Hitachi, Ltd.

Other

Hitachi Medical Corporation

Yuichi Yamashita

Atsushi Maki

Hideaki Koizumi

Yoshitoshi Ito

Fumio Kawaguchi

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto

Kazuo Takeda

Yasuhiro Mitsui

Keiichi Nagai

Hiroshi Takeuchi

Yukiko Hirabayashi

Hideji Fujii

Adi Bonen

In an optical measurement system and imaging method adapted to measure in vivo information in a living body without harming the living body, light rays of a plurality of wavelengths which are modulated in intensity with a plurality of different frequencies are irradiated on a plurality of irradiation positions on the surface of a living body, and time-variable changes in living body transmitting light intensity levels corresponding to the respective wavelengths and the respective irradiation positions are measured at different positions on the surface of the living body. Light is utilized to image the results of the measurements, in which the measuring time is shortened by estimating fluctuation attributable to the living body, and the presence or absence of a change in measured signal can be decided easily by displaying an estimation signal and a measured signal at a time.

Optical system for measuring metabolism in a body and imaging method

An optical measurement instrument for a living body to measure dynamic change of blood of a brain includes light incident units for irradiating light on a head of a subject, a light detector for detecting a light irradiated from the light incident units and reflected within the subject, a signal processing unit for calculating a spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured from a signal detected by the light detector, and a display for displaying the spacious distribution of signals from the subject to be measured. Measurement points are arranged about a middle of the light incident units and the light detector, and the light incident units and the light detector are arranged such that the measurement points are arranged to form a lattice whose circumference is square.

Optical measurement instrument for living body

A control device and measurement system for a living body applies lights of at least one wavelength in a visible-infrared region to a plurality of incident positions on a surface of the living body, and a light detector detects lights transmitted through the living body at a plurality of detection positions on the surface of the living body. An operation unit determines a type of output signal, based on an intensity of the transmitted light and pre-stored reference data, and outputs a signal indicative thereof as the type of output signal. An external equipment executes a functional operation according to the type of output signal from the operation unit. The incident positions and the detection positions are alternately disposed in square lattice form and middle points between the incident positions and detection positions adjacent to one another are defined as measurement positions.

An optical measuring apparatus for optically measuring a sample includes a plurality of parts for applying light beams to the sample, a plurality of detecting parts for detecting light beams from the light applying parts which come through the sample, a memory part which receives signals from the detecting parts, converts them into digital signals and stores the digital signals as measuring positions between the light applying part and the light detecting part. Further, there is provided a first display part which shows a relationship between positions on the sample and measuring positions corresponding to the positions of the detecting parts on the sample, and a second display part which shows a relationship between positions on the sample and measuring positions corresponding to the positions of the detecting parts which are shown on the first display part.

Optical measuring instrument

A device for controlling equipment includes at least one light projector adapted to project light onto a head of a living body. A light collecting section for collecting the light having passed through the head, a light measuring section for measuring an intensity of the light collected by the light collecting section, a memory section for storing a previous history of changes of the intensity of the light measured, a signal judging section for judging if both the intensity of the light measured by said light measuring section and the previous history of changes of the intensity of the light satisfy a predetermined condition, a displaying section for displaying the intensity of the light measured and a result obtained by the signal judging section, and a control signal generating section for generating a control signal for external equipment.

Device for controlling equipment by using signals from a living body

It has long been unclear in what degree the brain should be activated and how much the blood volume should be varied for controlling a signal by measuring the concentration of metabolic substance in the tissue or change of concentration thereof using the light and by using the result of measurement. The present invention provides an optical measuring system which can present the concentration of metabolic substance in the tissue which may be detected with a subject by itself or the target value of change of the concentration. Thereby, it is now possible for the subject by itself to more easily detect and control the concentration of metabolic substance in the tissue or change of concentration thereof. As a result, cerebral information can be extracted in direct to realize various applications such as control of the game machines and welfare facilities.

