Light Box Accessory for Accurate Colorimetric Test Strip Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for analyzing colorimetric test strips are prone to inaccurate results due to subjective visual comparisons and are affected by varying lighting conditions, especially when using mobile devices for glucose monitoring and other bodily fluid tests.
Innovation Solution
A mobile platform with a light box accessory that controls lighting and uses a camera to detect colors on the test strips, employing initial and in-situ calibration to correct for lighting conditions, allowing for automatic and accurate analysis without auxiliary communication devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual comparison methods are used to analyze colorimetric test strips, then the analysis can be performed without additional equipment, but the results are inaccurate due to subjective comparisons and lighting variations
Solution Approach 1:
A light box accessory serves as an intermediary device between the test strip and the mobile device camera. It provides controlled lighting conditions and a standardized viewing environment, eliminating the subjectivity of visual comparisons while maintaining simplicity by using a basic enclosure with light sources rather than complex instrumentation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual comparison system with an optical-digital system. Instead of human eyes comparing colors visually, a camera captures images of the test strip under controlled lighting, and software algorithms automatically analyze the color values, providing objective and repeatable measurements
2Adaptability or versatility
If standard mobile device cameras are used to capture test strip images, then the device remains portable and accessible, but the color detection is affected by varying lighting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The light box performs preliminary action by establishing controlled lighting conditions before the actual test strip analysis. The pre-configured light sources and enclosure create a standardized environment that eliminates the variability of ambient lighting, ensuring reliable color detection while maintaining the portability of using standard mobile device cameras
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the lighting parameters by using controlled light sources within the light box rather than ambient light. This modification of the lighting environment parameter transforms the unreliable variable lighting conditions into consistent, controlled conditions, enabling reliable color detection with standard cameras
3Measurement precision
If electrochemical strips are used for glucose monitoring, then accurate measurements can be obtained, but the cost becomes prohibitively expensive for many patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy or representation of the colorimetric analysis process. By capturing images with a camera and using software to analyze color values, it replicates the measurement capability of more expensive electrochemical systems using inexpensive colorimetric strips, making accurate glucose monitoring accessible to more patients
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes inexpensive disposable colorimetric test strips instead of expensive electrochemical strips. By combining these low-cost strips with a simple light box and mobile device camera, it achieves accurate measurements at a fraction of the cost of electrochemical systems
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
The solution provides reliable and accurate analysis of colorimetric test strips by correcting for lighting variations, reducing user error and enhancing the accuracy of glucose monitoring and other bodily fluid tests using mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
The accessory includes a light box that provides controlled illumination of the test strip
Implementation Method 2
The camera of the mobile device is used to automatically detect the color of one or several reagent areas of the colorimetric strip
Implementation Method 3
These one or several colors are compared against a set of known or standard colors previously detected from a reference and/or calibration color chart in an initial calibration
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for analysis of colorimetric test strip strips and disease management. The system can include an accessory that is operably coupled to a mobile device, the mobile device acquiring and/or analyzing images of the colorimetric test strips. The light box accessory can be detachably attached to the mobile device, or made to remain attached to the mobile device, but with the capability of having the light box accessory removed from the field of view of the camera for general photography purposes. In other embodiments, an image containing known calibration color(s) and reagent area(s) is obtained sans the light box for comparison with a previous calibration image to model changes in ambient lighting conditions and determine a color correction function. The correction can be applied to the detected reagent area color(s) for matching between the detected reagent area color(s) and reference color(s) on the reference chart. Optionally, the information can be processed and displayed to provide feedback, as well as transmitted to a health provider for analysis.