Communications system based on real-time neurophysiological characterization

• US 20060029198A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Carciofini, James C., Ververs, Patricia M., Dorneich, Michael C., Whitlow, Stephen D., Creaser, Janet
• Granted Patent: US 7,830,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.220
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0809 by impedance pneumography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• 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 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• 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: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A communications system is provided that includes a communications scheduler adapted to receive messages from a plurality of message sources and sensors. The messages comprise human and generated messages. The sensors comprise situational, neurophysiological and physiological sensors. The cognitive state profile processing unit receives sensor data and produces a current cognitive state profile for the user. The communications scheduler includes a context manager that receives outputs from the plurality of sensors, monitors a current user'"'"'s tasks, and retains information about the user'"'"'s environment, a message characterization unit that characterizes the messages using the attributes of the message, outputs from the sensors, and the user'"'"'s specific baseline profile data and a presentation unit that receives the characterized messages, the cognitive state profile, and context information and queues the characterized messages into a prioritized message list and presents the message list to the user via the display unit.

Claims

1. A real time communications system, comprising:

a communications scheduler adapted to receive one or more messages from a plurality of message sources, wherein the one or more messages comprise human generated and auto generated messages;

a plurality of sensors coupled to the communications scheduler, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise situational, neurophysiological and physiological sensors; and

a display unit, having a plurality of display and control devices, coupled to the communications scheduler;

wherein the communications scheduler includes;

a context manager that receives one or more outputs from the plurality of sensors, monitors a current user'"'"'s tasks, and retains information about the user'"'"'s environment;

a message characterization unit that characterizes the one or more messages using message attributes, outputs from the plurality of sensors, and the current user'"'"'s specific baseline profile data; and

a presentation unit that receives the characterized messages, queues the characterized messages into a prioritized message list and presents the message list to the user via the display unit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cognitive state profile processing unit that generates a cognitive state profile for the current user.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a cognitive state profile database coupled to the communications scheduler, wherein the database includes current user specific baseline profile data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the cognitive state profile processing unit receives output from the plurality of sensors and the current user'"'"'s specific baseline profile data in order to generate the cognitive state profile.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the context manager further receives one or more data feeds from external sources.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more data feeds include one or more of chemical sensors, weather sensors, and mission data.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the context manager receives the current cognitive state profile from the cognitive state profile processing unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the message attributes include one or more of priority, category, time profile, content, time, response actions, associated tasks, interaction requirements, scheduler feedback, status and source.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more messages comprise audio, video and text messages.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the presentation unit uses the characterized messages, the current cognitive state profile and message presentation rules to continually optimize the characterized messages for presentation to the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of display devices present the prioritized message via one or more audio, video, and tactile devices.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the human generated and auto generated messages comprise text messages, audio messages, video messages and tactile messages.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the physiological sensors comprise one or more of an ECG, EOG, ZPG, GSR, BVP, respiration sensor, EMG, blood pressure sensor, brain and body temperature sensors, and near-infrared optical brain imaging sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the situational sensors comprise one or more of an accelerometer, gyroscope and global positioning system (GPS).

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the situational sensors comprise measures derived from one or more of neurophysiological and physiological sensors.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein the cognitive state profile comprises assessments of one or more of the user'"'"'s present task engagement, cognitive workload, stress level, and physiological arousal.

17. A method of real time communications scheduling comprising:

receiving one or more messages from at least one message source;

sensing one or more situational, physiologic, and neurophysiologic parameters for a user;

comparing the sensed parameters against one another and determining if any of the sensed parameters are unreliable;

determining reliable parameters and comparing the reliable parameters against the user'"'"'s baseline profile data and generating a cognitive state profile;

sending the cognitive state profile to a message presentation unit;

generating the user'"'"'s current contextual data and sending the user'"'"'s current contextual data information to the message characterization unit;

characterizing the one or more messages and generating a message characterization profile for each message based on one or more message attributes, the user'"'"'s current contextual information, and characterization rules;

sending the message characterization profiles to a message presentation unit;

generating a message list according to the user'"'"'s cognitive state profile, the message characterization profile, the user'"'"'s current contextual information, and defined message presentation rules; and

presenting the messages to the user through one or more visual outputs, audio outputs, and tactile outputs based on the message list.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving one or messages from at least one message source comprises receiving one or more messages from at least one message source wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more human generated messages and auto-generated messages.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein sensing one or more situational, physiological and neurophysiological parameters comprise EEG, ECG, EOG, ZPG, GSR, BVP, respiration, EMG, blood pressure, brain and body temperature, acceleration, and location.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the message list comprises queuing messages into the message list based on the user'"'"'s cognitive state profile, the user'"'"'s contextual information, the message characterization profile, and rules of presentation.

