Detection and evaluation of user grip with a handheld tool

• US 10,070,807 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verily Life Sciences LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shoeb, Ali, Pathak, Anupam
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US14/842,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20170055885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 21/02 Forks; Forks with ejectors; Combined forks and spoons; Salad servers
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/046 of holding or grasping
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/04 Arrangements of multiple sensors of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1101 Detecting tremor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1125 Grasping motions of hands
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/225 of the fingers, e.g. by monitoring hand-grip force
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms for detecting and evaluating grip by a user operating a handheld tool. In an embodiment, the tool includes a handle, one or more pressure sensors disposed in or on the handle, and an attachment arm. An output from the one or more sensors is generated while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool. Logic of the tool calculates a grip metric based on the sensor output, and the tool transmits, based on the grip metric, a signal including medical diagnostic information. In another embodiment, the user-assistive device includes a utensil attachment or a personal hygiene attachment.

Claims

1. A tool, comprising:

a handle;

an attachment arm extending from the handle and having a distal end configured to accept and hold a user-assistive device;

one or more sensors disposed within the handle, the one or more sensors configured to sense a pressure exerted on the handle by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to the distal end of the attachment arm;

a memory disposed within the handle;

grip evaluation logic coupled to the one or more sensors to receive from the one or more sensors an output indicative of the pressure, the grip evaluation logic comprising circuitry configured to calculate a grip metric based on the output and further configured to record into the memory a plurality of grip metrics acquired over time along with a type of the user-assistive device coupled to the distal end of the attachment arm for each of the grip metrics; and

a communication interface coupled to the grip evaluation logic, the communication interface configured to output from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the grip metric indicates whether a threshold amount of grip force has been applied to the handle.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein the grip metric indicates whether the threshold amount of grip force has been applied to the handle for a threshold period of time.

4. The tool of claim 1, the communication interface further to generate a prompt to indicate that the user is to perform a grip action of a diagnostic test.

5. The tool of claim 1, the grip evaluation logic further to evaluate the grip metric based on reference information including one or more threshold values of a diagnostic test criteria.

6. The tool of claim 1, the communication interface to send the signal from the tool to a remote device via a network, wherein based on the signal, the remote device performs a diagnostic test to evaluate the user.

7. The tool of claim 1, wherein the user-assistive device comprises a kitchen utensil.

8. The tool of claim 1, wherein the user-assistive device comprises an attachment to perform a personal hygiene task.

9. The tool of claim 1, wherein the user assistive device comprises one of a kitchen utensil, a personal grooming tool, or a personal hygiene tool for performing a personal task including at least one of eating, grooming, or makeup application, and wherein the one or more sensors are positioned within the handle to sense the pressure while the personal task is performed by the user.

10. The tool of claim 1, wherein the grip metrics include one or more of a rate of change of grip pressure, a frequency of grip pulses, or a duration of each grip.

11. The tool of claim 1, wherein the grip evaluation logic further comprises circuitry configured to record a time stamp into the log with each of the plurality of grip metrics acquired over time.

12. The tool of claim 1, wherein the grip evaluation logic further comprises circuitry configured to record a type of a task performed by the user with the user-assistive device while recording the grip metrics.

13. A method performed by a tool, the method comprising:

sensing a pressure exerted on a handle of the tool by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool;

calculating a grip metric based on the pressure;

storing the grip metric to a log of the tool;

determining a type of the user-assistive device coupled to the distal end of the attachment arm while sensing the pressure;

storing the type of the user-assistive device with the grip metric to the log; and

transmitting from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric and the type of the user-assistive device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the grip metric indicates whether a threshold amount of grip force has been applied to the handle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the grip metric indicates whether the threshold amount of grip force has been applied to the handle for a threshold period of time.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating a prompt indicating that the user is to perform a grip action of a diagnostic test.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising evaluating the grip metric based on reference information including one or more threshold values of a diagnostic test criteria.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the signal is sent from the tool to a remote device via a network, wherein based on the signal, the remote device performs a diagnostic test to evaluate the user.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the user-assistive device comprises a kitchen utensil.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a tool to perform a method comprising:

sensing a pressure exerted on a handle of the tool by a hand of a user while a user-assistive device is coupled to a distal end of an attachment arm of the tool;

calculating a grip metric based on the pressure;

storing the grip metric to a log of the tool;

determining a type of the user-assistive device coupled to the distal end of the attachment arm while sensing the pressure;

storing the type of the user-assistive device with the grip metric to the log; and

transmitting from the tool a signal including medical diagnostic information based on the grip metric and the type of the user-assistive device.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the grip metric indicates whether a threshold amount of grip force has been applied to the handle.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the method further comprising generating a prompt indicating that the user is to perform a grip action of a diagnostic test.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, the method further comprising evaluating the grip metric based on reference information including one or more threshold values of a diagnostic test criteria.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the user-assistive device comprises a kitchen utensil.