System and method for computer input of dynamic mental information

• US 6,377,833 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Douglas Albert
• Original Assignee: Douglas Albert
• Inventors: Albert, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jeoyuh
• Application Number:
  US09/390,048
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 128/908, 600/545, 600/410, 600/407, 600/409, 600/411, 600/425, 600/430, 600/436, 600/437, 600/443, 600/444, 600/447, 600/448, 600/451, 600/463, 600/300, 600/301, 600/310, 600/383, 600/377, 600/378, 382/128-325, 250/363-1-3, 345/418-425
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4806 Functional imaging of brain activation

Abstract

A system calibrates a user'"'"'s brain region (e.g., the primary visual cortex or V1 region) to actual sensory information (e.g., the visual field), and enables imagined sensory information (e.g.; dynamic mental imagery) to be interpreted as computer input. The system includes a configuration engine and an input device control engine. The configuration engine includes a test pattern; a functional information gatherer for presenting the test pattern to a user; a brain-scanning device interface for obtaining functional information from a region in the user'"'"'s brain that provides a physiological response to the test pattern and that receives feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; and a mapping engine for using the functional information to map the user'"'"'s brain region to the test pattern. The input device control engine includes a brain-scanning device interface for obtaining functional information from a brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; an interpretation engine for interpreting the feedback; and a computer control engine for using the interpreted feedback as computer input.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining functional information from a user'"'"'s brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information;

interpreting the feedback; and

using the interpreted feedback as computer input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the brain region includes the visual cortex.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the brain region includes the auditory cortex.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the brain region includes the somatosensory cortex.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the brain region includes the V1 region.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping the functional information to a corresponding sensory information format.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising obtaining mapping data for mapping the functional information to the corresponding sensory information format.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the brain region includes V1 region, the actual sensory information includes visual field data, and imagined sensory information includes imagined visual field data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensory information format includes the user'"'"'s visual field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mapping data includes 3D to 2D mapping data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mapping data includes perimeter data for identifying the V1 region within the user'"'"'s visual cortex.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising removing distortion from the functional data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein removing distortion includes removing cortical magnification.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mapping data includes distortion removal data.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a functional MRI machine to capture the feedback.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising using an eye tracker to enable and disable the MRI machine.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising enabling the MRI machine when the eye tracker determines that the user is looking a particular direction.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing the functional information with structural information of the brain region to perform motion correction.

19. A system, comprising:

a brain-scanning device interface for obtaining functional information from a user'"'"'s brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information;

an interpretation engine for interpreting the feedback; and

a computer control engine for using the interpreted feedback as computer input.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the brain region includes the visual cortex.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the brain region includes the auditory cortex.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the brain region includes the somatosensory cortex.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the brain region includes the V1 region.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising a mapping engine for mapping the functional information to a corresponding sensory information format.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the mapping engine obtains mapping data for mapping the functional information to the corresponding sensory information format.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the brain region includes V1 region, the actual sensory information includes visual field data and the imagined sensory information includes imagined visual field data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the sensory information format includes the user'"'"'s visual field.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the mapping data includes 3D to 2D mapping data.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the mapping data includes perimeter data for identifying the V1 region within the user'"'"'s visual cortex.

30. The system of claim 25, further comprising a distortion removal engine for removing distortion from the functional data.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the distortion removal engine removes cortical magnification.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the mapping data includes distortion removal data.

33. The system of claim 19, further comprising an MRI device engine for requesting a functional MRI machine to capture the feedback.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising an image reader for enabling and disabling the MRI machine.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the image reader enables the MRI machine when the eye tracker determines that the user is looking a particular direction.

36. The system of claim 19, further comprising a dynamic V1 determination engine for comparing the functional information with structural information of the brain region to perform motion correction.

37. A system, comprising

means for obtaining functional information from a user'"'"'s brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information;

means for interpreting the feedback; and

means for using the interpreted feedback as computer input.

38. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

obtaining functional information from a user'"'"'s brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information;

interpreting the feedback; and

using the interpreted feedback as computer input.

39. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a test pattern to a user;

obtaining functional information from a region in the user'"'"'s brain that provides a physiological response to the test pattern and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; and

using the functional information to map the user'"'"'s brain region to the test pattern.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the test pattern includes visual imagery.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the test pattern includes sound.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the test pattern include body movement.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the test pattern includes a sequence of visual images.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the test pattern includes a visual image and the surrounding environment.

45. The method of claim 39, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the visual cortex.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the V1 region.

47. The method of claim 39, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the auditory cortex.

48. The method of claim 39, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the somatosensory cortex.

49. The method of claim 39, further comprising obtaining structural information of the user'"'"'s brain region.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising using an MRI machine.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising mapping the structural information into 2D structural representation.

52. The method of claim 51, further comprising generating distortion removal data for removing distortion from the 2D structural representation.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein removing distortion includes removing cortical magnification.

54. A system, comprising:

a test pattern;

a functional information gatherer for presenting the test pattern to a user;

a brain-scanning device interface for obtaining functional information from a region in the user'"'"'s brain that provides a physiological response to the test pattern and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; and

a mapping engine for using the functional information to map the user'"'"'s brain region to the test pattern.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the test pattern includes visual imagery.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein the test pattern includes sound.

57. The system of claim 54, wherein the test pattern include body movement.

58. The system of claim 54, wherein the test pattern includes a sequence of visual images.

59. The system of claim 54, wherein the test pattern includes a visual image and the surrounding environment.

60. The system of claim 54, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the visual cortex.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the V1 region.

62. The system of claim 54, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the auditory cortex.

63. The system of claim 54, wherein the user'"'"'s brain region includes the somatosensory cortex.

64. The system of claim 54, wherein the brain-scanning device interface further obtains structural information of the user'"'"'s brain region.

65. The system of claim 64, wherein the brain-scanning device interface includes a functional MRI device engine.

66. The system of claim 65, further comprising a mapping engine for mapping the structural information into 2D structural representation.

67. The system of claim 66, further comprising a distortion removal engine for generating distortion removal data for removing distortion from the 2D structural representation.

68. The system of claim 67, wherein removing distortion includes removing cortical magnification.

69. A system, comprising:

means for presenting a test pattern to a user;

means for obtaining functional information from a region in the user'"'"'s brain that provides a physiological response to the test pattern and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; and

means for using the functional information to map the user'"'"'s brain region to the test pattern.

70. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

presenting a test pattern to a user;

obtaining functional information from a region in the user'"'"'s brain that provides a physiological response to the test pattern and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information; and

using the functional information to map the user'"'"'s brain region to the test pattern.

71. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining functional information from a user'"'"'s brain region that provides a physiological response to actual sensory information and that receives feedback from at least one other brain region, the feedback corresponding to imagined sensory information;

obtaining inferred information from a camera;

generating imagined information based on the obtained functional information and the obtained inferred information;

interpreting the imagined information;

using the interpreted imagined information as computer command input.