Optical character recognition (OCR) and coded data for legacy instrument data transfer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11093777-B2
Application number	US-201514923201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2015
Priority date	Oct 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

One embodiment provides a method for capturing information from a measuring instrument, including: capturing, using an image capture device, an image of information displayed on the measuring instrument; analyzing, using a processor, the information; detecting, based on the analyzing, a plurality of elements within the information; wherein the plurality of elements comprise: identification data associated with the measuring instrument and measurement data, the identification data being coded within a tag element; wherein the tag element is at least one of a quick response code, a two dimensional barcode, a barcode, and a service identification tag; the identification data comprising data relating to at least one of: unit type, notation type, device type, device identification, device location, device vendor, device manufacturer, and current user; extracting, using a processor, the plurality of elements from the image; and storing, in a storage device, the plurality of elements in a formatted file. Other aspects are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for capturing information from a measuring instrument, comprising:
capturing, using an image capture device separate from a measuring instrument, an image of information displayed on the measuring instrument, wherein the measuring instrument lacks electronic communication capability and wherein the information comprises measurement result data displayed by the measuring instrument after an analysis is performed by the measuring instrument and at least one tag element having identification data coded with the at least one tag element;
wherein the tag element is at least one of a quick response code, a two dimensional barcode, a barcode, and a service identification tag and wherein the tag element corresponds to identification data identifying the measuring instrument;
the identification data comprising data relating to at least one of: unit type, notation type, device type, device identification, device location, device vendor, device manufacturer, and current user;
analyzing, using a processor, the image using an image analysis technique to identify the information included in the image, wherein the analyzing comprises utilizing the identification data within the tag element to facilitate identification of the measurement result data;
extracting, using a processor, the information from the image; and
storing, in a storage device, the information in a formatted file, wherein the formatted file comprises the measurement results correlated with the identification data of the measuring instrument.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement data is coded within the tag element.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the measurement data coded within the tag is updated based on at least one of: user input and a predetermined interval.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement data comprises at least one character, wherein the at least one character comprises at least one of: a letter, a number, and a symbol.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising generating, using optical character recognition, machine text based on the at least one character.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises a remote storage device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying, on a display device, the identification data and the measurement data.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising responsive to a user input, transferring, using a network connection device, the identification data and the measurement data to a remote storage device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting, using a processor, a location of the image capture device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: transferring, using a network connection device, location data associated with the location of the image capture device.

11. An information handling device for capturing information from a measuring instrument, comprising:
a processor;
an image capture device;
a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:
capture, using the image capture device separate from a measuring instrument, an image of information displayed on the measuring instrument, wherein the measuring instrument lacks electronic communication capability and wherein the information comprises measurement result data displayed by the measuring instrument after an analysis is performed by the measuring instrument and at least one tag element having identification data coded with the at least one tag element;
wherein the tag element is at least one of a quick response code, a two dimensional barcode, a barcode, and a service identification tag and wherein the tag element corresponds to identification data identifying the measuring instrument;
the identification data comprising data relating to at least one of: unit type, notation type, device type, device identification, device location, device vendor, device manufacturer, and current user;
analyze, using a processor, the image using an image analysis technique to identify the information included in the image, wherein the analyzing comprises utilizing the identification data within the tag element to facilitate identification of the measurement result data;
extracting, using the processor, the information from the image; and
storing, in a storage device, the information in a formatted file, wherein the formatted file comprises the measurement results correlated with the identification data of the measuring instrument.

12. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the measurement data is coded within the tag element.

13. The information handling device of claim 12 , wherein the measurement data coded within the tag is updated based on at least one of: user input and a predetermined interval.

14. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the measurement data comprises at least one character, wherein the at least one character comprises at least one of: a letter, a number, and a symbol.

15. The information handling device of claim 14 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to generate, using optical character recognition, machine text based on the at least one character.

16. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the storage device comprises at a remote storage device.

17. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to: display, on a display device, the identification data and the measurement data.

18. The information handling device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to: responsive to a user input, transfer, using a network connection device, the identification data and the measurement data to a remote storage device.

19. The information handling device of claim 11 , further comprising a network connection device, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to: transfer, using the network connection device, location data associated with the location of the image capture device.

20. A product for capturing analysis information from a measuring instrument, comprising:
a computer readable storage memory having code stored therewith, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:
code that captures, using an image capture device separate from a measuring instrument, an image of information displayed on the measuring instrument, wherein the measuring instrument lacks electronic communication capability and wherein the information comprises measurement result data displayed by the measuring instrument after an analysis is performed by the measuring instrument and at least one tag element having identification data coded with the at least one tag element;
wherein the tag element is at least one of a quick response code, a two dimensional barcode, a barcode, and a service identification tag and wherein the tag element corresponds to identification data identifying the measuring instrument;
the identification data comprising data relating to at least one of: unit type, notation type, device type, device identification, device location, device vendor, device manufacturer, and current user;
code that analyzes, using a processor, the image using an image analysis technique to identify the information included in the image, wherein the analyzing comprises utilizing the identification data within the tag element to facilitate identification of the measurement result data;
code that extracts the information from the image;

Assignees

• Hach Co

Inventors

• Harmon Brian Alan
• Barker Theo Grover Tillson

Classifications

• G06V10/95 Primary

  structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures · CPC title

• G06V30/224 Primary

  of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks · CPC title

• G06V2201/02

  Recognising information on displays, dials, clocks · CPC title

• G06K2209/03

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00979

  Physics · mapped topic