NIR-Absorbing Textile for Camera-Based Skin Detection in Low Light
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera-based health monitoring systems face challenges in accurately differentiating skin from adjacent textile products and backgrounds in low lighting conditions due to the flat reflection spectra of skin and other materials in the near-infrared range, making it difficult to discriminate between the two.
Innovation Solution
A textile product with near-infrared (NIR) absorbing pigments is used to enhance contrast between skin and surrounding elements, featuring an absorption spectrum significantly different from human skin, allowing for effective skin detection using a system with a detection unit and classifier that distinguishes between skin and non-skin regions based on NIR light strength and color.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If camera-based monitoring uses near-infrared light for skin detection, then the ability to monitor vital signs unobtrusively is improved, but the ability to differentiate skin from textile products and backgrounds deteriorates due to flat reflection spectra
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color theory by selecting textile pigments with specific absorption characteristics in the near-infrared spectrum. The textile is designed to absorb NIR light strongly, appearing dark in NIR imaging, while skin reflects NIR light, appearing bright. This creates maximum contrast between skin and textile, enabling reliable skin detection and differentiation despite the flat reflection spectra of both materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the textile by incorporating pigments with specific near-infrared absorption properties. This parameter change creates a deliberate optical contrast between the textile and human skin in the NIR range, transforming the textile from an indistinguishable background element into a clearly distinguishable non-skin region for the skin detection algorithm.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors are attached to the patient's body for health monitoring, then the quality of vital signs monitoring is improved, but patient comfort and freedom to move deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact sensors with an optical detection system using a camera and near-infrared light. This substitution eliminates the need for physical sensor attachments to the patient's body, allowing vital signs monitoring to be performed unobtrusively from a distance while maintaining monitoring quality and preserving patient freedom of movement.
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 use of NIR-absorbing pigments in textiles significantly improves skin detection accuracy, facilitating easy identification of vital signs in low-light conditions, particularly beneficial for neonate monitoring in NICUs and other medical settings, by creating maximum contrast between skin and other elements.
Implementation Method 1
textile product being made from or comprising textile including near-infrared, NIR, absorbing pigments
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a system and method of skin detection of a human subject using a textile product. The textile product (10, 31, 43) is made from or comprising textile including near-infrared, NIR, absorbing pigments. It supports and/or partially covers the human subject while skin detection and/or detection/monitoring vital signs of the human subject is carried out. A increased contrast between the textile product and skin in the NIR wavelength range is thus achieved.