Apparatus and method for determination of medication location

• US 10,558,845 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AIC Innovations Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AIC Innovations Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Guan, Lei, Hanina, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Perez-Fuentes, Luis
• Application Number:
  US13/214,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,096 Days
• Field of Search: 348 77
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4833 Assessment of subject's compliance to treatment
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program stored on a non-volatile computer readable storage medium for confirming a pill in the mouth of a user. The computer program causing a general purpose computer to perform the steps of capturing one or more images of a user by an image capture device, confirming the position of the face of the user within the captured image by measuring a size of the face, and setting a predetermined portion of the face of the user to be a region of interest. An open mouth of the user is confirmed within the region of interest, and the open mouth of the user is classified as one of a mouth with a pill therein and a mouth without a pill therein.

Claims

1. A method for confirming a pill in the mouth of a user, comprising:

predefining one or more steps associated with confirming a pill in the mouth of a user, the one or more steps comprising at least proper identification of a medication pill, proper positioning of the face of the user, proper positioning of the open mouth of the user, and proper showing of whether there is a pill in the mouth of the user;

displaying on a display one or more guidance instructions for properly positioning of a face of the user relative to the image capture camera;

capturing a first set of one or more video frames by an image capture camera associated with the display;

determining, by one or more processors in near real time from the first set of one or more video frames, that the user has properly positioned the face of the user in response to the one or more guidance instructions;

confirming, by the one or more processors in near real time, that the face of the user is an expected face;

in response to a confirmation that the face of the user is the expected face, displaying on the display one or more guidance instructions for positioning the medication pill relative to the image capture camera upon determination that the user has properly positioned the face of the user;

capturing a second set of one or more video frames by the image capture device;

determining, by the one or more processors in near real time, that the user has properly positioned the medication pill within the field of view in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning the medication pill, and that the medication pill is an expected medication pill from the second set of one or more video frames;

setting a bottom portion of the face of the user as a region of interest, the region of interest including the mouth of the user, responsive to determining that the user has properly positioned their face in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning of the face of the user, that the user is the expected user, and that the medication pill is the expected medication pill;

determining, by the one or more processors in near real time, that the mouth of the user in the region of interest is an open mouth from the second set of one or more video frames;

subsequent to determining that the mouth of the user is the open mouth, extracting an image of the open mouth from the second set of one or more video frames, and classifying, by the one or more processors, the open mouth from the extracted image as a mouth without a pill therein;

responsive to classifying the open mouth as the mouth without a pill therein, displaying on the display guidance for positioning the open mouth of the user relative to the image capture camera; and

displaying on the display guidance to the user to place the medication pill in their mouth.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the user has performed a swallowing action.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the proximity of the mouth of the user to the image capture camera by measuring the size of the mouth of the user from the second set of one or more video frames.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of tracking the pill in the first and/or second set of one or more captured video frames.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising guiding the user to position the pill, subsequent to determining that tracking of the pill cannot be confirmed.

6. A system for confirming a pill in the mouth of a user the system comprising:

an image acquisition device operable to capture one or more video frames of a user;

a display operable to display guidance for positioning of a face of the user relative to the image acquisition device in accordance with the captured one or more video frames, to display one or more guidance instructions for performing one or more steps associated with proper medication pill positioning; and

a processor operable to;

output, to the display, the one or more guidance instructions for positioning the face of the user relative to the image acquisition device in accordance with the captured one or more video frames, and guidance for positioning the open mouth of the user relative to the image acquisition device,

receive, from the image acquisition device, a first one or more video frames of the user performing one or more steps associated with properly positioning the face of the user in response to the display on the display of the guidance instructions for positioning the face of the user and the open mouth of the user;

determine in near real time whether the user has properly positioned their face within the field of view in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning the face of the user;

receive, from the image acquisition device a second one or more video frames of the user;

determine, in accordance with the second one or more video frames in near real time, whether the user has properly positioned the medication pill in response to the guidance instructions for performing one or more steps associated with proper medication pill positioning, thus allowing the processor to further confirm that the medication pill is an expected medication pill;

set a bottom portion of the face of the user as a region of interest, the region of interest including the mouth of the user, responsive to determining that the user has properly positioned their face in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning of the face of the user,

classify in near real time, based on the second one or more video frames, the mouth of the user in the region of interest is an open mouth,

subsequent to determining that the mouth of the user is the open mouth, extracting an image of the open mouth from the second one or more video frames, and classifying the open mouth from the extracted image as one of a mouth with a pill therein and a mouth without a pill therein, and

output, to the display, guidance to the user to place a medication pill in their mouth when the open mouth of the user is classified as a mouth without a pill therein.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable to confirm drinking a liquid by the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further operable to confirm that the mouth of the user is empty after drinking the liquid.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is operable to confirm positioning of the mouth of the user relative to the displayed guidance in accordance with measuring the size of the mouth of the user from the one or more captured video frames.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable to track the location of the medication pill through the one or more captured video frames.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further operable to output to the display guidance to the user, wherein the guidance comprises instructions to position the medication pill when the processor is unable to track the medication pill through the one or more captured video frames.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is operable to confirm positioning of the face of the user relative to the displayed guidance in accordance with measuring the size of the face of the user from the one or more captured video frames.

13. A non-volatile computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the actions of:

predefining one or more steps associated with confirming a pill in the mouth of a user, the one or more steps comprising at least proper identification of a medication pill, proper positioning of the face of the user, proper positioning of the open mouth of the user, and proper showing of whether there is a pill in the mouth of the user;

displaying on a display one or more guidance instructions for properly positioning of a face of the user relative to the image capture camera;

capturing a first set of one or more video frames by an image capture camera associated with the display;

determining, in near real time from the first set of one or more video frames, whether the user has properly positioned the face of the user relative to the image capture camera in response to the one or more guidance instructions;

confirming, in near real time, that the face of the user is an expected face;

in response to a confirmation that the face of the user is the expected face, displaying on the display one or more guidance instructions for positioning of the medication pill relative to the image capture camera upon determination that the user has properly positioned the face of the user;

capturing a second set of one or more video frames of a user by an image capture device associated with the display;

determining, in near real time, whether the user has properly positioned the medication pill within the field of view in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning the medication, and that the medication pill is an expected medication pill from the second set of one or more video frames;

setting a bottom portion of the face of the user as a region of interest, the region of interest including the mouth of the user, responsive to determining that the user has properly positioned their face in response to the one or more guidance instructions for positioning of the face of the user, that the user is the expected user, and that the medication pill is the expected medication pill;

capturing a third set of one or more video frames by the image capture device;

confirming that the mouth of the user is an open mouth of the user within the region of interest from the third set of one or more video frames in near real time;

subsequent to determining that the mouth of the user is the open mouth, extracting an image of the open mouth from the third set of one or more video frames, and classifying the open mouth of the user as one of a mouth with a pill therein and a mouth without a pill therein in near real time; and

responsive to classifying the open mouth of the user as the mouth without a pill therein, displaying on the display guidance for positioning the open mouth of the user relative to the image capture device and displaying on the display guidance to the user to place the medication pill in their mouth.

14. The non-volatile computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising determining whether the user has performed a swallowing action.

15. The non-volatile computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising determining the proximity of the mouth of the user to the image capture camera by measuring the size of the mouth of the user from the second set of one or more video frames.

16. The non-volatile computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising tracking the pill in the first set of one or more captured video frames and the second set of one or more captured video frames.

17. The non-volatile computer readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising tracking the pill in the mouth of the user.

18. The non-volatile computer readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising identifying the tracked pill in the mouth of the user.