Medicine inspection device, image processing device, image processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020175317-A1
Application number	US-202016782943-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2020
Priority date	Aug 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A medicine inspection device, an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program are provided that appropriately extract identification information even when the positional relationship between a printed character and an engraved mark added to a medicine is not constant. The above problem is solved by an image processing device that performs a process of enhancing a printed character portion of a medicine based on at least one image taken with a surface of the medicine being irradiated with light to generate a printed-character-enhanced image, performs a process of extracting only an engraved mark portion from a three-dimensional shape of the medicine based on at least three images taken with illumination directions of the light to the surface of the medicine different from each other to generate an engraved-mark-extracted image, and generates a difference image between the printed-character-enhanced image and the engraved-mark-extracted image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image processing device, comprising:
a first image obtaining unit configured to obtain at least one taken image of a medicine, the taken image being taken with a surface of the medicine being irradiated with light; a first image processing unit configured to perform a process of enhancing a printed character portion of the medicine based on the at least one taken image, and generate a printed-character-enhanced image; a second image obtaining unit configured to obtain at least three taken images of the medicine, the images being taken with illumination directions of light to the surface of the medicine different from each other; a second image processing unit configured to perform a process of extracting only an engraved mark portion from a three-dimensional shape of the medicine based on the at least three taken images, and generate an engraved-mark-extracted image; and a difference image generating unit configured to generate a difference image between the printed-character-enhanced image and the engraved-mark-extracted image.

2 . The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second image processing unit comprises: a three-dimensional information obtaining unit configured to obtain three-dimensional information on the surface of the medicine by photometric stereo based on the at least three taken images; and a curvature image generating unit configured to generate a curvature image that represents a curvature of a local area of the surface of the medicine based on the obtained three-dimensional information, and the generated curvature image is adopted as the engraved-mark-extracted image.

3 . The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the first image processing unit performs a process of removing a low-frequency component from the at least one taken image.

4 . A medicine inspection device, comprising:
a stage on which a medicine is placed; an irradiating unit configured to include at least three light sources that irradiate a surface of the medicine placed on the stage, with light in a plurality of illumination directions different from each other; an imaging unit configured to image the medicine; a first imaging control unit configured to control the irradiating unit and the imaging unit to obtain at least one taken image of the medicine, the image being taken with irradiating the surface of the medicine with light; a first image processing unit configured to perform a process of enhancing a printed character portion of the medicine based on the at least one taken image, and generate a printed-character-enhanced image; a second imaging control unit configured to control the irradiating unit and the imaging unit to obtain at least three taken images of the medicine, the images being taken with illumination directions of the light to the surface of the medicine different from each other; a second image processing unit configured to perform a process of extracting only an engraved mark portion from a three-dimensional shape of the medicine based on the at least three taken images, and generate an engraved-mark-extracted image; and a difference image generating unit configured to generate a difference image between the printed-character-enhanced image and the engraved-mark-extracted image.

5 . The medicine inspection device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a prescription information obtaining unit configured to obtain prescription information; a master image obtaining unit configured to obtain a master image of a medicine to be dispensed based on the prescription information; and a determining unit configured to collate the master image with the generated difference image, and determine whether or not the medicine to be dispensed is identical to the medicine placed on the stage.

6 . The medicine inspection device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a region-of-interest setting unit configured to set a region of interest in an image of the medicine; and a template generating unit configured to generate a template from the master image in conformity with the set region of interest, wherein the determining unit collates the region of interest of the difference image with the template.

7 . The medicine inspection device according to claim 4 , wherein a plurality of medicines packaged into a divided bag are placed on the stage.

8 . The medicine inspection device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the irradiating unit comprises a first light source configured to emit light in a first direction, a second light source configured to emit light in a second direction, a third light source configured to emit light in a third direction, and a fourth light source configured to emit light in a fourth direction, and the second direction is a direction opposite to the first direction in plan view of the surface, the third direction is a direction orthogonal to the first direction in plan view of the surface, and the fourth direction is a direction opposite to the third direction in plan view of the surface.

9 . The medicine inspection device according to claim 8 , wherein the first imaging control unit causes the first light source, the second light source, the third light source and the fourth light source to irradiate the surface of the medicine with light.

10 . An image processing method, comprising:
a first image obtaining step of obtaining at least one taken image of a medicine, the taken image being taken with a surface of the medicine being irradiated with light; a first image processing step of performing a process of enhancing a printed character portion of the medicine based on the at least one taken image, and generate a printed-character-enhanced image; a second image obtaining step of obtaining at least three taken images of the medicine, the images being taken with illumination directions of the light to the surface of the medicine different from each other; a second image processing step of performing a process of extracting only an engraved mark portion from a three-dimensional shape of the medicine based on the at least three taken images, and generating an engraved-mark-extracted image; and a difference image generating step of generating a difference image between the printed-character-enhanced image and the engraved-mark-extracted image.

11 . A non-transitory and computer-readable recording medium wherein when an instruction stored in the recording medium is read by a computer, the instruction causes the computer to execute:
a first image obtaining function of obtaining at least one taken image of a medicine, the taken image being taken with a surface of the medicine being irradiated with light; a first image processing function of performing a process of enhancing a printed character portion of the medicine based on the at least one taken image, and generate a printed-character-enhanced image; a second image obtaining function of obtaining at least three taken images of the medicine, the images being taken with illumination directions of the light to the surface of the medicine different from each other; a second image processing function of performing a process of extracting only an engraved mark portion from a three-dimensional shape of the medicine based on the at least three taken images, and generating an engraved-mark-extracted image; and a difference image generating function of generating a difference image between the printed-character-enhanced image and the engraved-mark-extracted image.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwami Kazuchika

Classifications

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title

• G06T7/586

  from multiple light sources, e.g. photometric stereo · CPC title

• G06K2009/6213

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0002

  Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection · CPC title

• G06K9/2036

  Physics · mapped topic