SWIR Water-Absorption Sensor for Noninvasive Glucose Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current glucose monitoring methods for diabetes require invasive blood draws, which are painful and inconvenient, and existing non-invasive methods face challenges in sensitivity, selectivity, and repeatability, especially for use in military or emergency settings where finger pricks are dangerous.
Innovation Solution
The use of fiber-based supercontinuum lasers, super-luminescent laser diodes, or light-emitting diodes in the near-infrared spectrum to increase signal levels and reduce spectral artifacts, combined with pattern matching and software techniques for identifying glucose signatures, allowing for non-invasive glucose monitoring through the teeth with less interference from skin artifacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If non-invasive glucose monitoring methods are used, then patient comfort and safety are improved, but measurement precision and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses teeth as an intermediary medium to access glucose in saliva, which then reflects glucose levels in blood. This intermediary approach allows non-invasive monitoring while maintaining measurement accuracy, as the teeth provide a stable, artifact-free optical path compared to direct skin measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical blood drawing procedures with optical measurement systems that detect glucose through light absorption and reflection. This substitution eliminates the need for invasive mechanical intervention while achieving comparable or superior measurement precision through spectral analysis
2Ease of operation
If skin-based non-invasive glucose monitoring is used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to spectral artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the measurement site from the skin to the teeth, removing the source of spectral artifacts. By measuring through teeth rather than skin, the system eliminates interfering signals from skin pigmentation, hair, and surface irregularities while maintaining ease of operation through simple oral placement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selecting a specific measurement location (teeth) with optimal optical properties for glucose detection. The teeth provide a uniform, translucent medium with minimal spectral artifacts, creating a localized measurement zone that enhances precision without compromising overall system convenience
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
This approach enables non-invasive, accurate, and repeatable glucose monitoring, reducing pain and risk, while also providing a wearable device for wireless data communication and storage, enhancing convenience and safety for individuals with diabetes.
Implementation Method 1
a light source comprising one or more semiconductor diodes that are configured to generate an output optical light having one or more optical wavelengths, wherein at least a portion of the one or more optical wavelengths is a short-wave infrared wavelength between 1400 nanometers and 2500 nanometers
Implementation Method 2
deliver at least a portion of the output optical light to an encapsulating layer that is configured to pass at least a portion of the short-wave infrared wavelength
Implementation Method 3
a detection system comprising one or more photo-detectors configured to receive at least a portion of the passed output optical light reflected from the tissue or the object
Implementation Method 4
a detection wavelength selective optical filter placed between the tissue or the object and the detection system that is configured to transmit at least some of the one or more optical wavelengths
Data Source
AI summary
An optical system operating in the near or short-wave infrared wavelength range identifies an object based on water absorption. The system comprises a light source with modulated light emitting diodes operating at wavelengths near 1090 and 1440 nanometers, corresponding to lower and higher water absorption. The system further comprises one or more wavelength selective filters and a housing that is further coupled to an electrical circuit and a processor. The detection system comprises photodetectors that are synchronized to the light source, and the detection system receives at least a portion of light reflected from the object. The system is configured to identify the object by comparing the reflected light at the first and second wavelength to generate an output value, and then comparing the output value to a threshold. The optical system may be further coupled to a wearable device or a remote sensing system with a time-of-flight sensor.