Skin Evaluation Imaging for Reliable Melanin Index Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IPL devices struggle to accurately determine skin type and melanin index due to variations in reflectance spectroscopy, ambient light, and image sensor characteristics, leading to potential skin damage or ineffective hair removal.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method using an imaging unit to analyze skin images, process them to determine skin type and melanin index based on the density of the pigment network, employing machine learning models like deep neural networks, and adjusting treatment settings accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If reflectance spectroscopy is used to detect skin tone, then skin type can be determined, but measurement precision deteriorates due to temperature, ambient light, and waveguide variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a colour calibration card as an intermediary reference object in the imaging process. This calibration card provides known reference colours that enable the system to compensate for variations in ambient light, temperature, and waveguide characteristics, thereby maintaining reliable and precise skin type detection across different operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts imaging parameters and processing algorithms based on detected environmental conditions. By changing parameters such as exposure time, gain, and image processing thresholds in response to ambient light and temperature variations, the system maintains consistent measurement precision and reliability across different operating conditions.
2Device complexity
If smartphone camera images are used to compute skin tone, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to specular reflectivity, illumination variance, and sensor characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The colour calibration card serves as a mediator between the simple smartphone camera and the skin being measured. By providing reference colours that can be imaged simultaneously with the skin, the calibration card enables the simple camera to achieve precise skin tone measurements by allowing computational correction for specular reflectivity, illumination variance, and sensor characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a computational model that copies and replicates the known spectral properties of the calibration card in the image processing. This allows the system to use the calibration card's known characteristics as a template for correcting and interpreting the skin tone measurements, thereby achieving high precision with simple hardware.
3Adaptability or versatility
If skin type detection is implemented in IPL devices, then adaptability improves for different skin tones, but device complexity increases due to additional detection and processing components
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a multi-functional approach where the imaging unit serves both as a structural inspection tool and a skin type detector. The same image processing unit that analyzes skin structure also extracts skin tone information, eliminating the need for separate dedicated detection hardware and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines skin type detection functionality with the existing skin structure analysis capability. By merging these functions into a single integrated processing pipeline that analyzes the same captured images for both structural and chromatic information, the system achieves adaptability across different skin tones without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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 skin type and melanin index, enabling safe and effective operation of IPL devices by adapting energy settings, reducing skin damage, and improving treatment outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
A current method of skin type detection in IPL devices uses reflectance spectroscopy
Implementation Method 2
melanin has a higher absorption coefficient at these two wavelengths compared to water and haemoglobin
Data Source
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AI summary
According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus for evaluating skin of a subject. The apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to receive one or more images of the skin of the subject from an imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit is arranged to obtain images of the skin of the subject; process the one or more images to determine a skin type and/or a melanin index of the skin of the subject based on one or more characteristics of a structure of a pigment network of the skin; and output a first signal indicating the determined skin type and/or melanin index.