MOUNTABLE UNIT FOR BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL MEASUREMENT AND BIOLOGICAL SIGNAL MEASURING METHOD

• US 20100331661A1
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/386
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4809 Sleep detection, i.e. determining whether a subject is asleep or not
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a mountable unit for biological signal measurement, including: three electrodes; and a support body configured to support the three electrodes at positions corresponding to a positional relationship among a predetermined position on a forehead on one side of a face bounded by a midline, a temple position on the one side of the face, and a predetermined position on a zygomatic body on the one side of the face.

Claims

1. A mountable unit for biological signal measurement, comprising:

three electrodes; and

a support body configured to support the three electrodes at positions corresponding to a positional relationship among a predetermined position on a forehead on one side of a face bounded by a midline, a temple position on the one side of the face, and a predetermined position on a zygomatic body on the one side of the face.

2. The mountable unit for biological signal measurement according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined position on the forehead is a position above the temple position, and the predetermined position on the zygomatic body is a position beside a tail of an eye.

3. The mountable unit for biological signal measurement according to claim 1, wherein

the support body is provided with a fixture for fixing the support body by sandwiching head hair.

4. The mountable unit for biological signal measurement according to claim 3, wherein

the support body has a plate shape, and

at least part of each of the three electrodes is exposed in one surface of the support body having the plate shape, and suction cups or adhesive materials surrounding the exposed electrode parts as concave parts are provided.

5. The mountable unit for biological signal measurement according to claim 1, wherein

the support body is provided with a circuit that measures potential difference between the electrode supported at the position corresponding to the predetermined position on the forehead and the electrode supported at the position corresponding to the temple position, and potential difference between the electrode supported at the position corresponding to the predetermined position on the zygomatic body and the electrode supported at the position corresponding to the temple position.

6. A biological signal measuring method comprising the steps of:

(a) amplifying potential difference between an electrode disposed at a predetermined position on a forehead on one side of a face bounded by a midline and an electrode disposed at a temple position on the one side of the face;

(b) amplifying potential difference between an electrode disposed at a predetermined position on a zygomatic body on the one side of the face and the electrode disposed at the temple position; and

(c) recognizing an electrooculographic waveform and an electroencephalographic waveform by using a first signal obtained as a result of amplification in the step (a) and a second signal obtained as a result of amplification in the step (b).

7. The biological signal measuring method according to claim 6, wherein in the step (c),

of the first signal, a waveform of potential that is higher than potential in the second signal and shows the same change as change in the potential in the second signal is recognized as the electroencephalographic waveform, and

of the second signal, a waveform of potential that is higher than potential in the first signal and shows the same change as change in the potential in the first signal is recognized as the electrooculographic waveform.

8. The biological signal measuring method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

comparing an average of a level of the first signal and an average of a level of the second signal in each prescribed period with a threshold set for the averages; and

notifying that the electrode should be mounted again if at least one of the averages of the levels is lower than the threshold.