Method of automatically detecting a test result of a probe zone of a test strip

• US 20060094127A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wen-Chao Tseng
• Inventors: Tseng, Wen-Chao
• Granted Patent: US 7,344,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 436/169
• 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

Abstract

A method of automatically detecting a test result of a probe zone of a test strip is provided. The present method scans a scanning object including a bar code and a plurality of test strips to read the bar code pattern and the images of the test strips. Decoding the bar code pattern to obtain the information of types of the test strips, and thereby a plurality of mapping tables of setting values versus positions of target lines of one of the test strips. Each of the test strips corresponds to one of the mapping tables based on the type of the test strip. Each of the setting values of the mapping table corresponds to one target line of the test strip. Calculating a color response of one target line of the test strip based on the image of the test strip, and comparing the color response with the setting value from the mapping table corresponding thereto. Thereby, determining whether the target line has a positive test result or a negative test result in response to a specific component in a test liquid detected by the test strip.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method, comprising:

capturing an image of a bar code and an image of at least one test strip from a scanning object;

determining a setting value for the at least one test strip based, at least in part, on said captured image of said bar code;

determining a color response of the at least one test strip, based at least in part on the captured image of said at least one test strip; and

determining a test result for the at least one test strip, based at least in part on the determined color response and the determined setting value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the test strip further includes a plurality of target lines and a control line adapted to change color in response to a test liquid.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the bar code has a one-dimensional bar code pattern, including:

a first group of bar patterns associated with types of said test strips;

a second group of bar patterns associated with a position of one of said target lines of said test strip; and

a third group of bar patterns associated with identification information associated with said scanning object.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining said color response of said test strip further comprises determining said color response based at least in part on average pixels values of red, green, and blue pixels.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein a color of said control line is adapted to change in response to contact with a test liquid.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said test strip includes a drug abuse test paper.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said test liquid includes a biological fluid collected from a subject.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said biological fluid is selected from a group consisting of blood, urine, sweat and saliva.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

an image capturing device, wherein the image capturing device is adapted to;

capture an image of a scanning object, wherein the scanning object comprises a bar code and one or more test strips, said one or more test strips having a color pattern including a control line and a plurality of target lines, said control line and at least one of said plurality of target lines corresponding to a probe zone of said test strip;

determine a setting value for the test strip based, at least in part, on a portion of the captured image comprising a bar code;

determine a color response of the test strip, based at least in part on a portion of the captured image comprising a test strip; and

determine a test result for the test strip, based at least in part on the determined setting value and the determined color response.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said bar code comprises a constant code length comprising bars and spaces.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said bar code has a one-dimensional bar code pattern, said one-dimensional bar code pattern including:

a first group of bar patterns associated with types of said test strips;

a second group of bar patterns associated with the position of one of said target lines of said test strip; and

a third group of bar patterns associated with identification information associated with said scanning object.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the test strip further includes a plurality of target lines and a control line adapted to change color in response to a test liquid.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said image capturing device is further adapted to determine said color response of said test strip based at least in part on average pixels values of red, green, and blue pixels.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said control line is adapted to change color in response to contact with a test liquid.