RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application no. 62/594,847, filed December 5, 2017 and entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF CHROMOGENIC MATERIAL”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure generally relates to a method and system for analysis of chromogenic material, and more particular relates to a method and system applying computer-implemented image processing to determine at least one color property of an image of the chromogenic material and to determine a presence of a suspected health condition.

BACKGROUND

[002] Water-absorbent materials such as absorbent materials including polysaccharides can be employed in different fields. For example, water-absorbent materials can be used in pet litter, household articles, sealing materials, humectants for agricultural products for soil conditioning, oil-drilling, anti- condensation coatings, water-storing materials in agriculture/horticulture, absorbent paper products, bandages and surgical pads, disposable sanitary products (such as diapers, incontinence articles, feminine hygiene products, airlaids and absorbent dressings), wound dressings, or as chemical absorbents.

[003] Water-absorbent materials can also be used as a support for diagnostic agents for humans or animals. For example, it is known to use diagnostic agents, incorporated into test strips, beads or particles, for detection purposes. Usually, such test strips consist of an absorbent carrier made from fibrous or non-woven material, in the simplest case filter paper, which is coated or impregnated with the detection reagents. The detection reagents may include a chromogenic compound as an indicator, and a trigger compound to transform the chromogenic indicator into a chromogenically active compound in the presence of the compound to be detected.

[004] For example, feline urinary tract disease can be a serious condition for cats. In feline urinary tract disease, crystals of magnesium ammonium phosphate can precipitate in the cat's urinary tract and cause obstruction. If untreated, the obstruction can lead to intense pain and can often be fatal within days. In some cases, upon observing feline urinary tract disease symptoms - such as bloody urine and urination discomfort and straining - cat owners often consult their veterinarian who may be able to provide treatments, which may be expensive. However, many cats with feline urinary tract disease do not show any obvious symptoms, which is why this disease has been referred to as a“silent killer”.

[005] Another example of a serious condition for cats is diabetes. Diabetes strikes about 1 in 400 cats and has become increasingly common. Symptoms of diabetes in cats are similar to those in humans, and about 80% to 95 % of diabetic cats experience something similar to type-2 diabetes in humans. Cats suffering of diabetes usually become severely insulin-dependent by the time symptoms are diagnosed. In cats suffering from type-2 diabetes, early treatment can sometimes lead to diabetic remission, in which the cat no longer needs injected insulin. If left untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak cats, malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and eventually death.

[006] Early detection of diseases or conditions in animals or humans is therefore of paramount importance in facilitating treatment, lessening the likelihood of severe complications or aggravations, and reducing the cost of treatment.

SUMMARY

[007] According to one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method for analysis of chromogenic material. The method comprises receiving at least one digital image of the chromogenic material; applying computer-implemented image processing to detect at least one region in the digital image corresponding to the chromogenic material; determining at least one color property within the at least one detected region; and determining a presence of a suspected health condition based on the at least one determined color property.

[008] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented system having at least one data storage device and at least one processor operably coupled to the at least one storage device. The at least one processor is configured for receiving at least one digital image of the chromogenic material; applying computer-implemented image processing to detect at least one region in the digital image corresponding to the chromogenic material; determining at least one color property within the at least one detected region; and determining a presence of a suspected health condition based on the at least one determined color property.

[009] According yet another aspect, there is provided a method for analyzing chromogenic material that is adapted to exhibit a color change when exposed to bodily excretion having a composition representative of a presence of a suspected health in a living subject, the chromogenic material being provided at a location susceptible to exposure to bodily excretion from the subject. The method includes subsequent to the chromogenic material being exposed to the bodily excretion from the subject, capturing a digital image of the chromogenic material; and applying computer-implemented image processing to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in the subject based on color properties of the captured digital image.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[010] For a better understanding of the embodiments described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings which show at least one exemplary embodiment, and in which:

[011] Figure 1 illustrates a representation of an environment in which a method for analyzing chromogenic material is carried out according to one example embodiment; [012] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the operational modules of a chromogenic material analysis system according to one example embodiment;

[013] Figure 3A illustrates a first state of a user interface when implementing analysis of chromogenic material according to one exemplary embodiment; [014] Figure 3B illustrates a second state of the user interface according to the exemplary embodiment;

[015] Figure 3C illustrates a third state of the user interface according to the exemplary embodiment;

[016] Figure 3D illustrates a fourth state of the user interface according to the exemplary embodiment;

[017] Figure 4A illustrates a fifth state of the user interface according to the exemplary embodiment;

[018] Figure 4B illustrates a sixth state of the user interface according to the exemplary embodiment; [019] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method for analysis of chromogenic material according to an example embodiment;

[020] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method for carrying out simplified computer-implemented image processing of a digital image of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in a living subject according to an example embodiment;

[021] Figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method for carrying out computer-implemented image processing of a digital image of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in a subject according to an example embodiment; [022] Figure 8 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method for carrying out computer-implemented image processing of a sequence of digital images of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in a subject according to an example embodiment; and [023] Figure 9 illustrates a covered litter box having an integrated image capture device according to an example embodiment.

