JP2015173920A - Biological examination apparatus and biological examination method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a biological examination apparatus and a biological examination method capable of noninvasively achieving health degree determination of hair of a living body as it is on the skin without removing it from the skin.SOLUTION: A biological examination apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises a light irradiation unit, a detection unit, and a calculation unit. The light irradiation unit emits red light or near infrared light to the inside of a subject from a surface of the subject. The detection unit detects the light which transmits through the inside of the subject and is radiated from a surface of the subject to the outside. The calculation unit uses the radiated light to discriminate a first region of the subject where a light absorber exists, the light absorber localizing in the inside of the subject and affecting the intensity of the light transmitting through the inside of the subject and a second region of the subject where the light absorber does not exit, and measures a radiation intensity distribution of the light in the second region.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a biological inspection apparatus and a biological optical inspection method for inspecting a scalp or hair of a living body using light.

  In recent years, human hair has been thinned, and according to Aderans' 2011 survey report, 32.13%, which is about 1/3 of the global population, is thin. Japanese are ranked 14th in the world, but 1st in Asians, 26.78% of the population is reported.

  There is a correlation between thinning and hair loss, and the progress of thinning hair on the head can be estimated to some extent by detailed observation of the missing hair. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the shape of a typical root of hair loss. Normal hair falls off with a life of 5 to 6 years, but healthy hair (a) has a thick hair shaft and a hair root portion is further thickened. In abnormal hair removal, for example, abnormal hair shape (f) such as thin hair shaft (b), thin hair root (e), ischemia (c) or keratinization (d) of hair root, Abnormal conditions due to poor circulation or lesions on the scalp are observed. Abnormal hair loss promotes thinning. In this way, the hair that has come out of the scalp contains various information such as the progress of thinning and the urgency of coping.

  However, there is a big problem in estimating the progress of thinning hair by observing hair that has been removed. Basically, it is impossible to identify from which part the hair is missing. As is well known, the progress of thinning hair is often started from a specific position. In order to obtain information on the hair at the position to be evaluated, it must be sampled (hair removal) for examination, which is not a non-invasive measurement for patients suffering from thin hair.

  Therefore, there is a need for a method for knowing the health condition of the hair without removing the hair, and as a means for this, an enlarged visual observation of the scalp and hair using an optical microscope has been made. When the scalp and hair are enlarged and visually observed, the thickness of hair (stem) appearing outside the skin and its distribution can be measured, and the past growth records and trends of the hair can be known. Moreover, the presence or absence of factors that inhibit hair growth such as dermatitis and excessive lipids can be known by visual observation.

  However, the current hair growth information is lacking in the information that can be seen visually. Generally, scalp blood circulation is required to be good for hair growth. In order to obtain blood circulation information, optical measurement (NIRS) using near-infrared rays is effective and has been put into practical use in brain function measurement and the like. FIG. 21 collectively shows light absorption spectra of oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, melanin, water, and lipid, which are biological components. At light wavelengths suitable for measuring hemoglobin concentration (650 nm to 860 nm or less), the absorption of melanin contained in the hair (hair root) is orders of magnitude greater than that of hemoglobin, and the presence of hair roots under the skin that cannot be seen from the surface is measured for blood circulation. Made it extremely difficult.

  Therefore, instead of directly measuring the blood circulation of the scalp, a method of indirectly measuring the scalp temperature by far infrared measurement has been adopted. In general, the scalp temperature tends to increase when the circulation of the scalp is good. Therefore, the distribution of blood circulation has been estimated by measuring the temperature distribution of the scalp.

  In addition, the amount of lipids in the scalp is also adopted as an evaluation item for the health condition of the scalp related to hair loss. In general, the presence of excessive lipids in the scalp is considered to have a negative effect on hair growth. Currently, as a method for quantifying lipid, there is a test in which Cebu tape is attached to the forehead and peeled, and the attached lipid is sampled and quantified. However, since this method can measure only a portion without hair, it was not possible to obtain data of the head (target portion) itself.

