GB2471302A

GB2471302A - Equipment and system for recording irregularities on an object

Info

Publication number: GB2471302A
Application number: GB0910927A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nadia Volf; Lee Mccormack
Original assignee: OVIE Ltd; Inst Lisa Tsipkin S A
Current assignee: OVIE Ltd; Inst Lisa Tsipkin S A
Priority date: 2009-06-24
Filing date: 2009-06-24
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: WO2010150018A1; GB0910927D0

Abstract

Irregularities on a patient's body part, particularly an ear, are identified on an image 118 of the ear taken by a camera 102 and are recorded on a representative diagram 116 of an ear displayed adjacent to the image. The images are manipulated by a computer 110 and displayed on a screen 112. Points or regions may be recorded on the diagram using an input device such as a stylus 114 in conjunction with a touch screen, a mouse or a keyboard 124; and the type of irregularity may be selected from a menu 122. The resulting data can be input into an algorithm to identify a particular course of acupuncture treatment. Also disclosed is a similar system for recording damage to hire cars (figure 10), including a gantry (900, figure 11) on which are mounted several cameras to gain photographs of the car from the front, rear and sides.

Description

Equipment for Facilitating Recordal of Irregularities on an Object, and Acupuncture Diagnosis Apparatus, Software and Method

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to equipment for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on an object, such as but not limited to a body or a part of a body, and it relates to use of such equipment in acupuncture diagnosis. The invention also relates to acupuncture diagnosis apparatus, acupuncture diagnosis software and a method of performing acupuncture diagnosis.

Background

Acupuncture originates from traditional oriental medicine and typically involves inspecting parts of the body, such as key points on the ear, which are associated with organs of the body and looking for conditions, such as irregularities in the form of spots, veins etc. on these key points. When irregularities are identified on these key points, this is considered as identifying an elemental imbalance in relation to the corresponding organ, or aspects of health that may relate to that organ. A therapist will apply acupuncture to relevant points across the body, e.g. in relation to the organ that is considered to have an elemental imbalance, in order to restore the general wellbeing of the patient.

The entire process from inspection to diagnosis to application of treatment is a complex and highly skilled task, taking many years for a practitioner to acquire. Indeed different practitioners may take different views on diagnosis and treatment and it is difficult to establish uniformity between practitioners regarding diagnosis and treatment, because of the importance placed on traditional skill.

Attempts have been made to facilitate fusion of western medical treatment and oriental medical treatment by imaging a patient for the purposes of generating information relating to acupuncture points to which a practitioner may apply treatment. Japanese patent no. JP2005 177228 describes such an attempt. While such systems may have their uses and applications, it remains that the practitioner must perform complex diagnosis before identifying the points to which acupuncture must be applied.

Attempts have also been made to facilitate diagnosis, such as Japanese patent no. JP2002078772, which describes a sensor which may be attached to a skin surface for therapy and muscle tone diagnosis. (This particular arrangement proposes laser acupuncture.) There remains a need for improved apparatus and methods for acupuncture, diagnosis and therapy. More generally, there is a need for equipment for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on an object, for example a part of the human body, whether for purposes of assisting acupuncture, diagnosis and therapy or for more general purposes.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, equipment is provided for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on an object. The equipment comprises: a camera for capturing an image of the object; a display for displaying the image of the object simultaneously with a diagrammatic representation of the object, the diagrammatic representation including indications of predetermined regions of the object; and an input device for receiving manual input indicating selected regions of the diagrammatic representation of the object. A computer device is coupled at least to the display and the input device for recording the received input to record regions showing irregularities.

In the preferred embodiment, the object is a part of the human body, for example an ear, tongue or eye, and the diagrammatic representation is a corresponding representation.

In a particular aspect, the equipment is for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient, wherein: the camera is adapted and positioned for capturing an image of the patient's ear; the display is arranged for displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; the input device is arranged for receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear; and the computer device has loaded therein a selection program that automatically selects a diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.

In this aspect, the program is preferably arranged to map predetermined points to predetermined diagnoses or treatment plans.

Means may be provided for capturing an image of the patient's tongue; and means may be provided for displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue.

In this case, the input device is further arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue respectively, and the selection program is further arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of second points.

Means may be additionally or alternatively be provided for capturing an image of the patient's eye; and means may be provided for displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye. In this case, the input device is further arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye respectively, and the selection program is further arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.

