Image information recognition device, image information storage medium construction method, image information recognition method, computer program therefor, and health information management method

Abstract

To provide an image information recognition device and a method that correctly store and manage data listed on a health examination slip by recognizing data listed on the health examination slip with processing such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition).SOLUTION: A terminal device 14, which is an image information recognition device that recognizes characters or the like included in a health examination slip including items for entry of diagnostic results of subject students in first to sixth grades of an elementary school and entry of diagnostic results of subject students in first to third grades of a junior high school, outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate by executing processing such as OCR to each item for each grade of the health examination slip, displays the recognition result of each item on a display device 52 by changing a display mode according to a value of the recognition rate of the item, changes the recognition result of each item displayed on the display device with operation of a user, and stores the recognition result and the changed result in a storage device 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image information recognition device, and in particular to an image information recognition device, an image information storage medium construction method, an image information recognition method, and a computer program therefor, for accurately storing and managing data recorded on health checkup slips used in elementary and junior high schools as school health information by recognizing the data recorded on the health checkup slips by processing such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition).The present invention also relates to a health information management method for centrally managing school health information and maternal and child health information related to the school health information. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, character recognition devices having an OCR function have been used to recognize characters written on forms. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide an image information recognition device, an image information storage medium construction method, an image information recognition method, and a computer program therefor, for accurately storing and managing data recorded on health examination forms on which the results of health examinations at elementary and junior high schools are recorded by recognizing the data recorded on such health examination forms using processing such as OCR, and for accurately storing and managing the data recorded on such health examination forms as school health information.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide a health information management method for centrally managing such school health information and maternal and child health information related to the subjects of the school health information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The image information recognition device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image information recognition device that recognizes characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup sheet. There are multiple types of health checkup sheets. Each type of health checkup sheet includes items for entering diagnostic results of a subject from the first to sixth grades of elementary school and the first to third grades of junior high school. The health checkup sheet is provided with a character entry item, which is an item for entering characters, and a single-choice item for marking an object to be selected so that one of a plurality of objects can be selected alternatively, for each school year. The character entry item of the health checkup sheet includes a rectangular frame and a line for separating a decimal point and each digit from one long side to the other long side of the frame, and includes a number entry item for entering a numerical value within the frame. The character entry item of the health checkup sheet further includes characters indicating the positions of the teeth and frames located near each of the characters, and includes a dental formula entry item for entering characters indicating the state of the teeth within the frames. The health checkup sheet is rectangular in shape. The single-choice item on the health checkup sheet has a plurality of characters arranged in a direction parallel to the short side of the health checkup sheet, and includes a character selection item for selectively selecting one of the plurality of characters. The image information recognition device includes an identification information storage unit that stores a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of the health checkup sheet, and an identification means for determining whether a character string read from a certain area in an image of the health checkup sheet is the same as any of the character strings stored in the identification information storage unit, and for identifying the type of the health checkup sheet. The image information recognition device further includes character recognition means for executing character recognition processing and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate for each item for each grade of the health checkup sheet of the type identified by the identification means, if the item is a character entry item, and mark recognition means for recognizing which target of the item is marked, if the item is a single-choice item, and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate.The image information recognition device further includes result display means for displaying the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means on a display device by changing the display mode in accordance with the value of the recognition rate of the item, change means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation, and storage means for storing the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means and the results changed by the change means for the item in a storage device. The character recognition means recognizes numerical values ​​entered in the number entry items and recognizes characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental formula entry items, and outputs the recognition results and the recognition rate. The mark recognition means recognizes which characters are marked in the character selection items, and outputs the recognition results and the recognition rate. The change means includes recognition result change means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation, and the recognition results. change an image display means for displaying an enlarged image of the item changed by the image display means within the image of the medical examination sheet on a display device; include.

[0006] Preferably, the storage means continuously adds and stores the health examination results for each school year for a plurality of subjects in the storage device.

[0007] More preferably, the result display means displays the recognition results for each item outputted by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means on the display device by changing the color according to the value of the recognition rate for that item.

[0008] More preferably, the result display means displays the recognition results of the character entry items and single selection items in a list on the display device, and changes the display format of the recognition result for each item depending on the recognition rate of the item.

[0009] More preferably, the image information recognition device further includes area storage means for storing an area in the image data where the diagnosis result is to be entered for each item for each grade on the health checkup sheet. The character recognition means executes character recognition processing for the area of ​​the character entry item on the health checkup sheet stored by the area storage means, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The mark recognition means recognizes which object is marked in the area of ​​the item stored by the area storage means for a single selection item on the health checkup sheet, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate.

[0010] An image information storage medium construction method according to a second aspect of the present invention constructs a storage medium for storing diagnostic results recorded on a health checkup sheet. The image information storage medium construction method includes the steps of: The image information recognition device uses an identification information storage unit that stores a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of the health checkup certificate, and includes an identification step of determining whether a character string read from a certain area of ​​the image of the health checkup certificate is the same as any of the character strings stored in the identification information storage unit, and specifying the type of the health checkup certificate. The image information storage medium construction method further includes the steps of: The image information recognition device of the type identified in the identification stepFor each item on the health check sheet for each grade, if the item is an item to be entered by characters, a character recognition step is performed to execute character recognition processing and output the recognition result and the recognition rate, and if the item is an item to be selected by a single choice, a mark recognition step is performed to recognize which object of the item is marked and output the recognition result and the recognition rate. The image information storage medium construction method further includes a result display step in which the image information recognition device changes the display mode of the recognition results of each item outputted in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step according to the value of the recognition rate of the item and displays them on a display device, a change step in which the image information recognition device changes the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation, and a storage step in which the image information recognition device stores in a storage medium the recognition results of each item outputted in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step and the results changed for the item in the change step. In the character recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes the numerical values ​​entered in the numerical entry items and the characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry items, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. In the mark recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes which characters are marked in the character selection items, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The modification step includes a recognition result modification step in which the image information recognition device modifies the recognition results of each item displayed on a display device in the recognition result display step through a user's operation, and an image display step in which the image information recognition device displays, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup form for the item modified in the recognition result display step.

[0011] An image information recognition program according to a third aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer as an image information recognition device for recognizing characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup certificate. The image information recognition program includes: an identification information storage means for storing a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of health checkup certificate; and a memory for storing a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of health checkup certificate, the identification information storage means ... means To Thereforeand causes the computer to function as an identification means for determining which of the character strings stored in the computer-readable storage device is the same as the character string stored in the computer-readable storage device, and identifying the type of the health checkup sheet. The image information recognition program further causes the computer to function as a character recognition means for executing character recognition processing for each item for each grade of the health checkup sheet of the type identified by the identification means, if the item is a character entry item, and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate, and a mark recognition means for recognizing which target of the item is marked, if the item is a single-selection item, and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate. The image information recognition program further causes the computer to function as a result display means for changing the display mode of the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means in accordance with the value of the recognition rate of the item, and displaying them on a display device, a change means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation, and a storage means for storing in a storage device the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means, and the change result for the item by the change means. The character recognition means recognizes numerical values ​​entered in the number entry items and recognizes characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry items, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The mark recognition means recognizes which characters are marked in the character selection items, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The change means includes recognition result change means for changing the recognition result of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation, and a recognition result display means for displaying the recognition result. change and image display means for displaying, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup sheet for the item changed by the means.

[0012] An image information recognition method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is a method in which an image information recognition device recognizes characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup ticket. The image information recognition device includes an identification information storage unit that stores a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of the health checkup ticket. The image information recognition method includes an identification step in which the image information recognition device determines whether a character string read from a certain area in the image of the health checkup ticket is the same as any of the character strings stored in the identification information storage unit, and specifies the type of the health checkup ticket. The image information recognition method further includes the step of determining whether the image information recognition device recognizes the character string from the identification information storage unit. Steps To Hey The image information recognition method further includes a character recognition step of executing character recognition processing for each item for each grade of the health check-up sheet of the type identified by the image information recognition device, if the item is an item to be entered by characters, and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate, and a mark recognition step of recognizing which object of the item is marked, if the item is a single-choice item, and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate. The image information recognition method further includes a result display step of the image information recognition device changing the display mode of the recognition results of each item outputted in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step according to the value of the recognition rate of the item, and displaying the result on a display device, a change step of the image information recognition device changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation, and a storage step of storing the recognition results of each item outputted in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step, and the change result for the item in the change step, in a storage device. In the character recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes numbers entered in the number entry item and recognizes characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry item, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. In the mark recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes whether any character is marked in the character selection item, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The change step includes a recognition result change step in which the image information recognition device changes the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation, and a recognition result change step in which the image information recognition device changes the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation. change and an image display step of displaying, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup sheet for the item changed in the step.

[0013] A health information management method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a method for managing school health information and maternal and child health information. In the health information management method, a server device and a maternal and child health information management device that stores health information of infants and pregnant women are connected via a network. The health information management method includes a character recognition step in which the server device executes character recognition processing for each item on a health checkup sheet for each school year if the item is an item to be entered by characters, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate, and a mark recognition step in which, if the item is a single-choice item, the server device recognizes which target of the item is marked, and outputs the recognition result and the recognition rate. The health information management method further includes a result display step in which the server device changes the display mode of the recognition results of each item output in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step according to the value of the recognition rate of the item and displays them on a display device, a modification step in which the server device modifies the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step through a user's operation, a health information storage step in which the server device stores the recognition results of each item output in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step and the results modified for the item in the modification step in a storage device as school health information, and a maternal and child health information storage step in which the maternal and child health information management device stores maternal and child health information that is the result of health checkups of an infant and a pregnant woman in a storage device. The subject of the school health information stored in the health information storage step and the infant of the maternal and child health information stored in the maternal and child health information storage step may be the same person. The health information management method further includes a health information storage step in which the server device acquires the maternal and child health information stored in the maternal and child health information storage step from the maternal and child health information management device via a network and stores the information in a storage device of the server device, and an associated information storage step in which the server device associates the subject of the school health information stored in the health information storage step with infants among the maternal and child health information stored in the maternal and child health information storage step that are the same person as the subject, and stores the information in the storage device of the server device.The mobile terminal device is connected to the server device via a network. The health information management method further includes a transmission step in which the server device transmits to the mobile terminal device the school health information of a certain subject stored in the health information storage step and the maternal and child health information of an infant associated with the certain subject and stored in the related information storage step, and a step in which the mobile terminal device acquires the maternal and child health information and the school health information transmitted in the transmission step and presents them to a user of the mobile terminal device.

[0014] Preferably, the health information management method further includes a notification step in which the server device notifies a user of information that contains findings other than no abnormalities among the maternal and child health information stored in the maternal and child health information storage step.

[0015] More preferably, in the health information management method, the mobile terminal device is connected to the server device via a network. The health information management method further includes a step of the mobile terminal device acquiring maternal and child health information and school health information related to a family of the user of the mobile terminal device from the server device and presenting the maternal and child health information and school health information related to a family of the user of the mobile terminal device to the user.

[0016] More preferably, the maternal and child health information management device is a mobile terminal device that can be carried by the user.

[0017] More preferably, the health information management method further includes a step in which the server device extracts maternal and child health information regarding pregnant women and infants residing in a specific area from the maternal and child health information stored in the memory device of the server device in the health information storage step, and transmits the extracted maternal and child health information to the maternal and child health information management device.

[0018] More preferably, the portable terminal device is a mobile terminal device.

[0019] More preferably, the health information management method further includes a step of connecting the server device and a portable terminal device that can be carried by a user via the network, the portable terminal device storing the school health information in a storage device of the portable terminal device, and the server device acquiring the school health information stored in the school health information storage step from the portable terminal device and storing it in the storage device of the server device.

[0020] The health information management method further includes a step of storing the school health information in a storage device of the school business support system by the school business support system, and a step of acquiring the school health information stored in the school health information storage step from the school business support system and storing the information in a storage device of the server device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a server device 12 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device 14 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a document identification information table 40 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of an item region definition table 42 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an item data table 44 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of an item sub-data table 46 shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart representing a control structure of a computer program executed by control unit 54 of terminal device 14. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 220 shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 210 shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 212 shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 12] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 214 shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 354 shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen for inputting a file path and selecting a school type. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen for displaying an image of a form and the results of processing such as OCR. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system 700 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a server device 702 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a server device 708 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal device 706 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 7 shows the configuration of a storage device 750. [Diagram 25] FIG. 7 shows the configuration of a storage device 760. [Figure 26] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an infant basic information table 800. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802. [Figure 28]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a medical check-up information table 804 at 1 year and 6 months of age. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a 3-year-old health check information table 806. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a table regarding health information for pregnant women. [Diagram 31] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a subject basic information table 820. [Diagram 32] 13 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program executed by control device 32 of server device 708. [Diagram 33] 13 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program executed by control device 32 of server device 708. [Diagram 34] 13 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program executed by control device 32 of server device 708. [Diagram 35] 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control structure of a computer program executed by control unit 778 of mobile terminal 706. [Diagram 36] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system 954 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal device 950 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 38] 13 is a flowchart showing a control structure of a computer program executed by control device 32 of server device 708. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, the same parts are given the same reference numerals. The functions and names of the parts are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated. [First embodiment] (Health Checkup Sheet)

[0023] 16 and 17 are diagrams showing a medical checkup form used in the present invention. Referring to FIG. 16, the medical checkup form 20 is an A4-sized rectangular form on which the results of a medical checkup for elementary and junior high school students are written. Hereinafter, a person undergoing a medical checkup will be referred to as a "subject." The medical checkup form 20 is a form on which general diagnostic results such as name, height, weight, and eyesight are written for one subject. Hereinafter, with regard to an A4-sized rectangular form such as the medical checkup form 20, the direction of the short side will be referred to as the horizontal direction, and the direction of the long side will be referred to as the vertical direction.

[0024] The health check sheet 20 has a table 24 with 3 rows and 10 columns for recording the class and number of the child or student for each grade. In the table 24, the numbers 1 to 6 indicating the grade of elementary school and the numbers 1 to 3 indicating the grade of junior high school are printed in the second to tenth columns of the first line. In the table 24, the second to tenth columns of the second line have columns for recording the class for each grade in elementary school and junior high school, and the second to tenth columns of the third line have columns for recording the number for identifying the child or student within the class for each grade in elementary school and junior high school.

[0025] On the health examination form 20, below table 24, the heading "Pupil Health Examination Form (General)" is displayed.

