Sensys Medical, Inc.

Instrumentation Metrics, Inc.

Ken Meissner

Timothy Lewis Ruchti

Brian Jeffrey Wenzel

Thomas B Blank

Stephen L Monfre

Jessica Rennert

Frank S Grochocki

George M Acosta

Tim Stippick

An apparatus and method for non-invasively quantifying the hydration of the stratum corneum of a living subject utilizes in vivo spectral measurements made by irradiating skin tissue with near infrared (NIR) light. The apparatus includes a spectroscopic instrument in conjunction with a subject interface. The resulting NIR absorption spectra are passed to an analyzer for further processing, which includes detecting and eliminating invalid spectral measurements, and preprocessing to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. Finally, a calibration model developed from an exemplary set of measurements is applied to predict the SC hydration for the sample. The method of SC hydration measurement provides additional information about primary sources of systematic tissue variability, namely, the water content of the epidermal layer of skin and the penetration depth of the incident light. The stratum corneum hydration measurement is therefore suitable for further spectral analysis and the quantification of biological and chemical compounds, such as blood analytes.

Method for quantification of stratum corneum hydration using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy

The invention provides a mechanism for oscillating the spectral grating of a monochromator. The mechanism couples the spectral grating of the monochromator to an oscillating spatial linkage mechanism which accepts a rotational input and converts it into an oscillatory motion. A monochromator according to the invention comprises an oscillating grating that is oscillated by such spacial linkage mechanism drive.

Oscillating mechanism driven monochromator

Growing community of inventors

Gilbert, AZ, United States of America

Ken Meissner