Supplementary device for attachment to a drug injection device for monitoring injection doses having OCR imaging system with glare reduction

• US 10,080,844 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Original Assignee: Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH (Sanofi )
• Inventors: Kunz, Theresa, Bock, Mario, Blei, Gertrud, Jones, Matthew, Steel, Samuel, Yates, Barry, Morris, Anthony Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US15/516,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20170304549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3126 Specific display means related to dosing
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/31525 Dosing burettes, pipettes B01L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10152 Varying illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/145 Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/16 using multiple overlapping images; Image stitching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/02 Recognising information on displays, dials, clocks

Abstract

The subject matter described herein relates to a supplementary device for attachment to an injection device, the supplementary device comprising: a first imaging arrangement and a second imaging arrangement each configured to capture an image of a moveable number sleeve of the injection device from different respective angles. The supplementary device also comprises a plurality of light sources and a processor arrangement configured to control operation of the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement and the plurality of light sources and to receive image data from each of the imaging arrangements, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to combine images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a single image.

Claims

1. A supplementary device for attachment to an injection device, the supplementary device comprising:

a first imaging arrangement and a second imaging arrangement each configured to capture an image of a moveable number sleeve of the injection device from different respective angles;

a plurality of light sources; and

a processor arrangement configured to control operation of the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement and the plurality of light sources and to receive image data from each of the imaging arrangements,

wherein the processor arrangement is configured to combine images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a single image.

2. A supplementary device according to claim 1, wherein the processor arrangement is further configured to activate the plurality of light sources sequentially and to combine images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement under different illumination conditions into a single image.

3. A supplementary device according to claim 1, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to activate all of the plurality of light sources simultaneously.

4. A supplementary device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to divide a field of view of each of the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a plurality of areas and to associate each of the areas with a respective illumination condition.

5. A supplementary device according to claim 4, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to combine multiple images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a single image by being configured to combine an image of a first area of the plurality of areas captured by the first imaging arrangement under a first illumination condition with an image of a second area of the plurality of areas captured by the second imaging arrangement under a second illumination condition.

6. A supplementary device according to claim 1, wherein the supplementary device comprises four light sources grouped into a first pair of light sources and a second pair of light sources and wherein the processor arrangement is configured to activate the plurality of light sources sequentially by being configured to activate the first pair of light sources followed by the second pair of light sources.

7. A supplementary device according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to:

control the first imaging arrangement to capture a first image of the moveable number sleeve when the first pair of light sources are activated; and

control the second imaging arrangement to capture a second image of the moveable number sleeve when the second pair of light sources are activated.

8. A supplementary device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to divide a field of view of the first imaging arrangement and a field of view of the second imaging arrangement into first and second halves.

9. A supplementary device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to keep the first half of the first image and discard the second half of the first image and to keep the second half of the second image and discard the first half of the second image.

10. A supplementary device according to claim 9, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to combine images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a single image by being configured to combine the first half of the first image and the second half of the second image into a single image.

11. A supplementary device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light sources, when activated, results in one or more reflections from a transparent window of the injection device being visible in a field of view of each of the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement.

12. A system comprising a supplementary device according to claim 1 and the injection device comprising the moveable number sleeve and being configured to have the supplementary device attached thereto.

13. A method of operating a supplementary device for attachment to an injection device, the supplementary device having a first imaging arrangement and a second imaging arrangement each configured to capture an image of a moveable number sleeve of the injection device from different respective angles, a plurality of light sources and a processor arrangement, the method comprising:

controlling operation of the first imaging arrangement, the second imaging arrangement and the plurality of light sources;

receiving image data from the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangements; and

combining images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement into a single image.

14. A method of operating a supplementary device according to claim 13, the method further comprising activating the plurality of light sources sequentially.

15. A method of operating a supplementary device according to claim 14, the method further comprising combining images captured by the first imaging arrangement and the second imaging arrangement under different illumination conditions into a single image.