Patient video monitoring systems and methods for thermal detection of liquids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9959471-B2
Application number	US-201615332283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2008
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A system for monitoring a patient in a patient area having one or more detection zones, the system comprising one or more cameras, a user interface, and a computing system configured to receive a chronological series of frames from the one or more cameras, identify liquid candidates by comparing a current frame with a plurality of previous frames of the chronological series, determine locations of the liquid candidates, identify thermal signatures of the liquid candidates, determine types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal signatures of the liquid candidates, and generate an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for monitoring a patient in a patient area having one or more detection zones, the system comprising:
one or more cameras including an infrared thermography device comprising;
a user interface; and
a computing system configured to:
receive a chronological series of frames from the one or more cameras;
identify liquid candidates by comparing a current frame with a plurality of previous frames of the chronological series and determining a difference between at least one pixel characteristic in the current frame as compared to the at least one pixel characteristic in the previous frames to identify groups of pixels as the liquid candidates, the at least one pixel characteristic comprising at least one of temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels;
determine locations of the liquid candidates;
identify thermal signatures of the liquid candidates using at least the infrared thermography device;
determine types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal signatures of the liquid candidates; and
generate an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine a difference between temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels in the current frame and temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels in the plurality of previous frames to identify groups of pixels as the liquid candidates.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the computing system is configured to distinguish the groups of pixels from a background of the current frame using at least one of edge detection, motion detection, thermal, and spectral properties.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the computing system is configured to determine presence of intravenous (IV) liquids and bodily fluids from the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal or spectral signatures of the liquid candidates.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine that the liquid candidates are IV liquids.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine that the liquid candidates are IV liquids based on determining at least one of: the liquid candidates' distance from a patient, the liquid candidate having a uniform temperature of less than or equal to room temperature, a depletion of the liquid candidates, drip activity motion, and presence of an IV line from the liquid candidate to the patient.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine volumes of the IV liquids.

8. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine depletion of the IV liquids.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the computing system is configured to:
determine volumes of the IV liquids in the current frame;
determine volumes of the IV liquids in the plurality of previous frames;
compare the volumes of the IV liquids in the current frame to the volumes of the IV liquids in the plurality of previous frames;
determine a rate of change of the IV liquids; and
determine an estimate of when the depletion of the IV liquids will occur.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine that the liquid candidates are bodily fluids.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine that the liquid candidates are bodily fluids based on an identification of a warm substance near the patient.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing system is configured to determine that the liquid candidates are bodily fluids based on a dispersion pattern.

13. A method for monitoring a patient in a patient area having one or more detection zones including an infrared thermography device, comprising:
one or more processors;
receiving a chronological series of frames from one or more cameras;
identifying liquid candidates by comparing a current frame with a plurality of previous frames of the chronological series and determining a difference between at least one pixel characteristic in the current frame as compared to the at least one pixel characteristic in the previous frames to identify groups of pixels as the liquid candidates, the at least one pixel characteristic comprising at least one of temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels;
determining locations of the liquid candidates;
identifying thermal signatures of the liquid candidates using at least the infrared thermography device;
determining types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal signatures of the liquid candidates;
and generating an alert with a user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a difference between temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels in the current frame and temperatures, spectral responses, and positions of pixels in the plurality of previous frames to identify groups of pixels as the liquid candidates.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising distinguishing the groups of pixels from a background of the current frame using at least one of edge detection, motion detection, thermal, and spectral properties.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining presence of intravenous (IV) liquids and bodily fluids from the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal or spectral signatures of the liquid candidates.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining that the liquid candidates are IV liquids.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising determining that the liquid candidates are IV liquids based on determining at least one of: the liquid candidates' distance from a patient, the liquid candidate having a uniform temperature of less than or equal to room temperature, a depletion of the liquid candidates, drip activity motion, and presence of an IV line from the liquid candidate to the patient.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining that the liquid candidates are bodily fluids.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising determining that the liquid candidates are bodily fluids based on an identification of a warm substance near the patient.

Assignees

• Careview Comm Inc

Inventors

• Johnson Steven Gail
• Del Carpio Derek
• Chapman Kenneth W

Classifications

• A61B2560/0242

  adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution · CPC title

• A61M5/1689

  Drip counters · CPC title

• A61B5/02042

  Determining blood loss or bleeding, e.g. during a surgical procedure · CPC title

• A61B5/1128

  using image analysis (A61B5/1127 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M5/14

  Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor · CPC title