# US 10,441,174 B2 · Sensor and device for lifetime imaging and detection applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,441,174 B2 - Document ID: US10441174B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/435,432 - Filed: 2017-02-17 - Published: 2017-08-17 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2016-02-17 - Assignees: Tesseract Health, Inc. - Applicants: Tesseract Health, Inc. - Inventors: Jonathan M. Rothberg; Keith G. Fife; David Boisvert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441174B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0071: {by measuring fluorescence emission} - A61B 5/14532: {for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement} - A61B 5/14542: {for measuring blood gases (A61B5/14551 takes precedence)} - A61B 5/1455: using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters - A61B 5/14552: {Details of sensors specially adapted therefor} - A61B 5/444: {Evaluating skin marks, e.g. mole, nevi, tumour, scar} - G01N 21/6408: {with measurement of decay time, time resolved fluorescence} - G01N 21/6486: {Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells (G01N21/6428 takes precedence)} - A61B 2562/0233: Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00 - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract A method of luminance lifetime imaging includes receiving incident photons at an integrated photodetector from luminescent molecules. The incident photons being received through one or more optical components of a point-of-care device. The method also includes detecting arrival times of the incident photons using the integrated photodetector. A method of analyzing blood glucose includes detecting luminance lifetime characteristics of tissue using, at least in part, an integrated circuit that detects arrival times of incident photons from the tissue. The method also includes analyzing blood glucose based upon the luminance lifetime characteristics. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of luminance lifetime imaging, comprising: receiving incident photons at an integrated photodetector from luminescent molecules, the incident photons being received through one or more optical components of a point-of-care device; detecting arrival times of the incident photons by using the integrated photodetector to selectively direct, into at least one charge carrier storage region, based on the arrival times of the incident photons, charge carriers generated in response to receiving the incident photons; and discarding charge carriers produced during a light excitation pulse for exciting the luminescent molecules, wherein detecting the arrival times of the incident photons further comprises controlling the integrated photodetector to aggregate, in the at least one charge carrier storage region, charge carriers generated in response to incident photons received from the luminescent molecules in response to a plurality of excitations of the luminescent molecules, respectively. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising discriminating luminance lifetime characteristics of the luminescent molecules based on the arrival times. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising producing an image using the luminance lifetime characteristics. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the image indicates a presence of diseased tissue based upon the luminance lifetime characteristics. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the image indicates a presence of melanoma, a tumor, a bacterial infection, or a viral infection. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the incident photons are received from tissue. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the tissue comprises skin. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising illuminating the tissue to excite the luminescent molecules. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing readout of the at least one charge carrier storage region to obtain signals indicative of the aggregated charge carriers. ### Claim 10 A method, comprising: detecting luminance lifetime characteristics of tissue using, at least in part, an integrated circuit that detects arrival times of incident photons from the tissue by selectively segregating, based on the arrival times of incident photons, charge carriers into at least one charge carrier storage region, and analyzing blood glucose based upon the luminance lifetime characteristics, wherein detecting the luminance lifetime characteristics further comprises: controlling the integrated circuit to aggregate, in the at least one charge carrier storage region, a number of charge carriers generated in response to incident photons received from luminescent molecules of the tissue in response to a plurality of excitations of the luminescent molecules, respectively; and reading out a voltage corresponding to the number of charge carriers aggregated in the at least one charge carrier storage region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the analyzing comprises determining a blood glucose concentration. ### Claim 12 A point-of-care device, comprising: one or more optical components; an integrated photodetector configured to receive, through the one or more optical components, incident photons from luminescent molecules and selectively direct, into at least one charge carrier storage region, based on arrival times of the incident photons, charge carriers generated in response to receiving the incident photons; and a processor configured to detect the arrival times of the received incident photons at the integrated photodetector to perform luminance lifetime imaging, wherein the integrated photodetector is configured to aggregate, in the at least one charge carrier storage region, charge carriers generated in response to incident photons received from the luminescent molecules in response to a plurality of excitations of the luminescent molecules, respectively. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The point-of-care device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to discriminate luminance lifetime characteristics of the luminescent molecules based on the arrival times. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The point-of-care device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to produce an image using the luminance lifetime characteristics. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The point-of-care device of claim 14, wherein the image indicates a presence of diseased tissue based upon the luminance lifetime characteristics. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The point-of-care device of claim 15, wherein the image indicates a presence of melanoma, a tumor, a bacterial infection, or a viral infection. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The point-of-care device of claim 12, wherein the incident photons are received from tissue. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The point-of-care device of claim 17, wherein the tissue comprises skin. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The point-of-care device of claim 17, further comprising an excitation light source configured to illuminate the tissue to excite the luminescent molecules. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The point-of-care device of claim 12, wherein the at least one charge carrier storage region comprises a plurality of charge carrier storage regions configured to store charge carriers produced during different time intervals following excitation of the luminescent molecules. ### Claim 21 (depends on 12) The point-of-care device of claim 12, wherein the integrated photodetector is further configured to discard charge carriers produced during a light excitation pulse for exciting the luminescent molecules. ### Claim 22 A point-of-care device, comprising: one or more optical components; an integrated photodetector configured to receive, through the one or more optical components, incident photons from luminescent molecules and selectively direct, into at least one charge carrier storage region, based on arrival times of the incident photons, charge carriers generated in response to receiving the incident photons, wherein the integrated photodetector is configured to aggregate, in the at least one charge carrier storage region, charge carriers generated in response to incident photons received from the luminescent molecules in response to a plurality of excitations of the luminescent molecules, respectively; and a processor configured to detect luminance lifetime characteristics of tissue by, at least in part, detecting the arrival times of incident photons from the tissue, and wherein the processor is further configured to analyze blood glucose based upon the luminance lifetime characteristics. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The point-of-care device of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a blood glucose concentration.