  There is no known example relating to a method and apparatus for measuring the health of the hair root (hair loss and resistance to thinning hair) without removing the hair. On the other hand, there is a known prior art regarding a method for measuring hair damage non-invasively. There are various techniques for measuring hair non-invasively, but one of them is infrared measurement, and there is no problem of exposure, and the compound to be measured can be selected by selecting the wavelength. Has advantages. Main patent documents analyzed and evaluated using infrared spectroscopy are listed below (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 6). Further, a method for detecting body hair under the skin in consideration of hair removal has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 7 and 8).

JP 2002-360542 A JP 2003-270138 A JP 2005-118337 A International Publication WO2005 / 09669 JP 2005-287853 A JP 2005-321289 A Special table 2007-533391 (P2007-533391A) International Publication No. WO2010 / 512532

  However, in these conventional examples, an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength range of about 700 nm to about 2000 nm is incident on the skin from a non-contact light source, and the electromagnetic wave is scattered in the skin, but is partially absorbed by the hair in the skin. In this technique, hair in the skin is imaged as a shadow with a non-contact imaging device. This shadow formation mainly depends on the difference in the shape of the hair and the refractive index of the hair and its surroundings (ie air or skin tissue). For the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave, a region where the absorption caused by the skin pigment is low is selected to avoid a contrast decrease due to skin color or freckles.

  In this method, the presence or absence of the root after hair removal can be detected, but the health level of hair (resistance to hair loss and thin hair) cannot be measured.

  In order to solve the above problems, the inventors face the light irradiator across the hair and a light irradiator that emits light of a specific wavelength from the skin surface adjacent to the hair growth position of the living body toward the inside of the living body. A method of detecting and measuring the intensity of light scattered and absorbed in a living body has been developed by creating a device composed of a photodetector arranged at a skin surface position. By this method, hair root size information and nearby blood metabolism information can be obtained, and the health level (resistance to hair loss and thinning) of living body can be examined non-invasively.

  However, the shadow region (absorbing melanin) of the hair root is broadened on the skin by in-vivo light scattering, and the shadow region corresponds to other biological components (blood hemoglobin, lipids, etc. in the dermis). The light absorption measurement may be inaccurate. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the region affected by the shadow of the hair root and the peripheral region in order to accurately perform quantitative evaluation.

  The present invention is a method and apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problems, and is a non-invasive, highly accurate and simple method for measuring the health level (resistance to hair loss and thinning) of living hair. It is an object of the present invention to provide a biopsy apparatus and method that can be performed.

  The biopsy apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a light irradiation unit, a detection unit, and a calculation unit. The light irradiation unit irradiates red light or near infrared light from the surface of the subject into the subject. The detection unit detects light that propagates through the subject and is emitted from the subject surface to the outside. The calculation unit uses the emitted light to include a first region where a light absorber that is localized in the subject and affects the intensity of light propagating in the subject exists, and the subject And the second region where the light absorber does not exist, and the light emission intensity distribution is measured in the second region.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the biopsy apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows an example of a biological examination apparatus 1 composed of a stick-like biological interface device 2 and a personal computer 3. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the tip P of the biological interface device 2 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the principle of hair health level determination using the biopsy device 1. FIG. 5 shows a pseudo hair follicle measurement of a hair root phantom (an optical model of a scalp in which two kinds of hairs having diameters of 90 μm and 110 μm are planted on an agarose / intralipid dispersion substrate) with a red light of 680 nm using the biopsy apparatus 1. It is a figure for demonstrating. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the pseudo follicle measurement shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of hair health degree determination processing using the region classification function according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of the light irradiation unit IF121 and the like in the measurement region. FIGS. 9A to 9E are diagrams schematically showing measurement target regions imaged by the optical lens system. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a distribution of light intensity (relative intensity with respect to a value measured in the vertical direction with an elevation angle θ = 0) obtained for each elevation angle θ and phase angle φ obtained by simulation. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an experiment using a silicone phantom in which a light absorption coefficient and a scattering coefficient are combined in a living body. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the radiated light intensity and x, y (corresponding to the phase angle φ) when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 6 mm or more. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance x between the incident position of light and the emission position at y = 0 and the intensity of emitted light. FIG. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance x between the incident position and the emission position of light and the emitted light intensity at y = 0. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the radiated light intensity and x, y (corresponding to the phase angle φ) when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 3.5 mm or less. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the relationship between y and emitted light intensity at x = 2 mm and elevation angle θ = 70 °. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the elevation angle θ and the emitted light intensity at a certain position. FIG. 18 is a view showing a modification of the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 19 is a view showing another modification of the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a classification example of hair loss. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing light absorption spectra of melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin, and reduced hemoglobin.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

    FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the biopsy apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the biological examination apparatus 1 includes an optical probe 12, an arithmetic circuit 22, a database 23, an optical signal control unit 24, a controller 26, and a display unit 28. Note that the arithmetic circuit 22, the optical signal control unit 24, and the controller 26 may be realized by hardware or may be realized by application software of a computer.

  The optical probe 12 includes a multi-wavelength light source 16a, an illumination light source 16b, an optical fiber 123, a light irradiation unit IF121, a light detection unit IF122, a light detector 20, an optical lens system 21a, and an area sensor 21b, and is in close contact with the skin surface. It is a component to exchange light effectively with the inside of the skin.

  The light irradiation unit IF121 constitutes a light irradiation unit together with the multi-wavelength light source 16a and the optical fiber 123, and irradiates light (near infrared light) generated by the multi-wavelength light source 16a toward the subject. The light detection unit IF122 constitutes a light detection unit together with the light detector 20, for example, a detection surface that is configured by an end of an optical fiber and inputs light from inside the living body, and propagates the input light to the light detector 20. Having an optical waveguide. In addition, you may make it provide the contact part for performing the adhesiveness to skin and optical impedance matching in the contact surface to the biological body of the light irradiation part IF121 and the light detection part IF122 as needed. With such a contact portion, the light irradiation unit IF121, the light detection unit IF122, and the living body surface are brought into close contact with each other, thereby suppressing light incident angle-dependent data errors caused by a shallow optical path (light scattering region).

  The multi-wavelength light source 16a is a light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser, a light emitting diode, a solid state laser, or a gas laser that generates light of a specific wavelength. Here, the specific wavelength is, for example, a wavelength region (600 nm to 1200 nm) with high biological permeability, and is absorbed by components (melanin, keratin, etc.) contained in hair or components (hemoglobin, glucose, etc.) contained in blood. It is preferable to select the vicinity of the wavelength having. Various devices can be used as the multi-wavelength light source 16a without any restrictions other than the wavelength, but LEDs and LDs are suitable because of their compactness. The light generated in the multi-wavelength light source 16a is supplied to the light irradiating unit IF121 through an optical waveguide unit formed of an optical fiber 123 or a thin film optical waveguide (or through direct space propagation).

  The multi-wavelength light source 16a may be configured integrally with the optical fiber 123 and the light irradiation unit IF121. In this embodiment, as a light source that makes point contact with the skin, an optical fiber is buried in the center of a light guide pillar having a low reflection coating diameter smaller than the hair density (pitch of about 0.9 mm) (preferably a diameter of 0.5 mm or less). As an integrated probe, an optical fiber 123 and a light irradiation unit IF121 are configured (see FIG. 8), and a configuration in which light having a measurement wavelength is guided from an LED light source capable of switching between two wavelengths of light is employed.

  The illumination light source 16b is a visible light source that illuminates the measurement region in a non-contact manner. Various devices can be used for the illumination light source 16b, but LEDs and LDs are recommended because of their compactness. In particular, in order to obtain a clear imaging screen without increasing noise, a white LED that illuminates the inspection portion with light that is not in the visible light region and the wavelength used for inspection is suitable.

  Although various detectors can be used as the photodetector 20, for example, it is easy to use a semiconductor optical sensor such as a photodiode, phototransistor, CCD optical sensor, or CMOS optical sensor made of silicon, germanium, a compound semiconductor, or the like. And preferred. You may make it provide a filter in the light receiving element of the photodetector 20 as needed. The light receiving element γ characteristic of the light detector 20 is desirably in the vicinity of 1.0, and the surface distribution of the light receiving sensitivity is desirably uniform.