[024] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[025] It will be appreciated that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements or steps. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. Flowever, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein in any way but rather as merely describing the implementation of the various embodiments described herein.

[026] The term“chromogenic material” herein refers to a chromogenic water- absorbing material for detecting diseases or conditions, such as diseases or conditions related to the presence of blood in animal excretions, (e.g. urinary tract disease, hemorrhage or cancer) or diseases related to higher-than-normal levels of glucose in the animal excretions (e.g. diabetes). The chromogenic material may be the material described according to various example embodiments in PCT application no. PCT/CA2016/051037, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[027] The chromogenic material can further be provided in the form of agglomerations, such as granules, disks, squares, or similar masses. The granules may be suitable for use in combination with animal litter. A granule for use with animal litter may consist essentially of the chromogenic material.

[028] Alternatively, the granules can be formed of a mixture of the chromogenic material with other material used in animal litter. The chromogenic material can be in the form of particles that are evenly distributed on a top surface of the animal litter or evenly distributed within the animal litter.

[029] The chromogenic material can also be embedded within a finished article. Such articles may be liquid absorbent, whereby the absorbed liquid contacts the chromogenic material to cause the color change therein. For example, the finished article may be a litter-training pad for puppies and small dogs (“puppy pad”), diapers, underwear for incontinence, incontinence pads. The reaction in chromogenic material can be seen as a change in color on the surface of the finished article.

[030] The chromogenic material can be material sold under the bliicare™ line of products, such as clumping litter and granules for litter, sold by Intersand™. The chromogenic material can also be, but not limited to, any one of the following commercially available products:

• Simple Solutions™ Urinary health Risk Indicator by the Brampton Company;

• Health Meter™ Cat Litter with early indicator by Nullodor USA;

• Nullodor™ Cat Litter with Early Indicator by Demavic Laboratoire;

• Monthly Monitor™ by Ultra Pet Inc.;

• Scientific Professional™ Cat Litter with early indicator by Pet Ecology Brands, Inc.; • Pet Ecology PerfectLitter™ by Pet healthy Holdings, LLC;

• LifeMate™ Health Alert Cat Litter by Pestell Minerals & Ingredients;

• First Alert™ urinary Tract Infection Detector;

• Health Alert+™ by OdorLockersTM;

· Hemalert™ by Purina;

• Perlitnette™ Suivi Sante by Demavic Laboratoire;

• PrettyLitte™r by Pretty Litter Inc.

• Cranimals™ U.T.I by Cranimals;

• CheckUp™ Litter by Coastline Global.

[031] Referring now to Figure 1 , therein illustrated is a representation of an environment in which a method for analyzing chromogenic material is carried out. Prior to the analyzing chromogenic material, the chromogenic material is provided at a location that is susceptible to exposure to bodily excretion from a living subject. As described elsewhere herein the chromogenic material is adapted to exhibit a color change when exposed to bodily excretion having a composition representative of a presence of a suspected health in the living subject.

[032] For a non-human living subject, such as a cat, the chromogenic material is placed at the, or within, litter used by that subject. Accordingly, the chromogenic material will come in contact with bodily excretion from the subject when the subject urinates onto the litter.

[033] It will be appreciated that the providing of the chromogenic material at a location susceptible to exposure to bodily excretion from the subject represents a pre-analysis step that follows the typical use of suitable chromogenic material for detection of a presence of a suspected health in a living subject. [034] According to an embodiment of a method for analyzing chromogenic material, subsequent to the chromogenic material being exposed to the bodily excretion from the subject, a digital image of the chromogenic material is captured. The digital image can be captured by any suitable electronic device operable to generate a digital image of a scene, such as a digital camera, mobile telephone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, 2-in-1 laptop/tablet, virtual reality device, portable video game console, or a device for digitizing a printed image (ex: scanner).

[035] In the example illustrated in Figure 1 , a human user is operating a tablet to capture an image of chromogenic material in the form of granules provided in the litter. The human user is capturing the image after the cat has completed urinating on the litter. The human user is illustrated as capturing the image from a standing position. However it will be understood that the human user can take a different position, such a kneeling or crouched position, when capturing the image. This can allow the image capture device to be positioned closer to the chromogenic material when capturing an image of the scene.

[036] The method for analysis of chromogenic material further comprises applying a computer-implemented image processing to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in the subject. The image processing determines color properties of the captured digital image of the chromogenic material. In particular, color properties of regions of the captured digital image corresponding to the chromogenic material are determined. The determination of the presence of the suspected health condition is carried out based on the color properties of the captured digital image.

[037] One or more computer-implemented systems and methods operable to performed image processing to determine a presence of a suspected health condition described herein may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. However, preferably, these embodiments are implemented in computer programs executing on programmable computers, each comprising at least one processor, a data storage system (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output device. For example, and without limitation, the programmable computer may be a programmable logic unit, a mainframe computer, server, and personal computer, cloud based program or system, laptop, personal data assistance, cellular telephone, smartphone, wearable device, tablet device, smart display devices (ex: Smart TVs), set-top box, video game console, portable video game devices, or virtual reality device.