[0026] The medical examination sheet 20 has a table 26 for entering general medical examination results such as name, height, weight, and eyesight. The first line of the table 26 has columns for entering name, sex, and date of birth. In the gender column, the characters "male" and "female" are displayed in advance, and a circle mark is to be written by hand on either one of the characters. The second line of the table 26 has three columns for entering the name of the school. The third line of the table 26 has a column for entering the age of the subject, and the numbers 6 to 14 are to be entered in order from the left. The fourth line of the table 26 has a column for entering the year in which the medical examination was conducted according to each age of the subject. The fifth and sixth lines of the table 26 have columns for entering the height and weight at the time of the medical examination according to each age of the subject. The column for entering the height and weight has a dot in the center of a rectangular frame, and the dot represents a decimal point. The ninth and tenth lines of Table 26 contain columns for recording the visual acuity of the right eye and the visual acuity of the left eye at the time of the medical examination according to each age of the subject. Regarding the column for recording visual acuity, parentheses are displayed on the right side of the rectangular frame, and the visual acuity without correction is to be recorded on the left side of the parentheses, and the visual acuity with correction is to be recorded inside the parentheses.

[0027] The seventh, eighth and tenth lines of Table 26 onwards provide columns for entering general diagnostic results, as shown in FIG.

[0028] With regard to "Nutritional status," "Status of the spine, chest and limbs," and "Eye diseases and abnormalities" through "Other diseases and abnormalities" in Table 26, if there is nothing to be entered, a diagonal line should be entered from the upper right corner to the lower left corner of each rectangular box in the column to be filled in.

[0029] 17, health checkup sheet 22 is an A4-sized rectangular form similar to health checkup sheet 20. Health checkup sheet 22 is a form for recording the examination results of the subject's teeth and oral cavity. A heading "Pupil Health Checkup Sheet (Teeth and Oral Cavity)" is printed at the top of health checkup sheet 22. Below this heading on health checkup sheet 22, a table 28 is printed for recording the name, sex, and condition of the teeth and oral cavity.

[0030] The first line of Table 28 has columns for entering name, sex, and date of birth. The method for filling in the sex column is the same as the sex column in Table 26 of the medical examination sheet 20. The second line of Table 28 shows the headings of each item, consisting of age, year, temporomandibular joint, etc.

[0031] The first column from the third row onwards of Table 28 is a column for entering age, in which numbers 6 through 14 are to be entered in order from top to bottom. The second column from the third row onwards of Table 28 is a column for entering the year in which the health check was taken.

[0032] From the third row onwards, columns three through six of Table 28 are provided with columns for recording the "temporomandibular joint" condition, "dentition and occlusion" condition, "dental plaque condition" and "gingival condition" of the subject at each age. An integer between 0 and 2 is to be selected in the four condition columns for each age. For the "temporomandibular joint", from the third row onwards, columns three through six of Table 28, integers between 0 and 2 are displayed vertically for each age, and a circle mark is to be handwritten in the corresponding number for each age. The method for recording the "dentition and occlusion" condition, "dental plaque condition" and "gingival condition" is the same as that for the "temporomandibular joint".

[0033] Between the "Gingival Condition" column and the "Number of Current Teeth" column in Table 28, there is a column for entering the "Dental Formula" at each age. In the "Dental Formula" column, the numbers 8 to 1 and 1 to 8 are printed in one line from left to right for each age, and below that, the letters E to A and A to E are printed in one column from left to right across two lines, and below that, the numbers 8 to 1 and 1 to 8 are printed in one line from left to right across the line. Each of the numbers and letters is surrounded by a rectangular frame. Within the rectangular frame, any of the following characters should be written over the numbers and letters: "-", " / ", a backslash mark, "C", a circle mark, a triangle mark, an x ​​mark, or the letter "CO".

[0034] As for the meanings of medical terms such as "dental formula" and the letters and marks entered in the "dental formula" entry field, they are not essential to the present invention and therefore will not be explained here.

[0035] In the column to the right of the "dental formula" in Table 28, there are spaces for entering numbers for the "current number of teeth" through "number of lost teeth" for each age group.

[0036] In the column to the right of “Number of Missing Teeth” in Table 28, there is a space to fill in the form as shown in Figure 17. (Image position)

[0037] In the present invention, the medical checkup sheet 20 is read as electronic image data by a scanner or the like. Hereinafter, such electronic image data may be simply referred to as "image data." With reference to FIG. 16, the position of a certain point in the image of the medical checkup sheet 20 is determined with the top left vertex of the medical checkup sheet 20 as the base point, and is determined by two distances: the horizontal distance from the left long side and the vertical distance from the upper short side. The horizontal distance from the left long side is called the horizontal coordinate, and the vertical distance from the upper short side is called the vertical coordinate. Hereinafter, the combination of the horizontal coordinate and the vertical coordinate may be simply referred to as "coordinate."

[0038] The method of determining the position of a point in the image of the health check-up card 22 is the same as that of the health check-up card 20. (Recognizing characters in image data)

[0039] In the present invention, characters displayed in the image data of the health check-up sheet 20 and the health check-up sheet 22 are recognized by OCR. Also, marks such as circles displayed in the image data are recognized by OMR (Optical Mark Recognition).

[0040] Hereinafter, the collective term for OCR and OMR will be referred to as "OCR, etc."

[0041] In the present invention, when OCR processing is performed, an area in the image data for performing OCR processing is defined in advance. Specifically, a rectangular area is defined in advance in the image data. Hereinafter, such a rectangular area is referred to as a "processing target area." One of the short side and long side of the processing target area is parallel to one of the short side and long side of the image data, and the other of the short side and long side of the processing target area is parallel to the other of the short side and long side of the image data.

[0042] In the present invention, when OCR processing is performed, a processing target area is defined for each item on the health checkup sheet, and OCR processing is performed on the processing target area for each item to recognize the characters for each item.

[0043] The processing target area can be defined by four coordinates: the coordinates of the upper left vertex, the coordinates of the upper right vertex, the coordinates of the lower left vertex, and the coordinates of the lower right vertex.

[0044] Here, the value obtained by subtracting the horizontal coordinate of the top-right vertex from the horizontal coordinate of the top-left vertex, and the value obtained by subtracting the horizontal coordinate of the bottom-right vertex from the horizontal coordinate of the bottom-left vertex, are called the "width." Also, the value obtained by subtracting the vertical coordinate of the bottom-right vertex from the vertical coordinate of the top-right vertex, and the value obtained by subtracting the vertical coordinate of the bottom-left vertex from the vertical coordinate of the top-left vertex are called the "height."

[0045] With this definition, if the coordinates of a certain point and the width and height from that point are given in advance, the processing target area is defined, because the combination of the horizontal coordinate of that point plus the width and the vertical coordinate of that point becomes the upper right coordinate of the processing target area, the combination of the horizontal coordinate of that point plus the vertical coordinate of that point plus the height becomes the lower left coordinate of the processing target area, and the combination of the horizontal coordinate of that point plus the width and the vertical coordinate of that point plus the height becomes the lower right coordinate of the processing target area.

[0046] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of a certain point, as well as the width and height, are given in advance to determine the processing area for each item on the health checkup sheet. Hereinafter, the horizontal and vertical coordinates that are the base points of the processing area are referred to as the "start horizontal coordinate" and the "start vertical coordinate", respectively. (Network environment)

[0047] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, the system 10 includes a scanner 16 connected to a network 18 for reading an image of a form as electronic data, a server device 12 connected to the network 18 for receiving the electronic data of the image of the form from the scanner 16 via the network 18 and transmitting and receiving data in response to a request from a terminal device connected to the network 18, and terminal devices 14A and 14B connected to the network 18 and equipped with a communication function for transmitting and receiving data to and from the server device 12 connected to the network 18.

[0048] The terminal device 14A and the terminal device 14B have substantially the same functions, and hence, the terminal device 14A and the terminal device 14B will be simply referred to as the terminal device 14 hereinafter.

[0049] When multiple subjects undergo a health checkup, the results of the checkup are entered for each subject on a set of two health checkup forms, consisting of health checkup form 20 and health checkup form 22. The person who manages the health checkup form sets for multiple subjects will be referred to as the "manager" hereinafter.

[0050] The scanner 16 reads images of a plurality of sets of medical checkup forms as electronic data in response to an instruction from the administrator. Specifically, the scanner 16 reads images of two forms consisting of a medical checkup form 20 and a medical checkup form 22 for one subject in response to an instruction from the administrator, and generates one PDF (Portable Document Format) file in which the image of the medical checkup form 20 is arranged on the first page and the image of the medical checkup form 22 is arranged on the second page. The scanner 16 generates a PDF file for each of the plurality of sets of medical checkup forms in response to an instruction from the administrator, and transmits the generated PDF file to the server device 12 via the network 18. (Functional configuration of server device 12)

[0051] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 12. Referring to Fig. 2, the server device 12 includes a control device 32, which is essentially a computer and serves as a control center for the server device 12, a communication device 36 for communicating data with other terminals via the network 18, all of which are connected to the control device 32 via a bus line 38, and a storage device 30 for storing various information.

[0052] The control device 32 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing programs and the like, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) which is a volatile storage device, and controls the entire server device 12. The ROM stores programs and data necessary for controlling the operation of the server device 12. The CPU inside the control device 12 reads the programs from the ROM onto the RAM, and executes the programs using part of the RAM as a working area. That is, the CPU controls each part constituting the server device 12 according to the programs stored in the ROM, and realizes each function of the server device 12.

[0053] The communication device 36 is connected to the Internet 18 by wire or wirelessly, and is an interface for the server device 12 to communicate with external devices, such as the scanner 16 and the terminal device 14, via the Internet 18, and is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card).

[0054] The storage device 30 is a non-volatile storage device that retains data even when power is cut off, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0055] The server device 12 is capable of executing an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) service that provides web pages to the terminal device 14 and other external devices. (Configuration of terminal device 14)

[0056] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 14. Referring to Fig. 3, the terminal device 14 is a computer device, and includes a control device 54, which is essentially a computer and controls the control center of the terminal device 14, a communication device 58, which is connected to the control device 54 via a bus line 50 and communicates data with the server device 12, an input device 60, which is made up of a mouse, a keyboard, etc., and transmits a signal to the control device 54 indicating that a user has performed an operation such as a mouse click or key input on the keyboard, a display device 52, which is made up of a display for displaying the results of a program to the user, and a storage device 56, which stores various information used by the control device 54 to control the terminal device 14. (Configuration of storage device 30 of server device 12)

[0057] The storage device 30 includes a form image storage unit 48 that stores PDF files transmitted from the scanner 16 via the network 18, a form identification information table 40 that stores various information regarding the health checkup form 20 and the health checkup form 22, an item area definition table 42, an item data table 44, and an item sub-data table 46.

[0058] The form identification information table 40 is a table that stores information for identifying whether a certain image data corresponds to the health examination form 20 or the health examination form 22.

[0059] The heading of health checkup form 20 is "Pupil Health Checkup Form (General)," and the heading of health checkup form 22 is "Pupil Health Checkup Form (Dental / Oral)." In order to have a computer identify whether it is health checkup form 20 or health checkup form 22, a processing target area is defined that covers the heading, OCR processing is performed on the processing target area, and it is determined which heading the recognized character string matches. For this reason, the form identification information table 40 stores, for each of health checkup form 20 and health checkup form 22, a processing target area that covers the heading of the health checkup form and the character string of the heading.

[0060] The document identification information table 40 is also a table that stores information for specifying each position of the processing target area of ​​the health examination form 20 and the health examination form 22 based on whether the user of the system 10 selects elementary school student or junior high school student.

[0061] Specifically, if an elementary school student is selected by the user, then only the diagnostic results for ages 6 to 11 need to be read on the health check sheet 20, with respect to items other than name, sex, date of birth, and school name. If a junior high school student is selected by the user, then only the diagnostic results for ages 12 to 14 need to be read on the health check sheet 20, with respect to items other than name, sex, date of birth, and school name. The same is true for the health check sheet 22. Therefore, in the form identification information table 40, information is stored for identifying which part of the health check sheet should be set as the processing target area, depending on whether an elementary school student or a junior high school student is selected.

[0062] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the form identification information table 40. Referring to Fig. 4, in the form identification information table 40, one record is assigned to one combination of a medical sheet type, which indicates whether it is a medical checkup sheet 20 or a medical checkup sheet 22, and a school type, which indicates whether the student is an elementary school student or a junior high school student. Since there are two types of medical sheet types and two types of school types, there are four combinations of medical sheet types and school types. It is assumed that the form identification information table 40 has only records for these four combinations. Each record in the form identification information table 40 includes a form ID field consisting of a four-digit number that is uniquely assigned to identify the combination of the medical examination form type and the school type, a form name field for storing the header string of the health examination form corresponding to the medical examination form type of the record, a start horizontal coordinate field and a start vertical coordinate field as well as a width field and a height field for storing the start horizontal coordinate and start vertical area, as well as the width and height, respectively, of the processing target area for the medical examination form type of the record, and a school type field for storing the school type of the record.

[0063] In this embodiment, the units of the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the starting point, as well as the width and height, are mm.

[0064] In the document identification information table 40, when the combination of the document name field and the school type field is "Student health examination form (general)" and "Elementary school", "Student health examination form (dental / oral)" and "Elementary school", "Student health examination form (general)" and "Junior high school", and "Student health examination form (dental / oral)" and "Junior high school", the document ID field shall be "0001", "0002", "0003", and "0004", respectively.

[0065] The item area definition table 42 stores information such as a processing target area of ​​an item to be processed such as OCR in a health checkup sheet according to a value of the form ID. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the item area definition table 42. Referring to FIG. 5, the item area definition table 42 assigns one record to one combination of a form ID and an item to be read in a health checkup sheet. Each record of the item area definition table 42 includes a form ID field for storing a form ID, an item ID for storing a number to identify an item to be processed such as OCR in accordance with the form ID, a start point horizontal coordinate field, a start point vertical coordinate field, a width field, and a height field for respectively storing the start point horizontal coordinate, start point vertical coordinate, width, and height of the processing target area of ​​the item corresponding to the record, and a reading format field for storing a character string to specify whether OCR processing or OMR processing should be performed on the item corresponding to the record.

