Method and Apparatus for Analyte Measurement Including Material Status Analysis

The method of one of the preceding claims, wherein during said analyte measurement procedure (78), a sequence of analyte-wavelength-specific measurements is carried out while maintaining said thermal or pressure transmitting contact between the material (12) and the measurement body (16), wherein in each analyte-wavelength-specific measurement, excitation radiation (18) with an analyte-characteristic-wavelength selected from a predetermined set of analyte-characteristic-wavelengths is irradiated and a corresponding response signal is obtained,

• and wherein at least some of said analyte-wavelength-specific measurements are interspersed with reference measurements (80), in which excitation radiation (18) with a reference wavelength is irradiated and a corresponding response signal is obtained, wherein said reference wavelength is a wavelength different from any of said analyte-characteristic-wavelengths,
• and wherein said response signals obtained for the reference measurements (80) are used for one or more of
• calibrating an excitation radiation source (26) for generating said excitation radiation,
• calibrating said detection device,
• recognizing a variation in the measurement conditions by comparing results of individual reference measurements (80),
• adapting the analyte measurement procedure (78) with respect to one or more of the entire duration thereof, the absolute or relative duration of analyte-wavelength-specific measurements for a given analyte-characteristic-wavelength, or terminating and/or restarting the analyte measurement procedure, and
• adapting the analysis carried out in the analyzing step.

An apparatus (10) for analyzing a material (12) comprising at least one analyte, said apparatus comprising

• a measurement body (16) having a contact surface (14) suitable to be brought in thermal contact or pressure transmitting contact with said material (12), said thermal or pressure transmitting contact permitting heat or pressure waves generated by absorption of excitation radiation (18) in the material to be transferred to said measurement body,
• an excitation radiation source (26) configured for irradiating excitation radiation into the material (12) to be absorbed therein,
• a detection device for detecting a physical response of the measurement body (16), or of a component included therein, to heat or a pressure wave received from said material (12) upon absorption of said excitation radiation (18) and for generating a response signal based on said detected physical response, said response signal being indicative of a degree of absorption of excitation radiation, and
• a control system,
• wherein said control system is configured to
• control the excitation radiation source (26) to irradiate excitation radiation into the material (12) to be absorbed therein, wherein the intensity of said excitation radiation is time-modulated, and wherein said excitation radiation comprises radiation of different analyte-characteristic-wavelengths that are irradiated one or both of simultaneously and sequentially, and
• to control the detection device to detect said physical response and to generate response signals indicative of the degree of absorption of said excitation radiation (18),
• wherein the control system is further configured to carry out a material status analyzing procedure (76), in which the present status of the material is analyzed based on one or more of
• one or more response signals established when the material (12) is irradiated with excitation radiation (18) at a wavelength different from said analyte-characteristic-wavelengths,
• one or more response signals established for excitation radiation (18) with the same analyte-characteristic-wavelengths as used in the analyte measurement step, but for at least partially different intensity modulation frequencies of said excitation radiation than in the analyte measurement step, and
• one or more measurements related to a material status carried out with additional sensor equipment,
• and wherein the control system is configured for determining, based on a result of said material status analyzing procedure (76), at least one of
• a selection of analyte-characteristic-wavelengths used during said analyte measurement procedure (78), or relied on during said analysis,
• an absolute time or a relative time proportion of use of analyte-characteristic-wavelengths during said analyte measurement procedure (78), an individual excitation radiation intensity, or a relative weight given to the wavelengths in the analysis,
• a selection of analyte-characteristic-wavelengths to be used simultaneously during said analyte measurement procedure (78), and
• a selection of one or more main frequencies of the modulation of said excitation radiation (18) intensity to be used during said analyte measurement procedure (78).