[038] Each program is preferably implemented in a high level procedural or object oriented programming and/or scripting language to communicate with a computer system. However, the programs can be implemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language. Each such computer program is preferably stored on a storage media or a device readable by a general or special purpose programmable computer for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. In some embodiments, the systems may be embedded within an operating system running on the programmable computer.

[039] Referring now to Figure 2, therein illustrated is a schematic diagram of the operational modules of a chromogenic material analysis system 1 according to one example embodiment. The chromogenic material analysis system 1 may be implemented in hardware or software of a combination of both. Components of the system are herein presented as modules each being implementable in hardware or software or a combination of both.

[040] More specifically, the chromogenic material analysis system 1 includes an image processing module 8, a chromogenic material detection module 16, a color property detection module 24, a health condition determination module 32, an image review module 40, and an action selection module 48.

[041] The chromogenic material analysis system 1 may be further in data communication with an image capture device 56 that is configured to capture representations of a scene as a digital image or a sequence of digital images. As is known in the art, the image capture device 56 includes a lens and an image sensor. The image capture device 56 can also include capability to process the captured image before being outputted therefrom. [042] As described elsewhere herein, the image capture device 56 can be integrated within the chromogenic material analysis system 1. For example, the image capture device 56 can be the on board camera of a smartphone, tablet, laptop, portable video game console, personal data assistance or the like. [043] Alternatively, the image capture device 56 can be external to the chromogenic material analysis system 1. The image capture device 56 can be another electronic device having a camera that transmits the captured digital image over a data transmission link to the chromogenic material analysis system 1. Alternatively, a printed image can be digitized and then transmitted to the chromogenic material analysis system.

[044] The chromogenic material having undergone color change appears within the captured one or more digital images as an image region having color properties that are different from the color in other regions surrounding that region.

[045] The chromogenic material analysis system 1 may be further in data communication with an electronic display device 64 that is operable to display text and images viewable by a human user.

[046] The chromogenic material analysis system 1 may be further in data communication with a communication module 72 that is operable for communicating data with an external device over any suitable data communications channel, such as the Internet. The communication module 72 may be any module known in the art, such as a WI-FI adapter, LAN adapter, or adapter for cellular communications (ex: 3G, 4G, LTE, or the like).

[047] The chromogenic material analysis system 1 can also be in data communication with a user interaction device 76. The user interaction device 76 can be any device known in the art that allows a user to provide an input to the chromogenic material analysis system 1. For example, the user interaction device 76 may be any one of a keyboard, touchscreen, voice command, mouse, stylus pen, etc. [048] According to one example embodiment, the chromogenic material analysis system 1 , the image capture device 56, the electronic display device 64, the communication module 72 and the user interaction device 76 can be implemented together within a single electronic user device. Preferably, the electronic user device is a portable device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, portable video game console, personal data assistance or the like. The chromogenic material analysis system 1 may be implemented as a mobile application or website being executed by the processor of the electronic user device.

[049] The digital image captured can be a single digital image, or a sequence of digital images. The sequence of digital images may be used for real-time display on the electronic display device 64 so that a user operating the image capture device can properly frame the scene being captured. The real-time display on the electronic display device 64 can also be used to provide visual feedback of regions of interest corresponding to captured chromogenic material to be analyzed. It will be appreciated that real-time display of images to aid capture of a scene is commonly known as“live preview”.

[050] In operation, the user operates the image capture device 56 in order to capture one or more digital images of chromogenic material found in a scene.

[051] Continuing with Figure 2, the image processing module 8 is configured to receive at least one digital image captured using the image capture device 56. The image processing module 8 can apply standard photo editing techniques to the captured digital image. More particularly, the image processing module 8 can adjust the pixel values of the captured digital image so that the color represented by the pixel values sufficiently match the true color of the objects within the scene that is captured. It will be understood that in some embodiments, these photo editing techniques can be carried out within the image capture device or can be split between the image capture device and the image processing module 8 of the chromogenic material analysis system 1. [052] The chromogenic material detection module 16 is configured to detect at least one region of interest in the captured digital image that corresponds to the chromogenic material. A captured scene can have a plurality of areas of chromogenic material. [053] In the case of the chromogenic material provided in the form of granules in combination with animal litter, the captured scene can be the animal litter and a plurality of granules of the chromogenic material located within the litter. Each region of interest detected by the chromogenic material detection module 16 can correspond to one of the granules. [054] In the case of the chromogenic material being embedded with the finished article, the captured scene can be the surface of the finished article having one or more spots exhibiting a color change from a reaction of the chromogenic material. Each region of interest detected by the chromogenic material detection module 16 can correspond to one of the spots on the surface. [055] The chromogenic material detection module 16 can apply computer- implemented image processing techniques to detect the at least one region in the digital image corresponding to the chromogenic material. For example, the chromogenic material detection module 16 can apply blob detection in order to identify image regions that have color properties that are distinct from the color properties of surrounding areas. Other techniques, such as edge detection, can also be applied.

