Healthc Inform Res.  2023 Jan;29(1):84-88. 10.4258/hir.2023.29.1.84.

Development of an Automatic Pill Image Data Generation System

• Lee J
• Kwon S
• Kim JH
• Kim KG

• KMID: 2539401
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2023.29.1.84

Abstract

Objectives
Since the easiest way to identify pills and obtain information about them is to distinguish them visually, many studies on image processing technology exist. However, no automatic system for generating pill image data has yet been developed. Therefore, we propose a system for automatically generating image data by taking pictures of pills from various angles. This system is referred to as the pill filming system in this paper.
Methods
We designed the pill filming system to have three components: structure, controller, and a graphical user interface (GUI). This system was manufactured with black polylactic acid using a 3D printer for lightweight and easy manufacturing. The mainboard controls data storage, and the entire process is managed through the GUI. After one reciprocating movement of the seesaw, the web camera at the top shoots the target pill on the stage. This image is then saved in a specific directory on the mainboard.
Results
The pill filming system completes its workflow after generating 300 pill images. The total time to collect data per pill takes 21 minutes and 25 seconds. The generated image size is 1280 × 960 pixels, the horizontal and vertical resolutions are both 96 DPI (dot per inch), and the file extension is .jpg.
Conclusions
This paper proposes a system that can automatically generate pill image data from various angles. The pill observation data from various angles include many cases. In addition, the data collected in the same controlled environment have a uniform background, making it easy to process the images. Large quantities of high-quality data from the pill filming system can contribute to various studies using pill images.

Keyword

Tablets, Internet of Things, Data Systems, Automatism, Motor Skills

Figure

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  Figure 1 Schematic presentation of the parts of the pill filming system and their functions.

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  Figure 2 Internal structure of the seesaw for taking images of pills from various angles.

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  Figure 3 Block diagram of the entire pill filming system.

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  Figure 4 Graphical user interface (GUI) to visualize system operation with buttons for different pill names.

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  Figure 5 Actual view of the pill filming system.

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  Figure 6 (A, B) Four examples of pill image data of the two types from various angles were generated by the pill filming system.

Reference

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