Cassette attachment device for detecting intensity of test strip cassette

• US 10,033,912 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hunan Ehome Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hunan Ehome Technology Company Limited
• Inventors: Cong, Ge, Wu, Lijun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Tri T
• Application Number:
  US15/192,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20160381265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 356445-448
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Techniques for fast and accurate measuring test strip intensities are disclosed herein. A cassette attachment device for detecting intensity of a test strip cassette includes a strip chamber configured to accommodate at least a portion of a test strip, a light source configured to provide illumination to the test strip cassette via indirect lighting, an attaching mechanism configured to attach the device to a mobile device, and a camera window configured to transmit light signal reflected from the test strip cassette such that the mobile device can capture an image of the test strip cassette illuminated by the light source.

Claims

1. A device for detecting intensity of bands on a test strip, comprising:

a strip chamber configured to accommodate at least a portion of a test strip cassette;

a light source configured to provide constant illumination to the test strip cassette via indirect lighting;

a collimator, in proximity to the light source, configured to minimize light dispersion as the light emitted from the light source propagates;

a casing component;

at least one reflecting mirror disposed on an inner surface of the casing component;

wherein the light source, the collimator and the at least one reflecting mirror form a light engine to provide an even uniform light, a majority of the even uniform light being emitted from the light source, reflected by the collimator or the at least one reflecting mirror, and reaching the test strip;

an attaching mechanism configured to attach the device to a mobile device having a camera component; and

a camera window configured to transmit light signal reflected from the test strip cassette through the camera window to the camera component of the mobile device such that the mobile device can capture an image of the test strip cassette illuminated by the light source.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a detachable mobile device case configured to enclose at least a portion of the mobile device;

wherein the attaching mechanism is configured to attach the device to the detachable mobile device case for detecting the intensity of the test strip.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source; and

a control circuit including an integrated circuit (IC) chip configured to maintain output intensity of the light source as a constant regardless of the condition or energy level of the power source.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the collimator is a parabolic reflector.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the camera window includes a collimating lens configured to reduce the focusing distance of the mobile device such that the mobile device can take a clear picture of the test strip cassette through the camera window.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a surface-mounted light emitting diode (LED) chip.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the strip chamber and the casing component of the device form a black box enclosing the portion of the test strip cassette such that light from outside of the device cannot reach a reading surface of the test strip.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a flash window configured to transmit light generated from a flash component of the mobile device to the test strip.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an internal camera component configured to capture an image of the test strip cassette; and

a communication interface configured to transfer the image of the test strip cassette outside of the device by Bluetooth or WiFi.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the test strip cassette includes at least one pre-defined marker on a surface of the test strip cassette to help locating the bands of the test strip cassette.

11. A method for detecting intensity of a test strip, comprising:

generating a first light by a light source of a cassette attachment device, the cassette attachment device being attached to a mobile device;

collimating the first light by a collimator to minimize light dispersion as the first light generated by the light source propagates;

guiding the first light as an even uniform light to illuminate a test strip cassette inserted into the cassette attachment device, where said guiding includes

providing an even uniform light by a light engine formed by the light source, the collimator and a reflecting mirror disposed on an inner surface of a casing component, a majority of the even uniform light being emitted from the light source, reflected by the collimator or the at least one reflecting mirror, and reaching the test strip; and

transmitting a second light reflected or emitted from the test strip cassette through a camera window of the cassette attachment device, to reach a camera component of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

capturing an image of the test strip cassette by the camera component of the mobile device using the second light; and

determining an intensity value of a band of the test trip.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a surface of the test strip cassette reflects the first light into the second light, or at least a portion of the test strip cassette absorbs the first light and emits the second light.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first light includes ultraviolet (UV) light, and the test strip cassette includes fluorescent materials that absorb the UV light and emit visible light.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first light includes infrared (IR) light, and the test strip cassette includes nanoscale materials that absorb the IR light and emit visible light.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

supplying electrical energy, by a battery of the cassette attachment device, to the light source; and

maintaining, by a control circuit of the cassette attachment device, output intensity of the light source as a constant regardless of the energy level of the battery.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a barcode from the image of the test strip, the barcode being printed on a surface of the test strip; and

decoding the barcode into data about property of the test strip.

18. A portable device for detecting intensity of a test strip, comprising:

a mobile device; and

a cassette attachment device including;

a strip chamber configured to accommodate at least a portion of a test strip,

a light source configured to provide illumination to the test strip cassette via indirect lighting,

a collimator, in proximity to the light source, configured to minimize light dispersion as the light emitted from the light source propagates,

a casing component,

at least one reflecting mirror disposed on an inner surface of the casing component,

wherein the light source, the collimator and the at least one reflecting mirror form a light engine to provide an even uniform light, a majority of the even uniform light being emitted from the light source, reflected by the collimator or the at least one reflecting mirror, and reaching the test strip,

an attaching mechanism configured to mount the device to the mobile device, and

a camera window configured to transmit light signal reflected from the test strip cassette such that the mobile device can capture an image of the test strip cassette illuminated by the light source.

19. The portable device of claim 18, further comprising:

a detachable mobile device case configured to enclose at least a portion of the mobile device;

wherein the cassette attachment device is configured to detachably mount onto the detachable mobile device case.

20. The portable device of claim 18, wherein the cassette attachment device further includes:

a power source; and

a control circuit configured to maintain output intensity of the light source as a constant regardless of the condition or energy level of the power source.

21. The portable device of claim 18, wherein the mobile device includes:

a camera component configured to capture an image of the test strip cassette through the camera window; and

a processor configured to determine an intensity value of a band of the test trip based on the captured image of the test strip.

22. The portable device of claim 18, wherein the camera window includes a filter for improving a sign-to-noise ratio of the image of the test strip cassette.