Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-10169860-B2
Publication Date
2019-01-01
Expiration Date
Abstract
Through the measurement and interpretation of the pixels of grayscale digital thermographic images of abnormalities of the skin and its subcutaneous tissue, early intervention and treatment of abnormalities of the skin and its subcutaneous tissue are possible, thereby assisting clinicians in making significant impacts on prevention and treatment.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to grayscale digital thermographic imaging of skin and subcutaneous tissue abnormalities within a specific body portion of a mammalian patient by comparing relative differences in temperature of an unaffected area of the patient’s skin to a potentially affected area of the patient’s skin. It acquires substantially contemporaneous long-wave infrared first and second images of the unaffected first skin area and the potentially affected second skin area on the same day, and uses a microbolometer comprising a thermal intensity sensor that detects long-wave infrared radiation and processes thermal intensity variations into a fixed plurality of different pixel values representing different image brightness levels.
The invention defines temperature subranges within a clinically relevant temperature range for each skin area by dividing the clinically relevant temperature range by a predetermined number of different pixel values. It stores each original image on a tangible computer readable recordable medium and displays the original image on a display screen, with the displayed image enhanced at either end of the clinically relevant temperature range as desired by increasing or decreasing pixel brightness through addition of a positive or negative offset to the pixel values rather than displaying absolute temperature values.
The invention utilizes a computer to calculate an average pixel value for the unaffected first skin area and for the potentially affected second skin area. It then calculates a ratio between the first skin area average pixel value and the second skin area average pixel value and defines a time-based control against which a second skin area status relative to the first skin area status is provided, with the pixels and the ratio visually displayed in human visible form so that the status is objectively assessable by a clinician.
Claims Coverage
The provided independent claim contains six inventive features centered on substantially contemporaneous long-wave infrared grayscale imaging, microbolometer pixel-value mapping, clinically relevant temperature subranges, grayscale enhancement by pixel offsets, average pixel-value ratio calculation, and clinician-visible status presentation with a time-based control.
Substantially contemporaneous unaffected and potentially affected long-wave infrared imaging
Acquiring a long-wave infrared first image of an unaffected first skin area and a long-wave infrared second image of a potentially affected second skin area different from the first skin area and in proximity on the same day, whereby the first and second image acquisitions are substantially contemporaneous and the respective pixel value is assigned to each pixel of the first and second images.
Microbolometer pixel-value mapping within a clinically relevant temperature range
Utilizing an infrared imaging device comprising a microbolometer thermal intensity sensor whose sensor array receives emitted radiant energy by detecting long-wave infrared radiation with thermal intensity variations substantially limited to a clinically relevant temperature range substantially covering the physiologic thermal intensity range of a human body, and converting the sensed thermal intensity into electrical resistance and processing the electrical resistance into one of a fixed plurality of different pixel values, each pixel value representative of a different image brightness level.
Temperature subranges defined by dividing the clinically relevant temperature range
Defining a plurality of temperature subranges within the clinically relevant temperature range by dividing the clinically relevant temperature range by a predetermined number of different pixel values for the first skin area and similarly for the second skin area.
Grayscale brightness enhancement using positive or negative pixel offsets
Displaying the original first and second images on a display screen and enhancing the displayed images at either end of the clinically relevant temperature range as desired by increasing or decreasing pixel brightness by adding a positive or negative offset to the pixel values of the original images.
Average pixel value computation and ratio-based status with time-based control
Calculating an average pixel value for the first skin area and for the second skin area, then calculating a ratio between the first skin area average pixel value and the second skin area average pixel value and defining a time-based control against which a second skin area status relative to the first skin area status is provided.
Clinician-visible pixel and ratio presentation for objective assessment
Visually displaying the pixels of each of the first and second skin areas and visually displaying the ratio, whereby the second skin area status relative to the first skin area is objectively assessable by a clinician.
The claim coverage centers on long-wave infrared microbolometer output mapped into a fixed plurality of grayscale pixel values, clinically relevant temperature subranges, optional pixel-offset enhancement, and average pixel-value ratio comparison between a contemporaneous unaffected reference and a potentially affected region for clinician-visible assessment.
Stated Advantages
The second skin area status relative to the first skin area is objectively assessable by a clinician.
Documented Applications
Detecting skin and subcutaneous abnormalities within a specific body portion of a mammalian patient by comparing an unaffected skin area to a potentially affected skin area using substantially contemporaneous long-wave infrared imaging.
Tracking or evaluating a second skin area status relative to a first skin area status using a time-based control and a pixel-value ratio.
Interested in licensing this patent?