[056] Where blob detection is applied, the chromogenic material detection module 16 can further filter the detected blobs based on their color properties to detect those regions of interest corresponding to the chromogenic material. It is known that the chromogenic material will exhibit a particular range of colors (ex: different shades of blue), and only detected blobs having color properties falling within this range of colors are further detected as regions of interest corresponding to the chromogenic material. [057] The color property detection module 24 is configured to determine at least one color property for each of the at least one region of interest detected by the chromogenic material detection module 16.

[058] The at least one color property for a given region of interest can be an average of the color values of the pixels of the capture image that make up the region of interest. The average can be an arithmetic mean. Alternative the at least one color property can simply be the color pixel value of individual pixels of the captured digital image.

[059] In one example embodiment, the color property detection module 24 calculates the at least one color property in the HSV (Hue, saturation, value) color space. Accordingly, where the captured digital image of the chromogenic material is initially received in another color space (ex: RGB), a conversion to HSV may be carried out (ex: by the image processing module 8 or the color property detection module) prior to determining the at least one color property for each of the region of interest detected by the chromogenic material detection module 16.

[060] The health condition determination module 32 is configured to determine a presence of a suspected health condition based on the at least one determined color property.

[061] In one example embodiment, the at least one color property for a given region of interest consists of a color value for that region. The color value may be a value calculated from the pixel values of the pixels in the region of interest. Furthermore, at least one color threshold is predetermined, such as a particular shade of blue. Where the color value for the region exceeds the color threshold (ex: the determined color value is darker than the particular shade of blue), then it is determined that the region of interest indicates the presence of a suspected health condition.

[062] In another example embodiment, a color range having an upper bound and a lower bound can be predetermined. For example, in the HSV color space, an upper bound and a lower bound can be determined for each of hue, saturation and value. Furthermore, the at least one color property for a given region of interest is a value expressed in the HSV color space. If each of the hue (H) value, saturation (S) value, and value (V) value falls within the range defined by the lower bound and the upper bound for each of H, S and V, then it is determined that the region of interest indicates the presence of a suspected health condition. The color range corresponds to a range of colors that when present in the chromogenic material would be indicative of the presence of a suspected health condition.

[063] According to one experimental implementation, the lower bound HSV was determined to be H=0; S=50 and V=50 and the upper bound HSV was determined to be H=71 ; S=255 and V=255 on a scale of H=0:179; S=0:255 and V=0:255.

[064] It will be appreciated that a determination of the presence of a suspected health condition can made for each region of interest detected by the chromogenic material detection module 16. As described elsewhere, the presence of a suspected health condition for one or more of the detected regions of interest can be displayed on the electronic display device 64 so that a user can make a decision as to whether further action is necessary. Additionally, or alternatively, a global determination of the presence of a suspected health condition can be made based on the number of regions of interest for which a positive presence of a suspected health condition was determined.

[065] According to an alternative example for carrying out computer-implemented image processing to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in the subject based on color properties of the captured digital image the detection of the regions of interest corresponding to chromogenic material within the captured scene, the determination of the color property of the captured image and the determination of the presence of a health condition can be carried within a single step. Accordingly, each of a plurality of pixels of the captured image are compared with a predetermined color range. The predetermined color range corresponds to a range of colors that when present in the chromogenic material would be indicative of the presence of a suspected health condition. This color range can also be defined in the HSV color spaced as described above.

[066] The comparison of the pixel color values of pixels of the image with the predetermined color range generates a binary mask, wherein pixels of a first value correspond to those having color values falling outside the predetermined color range and pixels of a second value correspond to those having color values falling within the predetermined color range. The binary mask constitutes the determined color properties of the captured digital image. The presence of any pixels of the second value (pixels having values falling within the predetermined color range) provides an indication of the presence of a suspected health condition. Groups of contiguous pixels having the second value correspond to regions of the digital image that correspond to the chromogenic material within the captured scene.

[067] According to one example embodiment, each image region surrounding an image pixel having a color value that falls within the predetermined color range is identified as a region of interest. As described elsewhere herein, the detected regions of interest can be highlighted when providing a live preview. For example, an applicable color range for finding a region of interest can have a lower bound HSV of H = 36, S = 20, and V =20 and a lower bound of H = 100, S = 225 and V = 225. [068] For each region of interest, blobs of contiguous pixels having color values falling within the predetermined color range are detected. Furthermore, for each blob, the minimum size of a predefined shape (ex: a circle) that covers the entirety of that blob is determined. This minimum size of each blob corresponds to a color property of the detected region of interest. Blobs having a minimum coverage size that exceed a predetermined dimension threshold (ex: radius) are determined as indicator zones that are indicative of a presence of a suspected health condition. For example, where the predefined shape for each blob of interest is a circle, the predetermined dimension threshold can be a radius of 5 pixels. Blobs having a minimum coverage size that are less than this threshold are ignored (ex: these have high likelihood of being a false positive, such as pixels corresponding to shadow between two litter pellets). Blobs having a minimum coverage size that are greater than this predetermined dimension threshold are considered for determining a presence of the suspected health condition.

