Visible-Thermal Face Temperature Mapping With Distance Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Thermal radiation attenuation with distance leads to inaccurate temperature determination of subjects in thermal images, necessitating a method to account for distance in temperature calculation.

Innovation Solution

A system that utilizes both visible and thermal imaging to determine subject distance and temperature, using reference objects in visible images to calculate distance and adjust thermal image analysis for accurate temperature measurement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If temperature sensors are integrated into medical implants, then temperature monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity and surgical implantation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature monitoring capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses NMR-active nuclei (such as phosphorus-31 or fluorine-19) as intermediary substances that provide temperature-dependent NMR signals without requiring direct temperature sensors in the implant. These nuclei act as mediators between the biological tissue and the temperature measurement system, allowing non-invasive temperature monitoring through magnetic resonance imaging while keeping the implant structure simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If temperature sensors are integrated into medical implants, then temperature monitoring capability is improved, but surgical implantation difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature monitoring capabilityVSAvoidsurgical implantation difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs NMR-active nuclei as intermediaries that can be incorporated into the implant material without adding complex sensor components. This approach maintains ease of surgical implantation while enabling temperature monitoring through external NMR imaging, as the nuclei themselves provide the temperature information rather than requiring integrated electronic sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If conventional temperature measurement methods are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but temperature measurement accuracy in biological tissue deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice simplicityVSAvoidtemperature measurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses NMR-active nuclei as intermediaries to achieve accurate temperature measurement in biological tissue without complex device modifications. The nuclei provide temperature-dependent NMR signal characteristics that enable precise temperature mapping, overcoming the limitations of conventional temperature measurement methods in this context.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent exploits changes in NMR parameters (such as chemical shift, relaxation times) of NMR-active nuclei with temperature. By monitoring these parameter changes, the system achieves accurate temperature measurement without requiring complex hardware, as the temperature information is encoded in the NMR signal characteristics of the nuclei.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Measurement precision

If NMR-active nuclei are used for temperature monitoring, then temperature measurement accuracy is improved, but cost of the procedure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature measurement accuracyVSAvoidcost of the procedure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses naturally occurring or easily incorporated NMR-active nuclei (such as phosphorus-31 in bone or fluorine-19 in certain materials) that can be detected by standard or widely available NMR/MRI equipment. This approach avoids the need for expensive specialized sensors or equipment, as the temperature information is obtained from the NMR signals of these nuclei rather than requiring costly dedicated temperature measurement devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

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 subject temperature by considering distance, enabling simultaneous temperature measurement of multiple subjects without fixed positioning, improving efficiency and accuracy.

Implementation Method 1

temperature determination in a region of biological tissue using NMR-active nuclei

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectNMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance):

Implementation Method 2

The NMR signals are processed and reconstructed into an image that indicates the temperature distribution in the region of biological tissue

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectImage processing and reconstruction:

Data Source

PatentEP4256517B1Systems and methods for temperature determination
Publication Date: 2026.05.13 ZHEJIANG PIXFRA TECH CO LTD
  • EP4256517B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4256517B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4256517B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure may provide a temperature determination system. The temperature determination system may obtain a visible image including at least one subject and a thermal image from an image capture device. For each of the at least one subject, the temperature determination system may determine first location information associated with a face of the subject in the visible image and determine a distance between the subject and the image capture device based on the visible image. The temperature determination system may also determine second location information associated with the face in the thermal image based on the first location information associated with the face. The temperature determination system may determine a temperature of the subject based on the second location information associated with the face and the distance between the subject and the image capture device.