Vision System for Transparent Container Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for prescription drugs due to an aging population and rising number of medications exceeds the capacity of licensed pharmacists, leading to pharmacists spending more time on administrative tasks, increasing the likelihood of prescription errors and adverse drug events, as existing visual verification methods are inadequate for distinguishing between visually similar medications and fail when manufacturer bar codes are absent.
Innovation Solution
A vision system comprising a light dome, annular light curtain, and adjustable light ring illuminates pharmaceuticals within transparent, colored containers using inverse RGB values to acquire accurate images for identification, reducing glare and enhancing differentiation between similar medications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If visual verification methods are used to identify medications, then pharmacists can verify prescribed medications, but the methods fail when medications are visually similar or when manufacturer bar codes are absent
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the imaging parameters by using multiple light sources with different wavelengths (visible light and infrared) and adjusting camera settings to capture both reflectance and transmittance characteristics. This allows the system to distinguish between visually similar medications and detect features that may not be visible to the human eye, thereby improving verification accuracy while maintaining adaptability across different medication types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary imaging system that captures detailed visual and spectral characteristics of medications. This intermediary layer between the pharmacist and the medication provides objective data for verification, reducing reliance on human visual inspection and enabling accurate identification even when medications appear similar or lack distinctive bar codes.
2Reliability
If pharmacists perform visual verification manually, then medication identification can be performed, but pharmacists spend excessive time on administrative tasks and have increased prescription error rates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical manual visual inspection process with an automated imaging and analysis system. The automated system captures images and spectral data, processes them through pattern recognition algorithms, and provides verification results without requiring pharmacist time, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining or improving prescription accuracy through objective, consistent analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies (images and spectral signatures) of the medications instead of relying on direct human observation. These digital copies can be stored, compared against database records, and analyzed repeatedly without fatigue or subjectivity, enabling faster verification while improving accuracy through objective comparison of captured characteristics.
3Illumination intensity
If standard lighting is used for imaging transparent containers, then the container structure is visible, but the medications inside are obscured by glare and color distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different lighting qualities to different parts of the imaging process. Multiple light sources with specific wavelength characteristics are positioned at different locations to illuminate the container from various angles. This allows certain areas to be illuminated to highlight medication characteristics while minimizing glare on the container walls, achieving both visibility of the container structure and accurate capture of medication features.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic or sequential illumination patterns, alternating between different light sources (visible light and infrared) and adjusting lighting intensity dynamically. This periodic action allows the system to capture images under varying lighting conditions, processing each image to compensate for glare and color distortion, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining adequate illumination intensity.
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 system improves the accuracy and speed of pharmaceutical verification, reducing prescription errors and labor costs by enabling reliable identification of medications within transparent containers, even when manufacturer bar codes are absent, thereby enhancing pharmacy efficiency and patient safety.
Implementation Method 1
a light ring positioned to illuminate the gap between the light dome and the light curtain
Implementation Method 2
a camera having a lens facing the window to acquire images of an object on a side of the window opposite the camera
Data Source
AI summary
A vision system useful in acquiring images includes: a light dome having a window and a perimeter; an annular light curtain positioned within and radially inwardly from the perimeter of the light dome such that an annular gap is formed between the light dome and the light curtain; and a light ring positioned to illuminate the gap between the light dome and the light curtain. The light curtain and window are sized and positioned such that no direct light from the light ring reaches the window. The system further comprises a camera having a lens facing the window to acquire images of an object on a side of the window opposite the camera. The images acquired by the camera can then be compared to stored images to determine whether the identity of the objects (which may be pharmaceutical tablets) is as expected.