Electronic Device for Skin Analysis Light Source Guidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices for skin analysis face challenges in accurately controlling external factors such as illuminance and shadow during image capture, leading to reduced accuracy and reliability in skin analysis due to arbitrary environmental conditions.

Innovation Solution

An electronic device with a camera, display, and processor that identifies a face in an image, determines brightness values for different regions, and provides guide information to adjust the position of an external light source, ensuring consistent illumination and minimizing shadow influence, thereby maintaining alignment and improving image quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If image capturing is performed in arbitrary environmental conditions, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision of skin analysis is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidmeasurement precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of external light source properties (brightness, position, shadow) before skin analysis is conducted. By analyzing the image data to determine light source characteristics in advance, the system can then guide users to adjust lighting conditions, ensuring that skin analysis is performed under optimal illumination without requiring complex controlled environments during the actual analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to users by displaying detected light source properties and offering guidance information on how to adjust lighting conditions. This feedback loop enables users to modify their capturing environment based on real-time analysis, improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive guidance rather than complex automated control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If external factors such as illuminance and shadow are not controlled, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of skin analysis is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidreliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables users to control lighting conditions through self-service guidance. By automatically detecting light source properties and providing actionable guidance information, the system empowers users to adjust their own capturing environment, ensuring reliable skin analysis results without requiring professional lighting equipment or complex setup procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system monitors and provides guidance on changing lighting parameters such as brightness, shadow position, and illumination angle. By dynamically adjusting these parameters based on detected conditions, the system ensures that skin analysis is performed under optimal lighting conditions, improving reliability while maintaining operational simplicity through automated parameter optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If guide information is provided to adjust light source position, then measurement precision of skin analysis is improved, but device complexity is increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemeasurement precisionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces complex mechanical lighting control systems with software-based guidance. Instead of using automated mechanical adjustments or controlled lighting equipment, the system uses image processing, brightness analysis, and guidance information display to achieve precise lighting control, thereby improving measurement precision while avoiding the complexity of hardware-based solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary layer of guidance information that mediates between the user and the lighting conditions. Rather than directly controlling lighting hardware, the system analyzes light source properties and provides intermediate guidance steps, simplifying the overall system architecture while achieving precise measurement through user-guided adjustments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3419024B1Electronic device for providing property information of external light source for interest object
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3419024B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3419024B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3419024B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An electronic device and method are provided guiding image capturing based on property information of an external light source. The electronic device includes a camera, a display, and a processor. The processor is configured to obtain an image using the camera; identify a face included in the image; determine a first brightness value for a first region of the identified face and a second brightness value for a second region of the identified face; determine property information of an external light source for the identified face, based on the first brightness value and the second brightness value; and provide, through the display, guide information corresponding to the property information of the external light source for the identified face.