  The optical lens system 21a and the area sensor 21b are silicon CMOS image sensors arranged in an imaging unit (USB connection) and an optical lens system focused on the scalp surface in order to acquire a microscopic image in which the scalp is enlarged. .

  Note that high spatial resolution is required to analyze a small object such as hair. In order to increase spatial resolution in a living body with a large amount of light scattering, a light irradiation unit IF121 and a light detection unit IF122 having sufficiently small openings are provided, and the distance between them is set to be twice or less the skin thickness.

  The optical probe 12 is subjected to a coating process for low reflection. For the low-reflection coating treatment, nickel black plating having a low light reflectance from visible light to near-infrared light is suitable. Furthermore, the optical probe 12 has a light shielding wall 125 for covering the periphery with a light shielding wall and blocking outside light (see FIG. 8). The light-shielding wall 123 is also made of a low-reflective material on the inner wall, and the opening contact portion at the tip is cut obliquely (from 10 ° to 35 °, which is an angle at which the intensity of scattered output light is high). The light guide pillar is arranged at a position in contact with the scalp vertically under the condition that the opening contact portion is in close contact with the scalp.

  The arithmetic circuit 22 calculates the light amount (light absorption amount) corresponding to each specific wavelength of the melanin measurement wavelength and the hemoglobin measurement wavelength. In addition, the arithmetic circuit 22 executes an area division process and a correction process in a non-diffusion area which will be described later.

  The database 23 stores various data used for a numerical database, a statistical database, an area division process, which will be described later, and a correction process in a non-diffusion area, for determining hair health.

  Under the control of the controller 26, the optical signal control unit 24 controls the light source 16 so that light is emitted from the light irradiation unit IF 121 at a predetermined timing, frequency, intensity, and intensity fluctuation period T. Further, the optical signal control unit 24 controls the arithmetic circuit 22 so that the calculation process is executed at a predetermined timing.

  The controller 26 controls each component in order to operate the biopsy apparatus 1 dynamically or statically. In addition, the controller 26 performs control for region division processing, which will be described later, and correction processing in a non-diffusion region. Furthermore, the controller 26 obtains information such as hair shape and size, blood metabolism information, and the like, which will be described later, based on the calculated light amount, and determines the health level of the hair based on these.

  The controller 26, the arithmetic circuit 22, and the optical signal control unit 24 may be configured by any of hardware and computer application software. In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the stick-shaped biological interface device 2 including the optical probe 12, the light source 16, the photodetector 20, the arithmetic circuit 22, and the optical signal control unit 24, and the controller 26 A personal computer 3 that realizes the function is used. However, this is only an example, and various modifications can be made as necessary. For example, the function of the controller 26 may be incorporated in the biological interface device 2 and the personal computer 3 may be responsible for functions such as power supply, display, and communication.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the tip P of the biological interface device 2 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the light source 16 and the light detection unit 20 are arranged close to each other by a light irradiation unit IF121 and a light detection unit IF122 (for example, an optical fiber). At the tips of the light irradiation part IF121 and the light detection part IF122, tip contact parts 10a and 10b are provided which increase the adhesion to the living body and take optical impedance matching. The light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection unit IF122 are fixed to the elastic support member 14, and it is possible to suppress an excessive load from being applied to the light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection unit IF122, and at the same time with an appropriate load. Has a structure that adheres to the skin. Between the light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection unit IF122, a hair guide 17a (a groove parallel to the light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection unit IF122 in the example of FIG. 3) that guides hair and determines a measurement position on the skin is provided. Forming.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the principle of hair health level determination using the biopsy device 1. As shown in the figure, the light irradiation unit IF121 is brought into contact with the living skin near the hair root to irradiate light having a specific wavelength. The specific wavelength is a wavelength region (600 nm to 1200 nm) with high biological permeability, and the vicinity of the wavelength having absorption for components (melanin, keratin, etc.) contained in hair or components (hemoglobin, glucose, etc.) contained in blood Is selected. The light incident on the living body by the irradiation propagates through the optical path HR including the hair root H1. The propagated light is detected by the light detection unit IF123 brought into contact with the skin surface with the hair root H1 interposed therebetween. By analyzing the amount of light detected, information on at least one of the size and shape of the hair root (information on hair shape, etc.), information on blood metabolism in the vicinity of the hair root (blood metabolism information) is obtained, and the health of living body hair This is a method for determining and evaluating the degree (thinning resistance). The size and shape of the hair shaft and hair root give information on the current health level of the hair, and the blood metabolism information in the vicinity of the hair root gives information on the possibility of lowering the health level.