21. A real time communications system, comprising:

a means for receiving one or messages from at least one message source;

a means for sensing one or more situational, physiologic, and neurophysiologic parameters for a user;

a means for comparing the sensed parameters against one another and determining if any of the sensed parameters are unreliable;

a means for determining reliable parameters and comparing the reliable parameters against the user'"'"'s baseline profile data and generating a cognitive state profile;

a means for sending the cognitive state profile to a message presentation unit;

a means for generating the user'"'"'s current contextual data and sending the user'"'"'s current contextual data information to the message characterization unit;

a means for characterizing the one or more messages and generating a message characterization profile for each message based on one or more message attributes, the user'"'"'s current contextual information, and characterization rules;

a means for sending the message characterization profiles to a message presentation unit;

a means for generating a message list according to the user'"'"'s cognitive state profile, the message characterization profile, the user'"'"'s current contextual information, and defined message presentation rules; and

a means for presenting the messages to the user through one or more visual outputs, audio outputs, and tactile outputs based on the message list.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for receiving one or messages from at least one message source comprises a means for receiving one or more messages from at least one message source wherein the one or more messages comprise one or more human generated messages and auto-generated messages.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more situational, physiological and neurophysiological parameters comprise EEG, ECG, EOG, ZPG, GSR, BVP, respiration, EMG, blood pressure, brain and body temperature, acceleration, and location.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for generating the message list comprises a means for queuing messages into the message list based on the user'"'"'s cognitive state profile, the user'"'"'s contextual information, the message characterization profile, and rules of presentation.

25. A real time communications system, comprising:

a communications scheduler adapted to receive one or more messages from a plurality of message sources, wherein the one or more messages comprise human generated and auto generated messages;

a plurality of sensors coupled to the communications scheduler, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise situational, neurophysiological and physiological sensors; and

a cognitive state profile processing unit that receives output from the plurality of sensors, and a database that includes the current user'"'"'s specific baseline data in order to generate a cognitive state profile;

wherein the communications scheduler includes;

a context manager that receives one or more outputs from the plurality of sensors, monitors a current user'"'"'s tasks, and retains information about the user'"'"'s environment;

a message characterization unit that characterizes the one or more messages using message attributes, outputs from the plurality of sensors, and the current user'"'"'s specific baseline profile data; and

a presentation unit that receives the characterized messages, queues the characterized messages into a prioritized message list and presents the message list to the user via a display unit.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the context manager further receives one or more data feeds from external sources.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more data feeds include one or more of chemical sensors, weather sensors, and mission data.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the context manager receives the current cognitive state profile from the cognitive state profile processing unit.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the message attributes include one or more of priority, category, time profile, content, time, response actions, associated tasks, interaction requirements, scheduler feedback, status and source.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more messages comprise audio, video and text messages.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the presentation unit uses the characterized messages, the current cognitive state profile and message presentation rules to continually optimize the characterized messages for presentation to the user.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the human generated and auto generated messages comprise text messages, audio messages, video messages and tactile messages.

33. The system of claim 25, wherein the physiological sensors comprise one or more of an ECG, EOG, ZPG, GSR, BVP, respiration sensor, EMG, blood pressure sensor, brain and body temperature sensors, and near-infrared optical brain imaging sensor.

34. The system of claim 25, wherein the situational sensors comprise one or more of an accelerometer, gyroscope and global positioning system (GPS).

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the situational sensors comprise measures derived from one or more of neurophysiological and physiological sensors.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein the cognitive state profile comprises assessments of one or more of the user'"'"'s present task engagement, cognitive workload, stress level, and physiological arousal.