Scoliosis determination device, scoliosis examination device, method for determining scoliosis, and program

Abstract

To provide a scoliosis determination device that can contribute to detection of scoliosis without much time and efforts, and to provide a scoliosis examination device, a method for determining scoliosis, and a program.SOLUTION: A scoliosis determination device includes: a first acquisition part for acquiring a subject image that is obtained by filming a subject by a camera; a second acquisition part for acquiring inclination information relating to inclination of the camera when filming the subject; and an estimation part for detecting a state of the subject on the basis of the subject image and estimating a rib hump angle of the subject on the basis of the state of the subject and the inclination information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a scoliosis assessment device, a scoliosis examination device, a scoliosis assessment method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] One screening system for scoliosis performs screening based on the results of comparing parameters acquired by analyzing an image of a subject with data on healthy individuals (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this screening system, a gyro sensor detects the tilt of an image of the subject, and the horizontally corrected image is analyzed to acquire parameters. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-248089 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the screening system disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to detect the tilt of an image using a gyro sensor, for example, a smartphone equipped with a gyro sensor needs to be placed on the back of the examinee, which tends to increase the time and effort required for screening.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a scoliosis assessment device, a scoliosis examination device, a scoliosis assessment method, and a program that can contribute to the detection of scoliosis without significant effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [1] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a scoliosis assessment device comprising a first acquisition unit that acquires an image of a subject captured by a camera, a second acquisition unit that acquires tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera when capturing the image of the subject, and an estimation unit that detects the condition of the subject based on the image of the subject and estimates the rib hump angle of the subject based on the condition of the subject and the tilt information.

[0007] [2] Also, one aspect of the present invention is that in aspect [1], the estimation unit detects the inclination of an inclination determination line connecting the left and right protrusions of the subject's rib hump based on the condition of the subject, and corrects the inclination of the inclination determination line based on the inclination of the camera to estimate the rib hump angle.

[0008] [3] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is that in the aspect [2], a display control unit is further provided that displays a reference line image serving as a reference for the tilt determination line on a display device that displays an image captured by the camera.

[0009] [4] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is the aspect [1], further comprising a determination unit that determines whether the subject is suspected of having scoliosis based on the rib hump angle.

[0010] [5] Also, one aspect of the present invention is that in the aspect [1], the second acquisition unit acquires the tilt information generated by an inertial measurement unit that detects the behavior of the camera that captured the image of the subject.

[0011] [6] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a scoliosis screening device comprising a camera housed in a housing, an inclination sensor that generates inclination information regarding the inclination of the camera, and the scoliosis assessment device of [1].

[0012] [7] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a scoliosis screening device comprising a camera housed in a housing, an inertial measurement unit that generates tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera based on the behavior of the camera when imaging the subject, a display device that displays the image captured by the camera, and the scoliosis assessment device of [5].

[0013] [8] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a scoliosis assessment method in which a computer acquires an image of a subject captured by a camera, acquires tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera when capturing the image of the subject, detects the condition of the subject based on the image of the subject, estimates a rib hump angle of the subject based on the condition of the subject and the tilt information, and assesses the scoliosis of the subject based on the rib hump angle.

[0014] [9] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to acquire an image of a subject captured by a camera, acquire tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera when capturing the image of the subject, detect the condition of the subject based on the image of the subject, estimate the rib hump angle of the subject based on the condition of the subject and the tilt information, and determine the scoliosis of the subject based on the rib hump angle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The scoliosis assessment device, scoliosis screening device, scoliosis assessment method, and program of the present invention can contribute to the detection of scoliosis without requiring much effort. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a scoliosis examination device 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the touch panel 20. FIG. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of information in the scoliosis examination device 1. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the control circuit 100. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the control circuit 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, a scoliosis assessment device, a scoliosis screening device, a scoliosis assessment method, and a program according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a scoliosis screening device 1 according to an embodiment. The scoliosis screening device 1 according to an embodiment includes, for example, a camera 10, a touch panel 20, an inertial measurement unit (hereinafter, IMU) 30, a memory 40, a communication unit 50, a control circuit 100, and a housing 200. The scoliosis screening device 1 captures an image of a subject who is leaning forward from the back side using the camera 10, estimates a rib hump angle from the captured image, and screens the subject for scoliosis based on the estimated rib hump angle.