The input device may be a two-dimensional input device on which the diagram is displayed. Means may be provided for selectively displaying the image of the ear/tongue/eye alongside the diagrammatic ear/tongue/eye respectively.

The display is preferably further arranged to present selectable irregularity types, and the input device is preferably arranged to receive as input a selection of irregularity type for different points.

The camera may be positioned and arranged for recording an image of an entire human body, with the diagrammatic representation being a representation of a human body.

In an alternative aspect of the invention, the camera is positioned and arranged for recording an image of a vehicle body and the diagrammatic representation is a representation of a vehicle body. Means may be provided for automatically capturing an image of the vehicle body when the vehicle passes in front of the camera.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a method is provided for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient. The method comprises: capturing an image of the patient's ear; displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's ear; and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.

The method preferably further comprises capturing an image of the patient's tongue; displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's tongue; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection of second points.

The method preferably or alternatively further comprises capturing an image of the patient's eye; displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's eye; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.

The method may further comprise measuring reaction times at fingers of the patient's left and right hands, comparing the reaction times to give at least one relative reaction time, and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the patient's relative reaction time.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is an illustration of the complete preferred acupuncture diagnosis apparatus and system; Fig. 2 is a screen shot for the display of Fig. I in the case of an ear template and ear image; Fig. 3 is a screen shot of the display of Fig. 1 in the case of an eye template and eye image; Fig. 4 is a screen shot of the display of Fig. 1 in the case of a tongue template and tongue image; Fig. 5 shows the ear template of Fig. 2 in greater detail; Fig. 6 is a table of points of interest on the ear template of Fig. 5 and their names and examples of priorities of "weights"; Fig. 7 is a table of mappings implemented in the system of Fig. 1 mapping points of interest on the ear template outcomes; Fig. 8 is an example of an ear template for illustration of use of the system illustrating a typical diagnosis; Fig. 9 is an illustration of equipment in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 10 is a screen shot for the display of Fig. 9 in the case of a car body template.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to Fig. 1, the preferred system comprises a capsule or "pod" 100 having a seat 101 therein upon which a patient may sit. In the pod 100 there is a camera 102 on an adjustable arm 103 for positioning the camera in a position to photograph the patient's ear and/or eye and/or tongue. A light 104 is provided in the vicinity of the camera, positioned to illuminate the patient's face. The camera 102 is connected to a computer 110 which has a screen 112, which is preferably both a display and a touch screen, so that inputs may be received from a stylus 114. The screen, in operation, presents a template 116, an image 118 and (optionally) a drop-down list 122 of selectable conditions. Connected to the computer is a memory 120, a keyboard 124 and (optionally) a joystick 126. Connected to the camera arm 103 is a servo motor 128.

In operation, a patient sits on the seat 101 and a practitioner positions the camera 102 to first photograph the patient's ear. In the example illustrated, it is placed to photograph the right ear. An image of the ear is captured and delivered to the computer 110 and is presented in image portion 118 of display 112. The image can also be captured in memory 120 for later use. The practitioner causes a template of an ear (in this case, a right ear) to be retrieved from memory 120 and displayed in template portion 116 of display 112. The system is now ready for the practitioner to input points of interest on the patient's ear.

The practitioner uses the stylus 114 (but could alternatively use a computer mouse or other 2D or 3D input device) to select on template 116 points of interest on the patient's ear.

Points of interest are certain points that display "conditions" that may include one or more of the following: redness, roughness, dryness, veins, spots, blemishes, etc. In the preferred embodiment, the particular condition is not critical to the outcome (although in other embodiments it can be taken into account), but provision is made for the practitioner to record the type of condition observed. The type of condition observed is entered using the stylus 114 to pick a condition from the drop-down list of conditions 122 displayed on the display 112.

(Alternatively, radio buttons can be presented with different selectable conditions, or a mouse can be used, or a free-form entry can be provided to allow the practitioner to key in specific conditions using a keyboard 124). When the practitioner has selected all the points of interest for this patient's ear, the practitioner can press a key or select an input use in the stylus 114 to cause the software to proceed to the next stage.

Before discussing the next stage, it may be noted that the camera can be positioned to record an image of the patient's left ear, and the process can be repeated for the left ear.

Proceedings to the next stage in the process, the practitioner positions the camera 102 to take an image of the patient's eye (e.g. the left eye). An image of the patient's eye is taken and recorded and stored in memory 120 and presented in display portion 118 of screen 112.

