SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DECODING INTENDED MOTOR COMMANDS FROM RECORDED NEURAL SIGNALS FOR THE CONTROL OF EXTERNAL DEVICES OR TO INTERACT IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20140330404A1
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Florida International University Board of Trustees (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: The Florida International University Board of Trustees (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: ABDELGHANI, Mohamed, JUNG, Ranu, ABBAS, James J., HORCH, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 9,717,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4851 Prosthesis assessment or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/54 Artificial arms or hands or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/72 Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection

Abstract

Systems and methods for decoding neural and/or electromyographic signals are provided. A system can include at least one single channel decoder. Optionally, the system can include a demixer in operable communication with the single channel decoders. Each single channel decoder can include a filter to attenuate noise and sharpen spikes in the neural and/or electromyographic signals, a detection function to identify spikes, and a demodulator to get a real-time estimate of motor intent.

Claims

1. A system for decoding intended motor actions from input signals recorded by one or more electrodes, wherein the input signals include at least one of neural signals and muscle signals, wherein the system comprises:

at least one single channel decoder (SCD) configured to decode the input signals.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a demixer in operable communication with the at least one SCD.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each SCD comprises:

a filter configured to attenuate noise of the input signals and to sharpen spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing;

a detector configured to identify spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing; and

a demodulator configured to generate an estimate of motor intent.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one SCD outputs a motor intent signal to the demixer, and wherein the demixer is configured to identify the motor intent signal as corresponding to a class of movement and a degree of movement.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the demixer is further configured to generate a set of control signals and to output the control signals to an external device, wherein the control signals are based on the motor intent signal, and wherein the control signals control the external device.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the external device is a powered prosthesis, a television, a computer, a portable electronic device, a single degree-of-freedom robot, or a multiple degree-of-freedom robot.

7. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a decoder configuration unit configured to train the demixer to identify a motor intent signal received from the at least one SCD as corresponding to a class of movement and a degree of movement.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one SCD comprises a bank of bandpass filters configured to attenuate noise of the input signals and to sharpen spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing.

9. The system according to claim 3, wherein the filter utilizes a nonlinear reshaping function to attenuate noise of the input signals and to sharpen spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing.

10. The system according to claim 3, wherein the demodulator is a single filter cascade of filters, or parallel set of filters, and wherein the demodulator is tunable such that it has a tunable time constant.

11. A method of decoding intended motor actions from input signals, wherein the input signals include at least one of neural signals and muscle signals, wherein the method comprises:

receiving the input signals by at least one single channel decoder (SCD) configured to decode the input signals; and

generating an estimate of motor intent based on the input signals; and

generating a motor intent signal based on or comprising the generated estimate of motor intent.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising outputting the motor intent signal to a demixer in operable communication with the at least one SCD,

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein each SCD comprises:

a filter attenuating noise of the input signals and sharpening spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing;

a detector identifying spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing; and

a demodulator generating the estimate of motor intent.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the demixer identifies the motor intent signal as corresponding to a class of movement and a degree of movement.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising generating, by the demixer, a set of control signals and outputting the control signals to an external device, wherein the control signals are based on the motor intent signal, and wherein the control signals control the external device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the external device is a powered prosthesis, a television, a computer, a portable electronic device, a single degree-of-freedom robot, or a multiple degree-of-freedom robot.

17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising training the demixer to identify the motor intent signal as corresponding to a class of movement and a degree of movement, wherein the demixer is trained by a decoder configuration unit.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the filter utilizes a nonlinear reshaping function to attenuate noise of the input signals and to sharpen spikes of the input signals corresponding to nerve firing.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the demodulator is a single filter cascade of filters, or parallel set of filters, and wherein the demodulator is tunable such that it has a tunable time constant.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising recording the input signals by one or more electrodes in operable communication with the at least one SCD, and transmitting the input signals from the one or more electrodes to the at least one SCD.