[0066] In the reading format field, the character string "character recognition" is stored when OCR processing is performed, and the character string "single selection" is stored when OMR processing is performed. OMR processing is performed on the gender of the medical examination sheet 20 and the items such as the temporomandibular joint of the medical examination sheet 22. For the gender item, a circle is placed over one of the letters to select either "male" or "female." For the items such as the temporomandibular joint, a circle is placed over one of the numbers to select one of the integers from 0 to 2. Therefore, in the reading format field, "single selection" is stored when OMR processing is to be performed.

[0067] Each record of the item region definition table 42 further includes a selection number field for storing the number of objects to be selected when the read format field of the record is "single selection."

[0068] In the item area definition table 42, in the case of the item of gender, one of two objects, "male" and "female," is selected, so in this case, the value of the number of selections field is 2. Similarly, in the case of the temporomandibular joint, etc. on the health checkup sheet 22, the value of the number of selections field is 3.

[0069] In the item area definition table 42, when records whose report ID field matches a certain report ID (for example, "0001") are extracted, it is assumed that there are no duplicate values ​​in the item ID field in the extracted records.

[0070] When a record with the form ID field of "0001" is extracted from the item area definition table 42, records for all items in the medical checkup slip 20, such as name, sex, date of birth, name of school, and results of medical checkups from age 6 to 11, are extracted, and the item ID, processing target area, reading format, and number of selections for those items are stored in advance. The same applies when the form ID field is "0002" to "0004".

[0071] In this embodiment, after the computer processes each item on the health checkup slip using OCR or the like, the user of the system 10 can change the results of the process. The changed results are stored in the storage device 30 of the server device 12.

[0072] The item data table 44 is a table for storing the recognition results obtained by processing such as OCR, and the results changed by the user.

[0073] Before going into more detailed description of the item data table 44, in this embodiment, it is assumed that a unique number for identifying a PDF file is assigned to each of the multiple PDF files stored in the form image storage unit 48. Hereinafter, such a number for identifying a PDF file will be referred to as a "document ID."

[0074] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the item data table 44. Referring to Fig. 6, in the item data table 44, one record is assigned to one combination of three IDs, namely, a document ID, a form ID, and an item ID. Each record in the item data table 44 includes a document ID field for storing the document ID assigned to the record, a registration date field for storing the date on which the record was added to the item data table 44, a form ID field and an item ID field for respectively storing the form ID and item ID assigned to the record, a start point horizontal coordinate field, a start point vertical coordinate field, a width field, and a height field for respectively storing the start point horizontal coordinate, start point vertical coordinate, width, and height of the processing target area of ​​the item corresponding to the record, and a recognition rate field for storing the recognition rate when a process such as OCR is executed on the item corresponding to the form ID and item ID assigned to the record.

[0075] Here, the recognition rate is an index that indicates the accuracy of recognition when a process such as OCR is executed. Generally, in a process such as OCR, many candidate characters (hereinafter referred to as "candidate characters") are registered in advance in a storage device of a computer. In a process such as OCR, when determining which character a character displayed in a processing target area in an image corresponds to, the pattern of the character in the area is checked to see which candidate character the character resembles, and the most similar candidate character is output as a recognition result. In this case, a number that indicates how similar the character is to the candidate character is called the recognition rate. In this embodiment, the recognition rate is a number in the range of 0 to 100, and the closer the recognition rate is to 100, the more similar the character is to the candidate character, and the higher the accuracy of the recognition result. Conversely, the closer the recognition rate is to 0, the more difficult it is to determine which candidate character the character in the area corresponds to, and the lower the accuracy of the recognition result.

[0076] Since the recognition rate is not an essential feature of the present invention, a detailed description of the method for calculating the recognition rate will be omitted here.

[0077] Referring again to FIG. 6, item data table 44 further includes a read result field for storing the results of recognition performed by OCR or other processing on the item of the form corresponding to the record, and a confirmed result field for storing a character string changed by the user for the item of the form corresponding to the record.

[0078] When there are multiple items to be selected within one item, such as gender on the health checkup form 20 and temporomandibular joint on the health checkup form 22, the characters of the selected item are entered into the read result field of the record in the item data table 44.

[0079] For example, if the item is gender, either "male" or "female" will be stored in the read-in result field of the record in item data table 44, and if the item is the temporomandibular joint, etc., either "0" to "2" will be stored in the read-in result field of the record in item data table 44.

[0080] In this embodiment, when there are multiple items to be selected in one item, such as gender in the health checkup sheet 20 and temporomandibular joint in the health checkup sheet 22, each item is assigned a different integer number greater than or equal to 1. The numbers assigned in this way are called "item serial numbers."

[0081] For example, if the item is gender, then the items corresponding to "male" and "female" subjects will be assigned item serial numbers 1 and 2, respectively, and if the item is the temporomandibular joint, etc., then the items corresponding to "0" through "2" will be assigned item serial numbers 1 through 3, respectively.

[0082] For items that are OCR processed other than gender, "temporomandibular joint", "dentition / occlusion", "plaque condition", and "gingival condition", there is no target to select, but for items that are OCR processed, there is only one target, so the item sequence number will be set to 1.

[0083] The item sub-data table 46 is a table for storing information on the item serial number of each item. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the item sub-data table 46. Referring to FIG. 7, in the item sub-data table 46, one record is assigned to one combination of a document ID, a form ID, an item ID, and an item serial number. Each record in the item sub-data table 46 includes a document ID field for storing a document ID corresponding to the record, a registration date field for storing a date on which the record was added, a form ID field, an item ID field, and an item serial number field for respectively storing a form ID, an item ID, and an item serial number corresponding to the record, a read result field for storing a recognition result of a process such as OCR for an object corresponding to the form ID, item ID, and item serial number of the record, and a confirmation result field for storing a result changed by a user for an object corresponding to the form ID, item ID, and item serial number of the record.

[0084] For items that undergo OCR processing, the values ​​of the Read-in Result field and the Confirmed Result field in the item sub-data table 46 are blank. For items that undergo OMR processing, the characters of only the target records that are determined to have been marked with a circle by OMR processing are entered into the Read-in Result field in the item sub-data table 46, and the Read-in Result field for other target records is blank.

[0085] For example, if the item is gender and a check mark is placed next to "female," the character "female" will be entered into the read result field of the record whose item sequence number is 2, and a space will be entered into the read result field of the record whose item sequence number is 1. (Configuration of storage device 56 of terminal device 14)

[0086] The memory device 56 includes an item-by-item editing information area 62, which is a memory area for storing information to be stored in the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46, a processed image area 64, which is a memory area for storing image data of one page of a health check form, and a processed document ID area 66, which is an area for storing the document ID corresponding to the image page stored in the processed image area 64. (Software configuration)

[0087] 8 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the program configuration of the terminal device 14. These programs are stored in the storage device 56 of the terminal device 14 and are executed by the control device 54 of the terminal device 14.

[0088] Referring to Figure 8, this program is an application program for terminal device 14, and when instructed to be launched by the user of terminal device 14, includes a step 200 of displaying on the display of display device 52 a screen for allowing the user to select one of the PDF files stored in the document image storage unit 48 of server device 12.

[0089] Figures 14(A) and (B) are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed in step 200. Referring to Figure 14(A), an application window 500 is displayed on the display of the display device 52. In the application window 500, there are arranged a text box 502 for inputting the path of a PDF file in the server device 12, a list box 504 for allowing the user to select either "elementary school student" or "junior high school student", and a button 506 for allowing the user to instruct the start of processing such as OCR.

[0090] 14(B), when the user clicks the mouse while the mouse pointer is located at list box 504, a rectangular frame appears in which the character strings "elementary school student" and "junior high school student" are written side by side. When the rectangular frame appears, the user can select a school type by clicking one of the character strings with the mouse.

[0091] Referring again to FIG. 8, this program further includes step 202 of waiting after step 200 until button 506 is clicked with the mouse, and step 204 of receiving a signal from server device 12 indicating whether or not a PDF file exists at the path entered in text box 502 if button 506 is clicked with the mouse in step 202 (YES), determining whether the signal indicates that a file exists, and branching the flow of control depending on the determination result.

[0092] The program further includes a step 208 in which, if it is determined in step 204 that the signal does not indicate that a file exists (NO), an error message to that effect is displayed on the display of the display device 52, and control of the program is returned to step 202.

[0093] This program further includes step 206, when it is determined in step 204 that the signal indicates that the file exists (if YES), receiving a PDF file from the server device 12 and storing image data of the first page of the PDF file in the processing image area 64, step 220, after step 206, performing a form identification process to determine which form ID from "0001" to "0004" the image data stored in the processing image area 64 corresponds to, and storing the form ID corresponding to the image data in the processing target form ID area 66, step 210, after step 220, obtaining a record matching the form ID in the processing target form ID area 66 from the item area definition table 42 and performing OCR or other processing on the image data according to the obtained record, and step 212, after step 210, displaying the recognition result of the OCR or other processing on the display device 52. Details of the processing in steps 220, 210, and 212 will be described later.

[0094] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen shown on the display of display device 52 in step 212. With reference to Fig. 15, an application window 520 is displayed on the display of display device 52. In application window 520, an area 522 for displaying image data and an area 524 for displaying the recognition result of processing such as OCR are arranged.

[0095] In region 524, a one-row, two-column text area is allocated for one item to be OCR processed, and for items to be OMR processed, a one-row, two-column text area is allocated for one item serial number.

[0096] When the text areas for all items and item serial numbers cannot be displayed within area 524, a scroll bar is provided at the right end of area 524, and all text areas can be displayed by sliding the scroll bar up and down by dragging the mouse, etc.

[0097] In the one-line text area, the name of the item is displayed in the first column, and the recognition result of the item is displayed in the second column. The second column of the text area can be edited by the user using the keyboard.

[0098] For items that undergo OCR processing, the character string recognized by OCR processing is displayed in the second column of the text area.

[0099] For items that undergo OMR processing, the name of the item and the characters to be selected are displayed in the first column of the text area. For example, if the item is gender, "Gender_Male" and "Gender_Female" are displayed in the first column of the text area. For items that undergo OMR processing, check boxes are displayed in the second column of the text area. Check boxes marked with a circle in the image are displayed as ON, and check boxes for other targets are displayed as OFF. The state of the check boxes can also be changed by the user performing an operation such as clicking the mouse. When the mouse pointer is moved to a location where a check box is OFF and the mouse is clicked, the check box for that location is displayed as ON, and check boxes for other targets are displayed as OFF.

[0100] Area 520 further includes area 526 for enlarging and displaying the portion of the image data of the item being edited when the second column of the text area in area 524 is being edited by the user, and button 528 for starting the process of adding the changes displayed in area 524 to item data table 44 and item sub-data table 46 of server device 12.

[0101] 8, this program further includes, after step 212, step 214 of executing a process of adding the content changed in area 524 to item data table 44 and item sub-data table 46 of server device 12 in response to clicking button 528 with the mouse. The process of step 214 will be described in detail later.

[0102] This program further includes step 216, which judges whether or not there is any page in the PDF file received from server device 12 after step 214 that has not been processed in step 220 and steps 210 to 214, and branches the flow of control depending on the judgment result, and step 218, which, if it is judged in step 216 that there is an unprocessed page (if NO), stores the image of the next page in processed image area 64 and returns control of the program to step 220. If it is judged in step 216 that there is no unprocessed page (if YES), this program ends.

[0103] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 220 shown in Fig. 8. Referring to Fig. 9, this routine includes step 230 of substituting 1 into variable I, step 232 of acquiring all records of document identification information table 40 from server device 12 after step 230, and step 234 of executing OCR processing in a processing target area defined in the record in the Ith row among the acquired records after step 232.

[0104] This routine further includes, after step 234, step 236 of determining whether the value of the recognition string field of the record in the Ith line matches the recognition result in step 234, and branching the control flow depending on the determination result, and step 238 of determining whether the value of the school type field of the record in the Ith line matches the school type selected in list box 504, if it is determined in step 236 that there is a match (YES), and branching the control flow depending on the determination result.

[0105] This routine further includes step 244, which adds 1 to variable I if it is determined in step 236 that there is no match (if NO) or if it is determined in step 238 that there is no match (if NO), and returns program control to step 234.

[0106] This routine further includes step 242, in which if it is determined in step 238 that there is a match (YES), the value of the document ID field of the Ith record is stored in the document ID area 66 to be processed, and this routine is terminated.

[0107] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 210 shown in Fig. 8. Referring to Fig. 10, this routine includes step 260 of acquiring, from item area definition table 42 of server device 12, records whose form ID fields match the form IDs stored in processing target form ID area 66, step 262 of substituting the total number of records acquired in step 260 into variable N, and step 264 of reserving a storage area for item-by-item editing information area 62 in storage device 56 after step 262.

[0108] The specific processing content of step 264 will be described below.

[0109] In step 264, storage areas for the array variables DOCID[1] through DOCID[N], ITEMID[1] through ITEMID[N], ITEMNAME[1] through ITEMNAME[N], STARTHORCOORD[1] through STARTHORCOORD[N], STARTVERCOORD[1] through STARTVERCOORD[N], WIDTH[1] through WIDTH[N], HEIGHT[1] through HEIGHT[N], RATE[1] through RATE[N], and NUM[1] through NUM[N] are secured in the storage device 56. In addition, if A is an integer that takes on values ​​from 1 to N and B is an integer that takes on values ​​from 1 to 3, in step 264, for any A and B, storage areas for the two-dimensional array variables RECRESULT[A,B], CONFRESULT[A,B], RECFRAG[A,B], and CONFFRAG[A,B] are secured in the storage device 56. The values ​​that are assigned to these array variables will be described later.

[0110] This routine further includes, after step 264, step 266 of substituting 1 for variable I; after step 266, step 268 of judging whether the value of the read format field of the Ith record among the records acquired in step 260 is "character recognition" or not and branching the flow of control depending on the judgment result; if it is judged in step 268 that it is "character recognition" (if YES), step 270 of executing OCR processing on the image data in the processing target area defined in the Ith record and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate; and, after step 270, step 272 of storing the values ​​of each field of the Ith record and the result of the OCR processing in item-by-item editing information area 62. The process of step 272 will be described in detail below.

[0111] In step 272, the values ​​of the form ID field, item ID field, item name field, start point horizontal coordinate field, start point vertical coordinate field, width field, and height field of the record in the Ith row are substituted into the array variables DOCID[I], ITEMID[I], ITEMNAME[I], STARTHORCOORD[I], STARTVERCOORD[I], WIDTH[I], and HEIGHT[I], respectively. In step 272, 1 is substituted into NUM[I]. If NUM[I] is 1, it means that the item is an item to be OCR processed. In step 272, the recognition result output in step 270 is substituted into both the two-dimensional array variables RECRESULT[I,1] and CONFRESULT[I,1], and the recognition rate output in step 270 is substituted into the array variable RATE[I].