Simultaneously, the software causes a template of a left eye to be presented in template portion 116 of display 112. The practitioner is now in a position to record points of interest on the patient's eye. This is described in greater detail below. When points of interest have been recorded and conditions recorded, the practitioner is ready to move to the third stage.

Note that before proceeding to the third stage, the camera can be positioned to record an image of the patient's other eye (e.g. the right eye) and the process can be repeated for the other eye.

In the third stage of the process, the practitioner positions the camera 102 to record an image of the patient's tongue. The image of the tongue is provided to the computer 110 and recorded in memory 120 and is presented in portion 118 of screen 112. At the same time, the software in computer 110 causes a template of a tongue to be presented in template portion 116 of screen 112. The system is now ready to receive the practitioner's selection of points of interest on the tongue. This too is described in greater detail below.

When the three stages have been completed, the points of interest on the ear, eye and tongue have been recorded by computer 110 in memory 120 and the system is ready to deliver a diagnosis. This will be described below. The system delivers a diagnosis primarily based on the selected points of interest for the patient's ear, but also taking into account the selection of points of interest on the patient's eye and tongue. The diagnosis can be referred to by name, but equally the name can be considered to be a treatment plan. Stating this another way, the result of the analysis performed by the computer leads directly to a treatment plan (which may be identified by names such as "transformation", "spirit", "balance" etc.), and in particular to selection of a corresponding set of acupuncture points on the patient's body to which treatment should be applied.

Before discussing the manner by which a diagnosis or treatment plan is derived from the input, reference is made to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 illustrating the ear, eye and tongue respectively.

Referring to Fig. 2, an image of an ear captured by the camera for a real patient is illustrated on the right hand side of the screen. Side-by-side on the left hand side of the screen is illustrated a template generated by the software of the computer 110. The template has a number of points or regions (in the preferred embodiment there are 34 of these) such as regions 1 and 2 and point 4. Note that there may be points within regions, such as point 14, which is within region 1. In the preferred embodiment, the practitioner is able to select one of these points or regions using the stylus 114, and the display responds to illustrate that the point or region has been selected. For example, if the practitioner selects region 2, that region changes colour to illustrate that it has been selected. The practitioner can deselect a region or point, until the practitioner is satisfied that the correct regions and points (and only those) have been selected for this patient. By way of further example, if region 1 is selected, it may change from a first shade or colour to a second shade or colour yet still reveal point 14, and if that point is then selected, it may change from a third shade or colour to a fourth shade or colour. Instead of changing from one shade or colour to another shade or colour, a region may indicate its selection by flashing or by other means.

The template is preferably a standard template for all patients, with the points and regions being predetermined in their positions on the template. In a further development, a set of ear templates may be provided, allowing the practitioner to select a template that most resembles the ear of the patient in question, but in each case it is preferred that the same points or regions are illustrated on the different selectable templates, as it is from these points or regions that the software will select a diagnosis.

The arrangement allows a high quality image of the patient's ear to be presented in colour in large scale on the screen, giving the practitioner a good view of the patient's ear from which to select points of interest, but also giving a record of that patient's ear for future referral. The camera 102 has a light 104 to illuminate the patient's ear and ensure that the image is clear and visible. Depending on the shape of the patient's ear, it may not be possible to view all the desired points from a single two-dimensional image of the ear. In a preferred embodiment, more than one image of the ear can be captured and the practitioner can select between different images of the ear to ensure that all the necessary points are visible. To facilitate the capture of different images of the ear, a joystick 126 can be provided to control a servo motor 128 that controls the arm 103 of the camera 102. The servo motor 128 can operate in two degrees of freedom (e.g. using a gimbal arrangement) to enable the practitioner to adjust the position of the camera to ensure that all points of interest are viewable.

Referring to Fig. 3, a captured image of a left eye is shown alongside a computer-generated template 300 of an eye. The template 300 has eight outer sectors 301 to 308, as well as various inner sectors and rings surrounding the pupil. These sectors and rings represent regions of the iris. The practitioner is able to use the stylus 114 to select observed conditions in one or more sectors or rings. Examples of conditions are: holes (e.g. hole 320) and slack filaments.

