Spectroscopic Imaging Analysis Eliminating Specular Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for analyzing food calorie content using near-infrared imaging struggle with accuracy due to specularly reflected light, which complicates the grasping of spectral characteristics and lowers the precision of component analysis.
Innovation Solution
The method involves spectroscopically separating light from a subject into multiple wavelength ranges, acquiring and imaging these ranges, dividing the subject image into areas, analyzing the spectral characteristics, and eliminating areas with spectral characteristics matching the light source's to improve analysis accuracy, potentially using a reference material to grasp the light source's spectral characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If imaging is performed under illumination containing specularly reflected light, then the imaging process is simple, but the accuracy in grasping spectral characteristics and analyzing components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging process into two distinct phases: first acquiring images under illumination containing specularly reflected light, then acquiring images under illumination excluding specularly reflected light. This segmentation allows the system to separate the harmful specular reflection component from the useful spectral information, resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates areas with spectral characteristics matching the light source from the analysis objects. By identifying and removing regions affected by specular reflection (where the spectrum matches the light source rather than the subject), the system eliminates the harmful factor while preserving the beneficial imaging simplicity.
2Device complexity
If specularly reflected light is included in the imaging, then the imaging setup is straightforward, but the accuracy in component analysis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by acquiring reference images under illumination excluding specularly reflected light before conducting the main analysis. This preliminary imaging step establishes a clean spectral baseline that can be used to identify and eliminate specular reflection artifacts in subsequent analysis, maintaining straightforward imaging setup while improving component analysis accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the subject image under controlled illumination conditions (excluding specular reflection) to serve as a reference. This copied reference image allows the system to compare and identify areas affected by specular reflection in the main images, enabling accurate component analysis without complicating the primary imaging setup.
3Productivity
If all areas in spectroscopic images are analyzed, then the analysis process is comprehensive, but areas with specularly reflected light reduce overall analysis accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by treating different areas of the spectroscopic images differently: areas with spectral characteristics matching the light source are identified and eliminated from analysis, while areas with genuine subject spectral characteristics are retained. This localized differentiation maintains comprehensive analysis coverage while improving overall accuracy by excluding contaminated regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs partial action by analyzing only the useful areas of the spectroscopic images after eliminating regions affected by specular reflection. Rather than analyzing all areas equally, the system selectively processes only those areas containing genuine subject information, thereby maintaining analytical comprehensiveness while removing the detrimental impact of specularly reflected light.
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
This approach enhances the accuracy of component analysis by distinguishing and eliminating areas with specularly reflected light, allowing for a clearer understanding of the subject's spectral characteristics and improving the overall analysis precision.
Implementation Method 1
spectroscopically separating light from a light source via a subject into plural wavelength ranges
Implementation Method 2
depending on the subject, it may be easy to specularly reflect light from a light source on the surface of the subject
Implementation Method 3
A material has a property of absorbing a light having a predetermined wavelength more easily than lights having other wavelengths
Data Source
AI summary
An analysis method includes spectroscopically separating light from a light source via a subject into plural wavelength ranges, imaging the subject with respect to each wavelength range, and thereby, acquiring plural spectroscopic images, dividing a subject image into plural areas in each of the spectroscopic images, analyzing a spectrum of the spectroscopically-separated lights of each area with respect to the plural spectroscopic images, and thereby, analyzing a spectral characteristic, and analyzing a component of the subject based on the spectral characteristic in at least one area of the plural areas, and has a pixel selection step of eliminating the area having the same spectral characteristic as the spectral characteristic with respect to the light from the light source from objects of the analysis of the component before the analyzing of the component.