  If this determination method is used, for example, a wavelength range of 650 nm or more and 760 nm or less is selected as the wavelength of incident light, and the decrease in the amount of light detected due to absorption of melanin contained in the hair root is measured, thereby obtaining follicle size information. Can do. On the other hand, select the location where the hair root was removed, select the near infrared region of 650 nm to 860 nm as the wavelength of the incident light, and the hemoglobin (oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin) included in the blood with information on blood metabolism in the vicinity It can be detected by absorption.

  FIG. 5 shows a pseudo hair follicle measurement of a hair root phantom (an optical model of a scalp in which two kinds of hairs having diameters of 90 μm and 110 μm are planted on an agarose / intralipid dispersion substrate) with a red light of 680 nm using the biopsy apparatus 1. It is a figure for demonstrating. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the pseudo follicle measurement shown in FIG. In addition, a hair having a diameter of 110 μm having a thick hair shaft size simulates a healthy hair root size, and a hair having a standard hair shaft size of 90 μm diameter simulates a hair root having poor growth. In FIG. 5, the distance between the incident position and the radiation position is fixed to 2 mm.

  As can be seen from FIG. 6, a decrease in the intensity of the emitted light of about 5% and 8% was observed for each of the two types of hair having a diameter of 90 μm and 110 μm. Quantitative determination of hair root size is possible. On the other hand, the shadow region (of melanin absorption) of the hair root is broadened on the skin by in-vivo light scattering, and the shadow region absorbs light corresponding to other biological components (dermal hemoglobin, lipid-containing, etc.). The measured quantity is inaccurate.

  Therefore, in order to accurately and quantitatively evaluate blood metabolism information in the vicinity of the hair root, it is located in the vicinity of the hair root and the area where the shadow of the hair root affects (the hair root influence area) and the hair root where the shadow of the hair root does not affect. It is necessary to classify the region where the information can be measured correctly (the hair follicle non-affected region) and to measure the blood metabolism information in the latter follicle non-affected region. Therefore, the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment classifies the follicle affected area and the follicle non-affected area by the area sorting function described below, and measures health information and blood metabolism information in the vicinity of the follicle in each area. To do.

(Area separation function)
This function classifies the hair root affected area and the hair root non-affected area using image data obtained by imaging the surface of the living body (scalp surface). In the following description, biological hair is a typical example as an inspection target, but it is not limited to this example, and all body hair of the living body can be an inspection target.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of hair health level determination processing using this area classification function. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example of the light irradiation unit IF121 and the like in the measurement region. FIGS. 9A to 9E are diagrams schematically showing measurement target regions imaged by the optical lens system. The hair health determination process according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  First, the measurement region is irradiated with visible illumination LED light using, for example, the illumination light source 16b, and a microscopic image of the scalp / hair is captured by the optical lens system 21a (see FIG. 9A). The operator observes the microscopic image displayed on the display unit 28, and measures the position of the light irradiation unit IF121 when measuring information such as the hair shape (that is, the light incident position of the first measurement wavelength (670 nm)). Is determined (step S1). In addition, in the biopsy apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment, in step S4 mentioned later, a follicle affected area and a follicle non-affected area are separated. For this reason, in positioning of the light irradiation part IF121, the consideration that the position of the optical probe 12 must be determined so that the shadow of the hair root does not affect is not required. This point is a remarkable effect.