[069] In another example embodiment, the determination of the presence of a suspected health condition is based on the at least one determined color property and at least one other property. The other property can be a property defined by the user during a pre-configuration phase. For example, the user can select a type of chromogenic material (ex: agglomerations for animal litter, type of finished article), the species and breed of animal, age of animal, etc. The color threshold or color range applied for making the determination of a presence of suspected health condition can be adjusted based on one or more of these defined properties. It will be appreciated that these properties defined by the user will typically remain unchanged across multiple instances of making the determination of the presence of a suspected health condition.

[070] The at least one other property used in combination with the color property to make a determination of the presence of a suspected health condition can include a property that is defined on a per use basis. That is, this property can be different for each instance of the chromogenic material analysis and must be re- defined for each instance. As also described in PCT application no. PCT/CA2016/051037, it was observed that the color of the chromogenic material can change according to the amount of time it has absorbed a liquid, such as animal excretions. The other property that is re-defined on a per use basis can include an amount of time that the liquid has been absorbed into the chromogenic material. A user interacting with the electronic chromogenic material analysis system 1 can interact with the user interaction device 76 to input the per-use property used for making the determination of the presence of suspected health condition. The color threshold or color range applied for making the determination of a presence of suspected health condition can also be adjusted based on the property defined on the per use basis. [071] In some example embodiments, the health condition determination module 32 can be further configured to determine a type or degree of the suspected health condition. The type or degree of the suspected health condition herein refers to categorizing the determination beyond a binary outcome of a presence of a suspected health condition or the non-presence of a suspected health condition. For example, the degree of the suspected health condition can be a level of severity of the suspected health condition. For example, the determination can provide the outcome of identifying the suspected presence of a specific disease (urinary tract disease, hemorrhage or cancer, higher-than normal levels of glucose). In such embodiments, a plurality of ranges of color values can be defined for the heath condition determination module 32. Alternatively, or additionally, where more than one property is used for making the determination of the presence and type of a suspected health condition, a matrix of outcomes can be predefined. [072] The image review module 40 is configured to display the result of the determination of the presence of a suspected health condition for viewing by the user. More particularly, the image review module 40 generates a digital graphic that can be displayed on the electronic display device 64.

[073] In one example embodiment, the image review module 40 generates a digital graphic that includes the received digital image that is used for making the determination of the presence of a suspected health condition. The image review module 40 generates one or more first graphical elements that is overlaid within the received digital image. First graphical elements may be overlaid at each region in the received digital image that was identified by the chromogenic material detection module 16 as corresponding to an area of chromogenic material within the captured scene. The image review module 40 may further generate one or more second graphical elements overlaid within the received digital image. The second graphical elements can visually indicate those regions of interest that have been determined as exhibiting a presence of a suspected health condition. The digital graphic generated by the image review module 40 can be displayed on the electronic display device 64 for viewing by a user.

[074] Action selection module 48 is configured to determine a recommended action in response to detecting the presence of a suspected condition. The recommended action that is chosen is intended to address the presence of the suspected health condition.

[075] Figure 3A illustrates an exemplary user interface 80 in a first state displayed on the electronic display device for implementing analysis of chromogenic material. A user interacting with the electronic display device has not yet presented an image of chromogenic material for analysis. That is, a digital image of chromogenic material has not yet been received. The first user interface 80 provides the user a first selectable option 82 of capturing an image using the image capture device 56 or a second selectable option 84 of selecting an already captured image to be uploaded. An option 86 to change settings (ex: to define additional properties is also made available.

[076] Figure 3B illustrates the user interface 80 in a second state displayed on the electronic display device for implementing analysis of chromogenic material. An image of a pet litter is displayed in user interface 80 in the second state. The image can be a still image that has just been captured using the image capture device 56 (ex: using the same device as the electronic display) or can be a still image that has been uploaded. Alternatively, the screen capture shows one frame of the sequence of digital images for real-time display on the electronic display device (i.e. live preview).

[077] According to one example, and as illustrated in Figure 3B, one or more graphical elements in the form of highlighted regions 90 are overlaid on the displayed image of the chromogenic material. The highlighted regions represent a pre-selection of to-be-analyzed regions. These regions can be selected by a user interacting with (ex: touching) the touchscreen device displaying the image of the chromogenic material. For example, the user touches regions of the image that correspond to the chromogenic material based on a visual inspection carried out by the user to make this pre-selection. This can also reduce the number of false positives that are detected and/or analyzed by the chromogenic material analysis system 1. [078] An interactive button 92 is further displayed. The user can interactive with the interactive button 92 to cause the computer-implemented analysis of the chromogenic material captured in the image. The pressing of the button 92 may indicate that the user has completed the pre-selection of to-be-analyzed regions. Additionally or alternatively, where the displayed image is a live preview, the pressing of the button 92 corresponds to the depressing of the shutter button of the image capture device and the instantaneous picture at the moment of the depressing is captured as the image for analysis.

[079] The pre-selection of to-be-analyzed regions of the image of chromogenic material is received, such as by the chromogenic material analysis system. The analysis of the chromogenic material that is carried out by the image processing module can then be limited to the pre-selection of to-be-analyzed regions. By applying a user-implemented filtering to make the pre-selection to-be-analyzed regions, the amount of image regions to be processed can be significantly reduced.

