Patient video monitoring systems and methods for thermal detection of liquids
Inventors
Johnson, Steven Gail • del Carpio, Derek • Chapman, Kenneth W.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11074459-B2
Publication Date
2021-07-27
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system for monitoring a patient in a patient area having one or more detection zones, the system comprising one or more cameras, a user interface, and a computing system configured to receive a chronological series of frames from the one or more cameras, identify liquid candidates by comparing a current frame with a plurality of previous frames of the chronological series, determine locations of the liquid candidates, identify thermal signatures of the liquid candidates, determine types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the locations and thermal signatures of the liquid candidates, and generate an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient in a patient area having one or more detection zones, where one or more cameras provide a chronological series of frames including a plurality of thermal images. A computing system receives the frames and identifies liquid candidates by comparing temperature characteristics of a current frame with a plurality of previous frames, using edge detection. The comparison is based on given pixels having thermal or spectral properties different from thermal or spectral properties of background pixels.
After liquid candidates are identified, the system identifies thermal signatures of the liquid candidates and determines types of liquids based on the thermal signatures. The system then generates an alert with a user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids. The approach supports classifying liquid types, including types corresponding to IV liquids and bodily fluids, based on their thermal signatures and determined types.
The described monitoring further includes features for improved identification through temporal and spatial comparison within detection zones, including detection of motion of liquid candidates using temperature changes across a given zone between a current frame and multiple previous frames. Motion-related behaviors are associated with liquid spills, leaks, expulsion, pooling, accumulation, or dripping. The system is also described as accounting for false alarm sources through thresholding and zone-relative comparisons while using thermal signatures that can include heat amount, heat range, heat within a given area, and heat or spectral uniformity and stability.
Claims Coverage
The provided material includes two independent claims. Both claims cover the same core inventive pipeline: receiving chronological thermal-image frames, identifying liquid candidates using edge detection with background-referenced temperature/spectral pixel differences, identifying thermal signatures, determining liquid types from the thermal signatures, and generating alerts with a user interface corresponding to the determined types.
Background-referenced edge-detection liquid-candidate identification from chronological thermal images
The computing system is configured to receive a chronological series of frames including a plurality of thermal images from the one or more cameras and identify liquid candidates by comparing temperature characteristics of a current frame with a plurality of previous frames of the chronological series using edge detection. The comparison is based on given pixels of the chronological series including thermal or spectral properties different from thermal or spectral properties of background pixels of the chronological series.
Thermal-signature-based liquid-type determination and alert generation
The computing system identifies thermal signatures of the liquid candidates and determines types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the thermal signatures of the liquid candidates. The computing system generates an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.
Edge-detection using electronic signals from thermal sensors for chronological frame monitoring
The method includes receiving, by a computing system, a chronological series of frames including a plurality of thermal images from one or more cameras including thermal sensors. The method identifies, by the computing system, liquid candidates by comparing temperature characteristics of a current frame with a plurality of previous frames using edge detection on electronic signals from the thermal sensors, where the comparison is based on given pixels including thermal or spectral properties different from thermal or spectral properties of background pixels.
Thermal-signature-based liquid-type determination and user-interface alert in a method
The method includes identifying, by the computing system, thermal signatures of the liquid candidates, determining, by the computing system, types of liquids of the liquid candidates based on the thermal signatures, and generating, by the computing system, an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.
Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on background-referenced edge-detection comparison across a chronological series of thermal images to identify liquid candidates, followed by thermal-signature extraction for liquid-type determination and user-interface alert generation.
Stated Advantages
Generates an alert with the user interface corresponding to the determined types of liquids.
Documented Applications
Monitoring a patient in a patient area with one or more detection zones using thermal imaging from one or more cameras to detect and classify liquids, including types corresponding to IV liquids and bodily fluids.
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