[0112] This routine further includes step 274 in which, if it is determined in step 268 that the recognition is not "character recognition" (if NO), OMR processing is performed on the image data in the processing target area defined in the record in the Ith row, to recognize which of the multiple objects placed in the item is marked with a circle, and the recognition result is output as an item serial number, and the recognition rate is output.

[0113] In step 274, specifically, if the item is gender and "male" is circled in the image, 1 is output as the item serial number, and if "female" is circled in the image, 2 is output as the item serial number. In step 274, if the item is "temporomandibular joint" and "0" is circled in the image, 1 is output as the item serial number, and the same applies to other items to be OMR processed.

[0114] This routine further includes, after step 274, step 276 for storing the value of the record in the Ith row and the output result of step 274 in the item-by-item editing information area 62. The process of step 276 will be described in detail below.

[0115] In step 276, the values ​​of the form ID field, item ID field, item name field, start horizontal coordinate field, start vertical coordinate field, width field, height field, and number of selections field of the record in the Ith row are substituted into the array variables DOCID[I], ITEMID[I], ITEMNAME[I], STARTHORCOORD[I], STARTVERCOORD[I], WIDTH[I], HEIGHT[I], and NUM[I], respectively. Also, in step 276, if the number of item serial numbers output in step 274 is C, 1 is substituted into RECFRAG[I,C], and 0 is substituted into the variables other than RECFRAG[I,C] among RECFRAG[I,1] to RECFRAG[I,3]. If RECFRAG[I,B] is 1, it means that a mark with a circle is attached to the target with item serial number B among the items. Furthermore, in step 276, assuming that the number of item serial numbers output in step 274 is C, 1 is substituted into CONFFRAG[I,C], and 0 is substituted into variables other than CONFFRAG[I,1]~, CONFFRAG[I,3] among them. The characters to be selected among the items are substituted into RECRESULT[I,1]~RECRESULT[I,3]. For example, if the item is gender, "male" and "female" are substituted into RECRESULT[I,1] and RECRESULT[I,2], respectively, and if the item is jaw joint, etc., "0"~"2" are substituted into RECRESULT[I,1] and RECRESULT[I,2], respectively. Furthermore, in step 276, the recognition rate output in step 274 is substituted into RATE[I].

[0116] This routine further includes, after step 272 or step 276, step 278 for judging whether or not variable I is equal to or greater than variable N and branching the flow of control depending on the judgment result, and step 280 for adding 1 to variable I and returning program control to step 268 if it is judged in step 278 that variable I is not equal to or greater than variable N (if NO). If it is judged in step 278 that variable I is equal to or greater than variable N (if YES), this routine ends.

[0117] 11 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 212 shown in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 11, this routine includes step 300 of erasing application window 500 from the display of display device 52, displaying application window 520, and displaying an image of processing image area 64 in area 522, step 302 of displaying an enlarged image of the processing target area defined by STARTHORCOORD[1], STARTVERCOORD[1], WIDTH[1], and HEIGHT[1] in area 526 of the image of processing image area 64, step 304 of substituting 1 for variable I, and step 306 of determining whether NUM[I] is greater than 1 and branching the flow of control according to the determination result after step 304. If NUM[I] is 1, it means that the item is an item to be OCR processed, and if NUM[I] is greater than 1, it means that the item is an item to be OMR processed and there are multiple items to be selected.

[0118] This routine further includes step 310 of assigning 1 to variable J if it is determined in step 306 that NUM[I] is greater than 1 (YES), and after step 310, step 312 of displaying, from the top of area 524, in the text areas of the first and second columns, a character string combining ITEMNAME[I], an underscore symbol, and RECRESULT[I,J], as well as a check box.

[0119] Specifically, in step 312, if the value of RECFRAG[I,J] is 0, the checkboxes are turned OFF and displayed in the text area of ​​the second column, and if the value of RECFRAG[I,J] is 1, the checkboxes are turned ON and displayed in the text area of ​​the second column.

[0120] The values ​​of the variables I and J are stored as attribute information in the text area. When the check box generated in step 312 is changed to either ON or OFF by a user's operation, the values ​​of the variables I and J are stored in the storage device 56 as the "first exponent" and the "second exponent", respectively.

[0121] This routine further includes, after step 312, step 314 for determining whether NUM[I] is less than or equal to variable J and branching the control flow depending on the determination result, and step 316 for adding 1 to variable J and returning control of this routine to step 312 if it is determined in step 314 that NUM[I] is not less than or equal to variable J (NO).

[0122] This routine further includes step 308, in which if it is determined in step 306 that NUM[I] is not greater than 1 (if NO), the values ​​of ITEMNAME[I] and RECRESULT[I,1] are displayed in the first and second columns of the text area, respectively, from the top of region 524, and step 318, in which after step 308 or if it is determined in step 314 that NUM[I] is less than or equal to variable J (if YES), the color of the text area is changed depending on the value of RATE[I].

[0123] In step 318, if RATE[I] is 20 or less, the background color of the text area is displayed in red; if RATE[I] is greater than 20 and RATE[I] is 40 or less, the background color of the text area is displayed in orange; if RATE[I] is greater than 40 and RATE[I] is 60 or less, the background color of the text area is displayed in pink; if RATE[I] is greater than 60 and RATE[I] is 80 or less, the background color of the text area is displayed in yellow; and if RATE[I] is greater than 80, the background color of the text area is displayed in white.

[0124] This routine further includes, after step 318, step 320 for judging whether the value of variable I is equal to or greater than the value of variable N and branching the flow of control depending on the result of the judgment, and step 322 for adding 1 to variable I and returning control of this routine to step 306 if it is judged in step 320 that the value of variable I is not equal to or greater than the value of variable N (if NO). If it is judged in step 320 that the value of variable I is equal to or greater than the value of variable N (if YES), this routine ends.

[0125] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 214 shown in Fig. 8. Referring to Fig. 12, this routine includes step 340 for determining whether button 528 of application window 520 has been clicked with the mouse by a user operation and branching the flow of control according to the determination result, and step 342 for determining whether the second column of any of the text areas in region 524 has been edited by a user operation or not and branching the flow of control according to the determination result if it is determined in step 340 that button 528 has not been clicked with the mouse (if NO). If it is determined in step 342 that none of the second columns of the text areas has been edited (if NO), the control of this routine returns to step 340.

[0126] In step 340, an item being edited means that, for an item that is subject to OCR processing, a character string has been edited, and for an item that is subject to OMR processing, this means that in the text area of ​​region 524, the check box for one of multiple objects belonging to the item is turned ON, and the check boxes for the other objects are turned OFF.

[0127] This routine further includes step 344, in which if it is determined in step 342 that any of the second column of the text area has been edited (if YES), the value of the "first index" stored in memory device 56 is assigned to variable I and an enlarged image of the periphery of the processing target area defined by STARTHORCOORD[I], STARTVERCOORD[I], WIDTH[I] and HEIGHT[I] is displayed in area 526; after step 344, step 346, in which it is determined whether NUM[I] is 1; and, if it is determined in step 346 that NUM[I] is 1 (if YES), step 348, in which the edited character string is assigned to CONFRESULT[I,1] and control of this routine is returned to step 340.

[0128] This routine further includes step 350, in which if it is determined in step 346 that NUM[I] is not 1 (NO), the value of the "second exponent" stored in memory device 56 is assigned to variable J, and after step 350, step 352, in which 1 is assigned to CONFFRAG[I,J] and 0 is assigned to all variables among CONFFRAG[I,1] to CONFFRAG[I,3] other than CONFFRAG[I,J], and control of this routine is returned to step 340.

[0129] This routine further includes step 354, in which if it is determined in step 340 that button 528 has been clicked with the mouse (YES), the data stored in item-by-item editing information area 62 is added to item data table 44 and item sub-data table 46, and this routine is terminated.

[0130] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 354 shown in Fig. 12. Referring to Fig. 13, this routine includes step 370 of assigning 1 to variable I, step 372 of assigning 1 to variable J after step 370, step 374 of acquiring from server device 12 the number having the maximum document ID field among the records of item data table 44 after step 372, step 376 of assigning the number obtained by adding 1 to the maximum number acquired in step 374 to variable X after step 376, and step 378 of determining whether NUM[I] is greater than 1 or not and branching the flow of control depending on the determination result after step 376.

[0131] This routine further includes a step 380 for adding one record each to the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46 if it is determined in step 378 that NUM[I] is not greater than 1 (NO).

[0132] Specifically, in step 380, a record is added to item data table 44 in which the values ​​of the document ID field, registration date field, form ID field, item ID field, starting horizontal coordinate field, starting vertical coordinate field, width field, height field, recognition rate field, read-in result field, and final result field are set to the value of variable X, the date when the processing of step 380 began, DOCID[I], ITEMID[I], STARTHORCOORD[I], STARTVERCOORD[I], WIDTH[I], HEIGHT[I], RATE[I], RECRESULT[I,1], and CONFRESULT[I,1], respectively.

[0133] In step 380, a record is then added to item sub-data table 46, with the values ​​of the document ID field, registration date field, report ID field, item ID field, item sequence number field, read result field, and confirmed result field set to the value of variable X, the date when execution of the processing of step 380 began, DOCID[I], ITEMID[I], 1, blank, and blank, respectively.

[0134] This routine further includes step 382 of assigning 1 to variable J if it is determined in step 378 that NUM[I] is greater than 1 (YES), and after step 382, ​​step 384 of adding data of one record to item sub-data table 46. The process of step 384 will be described in detail below.

[0135] In step 384, first, if the value of CONFFRAG[I,J] is 0, blank characters are substituted into RECRESULT[I,J] and CONFRESULT[I,J]. Then, in step 384, a record is added to item sub-data table 46 in which the values ​​of the document ID field, registration date field, form ID field, item ID field, item serial number field, read result field and final result field are set to the value of variable X, the date when execution of the processing of step 384 was started, DOCID[I], ITEMID[I], the value of variable J, RECRESULT[I,J] and CONFRESULT[I,J], respectively.

[0136] This routine further includes, after step 384, step 386 for determining whether CONFFRAG[I,J] is 1 or not and branching the control flow depending on the result of the determination, and step 388 for adding data of one record to item data table 44 if it is determined in step 386 that CONFFRAG[I,J] is 1 (YES).

[0137] The processing content of step 388 is almost the same as that of step 380, except that a record with the values ​​of the read result field and the confirmed result field set to RECRESULT[I,J] and CONFRESULT[I,J], respectively, is added to item data table 44.

[0138] The routine further includes a step 390 for adding 1 to variable J if, after step 388 or if, in step 386, it is determined that CONFFRAG[I,J] is not 1 (if NO), and, after step 390, a step 392 for determining whether NUM[I] is less than variable J. If, in step 392, it is determined that NUM[I] is not less than variable J (if NO), control of the routine returns to step 384.

[0139] This routine further includes step 394, which determines whether or not the variable I is equal to or greater than the variable N and branches the flow of control depending on the determination result, after step 380 or if it is determined in step 392 that NUM[I] is smaller than the variable J (if YES), and step 396, which adds 1 to the variable I and returns control of this routine to step 378, if it is determined in step 394 that the variable I is equal to or greater than the variable N (if YES). If it is determined in step 394 that the variable I is equal to or greater than the variable N (if YES), this routine ends.

[0140] As a result of the above, terminal device 14 functions as an image information recognition device that recognizes the data written on health check-up sheets 20 and 22 using processing such as OCR, thereby causing server device 12 to accurately store and manage the data written on the health check-up sheets. (operation)

[0141] 1 to 17, the system 10 according to the present embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration operates as follows. It is assumed that the form identification information table 40 and the item area definition table 42 have information as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 stored therein in advance. It is also assumed that the form image storage unit 48 has a PDF file of image data of a medical checkup slip stored therein in advance.

[0142] The user operates the terminal device 14 to instruct the program to be started according to the flow chart shown in Fig. 8. An application window 500 shown in Fig. 14(A) is displayed on the display of the display device 52 of the terminal device 14 (step 200 shown in Fig. 8). The user inputs the path of a PDF file stored in the server device 12 into a text box 502 in the application window 500, and selects in a list box 504 for which item, "elementary school student" or "junior high school student", the OCR process or the like is to be executed.

[0143] If the user clicks button 506 by mouse operation (YES in step 202 shown in FIG. 8), but a PDF file does not exist at the entered path (NO in step 204 shown in FIG. 8), the terminal device 14 displays an error message to that effect (step 208 shown in FIG. 8).

[0144] When the user clicks button 506 by operating the mouse and a PDF file exists at the entered path (YES in step 204 shown in FIG. 8), the terminal device 14 recognizes that the image of the first page of the specified PDF file corresponds to the health check sheet 20, and performs OCR or other processing on each item in the image data according to the school type specified in the list box 504 (steps 206, 220, and 210 shown in FIG. 8, steps 230 to 244 shown in FIG. 9, and steps 260 to 280 shown in FIG. 10).

[0145] When "Elementary school student" is selected in list box 504, OCR and other processing is performed on each of the entry items of name, sex, date of birth, name of school, and diagnosis results from age 6 to 11. When "Middle school student" is selected in list box 504, OCR and other processing is performed on each of the entry items of name, sex, date of birth, name of school, and diagnosis results from age 12 to 14.

[0146] After executing the OCR or other processing, the terminal device 14 displays an application window 520 on the display of the display device 52, and displays the results of the OCR or other processing in an area 524 (step 212 shown in FIG. 8, and steps 300 to 322 shown in FIG. 11).

[0147] The user operates the keyboard or the like to change the second column of the text area in area 524 while referring to the image of the health check sheet displayed in area 522 and the enlarged image displayed in area 526. When the content in the second column of the text area in area 524 is changed, the changed content is stored in item-by-item editing information area 62 of storage device 56 (YES in step 342, and steps 344 to 352 shown in FIG. 12).

[0148] When the user clicks button 528 with the mouse (YES in step 340 shown in FIG. 12), the terminal device 14 adds the data of the changes made in area 524 to the item data table 44 and item sub-data table 46 of the server device 12 (step 354 shown in FIG. 12 and steps 370 to 396 shown in FIG. 13).

