Thermal Imaging Hypertension Detection System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for diagnosing and monitoring hypertension are invasive, time-consuming, and expensive, often leading to inaccurate readings and missed diagnoses of secondary hypertension, particularly in primary hypertension cases, where symptoms may be undetected until severe.
Innovation Solution
A non-contact, non-invasive system using thermal imaging to capture thermal images and videos of the body, processing them to determine blood flow velocity and pressure parameters, which are then compared to reference values to assess the risk of hypertension and differentiate between primary and secondary forms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thermal imaging is used to detect hypertension, then non-invasive and non-contact measurement is achieved, but measurement precision may be compromised compared to traditional methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact-based blood pressure measurement systems with a thermal imaging system that uses infrared radiation to detect temperature variations in arterial regions. Thermal cameras capture thermal images without physical contact, substituting mechanical cuffs and sensors with optical-thermal detection methods that measure blood flow-induced temperature changes to infer blood pressure parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system measures temperature parameters in arterial regions instead of directly measuring pressure. By monitoring temperature variations caused by pulsatile blood flow in arteries (such as temporal arteries), the system derives blood pressure information from thermal parameter changes rather than mechanical pressure readings, enabling non-contact measurement.
2Measurement precision
If traditional blood pressure measurement methods are used, then measurement precision is maintained, but the process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal imaging system enables patients to perform self-monitoring of blood pressure without requiring medical professionals or complex equipment setup. The automated thermal image capture and analysis allows individuals to independently monitor their blood pressure conditions, reducing the time and resources needed for clinical intervention while maintaining measurement utility.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal imaging system serves multiple functions: it captures thermal images for blood pressure measurement, monitors blood flow velocity, detects temperature variations, and provides continuous monitoring capability. This multi-functionality consolidates what would traditionally require multiple separate procedures into a single measurement process, reducing overall time investment.
3Measurement precision
If multiple diagnostic tests are performed to differentiate primary and secondary hypertension, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and monitors specific thermal parameters from arterial regions that are indicative of hypertension type. By focusing on temperature variations and blood flow characteristics in particular arterial zones, the system isolates key diagnostic indicators from the full thermal image, enabling differentiation of primary versus secondary hypertension without requiring comprehensive multi-test protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal imaging system acts as an intermediary diagnostic tool that provides physiological data (temperature and blood flow patterns) bridging the gap between simple blood pressure measurement and complex laboratory testing. These thermal parameters serve as intermediate indicators that help differentiate hypertension types without requiring direct invasive measurement or expensive specialized equipment.
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 early detection and monitoring of hypertension, providing a simple, cost-effective means to identify risk and progression of the disease, improving diagnostic accuracy and patient treatment timing.
Implementation Method 1
capturing any or a combination of one or more thermal images and videos of at least one body part by a set of thermal sensor
Data Source
AI summary
System and method for measuring hypertension conditions of a subject is disclosed. The disclosed system and method includes thermal sensors for capturing thermal images and/or videos of a body part; and a processing engine to detect a predefined region of the body part in each frame of the captured images and/or videos. The processing engine segments one or more portions from the detected predefined region in each frame of the captured images and/or videos to identify a region of interest comprising arteries in the one or more segmented portions. Based on the identified region of interest, the engine extracts pixel values from each frame of the captured images and/or videos to determine parameters associated with a blood flow velocity and a blood pressure of the subject. Further a type of hypertension and a risk score for the hypertension condition based on the determined parameters using computational models are measured.