Method and apparatus for analyte measurement

1. A method for a portable computing device having an image sensor and a screen on a same side of the portable computing device to read a reaction area on a test strip, which is located in a peripheral device, the method comprising:

providing light with a portion of the screen to the peripheral device, which is placed over the image sensor and the portion of the screen and directs the light from the portion of the screen to illuminate the reaction area in a manner that the image sensor on the same side is impinged by the light passing through the reaction area or by the light scattered or reflected from the reaction area;

capturing an image with the image sensor substantially free from ambient light, wherein the image includes the reaction area; and

determining an analyte characteristic based on a color of the captured reaction area in the image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the screen comprises a touchscreen.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the portable computing device comprises a smart phone or a tablet computer.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying on the screen a boundary within which to locate the reaction area by adjusting a placement of the peripheral device on the portable computing device; and

displaying on the screen a live preview of what the image sensor will capture.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying on the screen an alignment marker for the peripheral device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test strip includes a reference area and, prior to capturing the image including the reaction area, the method further comprises:

determining an imaging condition based on the reference area; and

adjusting an image sensor setting based on the imaging condition.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the reference area is a color chart, a gray card, or a purely black or white zone, and the imaging condition is a shutter speed, an f-stop, or a film speed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test strip includes a color calibration area, the image includes the color calibration area, and the method further comprises determining the color of the captured reaction area based on the captured color calibration area in the image.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the color calibration area is a color chart, a gray card, or a purely black or white zone.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

changing the portion of the screen to a different color; and

capturing another image including the reaction area, wherein determining an analyte characteristic is further based on another color of the captured reaction area in the other image.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the screen includes a touchscreen, and the method further comprises sensing areas on the test strip or the peripheral device contacting the screen.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining an arrangement of the areas, an orientation of the areas, or a combination thereof; and

based on the arrangement of the areas, the orientation of the areas, or the combination thereof, determining an analyte type, a production batch number of the test strip, an orientation of the reaction area on the test strip, or a combination thereof.

13. A method for a portable computing device to read a reaction area on a test strip, which is located in a peripheral device placed over an image sensor and a touchscreen of the portable computing device, the method comprising:

sensing areas on the test strip or the peripheral device contacting the touchscreen, wherein the areas comprises conductive dots made of conductive rubber, conductive fiber, conductive cloth, or a combination thereof;

determining an arrangement of the areas, an orientation of the areas, or a combination thereof;

based on the arrangement of the areas, the orientation of the areas, or the combination thereof, determining an analyte type, a production batch number of the test strip, an orientation of the reaction area on the test strip, or a combination thereof;

providing light with a portion of the touchscreen of the portable computing device, wherein the peripheral device directs light from the touchscreen to the reaction area;

capturing an image with the image sensor, wherein the image includes the reaction area; and

determining an analyte characteristic based on a color of the captured reaction area in the image.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the test strip or the peripheral device includes a visible code;

the image includes the code; and

the method further comprises determining an analyte type, a production batch number of the test strip, an orientation of the reaction area on the test strip, or a combination thereof based on the captured code.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test strip includes a temperature sensor, and the method further comprises:

electrically reading the temperature sensor to determine a temperature of the test strip; and

correcting the analyte characteristic based on the temperature of the test strip.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test strip includes a temperature indication area, the image further includes the temperature indication area, and the method further comprises correcting the specimen characteristic based on the captured temperature indication area in the image.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the screen includes at least a first part of a first intensity or a first color and a second part of a second intensity or a second color, and determining an analyte characteristic comprises determining the analyte characteristic based on colors or intensities of the first part and the second part of the captured reaction area in the image.

18. A method for a portable computing device having an image sensor and a screen on a same side of the portable computing device to read a reaction area on a test strip, which is located in a peripheral device, the method comprising:

providing light with a portion of the screen to the peripheral device, which is placed over the image sensor and the portion of the screen and directs the light from the portion of the screen to illuminate the reaction area in a manner that the image sensor on the same side receives the light passing through the reaction area or the light scattered or reflected from the reaction area;

prior to capturing the image including the reaction area, determining an imaging condition based on a reference area on the test strip;

adjusting an image sensor setting based on the imaging condition;

capturing an image with the image sensor substantially free from ambient light and based on the image sensor setting, wherein the image includes the reaction area; and

determining an analyte characteristic based on a color of the captured reaction area in the image.