Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.

Kosuke Shinohara

Koichi Akiyama

Shimpei Ogawa

Daisuke Fujisawa

Kentaro Enoki

Satoshi Nishikawa

Toshiaki Koike-Akino

Eiji Yagyu

Bingnan Wang

Keisuke Kojima

A biological material measuring apparatus includes an infrared light source unit to radiate infrared light in entirety or part of a wavelength region including absorption wavelengths of a biological material, a prism to cause the infrared light radiated from the infrared light source unit to pass therethrough and emit the infrared light to a living body surface while being in contact with the living body surface, a light source to radiate light of a wavelength in a visible light region or a near infrared region to the prism, and a light position detector to detect a path of light from the light source by detecting light from the light source which is emitted from the prism.

Biological material measuring apparatus

A controller corrects a spectrum S (&#x3bb;) detected at a wavelength &#x3bb; of signal light to S' (&#x3bb;) in accordance with expressions below: I(&#x3bb;)=(I&#x2212;I)&#xd7;(&#x3bb;&#x2212;&#x3bb;)/(&#x3bb;)&#x2212;I, and S&#x2032;(&#x3bb;)=S(&#x3bb;)&#x2212;I(&#x3bb;), where Iis the intensity of infrared light detected at a wavelength &#x3bb;of reference light and Iis the intensity of infrared light detected at a wavelength &#x3bb;of correction light.

An infrared light source radiates infrared light. An ATR prism receives, on a first end face, the infrared light radiated from the infrared light source, causes the received infrared light to pass therethrough while repeating total reflection off a second end face and a third end face, and emits the infrared light that has passed therethrough from the third end face. An infrared photodetector detects the intensity of the infrared light emitted from the ATR prism. Strain sensors, which are contact sensors of one type, are attached to the ATR prism and configured to detect a contact state between the ATR prism and a measurement skin.

An infrared light source radiates, to an ATR prism, infrared light in entirety or part of a wavelength range with absorption wavelengths of a biological material. The ATR prism is adherable to a measurement skin. A prism vibration controller is mounted on the ATR prism and vibrates the ATR prism perpendicular to a contact surface between the ATR prism and the measurement skin. A controller causes an infrared photodetector to detect infrared light in synchronization with the vibration of the ATR prism.

Biological material measuring apparatus and method of measuring biological material

An optical waveguide interferometer that includes a first optical section, a second optical section, and a set of optical waveguides configured to connect the first and second optical sections, such that light propagating between the first optical section and the second optical section passes through each optical waveguide in the set, wherein the set of optical waveguides includes a first optical waveguide having a first length and a first width and a second optical waveguide having a second length and a second width, wherein the second length is greater than the first length, and the second width is greater than the first width.

Optical waveguide interferometer

Two input waveguides are made of a semiconductor material. One output waveguide is made of a semiconductor material. A multi-mode-interference part is made of a semiconductor material. The multi-mode-interference part has an incoming end surface connected to the input waveguides, and an outgoing end surface opposite to the incoming end surface and connected to the output waveguide. The multi-mode-interference part has a waveguide width wider than the waveguide widths of the input waveguides and the waveguide width of the output waveguide. Two unwanted-light waveguides are made of a semiconductor material. The unwanted-light waveguides are connected to the outgoing end surface of the multi-mode-interference part so as to sandwich the output waveguide. The unwanted-light waveguides each satisfy a single-mode condition.

Growing community of inventors

Chiyoda-ku, Japan

Kosuke Shinohara