DEVICE FOR MONITORING SURFACE ALTERATIONS OVER TIME AND METHOD ASSOCIATED THEREWITH

• US 20110032349A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Catfosc Health Made To Measure SL
• Original Assignee: Catfosc Health Made To Measure SL
• Inventors: Velasco Ruiz, Eloisa, Calonge San Matias, Rafael
• Application Number:
  US12/937,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30088 Skin; Dermal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images

Abstract

A device for monitoring surface alterations over time, preferably skin alterations, has means for capturing images of the alterations and for storing same in a memory. The device includes a screen and a processor for processing and managing said images, and the aforementioned image-capture means includes at least two cameras with overlapping viewing angles. The processor is configured to process skin alteration images taken from different angles and to obtain therefrom an image of said skin alteration that corresponds to a pre-determined viewing angle, lighting type and level and distance.

Claims

1. A device for the monitoring of surface alterations in the course of time having means for capturing images of said alterations and for storing them in memory, comprising:

a screen and a processor for processing and manage said images, wherein (i) said means for capturing images comprises at least two cameras with overlapping vision angles, and (ii) said processor is configured to process said images of the surface alteration taken from different angles and to obtain from said images an image of said surface alteration corresponding to a preset vision angle, a preset level and kind of illumination, and a preset distance.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said cameras are video cameras.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the screen is tactile.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising proximity spatial locating means.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising means for projecting a plurality of laser beams on said surface alteration.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the surface alterations are cutaneous alterations in living beings, human, plants or animals, or surface alterations in construction elements.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the cameras, the memory, the screen and the processor are integrated into a portable device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said cameras are photographic cameras.

8. (canceled)

9. A method for monitoring surface alterations in the course of time, comprising:

a) taking images of a surface by two cameras,

b) determining, from the image taken by one of the cameras, the outline of a surface alteration by an outline determination algorithm,

c) classifying, inside said outline, the pixels according to the color range corresponding to each pixel,

d) by combination of the images taken by both cameras, determining the area, the three-dimensional shape, and the volume of the surface alteration,

e) by combination of the data obtained in steps c) and d), obtaining a three-dimensional representation of the surface alteration from a preset point of view.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprises photographing simultaneously with both cameras a calibrated surface of known dimensions.

12. A device for the monitoring of surface alterations, comprising:

a screen,

a first camera configured to capture a first image from a first vision angle,

a second camera configured to capture a second image from a second vision angle overlapping with the first vision angle, and

a processor electrically coupled to the first camera and the second camera, the processor being configured to process the first image and the second image to obtain an image of a surface alteration corresponding to a preset vision angle, a preset level and kind of illumination, and a preset distance.