SKIN IMAGING AND APPLICATIONS
The availability of high quality imagers on smartphones and other portable devices facilitates creation of a large, crowd-sourced, image reference library that depicts skin rashes and other dermatological conditions. Some of the images are uploaded with, or later annotated with, associated diagnoses or other information (e.g., “this rash went away when I stopped drinking milk”). A user uploads a new image of an unknown skin condition to the library. Image analysis techniques are employed to identify salient similarities between features of the uploaded image, and features of images in this reference library. Given the large dataset, statistically relevant correlations emerge that identify to the user certain diagnoses that may be considered, other diagnoses that may likely be ruled-out, and/or anecdotal information about similar skin conditions from other users. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
1 . A method comprising:
receiving first imagery depicting a part of a mammalian body that evidences a symptom of a pathological condition;
processing the received imagery to derive one or more image parameter(s);
searching a data structure for reference information, based on the derived image parameter(s); and
from the reference information, identifying one or more particular pathological conditions that is not the pathological condition evidenced by said depicted part of the mammalian body.
2 . The method of claim 1 in which the first imagery depicts said part of the body at a first time, and the method further includes:
receiving second imagery depicting said part of the body at a second time, later than the first time;
determining data about a change in said symptom between the first and second times, based on said first and second imagery; and
using said determined data in said identifying the one or more particular pathological conditions that is not the pathological condition evidenced by said depicted part of the body.
3 . The method of claim 1 in which the processing comprises one or more of: determining, or performing, a color histogram, a blob analysis, and a frequency domain transformation.
4 . The method of claim 2 in which the reference information includes multiple sets of reference data, each corresponding to a reported diagnosis of a pathological condition in a reference subject, and each including reference image-based information.
5 . The method of claim 4 that further includes identifying plural candidate pathological conditions consistent with said received first imagery, and presenting a listing of said conditions to the user, ranked by probability.
6 . The method of claim 5 in which plural of said sets of reference data each includes drug profile data indicating one or more drug(s) taken by said respective reference subject, and the method includes:
identifying a drug most commonly associated with one of said candidate pathological conditions; and
reporting said identified drug to the user as a further clue to diagnosis.
7 . The method of claim 1 in which the mammalian body comprises not a human body, but an animal body.
8 . The method of claim 1 in which the processing comprises processing in an Lab color space, rather than in an RGB color space.
9 . The method of claim 1 in which the first imagery includes a known object distinct from the body, and the processing includes determining a camera pose relative to the body based on apparent geometrical distortion of the object in said imagery.
10 . A method comprising the acts:
receiving a first set of information from a first submitter, the first set of information including imagery depicting a part of a first subject's body that evidences a symptom of a first pathological condition, and also including a diagnosis of the first pathological condition;
receiving a second set of information from a second submitter, the second set of information including imagery depicting a part of a second subject's body that evidences a symptom of a second pathological condition, and also including a diagnosis of the second pathological condition;
repeating the foregoing act for third through Nth sets of information, received from third through Nth submitters;
receiving information corresponding to a query image submitted by a user;
computing one or more image parameter(s) from the query image;
searching the imagery received from the first through Nth submitters for correspondence with said computed image parameter(s); and
sending diagnosis information to the user based on said searching of imagery.
11 . The method of claim 7 in which:
each of plural of said received sets of information includes drug profile data indicating one or more drug(s) taken by said respective subject; and
the sent diagnosis information includes information based on analysis of said drug profile data.
12 . The method of claim 7 in which one of said submitters is a physician, and one of said submitters is not a physician.
13 . A method comprising the acts:
receiving a first set of information from a first submitter, the first set of information including imagery depicting a part of a first subject's body that evidences a symptom of a first pathological condition, and also including drug profile data indicating drugs taken by the first subject;
receiving a second set of information from a second submitter, the second set of information including imagery depicting a part of a second subject's body that evidences a symptom of a second pathological condition, and also including drug profile data indicating drugs taken by the second subject;
repeating the foregoing act for third through Nth sets of information, received from third through Nth submitters;
receiving information corresponding to a query image submitted by a user;
computing one or more image parameter(s) from the query image;
searching the imagery received from the first through Nth submitters for correspondence with said computed image parameter(s); and
sending, to the user, information identifying one or more drugs that is correlated with symptoms having an appearance like that depicted in the query image.
14 - 22 . (canceled)