Signal Processing Apparatus for Pigment-Free Surface Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques fail to accurately produce an image of a living organism without the influence of hemoglobin, a pigment, which hinders the evaluation of uneven surface conditions such as lesions.
Innovation Solution
A signal processing apparatus that separates light from a subject into illumination and pigment components by detecting light intensity at specific wavelengths and identifying the pigment component based on absorptance differences, allowing for the extraction of the illumination light component from the subject image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If light absorption characteristics at multiple wavelengths are used to detect pigment concentration, then measurement precision is improved, but the image still cannot be completely free from pigment influence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reflected light into two independent components: illumination light component (from the light source) and pigment component (from the subject's pigment). By detecting light intensity at multiple wavelengths and calculating absorptance differences, the system separates these components mathematically, allowing the illumination component to be extracted without pigment contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the illumination light component from the total reflected light by subtracting the pigment component. The pigment component is calculated using absorptance differences at multiple wavelengths, and this calculated component is then removed from the total signal, leaving only the illumination light component that reflects the subject's surface properties without pigment interference.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple wavelength detection is performed to eliminate pigment influence, then image accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a multi-functional approach where a single detection device measures light intensity at multiple wavelengths simultaneously. This multi-wavelength detection capability serves dual purposes: quantifying pigment concentration through absorptance differences and extracting the illumination light component for accurate surface imaging, thereby achieving image accuracy without requiring separate specialized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameters by measuring light intensity at multiple specific wavelengths (e.g., 440nm and 500nm for hemoglobin detection). By varying the wavelength parameter and calculating absorptance differences between these wavelengths, the system achieves pigment compensation and illumination component extraction, improving image accuracy through parameter manipulation rather than adding complex hardware.
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 the generation of an image without the influence of the subject's pigment, facilitating accurate evaluation of surface conditions like lesions by isolating the illumination light component.
Implementation Method 1
an optical intensity detecting section that detects an intensity of the light from the subject at a first wavelength and a second wavelength
Data Source
AI summary
A signal processing apparatus includes an optical intensity detecting section that detects an intensity of light from a subject at a first wavelength and a second wavelength, where the first wavelength is different from the second wavelength, a pigment component identifying section that identifies a pigment component in the light from the subject, based on (i) a difference between a first absorptance of the subject at the first wavelength and a second absorptance of the subject at the second wavelength and (ii) a difference between the intensity at the first wavelength and the intensity at the second wavelength that are detected by the optical intensity detecting section, and an illumination light component identifying section that identifies an illumination light component in the light from the subject, based on a subject image obtained by image-capturing the subject and the pigment component identified by the pigment component identifying section.