Specimen Test Strip with Color and Temperature Calibration Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current specimen test strips rely on visual comparison or manual insertion into meters for analyte detection, which is subjective and inefficient, and do not effectively handle different ranges of analyte values or multiple analytes.
Innovation Solution
A specimen test strip with a reaction area and a color calibration area, along with optional temperature calibration, that uses imaging and computational methods to determine analyte characteristics by capturing images, correcting for lighting and temperature, and correlating color changes to analyte values, allowing for detection of different ranges and multiple analytes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual comparison or manual meter insertion is used for analyte detection, then the method is simple to operate, but the measurement precision and objectivity are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual comparison and mechanical meter insertion with an automated imaging system using a camera or imaging device. The system captures images of the reaction area and uses computational algorithms to analyze color changes, substituting human visual assessment with automated optical detection and image processing to achieve more precise and objective analyte measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational processing layer between the chemical reaction and the final measurement result. The system uses image capture, color space conversion, calibration curve application, and algorithmic analysis to mediate between the raw color signal from the reaction area and the quantitative analyte concentration, improving measurement precision through multiple processing steps.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single reaction area is used, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to detect different ranges and multiple analytes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the test strip into multiple distinct reaction areas, each containing reagents specific to different analytes or optimized for different concentration ranges. This segmentation allows simultaneous detection of multiple analytes (e.g., glucose, ketones, hemoglobin A1c) or different ranges of the same analyte, significantly improving adaptability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The test strip is designed with multi-functionality by incorporating multiple reaction areas that can detect various analytes or ranges within a single device. The system can handle different analyte types and concentration ranges using the same basic measurement methodology, making the device versatile without requiring completely separate testing systems for each analyte.
3Measurement precision
If color calibration and temperature calibration areas are added, then the measurement precision is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates calibration areas (color calibration and temperature calibration) that are pre-prepared on the test strip during manufacturing. These calibration areas contain known reference values that are established beforehand, allowing the measurement system to automatically compensate for variations in lighting conditions, camera response, and temperature effects during actual testing, thereby improving measurement precision without requiring complex real-time calibration procedures.
4Reliability
If multiple images are captured for analysis, then the measurement precision and reliability are improved, but the loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic or sequential image capture at multiple time points during the chemical reaction process. By capturing images at different intervals, the system can monitor the progression of the color change and select the optimal time point for accurate measurement, improving reliability by ensuring the reaction has reached an appropriate stage while managing the time investment through structured sampling.
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 accurate, efficient, and automated detection of analyte characteristics, improving precision and handling multiple analyte ranges and values through image analysis and calibration, enhancing user experience and diagnostic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a color calibration area configured to determine a color of the reaction area after receiving the specimen sample
Implementation Method 2
a temperature calibration area configured to determine a temperature of the reaction area
Implementation Method 3
reaction area 102 contains reagents that react with an analyte in a specimen sample, such as glucose in a blood sample. When the specimen sample reaches reaction area 102, reaction area 102 changes color according to a characteristic of the analyte
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for a computing device with an imaging device to read a specimen test strip. The method includes capturing an image of the specimen test strip, wherein the image includes a reaction area, a color calibration area, and a temperature calibration area on the specimen test strip, determining a color of the reaction area based on one or more colors of the color calibration area, and determining a value of a characteristic of an analyte by correlating the color of the reaction area to the value and then adjusting the value based on the color of the temperature calibration area, or adjusting the color of the reaction area based on the color of the temperature calibration area and then correlating the color of the reaction area to the value.