Volition induction apparatus and input/output apparatus which use optical measuring instrument, and recording medium

A control device for a living body including an input device having a launcher for launching light into the living body from at least one light incident position on a surface of the living body, a collector for collecting light obtained by causing the light incident from the light incident position to pass through the living body, at at least one light detection position on the surface of the living body, a detector for detecting an intensity of the transmitted light collected by the collector, an operator for determining a type of output signal, based on the intensity of the transmitted light, which has been detected by the detector and pre-stored reference data and for outputting a signal indicative thereof. External equipment is provided for using the signal outputted as an input signal and for executing a functional operation according to a type of the input signal.

A highly reliable optical measuring instrument for multi-channel simultaneous measurement has an intensity of light emitted from a light source modulated at different frequencies and the light is applied to multiple positions of a test object. The light which is detected from the test object is converted into electric signals by a photodiode, and modulation signals are detected by a lock-in amplifier module. The signals are processed as information on the test object interior by a processing unit. Light is applied sequentially from a light source in a preparatory measurement step prior to final measuring, and the signal level of the detection light is measured for each light applied position. A control unit controls light intensity and detection signal level to ensure that the difference in detection light levels is kept within a specified range.

In a system for performing imaging measurement of a test object by mounting many optical fibers to the test object, incident positions of the test object on which to illuminate light, detection positions of the test object from which to detect light and measurement positions which are determined from a positional relationship between the incident positions and the detection positions are displayed as graphic elements on a display unit. A state of detection signal level or a change in the state is displayed as a change in color or in pattern of the graphic element. Further, incident optical fibers for illuminating light to the test object and detection optical fibers for detecting light from the test object are mounted to the test object, and light emitting elements are mounted to probes to be mounted to the test object and interlocked with the change of the graphic elements.

Optical measurement equipment and recording medium and optical measurement method

A device for controlling equipment includes a light projector adapted to project light onto a head of a living body, a light collecting device for collecting the light having passed through the head from the light projector, a light measuring device for measuring an intensity of the light collected by the light collecting device, a memory device for storing a previous history of changes of the intensity of the light measured by the light measuring device, a signal judging circuit for judging if both the intensity of the light measured by the light measuring device and the previous history of changes of the intensity of the light satisfy a predetermined condition, a display device for displaying the intensity of the light measured by the light measuring device and a result obtained by the signal judging circuit, and a control signal generating circuit for generating a control signal to be supplied to an external equipment if the predetermined condition is satisfied.

Light rays of a plurality of wavelengths which are modulated in intensity with a plurality of different frequencies are irradiated on a plurality of irradiation positions on the surface of a living body, and time-variable changes in living body transmitting light intensity levels corresponding to the respective wavelengths and the respective irradiation positions are measured at different positions on the surface of the living body. After completion of the measurement or during the measurement, changes in concentration values of absorbers in the living body are determined from the living body transmitting light intensity levels of the plurality of wavelengths detected at the respective detection points and a measuring point is set on a perpendicular extending through an intermediate point between the incident point and each detection point so as to image a function of the living body. In living body optical measurement system and method, the measuring time is shortened by estimating fluctuation attributable to the living body, the presence or absence of a change in measured signal can be decided easily by displaying an estimation signal and a measured signal at a time, and a local change in. hemodynamic movement can be measured by detecting light rays transmitting through the interior of the living body by the two light detectors disposed at different two sites (equidistant from the light incident point) on a subject and by separating only the local change in hemodynamic movement from an overall change in hemodynamic movement in the living body in accordance with a logarithmic difference between the two detection signals.

Described herein is an optical measurement instrument for a living body, comprising light incident means for simultaneously applying incident light of a wavelength in a visible-infrared region to a plurality of incident positions on the surface of a subject, light detection means for simultaneously detecting lights obtained by allowing the incident light to pass through the subject, at a plurality of detection positions on the surface of the subject, and imaging means for imaging information on the inside of the subject using detected signals outputted from the light detection means. The light incident means includes light modulation means for intensity-modulating the incident light applied to the plurality of incident positions with modulation frequencies respectively different every the respective incident positions. The light detection means includes selection and detection means for selecting and detecting transmitted light components of modulation frequencies respectively different every respective detection positions from the transmitted lights relative to the plurality of detection positions.

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Kawagoe, Japan

Yuichi Yamashita