Data input apparatus, data input system, displayed data analyzing apparatus and medium

• US 6,909,793 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2000
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Yasuhiro, Yamauchi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Yon J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US09/656,316
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/129, 382/130, 382/131, 382/132, 382/133, 382/162, 382/165, 382/170, 382/175, 382/181, 382/184, 382/189, 382/197, 382/214, 382/232, 382/100, 725/78, 725/119, 348/14.02, 348/14.07, 250/582, 250/458.1, 250/453.11, 375/220, 375/136, 340/870.16, 600/490, 600/300, 345/418, 345/419, 345/424, 345/444, 345/442, 345/420, 345/426, 345/581, 345/589, 345/773
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0537 Measuring body composition by impedance, e.g. tissue hydration or fat content
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/02 Recognising information on displays, dials, clocks

Abstract

A data input apparatus that includes an image acquiring unit for acquiring the image of data displayed on the data display section of a measuring instrument, a number reading unit for reading numbers in the above described acquired image and a display unit for displaying the numbers read, with the above described image acquiring unit also acquiring the image of a portion other than the data display section of the above described measuring instrument at the same time, the image recognition unit reading information on the above described measuring instrument other than the above described numbers from the acquired image and the information on the read measuring instrument being used when the above described number reading unit reads numbers.

Claims

1. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an image acquiring unit acquiring an image of data by directly inputting the image displayed on a data display section of a measuring instrument;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit;

wherein the image acquiring unit includes a camera for focusing on the display of the measuring instrument and acquiring the image displayed thereon,

said detection auxiliary information and/or said analysis auxiliary information includes indices attached to said measuring apparatus and database concerning the indices, and said indices are of L-type or rotated L-type.

2. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an image acquiring unit acquiring an image of data by directly inputting the image displayed on a data display section of a measuring instrument;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit;

wherein the image acquiring unit includes a camera for focusing on the display of the measuring instrument and acquiring the image displayed thereon,

said detection auxiliary information and/or said analysis auxiliary information includes indices attached to said measuring apparatus and database concerning the indices, and said indices have a plurality of colors or a plurality of concentrations in the case of monochrome.

3. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an image acquiring unit acquiring an image of data by directly inputting the image displayed on a data display section of a measuring instrument;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit;

wherein the image acquiring unit includes a camera for focusing on the display of the measuring instrument and acquiring the image displayed thereon, and

said detection auxiliary information includes color/reflectivity information on colors and/or reflectivity of the display section of the measured data of said measuring apparatus and database concerning the colors/reflectivity information.

4. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an image acquiring unit acquiring an image of data by directly inputting the image displayed on a data display section of a measuring instrument;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit;

wherein the image acquiring unit includes a camera for focusing on the display of the measuring instrument and acquiring the image displayed thereon, and

said detection auxiliary information includes shape/color arrangement information on the shape and/or color arrangement situation of said measuring apparatus and database concerning the shape/color arrangement information.

5. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an image acquiring unit acquiring an image of data by directly inputting the image displayed on a data display section of a measuring instrument;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said image acquiring unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit;

wherein the image acquiring unit includes a camera for focusing on the display of the measuring instrument and acquiring the image displayed thereon, and

said measuring apparatus is a vital sensor that measures living body information, said measured data is display data of the vital sensor and said processing apparatus is a vital sign box.

6. In a monitoring system including a plurality of differing measuring devices, each measuring a parameter of an object and displaying a parameter value on a display, a method of recording the parameter value from each measuring device comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying each respective measuring device;

(b) capturing a display of the measuring device identified in step (a) as an image to extract a parameter value displayed on the display; and

(c) inputting the parameter value extracted in step (b) to a data collection terminal;

wherein the step of capturing the display includes focusing on the display of the measuring device, using a camera, to extract the parameter value displayed thereon, and

step (a) includes forming at least two markers on the display, and scanning the markers to (i) identify the respective measuring device and (ii) identify the parameter value between the two markers.

7. In a health monitoring system including a plurality of differing measuring devices, each measuring a health parameter of a patient and displaying a health parameter value on a display, a method of recording the health parameter value from each measuring device comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying each respective measuring device;

(b) capturing a display of the measuring device identified in step (a) as an image to extract a health parameter value displayed on the display; and

(c) inputting the health parameter value extracted in step (b) to a data collection terminal;

wherein the step of capturing the display includes focusing on the display of the measuring device, using a camera, to extract the parameter value displayed thereon, and

step (a) includes forming at least two markers on the display, and scanning the markers to (i) identify the respective measuring device and (ii) identify the parameter value between the two markers.

8. A display data analysis apparatus that analyzes measured data measured and displayed by a predetermined measuring apparatus and outputs the analysis result to a predetermined processing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging unit picking up an image;

a detecting unit detecting the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the image picked up by said imaging unit using detection auxiliary information to detect the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus;

an analyzing unit analyzing the measured data in the image picked up by said imaging unit using analysis auxiliary information to analyze the measured data displayed by said measuring apparatus in the case where said measured data is detected by said detecting unit; and

an outputting unit outputting the analysis result analyzed by said analyzing unit,

wherein the measuring apparatus includes at least two markers, and

the detecting unit is configured to scan the image of the markers to (a) identify the measuring apparatus and (b) identify the measured data displayed between the two markers.