Development of an Automatic Pill Image Data Generation System

Abstract

Objectives: Since the easiest way to identify pills and obtain information about them is to distinguish them visually, manystudies on image processing technology exist. However, no automatic system for generating pill image data has yet beendeveloped. Therefore, we propose a system for automatically generating image data by taking pictures of pills from variousangles. This system is referred to as the pill filming system in this paper. Methods: We designed the pill filming systemto have three components: structure, controller, and a graphical user interface (GUI). This system was manufactured withblack polylactic acid using a 3D printer for lightweight and easy manufacturing. The mainboard controls data storage, andthe entire process is managed through the GUI. After one reciprocating movement of the seesaw, the web camera at the topshoots the target pill on the stage. This image is then saved in a specific directory on the mainboard. Results: The pill filmingsystem completes its workflow after generating 300 pill images. The total time to collect data per pill takes 21 minutes and 25seconds. 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 fromvarious angles. The pill observation data from various angles include many cases. In addition, the data collected in the samecontrolled environment have a uniform background, making it easy to process the images. Large quantities of high-qualitydata from the pill filming system can contribute to various studies using pill images.