Brain-body actuated system

• US 6,636,763 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brain Actuated Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Andrew Junker, Christian R. Berg
• Inventors: Junker, Andrew, Berg, Christian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCrosky, David J
• Application Number:
  US09/857,660
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 600/544-597, 340/825.19, 128/805
• US Class Current: 600/545
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/376 using brain waves, e.g. EEG

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling a plurality of devices in response to biopotentials produced by gestures made by a user. The apparatus includes a sensor (22) applied to the user for producing an input signal representing the biopotentials, wherein the input signal changes as a function of chances in the biopotentials. A plurality of bandpass filters (28, 30, 32) are responsive to the input signal, and each of the filters produces respective frequency signals. A processor (38) is responsive to the frequency signals from each of the filters and generates control signals in response to gestures made by the user to command operation of a device (40). A method is also provided that analyzes the high frequency signals with respect to a plurality of gesture models to detect a plurality of gestures being made by the user and then, provides control signals to a device (40) for controlling the device in response to a plurality of gestures made by the user. The method includes detecting a short eyebrow lift, a long eyebrow lift, a jaw clench, a short eyebrow drop, right and left eye glances and multiple eye blink gestures of the user. In another aspect of the invention, the method provides continuous analog control signals in response to eye gestures of the user.

Claims

1. A method of controlling motion of a cursor in a display of a computer in response to biopotentials produced by gestures made by a user comprising:

detecting biopotentials at a location on a user;

filtering the biopotentials with a low frequency bandpass filter to produce low frequency signals in a bandwidth of from approximately 0.2 Hz to approximately 3 Hz;

analyzing the low frequency signals with respect to a plurality of gesture models to detect relative eye motion between two limits of eye motion; and

providing control signals to the display of the computer to control motion of the cursor in response to the plurality of gestures detected.

2. A method of controlling a device in response to biopotentials produced by an eye glance gesture made by a user comprising:

detecting biopotentials at a location on a user;

filtering the biopotentials with a low frequency bandpass filter to produce low frequency signals;

detecting the low frequency signals moving in a first direction and exceeding a first threshold;

detecting in response to the low frequency signals exceeding the first threshold, the low frequency signals moving in an opposite direction and exceeding a second threshold;

detecting in response to the low frequency signals exceeding the second threshold, the low frequency signals moving in the first direction and exceeding a third threshold; and

providing a control signal identifying an eye glance gesture being made by the user in response to low frequency signals exceeding the third threshold.

3. A method of controlling a device in response to biopotentials produced by a short eye brow lift gesture made by a user comprising:

detecting biopotentials at a location on a user;

filtering the biopotentials with a high frequency bandpass filter to produce high frequency signals in a bandwidth of from approximately 70 Hz to approximately 3000 Hz;

detecting the high frequency signals moving in a first direction and exceeding a first threshold;

detecting in response to the high frequency signals exceeding the first threshold, the high frequency signals moving in an opposite direction and dropping below the first threshold;

measuring the time that the high frequency signals continuously exceed the first threshold;

measuring the time that the high frequency signals are continuously below the first threshold; and

providing a control signal identifying a short eye brow lift being made by the user in response to the high frequency signals continuously exceeding the first threshold for a first period of time, and the high frequency signals being below the first threshold for a second period of time.

4. A method of controlling a cursor in a video display in response to biopotentials produced by gestures made by a user comprising:

detecting biopotentials at a location on a user;

filtering the biopotentials to produce frequency signals;

analyzing the frequency signals to provide a control signal representing a first frequency bandwidth; and

initiating motion of the cursor in a first direction in response to the control signal being below a magnitude threshold for a period of time determinable by the user.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising establishing a null amplitude representing a zero valued midpoint between negative and positive magnitude limits of the control signal determined by respective relaxed and active states of the user during a calibration process.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising initiating motion of the cursor in response to the control signal having a magnitude below the null amplitude for a period of time determinable by the user.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising incrementing a speed of the cursor in accordance with user determinable parameters.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising reversing motion of the cursor in response to the control signal exceeding the magnitude threshold.