SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POWER-EFFICIENT TRANSMISSION OF EMG DATA

• US 20120310069A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech Team, LLC (CloudScale365, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tech Team, LLC (CloudScale365, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clare, Christopher R., Gottfried, Denise F., Gottfried, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/391
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/224 Measuring muscular strength
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The system for displaying muscle force data includes a wearable patch and a remote visual display. The wearable patch carries electrodes suitable for sensing electromyographic signals on the skin of the patient. The patch carries circuitry which converts the detected electromyographic signal to a digital output which can be transmitted to the remote visual display. The circuitry relies on filtering to produce a usable digital signal at very low power consumption. The transmitted signal can be used to drive a variety of visual displays, including a conventional hand-held personal communicators and entertainment devices which had been programmed to suitably process the visual display.

Claims

1. A system for displaying muscle force data to a user, said system comprising:

a wearable patch having a pair of spaced-apart sensing electrodes and a ground electrode on a surface thereof, said patch adapted to be secured to a patient'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored with the electrodes in contact with the skin;

circuitry on the patch including;

(a) a limited bandwidth amplifier which receives signals from the electrodes and produces an analog output;

(b) an analog to digital converter that rectifies the signal and samples at a rate in the range from 3000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to 4000 sec<sup>−

1</sup>;

(c) a microprocessor which filters the digital signal from the converter to produce a smoothed output;

(d) a transmitter which receives the digital output from the microprocessor and produces a wireless signal; and

(e) a display unit which receives the wireless signal from the patch transmitter and produces a display showing muscle output.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are coated with silver chloride.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the surface of the patch is covered with an adhesive.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a hand-held unit.

5. A system as in claim 4, wherein the hand-held unit is a personal communication or entertainment unit having a wireless receiver.

6. A wearable patch for detecting muscle force of a user, said patch comprising:

a support backing having a pair of spaced-apart sensing electrodes and a ground electrode on a surface thereof, said patch adapted to be secured to a patient'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored with the electrodes in contact with the skin;

circuitry on the patch including;

(a) a limited bandwidth amplifier which receives signals from the electrodes and produces an analog output;

(b) an analog to digital converter that rectifies the signal and samples at a rate in the range from 3000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to 4000 sec<sup>−

1</sup>;

(c) a microprocessor which filters the digital signal from the converter to produce a smoothed output; and

(d) a transmitter which receives the output from the microprocessor and produces;

a wireless signal.

7. A wearable patch as in claim 6, wherein the electrodes are coated with silver chloride.

8. A wearable patch as in claim 6, wherein the surface of the support backing is covered with an adhesive.

9. A method for displaying muscle force data to a user, said method comprising:

placing a patch on the user'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored, wherein electrodes on the patch engage the skin, wherein the electrodes sense electromyographic (EMG) activity and produce an analog electrical signal;

filtering and amplifying the analog electrical signal with a limited bandwidth amplifier on the patch;

converting and rectifying the filtered and amplified analog signal at a rate in the range from 3000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to 4000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to produce a digital signal;

filtering the digital signal in a microprocessor on the patch to produce a smoothed output;

transmitting the smoothed output;

receiving and displaying the smoothed output on a remote display unit.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein the smoothed output is displayed on a remote video and/or audio unit.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the display unit is hand-held.