Remote Optical Vital Sign Screening for High-Throughput Entryways
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional health screening methods require physical contact and are inefficient, potentially spreading infectious diseases and providing incomplete health assessments.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing RGB and thermal cameras to remotely estimate vital signs by analyzing pixel changes in the visible and infrared spectra, combined with machine learning for pose estimation and blackbody reference calibration, to provide comprehensive health assessments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional health screening devices (thermometers) are used to measure temperature, then temperature data can be obtained, but the process requires physical contact and close proximity between screener and subject, creating bottlenecks and facilitating disease spread
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based temperature measurement (thermometers requiring physical contact) with optical-based remote sensing systems using thermal cameras and RGB cameras. This substitution eliminates the need for physical contact and close proximity, allowing screeners to measure temperature from a distance, thereby removing bottlenecks and preventing disease transmission while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cameras (thermal and RGB) as intermediary devices that can capture health data remotely. These cameras act as mediators between the screener and the subject, enabling temperature and vital sign measurement without direct human contact or close proximity, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement accuracy and screening efficiency
2Measurement precision
If conventional thermometers are used for health screening, then temperature can be measured, but only a single metric is provided which does not give a holistic assessment of illness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple camera types (thermal camera for temperature, RGB camera for color-based vital sign detection) and multiple measurement metrics (temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate) into a single integrated health screening system. This combination provides a holistic health assessment rather than a single metric, eliminating the information loss associated with conventional single-parameter devices
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional health screening system that can simultaneously measure temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate using optical sensors. This universal device replaces multiple single-function devices (thermometer, pulse oximeter, respiratory monitor), providing comprehensive health assessment in one system without losing any critical health information
3Measurement precision
If devices require subjects to present themselves for testing, then accurate measurement can be obtained, but the process is invasive and impractical in certain situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical requirement for subject cooperation (presenting themselves to devices) with passive optical sensing. The thermal and RGB cameras can capture health data remotely without requiring subjects to actively present themselves or cooperate, making the screening process non-invasive and practical in various situations while maintaining measurement accuracy through automated detection algorithms
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
Accurately determines heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature, reducing the spread of infections and enhancing the reliability of health screenings in public spaces.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal camera can be used to determine the temperature of a subject
Implementation Method 2
estimate both heart rate and respiratory rate of a subject by observing the periodicity of change in color of the pixels
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods for estimation of vital signs using camera data. In one or more examples of the disclosure, a RGB camera (i.e., a visible spectrum camera) can be used to collect imaging data of one or more subjects. The acquired video can be analyzed to determine the presence of a region of interest (ROI) in the field of view of the video. Using the pixel information of the identified region of interest, the system and methods can estimate both heart rate and respiratory rate of a subject by observing the periodicity of change in color of the pixels in the region of interest. The change in color can be monitored by determining the power spectral density (PSD) of each pixel and monitoring the changes in PSD over time.