Referring to Fig. 4, an image of a tongue is shown alongside a template 400 of a tongue. The template 400 has ten selectable spots in pairs, one pair at each side, one pair at the tip, one pair at the base and one pair in the middle. The practitioner can select one or more of these spots and, upon selection of the spot, the spot will change shade or colour on the screen to illustrate that it has been selected. Examples of conditions are: white spots, tooth marks, veins, pits, etc. Additional detail will now be given explaining the manner by which the system arrives at a conclusion (i.e. a diagnosis or treatment plan).

Referring to Fig. 5, a complete set of thirty-four regions of interest or points of interest is shown. Each is given a number from 1 to 34. In traditional acupuncture, points of interest on the ear are associated with organs of the body.

Fig. 6 lists the thirty-four points of interest in the preferred embodiment of the present invention and allocates names to those thirty-four points of interest. (The actual names are of no consequence -in Fig. 6 they are given in French showing their association with different parts of the body, but it is a feature of the present arrangement that these traditional associations lose their relevance for reasons that will become apparent.) In Fig. 6, a priority or "weight" is given to each of the thirty-four points. The weight is on a scale from 0.25 to 2 (but could be on some other scale such as 1 to 100). In the preferred embodiment, the weight can take the values 0.25, 1, 1.5 or 2. In this mariner, certain points of interest are given greater significance than others.

Referring now to Fig. 7, a table (or matrix) is illustrated showing a possible treatment plan numbered I to 8. Each treatment plan is represented by a set of points of interest on the ear. Thus, for example, points 26, 28, 17, 2 and 4 represent treatment plan 1 or, to put this in another way, the set of points 26, 28, 17, 2 and 4 is diagnostic of treatment plan 1. Similarly, the set 29, 13, 17, 31 and 9 is diagnostic of treatment plan 2. It will be noted that the sets of different points of interest are not mutually exclusive. Thus, for example, point 17 is a member of sets 1, 2 and 3. The presence or absence of a condition at point 17 will not alone reach to a conclusion that distinguishes between treatment plans 1, 2 and 3, but will assist in distinguishing between these treatment plans and treatment plans 4 to 8 that do not presuppose any condition at point 17. Equally, for reasons that will be explained, the presence of the condition at point 17 will not negate any of the outcomes 4 to 8.

The operation of the software is as follows. When the practitioner has selected a set of points of interest (which term includes regions of interest) the selected points of interest are mapped to the eight treatment plans. For each of the eight treatment plans (each column in the table of Fig. 7) a summation is calculated summing the priorities or weights for those points of interest that have been selected and that form part of the set indicative of that treatment plan. Eight summations are calculated and compared. The highest summation "wins" and gives the conclusion -i.e. results in a diagnosis that the particular treatment plan is the desired treatment plan.

The first four points (above the horizontal line on Fig. 7) are deemed the most important. In the preferred embodiment, the computer program delivers a summation of the weights of these four points, and if a unique maximum summation is delivered, the treatment plan corresponding to the maximum summation is the result. If there is no unique maximum from a first round of summations, the points below the line are additionally taken into consideration to disambiguate between the various equal maxima delivered in the first round.

By way of illustration, Fig. 8 shows that the practitioner has selected points 2, 4, 17, 26 and 28. In this case, each of the first four points will contribute to the summation for treatment plan set 1, and treatment plan set I will deliver a summation that is the sum of the weights of those four points -in this case 5.5. At the same time, this set of points will, for treatment plan 2 deliver a summation of 1; and for treatment plan 3 a summation of 1; and for treatment plan 4 a summation of 0; and for treatment plan 5 a summation of 1. For each of treatment plans 6, 7 and 8, the set will give a summation of 0. It can be seen that the summation for treatment plan 1 is the highest, therefore this treatment plan "wins" and is the

conclusion.

Clearly the example given is somewhat trivial, because the practitioner has in fact selected all the points that exactly match treatment plan 1. It can also be seen, however, that there need not be an exact match between the selected points and any particular set of points for a treatment plan. Indeed there can be significant non-overlap. If, for example, the practitioner did not select region 2, a summation of 4.5 would still be delivered for treatment plan 1, and this would still exceed any other summation. Similarly, if other points such as points 5 and 8 are selected, this will not alter the result, because these particular points are low priority and would have to be combined with some other points or some higher priority points to lead to a summation that would exceed 4.5.

A few points are unique to one treatment plan (e.g. point 3 is unique to treatment plan 3). The majority of points are not unique to a particular treatment plan. Some points are not used in the embodiment shown (points 10 and 18) but additional treatment plans may be devised for which these points are significant.