[080] Figure 3C illustrates the user interface 80 in a third state displayed on the electronic display device for implementing analysis of chromogenic material. The information of the user interface in the third state is displayed after computer- implemented image processing has been applied to detect one or more regions of the digital image corresponding to the chromogenic material and a presence of a suspected health condition has been determined. [081] Graphical elements 92 in the form of circles are overlaid on the displayed digital image of the chromogenic material and the litter. It will be appreciated that the circles 92 highlight areas of the digital image that contain chromogenic granules that are exhibit a color change after absorbing bodily excretions. As described elsewhere herein, these areas of the digital image are ones that have a contiguous blob of pixels that have color values falling within the predetermined color range and that have dimensional properties (ex: minimum radius) that exceed the predetermined dimensional threshold. Accordingly, the graphical elements 92 highlight regions of the digital image that graphically indicate the presence of a suspected health condition.

[082] In the third state illustrated in Figure 3C, a further textual message can be displayed to provide informational feedback to the user. In this case, since the computer-implemented analysis of the chromogenic material indicates the presence of suspected health condition, the message“Your pet may be sick. Please consult your veterinarian” is displayed.

[083] Figure 3D illustrates the user interface 80 in a fourth state displayed on the electronic display device for implementing analysis of chromogenic material. This user interface allows the user to enter information to identify the digital images that have been analyzed. The digital images can be saved locally for review later. The digital images may also be uploaded over a network to an external device, such as the cloud. The digital images may be transmitted to a veterinarian for review. The digital images may also be transmitted to a party carrying out research, such as on animal health.

[084] Figure 4A illustrates the user interface 80 in a fifth state. It will be understood that the fifth state corresponds to another instance of analysis of chromogenic material. Another image of a pet litter is displayed in the user interface 80. Highlighted regions overlaid on the image display a pre-selection of to-be-analyzed regions (such as from user interacting with the touchscreen device displaying the digital image). It will be appreciated that the highlighted regions forming the pre- selection correspond to areas of the digital image containing chromogenic granules within the litter that have been exposed to bodily excretion from a pet.

[085] Figure 4B illustrates the user interface 80 in a sixth state. The information of the sixth state is displayed after computer-implemented image processing has been applied to detect one or more regions of the digital image of Figure 4A corresponding to chromogenic material. In the example shown in Figure 4B, the digital image does not contain any regions that have color properties and/or dimensional properties that would indicate the presence of suspected health conditions. Accordingly, the displayed digital image of chromogenic material does not have any graphical elements highlighting presence of suspected health condition. Informational feedback, in the form of a message “No anomalies detected. Your pet is healthy” is also displayed.

[086] Figure 5 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method 150 for analysis of chromogenic material according to an example embodiment. As described elsewhere herein, the method 150 is carried out after providing the chromogenic material at a location susceptible to exposure to bodily excretion from a subject and after the chromogenic material has been exposed to the bodily excretion.

[087] At step 152, an image capture device is operated to capture a digital image of the chromogenic material. A user can operate the image capture device 56 to direct it towards a scene having the chromogenic material. For example, the user can capture a digital image of animal litter having a plurality of granules of chromogenic material and in which an animal has made an excretion.

[088] At step 154, the computer-implemented image processing is applied to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in the subject based on color properties of the captured digital image.

[089] Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method 160 for carrying out a simplified computer-implemented image processing of a digital image of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in the subject according to an example embodiment. The method 160 may be performed at the electronic chromogenic material analysis system 1 as described herein. [090] At step 162, at least one digital image of chromogenic material is received. The received captured image can further be processed at the image processing module 8, for example, to adjust the colors within the image.

[091] At step 164, each of a plurality of pixels of the captured image are compared with a predetermined color range. As described, elsewhere herein, the comparison generates a binary mask representing pixels having a color value falling with the predetermined color range and pixels having a color value falling outside the predetermined color range.

[092] At step 166, it is determined whether any pixels (or group of contiguous pixels) have color values falling within the predetermined color range. If such pixels are not found, which indicates a non-presence of a suspected health condition, the method proceeds to step 168 to display an indication of this non-presence on the electronic display device 64. For example, a textual message“no traces of blood detected”, or a similar message, can be displayed. [093] At step 166 if it is determined there are pixels (or groups of contiguous pixels) having color values falling within the predetermined color range, which indicates a presence of a suspected health condition, the method proceeds to step 170 of to display an indication of this presence of the suspected health condition on the electronic display device 64. As described elsewhere herein, the determination of presence of suspected health condition can be further based on whether blob of contiguous pixels have dimensional properties that exceed a predetermined dimensional threshold.

[094] Figure 7 illustrates a flowchart of the operational steps of a method 200 for carrying out computer-implemented image processing of a digital image of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in a subject according to an example embodiment. The method 200 may be performed at the electronic chromogenic material analysis system 1 as described herein. [095] At step 204, at least one digital image of chromogenic material is received. The received captured image can further be processed at the image processing module 8, for example, to adjust the colors within the image. A pre-selection of to- be-analyzed regions (ex: as selected by a user interacting with a touchscreen displaying the captured image) can also be received.

