrum of the blood components; In response to the detection, estimating an 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 excreta by estimating the concentration of blood in the bodily excreta.

[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 an amount of blood in the bodily waste by estimating an amount of blood in the feces.

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

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

[0140] Inventive concept 15. A method for use with bodily waste 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 disposed 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 an amount of blood in the bodily excreta 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 excreta includes estimating a concentration of blood in the bodily excreta.

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

[0145] Inventive concept 20. The method of inventive concept 15, wherein detecting a set 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 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.

[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 all combinations and subcombinations of the various features described above, as well as variations and modifications that would occur to one of ordinary skill 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: determining the presence of blood in the feces by analyzing the received light; a computer processor configured to determine the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract by measuring the extent to which the blood has spread in the stool; and An apparatus comprising:

2. The computer processor includes: measuring an intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength selected from the group consisting of wavelengths between 590 nm and 1000 nm and wavelengths between 480 nm and 520 nm; measuring an intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm; 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to determine the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject by normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

3. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is further configured to determine the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract by measuring a location of the blood within the stool.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computer processor is configured to generate an output in response to determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject.

5. 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.

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

7. 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, determining the presence of blood in the feces by analyzing the received light; and determining the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract by measuring the extent to which the blood has spread to the stool.

8. Determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject includes: measuring an intensity of a first spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength selected from the group consisting of wavelengths between 590 nm and 1000 nm and wavelengths between 480 nm and 520 nm; measuring an intensity of a second spectral component in the received light centered at a wavelength between 520 nm and 590 nm; 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: normalizing the measured intensity of the first spectral component to the measured intensity of the second spectral component.

9. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the source of the blood from within the subject's gastrointestinal tract further comprises determining a location of the blood within the feces.

10. 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating an output at an output device at least in part in response to determining the source of the blood from within the gastrointestinal tract of the subject.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that the subject should see a medical professional.

12. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the output comprises generating an output indicating that an inflammatory bowel disease episode is expected to be imminent.

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