Camera and Inertial Sensor Fusion for Hygienic Device Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing personal hygienic devices, such as toothbrushes, face challenges in determining the body portion being treated due to occlusions and high costs of location determination systems, which limits their effectiveness in providing assistance for proper usage.
Innovation Solution
A system combining a camera and inertial sensors to determine the treated body portion by analyzing pictorial representations and acceleration measurement data, compensating for each other's weaknesses to provide accurate and cost-effective monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a video tracking system is used to determine the treated body portion, then the system can provide visual monitoring, but the occlusion of the personal hygienic device causes tracking failures and reduced measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary solution by using a separate camera positioned to capture the treated area indirectly, rather than attempting to track the occluded device directly. This intermediary camera system captures images of the treatment area without being blocked by the personal hygienic device, thereby maintaining measurement precision despite device occlusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from direct device-centric tracking to an area-centric monitoring approach by positioning the camera to capture the treated body portion from a different spatial perspective. This dimensional change allows the system to monitor the treatment area without being constrained by the device's position and occlusion issues.
2Measurement precision
If expensive location determination systems are built into personal hygienic devices, then the location can be determined accurately, but the implementation cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the camera system with a processing device that analyzes images to determine the treated body portion. This merged system replaces expensive dedicated location determination sensors with a more cost-effective combination of standard camera technology and image processing algorithms, achieving accurate location determination without high implementation costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical or electronic location determination systems (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetic sensors) with an optical imaging system. Instead of using costly motion sensors to track device position, the system uses image capture and analysis to indirectly determine location, significantly reducing hardware costs while maintaining measurement precision.
3Ease of operation
If the personal hygienic device occludes the user's body portion during treatment, then the treatment can be performed, but video-based tracking systems fail to capture the treated area
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of tracking the personal hygienic device to determine the treated area, the patent inverts the approach by directly capturing images of the treated body portion. This inversion allows the system to obtain information about the treatment area without being dependent on device tracking, thereby preventing information loss despite device occlusion.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pictorial representation of the user while treating his/her body portion using a personal hygienic device combined with sensor data as obtained from at least one inertial sensor residing in the personal hygienic device, is used for determining a currently treated body portion treated using the personal hygienic device. The provision of camera and inertial sensor may be achieved at low cost. The combination of the two sources for determining the user's body portion currently treated complement each other in that one source compensates weaknesses of the other source and vice versa.