[0149] The terminal device 14 performs almost the same process on the image of the second page of the PDF file, but is different in that when performing OCR or other processes, OCR or other processes are performed on the image of the health checkup sheet 22, not on the health checkup sheet 20 (NO in step 216, step 218, step 220, and steps 210 to 214 shown in FIG. 8). When performing OCR or other processes, if "elementary school student" is selected, OCR or other processes are performed on each of the entry items of name, sex, date of birth, name of school, and diagnosis results from age 6 to 11, and when "junior high school student" is selected in the list box 504, OCR or other processes are performed on each of the entry items of name, sex, date of birth, name of school, and diagnosis results from age 12 to 14.

[0150] The application then ends. By the above-mentioned operation of the terminal device 14, the diagnosis results of the health check-up sheet 20 and the health check-up sheet 22 for one subject are stored in the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46.

[0151] By repeatedly instructing the terminal device 14 to start the above program by the user, the diagnosis results of the health check-up forms 20 and 22 for a large number of subjects are automatically stored in the item data table 44 and item sub-data table 46.

[0152] This allows the user to longitudinally manage the diagnostic results of the health checkup sheets of each subject from the first to sixth grades of elementary school and the first to third grades of junior high school in chronological order by using the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46. In addition, since the diagnostic results of the health checkup sheets of many subjects are stored in the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46, it becomes possible to construct big data for a group of many subjects.

[0153] The user performs various analyses on the data stored in the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46.

[0154] As described above, by using the system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, not only can medical checkup information be digitized by OCR or other processing, but also the process of digitizing medical checkup information collected at schools over the nine years of compulsory education in elementary and junior high schools into longitudinal data can be automated. This dramatically solves the problem of digitizing medical checkup information at the school.

[0155] In other words, since the system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can automatically convert data into longitudinal data, the object of the present invention can be achieved without requiring special skills in the fields of education and health care.

[0156] This will be beneficial for the current and future individual health management of children and students, while at the same time achieving precision, speed, and labor savings in the construction of health-related big data.

[0157] That is, the present invention realizes not only electronic conversion of health checkup information at the site where the information is generated, but also conversion to longitudinal data through time series linkage at high speed with simple operations. The ability to create longitudinal individual data in real time at the site where the information is generated will dramatically promote the construction of health-related big data in the government, and enable each local government to build health-related big data, which is expected to have the effect of accelerating data health planning. (Another example of a health check sheet)

[0158] In the height and weight entry fields of the medical checkup sheet 20, a dot is pre-printed in the center of a square frame. In such a case, when OCR processing is performed on the height and weight items, the dot printed in the center of the square frame is likely to be recognized as a full-width "·" character rather than a half-width decimal point. Therefore, there is a problem that when the recognition result of height and weight is recognized as a full-width "·" in area 524 of application window 520, it is necessary to change it to a half-width decimal point.

[0159] In addition, for items that require OMR processing on the health checkup form 22, the numbers "0" to "2" are displayed vertically in the entry field. When performing OMR processing, there is a problem that the recognition accuracy is low for items displayed vertically.

[0160] Furthermore, in the medical examination sheet 22, numbers and alphabetical characters are printed in advance within a rectangular frame for each item of the dental formula, and when inputting the diagnosis result, characters such as " / ", backslash, "C", and "CO" are written with a pen or the like on top of the characters within the rectangular frame. In such a case, even if OCR processing is performed, it is difficult to correctly recognize the characters. Therefore, the following health check-up form is proposed.

[0161] 18 and 19 are diagrams showing an example of a medical checkup sheet for solving the above-mentioned problems. Referring to Fig. 18, in the entry fields for height and weight on the medical checkup sheet 600, vertical dividing lines are printed within a rectangular frame, allowing numbers to be entered one digit at a time, and a dot is printed near the lower line of the rectangular frame. By printing in this way, the pre-printed dot is more likely to be recognized as a half-width decimal point.

[0162] 19, for items that require OMR processing, such as the temporomandibular joint, on a medical checkup sheet 602, numbers "0" to "2" are printed in advance in a horizontal manner. Printing the numbers in a horizontal manner in this way leads to an improvement in the recognition rate for those items.

[0163] In addition, in the medical checkup sheet 602, for the entry items of the dental formula at each age, blank rectangular frames are arranged in advance above or below the rectangular frames surrounding the numbers or letters, and characters such as " / ", backslash, "C", and "CO" can be written in the blank rectangular frames with a pen, etc. With such an arrangement, characters are not displayed overlapping, and when OCR processing is performed on each entry item, the characters are more likely to be recognized correctly.

[0164] When the health check-up forms 600 and 602 are also used, information for identifying the health check-up forms 600 and 602 can be added to the form identification information table 40, and information such as the processing target area of ​​each item can be added to the item area definition table 42.

[0165] The information recorded on the health examination forms shown in Figures 16 to 19 is information related to the health of the subject when he or she was attending elementary and junior high school, and therefore hereinafter, such information will be referred to as "school health information." [Second embodiment]

[0166] Fig. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system 700 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 20, system 700 has almost the same configuration as system 10 according to the first embodiment, but differs in that system 700 includes, instead of server device 12, server device 708 that is connected to network 18 and further manages not only school health information but also health information of pregnant women and infants as electronic data.

[0167] System 700 further differs from system 10 of the first embodiment in that it includes server devices 702A and 702B, etc., which are connected to network 18 and manage health information of pregnant women and infants as electronic data and transmit the information to server device 708 via network 18, and mobile terminal devices 706A and 706B, etc., which are connected to network 18 and acquire the information managed by server device 708 and present it to the user.

[0168] The mobile terminal devices 706A and 706B etc. are held by the users 710A and 710B, respectively, and are operated by the users to present health information relating to the users.

[0169] Hereinafter, server device 702A and server device 702B etc. will be referred to simply as server device 702, and mobile terminal devices 706A, 706B etc. will be referred to simply as mobile terminal device 706.

[0170] It is assumed that users of the mobile terminal devices 706A and 706B are primarily parents with children.

[0171] Hereafter, when pregnant women and their infants undergo health checkups, information regarding the results of such checkups will be referred to as "maternal and child health information."

[0172] The health information of pregnant women managed by server device 702 and server device 708 is information relating to the health of mothers when they are pregnant. The health information of infants managed by server device 702 and server device 708 is information relating to the health of infants of the children of the user of mobile terminal device 706. The school health information managed by server device 708 is information relating to the health of the children of the user of mobile terminal device 706 when they attend elementary and junior high schools.

[0173] If the elementary and junior high schools are public schools, the school health information obtained in the health checks conducted at those schools is usually stored in a server device used by local governments such as cities, towns, and villages. Therefore, in this embodiment, the users of server device 702 are primarily local governments such as cities, towns, and villages.

[0174] Health checkups for pregnant women and infants are mainly performed at medical institutions such as clinics, and maternal and child health information is usually stored and managed in a server device used at the medical institution. Therefore, in this embodiment, the users of the server device 702 are mainly medical institutions.

[0175] Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 702. Referring to Fig. 21, the server device 702 includes a control device 752, which is essentially a computer and serves as a control center of the server device 702, a communication device 754 for communicating data with other terminals via the network 18, all of which are connected to the control device 752 via a bus line 756, and a storage device 750 for storing various information including maternal and child health information.

[0176] Fig. 22 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of server device 708. Referring to Fig. 22, server device 708 is almost similar to server device 12 according to the first embodiment, but differs in that it includes a storage device 760 for storing various information further including maternal and child health information, instead of storage device 30.

[0177] Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mobile terminal device 706. Referring to Fig. 23, the mobile terminal device 706 is, for example, a smartphone having a telephone function. The mobile terminal device 706 includes a control device 778 that is substantially a computer and controls the control center of the mobile terminal device 706. The mobile terminal device 706 further includes a communication device 780 that wirelessly communicates data with the server device 708, a storage device 774 that stores various information used by the control device 778 to control the mobile terminal device 706, and a touch panel display 770, all of which are connected to the control device 778 via a bus line 772.

[0178] Control device 778 includes a CPU, a ROM for storing programs and the like, and a RAM which is a volatile storage device, and controls the entire portable terminal device 706. The ROM stores programs and data necessary for controlling the operation of portable terminal device 706. The CPU inside control device 778 reads the programs from the ROM onto the RAM, and executes the programs using a part of the RAM as a working area. That is, the CPU controls each part constituting portable terminal device 706 according to the programs stored in the ROM, and realizes each function of portable terminal device 706.

[0179] The CPU of the control device 778 of the mobile terminal device 706 accesses a web page provided by the server device 708 via a browser, receives specified data (e.g., HTML format data), generates a screen from the received data, and displays it on the touch panel display 770.

[0180] The communication device 780 includes an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) unit, a modulation unit, a demodulation unit, and the like, all of which are not shown.

[0181] The memory device 774 is a non-volatile memory device that retains data even when power is cut off.

[0182] The touch panel display 770 has a touch panel function, and enables a user to directly input information to the mobile terminal device 706 from the touch panel display 770 by touching the screen with a finger.

[0183] The touch panel display 770 is connected to a control device 778 via a bus line 772, and includes a display device 782 that displays display data provided from the control device 778. The display device 782 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0184] The touch panel display 770 further includes a touch panel 784 that is connected to a control device 778 via a bus line 772, extracts the position coordinates (position coordinates of the touch panel display 770) of an indication point within the indication surface that is a point that is in contact with or in close proximity to a user's finger or the like, generates a signal corresponding to the extracted position coordinates, and outputs the signal to the control device 778.

[0185] The CPU of the control device 778 accesses a Web page provided by the server device 708 through a browser, receives predetermined data (for example, HTML format data), generates a screen from the received data, and displays it on the touch panel display 770. (Configuration of storage device 750 of server device 702)

[0186] Fig. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of storage device 750 of server device 702. Referring to Fig. 24, storage device 750 includes an infant basic information table 800 for storing infant basic information including the infant's name, sex, etc., a 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802 for storing the results of a medical checkup when an infant underwent a medical checkup between 3 and 4 months of age, a 1 year and 6 month old medical checkup information table 804 for storing the results of a medical checkup when an infant underwent a medical checkup at 1 year and 6 months of age, and a 3 year old medical checkup information table 806 for storing the results of a medical checkup when an infant underwent a medical checkup at 3 years of age.

[0187] The memory device 750 further includes a pregnant woman basic information table 808 for storing basic information about the pregnant woman, such as the name and gender of the pregnant woman, a pregnant woman health check information table 810 for storing the results of the pregnant woman's health check, and a pregnant woman dental information table 812 for storing the results of the pregnant woman's dental check.

[0188] When an infant and a pregnant woman undergo a medical checkup at the medical institution, the medical institution, which is a user of the server device 702, adds the basic information of the infant and the pregnant woman to the two tables, respectively, if the data of the infant and the pregnant woman are not stored in the infant basic information table 800 and the pregnant woman basic information table 808. In addition, when a change occurs in the basic information of the infant and the pregnant woman, the medical institution can change the data of the records in the infant basic information table 800 and the pregnant woman basic information table 808.

[0189] Each time an infant or pregnant woman undergoes a health check or the like at the medical institution, the medical institution adds the results of the examination to the 3-4 month health check information table 802, the 1 year and 6 month health check information table 804, the 3 year old health check information table 806, the pregnant woman health check information table 810, and the pregnant woman dental information table 812. The medical institution can change the data of the records in the 3-4 month health check information table 802, the 1 year and 6 month health check information table 804, the 3 year old health check information table 806, the pregnant woman health check information table 810, and the pregnant woman dental information table 812. (Configuration of storage device 760 of server device 708)

[0190] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing the configuration of storage device 760 of server device 708. Referring to Fig. 25, storage device 760 is almost the same as storage device 30 according to the first embodiment, but differs in that it further includes a subject basic information table 820 for storing basic information of a subject including the subject's name, sex, date of birth, and names of parents, and a maternal and child health information storage unit 822 for storing the table of storage device 750 of server device 702.

[0191] The subject information basic information table 820 not only stores basic information about the subject, but also stores information for associating the subject with the infant if the information about the subject stored in the document identification information table 40, the item area definition table 42, the item data table 44, and the item sub-data table 46 includes information about the same person as an infant stored in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822. Details of such information will be described later. (Configuration of each table in the storage device 750)

[0192] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the configuration of an infant basic information table 800. Referring to FIG. 26, in the infant basic information table 800, one record is assigned to one infant. Each record in the infant basic information table 800 includes a name field, a date of birth field, a gender field, a father's name field, a mother's name field, an address field, a telephone number field, and a number of weeks in gestation field for storing the infant's name, date of birth, sex, father's name, mother's name, address, telephone number, and number of weeks in gestation, respectively. Each record in the infant basic information table 800 further includes a birth weight field, a birth height field, a birth head circumference field, and a birth chest circumference field for storing the infant's birth weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference, respectively.

[0193] Fig. 27 is a diagram showing the configuration of 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802. Referring to Fig. 27, in the 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802, when an infant undergoes a medical checkup when it is between 3 and 4 months old, one record is assigned to the result of the medical checkup taken on that day. Each record in the 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802 includes a name field, a date of birth field, a gender field, a father's name field, and a mother's name field for storing the name, date of birth, gender, father's name, and mother's name of the infant who underwent the medical checkup, respectively.

[0194] Each record in the 3-4 month health check information table 802 further includes a health check receipt date field and an age at checkup field for storing the date the health check was taken and the infant's age in months on that day, respectively, and a height field, a weight field, a chest circumference field, and a head circumference field for storing the infant's height, weight, chest circumference, and head circumference measured on that day, respectively.

[0195] Each record in the 3-4 month health check information table 802 further includes a medical examination findings determination field and a medical examination findings field for storing the doctor's findings determination results and details of those results when the infant underwent a health check.

[0196] The medical examination findings field stores one of five character strings consisting of "No abnormality", "Already treated", "Follow-up observation required", "Precise examination required", and "Treatment required". When the value of the medical examination findings field is "No abnormality", "Already treated", "Follow-up observation required", "Precise examination required", and "Treatment required", it indicates that "there is no abnormality in the infant's health", "there was an abnormality but it has already been treated", "regular examination is required after the examination", "precise examination is required", and "treatment is required", respectively.

[0197] The examination findings field stores results of whether or not there is a finding for each of the following items: physical growth, mental development, convulsions, motor function, nervous and sensory systems, blood system, skin, hip joints, restricted movement, torticollis, circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, urogenital system, metabolic system, and congenital physical characteristics.

