Mobile Thermal Imaging for Temperature Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infectious diseases spread through person-to-person contact and contaminated surfaces, necessitating effective systems to limit their spread within buildings, particularly during outbreaks.
Innovation Solution
A health monitoring system incorporating a mobile device with thermal and visible light imaging cameras, capable of screening individuals for elevated body temperatures, analyzing behaviors indicative of illness, and integrating with an access control system to prevent access to secure areas when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual temperature screening is performed, then system complexity is reduced, but screening efficiency and coverage are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic temperature screening by integrating thermal imaging cameras with access control systems, allowing the system to autonomously detect and respond to elevated temperatures without manual intervention, thereby improving screening efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through automated workflows
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal imaging system is integrated with existing access control infrastructure, allowing the same system to perform both access authorization and health screening functions, thereby improving productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thermal imaging cameras are integrated with access control systems, then disease transmission risk is reduced, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges thermal imaging camera functionality with existing access control systems, combining health screening and access authorization into a unified workflow where temperature detection is seamlessly integrated into the entry process, reducing disease transmission risk while leveraging existing infrastructure to manage complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses thermal imaging as an intermediary detection layer between the access control system and physical entry, enabling non-contact health screening that prevents disease transmission while maintaining the existing access control architecture as the decision-making core
3Measurement precision
If automated temperature screening is implemented, then screening coverage and consistency are improved, but false positives and privacy concerns increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual feedback to individuals about their temperature status and allows for manual review and override by security personnel, creating a feedback loop that reduces false positives by enabling human judgment while maintaining automated screening consistency, and addresses privacy concerns through transparent communication with users
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
Effectively identifies and isolates individuals with elevated temperatures, reducing the risk of disease transmission by integrating temperature screening with access control, facilitating contact tracing and maintaining hygiene protocols.
Implementation Method 1
obtain a thermal image of a person via the thermal imaging camera of the mobile device, determine a body temperature of the person based at least in part on the thermal image
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for temperature screening using a mobile device. In one example, a mobile temperature screening system may comprise a mobile device including a display, a memory, a processor, a thermal imaging camera, a visible light imaging camera, and a wireless communication capability. The processor may be configured to obtain a thermal image of a person and a visible light image of the person, determine a body temperature of the person based at least in part on the thermal image, and classify the person as having a normal body temperature when the body temperature of the person is below a threshold temperature. When the body temperature of the person exceeds the threshold temperature the processor may be configured to classify the person as having an elevated body temperature, generate a visual alert, and transmit the thermal image, the visible light image and the classification to a remote device.