System and method for power-efficient transmission of EMG data

• US 8,768,428 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech Team, LLC (CloudScale365, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tech Team, LLC (CloudScale365, Inc.)
• Inventors: Clare, Christopher R., Gottfried, Denise F., Gottfried, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANTISKAY, BRIAN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/486,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20120310069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 600/372, 600/382, 600/384, 600386-393, 607115-116
• US Class Current: 600/384
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/224 Measuring muscular strength
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/296 for electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

The system for displaying muscle force data includes a wearable patch and a remote visual display. The wearable patch carries electrodes suitable for sensing electromyographic signals on the skin of the patient. The patch carries circuitry which converts the detected electromyographic signal to a digital output which can be transmitted to the remote visual display. The circuitry relies on filtering to produce a usable digital signal at very low power consumption. The transmitted signal can be used to drive a variety of visual displays, including a conventional hand-held personal communicators and entertainment devices which had been programmed to suitably process the visual display.

Claims

1. A system for displaying muscle force data to a user, said system comprising:

a wearable patch having a pair of spaced-apart sensing electrodes and a ground electrode on a surface thereof, said patch adapted to be secured to a patient'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored with the spaced apart sensing electrodes in contact with the skin;

circuitry on the patch including;

(a) a limited bandwidth amplifier configured to receives signals from the electrodes and produces an analog output;

(b) an analog to digital converter configured to produces a digital signal;

(c) a microprocessor configured to rectify, filter, and sample the digital signal at a rate in range from 3000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to 4000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> and to produce an output having an average amplitude, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to sub-sample the output having an averaged amplitude to produce a sub-sampled output; and

(d) a transmitter which receives the sub-sampled output from the microprocessor and produces a wireless signal; and

a display unit configured to receive the wireless signal from the patch transmitter and produce a display showing muscle output.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are coated with silver chloride.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein the surface of the patch is covered with an adhesive.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a hand-held unit.

5. A system as in claim 4, wherein the hand-held unit is a personal communication or entertainment unit having a wireless receiver.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein the limited bandwidth amplifier has a bandwidth of 400 Hz.

6. A wearable patch for detecting muscle three of a user, said patch comprising:

a support backing having a pair of spaced-apart sensing electrodes and a ground electrode on a surface thereof, said patch adapted to be secured to a patient'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored with the spaced-apart sensing electrodes in contact with the skin;

circuitry on the patch including;

(a) a limited bandwidth amplifier configured to receive signals from the electrodes and to produce an analog output;

(b) an analog, to digital converter configured to produces a digital signal;

(c) a microprocessor configured to rectify, filter, and sample the digital signal at a rate in range from 3000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> to 4000 sec<sup>−

1</sup> and to produce an output having an averaged amplitude, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to sub-sample the output having the averaged amplitude to produce a sub-sampled output; and

(d) a transmitter configured to receives the output from the microprocessor and produces a wireless signal.

7. A wearable patch as in claim 6, wherein the electrodes are coated with silver chloride.

8. A wearable patch as in claim 6, wherein the surface of the support backing is covered with an adhesive.

13. A wearable patch as in claim 6, wherein the limited bandwidth amplifier has a bandwidth of 400 Hz.

9. A method for displaying muscle force data to a user, said method comprising:

placing a patch on the user'"'"'s skin over a muscle group to be monitored, wherein electrodes on the patch engage the skin, wherein the electrodes are configured to sense electromyographic (EMG) activity and to produce an analog electrical signal;

filtering and amplifying the analog electrical signal with a limited bandwidth amplifier on the patch;

converting the filtered and amplified analog signal to produce a digital signal;

filtering and rectifying the digital signal in a microprocessor on the patch, wherein the microprocessor is configured to produce an output having an averaged amplitude;

sub-sampling the output having an averaged amplitude in the microprocessor on the patch to produce a sub-sampled output;

transmitting the sub-sampled output;

receiving and displaying the sub-sampled output on a remote display unit.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein the smoothed output is displayed on a remote video and/or audio unit.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the display unit is hand-held.

14. A method as in claim 9, wherein the limited bandwidth amplifier has a bandwidth of 400 Hz.