[096] At step 208, a computer-implemented image processing is applied to detect at least one region of interest in the captured image corresponding to the chromogenic material. The detection of the at least one region of interest can be carried out as described herein with reference to the chromogenic material detection module 16.

[097] At step 212, at least one color property is determined for each of the at least one region of interest detected at step 208. The determination of the at least one color property can be carried as described herein with reference to the color property detection module 24. [098] At step 216, for each region of interest detected at step 208, a determination is made as to whether there is an indication of the presence of a suspected health condition within that region of interest based on the at least one color property determined for that region at step 212. The determination of the presence of a suspected health condition can be carried out in accordance with the description provided herein with reference to the health condition determination module 32.

[099] At step 220, it is determined whether a presence of suspected health condition was detected at step 216. If it is determined that there is a non-presence of a suspected health condition, the method 200 proceeds to step 224 to display an indication of this non-presence on the electronic display device 64. For example, a textual message“no traces of blood detected”, or a similar message, can be displayed.

[100] At step 220, if it is determined that there is a presence of a suspected health condition, the method proceeds to step 228 to display an indication of this presence of the suspected health condition on the electronic display device 64. The displaying of this indication can be carried out in accordance with the description provided herein with reference to the image review module 40.

[101] Optionally, the method 200 may further include a step 232 of determining a recommended action in response to detecting the presence of a suspected health condition. The recommended action that is chosen is intended to address the presence of the suspected health condition.

[102] In embodiments where only the presence or non-presence of a suspected health condition is determined, determining the recommended action includes recommending contacting an external service provider. An option or user interface can be displayed on the electronic display device 64 to allow the user to contact the external service provider. For example, an interface can be presented to allow the user to make an appointment with the external service provider.

[103] The external service provider can be any one of a veterinarian, food provider, supplement provider, medication provider, commerce offering accessories (ex: toys, pads, litters), animal care provider, insurers, researchers, etc.

[104] In embodiments where a type of the suspected health condition is also determined, the recommended action can be selected based on the suspected health condition. Accordingly, the recommended action is adapted to the suspected health condition. For example, the recommended action can determine a type of service provider adapted to provide the recommended action and a user interface can be presented to allow the user to contact that specific service provider. Alternatively, or additionally, the recommend action can determine a type of product (ex: supplement, food, accessory) to be consumed or used to address the health condition. A user interface can also be presented to allow the user to order the type of product from one or more retailers. [105] The determination of the recommended action can be carried out locally at the computing device implementing the chromogenic material analysis system 1. A plurality of recommended action options can be pre-stored within the chromogenic material analysis system as well as predefined conditions for selecting a recommended action based on the presence and/or type of suspected health condition.

[106] Alternatively, step 232 can include uploading data information pertaining to the determination of the suspected health condition carried out at step 216 to an external device using the communication module 72. The external device can be an external server or database. The recommended action can be further determined at the external device and data information pertaining to the recommend action can be further received from the external device.

[107] The determination of the recommended action at the external database can be made based on additional information for the user. For example, the external database can store information pertaining to the medical history of the user’s pet animal, such as a pre-existing health condition. The recommended action can then be determined on the basis of the detected color property and information from the medical history. For example, it may be determined that the animal is at risk of re- lapse and the recommended action is chosen to address this risk. [108] Optionally, the method 200 can further include uploading the digital image received at step 204 to an external party using the communication module 72. For example, where the user selects an external service provider to provide the recommended action, the digital image can also be transmitted to that service provider. Accordingly, the external service provider can immediately receive the digital image and review it in order to make a further determination of the action to be offered.

[109] The uploaded information can be encrypted to prevent theft of the sensitive information. [110] The uploaded digital image and any other information can be saved at the external service provider. Such information can be collected from a plurality of users to understand trends is use, which can be further used for targeted advertising, understanding development of future products. For example, this collected information can be used amongst veterinarians, researchers, developers of pet foods, developers of pet accessories and/or pet owners. Such information can be stored, shared and/or used to identify animals having a health condition or at risk of developing a health condition; and animals predisposed to a health condition. Collection, storage and treatment of the uploaded digital images of chromogenic material can be cloud-based.

[111] Referring now to Figure 8, therein illustrated is a flowchart of the operational steps of a method 200’ for carrying out computer-implemented image processing of a sequence of images of chromogenic material to determine a presence of a suspected health condition in a subject according to an example embodiment. [112] At step 204, a digital image in the sequence of the plurality of digital images of the chromogenic material is received.

[113] At step 208, a computer-implemented image processing is applied to attempt to detect at least one region of interest in the captured image received at step 204. [114] At step 240, the image quality of the detected at least one region of interest is evaluated. More particularly, the image quality of the at least one region of interest is evaluated to determine whether it is sufficient to permit determining a presence of a suspected health condition. For example, where the chromogenic material is provided in the forms of granules to be used with animal litter, the size of the region of interest is evaluated to determine if they are sufficiently small or large. One or more corrective actions can be further determined based on the image quality evaluation. The corrective actions correspond to suggestions or actions that the user using the image capture device 56 can carry out in order to improve the image quality to allow for better determination of the presence of a suspected health condition.