[0198] Fig. 28 is a diagram showing the configuration of the 1 year 6 months old medical checkup information table 804. Referring to Fig. 28, in the 1 year 6 months old medical checkup information table 804, when an infant undergoes a medical checkup at the age of 1 year 6 months, one record is assigned to the result of the medical checkup taken on that day. Each record in the 1 year 6 months old medical checkup information table 804 includes a name field, a date of birth field, a sex field, a father's name field, and a mother's name field for storing the infant's name, date of birth, sex, father's name, and mother's name, respectively.

[0199] Each record in the 1 year and 6 months old health check information table 804 further includes a health check receipt date field and an age at checkup field for storing the date the health check was taken and the infant's age in months on that day, respectively, as well as a height field, a weight field, a chest circumference field and a head circumference field for storing the infant's height, weight, chest circumference and head circumference measured on that day, respectively.

[0200] Each record of the 1 year and 6 months old medical checkup information table 804 further includes a medical examination findings judgment field and a medical examination findings field for storing the result of the doctor's medical examination findings and details of the results when the infant underwent a medical checkup. The values ​​stored in the medical examination findings judgment field and medical examination findings field of each record of the 1 year and 6 months old medical checkup information table 804 are the same as the values ​​stored in the medical examination findings judgment field and medical examination findings field of each record of the 3 to 4 months old medical checkup information table 802.

[0201] The medical institution that is the administrator of the server device 702 may conduct dental checkups for infants aged 1 year and 6 months and 3 years.

[0202] Each record in the 1 year and 6 month health check information table 804 further includes a dental findings judgment field and a dental findings field for storing the results of the examination findings and details of those results when the infant or toddler underwent a dental checkup.

[0203] The dental findings field stores one of four character strings: "No problem", "Guidance required", "Follow-up observation required", and "Treatment required". When the dental findings field has a value of "No problem", "Guidance required", "Follow-up observation required", and "Treatment required", it indicates that "there is no abnormality in the condition of the teeth", "Subsequent guidance is required for the infant and parents", "Regular examinations are required after the examination", and "Treatment is required", respectively.

[0204] The dental findings field stores "cavity status," "number of untreated cavities," and "number of treated cavities." The data stored as the cavity status is one of three strings: "no cavities," "needs attention," or "cavities present." The dental findings field also stores the results of either "findings present" or "no findings" for each of the items "gums / mucosa" and "occlusion."

[0205] When the medical institution, which is the administrator of the server device 702, has performed regular health checkups on infants aged 18 months and 3 years, and has determined that a certain infant needs to undergo a detailed examination, the medical institution may preset a date for the infant to undergo the detailed examination. Hereinafter, such a preset date for the detailed examination will be referred to as the "detailed medical examination request date," and the date on which the infant actually undergoes the detailed examination will be referred to as the "detailed medical examination attendance date."

[0206] Each record in the 1 year and 6 months health check information table 804 further includes a detailed health check request date field and a detailed health check attendance date field for storing the detailed health check request date and the detailed health check attendance date, respectively, and a detailed health check findings field for storing the findings of the detailed examination.

[0207] The detailed medical examination findings field stores one of three character strings: "No abnormalities", "Follow-up observation required", and "Medical treatment required". When the value of the detailed medical examination findings field is "No abnormalities", "Follow-up observation required", or "Medical treatment required", it indicates that "there is no abnormality in the health condition", "regular examinations are required after the examination", and "treatment is required", respectively.

[0208] Fig. 29 is a diagram showing the configuration of the 3-year-old health check information table 806. Referring to Fig. 29, in the 3-year-old health check information table 806, when an infant undergoes a health check at the age of 3, one record is assigned to the result of the health check taken during that one day. Each record of the 3-year-old health check information table 806 includes a name field, a date of birth field, a sex field, a father's name field, a mother's name field, a health check reception date field, an age at the time of examination field, a height field, a weight field, a chest field, a head field, a medical examination findings determination field, and a medical examination findings field for storing values ​​similar to the name field, the date of birth field, the sex field, the father's name field, the mother's name field, a health check reception date field, an age at the time of examination field, a height field, a weight field, a chest field, a head field, a medical examination findings determination field, and a medical examination findings field of each record of the 1 year and 6 months-old health check information table 804, respectively.

[0209] The medical institution that is the administrator of the server device 702 may conduct eye examinations and ear, nose and throat examinations for three-year-old infants.

[0210] Each record in the 3-year-old health check information table 806 further includes an ophthalmological finding determination field and an ophthalmological finding field for storing the results of the examination findings and details of those results when the infant undergoes an eye examination, and an otolaryngological finding determination field and an otolaryngological finding field for storing the results of the examination findings and details of those results when the infant undergoes an otolaryngological examination.

[0211] Each of the ophthalmological findings determination field and the otolaryngological findings determination field stores one of four character strings consisting of "no abnormality", "already treated", "follow-up observation required", and "more detailed examination required". When each of the values ​​of the ophthalmological findings determination field and the otolaryngological findings determination field is "no abnormality", "already treated", "follow-up observation required", and "more detailed examination required", it indicates that "there is no abnormality in the condition of the teeth", "treatment has already been performed", "regular examination is required after consultation", and "more detailed examination is required", respectively.

[0212] The ophthalmological findings field stores the results of either "findings present" or "no findings" for each of the items "visual acuity of both eyes," "visual acuity of the right eye," "visual acuity of the left eye," and "eye position abnormality." The otolaryngological findings field stores the results of either "findings present" or "no findings" for each of the items "right hearing" and "left hearing." The otolaryngological findings field also stores findings related to hearing loss.

[0213] Each record in the 3-year-old health check information table 806 further includes a dental finding judgment field, a dental finding field, a detailed health check request date field, a detailed health check attendance date field, and a detailed health check findings field for storing values ​​similar to the dental finding judgment field, dental finding field, detailed health check request date field, detailed health check attendance date field, and detailed health check findings field of each record in the 18-month-old health check information table 804, respectively. (Table configuration for storing information on pregnant women)

[0214] Fig. 30(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of a pregnant woman basic information table 808. Referring to Fig. 30(A), in the pregnant woman basic information table 808, one record is assigned to one combination of a mother and a child. Each record in the pregnant woman basic information table 808 includes a name field, an address field, a date of birth field, a gender field, a spouse's name field, a child's name field, a pre-pregnancy weight field, and a height field for storing the mother's name, address, date of birth, sex, spouse's name, child's name, and weight and height immediately before becoming pregnant with the child, respectively.

[0215] Fig. 30(B) is a diagram showing the configuration of prenatal checkup information table 810. Referring to Fig. 30(B), in the prenatal checkup information table 810, when a pregnant woman undergoes a medical checkup, one record is assigned to the result of the medical checkup that the pregnant woman underwent during that one day. Each record in the prenatal checkup information table 810 includes a name field, an address field, a date of birth field, a gender field, a spouse's name field, a child's name field, and an examination date field for storing the mother's name, address, date of birth, gender, spouse's name, child's name, and the date of the medical checkup, respectively.

[0216] Each record in the prenatal checkup information table 810 further includes a blood type field, an Rh blood type field, an irregular antibody field, a hepatitis B antigen test field, a hepatitis C antigen test field, a rubella antibody test field, a hemoglobin field, a hematocrit field, a platelet field, an HTLV-1 antibody test field, a cervical cancer checkup field, a weight at the time of the checkup, and a number of weeks of pregnancy field for storing the pregnant woman's ABO blood type, Rh blood type, irregular antibody test results, hepatitis B antigen test results, hepatitis C antigen test results, rubella antibody test results, hemoglobin amount, hematocrit amount, platelet amount, HTLV-1 antibody test results, cervical cancer checkup results, weight at the time of the checkup, and number of weeks of pregnancy, respectively.

[0217] Fig. 30(C) is a diagram showing the configuration of the pregnant woman dental information table 812. Referring to Fig. 30(C), in the pregnant woman dental information table 812, when a pregnant woman undergoes a dental checkup, one record is assigned to the result of the diagnosis on that day. Each record in the pregnant woman dental information table 812 includes a name field, an address field, a date of birth field, a gender field, a spouse's name field, a child's name field, and a dental checkup receipt date field for storing the mother's name, address, date of birth, gender, spouse's name, child's name, and the date of undergoing the dental checkup, respectively.

[0218] The pregnant woman dental information table 812 further includes a field for the number of weeks of pregnancy, a field for whether or not there are cavities that need treatment, a field for the number of cavities, a field for tartar, and a field for gingival inflammation, for storing the number of weeks of pregnancy of the pregnant woman, whether or not there are cavities that need treatment, the number of cavities, the presence or absence of tartar, and the presence or absence of gingival inflammation, respectively. (Configuration of subject basic information table 820)

[0219] Fig. 31 is a diagram showing the configuration of the subject basic information table 820. Referring to Fig. 31, in the subject basic information table 820, one record is assigned to one combination of the name, date of birth, and sex of a child and the names and addresses of the child's parents.

[0220] Each record of the subject basic information table 820 includes an identification ID field for storing a number manually assigned by a local government, which is a user of the server device 708, to identify one combination of a child's name, date of birth, and sex and the names and addresses of the child's parents. Each record of the subject basic information table 820 further includes a study ID field for storing a number automatically assigned by the server device 708 to identify such a combination. Each record of the subject basic information table 820 further includes a name field, a date of birth field, a sex field, a father's name field, a mother's name field, and an address field for storing the child's name, date of birth, sex, father's name, mother's name, and address, respectively. (Configuration of the maternal and child health information storage unit 822)

[0221] The maternal and child health information memory unit 822 of the memory device 760 includes an infant basic information table, a 3-4 month health check information table, a 1 year and 6 month health check information table 804, a 3 year old health check information table 806, a pregnant woman basic information table 808, a pregnant woman health check information table 810 and a pregnant woman dental information table 812, each of which has the same configuration as the infant basic information table 800, the 3 to 4 month health check information table 802, the 1 year and 6 month health check information table 804, the 3 year old health check information table 806, the pregnant woman basic information table 808, the pregnant woman health check information table 810 and the pregnant woman dental information table 812 of the memory device 750.

[0222] The records of each table in the storage device 750 are periodically added to each table in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822. (Software configuration)

[0223] 32 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the configuration of a program executed in the server device 708 for receiving maternal and child health information from the server device 702 and associating the maternal and child health information with school health information. This program is stored in the ROM of the control device 32 of the server device 708, and is executed by the CPU of the control device 32.

[0224] Referring to Figure 32, this program includes a step 850 of adding records of the table in the storage device 750 of the server device 702 to a table in the maternal and child health information memory unit 822 via the network 18 in response to the passage of a predetermined time (6:00 a.m.), a step 852 of eliminating duplicates for each table in the maternal and child health information memory unit 822 after step 850, and a step 854 of obtaining all records of the infant basic information table in the maternal and child health information memory unit 822 after step 852.

[0225] This program further includes, after step 854, step 856 of assigning 1 to variable I and assigning the number of records obtained in step 854 to variable N, and, after step 856, step 858 of searching subject basic information table 820 for a record that matches the name field, date of birth field, father's name field, and mother's name field of the I-th record among the obtained records, determining whether a matching record exists or not and branching the control flow.

[0226] This program further includes a step 860 of adding information about the I-th record among the records acquired in step 854 to the subject basic information table 820 when it is determined in step 858 that there is no matching record (NO in step 858). Specifically, in step 860, a number that has not yet been assigned in the research ID field is automatically acquired. Then, in step 860, a record is added to the subject basic information table 820 in which the values ​​of the identification ID field, research ID field, name field, date of birth field, sex field, father's name field, mother's name field, and address field are set to a space character and the automatically acquired number, and the values ​​of the name field, date of birth field, sex field, father's name field, mother's name field, and address field of the I-th record, respectively.

[0227] This program further includes step 862, which determines whether I is greater than or equal to N and branches the control flow after step 860 or when it is determined in step 858 that there is a matching record (YES in step 858), and step 864, which adds 1 to the variable I and returns the control flow to step 858 when it is determined in step 862 that I is greater than or equal to N (YES in step 862). This program ends when it is determined in step 862 that I is greater than or equal to N (YES in step 862).

[0228] When a new record is added to the subject basic information table 820 by this program, the value of the identification ID field is a space character, but after this program is terminated, the value of this field is assigned a number by the user of the server device 708 and the table is updated.

[0229] Fig. 33 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the configuration of a program executed by server device 708 for notifying a user of server device 708 of information on subjects diagnosed with abnormalities, etc. Referring to Fig. 33, this program includes a step 870 for extracting records in which the examination findings have been determined to be other than "normal" from the 3-4 month health check information table, the 1 year and 6 month health check information table, and the 3 year old health check information table in maternal and child health information storage unit 822, in response to the passage of a predetermined time (6:00 a.m.).

[0230] Specifically, in step 870 of this program, from the records in the 3-4 month health check information table, records in which the value in the examination findings judgment field is other than "normal" are extracted, from the records in the 1 year and 6 month health check information table, records in which any of the examination findings judgment field, dental findings judgment field and detailed medical examination findings field are other than "normal" are extracted, and from the records in the 3 year old health check information table, records in which any of the examination findings judgment field, ophthalmological findings judgment field, otolaryngological findings judgment field, dental findings judgment field and detailed medical examination findings field are other than "normal".

[0231] After step 870, this program includes step 872 of sending the data of the record extracted in step 870 by email to the email address of the local government employee who is the user of server device 708, and then terminating this program.

[0232] In this embodiment, the local government, which is the user of the server device 708, notifies the user of the mobile terminal device 706 of the value of the identification ID field. When the user of the mobile terminal device 706 wants to know his / her own condition or that of his / her child, he / she can make a request to display the health condition by inputting his / her own identification ID and name into the browser of the mobile terminal device 706 and operating the touch panel 784. When the request is made, the mobile terminal device 706 transmits a "status list request signal" to the server device 708 to request a Web page that displays a list of health information. The inputted identification ID and name are added to the "status list request signal." When the server device 708 receives the signal, it creates such a Web page and transmits it to the mobile terminal device 706. The function of the mobile terminal device 706 and the server device 708 transmitting and receiving data to each other and displaying a list of health information to the user of the mobile terminal device 706 is called a "status list display function."

