Analysis device, system and program

• US 10,169,881 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Karasawa, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/106,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20160321824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 348135
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/274 Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/78 producing a change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/80 Indicating pH value
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8483 Investigating reagent band test-element handling not specific to a test method G01N33/4875; analytical elements specific to chemical analysis of biological material G01N33/52; autometer with reagent band G01N35/04
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/03 Edible oils or edible fats
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A general purpose device, system, and program perform colorimetric analysis by automatically comparing the color of an object to be analyzed with reference information. The device includes an imaging unit that takes images of the object to be analyzed; a memory unit that stores reference information of color information of the object in accordance with properties of the object; a conversion unit that makes the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information the same by converting the color spaces when the color space of the image data of the object and the color space of the reference information are different; a determination unit that determines the properties of the object by comparing the color information of the image data and the color information of the reference information in a common color space; and a display unit that displays the determination results.

Claims

1. A device for performing colorimetric analysis, comprising:

an imaging unit configured to take images of an object to be analyzed;

a memory unit configured store reference information of color information of the object to be analyzed in accordance with the properties of the object to be analyzed;

a conversion unit configured to convert at least one of the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information to a common color space, if the color space of the image data of the object to be analyzed taken by the imaging unit and the color space of the reference information are different from each other;

a determination unit configured to determine the properties of the object to be analyzed by comparing the color information of the image data and the color information of the reference information in the common color space;

a display unit that displays the determination results of the determination unit,

wherein the object to be analyzed is a liquid;

wherein the imaging unit takes an image of a test specimen that has been soaked with the object to be analyzed; and

wherein the memory unit stores color information that represents the color of the test specimen in accordance with the properties of the liquid, as reference information,

a degree of contamination correction unit that determines the degree of contamination of the liquid based on the color of the test specimen soaked with the object, and applies a correction that is predetermined in accordance with the degree of contamination to the value converted by the conversion unit, wherein the determination unit compares the value corrected by the degree of contamination correction unit with the reference information; and

a light source correction unit that calculates the color temperature of the light source based on the whole or a part of the image data of the image taken by the imaging unit, and applies a correction in accordance with the color temperature to the value converted by the conversion unit, wherein the determination unit compares the value corrected by the light source correction unit with the reference information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein if the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information are different, the conversion unit converts the color information of the reference information to values of color information in the color space of the image data.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein when the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information are different, the conversion unit converts the color information of the image data to values of color information in the color space of the reference information.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein when the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information are different, the conversion unit converts the color information of the color space of the image data and the color information of the color space of the reference information to values of color information in a common color space.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference information is prepared in advance using image data taken by the imaging unit of the object to be analyzed having different known properties.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference information is prepared in advance using image data taken by an imaging device that is different from the imaging unit of the object to be analyzed having different known properties.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference information is prepared by obtaining in advance the optical spectra of the object to be analyzed with known properties, and converting color information calculated from the optical spectra into color information in the color space of the image data.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light exposure correction unit that calculates the light exposure conditions of the light source based on the whole or a part of the image data of the image taken by the imaging unit, and applies a correction in accordance with the light exposure conditions to the value converted by the conversion unit;

wherein the determination unit compares the value corrected by the light exposure correction unit with the reference information.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the properties of the object to be analyzed by comparing the values of the color information in the common color space for a plurality of points in the image taken by the imaging unit with the reference information.

10. A system for performing colorimetric analysis comprising a terminal device and a server which can communicate with each other, wherein:

the terminal device includes;

an imaging unit that takes images of an object to be analyzed;

a terminal communication unit that transmits image data of the object to be analyzed taken by the imaging unit to the server, and receives determination results for the image data from the server; and

a display unit that displays the determination results; and

the server includes;

a memory unit that that stores reference information of color information of the object to be analyzed in accordance with the properties of the object to be analyzed;

a conversion unit configured to convert at least one of the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information to a common color space, if the color space of the image data of the object to be analyzed taken by the imaging unit and the color space of the reference information are different from each other;

a determination unit that determines the properties of the object to be analyzed by comparing the color information of the image data and the color information of the reference information in a common color space;

a server communication unit that receives the image data from the terminal device and transmits the determination results to the terminal device,

wherein the object to be analyzed is a liquid;

wherein the imaging unit takes an image of a test specimen that has been soaked with the object to be analyzed; and

wherein the memory unit stores color information that represents the color of the test specimen in accordance with the properties of the liquid, as reference information,

a degree of contamination correction unit that determines the degree of contamination of the liquid based on the color of the test specimen soaked with the object, and applies a correction that is predetermined in accordance with the degree of contamination to the value converted by the conversion unit, wherein the determination unit compares the value corrected by the degree of contamination correction unit with the reference information; and

a light source correction unit that calculates the color temperature of the light source based on the whole or a part of the image data of the image taken by the imaging unit, and applies a correction in accordance with the color temperature to the value converted by the conversion unit, wherein the determination unit compares the value corrected by the light source correction unit with the reference information.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, when executed on a computer that includes a memory unit that stores reference information of color information of the object to be analyzed in accordance with the properties of the object to be analyzed, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

acquiring image data of the object to be analyzed taken by an imaging device, the object being a liquid, wherein the imaging device takes an image of a test specimen that has been soaked with the object to be analyzed;

storing color information that represents the color of the test specimen in accordance with the properties of the liquid, as reference information;

converting at least one of the color space of the image data and the color space of the reference information to a common color space, if the color space of the image data of the object to be analyzed taken by the imaging unit and the color space of the reference information are different from each other;

determining the degree of contamination of the liquid based on the color of the test specimen soaked with the object;

applying a correction that is predetermined in accordance with the degree of contamination to the converted value;

comparing the value corrected in accordance with the degree of contamination with the reference information;

calculating the color temperature of the light source based on the whole or a part of the image data of the image taken by the imaging device;

applying a correction in accordance with the color temperature to the converted value;

comparing the value corrected in accordance with the color temperature with the reference information;

determining the properties of the object to be analyzed by comparing the color information of the image data and the color information of the reference information in a common color space; and

preparing display data for displaying the determination results of the properties of the object to be analyzed.