[0019] Scoliosis is a symptom that is often seen in childhood, for example. The scoliosis screening device 1 is a device that can be used by a user, such as a child's guardian, to easily screen for scoliosis in a child. The scoliosis screening device 1 of the embodiment is configured by installing a scoliosis assessment app on a smartphone or tablet of a child's guardian, for example.

[0020] When a scoliosis assessment app is launched, a smartphone or the like functions as a scoliosis screening device 1. In the embodiment, the scoliosis screening device 1 is configured by installing a scoliosis assessment app for a smartphone. Instead of or in addition to the mode in which the scoliosis assessment app is installed, the scoliosis screening device 1 may be configured so that the smartphone or the like can access a scoliosis assessment program on a website provided by a server from a browser on the smartphone, thereby making the scoliosis screening device 1 available.

[0021] The scoliosis screening device 1 may be provided in, for example, a smartphone or may be a device dedicated to scoliosis screening. In the embodiment, the scoliosis screening device 1 is provided in a smartphone. In the scoliosis screening device 1 which is a smartphone, the camera 10, touch panel 20, IMU 30, memory 40, communication unit 50, and control circuit 100 are housed inside a housing 200.

[0022] The camera 10 is an optical camera that captures images of the surroundings. For example, the camera 10 captures an image of a subject, such as a child, who is in a hunched posture, in accordance with a user's operation. The camera 10 is provided, for example, in the housing of the scoliosis screening device 1 with its lens facing outward. The camera 10 may be operated, for example, by operating a switch provided on the housing, or by operating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) switch displayed on the touch panel 20.

[0023] The touch panel 20 is an input / output interface that displays various information and accepts input operations by the user. For example, the touch panel 20 displays GUI switches for capturing images using the camera 10 and images captured by the camera 10. When the examiner operates the GUI switches, the touch panel 20 executes processing in accordance with the examiner's operation.

[0024] The touch panel 20 also displays a reference line image that serves as a reference for the inclination determination line of the examinee. The inclination determination line is a line connecting the left and right protrusions of the rib humps of the examinee image 21, for example, the protrusions of the left and right ribs. The touch panel 20 is an example of a display device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the scoliosis screening device 1 with an image displayed on the touch panel 20. The touch panel 20 provided on the housing 200 displays a captured image 20A of the examinee.

[0025] The medical examinee image 20A is an image displayed on the touch panel 20 when the medical examinee is imaged by the camera 10. The medical examinee image 20A includes a medical examinee image 21, a shutter switch 22, a reference line image 23, an estimated horizon image 24, and an estimated rib hump angle image 25.

[0026] The medical examinee image 21 is an image of the examinee captured by the camera 10. The shutter switch 22 is a GUI switch. The reference line image 23 is an image of a reference line that serves as a reference for the examinee's inclination determination line. The user aligns the reference line image 23 with the protrusions of the left and right ribs caused by the rib humps in the medical examinee image 21.

[0027] The assumed horizon image 24 is an image of a horizon that is assumed to be parallel to a horizontal plane. The estimated rib hump angle image 25 is an image that numerically represents the angle that is estimated as the rib hump angle. In FIG. 2, the estimated rib hump angle image 25 is shown with the numerical value "12°." Instead of or in addition to the assumed horizon image 24, a straight line in place of the assumed horizon image 24 may be drawn on the surface of the touch panel 20 or on the housing 200, or grid lines or the like may be used.

[0028] When a user performs an input operation to operate the shutter switch 22, a medical examinee image 20A including a medical examinee image 21 is captured. The touch panel 20 outputs the medical examinee image 20A including the medical examinee image 21, which is an image of the subject captured by the camera 10, to the control circuit 100. The medical examinee image 20A may be output directly from the camera 10 to the control circuit 100 without passing through the touch panel 20.

[0029] The IMU 30 detects acceleration and angular velocity in three axial directions. Based on the detected acceleration and angular velocity, the IMU 30 detects behavior such as the posture and trajectory of the moving body. For example, the IMU 30 detects the tilt of the camera 10 when capturing an image of the subject based on the behavior of the scoliosis screening device 1, and generates tilt information related to the tilt of the camera 10. The IMU 30 transmits the generated tilt information to the control circuit 100. The IMU 30 is an example of an inclination sensor.

