System and method for providing quantified and qualitative hand analysis
First Claim
1. A method for qualitatively evaluating a digital performance of a person comprising:
- measuring a first applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a thumb to a first force detector, to determine a first data set;
measuring a second applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the median nerve to a second force detector, to determine a second data set;
measuring a third applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve to a third force detector, to determine a third data set; and
cross-correlating the first second and third data sets to create a patient digital performance profile.
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Abstract
A non-invasive system and method are provided for determining the presence or absence of neural, muscular, soft tissue, bone or joint damage or other disease affecting a person'"'"'s hand. A preferred system includes a plurality of digit contact members, one of which is engageable by the person'"'"'s thumb and others which are engageable by other digits of the hand, at least one of the other digits being innervated by the ulnar nerve. Force detectors are operatively connected to at least two of the digit contact members for measuring the quantity of force applied to the respective digit contact members by at least one digit innervated by the median nerve and a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve, as they engage in a natural gripping motion. The measured forces may be used to calculate quality indices useful in the diagnosis of disease and the monitoring of progression of disease.
47 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A method for qualitatively evaluating a digital performance of a person comprising:
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measuring a first applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a thumb to a first force detector, to determine a first data set;
measuring a second applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the median nerve to a second force detector, to determine a second data set;
measuring a third applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve to a third force detector, to determine a third data set; and
cross-correlating the first second and third data sets to create a patient digital performance profile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for qualitatively evaluating a digital performance of a person to detect disease comprising:
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measuring a first applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a thumb to a first force detector, to determine a first data set;
measuring a second applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the median nerve to a second force detector, to determine a second data set;
measuring a third applied force as a function of time, said force being applied by a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve to a third force detector, to determine a third data set;
substituting all or a portion of said first, second and third data sets into one or more quality index formulas to determine one or more patient quality indices;
comparing the one or more patient quality indices to a plurality of diagnostic quality indices, each of said diagnostic quality indices corresponding to a different disease; and
detecting the presence of disease.- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
where; QI=the quality index value, c=multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, pi=measured parameter for the first of the tested digits, pi+1=measured parameter for the second of the tested digits, pi+2=measured parameter for the third of the tested digits, j=2, 4, 6 . . . , and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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16. The method of claim 15 wherein n=2 and c=1.
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17. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of gripping and releasing, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating an applied force time dependent attenuation (decay) index (QID), said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, mt=exponential decay slope of the first digit, mi=exponential decay slope of the second digit, m5=exponential decay slope of the fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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18. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a sustained force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of gripping and releasing, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating a linear correlation coefficient (QIr), said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, rit=Pearson'"'"'s linear correlation coefficient between the first digit and second digit, r5t=Pearson'"'"'s linear correlation coefficient between the first digit and fifth digit, ri5=Pearson'"'"'s linear correlation coefficient between the second digit and fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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19. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of attempted uniform gripping and releasing, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating a pulse width uncertainty correlation coefficient (QIpw, said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, sdwT=standard deviation of the full pulse width at half maximum for the first digit, sdwI=standard deviation of the full pulse width at half maximum for the second digit, sdw5=standard deviation of the full pulse width at half maximum for the fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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20. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of gripping and releasing in response to a stimulus, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating a pulse onset correlation coefficient (QIpo), said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, OtT=standard deviation of the differential pulse onset time for the first digit, OtI=standard deviation of the differential pulse onset time for the second digit, Ot5=standard deviation of the differential pulse onset time for the fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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21. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a maximum measured force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of gripping and releasing, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating a mean maximum applied force correlation coefficient (QIMF), said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, mfTsd=standard deviation of the differential maximum applied force by the first digit, mfIsd=standard deviation of the differential maximum applied force by the second digit, mf5sd=standard deviation of the differential maximum applied force by the fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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22. The method of claim 11 wherein said first, second and third applied forces comprise a minimum applied force exerted by the respective digit during multiple pulses of gripping and releasing, and wherein one of said one or more quality index formulas comprises a formula for calculating a mean minimum applied force correlation coefficient, said formula comprising:
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where; c=the multiplier chosen to normalize the quality index, mrTsd=standard deviation of the differential resting applied force for the first digit, mrIsd=standard deviation of the differential resting applied force for the second digit, mr5sd=standard deviation of the differential resting applied force for the fifth digit, and n=1, 2, 3 . . . .
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23. A method for evaluating a digital performance of a person to detect disease comprising:
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evaluating the relative strength, relative coordination and relative fatigue rates of a digit innervated by the median nerve and a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve to obtain a patient performance data set; and
comparing the patient performance data set to a plurality of data sets characteristic of the digital performance of normal individuals and individuals suffering from different diseases in order to determine a disease status of the person. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A diagnostic profile library for diagnosing the presence or absence of disease in a patient based on a digital performance of a patient, comprising a plurality of diagnostic digital performance profiles, each of said diagnostic digital performance profiles correlating with the presence of a different disease, said diagnostic digital performance profiles determined by evaluating performance of a median nerve innervated digit and an ulnar nerve innervated digit for each of a plurality of persons having been diagnosed with said disease and determining the characteristics of the diagnostic performance profile correlatable with said disease.
- 27. A data base comprising a plurality of data sets as measured from a plurality of patients, said data sets each comprising measurements of the relative strength, relative coordination and relative fatigue rates of a digit innervated by the median nerve and a digit innervated by the ulnar nerve for each of said plurality of patients.
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30. An apparatus for evaluating the digital performance of a hand to detect disease comprising:
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a plurality of digit contact members for engagement with the digits of the hand, said plurality of digit contact members comprising a thumb contact member engageable by the thumb of the hand and a lateral digit contact member engageable by a lateral digit of the hand, said lateral digit being innervated in whole or in part by the ulnar nerve;
a plurality of force detector means, said plurality of force detector means comprising a first force detector means operatively connected to the lateral digit contact member and a second force detector means operatively connected to a digit contact member engaged by a medial digit, said medial digit being innervated in whole or in part by the median nerve, each of said force detector means adapted to measure the quantity of force applied to the respective contact member and producing an output indicative of said quantity of force. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification