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

• US 7,344,081 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Transpacific IP Group Limited
• Inventors: Tseng, Wen-Chao
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US11/300,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20060094127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.04, 235/462.07, 235/462.08, 235/462.09, 235/462.13, 235/462.15, 235/454, 235/486, 235/494, 235/375, 235/470, 422/55, 422/56, 422/58, 422/61, 422/82.05, 435/4, 435/805
• US Class Current: 235/462.13
• 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. In one embodiment, he method comprises 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.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing an image of a bar code and an image of at least a portion of a test strip on a scanning object, the bar code adapted to indicate a position of one or more target elements associated with the test strip; and

determining a test result for the test strips based at least in part on a determined color response of the one or more target elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target elements comprises target lines, and wherein the test strip further comprises a control line adapted to change color in response to a test liquid.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a color of said control line is adapted to change in response to contact with a test liquid.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said test liquid includes a biological fluid collected from a subject.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said biological fluid is selected from a group consisting of blood, urine, sweat and saliva.

6. The method of claim 2, 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.

7. The method of claim 1, 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.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said test strip includes a drug abuse test paper.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising 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.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a type of testing device based, at least in part, on a the captured bar code image, wherein the type of test strip comprises a setting value of the test strip.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

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

capture an image of a bar code on a scanning object;

capture an image of a testing device on the scanning object, the bar code adapted to identify a position of at least a portion of the testing device on the scanning object;

determine a color response of the testing device, based at least in part on the portion of the testing device identified by the bar code; and

determine a test result for the testing device, based at least in part on the determined color response of the testing device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said bar code comprises a constant code length comprising bars and spaces.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 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 testing device;

a second group of bar patterns associated with a position of one or more target lines disposed on said testing device; and

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

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the testing device further comprises target lines, and wherein the testing device further comprises a control line adapted to change color in response to a test liquid.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said control line is adapted to change color in response to contact with a test liquid.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said image capturing device is further adapted to determine said color response of said testing device based at least in part on average pixels values of red, green, and blue pixels.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the testing device comprises at least one test strip.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the type of testing device comprises a setting value of the at least one test strip.

19. A method, comprising:

capturing an image of a bar code and an image of a testing member via a scanning device; and

determining a location of one or more test elements associated with the testing member based, at least in part, on said captured image of the bar code.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the testing member includes at least one test strip.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

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

determining a test result for the at least one test strip, based at least in part on the determined type of testing member.

22. The method of claim 19, 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 testing member;

a second group of bar patterns associated with a position of at least one of the test elements; and

a third group of bar patterns associated with identification information associated with said testing member.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for capturing an image of a bar code and an image of at least a portion of a test strip on a scanning object, the bar code adapted to indicate a location of the test strip on the scanning object; and

means for determining a test result for the test strip, based at least in part on a determined color response of the test strip.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

means for determining at test result based at least in part on a color response of red, green, and blue pixels.

25. A method, comprising:

determining a position of one or more target elements on a test strip based, at least in part, on a captured image of a bar code; and

determining a test result for the test strip, based at least in part on a determined color response for the one or more target elements of the test strip.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the target elements comprise target lines, and wherein the test strip further includes a control line adapted to change color in response to a test liquid.

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

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

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

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

28. The method of claim 25, 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.