Method and system for analyzing physical conditions using digital images
Systems and methods are provided for analyzing conditions associated with a physical feature using digital images. The method comprises acquiring a white-light image and an ultraviolet (“UV”) image of at least a portion of a body surface, such as a person's face, each of the white-light and UV images including a plurality of pixels and each pixel in the UV image corresponding to a respective pixel in the white-light image. The method further comprises identifying feature pixels in the white-light and UV images, and obtaining results associated with at least one physical condition using information in the feature pixels in the first white light and UV images.
1. A system for analyzing physical conditions associated with a subject, comprising:
an image acquisition device including:
at least one UV light source for illuminating the subject;
at least one white light source for illuminating the subject;
an optical assembly comprising a lens; and
a frusto-conical source light shield extending outwardly from the lens of the optical assembly;
wherein said at least one white light source has a ring-shaped configuration and is positioned behind the source light shield,
said device configured to acquire a first white-light image and a first UV image of a physical feature of the subject, each of the first white-light and UV images having a plurality of pixels, each pixel in the first UV image corresponding to a respective pixel in the first white-light image;
a computer system configured to identify, on a pixel by pixel basis, feature pixels in the first white-light and UV images, and to obtain results associated with at least one physical condition using information in the feature pixels in the first white light and UV images,
wherein at least one of said UV and white light sources comprises at least one LED light source.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device has a sensor that can be rotated to adjust an aspect ratio of the white-light or UV image according control signals from the computer system.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device further comprises a sensor, wherein the optical assembly is configured to form images of the subject on the sensor.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said image acquisition device comprises a plurality of LED light sources disposed about the lens of the optical assembly.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of LED light sources are disposed concentrically about the lens of the optical assembly.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light sources include at least one white LED light source and at least one UV LED light source.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light sources include at least one light source having an infrared absorption filter installed thereon.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one UV LED has an emission wavelength ranging from about 348 nm to about 375 nm.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said at least one UV LED has an emission wavelength of about 365 nm.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said optical assembly further comprises a zoom lens.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said optical assembly further comprises a zoom lens control system.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein said optical assembly further comprises a broadband circular polarizer.
13. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light sources include a plurality of LED light sources.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said LED light sources are disposed symmetrically on a ring concentrically disposed about the lens of the optical assembly.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light sources include at least three LED light sources.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light sources include at least eight LED light sources.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one white light source comprises at least two LED light sources of distinct emission wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one UV light source comprises at least two LED light sources of distinct emission wavelengths in the UV spectrum.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one UV light source is an LED light source.
20. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one white light source is an LED light source.
21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the source light shield is formed of a light diffusing material.
22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device further comprises a chin rest.
23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device further comprises a forehead rest.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device further comprises an ambient light shield positioned at least partially over the distal end of the frusto-conical source light shield.
25. The system of claim 24 , wherein the ambient light shield is formed of an opaque material.
26. The system of claim 24 , wherein the ambient light shield has a reflective interior surface.
27. The system of claim 1 , wherein the image acquisition device further comprises a housing having a chamber sized and configured to enclose the white light source.
28. A system for analyzing physical conditions associated with a subject, comprising:
an image acquisition device including:
at least one UV light source for illuminating the subject;
at least one white light source for illuminating the subject;
an optical assembly comprising a lens;
a frusto-conical source light shield extending outwardly from the lens of the optical assembly; and
an ambient light shield positioned at least partially over the distal end of the frusto-conical source light shield;
said device configured to acquire a first white-light image and a first UV image of a physical feature of the subject, each of the first white-light and UV images having a plurality of pixels, each pixel in the first UV image corresponding to a respective pixel in the first white-light image;
a computer system configured to identify, on a pixel by pixel basis, feature pixels in the first white-light and UV images, and to obtain results associated with at least one physical condition using information in the feature pixels in the first white light and UV images,
wherein at least one of said UV and white light sources comprises at least one LED light source.