STABILIZING UNINTENTIONAL MUSCLE MOVEMENTS

• US 20130297022A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Anupam Pathak
• Inventors: PATHAK, Anupam
• Granted Patent: US 9,925,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/046 of holding or grasping
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1101 Detecting tremor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/08 Muscles; Tendons; Ligaments sutures A61B17/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 4/00 Methods or devices enabling patients or disabled persons to operate an apparatus or a device not forming part of the body operating or control means for prostheses A61F2/48, A61F2/68

Abstract

A system and method for stabilizing unintentional muscle movements are disclosed. In a first aspect, a non-contact sensing system comprises a stabilization unit, at least one non-contact position sensor coupled to the stabilization unit, and a processing unit coupled to the at least one non-contact position sensor, wherein the processing unit transmits motion commands to the stabilization unit to cancel unintentional muscle movements. In a second aspect, the method comprises a processing unit of a non-contact sensing system receiving position data of a stabilization unit that is detected by at least one non-contact position sensor and filtering the position data to identify the unintentional muscle movements. The method includes modeling the position data to create a system model and determining motor commands based upon the system model to cancel the unintentional muscle movements.

Claims

1. A non-contact sensing system, comprising:

a stabilization unit;

at least one non-contact position sensor coupled to the stabilization unit;

and a processing unit coupled to the at least one non-contact position sensor, wherein the processing unit transmits motion commands to the stabilization unit to cancel unintentional muscle movements.

2. The non-contact sensing system of claim 1, wherein the stabilization unit includes an implement portion and a base portion.

3. The non-contact sensing system of claim 2, wherein the implement portion includes an attachment arm and a first sensor coupled to the attachment arm, wherein the base portion includes a power source, a motion-generating mechanism coupled to the power source, a controller coupled to the motion-generating mechanism, a control system coupled to the controller, and a second sensor coupled to the control system.

4. The non-contact sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-contact position sensor is any of an infrared (IR) optical camera, a visible light camera, a stereo camera, a laser displacement sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

5. The non-contact sensor system of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-contact position sensor detects position data associated with the stabilized unit.

6. The non-contact sensor system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit receives the position data from the at least one non-contact position sensor and calculates the motion commands based upon the position data.

7. The non-contact sensor system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit calculates the motion commands utilizing a signal processing algorithm.

8. The non-contact sensor system of claim 7, wherein the signal processing algorithm is developed utilizing any of low pass filters, weighted-frequency Fourier linear combiners, and notch filters.

9. The non-contact sensor system of claim 7, wherein the signal processing algorithm further comprises position data filtration, tremor identification, system modeling, and actuator command generation.

10. The non-contact sensor system of claim 2, wherein the base portion of the stabilization unit switches between utilizing embedded sensor data and position data detected by the at least one non-contact position sensor.

11. The non-contact sensor system of claim 1, wherein the stabilization unit comprises:

a housing, wherein the housing includes a subsystem that comprises a power source, a motion-generating mechanism coupled to the power source, a controller coupled to the motion-generating mechanism, a control system coupled to the controller, and at least one first sensor coupled to the control system; and

an attachment arm coupled to the housing, wherein at least one second sensor is placed along the attachment arm, wherein the attachment arm is configured to receive an object, wherein in response to an unintentional muscle movement by a user that adversely affects motion of the object, the subsystem stabilizes a position of the object.

12. A method for cancelling unintentional muscle movements using non-contact sensing, the method comprising:

receiving position data of a stabilization unit that is detected by at least one non-contact position sensor;

filtering the position data to identify the unintentional muscle movements;

modeling the position data to create a system model; and

determining motor commands based upon the system model to cancel the unintentional muscle movements.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the stabilization unit includes an implement portion and a base portion, further wherein the implement portion includes an attachment arm and a first sensor coupled to the attachment arm, wherein the base portion includes a power source, a motion-generating mechanism coupled to the power source, a controller coupled to the motion-generating mechanism, a control system coupled to the controller, and a second sensor coupled to the control system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving further comprises:

receiving position data of the stabilization unit in x, y, and z coordinates that is detected by any of an infrared (IR) optical camera, a visible light camera, a stereo camera, a laser displacement sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the filtering further comprises:

filtering the position data using a low pass filter to identify the unintentional muscle movements.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining the motor commands using a signal processing algorithm and the system model to cancel the unintentional muscle movements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the signal processing algorithm is developed utilizing any of low pass filters, weighted-frequency Fourier linear combiners, and notch filters.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the motor commands to the stabilization unit via any of a wireless and wired connection.

19. A non-contact sensing system, comprising:

a stabilization unit;

at least one non-contact position sensor coupled to the stabilization unit; and

a processing unit in communication with the stabilization unit via a wireless link, wherein the processing unit is further coupled to the at least one non-contact position sensor and transmits motion commands to the stabilization unit via the wireless link to cancel unintentional muscle movements.

20. The non-contact sensor system of claim 19, wherein the stabilization unit comprises:

a housing, wherein the housing includes a subsystem that comprises a power source, a motion-generating mechanism coupled to the power source, a controller coupled to the motion-generating mechanism, a control system coupled to the controller, and at least one first sensor coupled to the control system; and

an attachment arm coupled to the housing, wherein at least one second sensor is placed along the attachment arm, wherein the attachment arm is configured to receive an object, wherein in response to an unintentional muscle movement by a user that adversely affects motion of the object, the subsystem stabilizes a position of the object.