INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20130296685A1
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuboi, Toshimitsu, Tanaka, Akichika, Asakawa, Takeshi, Sazuka, Naoya, Wada, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 9,259,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• 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 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6817 Ear canal
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0011 Ear thermometers G01J5/021 and G01J5/049 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/049 Casings for tympanic thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/07 Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position optical collimating elements G01J5/0806
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including an eardrum recognition unit configured to recognize a position of an eardrum based on image information regarding the eardrum, a temperature measurement unit configured to acquire a temperature within an external ear canal including the eardrum, and a temperature processing unit configured to determine a temperature of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the eardrum recognition unit and a measured temperature of the temperature measurement unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an eardrum recognition unit configured to recognize a position of an eardrum based on image information regarding the eardrum;

a temperature measurement unit configured to acquire a temperature within an external ear canal including the eardrum; and

a temperature processing unit configured to determine a temperature of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the eardrum recognition unit and a measured temperature of the temperature measurement unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image information regarding the eardrum is a captured image including the eardrum, and

wherein the eardrum recognition unit recognizes the position of the eardrum based on the captured image.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, comprising:

an imaging unit configured to acquire the image information regarding the eardrum.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image information regarding the eardrum is a thermal image including the eardrum,

wherein the eardrum recognition unit recognizes the position of the eardrum based on the thermal image, and

wherein the temperature measurement unit acquires a temperature within an ear canal including the eardrum based on the thermal image.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein acquisition of the image information regarding the eardrum and temperature measurement by the temperature measurement unit are performed by an identical device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

a notification unit configured to notify a user of eardrum information regarding the eardrum,

wherein the notification unit provides at least notification of a calculated temperature of the eardrum.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the eardrum recognition unit calculates an eardrum occupancy rate representing a ratio occupied by the eardrum in a predetermined range in an image of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the image information regarding the eardrum, and

wherein the notification unit notifies the user of a position state of the temperature measurement unit with respect to the eardrum based on the eardrum occupancy rate.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the notification unit notifies the user of a direction for adjusting the direction of the temperature measurement unit in a manner that the eardrum occupancy rate increases.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a correction unit configured to correct the temperature of the eardrum calculated by the temperature processing unit,

wherein the eardrum recognition unit calculates an eardrum occupancy rate representing a ratio occupied by the eardrum in a predetermined range in an image of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the image information regarding the eardrum, and

wherein the correction unit corrects the temperature of the eardrum calculated by the temperature processing unit based on the eardrum occupancy rate.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the correction unit corrects the temperature of the eardrum based on a correlation relationship between the eardrum occupancy rate and the temperature of the eardrum.

11. An information processing method comprising:

recognizing a position of an eardrum based on image information regarding the eardrum;

acquiring a temperature within an external ear canal including the eardrum; and

determining a temperature of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the position of the eardrum and the acquired temperature.

12. A computer program for causing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus including:

an eardrum recognition unit configured to recognize a position of an eardrum based on image information regarding the eardrum;

a temperature measurement unit configured to acquire a temperature within an external ear canal including the eardrum; and

a temperature processing unit configured to determine a temperature of the eardrum based on a recognition result of the eardrum recognition unit and a measured temperature of the temperature measurement unit.