SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO GATHER AND ANALYZE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC DATA

• US 20160166169A1
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Badower, Yakob, Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran, Pradeep, A. K., Knight, Robert T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,842,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/02 Details of sensors specially adapted for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0209 Special features of electrodes classified in A61B5/24, A61B5/25, A61B5/283, A61B5/291, A61B5/296, A61B5/053
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/026 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/307 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/31 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/347 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/37 Intracranial electroencephalography [IC-EEG], e.g. electrocorticography [ECoG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/374 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals, e.g. detecting delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/68 : Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 : specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 : Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 : Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6813 : Specially adapted to be attached to a specific body part A61B5/6802 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 : Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 : Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 : for noise prevention, reduction or removal

Abstract

Example methods are disclosed herein that include obtaining electroencephalographic (EEG) data from a subject via a device comprising two or more independently adjustable bands, each of the bands having a plurality of electrodes to detect the electroencephalographic data from a brain of the subject, each band selectively rotatable relative to an adjacent band and each band selectively compressible to increase a force of the electrodes against a head of the subject. The example method also includes converting the EEG data into digital EEG signals and conditioning the digital EEG signals. In addition, the example method includes analyzing the digital EEG signals using one or more analysis protocols to determine a mental characteristic of the subject and transmitting the mental characteristic to an output device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

evaluating, by executing an instruction with a processor, a first property of a first neurological signal;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, if the first neurological signal complies with a quality threshold based on the first property;

evaluating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a second property of a second neurological signal;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, if the second neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the second property;

conditioning the first neurological signal if the first neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a third neurological signal;

conditioning the second neurological signal if the second neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a fourth neurological signal;

evaluating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a third property of the third neurological signal;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, if the third neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the third property;

evaluating, by executing an instruction with the processor, a fourth property of the fourth neurological signal;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, if the fourth neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the fourth property;

selecting, by executing an instruction with the processor, based on respective compliance with the quality threshold, a first one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal to at least one of use for additional analysis, to ignore, or to merge with a second one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method occurs on a headset used to gather the first neurological signal and the second neurological signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third and fourth properties include at least one of a strength, an amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio or a duration of the respective first, second, third or fourth neurological signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality threshold includes an absolute threshold, a spectral threshold, a ramp-rate threshold or a low-activity threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditioning includes at least one of amplifying the first or second neurological signal or filtering the first or second neurological signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ignoring or the merging is conducted by a switching circuit communicatively coupled to a first channel through which the first neurological signal is gathered and a second channel though which the second neurological signal is gathered.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting virtually relocates a sensor to a stronger signal gathering position while maintaining the sensor in a same physical position.

8. A tangible machine accessible storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

evaluate a first property of a first neurological signal;

determine if the first neurological signal complies with a quality threshold based on the first property;

evaluate a second property of a second neurological signal;

determine if the second neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the second property;

condition the first neurological signal if the first neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a third neurological signal;

condition the second neurological signal if the second neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a fourth neurological signal;

evaluate a third property of the third neurological signal;

determine if the third neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the third property;

evaluate a fourth property of the fourth neurological signal;

determine if the fourth neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the fourth property;

select, based on respective compliance with the quality threshold, a first one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal to at least one of use for additional analysis, to ignore, or to merge with a second one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal.

9. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the storage medium is disposed within a headset device used to gather the first neurological signal and the second neurological signal.

10. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first, second, third and fourth properties include at least one of a strength, an amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio or a duration of the respective first, second, or fourth neurological signal.

11. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the quality threshold includes an absolute threshold, a spectral threshold, a ramp-rate threshold or a low-activity threshold.

12. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to condition one or more of the first neurological signal or the second neurological signal by at least one of amplifying the first or second neurological signal or filtering the first or second neurological signal.

13. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to ignore one or more of the first, second, third or fourth neurological signals or merge two or more of the first, second, third or fourth neurological signals by actuating a switching circuit communicatively coupled to a first channel through which the first neurological signal is gathered and a second channel through which the second neurological signal is gathered.

14. The tangible machine accessible storage medium of claim 8, wherein the selecting virtually relocates a sensor to a stronger signal gathering position while maintaining the sensor in a same physical position.

15. A system comprising:

a headset including to gather a first neurological signal and a second neurological signal from a brain of a subject;

an evaluator to;

evaluate a first property of the first neurological signal;

determine if the first neurological signal complies with a quality threshold based on the first property;

evaluate a second property of the second neurological signal;

determine if the second neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the second property;

a conditioner to;

condition the first neurological signal if the first neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a third neurological signal; and

condition the second neurological signal if the second neurological signal does not comply with the quality threshold to obtain a fourth neurological signal;

the evaluator further to;

evaluate a third property of the third neurological signal;

determine if the third neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the third property;

evaluate a fourth property of the fourth neurological signal; and

determine if the fourth neurological signal complies with the quality threshold based on the fourth property; and

a selector to select, based on respective compliance with the quality threshold, a first one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal to at least one of use for additional analysis, to ignore, or to merge with a second one of the first neurological signal, the second neurological signal, the third neurological signal or the fourth neurological signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the evaluator, the conditioner and the selector are disposed within the headset.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first, second, third and fourth properties include at least one of a strength, an amplitude, a signal-to-noise ratio or a duration of the respective first, second, third or fourth neurological signal.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the quality threshold includes an absolute threshold, a spectral threshold, a ramp-rate threshold or a low-activity threshold.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the conditioner is to condition at least one of the first or second neurological signal by at least one of amplifying the first or second neurological signal or filtering the first or second neurological signal.

20. The system of claim 15 further including a switching circuit selectively communicatively coupled to a first channel to gather the first neurological signal and selectively communicatively coupled to a second channel to gather the second neurological signal to at least one of ignore one or more of the first, second, third or fourth neurological signals or merge two or more of the first, second, third or fourth neurological signals.