Ocular Sensor for Non-Invasive Glucose Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for determining blood glucose concentrations, especially for diabetics, are invasive, require frequent blood sampling, and face challenges with limited access to eye fluids and complex calibration due to tissue variability, making them difficult for elderly and children to use accurately.
Innovation Solution
An ocular sensor integrated with a sensor chip and optical detector, embedded in a bio-compatible carrier material, which changes optical characteristics in response to analytes, allowing for non-invasive, reliable glucose monitoring with reduced positioning complexity and improved signal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If in-vivo measurement systems are used to overcome limited access to eye fluids, then non-invasive measurement is achieved, but positioning accuracy becomes difficult to maintain due to mechanical instability and tissue variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light source, sensor chip with sensor material, and optical detector into a single integrated ocular sensor unit. This merging eliminates the need for separate positioning of multiple components, thereby maintaining measurement precision while enabling non-invasive operation. The integrated design ensures that the sensor material is always at a fixed, optimal distance from the measurement location in the eye.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor material acts as an intermediary that is brought into direct contact with the eye fluid (aqueous humour) at a specific measurement location in the eye. This intermediary approach allows the measurement system to overcome the difficulty of accessing eye fluids while maintaining stable and reproducible measurements through the fixed geometric relationship between the sensor chip and the measurement site.
2Measurement precision
If spectroscopic in-vivo measurement systems are used, then analyte verification is achieved, but complex calibration is required due to poor spectroscopic contrast and tissue variability
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor material is placed in direct contact with the eye fluid at a specific local measurement location in the eye, rather than performing remote spectroscopic measurements through tissue. This local measurement approach eliminates the need for complex calibration to account for tissue variability, scattering, and absorption, as the sensor material directly interacts with the analyte in the aqueous humour.
3Measurement precision
If eye fluids are collected as samples, then measurement can be performed, but the procedure becomes difficult and invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The ocular sensor performs self-service by directly accessing and measuring the analyte in the aqueous humour through the sensor material contact, eliminating the need for manual sampling procedures. The sensor automatically obtains the measurement by being positioned in contact with the eye fluid, making the process simple and non-invasive.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The ocular sensor provides a simple, reliable, and accurate method for determining glucose concentrations in eye fluids, reducing the need for invasive procedures and complex calibration, suitable for various patient groups, including elderly and children.
Implementation Method 1
The ocular sensor has sensor material which changes at least one optical characteristic in the presence of the at least one analyte to be verified... it is particularly preferable for the at least one optical characteristic to be luminescence which can be excited by excitation light, in particular fluorescence
Implementation Method 2
The sensor chip has at least one integrated optical detector for verification of the optical characteristic of the sensor material
Data Source
AI summary
An ocular sensor (110) is proposed for verification of at least one analyte in an eye fluid. The ocular sensor (110) is composed of at least one sensor material which is designed to change at least one optical characteristic in the presence of the at least one analyte. Furthermore, the ocular sensor (110) comprises at least one sensor chip which has at least one integrated optical detector (122) for verification of the optical characteristic. A measurement system (166) is also proposed for verification of at least one analyte in an eye fluid, which measurement system (166) comprises an ocular sensor (110) according to the invention as well as an evaluation unit (168) which is designed to interchange information with the sensor chip (118).