An experienced practitioner will know which points of interest have higher priority and the experienced practitioner will be particularly careful in ensuring that these higher priority points are correctly selected (or correctly not selected), but it can be seen that the system assists a less experienced practitioner by according an appropriate weight to different points. Through performing of automated summations of the weights for different predetermined sets of points, and comparing the different summations for the different predetermined sets, a result is delivered that does not require the practitioner to perform balanced judgements between different possible outcomes.

In a modified embodiment, the particular condition noted for a particular point or region influences the outcome. E.g. different secondary weights can be given to spots and redness versus roughness, dryness or veins. Alternatively, spots can be given greater secondary weight over mere redness. The primary weight for a given point or region is multiplied by the secondary weight before the weights are summed.

Thus, a method has been described for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient. The method comprises capturing an image of the patient's ear, displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear, and receiving input from a therapist indicating selected points of the diagrammatic ear at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions using the image of the patient's ear. The method comprises selecting a conclusion (diagnosis or treatment plan) based at least in part on the therapists selection of points.

In the description so far, the conclusion is based entirely on the therapist's selection of points from the patient's ear, but it is preferred that this conclusion is verified using points from the patient's eye and/or tongue arid/or fingers. This can be done in a number of ways.

For example, verification can be used merely to disambiguate in a situation where the above method gives two equal summations for different treatment plans. This can be achieved by providing a similar table for the eye and/or tongue and performing similar summations for sets of points that are mapped to the different treatment plans. In this case, for purposes merely of disambiguating between treatment plans selected in the first step, the further summations can be limited to just those treatment plans that have "passed" the first step -i.e. those that are equal winners in the first step (or near equal winners -i.e. those that have summations within a predetermined margin or threshold of each other). Thus, the eye and/or tongue can be used to verify a diagnosis from the first step where the first step delivers several summations that are close together but not exactly equal. Thus, a threshold can be set for the difference between the summations, and if there are several summations from the first step that are within that threshold, the process can proceed to the verification using the eye and/or tongue.

Ideally the eye and/or tongue are used to verify the result delivered by the ear, rather than all three being considered together. This has the advantage of ensuring that a unique result is delivered.

The therapist may measure reaction times at fingers of the patient's left and right hands. Reaction times can be measured by holding a hot taper or incense stick near the finger, at about half a centimeter from the finger and measuring, with a stop-watch, the time in seconds before the patient feels the heat from the taper or incense stick. This time is recorded. The same procedure is applied to a corresponding finger on the patient's other hand and a time is recorded. The times are compared. The difference in reaction times between left and right hands is noted as an imbalance. This is entered into the computer 110. The same procedure can be applied to all of the patient's fingers and the thumbs. A conclusion is selected based at least in part on the relative reaction time or times measured (or the average relative reaction time, averaged across the fingers). This procedure is particularly useful for identifying treatment plan No. 3, which is associated with balance (or lack thereof) -i.e. for additionally weight the outcome towards treatment plan No. 3 or for disambiguating when treatment plan No. 3 is one of two or more treatment plans that provide close summations using the other methods already described.

In place of the table of Fig. 7, the computer 110 can implement a neural network, trained to receive inputs in the form of selected points from the ear, and to give diagnoses for different sets of selected points. Such a neural network can be trained to give inconclusive results for certain combinations of selected points from the ear and to then bring the inconclusive results to a conclusion based on selected points from the eye and/or tongue.

Alternatively it can be trained using all the selected points from the ear, eye and tongue as equal inputs. A combination of approaches can be used, such as a matrix approach for selected points from the ear, and a neural network to verify (or modify) selections based on the eye and/or tongue.

In more general terms, equipment has been described for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on an object. The equipment comprises: a camera for capturing an image of the object; a display for displaying the image of the object simultaneously with a diagrammatic representation of the object, the diagrammatic representation including indications of predetermined regions of the object; and an input device for receiving manual input indicating selected regions of the diagrammatic representation of the object. A computer device is coupled at least to the display and the input device for recording the received input to record regions showing irregularities.

