Camera-Based Healthcare Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing healthcare measuring instruments with communication functions have complex configurations, leading to increased costs and difficulties in downsizing, necessitating a solution to transmit measured values without complicating the instrument's configuration.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a camera and communication unit that captures images of healthcare devices to read measured values and transmit them to an information providing device, allowing for analysis without requiring a communication function in the healthcare device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a communication function is provided in individual measuring instruments to transmit measured values, then the measured values can be transmitted to information processing devices for analysis, but the configuration becomes complicated, leading to increased costs and difficulty in downsizing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device to capture images of the measuring instrument's display. The electronic device (smartphone/tablet) then processes these images to extract measured values and transmits them to the information processing device. This intermediary approach allows measured value transmission without requiring built-in communication functions in the measuring instrument itself, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining information transmission capability.
2Productivity
If a communication function is provided in individual measuring instruments, then measured values can be transmitted automatically, but this leads to an increase in costs
Solution Approach 1:
By using the camera and external electronic device as intermediaries, the patent eliminates the need for expensive communication modules (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) in the measuring instrument. The measuring instrument only needs basic display functionality, which is already present in most devices. This significantly reduces manufacturing costs while still achieving automatic measured value transmission through the image capture and processing workflow.
3Ease of operation
If a communication function is provided in individual measuring instruments, then data can be transmitted without manual input, but this makes downsizing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the camera and external electronic device as intermediaries to handle data transmission, allowing the measuring instrument to remain compact without communication modules. The automatic data transmission is achieved through the workflow of capturing images with the camera, automatically recognizing and extracting measured values from the images, and transmitting them via the external device, thus maintaining automaticity without increasing the measuring instrument's size.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one of aspects, an electronic device includes: a camera; a controller configured to determine whether a measured value of a healthcare device is included in an image captured by the camera; and a communication unit configured to transmit information related to the measured value to an information providing device when the measured value is included in the image.