Glare Reduction in Injection Device Dose Reading via Sequential Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current injection devices, such as insulin pens, face challenges in accurately capturing images of the dose window due to reflections from the transparent window, which affect the quality of images captured by imaging apparatuses and hinder the ability to monitor insulin injection effectively.
Innovation Solution
A supplementary device with a processor arrangement that activates multiple light sources to minimize reflections, allowing the imaging apparatuses to capture and combine images under different illumination conditions, thereby reducing glare and enhancing image quality for successful optical character recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single light source is used to illuminate the dose window, then the image capture process is simple and quick, but reflections from the transparent window create glare that degrades image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is segmented into multiple light sources positioned at different locations around the dose window. Each light source illuminates the window from a specific angle, creating reflections that appear in different regions of the captured image. This segmentation allows the system to capture multiple images with different reflection patterns and combine them to eliminate glare while preserving the dose information.
2Measurement precision
If multiple images are captured and combined to reduce reflections, then image quality improves, but the image capture and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action by sequentially activating multiple light sources in a predetermined sequence. Each light source is activated for a brief period to capture an image, then deactivated before the next light source is activated. This periodic illumination pattern allows the system to capture multiple images with different reflection characteristics and combine them to produce a final image with reduced glare, balancing image quality improvement with acceptable processing time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively combines images from multiple perspectives, reducing reflections and improving image clarity, enabling accurate reading of the dose information displayed on the injection device, thus enhancing the monitoring and tracking of insulin doses.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of light sources (29) arranged around a dose window (13) of the injection device (1)
Implementation Method 2
Each illumination source, when activated, may result in one or more reflections from a transparent window of the injection device being visible in a field of view
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~2a
Figure 2b~2c
AI summary
Supplementary device for attachment to a pen-type drug injection device, in order to record the set and/or injected dose, the supplementary device comprising two cameras configured to capture images of the moveable dose dial sleeve of the injection device and a plurality of point light sources as well as a processor arrangement configured to control operation of the cameras and plurality of light sources and to receive image data from the cameras, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to activate the plurality of light sources sequentially and to combine multiple images captured by the cameras under illumination by different light sources into a single image. This way, reflections which could be disturbing for an OCR process such as bright spots respectively regions of glare due to the point light sources appear in different positions in each image captured. The regions without glare from each image can thus be extracted and combined into a substantially glare free image.