Tongue Image Region Isolation for Personal Health Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional equipment for monitoring health conditions based on tongue appearance is expensive and not suitable for personal use, limiting its accessibility for detecting early disease stages and progression.
Innovation Solution
A method of digital image analysis that isolates regions of interest within a tongue image using template matching, color compensation, and thresholding to determine health conditions, integrated into a health monitoring apparatus that can be used with mobile communication equipment or personal computers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional equipment for detecting tongue appearance is used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase, making it unsuitable for personal use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a digital camera to capture images of the tongue, creating a visual copy that can be analyzed computationally. This replaces the need for complex medical imaging equipment while maintaining the ability to detect tongue appearance characteristics for health monitoring purposes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/optical medical imaging systems with a digital image processing system. By using standard digital cameras and computational algorithms (including color space conversion and image analysis), the system achieves tongue diagnosis capabilities without requiring specialized medical equipment
2Measurement precision
If conventional tongue detection equipment is used, then health monitoring accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to limited accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the health monitoring system universal by using a standard digital camera that can be integrated into common devices like mobile phones or computers. This allows anyone with access to such devices to perform tongue health monitoring, eliminating the need for specialized medical equipment and enabling widespread personal use
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables individuals to perform their own health monitoring by capturing tongue images and analyzing them through automated image processing algorithms. The computer automatically performs color space conversion, thresholding, and health assessment, allowing users to independently monitor their health without requiring professional medical equipment or expertise
Data Source
AI summary
A health monitoring method using a tongue image including constructing a database in which a tongue image obtained from a person, a template image set for the person, and a result of determining a health condition of the person with respect to at least one characteristic factor are linked together; isolating a region of interest within the tongue image, which is acquired from a person whose health condition is to be determined, using template matching; detecting at least one characteristic factor from the isolated region of interest; and determining a health condition of the person based on a change in an appearance of the tongue, which is detected by a comparison between the detected characteristic factor and a characteristic factor searched from the database with respect to the region of interest in different health conditions.