Color-Based Reaction Testing Using Digital Image Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Color-based reaction testing for biological materials, such as urinalysis, is often inaccurate due to subjective manual interpretation and requires expensive, highly calibrated electronic readers, which are not portable or cost-effective for smaller laboratories.
Innovation Solution
A method and electronic user device capture digital images of test strips and reference color charts in uncalibrated environments, using image processing to match color information and generate test results, eliminating the need for calibration and enabling the use of any camera-equipped device for accurate and precise testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual visual interpretation of color charts is used, then the testing process is simple and low-cost, but the accuracy and precision of results deteriorate due to subjectivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture digital images of the test strip and reference color chart, creating a digital copy of the visual information. This digital copy is then processed through image analysis algorithms that objectively compare color values, eliminating human subjectivity while avoiding the need for expensive specialized photometric equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of visual color comparison with an automated electronic system. The camera captures images, and software algorithms automatically analyze color data, substituting the human eye and brain's color processing with computational image analysis that provides consistent, objective measurements.
2Measurement precision
If highly-calibrated electronic readers with reflectance photometers or CCD sensors are used, then color measurement accuracy improves, but device cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a standard camera, which is a relatively inexpensive and widely available device compared to specialized photometric equipment. The system uses the camera's image sensor to capture color information, processing it through software algorithms that compensate for the camera's limitations, thereby achieving accurate results with low-cost hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the approach to color measurement by changing from direct photometric measurement to digital image capture and processing. By capturing images in standard lighting conditions and using software to analyze color values relative to reference colors captured in the same image, the system achieves accuracy without requiring calibrated photometric instruments.
3Reliability
If highly-calibrated electronic readers are used, then measurement reliability improves, but portability and accessibility deteriorate as devices become closed and non-mobile
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the testing system universally accessible by using a standard camera that can be found in most mobile devices. The system is designed to work with any camera-equipped device, allowing the test to be performed anywhere with portable equipment, thereby combining reliability with accessibility and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
By capturing digital images of both the test strip and reference color chart simultaneously, the system creates a portable digital record that can be analyzed anywhere. The image data serves as a copy of the physical test results, enabling reliable analysis without requiring the presence of specialized calibrated equipment at the test location.
4Measurement precision
If specialized electronic readers are used, then color comparison accuracy improves, but cost effectiveness deteriorates making them unsuitable for smaller laboratories
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves accurate color comparison using a standard camera, which is significantly cheaper than specialized electronic readers with reflectance photometers or calibrated CCD sensors. The system processes images through software algorithms that provide objective color analysis, making the technology cost-effective for smaller laboratories and even home use.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for accurate and precise color-based reaction testing in uncalibrated environments, making it cost-effective and portable, enabling mobile and remote testing with higher accuracy than manual methods.
Implementation Method 1
capturing the image data with the camera
Data Source
AI summary
Color-based reaction testing of biological materials may be performed by capturing, in an uncalibrated environment, a digital image of an exposed test strip, together with an adjacently-located reference color chart or on-strip color chart. The image data specifically representing the individual test pads on the test strip, as well as the reference color blocks on the reference chart, are then located within the captured image, and compared to identify any color matches between the test pads and the corresponding sequences of reference color block. Based on this comparison operation, a set of test results can be generated which effectively identifies which of the reference chart's color blocks most closely matches the color of the corresponding dipstick's test pads. The generated test results may then be provided to the user in a printed or displayed form. Alternatively, the test results may simply be stored for later retrieval.