Drug recognizing apparatus, drug recognizing method, and drug recognizing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11574141-B2
Application number	US-201916547208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

Provided are a drug recognizing apparatus, a drug recognizing method, and a drug recognizing program capable of enhancing robustness of a master image in a case where a drug is recognized. The drug recognizing apparatus includes an illumination unit that illuminates a drug; an imaging unit that images the illuminated drug; a storage unit that stores a master image for each drug type; a drug position acquiring unit that acquires a position of the drug on the basis of a captured image obtained by the imaging unit; a master image generating unit that generates the master image from a drug area in the captured image; an updating determination unit that determines whether to update the master image on the basis of the position of the drug acquired by the drug position acquiring unit; and a registration unit that registers the master image in the storage unit in a case where it is determined that the master image is to be updated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drug recognizing apparatus comprising:
an illumination unit that illuminates a drug;
an imaging unit that images the drug illuminated by the illumination unit;
a storage unit that stores a master image showing the drug for each drug type;
a drug position acquiring unit that acquires a position of the drug on the basis of a captured image obtained by the imaging unit;
an updating determination unit that determines whether to update the master image on the basis of the position of the drug acquired by the drug position acquiring unit;
a master image generating unit that generates the master image from a drug area in the captured image obtained by the imaging unit; and
a registration unit that registers the master image generated by the master image generating unit in the storage unit in a case where the updating determination unit determines that the master image is to be updated,
wherein the registration unit stores drug position information indicating the position of the drug in association with the master image in the storage unit, and
wherein the updating determination unit determines whether to update the master image on the basis of the position of the drug imaged by the imaging unit and the drug position information associated with the master image.

2. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the updating determination unit determines that the master image is to be updated in a case where cognitive power for the drug at the position of the drug imaged by the imaging unit is higher than that at the position of the drug in the master image indicated by the drug position information associated with the master image.

3. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein in a case where a type of drug of which the master image is not registered is imaged by the imaging unit, the registration unit registers the drug area in the captured image obtained by the imaging unit as the master image in the storage unit.

4. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the updating determination unit determines whether to update the master image on the basis of a distance between a reference position at which cognitive power for the drug in an imaging range of the imaging unit satisfies a criterion and the position of the drug.

5. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the illumination unit illuminates the drug in a plurality of illumination directions surrounding the drug,
wherein the imaging unit faces at least one face of a packaging member that wraps the drug,
wherein the reference position is a central position in the imaging range, and
wherein the updating determination unit determines whether to update the master image on the basis of a distance between the central position in the imaging range and the position of the drug.

6. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising
a reference position setting unit that calculates in advance the position at which the cognitive power for the drug in the imaging range of the imaging unit satisfies the criterion, and sets the calculated position as the reference position.

7. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the reference position is a position at which the cognitive power for the drug in the imaging range is the highest or a representative position in an area at which the cognitive power for the drug is the highest.

8. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the cognitive power is cognitive power for an engraved mark on a front surface of the drug, and is determined in accordance with an incident angle at which illumination light of the illumination unit is incident to the engraved mark on the front surface of the drug.

9. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the illumination unit is configured to include a plurality of light sources, and the plurality of light sources and an optical axis of the imaging unit are disposed at equal intervals.

10. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination unit illuminates the drug in four or more directions.

11. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the updating determination unit determines whether to update the master image on the basis of intervals of the plurality of drugs in a case where a plurality of the drugs are included in one drug package.

12. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the illumination unit is configured to include a plurality of light sources,
wherein the drug recognizing apparatus further comprises:
an illumination controller that sequentially switches an illumination direction of the drug by switching the light source that illuminates the drug among the plurality of light sources; and
an imaging controller that causes the imaging unit to image the drug whenever the illumination direction is switched, and
wherein the master image generating unit composes the plurality of captured images corresponding to the plurality of illumination directions, obtained by the imaging unit, to generate the master image.

13. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the imaging unit is configured to include a first camera that images the drug in a first direction and a second camera that images the drug in a second direction different from the first direction.

14. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the drug is packaged.

15. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a plurality of drug packages in which the drug is packaged are continuous, and
wherein in a case where the same kind of plural drugs are imaged from one drug package, or in a case where the same kind of plural drugs are imaged over the plurality of drug packages, the master image generating unit generates the master image using a plurality of drug areas in which the same kind of plural drugs are imaged.

16. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein in a case where the same kind of plural drugs are imaged from one drug package, or in a case where the same kind of plural drugs are imaged over the plurality of drug packages, the master image generating unit generates the master image using an average or a weighted average using the plurality of drug areas.

17. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit; and
a display controller that causes the display unit to display the drug area in the captured image.

18. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising
a correlation value calculation unit that calculates a correlation value between the master image and the drug area in the captured image,
wherein the display controller causes the display unit to display the correlation value.

19. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein the display controller causes the display unit to display a history of the updating of the master image.

20. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 19 ,
wherein the display controller causes the display unit to display the position of the drug and the updating of the master image in association.

21. The drug recognizing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a drug determination unit that collates a master image that is finally registered among the master images registered in the storage unit with th

Assignees

• Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwami Kazuchika
• Takashima Masanobu

Classifications

• G06V10/772

  Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries · CPC title

• G06V20/66 Primary

  Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) · CPC title

• A61J2200/70

  Device provided with specific sensor or indicating means · CPC title

• G06V2201/06

  Recognition of objects for industrial automation · CPC title

• G06V10/141

  Control of illumination · CPC title