MULTIPLEXED NONINVASIVE ANALYZER APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USE THEREOF
A noninvasive analyzer apparatus and method of use thereof is described using a plurality of time resolved sample illumination zones coupled to at least one two-dimensional detector array monitoring a plurality of detection zones. Control of illumination times and/or patterns along with selected detection zones yields pathlength resolved groups of spectra. Sectioned pixels and/or zones of the detector are optionally filtered for different light throughput as a function of wavelength. The pathlength resolved groups of spectra are subsequently analyzed to determine an analyte property. Optionally, in the mapping and/or collection phase, incident light is controllably varied in time in terms of any of: sample probe position, incident light solid angle, incident light angle, depth of focus, energy, intensity, and/or detection angle. Optionally, one or more physiological property and/or model property related to a physiological property is used in the analyte property determination.
1 . An apparatus for noninvasively determining an analyte concentration of a subject, comprising:
a near-infrared noninvasive vibrational spectroscopy analyzer, comprising:
a sample interface;
a photon transport system comprising at least one optic configured for at least one:
transporting photons to an illumination zone proximate said sample interface; and
collecting photons from a detection zone proximate said sample interface;
a first two-dimensional detector array;
a second two-dimensional detector array, both said first two-dimensional detector array and said second two-dimensional detector array positioned proximate at least one of the illumination zone and the detection zone; and
a controller, of said analyzer, configured to receive simultaneously collected signals from both said first two-dimensional detector array and said second two-dimensional detector array, the signals used in calculation of the analyte concentration.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing, said housing substantially enclosing all of said source, said photon transport system, and said first two-dimensional detector array, said first two-dimensional detector array comprising an m by n array of detector elements, wherein m and n comprise positive integers greater than four,
wherein said photon transport system comprises optics directing photons along a z-axis to a sample region along an x,y-plane, the x,y-plane perpendicular to the z-axis,
wherein said first two-dimensional detector array comprises a two-dimensional near-infrared detector array.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said first two-dimensional detector array and said second two-dimensional detector array positioned on opposite sides of a mean photon path center of the illumination zone.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said first two-dimensional detector array positioned along a first vector from a mean optical center of the illumination zone, said second two-dimensional detector array positioned along a second vector from the mean optical center of the illumination zone, said first vector and said second vector forming an angle between twenty and two hundred degrees.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said first two-dimensional detector array comprising a larger number of detectors than said second two-dimensional detector array.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said first two-dimensional detector array comprising a set of detectors comprising indium, gallium, and arsenide, said second two-dimensional detector array comprising at least one of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , a center of said first two-dimensional detector array comprising a position along a vector from a center of said illumination zone, said first two-dimensional detector comprising at least one column of detectors rotated at least ten degrees off of the vector.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an array of optics, individual optical elements of said array of optics respectively optically coupled to rows of detector elements of said two-dimensional detector array.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a two-dimensional optical transmittance filter array,
wherein a first filter of said two-dimensional optical transmittance filter array optically couples to a first line of detector elements of said two-dimensional detector array,
wherein a second filter of said two-dimensional transmittance filter array optically couples to a second line of detector elements of said two-dimensional detector array,
wherein, at at least one wavelength in the range of 1500 to 1800 nm, said first filter comprises a first filter transmittance differing from a second filter transmittance of said second filter by at least thirty percent.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said near-infrared noninvasive vibrational spectroscopy analyzer further comprising:
a first optical filter comprising transmittance of at least sixty percent of light in a wavelength range of 1100 to 1350 nm and transmittance of less than twenty percent in a wavelength range of 1500 to 1750 nm, said first optical filter optically coupled to a first group of detectors of said two-dimensional detector array; and
a second optical filter comprising transmittance of at least sixty percent of light in a wavelength range of 1500 to 1700 nm and transmittance of less than twenty percent in a wavelength range of 1100 to 1300 nm, said second optical filter optically coupled to a second group of detectors of said two-dimensional detector array.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said first two-dimensional detector array comprising:
a first number of detectors in a first row; and
a second number of detectors in a second row, said second number less than said first number.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first optical filter comprising a first transmittance profile; and
a second optical filter comprising a second transmittance profile, the second transmittance profile different from said the first transmittance profile,
wherein said first optical filter optically covers a first region of said first two-dimensional detector array, and
wherein said second optical filter optically covers a second region of said first two-dimensional detector array.
13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , said near-infrared noninvasive vibrational spectroscopy analyzer further comprising:
a two-dimensional transmittance filter array in an optical path of said analyzer, comprising:
a first filter comprising a first fifty percent cut-on transmittance inflection point at a first wavelength in a range of 1200 to 2500 nanometers;
a second filter comprising a second fifty-percent cut-on transmittance inflection at a second wavelength, said second wavelength at least one hundred nanometers shorter than said first wavelength,
said first filter positioned closer to the illumination zone than said second filter.
14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , said two-dimensional transmittance filter array both substantially co-planar and in contact with said two-dimensional detector array.
15 . The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a two-dimensional near-infrared detector optic array, each element of said two-dimensional detector optic array optically coupled to at least one detector element of said two-dimensional detector array.
16 . A method for noninvasively determining an analyte concentration of a subject, comprising:
providing a sample interface;
using a photon transport system comprising at least one optic for at least one:
transporting photons to an illumination zone proximate said sample interface;
collecting photons from a detection zone proximate said sample interface;
collecting a first set of signals using a first two-dimensional detector array;
collecting a second set of signals using a second two-dimensional detector array, both said first two-dimensional detector array and said second two-dimensional array positioned in a common housing of a noninvasive vibrational spectroscopy analyzer proximate at least one of the illumination zone and the detection zone
receiving, to a processor, the first set of signals and the second set of signals; and
using the signals in calculation of the analyte concentration.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
positioning both said first two-dimensional detector array and said second two-dimensional detector array within ten centimeters of the subject during use of said analyzer.
18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
using a first detector gain setting for a detector element of said first two-dimensional detector array; and
simultaneously using a second detector gain setting for a detector element of said second two-dimensional detector array, said second gain setting at least ten percent larger than said first detector gain setting.
19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
using a first integration time for a first detector of said first two-dimensional detector array; and
using a second integration time for a second detector of said first two-dimensional detector array, said second detector positioned further from a center of said detection zone than said first detector, said second integration time at least ten percent larger than said first integration time.
20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising the steps of:
using a first optical filter coupled to a first sub-set of detectors of said first two-dimensional detector array; and
using a second optical filter coupled to a second sub-set of said first two-dimensional detector array, wherein a fifty percent cut-on wavelength of said first filter differs from a fifty percent cut-on wavelength of said second optical filter by at least two hundred nanometers.
21 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
communicating the signals to a personal communication device;
using said personal communication device in a process of calculating the analyte concentration.
22 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
extracting spectroscopic features related to optical pathlength; and
using said features in calculation of the analyte concentration.