Mobile Pupillary Response Measurement Using Eyelid-Mediated Stimulus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pupillary response measurement systems are expensive, require trained clinicians, lack standardization, suffer from inter-observer variability, and often detect diseases only after they become symptomatic, with visible light stimulation causing unintentional responses and needing controlled lighting conditions.
Innovation Solution
A system using a mobile device with a front-facing display and camera for self-administered pupillary response measurement, employing eyelid-mediated stimulus and infrared imaging to capture pupillary features, allowing for accurate and frequent health status assessment without additional hardware, and providing non-visible light emission to avoid secondary responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional pupillary measurement systems are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the light stimulus function and image capture function into a single mobile device. The display screen provides the light stimulus while the camera captures the pupillary response, eliminating the need for separate pupilometer hardware and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device performs multiple functions: it serves as both the light source for stimulus and the imaging device for measurement. This multi-functionality reduces the need for specialized medical equipment, making the system more accessible and less complex
2Ease of operation
If visible light is used for both stimulus and illumination, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to unintentional pupillary responses
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic flashing of the display screen to deliver controlled light stimuli. The flash occurs at specific intervals during the measurement process, allowing precise timing of the stimulus while the camera captures the response, thereby avoiding continuous light exposure that could cause unintended pupillary changes
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen acts as an intermediary that delivers the light stimulus in a controlled manner. By using the screen's flash capability rather than direct external lighting, the system maintains ease of operation while achieving precise control over when and how the stimulus is delivered, preventing unwanted pupillary responses
3Measurement precision
If conventional measurement methods are used, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requirement for trained clinicians
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-measurement by allowing users to perform the pupillary response test independently using their own mobile device. The automated software guides the user through the process, eliminating the need for trained clinicians while maintaining measurement precision through standardized protocols
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual clinical examination process with an automated software-based system. The mobile device's camera and processor automatically capture images, analyze pupillary responses, and generate measurements, substituting the clinician's manual observation and measurement with automated digital processing
4Ease of operation
If visible light illumination is used for image capture, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to observer effect
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temporal parameter of light delivery by using brief flashes rather than continuous illumination. The display flashes at specific moments to provide stimulus and trigger response, while the camera captures images during these brief intervals, thereby obtaining sufficient light for image capture without causing sustained pupillary changes that would compromise measurement accuracy
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
Enables affordable, scalable, and precise pupillary response measurement by users themselves, capturing longitudinal data for pre-diagnostic health monitoring, reducing reliance on external devices and environmental lighting controls.
Implementation Method 1
The instructions then provide for emitting at least one visible light stimulus by the display
Implementation Method 2
The instructions provide for receiving, from the camera, image data corresponding to at least one eye of a user
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary system provides a display and a camera on the same side of a device. In some examples, instead of providing a stimulus with a flash of light, the system may utilize the user's eyelids to dark-adapt the pupil and mediate the stimulus using ambient light and/or the light from a display. Use of a front-facing display and front-facing camera further allows the disclosed system to control the ambient lighting conditions during image capture to ensure that additional pupillary stimulation does not occur while measuring the primary pupil response.