Fluorescence Image HSV Analysis for Wound Bacteria Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wound care technologies fail to effectively identify bacterial presence and distribution in wounds, leading to suboptimal treatment and potential infection spread due to reliance on qualitative visual assessment and misinterpretation of fluorescence images.

Innovation Solution

A portable, hand-held device and method for fluorescence image analysis that converts images to HSV color space, applies saturation and value thresholds to identify bacterial regions, and generates an overlay image to highlight suspicious areas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If qualitative visual assessment is used to evaluate wound images, then the assessment is simple and quick, but it cannot reliably identify bacterial presence and distribution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebacterial detection accuracyVSAvoidimage analysis system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system transforms the fluorescence image into HSV color space and applies specific threshold conditions to the saturation and value parameters to identify bacterial regions. By changing the parameter representation and applying quantitative thresholds, the system achieves reliable bacterial detection while maintaining computational simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary image processing layer that converts the original fluorescence image into an overlay image with highlighted regions. This intermediary processing step bridges the gap between simple visual assessment and complex bacterial analysis, providing reliable detection without requiring complex manual interpretation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If fluorescence imaging is used to detect bacteria, then bacterial information can be visualized, but non-bacterial sources create false positives

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebacterial fluorescence detection precisionVSAvoidfalse positive rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different threshold conditions to different regions of the image by analyzing hue, saturation, and value parameters locally. This allows the system to distinguish between bacterial fluorescence and non-bacterial reflections based on their specific color and intensity characteristics at different locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the image analysis into multiple independent steps: converting to HSV color space, applying hue range filters, comparing saturation to threshold conditions, and identifying regions that satisfy multiple criteria. This segmentation allows systematic elimination of false positives through multi-stage filtering

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If standard photographic images are captured of wounds, then the images are easy to obtain, but they do not expose bacterial information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage capture easeVSAvoidbacterial information loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system utilizes color changes by converting the image to HSV color space and analyzing the saturation and value parameters. This color transformation reveals bacterial fluorescence information that is not visible in standard photographic images, extracting lost information through chromatic analysis

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

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

Enhances the ability to accurately detect bacterial presence and distribution in wounds, reducing morbidity and mortality by providing a reliable, point-of-care diagnostic tool for bacterial infection.

Implementation Method 1

the imaging device may be configured to capture one or more fluorescence images of the wound

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluorescence: Fluorescence

Data Source

PatentUS12521018B2Systems, devices, and methods for image interpretation

Publication Date: 2026.01.13 MOLECULIGHT INC

AI summary

Systems, devices, and methods operate on a fluorescence image to ensure a white balance correctness of the fluorescence image; perform a color analysis of the fluorescence image, including: converting the fluorescence image to an HSV color space, comparing a saturation parameter of the first converted image to a first saturation threshold condition and comparing a value parameter of the first converted image to a first value threshold condition, wherein the first value and saturation threshold conditions are based on a correlation between a first color and the first bacterial fluorescence signature, and identifying areas of the fluorescence image where the saturation parameter satisfies the first saturation threshold condition and the first value parameter satisfies the value threshold condition, discard the identified areas which are smaller than a size threshold, and outline the remaining identified areas on the fluorescence image, thereby to generate an overlay image.