Wound Image Color Compensation Using Patient Skin Tone
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for wound assessment face challenges in capturing consistent color images due to variations in ambient light and capture devices, requiring either expensive spectral measurement devices or inconvenient color checkers, which are not practical for routine procedures.
Innovation Solution
A method using an image capture device that performs color compensation by capturing baseline images of a patient's skin tone and using them as reference for subsequent wound image calibration, eliminating the need for additional spectral measurement devices or color checkers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If spectral irradiance meter or spectrometer is used for color compensation, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a color checker board with known color values as a reference copy to establish a color profile, which then serves as a template for compensating color variations in wound images. This copying approach replaces expensive spectral measurement devices while maintaining color accuracy through comparative analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The color checker board acts as an intermediary object between the light source and the wound image capture. It mediates the color calibration process by providing known reference colors that can be used to calculate compensation values, eliminating the need for direct spectral measurement.
2Measurement precision
If color checker or customized color patches are used for color calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the color calibration function with the wound image capture process by integrating the color checker board into the same field of view as the wound. This allows both the reference colors and the wound image to be captured simultaneously in a single shot, eliminating the need for separate calibration steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary color profile creation by capturing images of the color checker board under various lighting conditions beforehand. These pre-captured reference images are stored and automatically applied during wound assessment, eliminating the need for manual color calibration during each procedure.
3Measurement precision
If additional spectral measurement devices or color checkers are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the standard camera device universal by enabling it to perform both wound imaging and color calibration functions. By using a color checker board that can be captured alongside the wound image, the same device serves multiple purposes without requiring additional specialized equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the patient's own skin tone in the surrounding area of the wound as a self-reference for color compensation. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external color checkers by utilizing the patient's baseline skin color, which is captured and compared against the wound area to maintain color accuracy.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A wound image capture method that uses self color compensation to improve color consistency of the captured image and reliability of color-based wound detection. The method uses the skin tone of parts of the patient's own body for color calibration and compensation. In a data registration process, multiple parts of a new patient's body are imaged as baseline images and color data of the baseline images are registered in the system as reference color data. During subsequent wound image capture and wound assessment process, the same parts of the patient's body are imaged again as baseline images, and the wound and its surrounding areas are also imaged. Color data of the newly capture baseline images are compared to the registered reference color data and used to perform color compensation for the wound image.