Portable lateral test reader

1. The portable lateral test reader apparatus, wherein the portable lateral test reader apparatus comprises a processing arrangement, a digital camera and a user interface; and the processing unit comprises: one or more processors; and one or more memories including computer program code; the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

capture at least one image of locations of at least one line and at least one reference of a test structure with the digital camera;

measure an intensity associated with the at least one line and an intensity of the at least one reference in the at least one image;

form a test result as a function of measured intensities associated with the at least one line and the at least one reference by forming at least one test reference ratio, each test reference ratio being formed on the basis of an intensity of a test line and an intensity of a reference; forming at least one control reference ratio, each control reference ratio being formed on the basis of an intensity of a control line and an intensity of a reference; and forming the test result on the basis of at least one result ratio, each result ratio being formed on the basis of a test reference ratio and a control reference ratio; and

output, with the user interface, the test result.

2. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

form each test reference ratio on the basis of an intensity of a test line and an intensity of a corresponding reference; and

form each control reference ratio on the basis of an intensity of a control line and an intensity of a corresponding reference, a reference being adjacent to a test line and a reference being adjacent to a control line.

3. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

reject a test reference ratio if the intensity of the test line is outside a predetermined range; and

reject a control reference ratio if the intensity of the control line is outside a predetermined range.

4. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

form each of the result ratios on the basis of one image of a plurality of images.

5. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

determine a quality of the result ratios on the basis of variation in the result ratios associated with more than one image.

6. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

accept the result ratios associated with an image for the measurement if the quality is higher than a predetermined threshold; and

output the test result if the number of acceptable images is higher than a predetermined threshold.

7. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

filter the result ratios in a statistical manner for improving the test result.

8. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

perform filtering by at least one of the following: averaging, median filtering, rejecting a result ratio deviating from an average more than a predetermined threshold variation.

9. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

detect a test window and the at least one reference of a test structure for image capturing, the test window including the at least one test line and the at least one control line, the at least one reference being physically inside or beside the test window.

10. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to:

determine a quality for each image of the test window in N images;

accepting an image for the measurement if the quality of the test window is better than a predetermined threshold quality, otherwise rejecting the image;

perform the measurement if M images of the N images have an accepted quality where M and N are integers, N being equal to or larger than M.

11. The portable lateral test reader apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the one or more memories and the computer program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the portable test reader apparatus at least to: continue capturing images until M images of the N images have an accepted quality.

12. A method for a portable lateral test reader apparatus, the method comprising

capturing, by a digital camera, at least one image of locations of at least one test line, at least one control line and at least one reference of a test structure;

measuring, by a processing arrangement, an intensity of the at least one reference, an intensity associated with the at least one test line and an intensity associated with the at least one control line in the at least one image;

forming, by the processing arrangement, a test result as a function of measured intensities associated with the at least one reference, the at least one test line and the at least one control line by forming at least one test reference ratio, each test reference ratio being formed on the basis of an intensity of a test line and an intensity of a reference; forming at least one control reference ratio, each control reference ratio being formed on the basis of an intensity of a control line and an intensity of a reference; and forming the test result on the basis of at least one result ratio, each result ratio being formed on the basis of a test reference ratio and a control reference ratio; and

outputting, through the user interface, the test result.

13. A computer program product embodied on a distribution non-transitory medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when loaded into the portable test reader apparatus, causing a computer process perform the method steps of claim 12 .