  Next, while the light irradiation unit IF121 is brought into close contact with the position determined in step S1 (see FIG. 9B), the measurement target region including hair and scalp is imaged using the optical lens system 21a (step S2). . In step S2, the illumination light source 16b is turned on (that is, the measurement area is illuminated by the illumination light source 16b).

  Next, the illumination light source 16b is turned off (see FIG. 9B). The operator confirms that there is no leakage of external light in the measurement region while observing the microscopic image of the scalp and hair captured by the optical lens system 21a on the display unit 28 (step S3).

  Next, the first measurement wavelength (670 nm) is irradiated from the light irradiation unit IF121 toward the living body at the position determined in step S1. The light incident on the living body by the irradiation propagates through the optical path including the hair root. The light detection unit IF123 detects light that propagates through the optical path and exits from the surface of the living body. The arithmetic circuit 22 measures the light intensity distribution, analyzes and records it. Using the light intensity distribution obtained by the correction process, the arithmetic circuit 22 separates the follicle affected area and the follicle non-affected area in the measurement area (step S4). FIGS. 9D and 9E schematically show the follicle affected area (part D) in which the brightness of the skin surface looks slightly darker than the surroundings, and the follicle non-affected area as the other part. Since the boundary with the shadow of the follicle becomes unclear due to the influence of scattering, it is preferable to select the follicle non-affected area with a sufficient margin.

  Note that the main part (region D) of the shadow corresponding to the hair root schematically shown in FIG. 9 (d) is emitted light from the positional relationship with the light irradiation unit IF (with a small phase angle with respect to the light receiving optical system). The effect of intensity correction is small. Therefore, by analyzing the darkness and spread of the determined shadow, it is possible to estimate hair root (size) information located under the skin. On the other hand, using light of other wavelengths, blood circulation (hemoglobin) information and lipid / water information are measured in the hair root non-affected region. The follicle non-influence region within a certain range from the light irradiation position has a significant phase angle with respect to the light receiving optical system. For this reason, correction | amendment is required for quantification of emitted light intensity. The correction process will be described in detail later.

  Next, the second measurement wavelength (809 nm) is emitted from the light irradiation unit IF121 toward the living body at the position determined in step S1. The arithmetic circuit 22 measures the light intensity distribution using the light detected in the hair root non-affected region, and measures blood metabolism information such as the local blood circulation amount (total hemoglobin amount) of the scalp ((FIG. 9 (e)). Reference: Step S5).

(Correction process in non-diffusion area)
The living body is a strong light scatterer. However, when the incident position and the emission position of light approach within a predetermined range (for example, within several mm), a phenomenon in which the intensity distribution with respect to the elevation angle and the phase angle of the light emission appears remarkably is observed. The inventors have found this out through experiments.

  That is, when the distance between the light incident position and the radiation position is sufficiently large, the light propagated in the living body can be approximated by the diffusion model, and the radiation light spreads isotropically. However, when the light incident position and the radiation position are close to within a few millimeters, the radiated light having the beam directivity has a maximum intensity value at the elevation angle and the phase angle.

  FIG. 10 shows the light intensity at each elevation angle θ and phase angle φ of the radiated light (that is, the optical axis of the light detection unit IF122) obtained by the simulation (relative intensity with respect to the value measured in the vertical direction with the elevation angle θ = 0). It is the figure which showed distribution. As can be seen from the figure, the elevation angle has a maximum value in the range of 60 ° to 80 °, and the phase angle has a crescent-shaped intensity distribution centering on 0 °.