[0030] The memory 40 stores various information, such as information about an image of a subject captured by the camera 10. The memory 40 may be realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, a hard disk drive, an optical disk, or the like, or may be realized by a drive device externally attached to the scoliosis screening device 1. The memory 40 stores a scoliosis assessment app installed in the scoliosis screening device 1.

[0031] The communication unit 50 includes a communication interface such as a network interface card (NIC), etc. The communication unit 50 communicates with various servers and external devices such as other smartphones via ultra wide band (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC), etc.

[0032] The control circuit 100 functions as a scoliosis assessment device when the scoliosis assessment app stored in the memory 40 is activated. The control circuit 100 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 110, an estimation unit 120, a assessment unit 130, and a display control unit 140. The scoliosis assessment app may be installed by inserting a storage medium into a drive device.

[0033] The control circuit 100 is realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Part or all of the control circuit 100 may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0034] The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium, which may be memory 40), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0035] The acquisition unit 110 includes, for example, a first acquisition unit 111 and a second acquisition unit 112. The first acquisition unit 111 acquires a medical subject captured image including a medical subject image captured by the camera 10. The touch panel 20 displays the medical subject captured image acquired by the first acquisition unit 111.

[0036] The second acquisition unit 112 acquires tilt information related to the tilt of the scoliosis screening device 1 when capturing an image of the examinee. Since the scoliosis screening device 1 is provided with the camera 10, the tilt of the scoliosis screening device 1 corresponds to the tilt of the camera 10, and the tilt information is information related to the tilt of the camera 10. The second acquisition unit 112 acquires tilt information generated and output by, for example, the IMU 30.

[0037] The estimation unit 120 detects the condition of the medical examinee based on the medical examinee image, and estimates the angle of the medical examinee's rib humps based on the medical examinee's condition and inclination information. The estimation unit 120 detects the positions of left and right protrusions of the medical examinee's rib humps as the medical examinee's condition, for example, by performing image processing on the medical examinee image output by the touch panel 20 and acquired by the first acquisition unit 111. The estimation unit 120 detects the inclination of an inclination determination line connecting the positions of the detected left and right protrusions of the medical examinee's rib humps.

[0038] Furthermore, the estimation unit 120 calculates the inclination of the camera 10 when capturing an image of the examinee, based on the inclination information output by the IMU 30. The estimation unit 120 calculates and estimates the rib hump angle by correcting the inclination of the inclination determination line based on the calculated inclination of the camera 10. The estimation unit 120 may display the estimated rib hump angle as an estimated rib hump angle image 25 on the touch panel 20 when capturing an image of the examinee.

[0039] The determination unit 130 determines whether the subject is suspected of having scoliosis based on the rib hump angle estimated by the estimation unit 120. For example, the determination unit 130 may determine that the subject is suspected of having scoliosis when the rib hump angle exceeds a predetermined value, and may determine that the subject is not suspected of having scoliosis when the rib hump angle is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

[0040] The determination unit 130 may, for example, display a specific switch on the touch panel 20 that specifies the rib hump angle and whether or not there is a suspicion of scoliosis. In this case, the user looks at the rib hump angle displayed on the touch panel 20 and operates the specific switch as a result of determining whether or not there is scoliosis. The touch panel 20 may output specific information corresponding to the operation of the specific switch to the determination unit 130, and the determination unit 130 may determine whether or not there is a suspicion of scoliosis based on the output specific information.

[0041] The display control unit 140 causes various pieces of information to be displayed on the touch panel 20. For example, the display control unit 140 causes a subject image including the subject captured by the camera 10 to be displayed on the touch panel 20. The display control unit 140 causes a reference line image, which serves as a reference for the inclination determination line, to be displayed on the touch panel 20 along with the subject image. The user captures the subject image including the subject by aligning the reference line image with the protrusion caused by the subject's rib hump.

