Systems and methods for spill detection

• US 10,023,341 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Christopher, Jerry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holder, Anner
• Assistant Examiner(s): SECHSER, JILL D
• Application Number:
  US14/725,418
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/04 Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 2220/16 Packaging contents into primary and secondary packaging
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/10 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/14 and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30242 Counting objects in image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0016 involving temporal comparison
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A pharmaceutical filling system for a high volume pharmacy is described. The system can include a spill detection subsystem and method. The system can include a cameras to take images that a processed to determine presence of a spilled pharmaceutical. A mirror portion is provided so that the camera can take images of the entire field of the filling area. The mirror portion can be a concave mirror that increases the field of view of the camera. A light panel can illuminate the field of view to allow the camera to take high speed images. A controller can receive a series of at least two images captured by the camera and determine whether an object in the captured images is a spilled pharmaceutical.

Claims

1. A pharmaceutical filling system comprising:

a control device;

a mirror portion including a concave mirror;

a camera portion positioned opposite the mirror portion across a field of view, said camera portion including;

a camera for capturing images and connected to the control device and facing the mirror, wherein said camera is focused on a reflection in the mirror of the field of view, and

a light panel electrically connected to the control device and facing the mirror to illuminate the field of view;

wherein the control device is operable to;

receive a series of at least three consecutive images captured by the camera; and

determine whether an object in at least a portion of the captured images is a spilled pharmaceutical, wherein the spilled pharmaceutical is detected by a predetermined number of images from the camera showing the spilled pharmaceutical, and wherein determining whether the object is a spilled pharmaceutical includes determining whether the object appears in at least two non-sequential images of the captured images.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the concave mirror is approximately parabolic.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera includes a telecentric lens.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the light panel includes one or more light sources positioned behind a translucent diffuser.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the control device is configured to:

determine whether an object in an image has moved a distance which is within a predetermined distance from an object in a consecutive image to detect the spilled pharmaceutical.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to:

determine whether an object in an image contains a number of pixels which is within a predetermined number of pixels to detect the spilled pharmaceutical.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to:

determine whether an object appears in at least three consecutive images to detect the spilled pharmaceutical.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to:

determine whether an object appears in at least three of four consecutive images to detect the spilled pharmaceutical.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to:

sense movement of a pharmaceutical container being moved into a filling area;

trigger the light panel; and

compare images received from the camera to detect the spilled pharmaceutical.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising an automated dispensing device operatively connected to the control device and configured to dispense pharmaceuticals into prescription containers on carriers in a filling location above the field of view.

11. A spilled pharmaceutical detection method for use in filling prescriptions in an automated filling center, the method using a camera positioned opposite a mirror across a field of view comprising:

illuminating a field of view with a light panel to direct light at a mirror;

acquiring at least three consecutive images of a reflected field of view from the mirror via a camera; and

determining whether an object in at least a portion of the at least woe three consecutive images is a spilled pharmaceutical using a predetermined number of images from the camera showing the spilled pharmaceutical and wherein determining whether the object is a spilled pharmaceutical includes comparing the captured images in an image comparison module, and determining whether the object appears in at least two non-sequential images of the captured images.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining whether an object in the at least two images is a spilled pharmaceutical includes:

determining whether an object in an image has moved a distance which is within a predetermined distance from an object in a consecutive image.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining whether an object in the at least two images is a spilled pharmaceutical includes:

determining whether an object in an image contains a number of pixels which is within a predetermined number of pixels.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining whether an object in the at least two images is a spilled pharmaceutical includes:

determining whether an object appears in at least three consecutive images.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining whether an object in the at least two images is a spilled pharmaceutical includes:

determining whether an object appears in at least three of four consecutive images.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein determining whether an object is a spilled pharmaceutical includes performing a blob detection and analysis, wherein a blob is an area of connected pixels of similar intensity or color.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein determining includes:

sensing movement of a pharmaceutical container being moved into a filling area;

triggering a light panel to illuminate the field of view below the filling area; and

comparing images received from the camera.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising dispensing a pharmaceutical using an automated dispensing device to a prescription container on a carrier in the filling location above the field of view.

19. A pharmaceutical filling system comprising:

a control device;

a concave mirror;

a camera positioned opposite the concave mirror across a field of view and including;

a camera facing the mirror for capturing images and connected to the control device, wherein the camera is focused on a reflection in the mirror of the field of view, and

a light panel electrically connected to the control device and facing the mirror to illuminate the field of view;

wherein the control device is operable to;

receive a series of at least five consecutive images captured by the camera; and

determine whether an object appears in at least two non-sequential pairs of consecutive images to detect a spilled pharmaceutical.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control device is configured to:

sense movement of a pharmaceutical container being moved into a filling area;

trigger the light panel; and

compare images received from the camera to determine whether an object in an image has moved a distance within a predetermined distance from an object in a consecutive image and thereby detect the spilled pharmaceutical.