Optical Measurement Apparatus Alignment via Ocular Reflection Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-invasive methods for measuring blood glucose levels, particularly through the eye, face challenges due to variability in skin characteristics leading to inaccurate results and alignment issues, which are invasive, painful, and costly, making them difficult for certain populations to use effectively.
Innovation Solution
An optical measurement apparatus and method that generates a probe beam to assess the alignment of the eye's features using a processing resource to analyze the reflected beam's characteristics, providing feedback for accurate alignment and compensating for misalignment to determine glucose concentrations and other ocular properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If non-invasive measurement through the skin is used, then patient comfort is improved, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to skin variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the measurement from the problematic medium (skin) and places it in a more suitable medium (ocular fluids). By measuring glucose through the eye's aqueous humour instead of through variable skin tissue, the system achieves both non-invasive comfort and improved measurement accuracy, as ocular fluids provide a more stable and accessible measurement site with less variability.
2Device complexity
If manual alignment procedures are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement reliability deteriorates due to alignment variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated feedback system that uses optical coherence tomography to visualize ocular structures and provides real-time feedback to guide alignment. The system automatically adjusts or guides the user to achieve proper alignment between the measurement device and the ocular fluid sampling location, ensuring consistent and reliable measurements without requiring complex manual procedures.
3Measurement precision
If frequent testing is performed, then glucose monitoring accuracy is improved, but patient burden increases due to invasive procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical invasive system (finger pricking with needles) with an optical non-invasive system. By using optical coherence tomography and light-based measurement techniques to sample ocular fluids through the eye, the system eliminates the need for painful mechanical punctures, allowing patients to perform frequent glucose monitoring without the physical burden and discomfort of repeated skin punctures.
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
Enables precise and non-invasive alignment of the measurement apparatus with the eye, reducing variability and discomfort, while ensuring accurate glucose monitoring and other ocular measurements, suitable for personal use without clinician involvement.
Implementation Method 1
a source arranged to generate, when in use, a probe beam, the optical system being arranged to direct, when in use, the probe beam to a location to be measured... a detector arranged to receive, when in use, a reflected beam from the location to be measured
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical measurement apparatus comprises an optical system (100) having a receiving axis (115). The optical system (100) comprises a source (102) that generates a probe beam that is directed to a location to be measured (114). A detector (112) of the optical system receives a reflected beam from the location to be measured (114). The apparatus also comprises a processing resource that receives an output signal from the detector (112) and makes an assessment ofa characteristic ofthe output signal in order to determine a degree of alignment of the location to be measured (114) with the receiving axis (115) of the optical system (100).