[0042] The following describes the flow of information in the scoliosis screening device 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of information in the scoliosis screening device 1. In the scoliosis screening device 1, when the camera 10 captures an image of a person to be examined, including the person to be examined, the IMU 30 detects the tilt of the scoliosis screening device 1, in other words, the tilt of the camera 10. The camera 10 outputs the captured image of the person to the control circuit 100, and the IMU 30 outputs tilt information relating to the detected tilt of the camera 10 to the control circuit 100.

[0043] In the control circuit 100, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires an image of the examinee, and the second acquisition unit 112 acquires inclination information. In the control circuit 100, the estimation unit 120 detects the posture of the examinee by performing image processing on the image of the examinee acquired by the first acquisition unit 111. The estimation unit 120 detects the inclination of the inclination determination line of the examinee based on the detected posture of the examinee.

[0044] The estimation unit 120 calculates the inclination of the camera 10 based on the inclination information output by the IMC 30 and acquired by the second acquisition unit 112. The estimation unit 120 corrects the detected inclination of the inclination determination line of the examinee with the calculated inclination of the camera 10, and estimates the rib hump angle of the examinee. The determination unit 130 determines whether the examinee is suspected of having scoliosis based on the rib hump angle estimated by the estimation unit 120.

[0045] Next, the processing flow of the control circuit 100 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the control circuit 100. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 is executed, for example, after a user captures an image of a person to be examined. In the scoliosis screening device 1, when a user captures an image of a person to be examined, the camera 10 outputs the image of the person to the control circuit 100, and the IMU 30 outputs tilt information to the control circuit 100.

[0046] In the control circuit 100, first, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires an image of the examinee output by the camera 10 (step S101). Then, the second acquisition unit 112 acquires tilt information output by the IMU 30 (step S103). Then, the estimation unit 120 detects the tilt of the tilt determination line of the examinee (step S105).

[0047] Here, the procedure for detecting the inclination determination line of the medical examinee by the estimation unit 120 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The estimation unit 120 performs image processing on the medical examinee image acquired by the first acquisition unit 111, for example, and detects the inclination determination line by the procedure shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the control circuit 100.

[0048] To detect the inclination determination line, the estimation unit 120 first removes the background from the medical examinee image 20A acquired by the first acquisition unit 111 (step S201) to generate an image of only the medical examinee. Next, the estimation unit 120 cuts out the outline of the medical examinee from the medical examinee image from which the background has been removed (step S203).

[0049] Next, the estimation unit 120 determines the left and right ribs of the medical examinee (step S205). The estimation unit 120 determines the left and right ribs of the medical examinee, for example, by template matching. The determination unit 130 may determine the left and right ribs of the medical examinee by other methods. The determination unit 130 may determine the left and right ribs of the medical examinee based on an input operation on the touch panel 20 by the user.

[0050] Next, the estimation unit 120 detects a tilt determination line by finding an approximation line of the positions determined to be the left and right ribs among the extracted contours (step S207). In this way, the estimation unit 120 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0051] 4, the estimation unit 120 calculates a rib hump angle based on the inclination of the detected inclination determination line and the inclination of the camera 10 calculated based on the inclination information acquired by the second acquisition unit 112 (step S107). Thereafter, the determination unit 130 determines whether the examinee is suspected of having scoliosis based on the rib hump angle calculated by the estimation unit 120 (step S109). In this way, the scoliosis examination device 1 ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0052] The scoliosis screening device 1 of the embodiment estimates the rib hump angle of the subject based on the inclination of an inclination determination line connecting the left and right protrusions of the subject's rib hump, detected from a subject image captured by the camera 10, and the inclination of the camera 10 detected by the IMU 30. Therefore, the scoliosis screening device 1 can determine whether the subject is suspected of having scoliosis simply by capturing an image of the subject in a leaning forward position from behind using the camera 10.

[0053] Therefore, the scoliosis screening device 1 of the embodiment can be used by doctors, technicians, etc. to determine whether a child is suspected of having scoliosis, and can also be used by parents of children to easily determine whether a child is suspected of having scoliosis. Therefore, in order to limit the number of people who can be screened before a doctor conducts a scoliosis screening at school, parents can use the scoliosis screening device 1 as users to determine whether a child is suspected of having scoliosis in advance at home.

