Wireless EEG unit

• US 10,130,278 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jordan Neuroscience Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jordan Neuroscience Inc.
• Inventors: Jordan, Kenneth George, Loubert, Gary, Bakkom, David
• Primary Examiner(s): FAIRCHILD, MALLIKA DIPAYAN
• Application Number:
  US14/435,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20150257674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/17 Comprising radiolucent components
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6844 Monitoring or controlling distance between sensor and tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography

Abstract

A device for performing EEG which consists of an elastic head strap, electrodes, and a wireless transmitter. The wireless transmitter, which displays indicators of electrode impedance, is secured to a patient using a docking station attached to the head strap at the crown of a subject'"'"'s head and is placed into electrical communication with the electrodes using conductive thread sewn into the head strap. A simplified user interface comprising graphical elements improves the detection of brain wave patterns.

Claims

1. A transmitter adapted for use with an electroencephalography (EEG) device having a plurality of electrodes, wherein the transmitter consists of a device body comprising the following components:

(a) a communications interface comprising an electrode interface that can be communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes of the EEG device;

(b) a user interface on an outer surface of the device body, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of electrode impedance indicators, each indicator being associated with one of the plurality of electrodes when the electrode interface is communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes, wherein the indicators are disposed within a graphic image depicting a top plan view of a subject'"'"'s head, the indicators being positioned relative to one another so that a position of a predetermined indicator in the graphic image correlates to a relative position of the electrode of the EEG device which is associated with the predetermined indicator; and

(c) a processing circuit coupled with the communications interface and the user interface, the processing circuit adapted to;

receive a respective electrical signal from each of the plurality of electrodes;

measure an impedance associated with each electrode of the plurality of electrodes; and

visually display via the electrode impedance indicator whether the impedance associated with each electrode is above or below a predetermined threshold.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the communications interface further comprises a wireless transceiver, and wherein the processing circuit is further adapted to simultaneously transmit via the wireless transceiver the impedance associated with each electrode and an electrical signal received by each electrode from a subject'"'"'s brain.

3. The transmitter of claim 2, wherein the transmitter can wirelessly transmit the measured impedance values associated with each electrode via the wireless transceiver.

4. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the electrode impedance indicators are light emitting diode (LED) lights.

5. The transmitter of claim 4, wherein the LED lights glow a first color when impedance levels for a respective electrode are below the predetermined threshold, and glow a second color when impedance levels for the respective electrode are above the predetermined threshold.

6. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is 15 kilohms.

7. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the transmitter further comprises an impedance excitation module for obtaining impedance measurements, wherein the impedance excitation module can send a DC or AC current to each of the electrodes.

8. The transmitter of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit measures voltage generated for each electrode from the current to determine an impedance value for each electrode with respect to a reference value.

9. The transmitter of claim 7, further comprising a test input button, wherein the impedance excitation module can be activated by the test input button.

10. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the transmitter further comprises a programmable gain amplifier.

11. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is adapted to send DC or AC current into each of the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes.

12. An electroencephalography (EEG) device comprising a processor, an amplifier, and a transmitter housed in a device body, the EEG device being adapted for use with a head strap having a plurality of electrodes, the EEG device further comprising:

(a) a communications interface comprising an electrode interface that can be communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes;

(b) a user interface on an outer surface of the device body, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of electrode impedance indicators, each indicator being associated with one of the plurality of electrodes when the electrode interface is communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes,

wherein the indicators are disposed within a graphic image depicting a top plan view of a subject'"'"'s head, the indicators being positioned relative to one another so that a position of a predetermined indicator in the graphic image correlates to a relative position of the electrode of the EEG device which is associated with the predetermined indicator, and

wherein the electrode impedance indicators are light emitting diode (LED) lights that glow a first color when impedance levels for a respective electrode are below a predetermined threshold and glow a second color when impedance levels for the respective electrode are above the predetermined threshold; and

(c) a storage medium in communication with the processor and comprising instructions for;

receiving a respective electrical signal from each of the plurality of electrodes;

measuring an impedance associated with each electrode of the plurality of electrodes; and

visually displaying via the electrode impedance indicator whether the impedance associated with each electrode is above or below the predetermined threshold.

13. The EEG device of claim 12, further comprising a receiver.

14. The EEG device of claim 12, wherein the transmitter is a transceiver.

15. The EEG device of claim 12, wherein the transmitter sends wireless signals using WiFi transmission standards or Bluetooth transmission standards.

16. The EEG device of claim 12, further comprising a filter circuit coupled to the amplifier.

17. The EEG device of claim 12, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter circuit.

18. The EEG device of claim 12, wherein the storage medium comprises instructions for sending DC or AC current into each of the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes.

19. A transmitter adapted for use with an electroencephalography (EEG) device having a plurality of electrodes, wherein the transmitter consists of a device body comprising the following components:

(a) a communications interface comprising an electrode interface that can be communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes of the EEG device;

(b) a user interface on an outer surface of the device body, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of electrode impedance indicators, each indicator being associated with one of the plurality of electrodes when the electrode interface is communicatively coupled to the plurality of electrodes, wherein the indicators are disposed within a graphic image depicting a top plan view of a subject'"'"'s head, the indicators being positioned relative to one another so that a position of a predetermined indicator in the graphic image correlates to a relative position of the electrode of the EEG device which is associated with the predetermined indicator; and

(c) a processing circuit coupled with the communications interface and the user interface, the processing circuit adapted to;

send DC or AC current into each of the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes;

receive a respective electrical signal from each of the plurality of electrodes;

measure an impedance associated with each electrode of the plurality of electrodes; and

visually display via the electrode impedance indicator whether the impedance associated with each electrode is above or below a predetermined threshold.