  Further, in addition to the above simulation, the inventors use a silicone phantom with a light absorption coefficient and a scattering coefficient combined with a living body to determine the distance between the light incident position and the radiation position (that is, the light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection). The distance between the unit 122 and the diffusion model (or non-diffusion model) and the dependence of the radiated light intensity on the elevation angle and phase angle were tested. In this experiment, as shown in FIG. 11, X, Y, Z (Z is a direction perpendicular to the XY plane) using a special probe (corresponding to the light irradiation unit IF121 and the light detection unit 122) whose tip is processed. , Measured with accurate alignment on the θ stage.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the radiated light intensity and x, y (corresponding to the phase angle φ) when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 6 mm or more. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are graphs showing the relationship between the distance x between the incident position of light and the emission position at y = 0 and the emitted light intensity. As can be seen from FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 6 mm or more, the dependency of the phase angle φ is extremely low. Therefore, if the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 6 mm or more, the light in the living body can be approximated by a diffusion model.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the radiated light intensity and x, y (corresponding to the phase angle φ) when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is 3.5 mm or less. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the relationship between y and emitted light intensity at x = 2 mm and elevation angle θ = 70 °. Note that an angle such as “14 °” in FIG. 16 indicates the angle of the phase angle φ corresponding to the value of y.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 15 and 16, when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is within 2 mm, the influence of the phase angle φ appears significantly. Therefore, when the distance x between the light incident position and the radiation position is within 2 mm, for example, the light in the living body needs to be approximated by a non-diffusion model. Specifically, it was confirmed that when the distance x is in the range of 2 to 2.5 mm, the detected light intensity is reduced by 10 to 20% when the phase angle φ is around 30 °. In this embodiment in which light is incident at a point contact and the radiated light intensity distribution is measured in a non-contact manner by an area sensor, the vicinity of the incident position depends on the incident position, the radiation position, and the relative position of the optical lens system 21a (optical camera). This suggests that the intensity of radiated light decreases on the order of 10%.

  FIG. 17 is a graph showing the relationship between the elevation angle θ and the emitted light intensity at a certain position. As shown in the figure, a difference in emitted light intensity starts to appear from an elevation angle θ = 10 ° or more. In the experiments by the inventors, in order to increase the SN ratio of detected optical data, the distribution of the elevation angle θ and the phase angle φ is taken into consideration, and the area sensor 21b has an angle of 10 ° to 35 ° with respect to the living body surface. It is desirable that the axis of the interface that guides light to the living body (the optical axis of the light detection unit IF122) has an angle of 0 ° to 45 ° with respect to the skin normal direction. The conclusion was reached.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the absorption by the hair root at a distance x = 2 mm between the incident position and the radiation position is about several percent. For this reason, it can be seen that in order to significantly separate the shadow of the hair root, it is necessary to correct the intensity change due to the elevation angle and phase angle with larger fluctuations. In the present embodiment, the light intensity reduction rate on the screen is digitized by converting the light intensity reduction rate on the screen into a region mesh as a correction coefficient table, and the arithmetic circuit 22 uses this to calculate the light intensity distribution. Is analyzed. Specifically, fitting calculation can be performed based on the corrected light absorption data of the follicle-affected area to estimate follicle size information. In the non-affected region of hair follicles thus separated, changes due to absorption of melanin in the follicle can be ignored. For this reason, blood metabolic information such as blood (hemoglobin) information and lipid water information can be quantitatively measured with high accuracy.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 18 is a view showing a modification of the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment. Compared with the biopsy apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the biopsy apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 18 is composed of four elements in which the unit pixel of the area sensor 21b includes four types of filters of R, G, B, and IR. It is that. An element having three types of R, G, and B filters is used for obtaining a visible image. In addition, an R filter element or an IR filter element is used for measurement of hair roots (quantification of melanin absorption). An IR filter element is used for blood circulation measurement and lipid / water measurement.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 19 is a view showing another modification of the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment. Compared with the biopsy apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the biopsy apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 19 has a plurality of light irradiation systems (in the example of FIG. 1, a plurality of point light sources 16a and 16b, optical fibers 123a and 123b, optical It is a point provided with irradiation part IF121a, 121b).

