System for detecting brain activity

• US 20030171689A1
• Filed: 05/09/2003
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: European Community
• Original Assignee: European Community
• Inventors: Millan, Jose, Mourino, Josep, Topani, Fabio
• Application Number:
  US10/258,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171689A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms

Abstract

A system (10) for identifying brain activity, comprises a plurality of electrodes (14), said electrodes being arranged on a supporting structure (12) to be placed on a skull of a person, said electrodes (14) producing signals in accordance with the brainwaves of said person, amplifying means for amplifying the electrical signals sensed by said electrodes, data processing means (26) for processing said amplified signals, identifying a specific mental state from said signals and generating a signal indicative of said recognised mental state, and transmitter means for transmitting a signal corresponding to said identified mental state to a computer (22).

Claims

1. Brain activity identification system for controlling a computer-controlled application, comprising

a plurality of electrodes, said electrodes being arranged on a supporting structure to be placed on a skull of a person, said electrodes for producing signals in accordance with the brainwaves of said person amplifying means for amplifying the electrical signals sensed by said electrodes,

data processing means for processing said amplified signals, identifying a specific mental state associated to a command of said computer-controlled application from said signals and generating a control signal for said computer-controlled application, said control signal being indicative of said recognised mental state and

transmitter means for transmitting said control signal corresponding to said identified mental state to said computer-controlled application.

2. System for identifying brain activity according to claim 1, comprising storage means for storing reference electrode signal patterns of the mental states to be recognised, wherein said data processing means compares the pattern of said amplified signal to the pattern stored in said storage means.

3. System for identifying brain activity according to claim 2, wherein said reference electrode signal patterns are user specific reference patterns.

4. System for identifying brain activity according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said amplifying means comprise pre-amplifying means, said pre-amplifying means being arranged on said supporting structure in the vicinity of said electrodes, said pre-amplifier means amplifying said electrical signals from said electrodes.

5. System for identifying brain activity according to claim 4, wherein said pre-amplifying means comprise one pre-amplifier for each electrode, each pre-amplifier being mounted on and associated with a respective electrode.

6. System for identifying brain activity according to claim 5, wherein an analogue-to-digital converter is associated with each pre-amplifier for converting said amplified signal into a digital signal.

7. System for identifying brain activity according to claim 6, wherein said analogue-to-digital converters are connected to said data processing means by means of a bi-directional power and data cable.

8. System for identifying brain activity according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said amplifier means, said data processing means and said transmitter means are incorporated in a wearable housing and connected to said plurality of electrodes by means of a bi-directional power and data cable.

9. System for identifying brain activity according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising receiver means for receiving data from a computer, said data comprising configuration settings for configuring adaptable parameters of said amplifying means and/or said data processing means and/or said transmitter means.

10. System for identifying brain activity according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said transmitter means comprise wireless transmitting means.

11. System for identifying brain activity according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said supporting structure is a cap.