It has been described how the invention can be used for the purposes of facilitating acupuncture diagnosis and therapy, but the object being imaged need not be an ear, eye or tongue -it could be some other part of the body, or an entire body. For example, the equipment could be used in a morgue for imaging an entire body and receiving manual input indicating selected regions of the body, with irregularities, such as wounds, burns, etc. For example, one or more images of a victim's body can be taken and displayed alongside a template of an entire body, and the operator could select regions of the body and indicate irregularities such as: stab wound, slash wound, burn, bruise etc. Referring to Fig. 9, equipment for more general use is shown, comprising a gantry 900 having at least three cameras 910, 920 and 930 mounted thereon and a computer 110 connected to the cameras. Means may be provided (such as a conveyer belt or a reclining seat) for conveying a body to be imaged to an imaging position under the camera 102 or 920 or under the gantry 900. A sensor 940 and light source 950 may be provided (or some equivalent sensor) for sensing when the body has entered the field of vision of the camera 102 or cameras 910, 920 and 930. A fourth camera may be provided on the reverse side of camera 920 for imaging the rear of the body as it exits the gantry.

The equipment of Fig. 9 may be used for other purposes, such as for automobile rental return or for quality control on a factory production line.

Referring to Fig. 10, an image of the object (in this case a vehicle) is displayed on the right hand side of display 112 and a template (in this case a template of a vehicle) is displayed in template region 116. The drop down menu 122 can give selectable conditions applicable to a vehicle such as "dent", "scratch" and "tear".

In operation, a vehicle can enter the gantry and trigger the sensor 940, which will cause the three cameras 910, 920 and 930 to capture side and front images of the vehicle.

Using a timer device or other sensor, a fourth camera can capture a rear view of the vehicle.

The available views are displayed in display portion 118 of the screen 112, and the operator can use the stylus 114 to select regions of the templates illustrated in template region 116.

Upon selection of a given region (e.g. a door 950), that region will change shade or colour to indicate that it has been selected, and the operator can select a condition such as dent or scratch to indicate the irregularity identified in that region.

The arrangement has the advantage that the operator need not physically inspect the vehicle, but can be located in an office. The gantry can be located at the entry to a parking lot, so that by the time the vehicle reaches a parking space, images have been captured and an inspection of the vehicle has taken place and is available for the driver to confirm or otherwise, once the vehicle is parked.