[0054] Therefore, for example, before a doctor examines a child, a guardian can become a user and use the scoliosis examination device 1 to receive a diagnosis from a doctor if scoliosis is suspected. Therefore, examinations of subjects who are only slightly suspected of having scoliosis can be omitted, which can contribute to the detection of scoliosis without much effort.

[0055] In the above embodiment, when the camera 10 captures an image of the examinee, the touch panel 20 displays the reference line image 23. This allows the user to image the user by aligning the reference line image 23 with the protrusions of the ribs, making it easier to image the user. Furthermore, when capturing an image of the examinee, the touch panel 20 displays an estimated horizon image 24 and an estimated rib hump angle image 25. This allows the user to be notified of suspected scoliosis quickly and clearly.

[0056] If the subject is suspected of having scoliosis, the scoliosis screening device 1 may output an alarm about the suspected scoliosis by displaying a specific message on the touch panel 20, vibrating the scoliosis screening device 1, or outputting a sound from the speaker of the scoliosis screening device 1. In the above embodiment, the control circuit 100 constituting the scoliosis assessment device is built into the housing 200 of the smartphone constituting the scoliosis screening device 1, but it may also be provided outside the housing 200.

[0057] In this case, for example, the components other than the control circuit 100 (scoliosis assessment device) of the scoliosis screening device 1 may be housed in the housing 200 of the smartphone, and information may be exchanged with the scoliosis screening device 1 by communication via a network. The network may be connected wirelessly or by wire.

[0058] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the scoliosis assessment device, scoliosis screening device, scoliosis assessment device method, and program are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, substitutions, combinations, and / or design changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0059] Furthermore, the effects of the above-described embodiments of the present invention are described as examples. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention may also achieve other effects that a person skilled in the art can recognize from the description of the above-described embodiments in addition to the above-described effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Scoliosis screening device 10 Camera 20 Touch Panel 20A Examination subject image 21 Examination subject images 22 shutter switch 23 Baseline Image 24 Image of the assumed horizon 25 Estimated rib hump angle image 30 IMU 40 memory 50 Communications Department 100 control circuit 110 Acquisition Department 111 First acquisition part 112 Second Acquisition Department 120 Estimation part 130 Judgment section 140 Display control unit 200 cabinets

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires an image of the examinee captured by a camera; a second acquisition unit that acquires tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera when capturing an image of the examinee; an estimation unit that detects a state of the examinee based on the image of the examinee, and estimates a rib hump angle of the examinee based on the state of the examinee and the tilt information. Scoliosis assessment device.

2. the estimation unit detects a slope of a slope determination line connecting left and right protrusions due to rib humps of the medical examinee based on the state of the medical examinee; correcting the inclination of the inclination determination line based on the inclination of the camera to estimate the rib hump angle; The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 1 .

3. a display control unit that displays a reference line image serving as a reference for the tilt determination line on a display device that displays the image captured by the camera; The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 2 .

4. The medical device further includes a determination unit that determines whether the examinee is suspected of having scoliosis based on the rib hump angle. The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 1 .

5. the second acquisition unit acquires the tilt information generated by an inertial measurement unit that detects behavior of the camera that captured an image of the medical examinee. The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 1 .

6. a camera housed in a housing; a tilt sensor for generating tilt information relating to the tilt of the camera; The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 1, Scoliosis screening device.

7. a camera housed in a housing; an inertial measurement unit that generates tilt information regarding the tilt of the camera based on the behavior of the camera when imaging the medical examinee; a display device that displays an image captured by the camera; The scoliosis assessment device according to claim 5, Scoliosis screening device.

8. The computer An image of the examinee is obtained by capturing an image of the examinee with a camera; acquiring tilt information relating to the tilt of the camera when imaging the examinee; Detecting a state of the examinee based on the image of the examinee, and estimating a rib hump angle of the examinee based on the state of the examinee and the tilt information; determining scoliosis of the subject based on the rib hump angle; How to determine scoliosis.

9. On the computer, An image of the examinee is obtained by capturing an image of the examinee with a camera; acquiring tilt information relating to the tilt of the camera when imaging the examinee; Detecting a state of the examinee based on the image of the examinee, and estimating a rib hump angle of the examinee based on the state of the examinee and the tilt information; determining scoliosis of the subject based on the rib hump angle; program.

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