[0233] Fig. 34 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the configuration of a program for realizing the status list display function, executed by server device 708. Referring to Fig. 34, this program includes step 890 of waiting until a "status list request signal" is received, and step 892 of acquiring, when the "status list request signal" is received in step 890 (YES in step 890), all records related to the identification ID and name added to the "status list request signal" from among the records in item data table 44, item sub-data table 46, and the tables in maternal and child health information storage unit 822.

[0234] Specifically, in step 892, a record whose identification ID field matches the identification ID added to the "status list request signal" is searched and obtained from the subject basic information table 820. The record obtained in this manner is referred to as the "subject basic information record." Records whose value matches the value in the name field of the subject basic information record are obtained from the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46. In addition, all records whose values ​​match the values ​​in the name field, father's name field, and mother's name field of the subject basic information record are obtained from the tables in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822.

[0235] This program further includes, after step 892, step 894 of creating a Web page displaying a list of the data of the records obtained in step 892, transmitting the Web page to the sender of the “status list request signal”, and returning the flow of control to step 890.

[0236] Fig. 35 is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the configuration of a program for implementing a status list display function executed by mobile terminal device 706. Referring to Fig. 35, this program is executed in response to a user's request, and includes step 900 for displaying, on the browser, text boxes for inputting an identification ID and a name, and a button to be clicked to instruct transmission of a "status list request signal". After step 900, the user of mobile terminal device 706 inputs an identification ID and a name in the text boxes.

[0237] This program includes, after step 900, step 902 of waiting until a button displayed in the browser is clicked by the user, step 904 of sending a "status list request signal" to server device 708, adding the identification ID and name entered in the text box, when the button is clicked in step 902 (YES in step 902), step 906 of waiting after step 904 until a Web page is received from server device 708, and step 908 of displaying the Web page in the browser and terminating the program, when the Web page is received in step 906 (YES in step 906).

[0238] With the above configuration, the server device 702 functions as a maternal and child health information management device for storing and managing maternal and child health information. (operation)

[0239] 20 to 35, the system 700 according to the second embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration operates as follows.

[0240] Each time a pregnant woman undergoes various examinations, the medical institution adds a record or changes the data of the record to the pregnant woman basic information table 808, the pregnant woman medical checkup information table 810, and the pregnant woman dental information table 810. Also, each time an infant undergoes various examinations, the medical institution adds a record or changes the data of the record to the infant basic information table 800, the 3-4 month medical checkup information table 802, the 1 year and 6 month medical checkup information table 804, and the 3 year old medical checkup information table 806.

[0241] The server device 708 acquires records of each table of the storage device 750 via the network 18 at a predetermined time (6:00 a.m.) and adds the records to each table of the maternal and child health information storage unit 822 (step 850 shown in FIG. 32). The server device 708 then eliminates duplicate records from each table of the maternal and child health information storage unit 822 (step 852 shown in FIG. 32). If there is a combination of a child's name, sex, and date of birth, and the father's name and the mother's name in a record of the infant basic information table in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822 that does not exist in the subject basic information table 820, the server device 708 assigns a study ID to the combination and adds the corresponding record to the subject basic information table 820 (steps 854 to 864 shown in FIG. 32).

[0242] By assigning such a study ID and adding a record to the subject basic information table 820, the server device 708 is able to associate the school health information stored in the server device 708 with the maternal and child health information.

[0243] If any record added to the subject basic information table 820 has a space character as the identification ID, the local government, which is the user of the server device 708, assigns a new number to the identification ID field of that record and updates the subject basic information table 820. The local government notifies the subject to which the new identification ID has been assigned of the identification ID.

[0244] At a predetermined time (6:00 a.m.), the server device 708 extracts records from each table of the maternal and child health information storage unit 822 for which the findings are determined to be other than "normal," and transmits the data of the extracted records to the email address of the local government that is the user of the server device 708 (steps 870 and 872 shown in FIG. 33).

[0245] Municipalities and other local governments will be able to grasp the health status of subjects based on not only school health information but also maternal and child health information, enabling them to carry out efficient and effective administrative work and health guidance.

[0246] When the user of the mobile terminal device 706 wishes to know his / her own health condition and that of his / her child, he / she operates the mobile terminal device 706 to display a screen for inputting an identification ID and name in the browser (step 900 shown in FIG. 35). After inputting the identification ID and name in the browser, the user makes a request to display the health condition by clicking a button displayed in the browser. The mobile terminal device 706 receives a Web page displaying a list of school health information and maternal and child health information from the server device 708 and displays it in the browser (steps 890 to 894 shown in FIG. 34 and steps 902 to 908 shown in FIG. 35).

[0247] The user of the mobile terminal device 706 can view the health conditions of himself / herself and his / her children in an integrated manner by viewing the Web page, thereby enabling him / her to manage his / her own health. [Third embodiment]

[0248] Fig. 36 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system 954 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 36, system 954 has almost the same configuration as system 700 according to the second embodiment, but differs in that system 954 includes a portable terminal device 950 connected to network 18 and managing health information of pregnant women and infants as electronic data, instead of server device 702, and that system 954 includes a portable terminal device 956 and a server device 951, each connected to network 18, managing school health information as electronic data.

[0249] Each of the portable terminal device 950 and the portable terminal device 956 can be carried by the user of the device, and in the present invention, a portable terminal device having such a function is called a mobile type terminal device (mobile device).

[0250] The users of the portable terminal device 950 are mainly medical institutions that manage health checkup information for pregnant women and infants. The portable terminal device 950 can be used not only within the facilities of the medical institution, but also outside the facilities.

[0251] Users of the mobile terminal device 956 are primarily those who implement health examinations at elementary and junior high schools and collect the examination results as school health information (hereinafter referred to as "school health examination implementers"). When implementing health examinations at elementary and junior high schools, school health examination implementers bring along the mobile terminal device 956 and input and store the school health information into the mobile terminal device 956.

[0252] The server device 951 is mainly installed in elementary schools and junior high schools. When health checkups are conducted at the elementary schools and junior high schools where the server device 951 is installed, the school health checkup implementer can input school health information to the server device 951 instead of the mobile terminal device 956 and have it stored.

[0253] The school health information input to the mobile terminal device 956 and the server device 951 is transmitted to the server device 708 and stored in the storage device 760 of the server device 708 . (Configuration of mobile terminal device 950)

[0254] The mobile terminal device 950 is, for example, a tablet-type terminal device (tablet device) having a display screen of about 10 inches.

[0255] Fig. 37 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mobile terminal device 950. Referring to Fig. 37, the mobile terminal device 950 includes a control device 968, which is substantially a computer and serves as a control center for the mobile terminal device 950. The mobile terminal device 950 further includes a communication device 970, which is connected to the control device 968 via a bus line 972 and wirelessly communicates data with the server device 708, a storage device 964 that stores various information used by the control device 968 to control the mobile terminal device 950, and a touch panel display 952.

[0256] The communication device 970 includes an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) unit, a modulation unit, a demodulation unit, and the like, all of which are not shown.

[0257] The memory device 964 is a non-volatile memory device that retains data even when power is cut off.

[0258] The touch panel display 952 has a touch panel function, and enables a user to directly input information to the mobile terminal device 950 from the touch panel display 952 by touching the screen with a finger.

[0259] The touch panel display 952 includes a display device 960 that is connected to a control device 968 via a bus line 972 and displays display data provided from the control device 968. The display device 960 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0260] The touch panel display 952 further includes a touch panel 962 that is connected to a control device 968 via a bus line 972, extracts the position coordinates (position coordinates of the touch panel display 952) of an indication point within the indication surface, which is a point that is in contact with or close to a user's finger or the like, generates a signal corresponding to the extracted position coordinates, and outputs it to the control device 968.

[0261] The CPU of the control device 968 accesses a Web page provided by the server device 708 through the browser, receives predetermined data (for example, HTML format data), generates a screen from the received data, and displays it on the touch panel display 952. (Configuration of the mobile terminal device 956)

[0262] The mobile terminal device 956 has a configuration similar to that of the mobile terminal device 950, and includes a touch panel display 958, an input device, a control device, and a communication device, each of which has the same configuration as the touch panel display 952, an input device 966, a control device 968, and a communication device 970 of the mobile terminal device 950.

[0263] The portable terminal device 956 further includes a storage device that is connected to a control device within the portable terminal device 956 via a bus line within the device, and that stores various information used to control the portable terminal device 956, and school health information. (Configuration of server device 951)

[0264] The server device 951 has almost the same configuration as the server device 708 of the second embodiment, and includes a control device and a communication device having the same configurations as the control device 32 and the communication device 36 of the server device 708, respectively.

[0265] The server device 951 further includes a storage device that is connected to a control device within the server device 951 via a bus line within the server device 951 and stores various information used to control the server device 951 and school health information. (Configuration of storage device 964 of mobile terminal device 950)

[0266] When a health checkup for pregnant women and infants is conducted, information on the results of the health checkup is stored in the storage device 964 of the mobile terminal device 950 by the person who conducted the health checkup. Specifically, the storage device 964 includes an infant basic information table 800, a 3-4 month health checkup information table 802, a 1 year 6 years old health checkup information table 804, and a 3 year old health checkup information table 806, as well as a pregnant woman basic information table 808, a pregnant woman health checkup information table 810, and a pregnant woman dental information table 812, which are similar in configuration to the infant basic information table, the 3-4 month health checkup information table, the 1 year 6 years old health checkup information table, and a 3 year old health checkup information table, as well as a pregnant woman basic information table, a pregnant woman health checkup information table, and a pregnant woman dental information table.

[0267] When a medical checkup is conducted for an infant and a pregnant woman, if the data of the infant and the pregnant woman are not stored in the infant basic information table and the pregnant woman basic information table of the storage device 964, the user of the mobile terminal device 950 adds the basic information of the infant and the pregnant woman to these two tables, respectively. In addition, if there is a change in the basic information of the infant and the pregnant woman, the user can change the data of the records in the infant basic information table and the pregnant woman basic information table of the mobile terminal device 950.

[0268] Each time a health checkup for infants and pregnant women is conducted, the user of the portable terminal device 950 adds the results of the checkup to the 3-4 month health checkup information table, the 1 year 6 months health checkup information table, the 3 year health checkup information table, the prenatal health checkup information table, and the prenatal dental information table in the storage device 964. The user can change the data of the records in the 3-4 month health checkup information table, the 1 year 6 months health checkup information table, the 3 year health checkup information table, the prenatal health checkup information table, and the prenatal dental information table in the storage device 964. (Configuration of storage devices of mobile terminal device 956 and server device 951)

[0269] School health information is stored in each of the storage device of the mobile terminal device 956 and the storage device of the server device 951. Each of the storage device of the mobile terminal device 956 and the storage device of the server device 951 includes a form identification information table, an item area definition table, an item data table, an item sub-data table, and a form image storage unit that are similar in configuration to the form identification information table 40, the item area definition table 42, the item data table 44, the item sub-data table 46, and the form image storage unit 48 of the storage device 760 in the server device 708 shown in FIG.

[0270] When health checkups are conducted at elementary and junior high schools, the mobile terminal device 956 and the server device 951 each store the school health information in each table of the storage device of the device through operation by the school health checkup implementer. Then, the mobile terminal device 956 and the server device 951 each transmit the school health information to the server device 708 through operation by the school health checkup implementer. When the server device 708 receives the school health information from the mobile terminal device 956 and the server device 951, it adds and stores the received school health information in the item data table 44, the item sub-data table 46 and the form image table 48 of the storage device 760. (Software configuration)

[0271] The software configuration of server device 708 in this embodiment is almost the same as the software configuration of server device 708 in the second embodiment, but differs in that the program configuration shown in FIG. 32 includes, instead of step 850, a step of adding records from the table in memory device 964 of mobile terminal device 950 to the table in maternal and child health information memory unit 822 via network 18 in response to the passage of a predetermined time (6:00 a.m.).

[0272] In addition, the server device 708 according to this embodiment executes a “medical checkup schedule information transmission process” in which information on infants and pregnant women who are scheduled to undergo a medical checkup in the near future is extracted from the maternal and child health information storage unit 822, and transmitted to the mobile terminal device 950.

[0273] 38(A) is a diagram showing, in the form of a flowchart, the program configuration of the "medical examination scheduler information transmission process" executed by the server device 708. This program is stored in the storage device 760 of the server device 708, and is executed by the control device 32 of the server device 708.

[0274] 38(A), this program includes a step 980 of extracting information on infants and pregnant women who are scheduled to undergo a health checkup in the near future from each table of maternal and child health information storage unit 822 in response to the passage of a predetermined date and time (6:00 a.m. on the first day of each month). The detailed processing of step 980 will be described later. After step 980, this program further includes a step 982 of transmitting the records extracted in step 980 to mobile terminal device 950 and terminating the program.

[0275] Figure 38(B) is a diagram showing a detailed flow of step 980 shown in Figure 38(A). Referring to Figure 38(B), this routine includes step 990 of extracting records in which the value of the address field corresponds to a specific region from each of the infant basic information table and the pregnant woman basic information table in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822.

[0276] For example, suppose that a person who conducts a health check wishes to conduct a health check on infants and pregnant women residing in Yuasa Town, Arida County, Wakayama Prefecture. In this case, in step 990, it is sufficient to extract only records of infants and pregnant women residing in Yuasa Town, Arida County, Wakayama Prefecture. Therefore, specifically, in step 990, records containing "Yuasa Town, Arida County, Wakayama Prefecture" in the value of the address field of the records in each table are extracted. In step 990, it is possible to determine in advance which specific region records are to be extracted by the administrator of the server device 708.

[0277] Referring again to Figure 38 (B), after step 990, this routine further includes step 992 of extracting records for infants and pregnant women who are scheduled to have a health check in the near future from the records extracted in step 990.

[0278] Specifically, in step 992, from among the records of the infant basic information table extracted in step 990, records are extracted in which the difference between the value of the date of birth field and the current date is between 2 months and 3 months, between 1 year 5 months and 1 year 6 months, or between 2 years 10 months and 3 years.

[0279] If the difference is between 2 months and 3 months, it means that the infant will soon have the health check that is usually taken at 3 to 4 months of age; if the difference is between 1 year 5 months and 1 year 6 months, it means that the infant will soon have the health check that is usually taken at 1 year 6 months of age; and if the difference is between 2 years 10 months and 3 years, it means that the infant will soon have the health check that is usually taken at 3 years of age.

[0280] In step 992, regarding the records extracted from the pregnant woman basic information table, specifically, records in which the value of the child name field is blank are extracted.

