COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT, DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASURING THE AROUSAL OF A USER

• US 20100022852A1
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Den Broek, Egidius Leon, Tuinenbreijer, Cornelis, Schut, Maria Helena, Westerink, Joanne Henriette Desiree Monique
• Granted Patent: US 8,882,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/164 Lie detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/08 Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Computer program product for processing GSR (galvanic skin response) signals, which when run on a computer controls the computer to estimate a level of arousal, or at least a change in the level of arousal, of a user, provided with an algorithm that is configured to control a computer to calculate a third or higher central moment of a recorded GSR signal and to derive an estimation of the level of arousal from said third or higher central moment.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program product for processing galvanic skin response signals, which when run on a computer controls the computer to estimate a level of arousal, or at least a change in the level of arousal, of a user, provided with an algorithm that is configured to control a computer to calculate a third or higher central moment of a recorded galvanic skin response signal and to derive an estimation of the level of arousal from said third or higher central moment.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the third or higher order moment comprises a skewness and/or kurtosis, and wherein the algorithm is configured further to control the computer to derive an increase in the level of arousal when a relatively low skewness and/or a relatively high kurtosis is calculated, and/or a decrease in the level of arousal when a relatively high skewness and/or a relatively low kurtosis is calculated.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to signal to a user perceivable interface when said change in the level of arousal and/or the level of arousal exceeds a certain threshold.

4. The computer program product according to claim 3, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to signal to the user perceivable interface approximately in real-time.

5. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to signal an increase in the level of arousal when the calculated skewness is below a set threshold, of approximately −

0.3.

6. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to indicate an increase in the level of arousal when the calculated kurtosis is above a set threshold, of approximately 0.3.

7. An arousal measuring device for processing recorded galvanic skin response signals to estimate a level of arousal, at least a change in the level of arousal, of a user, comprising a galvanic skin response sensor for recording galvanic skin response signals from a user body, a processing circuit for processing the recorded galvanic skin response signals and a storage arrangement for storing the recorded and/or processed galvanic skin response signals and a computer program product, the latter being a computer program product according to claim 1 which, when run on the arousal measuring device, controls it to estimate the level of arousal.

8. The arousal measuring device according to claim 7, provided with a user perceivable interface for providing sensory output to a user.

9. The arousal measuring device according to claim 7, combined with other psychophysiological measuring devices configured for estimating an emotional state of a user.

18. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to signal an increase in the level of arousal when the calculated skewness is below a set threshold of approximately −

0.5.

19. The computer program product according to claim 2, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the computer to indicate an increase in the level of arousal when the calculated kurtosis is above a set threshold approximately 0.5.

10. An arousal measuring device, comprising a galvanic skin response sensor for recording galvanic skin response signals from a user, a processing circuit for processing the recorded galvanic skin response signals and a storage arrangement for storing the recorded and/or processed galvanic skin response signals and an algorithm, wherein the algorithm is configured to control the arousal measuring device to calculate a third or higher central moment of a recorded galvanic skin response signal and to derive an estimation of the level of arousal, or at least a change in the level of arousal, from said third or higher central moment.

11. A method for estimating a level of arousal, at least a change in the level of arousal, of a user, wherein galvanic skin response signals are received from a galvanic skin response sensor, wherein a third or higher central moment of the galvanic skin response signals is calculated, wherein said third or higher central moment is used to derive an estimation of the level of arousal, at least a change in the level of arousal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the third or higher order moment comprises the skewness and/or kurtosis, and when a relatively low skewness and/or a relatively high kurtosis is calculated, an increase in the level of arousal is derived, and when a relatively high skewness and/or a relatively low kurtosis is calculated, a decrease in the level of arousal is derived.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein at least approximately in real-time a change in the level of arousal is signaled to a user perceivable interface, at least when the change exceeds a certain threshold.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein an increase in the level of arousal is signaled when the calculated skewness is below a set threshold of approximately −

0.3.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein an increase in the level of arousal is signaled when the calculated kurtosis is above a set threshold of approximately 0.3.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein an increase in the level of arousal is signaled when the calculated kurtosis is above a set threshold of approximately 0.5.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein an increase in the level of arousal is signaled when the calculated skewness is below a set threshold of approximately −

0.5.