System and method for transit access using EEG sensors

• US 10,325,427 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cubic Corporation
• Inventors: Dyne, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US16/019,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20190005752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 340 565, 340 528, 235380, 235382
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/12 Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/374 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals, e.g. detecting delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/378 Visual stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/26 using a biometric sensor integrated in the pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A wearable electronic device comprising an electroencephalography (EEG) sensor for enabling access to a transit system. The device may also include a device transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit a request signal to a gate receiver. The device may further include a device processor configured to receive an EEG signal from the EEG sensor, analyze the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through a particular gate, generate the request signal identifying the transit user and indicating that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the particular gate, and wirelessly transmit, using the device transmitter, the request signal to the gate receiver. The EEG signal may be based at least in part on the transit user viewing a visual stimuli displayed by the particular gate.

Claims

1. A wearable electronic device for enabling access to a transit system, the wearable electronic device comprising:

an electroencephalography (EEG) sensor configured to detect an EEG signal resulting from a transit user viewing either a first visual stimulus displayed by a first display mounted to a first gate or a second visual stimulus displayed by a second display mounted to a second gate;

a device transmitter configured to transmit wireless signals to a gate receiver; and

a device processor configured to perform operations including;

receiving the EEG signal from the EEG sensor;

analyzing the EEG signal to determine whether the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate or the second gate;

in response to determining that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate, generating a request signal, wherein the request signal identifies the transit user and indicates that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate; and

wirelessly transmitting, using the device transmitter, the request signal to the gate receiver.

2. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate includes:

determining a first time range at which the first visual stimulus exhibits a first decreased magnitude or a first increased magnitude;

determining a critical time at which the EEG signal exhibits a minimum magnitude or a maximum magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is within the first time range.

3. The wearable electronic device of claim 2, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate further includes:

determining a second time range at which the second visual stimulus exhibits a second decreased magnitude or a second increased magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is not within the second time range.

4. The wearable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, from a first transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate, the first time range; and

receiving, from a second transmitter communicatively coupled to the second gate, the second time range.

5. The wearable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, from a location transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate and the second gate, the first time range and the second time range.

6. The wearable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first gate allows the transit user to access the transit system upon reception of the request signal.

7. A method of using electroencephalography (EEG) for enabling access to a transit system, the method comprising:

receiving an EEG signal from an EEG sensor of a wearable electronic device, wherein the EEG sensor is configured to detect the EEG signal resulting from a transit user viewing either a first visual stimulus displayed by a first display mounted to a first gate or a second visual stimulus displayed by a second display mounted to a second gate;

analyzing the EEG signal to determine whether the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate or the second gate;

in response to determining that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate, generating a request signal, wherein the request signal identifies the transit user and indicates that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate; and

wirelessly transmitting the request signal to a gate receiver.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate includes:

determining a first time range at which the first visual stimulus exhibits a first decreased magnitude or a first increased magnitude;

determining a critical time at which the EEG signal exhibits a minimum magnitude or a maximum magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is within the first time range.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate further includes:

determining a second time range at which the second visual stimulus exhibits a second decreased magnitude or a second increased magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is not within the second time range.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from a first transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate, the first time range; and

receiving, from a second transmitter communicatively coupled to the second gate, the second time range.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, from a location transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate and the second gate, the first time range and the second time range.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the first gate allows the transit user to access the transit system upon reception of the request signal.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an electroencephalography (EEG) signal from an EEG sensor of a wearable electronic device, wherein the EEG sensor is configured to detect the EEG signal resulting from a transit user viewing either a first visual stimulus displayed by a first display mounted to a first gate or a second visual stimulus displayed by a second display mounted to a second gate;

analyzing the EEG signal to determine whether the transit user is attempting to enter a transit system through the first gate or the second gate;

in response to determining that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate, generating a request signal, wherein the request signal identifies the transit user and indicates that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate; and

wirelessly transmitting the request signal to a gate receiver.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate includes:

determining a first time range at which the first visual stimulus exhibits a first decreased magnitude or a first increased magnitude;

determining a critical time at which the EEG signal exhibits a minimum magnitude or a maximum magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is within the first time range.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein analyzing the EEG signal to determine that the transit user is attempting to enter the transit system through the first gate further includes:

determining a second time range at which the second visual stimulus exhibits a second decreased magnitude or a second increased magnitude; and

determining that the critical time is not within the second time range.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, from a first transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate, the first time range; and

receiving, from a second transmitter communicatively coupled to the second gate, the second time range.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further include:

receiving, from a location transmitter communicatively coupled to the first gate and the second gate, the first time range and the second time range.