Various embodiments have been described, but modifications thereto will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles described may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. Equipment for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on an object, the equipment comprising: a camera for capturing an image of the object; a display for displaying the image of the object simultaneously with a diagrammatic representation of the object, the diagrammatic representation including indications of predetermined regions of the object; an input device for receiving manual input indicating selected regions of the diagrammatic representation of the object; and a computer device coupled at least to the display and the input device for recording the received input to record regions showing irregularities.
2. Equipment in accordance with claim I, wherein the object is a part of the human body and the diagrammatic representation is a representation of that part of the human body.
3. Equipment in accordance with claim 2, wherein the object is one of an ear, tongue and eye, and the diagrammatic representation is a corresponding representation.
4. Equipment in accordance with claim 1 for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient, wherein: the camera is adapted and positioned for capturing an image of the patient's ear; the display is arranged for displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; the input device is arranged for receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear; and the computer device has loaded therein a selection program that automatically selects a diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.
5. Equipment in accordance with claim 4, wherein the program is arranged to map predetermined points to predetermined diagnoses or treatment plans.
6. Equipment in accordance with claim 4 comprising: means for capturing an image of the patient's tongue; and means for displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue; wherein the input device is arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue respectively; and the selection program is arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of second points.
7. Equipment in accordance with claim 4, 5 or 6 comprising: means for capturing an image of the patient's eye; and means for displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye; wherein the input device is arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye respectively; and the selection program is arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.
8. Equipment in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the input device is a two-dimensional input device on which the diagram is displayed.
9. Equipment in accordance with claim 8 further comprising means for selectively displaying the image of the ear/tongue/eye alongside the diagrammatic ear/tongue/eye respectively.
10. Equipment in accordance with any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the display is further arranged to present selectable irregularity types, and the input device is arranged to receive as input a selection of irregularity type for different points.
11. Equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera is positioned and arranged for recording an image of an entire human body and the diagrammatic representation is a representation of a human body.
12. Equipment in accordance with claim 1, wherein the camera is positioned and arranged for recording an image of a vehicle body and the diagrammatic representation is a representation of a vehicle body.
13. Equipment in accordance with claim 12, comprising means for automatically capturing an image of the vehicle body when the vehicle passes in front of the camera.
14. Equipment in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the display is further arranged to present selectable irregularity types, and the input device is arranged to receive as input a selection of irregularity type for different regions.
15. A method for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient comprising: capturing an image of the patient's ear; displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's ear; and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.
16. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising capturing an image of the patient's tongue; displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's tongue; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection of second points.
17. A method in accordance with claim 15 or 16, further comprising capturing an image of the patient's eye; displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's eye; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.
18. A method in accordance with claim 15, 16 or 17 further comprising measuring reaction times at fingers of the patient's left and right hands, comparing the reaction times to give at least one relative reaction time, and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the patient's relative reaction time.
19. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the selection comprises mapping thetherapist's selection of points to a conclusion.
20. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the selection of a conclusion comprises selecting one of eight treatment plans.Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows.Claims 1. Equipment for facilitating identification and recordal of irregularities on a patient's ear, eye or tongue, the equipment comprising: a camera adapted and positioned for capturing an image of the patient's ear, eye or tongue; a computer device and display coupled to the camera and adapted for displaying the image of the patient's ear, eye or tonguesimultaneously with a corresponding diagram of a representative ear, eye or tongue, the diagram including indications of predetermined regions of the representative ear, eye or tongue; and an input device for receiving manual input indicating selected regions of the diagram; wherein the computer device is coupled at least to the input device and is adapted to receive the input and record regions showing irregularities. S...2. Equipment in accordance with claim I for identification of acupuncture treatment for a *: patient, wherein: * the camera is adapted and positioned for capturing an image of the patient's ear; * the display is arranged for displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a S..diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; * ** the input device is arranged for receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear; and the computer device has loaded therein a selection program that automatically selects a diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.3. Equipment in accordance with claim 2, wherein the program is arranged to map predetermined points to predetermined diagnoses or treatment plans.4. Equipment in accordance with claim 2 comprising: means for capturing an image of the patient's tongue; and means for displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue; wherein the input device is arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue respectively; and the selection program is arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of second points.5. Equipment in accordance with claim 2, 3 or 4 comprising: means for capturing an image of the patient's eye; and means for displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye respectively, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye; wherein the input device is arranged to receive input from the therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye respectively; and the selection program is arranged to verify the selected diagnosis or treatment plan based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.6. Equipment in accordance with any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the input device is a two-dimensional input device on which the diagram is displayed. S. S7. Equipment in accordance with claim 6 further comprising means for selectively displaying the image of the ear/tongue/eye alongside the diagrammatic ear/tongue/eye respectively. S. S * S S* 20 8. Equipment in accordance with any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the display is further arranged to present selectable irregularity types, and the input device is arranged to receive as input a selection of irregularity type for different points.9. Equipment in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the display is further arranged to present selectable irregularity types, and the input device is arranged to receive as input a selection of irregularity type for different regions.10. A method for identification of acupuncture treatment for a patient comprising: positioning a camera for capturing an image of the patient's ear; displaying the image of the patient's ear together with a diagram of an ear, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic ear; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected first points of the diagrammatic ear at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's ear; and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the therapist's selection of first points.11. A method in accordance with claim 10, further comprising: capturing an image of the patient's tongue; displaying the image of the patient's tongue together with a diagram of a tongue, the diagram indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic tongue; receiving input from a therapist indicating selected second points of the diagrammatic tongue at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's tongue; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection * * of second points. **S* ******* * * 12. A method in accordance with claim 10 or 11, further comprising: capturing an image of the patient's eye; displaying the image of the patient's eye together with a diagram of an eye, the diagram . : indicating predetermined points of a diagrammatic eye; * * :* receiving input from a therapist indicating selected third points of the diagrammatic eye at which the therapist identifies irregular conditions from the image of the patient's eye; and wherein the selecting of a conclusion is based at least in part on the therapist's selection of third points.13. A method in accordance with claim 10, 11 or 12 further comprising measuring reaction times at fingers of the patient's left and right hands, comparing the reaction times to give at least one relative reaction time, and selecting a conclusion based at least in part on the patient's relative reaction time.14. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the selection comprises mapping thetherapist's selection of points to a conclusion.15. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the selection of a conclusion comprises selecting one of eight treatment plans. * * *. *S..... * . ** S * SS * SS * S..S *. S * SS * *5 S. S * .5 S *S