[115] At step 244, the corrective action determined at step 240 is displayed on the electronic display 64 to inform the user of the corrective action to be taken. For example, the corrective action to be taken may be displayed as a textual message, a graphical message (ex: an icon) or both. The digital image received at step 204 can also be displayed, with the corrective action being overlaid over the displayed digital image.

[116] At step 248, it is determined whether a shutter-release button of the image capture device 56 has been depressed to capture a digital image. The depressing of the shutter-release button of the image capture device 56 corresponds to the user making the selection of the current digital image within the sequence of the plurality of digital images as the digital image to be used for determining the presence of a suspected health condition. The depressing of the shutter-release button also triggers an electronic indicator of the depressing, which electronic indicator can be received at the electronic chromogenic material analysis system 1 .

[117] In an alternative example embodiment, it is determined at step 248 whether the image quality evaluated at step 240 is sufficient to permit proper determination of the presence of a suspected health condition.

[118] At step 248, if a shutter-release button is not depressed or if the image quality evaluated at step 240 is insufficient, the method 200’ returns to step 204 to receive the next digital image in the sequence of digital images captured by the image capture device 56. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that steps 204, 208, 240, and 244 are repeated over time as new digital images are being captured.

When the received digital image and the corrective action(s) are displayed at step 244, the user can obtain a live preview of the scene being captured. This allows the user to adjust the capture of the scene in order to obtain a digital image that adequately allows for determination of the presence of a suspected health condition.

[119] At step 248, if a shutter-release button is depressed or if the image quality evaluated at step 240 is sufficient, the current digital image received within the current iteration of step 204 is selected as the digital image to be analyzed. The method 200’ then proceeds to step 228, and optionally steps 232 and 236. It will be understood that steps 228, and optionally steps 232 and 236, are performed based on the current digital image in the same way as described herein with respect to method 200 of Figure 5. [120] Referring back to Figure 1 , according to one example embodiment, the chromogenic material detection module 16, the color property detection module 24 and the health condition determination module 32 can be trained using machine learning. A large set of digital images of chromogenic material can be used to train these modules. Each image of the set can be further identified prior to training as having a presence of a suspected health condition or having a non-presence of a suspected health condition. The modules 16, 24, and 32 being trained using machine learning can be applied to analyse further captured digital images of chromogenic material and to determine whether the images show a presence of a suspected health condition. Accordingly, the detection of the presence of a suspected health condition from analysis of digital images of chromogenic material can be carried from application of artificial intelligence.

[121] Referring now to Figure 9, therein illustrated is a perspective view of a covered litter box 300 having an integrated image capture device 304 according to an example embodiment. The integrated image capture device 304 is installed on the inner surface of the cover member 308 of the covered litter box 300 and is oriented towards an upper surface of the litter tray 312. A light can also be provided on the inner surface of the cover member 308 to illuminate the upper surface of the litter tray 312. [122] The integrated image capture device 304 is configured to intermittently capture an image of the litter in the litter tray 312, including any chromogenic material in the litter tray 312.

[123] The integrated image capture device 304 further includes a communication module for transmitting digital images of the litter captured by the image capture device 304 to an external device. The digital images can be transmitted over a standard transmission link such as Wi-Fi, cellular (3G, 4G, LTE, etc.) or the like.

[124] In one embodiment, the captured digital images can be received directly at a user device (ex: smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop, video game console) from the image capture 304. The user can then visualize the captured images. Computer-implemented analysis of the chromogenic material according to various methods described herein can also be performed at the user device.

[125] In another embodiment, the captured digital images can be received at a remote server, such as a cloud-based server. Computer-implemented analysis of the chromogenic material according to various methods described herein can also be performed at the remote server. The user can then download the captured digital images and results of the analysis from the server.

[126] It will be appreciated that the process of analyzing the color change in chromogenic material and making a determination as to the presence of a suspected health condition includes a certain degree of subjectivity for a human user. Inexperienced consumers, such as ones using chromogenic granules in animal litter to detect possible health condition in their animal pet, may feel uncomfortable to make such a judgment on their own. Advantageously, the systems and methods described herein according to various example embodiments allow a user to use an automated and computer-implemented process in order to detect whether there is a presence of a suspected health condition. The user only has to manipulate an electronic user device implementing the chromogenic material analysis system 1 to capture an image of the chromogenic material, such as chromogenic granules in animal litter, and a determination of a presence of a suspected health condition will be computed for the user. Accordingly, the systems and methods provide a simple-to-use user experience while also eliminating the need for the human user to make a judgment call. [127] While the above description provides examples of the embodiments, it will be appreciated that some features and/or functions of the described embodiments are susceptible to modification without departing from the spirit and principles of operation of the described embodiments. Accordingly, what has been described above has been intended to be illustrative and non-limiting and it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that other variants and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.