Line-Illuminating Light Source for Skin Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing skin analyzing apparatuses that use ultraviolet light for skin condition analysis often expose the skin to excessive UV radiation and suffer from reduced light intensity due to mismatched light paths, leading to potential damage and suboptimal image capture.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a line-illuminating light source with a light emitter, aspherical lens, slit, and achromatic lens aligned on the same optical axis, combined with a light reflector and filters to emit and direct linear ultraviolet light, allowing for targeted skin analysis while minimizing UV exposure and ensuring parallel light paths for improved image capture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a surface light source is used to emit light uniformly across the skin surface, then the skin can be illuminated for imaging, but the amount of UV radiation exposure increases causing potential skin damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the illumination area into a linear path instead of covering the entire skin surface. The line-illuminating light source emits light along a one-dimensional linear trajectory, segmenting the two-dimensional surface illumination into a focused line, thereby reducing the total area exposed to UV radiation while maintaining sufficient illumination for imaging analysis
2Ease of operation
If the light path is not aligned with the camera axis, then the imaging setup is more flexible, but the light intensity received by the camera decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the illumination path and the imaging path by aligning them along the same optical axis. The line-illuminating light source, the object being imaged, and the camera are positioned such that the light travels along the optical axis to illuminate the object and the reflected light returns along the same axis to the camera, maximizing light intensity while maintaining operational simplicity
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 configuration minimizes UV exposure to the skin, maintains light intensity, and enables high-quality hyperspectral imaging by focusing light only on the region of interest, preventing damage and ensuring accurate skin condition analysis.
Implementation Method 1
a first lens provided at a position where light emitted from the light emitter is incident
Implementation Method 2
a second lens provided at a position where the light passing through the linear opening is incident, and configured to direct the light toward an object
Implementation Method 3
a light reflector configured to reflect the linear light incident from the light source
Implementation Method 4
a first filter configured to filter the linear light reflected from the light reflector
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging apparatus may include a light source emitting linear light, a light reflector configured to reflect the linear light incident from the light source unit, a first filter configured to filter the linear light reflected from the light reflector, a light transmission reflector configured to reflect the linear light passing through the first filter toward an object and transmit light incident from the object, a second filter configured to filter the light that has passed through the light transmission reflector after being incident from the object, and a camera configured to capture the light passing through the second filter.