Method for diagnosing disease from tongue image

• US 7,444,071 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Shoupu
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US11/116,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20060247502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 396/14, 396/16, 600/300, 600/407, 128/922, 348/77, 348/187, 348/188
• US Class Current: 396/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• 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 5/103 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes A61B5/08 takes precedence; measuring aids for tailors A41H1/00; measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C19/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4854 Diagnosis based on concepts of traditional oriental medicine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30088 Skin; Dermal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

A digital image processing method for a centralized multi-mode medical tongue image inspection system, comprising the steps of: forming at least one service unit (300) for performing tongue record (220) construction; forming a processing unit (320) for tongue record inspection (308); and providing communication links (330) between the service units and the processing unit.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing diseases by inspecting images of an individual'"'"'s tongue comprising:

forming a first image of said tongue, a color checker, and a portion of said individual'"'"'s face;

forming a second image of said tongue and said portion of said individual'"'"'s face;

performing a color comparison of said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said second image to said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said first image;

matching the colors in said second image to the colors in said first image based on said color comparison; and

diagnosing at least one disease based on changes in said first tongue image and said second tongue image.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein a color calibration is performed on said first image prior to said color comparison step.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said diagnosis is aided by comparison to reference images of other individuals tongues.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

retrieving the patient'"'"'s tongue history records from an image storage facility;

reviewing and classifying the first or second image of said tongue and the retrieved history records;

transmitting, displaying, or storing the classification, or tongue records.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of classifying the acquired and retrieved tongue images using an inspection mode further comprises the steps of:

collecting a plurality of sample tongue images from healthy and unhealthy individuals;

extracting relevant color information from said plurality of sample tongue images in a transformed color space;

extracting relevant non-color information from said plurality of sample tongue images;

training classifiers with the extracted color and non-color information; and

applying the trained classifiers to the acquired at least one image of a patient tongue.

4. A method for diagnosing diseases by inspecting images of an individual'"'"'s tongue comprising:

forming a first image of said tongue and a portion of said individual'"'"'s face;

forming a second image of said tongue and said portion of said individual'"'"'s face;

performing a color comparison of said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said second image to said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said first image;

matching the colors in said second image to the colors in said first image based on said color comparison; and

diagnosing at least one disease based on changes in said first tongue image and said second tongue image.

5. The method of claim 4 comprising the additional steps of:

forming a third image of said tongue, said portion of said individual'"'"'s face, and a color checker;

performing a color calibration on said third image;

performing a color comparison of said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said third image to said portion of said individual'"'"'s face in said first and second image; and

matching the colors in said first and second image to the colors in said third image based on said color comparison.

6. The method of claim 4 comprising the additional steps of:

transmitting said first image and said second image to a process unit; and

performing said diagnosis step at said process unit.