[0281] This routine further includes, after step 992, step 994 in which all of the records for the mother extracted in step 992 are extracted from the pregnant woman basic information table, the pregnant woman medical checkup information table and the pregnant woman dental information table in the maternal and child health information storage unit 822, and all of the records for the infants and toddlers extracted in step 992 are extracted from the 3 to 4 month medical checkup information table, the 1 year and 6 years medical checkup information table and the 3 year old medical checkup information table, and then this routine is terminated.

[0282] When the portable terminal device 950 according to the present embodiment receives a record transmitted from the server device 708 through the processes shown in steps 980 and 982 shown in Fig. 38(A) and steps 990 to 994 shown in Fig. 38(B), it deletes all records in the infant basic information table, 3-4 month medical checkup information table, 1 year 6 years old medical checkup information table, and 3 year old medical checkup information table, as well as the pregnant woman basic information table, pregnant woman medical checkup information table, and pregnant woman dental information table in the storage device 964. After that, the portable terminal device 950 adds the record received from the server device 708 to the infant basic information table, 3-4 month medical checkup information table, 1 year 6 years old medical checkup information table, and 3 year old medical checkup information table in the storage device 964, as well as the pregnant woman basic information table, pregnant woman medical checkup information table, and pregnant woman dental information table, respectively.

[0283] When a medical examination is carried out for an infant or a pregnant woman, the mobile terminal device 950 is capable of updating records in each table of the storage device 964 and adding new records through operations by the user of the device.

[0284] In addition, the mobile terminal device 950 may be configured to transmit the records of each table in the storage device 964 to the server device 708 in response to an operation by the user of the device, and then delete all the records in each table in the storage device 964.

[0285] The software configuration of the portable terminal device 706 according to this embodiment is similar to that of the portable terminal device 706 according to the second embodiment. (operation)

[0286] 36 to 38, the operation of system 954 according to this embodiment is as follows. Portable terminal device 950 operates in the same manner as server device 702 according to the second embodiment. Server device 708 transmits information on infants and pregnant women who are scheduled to undergo a health checkup in the near future to portable terminal device 950 on the first day of each month (steps 980 and 982 shown in FIG. 38(A) and steps 990 to 994 shown in FIG. 38(B)).

[0287] When the portable terminal device 950 receives records relating to infants and pregnant women in a specific area, the person conducting the health examination travels to the specific area with the portable terminal device 950, conducts the health examination, and stores the results of the health examination in each table of the memory device 964 of the portable terminal device 950.

[0288] When a school health check implementer brings mobile terminal device 956 and implements health checkups at elementary schools and junior high schools, the school health information is input to and stored in mobile terminal device 956. When a school health check implementer implements health checkups at elementary schools and junior high schools where server device 951 is installed, the school health information is input to and stored in server device 951. Thereafter, each of mobile terminal device 956 and server device 951 transmits the school health information to server device 708 through operation by the school health check implementer. When server device 708 receives the school health information from mobile terminal device 956 and server device 951, it adds the school health information to each table in storage device 760 and stores it.

[0289] In the second embodiment, the server device 702 used by the medical institution includes one that is fixedly installed within the premises of the medical institution. In the case where the server device 702 is a fixedly installed within the premises, the person who provides the medical examination must write the results of the medical examination on paper when the medical examination is conducted outside the premises, and after returning to the premises of the medical institution, must manually add the results written on the paper to each table in the storage device 750 of the server device 702.

[0290] However, the mobile terminal device 950 according to this embodiment can be used outside the facility, and can be connected to the network 18 and communicate with the server device 708 even when outside the facility. Therefore, when a person who performs a health checkup performs a health checkup outside a facility, the results of the health checkup can be directly stored in the storage device 964 of the mobile terminal device 950, and the records of each table stored in the storage device 964 can be transmitted to the server device 708 on the spot.

[0291] As described above, by utilizing the system 954 according to this embodiment, even if the medical examination provider conducts the medical examination outside a facility, the trouble of writing down the diagnosis results on paper or inputting them into a server device after returning to the office can be eliminated. Once the diagnosis results are input into the mobile terminal device 950, they can be immediately reflected in the server device 708.

[0292] Like the portable terminal device 950, the portable terminal device 956 also saves the school health check implementer the trouble of having to write down the diagnosis results on paper or input them into a server device after returning to the office. Once the diagnosis results are input into the portable terminal device 956, they can be immediately reflected in the server device 708.

[0293] By using the server device 951 installed in the elementary school and junior high school and the server device 708 used by the local government, the local government can centrally manage the health information of children and junior high school students. If health conditions can be centrally managed as electronic data in this way, the school health checkup implementers can reduce the amount of "handwritten" and "manual" work, and the work can be made more efficient. In particular, in small local governments, since many tasks are handwritten and manual on paper, using the server device 951 and the server device 708 in conjunction with each other is effective in terms of work efficiency. In this way, the server device 951 can support health-related administrative tasks in elementary schools and junior high schools, and is therefore called a "school affairs support system." [Variations]

[0294] In the first embodiment, the color of the text area is changed according to the recognition rate value in region 524 of application window 520. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and it is also possible to change the size of the characters in the text area, change the vertical length of the text area, change the time cycle for erasing and displaying the characters in the text area, or change the thickness of the lines of the characters, according to the recognition rate value.

[0295] In the first embodiment, the process of adding one record to the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46 is repeatedly executed in steps 380, 384, and 388 shown in Fig. 13. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the information of the record to be added may be added to another storage area in the storage device 56, and the process of adding records collectively to the item data table 44 and the item sub-data table 46 may be executed toward the end of the routine shown in Fig. 14.

[0296] In the second embodiment, the maternal and child health information is limited to the items stored in each table of the storage device 750. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and any items for grasping health information may be used. For example, items of pregnancy and pregnancy history may be added to health information related to pregnant women.

[0297] Furthermore, with regard to the health information of infants and young children, items such as the child-rearing environment may be added, such as the state of nutrition, whether the infant is breastfed, whether weaning has been completed, and whether the infant is fed breast milk, formula, or a combination of both.

[0298] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely illustrative, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims of the appended claims, taking into consideration the detailed description of the invention, and includes all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the words described therein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0299] 10,700,954 systems 12,702,708,951 Server equipment 14 Terminal Equipment 16 Scanner 30,56,750,760,774,964 Storage device 32,54,752,778,968 Control device 36,58,754,780,970 Communication equipment 40 Document Identification Information Table 42 Item Area Definition Table 44 item data table 46 item subdata table 48 Document image storage unit 52,782,960 Display device 60,776,966 Input Devices 706,950,956 Mobile terminal equipment 770,952,958 Touch panel display 784,962 Touch Panel 800 Infant Basic Information Table 802 3~4 month health check information table 804 1 year and 6 months health check information table 806 3-year-old health check information table 808 Pregnant women basic information table 810 Prenatal checkup information table 812 Maternity Dental Information Table 820 Subject Basic Information Table 822 Maternal and Child Health Information Storage Department

Claims

1. An image information recognition device that recognizes characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup slip, There are several types of health check cards: The health check-up form for each type includes items for recording the test results of the subjects from the first to sixth grades of elementary school and the first to third grades of junior high school. The health check sheet is provided in advance with character entry items for each school year, which are items in which characters are entered, and single-choice items for marking an object to be selected in order to selectively select one of a plurality of objects, The relevant text entry items on the health examination form are as follows: A rectangular box and a line for dividing a decimal point and each digit are displayed from one long side of the box to the other long side, and a number entry item for entering a numerical value in the box is displayed. Characters indicating the positions of teeth and frames located near each of the characters are displayed, and a tooth chart entry item for allowing a character indicating the state of the teeth to be entered in the frame is included; The health check sheet is rectangular in shape. The single selection item on the health check-up sheet includes a character selection item in which a plurality of characters are displayed in a direction parallel to the short side of the health check-up sheet, and which allows the user to selectively select one of the plurality of characters; The image information recognition device includes: an identification information storage unit that stores a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of the health checkup sheet; an identification means for identifying the type of the health examination certificate by determining whether a character string read from a certain area of ​​the image of the health examination certificate is identical to any of the character strings stored in the identification information storage unit; The image information recognition device further comprises: For each item for each grade of the health check-up form of the type identified by the identification means, character recognition means for executing character recognition processing and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate if the item is a character entry item; a mark recognition means for recognizing, when the item is a single selection item, which object of the item is marked and outputting the result of the recognition and a recognition rate; The image information recognition device further comprises: a result display means for displaying the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means on a display device in a display manner in accordance with the recognition rate of the item; a change means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation; a storage means for storing in a storage device the recognition results of each item output by said character recognition means and said mark recognition means, and the results of changes made to said items by said change means; the character recognition means recognizes the numerical values ​​entered in the numerical entry items and the characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry items, and outputs the recognition results and the recognition rate; the mark recognition means recognizes which characters are marked in the character selection items, and outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate; The change means is a recognition result changing means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation; and image display means for displaying, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup slip for the item changed by said recognition result change means.

2. 2. The image information recognition device according to claim 1, wherein said storage means continuously adds and stores the medical examination results for each school year for a plurality of subjects in the storage device.

3. 2. The image information recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the result display means displays the recognition results for each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means on a display device by changing a color according to a recognition rate value for the item.

4. 2. The image information recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the result display means displays the recognition results of the character entry items and single selection items in a list on the display device, and changes the display mode of the recognition result for each item depending on the recognition rate of the item.

5. The image information recognition device further includes an area storage means for storing an area in the image data in which a diagnosis result is to be written for each item of the health check sheet for each school year; the character recognition means executes character recognition processing for the character entry items on the medical examination sheet, for the areas of the items stored by the area storage means, and outputs the recognition results and the recognition rate; 2. The image information recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the mark recognition means recognizes which object has a mark in the area of ​​a single selection item on a health checkup sheet stored in the area storage means, and outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate.

6. An image information recognition program executed by a computer as an image information recognition device for recognizing characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup slip, There are several types of health check cards: The health check-up form for each type includes items for recording the test results of the subjects from the first to sixth grades of elementary school and the first to third grades of junior high school. The health check sheet is provided in advance with character entry items for each school year, which are items in which characters are entered, and single-choice items for marking an object to be selected in order to selectively select one of a plurality of objects, The relevant text entry items on the health examination form are as follows: A rectangular box and a line for dividing a decimal point and each digit are displayed from one long side of the box to the other long side, and a number entry item for entering a numerical value in the box is displayed. Characters indicating the positions of teeth and frames located near each of the characters are displayed, and a tooth chart entry item for allowing a character indicating the state of the teeth to be entered in the frame is included; The health check sheet is rectangular in shape. The single selection item on the health check-up sheet includes a character selection item in which a plurality of characters are displayed in a direction parallel to the short side of the health check-up sheet, and which allows the user to selectively select one of the plurality of characters; The computer includes an identification information storage means for storing a plurality of character strings for identifying the type of the health checkup sheet; determining whether a character string read from a certain area of ​​the image of the health check-up slip is identical to any of the character strings stored in said identification information storage means, and causing said identification information storage means to function as an identification means for identifying the type of the health check-up slip; The computer further performs the following for each item for each grade of the health checkup sheet of the type identified by the identification means: character recognition means for executing character recognition processing and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate if the item is a character entry item; when the item is a single-selection item, functioning as a mark recognition means for recognizing which object of the item is marked and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate; The computer further comprises: a result display means for displaying the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means on a display device in a display manner in accordance with the recognition rate of the item; a change means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation; a memory means for storing in a storage device the recognition results of each item output by the character recognition means and the mark recognition means and the results of the changes made to the corresponding items by the change means; the character recognition means recognizes the numerical values ​​entered in the numerical entry items and the characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry items, and outputs the recognition results and the recognition rate; the mark recognition means recognizes which characters are marked in the character selection items, and outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate; The change means is a recognition result changing means for changing the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device by the result display means through a user's operation; and an image display means for displaying, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup slip for the item changed by the recognition result change means.

7. An image information recognition method in which an image information recognition device recognizes characters and marks included in image data of a health checkup slip, comprising: There are several types of health check cards: The health check-up form for each type includes items for recording the test results of the subjects from the first to sixth grades of elementary school and the first to third grades of junior high school. The health check sheet is provided in advance with character entry items for each school year, which are items in which characters are entered, and single-choice items for marking an object to be selected in order to selectively select one of a plurality of objects, The relevant text entry items on the health examination form are as follows: A rectangular box and a line for dividing a decimal point and each digit are displayed from one long side of the box to the other long side, and a number entry item for entering a numerical value in the box is displayed. Characters indicating the positions of teeth and frames located near each of the characters are displayed, and a tooth chart entry item for allowing a character indicating the state of the teeth to be entered in the frame is included; The health check sheet is rectangular in shape. The single selection item on the health check-up sheet includes a character selection item in which a plurality of characters are displayed in a direction parallel to the short side of the health check-up sheet, and which allows the user to selectively select one of the plurality of characters; the image information recognition device includes an identification information storage unit that stores a plurality of character strings for identifying a type of health examination sheet; The image information recognition method includes: an identification step in which the image information recognition device determines whether a character string read from a certain area in an image of the health examination certificate is identical to any of the character strings stored in the identification information storage unit, thereby identifying the type of the health examination certificate; The image information recognition method further comprises: The image information recognition device performs the following for each item for each grade of the health checkup sheet of the type identified in the identification step: a character recognition step of executing a character recognition process if the item is a character entry item and outputting a recognition result and a recognition rate; and a mark recognition step of recognizing, when the item is a single selection item, which object of the item is marked and outputting the recognition result and the recognition rate; The image information recognition method further comprises: a result display step in which the image information recognition device displays the recognition results of each item output in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step on a display device by changing a display mode according to a recognition rate value of the item; a change step in which the image information recognition device changes the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation; a storage step of storing in a storage device the recognition results of each item output in the character recognition step and the mark recognition step, and the results of the changes made to the corresponding items in the change step; In the character recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes numbers entered in the number entry items and recognizes characters indicating the tooth condition entered in the dental chart entry items, and outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate; In the mark recognition step, the image information recognition device recognizes whether any character is marked in the character selection item, and outputs a recognition result and a recognition rate; The changing step includes: a recognition result changing step in which the image information recognition device changes the recognition results of each item displayed on the display device in the result display step by a user operation; An image display step in which the image information recognition device displays, on a display device, an enlarged image within the image of the health checkup slip for the item changed in the recognition result change step.

Images