HIGH DEFINITION EEG

• US 20170164861A1
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cahan, Amos, Deligianni, Hariklia, Hsueh, Pei-Yun S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,441,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for measuring electrical activity generated within a brain is disclosed. A headpiece having a first transistor is placed in contact with a head that contains the brain to bring the first transistor into electrical contact with the head. An electronic signal is generated at the first transistor in response to the electrical activity generated within the brain. The electronic signal is processed at the headpiece in order to measure the electrical activity.

Claims

1. A method for measuring electrical activity generated within a brain, the method comprising:

placing a headpiece having a first transistor in contact with a head that contains the brain to bring the first transistor into electrical contact with the head;

generating, at the first transistor, an electronic signal in response to the electrical activity generated within the brain; and

processing the signal at the headpiece to measure the electrical activity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the headpiece includes a flexible integrated circuit that is placed on the head to conform to a shape of the head in order to place the first transistor in electrical contact with the head.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the flexible integrated circuit includes a processor for processing the generated signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the headpiece further comprises a second transistor at a fixed distance with respect to the first transistor and measuring the electrical activity includes calculations using the fixed distance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transistor performs at least one of:

(i) signal noise reduction; and

(ii) pattern recognition.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data from the headpiece to a remote processor via a wireless transmitter.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the electrical activity within the brain to a resolution of less than 1 centimeter.

8. An apparatus for measuring electrical activity generated within a brain, the apparatus comprising:

a headpiece including a first transistor, wherein the headpiece is in contact with a head that contains the brain to bring the first transistor into electrical contact with the head; and

a processor that processes an electrical signal generated at the first transistor in response to the electrical activity within the brain in order to measure the electrical activity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the headpiece includes a flexible integrated circuit that conforms to a shape of the head in order to bring the first transistor into electrical contact with the head.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is integrated into the flexible integrated circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the headpiece further comprises a second transistor at a fixed distance with respect to the first transistor and the processor processes the electrical signal using the fixed distance.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first transistor performs at least one of:

(i) signal noise reduction; and

(ii) pattern recognition.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the headpiece further comprises a wireless transmitter for transmitting data to a remote processor.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the fixed distance between the first transistor and the second transistor provides a resolution of less than 1 centimeter.

15. A system for measuring electrical activity generated within a brain, the apparatus comprising:

a headpiece including a substrate, an integrated circuit formed on the substrate including a first transistor and a second transistor, an insulating layer formed on the integrated circuit, a first electrode on a surface of the insulating layer, a via through the insulating layer connecting one of the first transistor and the second transistor to the first electrode and via through the insulating layer connecting the first transistor to the second transistor, wherein the headpiece is placed in contact with a head that contains the brain to conform the substrate to the shape of the head to bring the first electrode into contact with the head;

a processor formed within the integrated circuit that processes an electrical signal generated at the first transistor in response to the electrical activity within the brain in order to measure the electrical activity; and

a remote processor to generate data useful for a diagnosis of the brain based on the measured electrical activity.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the integrated circuit conforms to a shape of the head in order to bring the electrode into contact with the head.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the headpiece further comprises a second transistor in the integrated circuit and a second electrode connected to the second transistor, wherein the second electrode is at a fixed separation distance from the first electrode and the processor processes the electrical signal using the fixed distance.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the headpiece further comprises a wireless transmitter for transmitting data to the remote processor.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the fixed separation distance between the first electrode and the second electrode is less than 1 centimeter.

17. (canceled)