  According to the biopsy device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, a microscopic image of the living body surface corresponding to the measurement region is acquired, and the hair root affected region and the hair root non-affected region are separated using this, and the hair root or the hair root Blood metabolic information is measured in the non-affected region of the hair root that is not affected by the shadow of the hair. Therefore, blood metabolism information can be measured accurately and safely and non-invasively as compared with the prior art. In regions where the light diffusion model is not established, the intensity distribution with respect to the elevation angle and phase angle of light emission is corrected using a non-diffusion model, and the hair root affected region and the hair root non-affected region are separated based on the result. . Therefore, blood metabolism information can be measured in the hair root non-affected region that is sorted with higher accuracy, and highly reliable hair health can be measured while considering individual differences.

  According to the living body inspection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a microscopic image of the living body surface corresponding to the measurement region can be acquired, and the accurate positional relationship of the target in the measurement region can be easily and quickly grasped using the acquired microscopic image. . Therefore, highly accurate alignment of the light irradiation unit IF and the light detection IF is not required. In addition, the non-contact area sensor can measure the emitted light at any position via the optical system, and the hair follicle affected area and the follicle non-affected area can be separated. The light at the position selected corresponding to the incident light position can be easily measured. As a result, the burden on the operator during measurement can be greatly reduced.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications can be given.

  (1) There are various applications such as blood flow information detection of scalp, skin moisturizing evaluation, subdermal capillary mapping, etc. There is an example.

  (2) The optical lens system 21a including the microscopic imaging element can also be used as the area sensor 21b depending on the device configuration.

  These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Biopsy apparatus 1, 2 ... Biointerface device, 3 ... Personal computer, 12 ... Optical probe, 14 ... Support body, 15 ... Optical mixer, 16a ... Multi-wavelength light source, 16b ... Illumination light source, 17a, 17b ... Hair guide , 20 ... photodetector, 21 a ... optical lens system, 21 b ... area sensor, 22 ... arithmetic circuit, 23 ... database, 24 ... optical signal control unit, 26 ... controller, 28 ... display unit, 30 ... imaging device, 32 ... LED device, 34... Groove, 121... Light irradiation unit IF, 122.

Claims (13)

A light irradiating unit that irradiates red light or near infrared light from the surface of the object into the object;
A detection unit for detecting light that propagates in the subject and is emitted from the subject surface to the outside;
Using the emitted light, a first region where there is a light absorber localized in the subject and affecting the intensity of light propagating in the subject; and the light absorption in the subject A second region where no body is present, and a calculation unit for measuring a light emission intensity distribution in the second region;
A biopsy device characterized by comprising:   2. The biopsy device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit separates the first region based on a size of a hair root as the light absorber.   The living body examination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit separates a blood flow region existing around the light absorber as the second region. The light detected by the detection unit further comprises a correction unit for correcting the intensity for each wavelength according to the position,
The measurement unit separates the first region and the second region using the light corrected by the correction unit, and measures the light emission intensity distribution;
The biopsy device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   The biopsy apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an angle light guide interface provided in the detection unit and having an optical axis of 10 degrees or more and 35 degrees or less with respect to the surface of the subject.   The biopsy according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an angle light guide interface provided in the detection unit and having an optical axis of 0 degrees or more and 45 degrees or less with respect to a normal line of the subject surface. apparatus.   The biopsy apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image sensor for imaging the surface of the subject.   2. The biological examination apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a visible light source that illuminates the biological surface.   The biopsy device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is a silicon semiconductor sensor in which a plurality of wavelength filters are arranged.   The biological examination according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light irradiation unit irradiates light in a near-infrared region from a red light wavelength region in which at least one of main wavelengths is 650 nm or more and 860 nm or less. apparatus.   The biological examination according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the light irradiation unit irradiates light in a near-infrared region from a red light wavelength region in which at least one of the main wavelengths is 900 nm to 1000 nm. apparatus.   The biological examination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit is an optical fiber having a coating whose surface is subjected to low reflection treatment. Irradiate red light or near infrared light from the subject surface into the subject,
Detecting the light propagating through the subject and emitted from the subject surface to the outside,
Using the emitted light, a first region where there is a light absorber localized in the subject and affecting the intensity of light propagating in the subject; and the light absorption in the subject Separating the second region where the body does not exist,
Measuring a light radiation intensity distribution in the second region;
A biological examination method comprising: