Systems and methods to gather and analyze electroencephalographic data

• US 9,060,671 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Badower, Yakob, Gurumoorthy, Ramachandran, Pradeep, Anantha K., Knight, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S
• Application Number:
  US13/728,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20140051960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 600/383, 600/544, 600/545
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/02 Details of sensors specially adapted for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0209 Special features of electrodes classified in A61B5/24, A61B5/25, A61B5/283, A61B5/291, A61B5/296, A61B5/053
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/026 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/307 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/31 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/332 Portable devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/347 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/37 Intracranial electroencephalography [IC-EEG], e.g. electrocorticography [ECoG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/374 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals, e.g. detecting delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/68 : Arrangements of detecting, measuring or recording means, e.g. sensors, in relation to patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 : specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 : Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 : Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6813 : Specially adapted to be attached to a specific body part A61B5/6802 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 : Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 : Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 : for noise prevention, reduction or removal

Abstract

Example devices are disclosed herein that include a first elongated band coupled to a first housing to be located on a first side of a head of a subject and a second housing to be located near a second side of the head of the subject, the first elongated band comprising a first set of electrodes. The example device also includes a second elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the second elongated band comprising a second set of electrodes. In addition, the device includes a third elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the third elongated band comprising a third set of electrodes.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first elongated band coupled to a first housing to be located near a first ear of a subject and a second housing to be located near a second ear of the subject, the first elongated band including a first set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a second elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the second elongated band including a second set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a third elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the third elongated band including a third set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes; and

a fourth elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the fourth elongated band including a fourth set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth elongated bands is rotatably coupled to each of the first housing and the second housing.

3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth elongated bands is removably coupled to each of the first housing and the second housing.

4. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first elongated band is to be located above a nasion of the subject at about ten percent of a distance between the nasion and an inion of the subject measured over a center of a head of the subject, the second elongated band is to be located above the nasion at about thirty percent of the distance, the third elongated band is to be located at about halfway between the nasion and the inion and the fourth elongated band is to be located above the inion at about thirty percent of the distance.

5. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein a number of electrodes in a sum of the first, second, third and fourth electrode sets includes at least 2000 electrodes.

6. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth elongated band includes an adjustable elastic band to change a distance between the elongated band and a head of the subject.

7. The device as defined in claim 1 further including an additional elongated band coupled to the first housing and the second housing, the additional elongated band including an additional set of electrodes.

8. The device as defined in claim 1 further including an adjustment mechanism coupled to the first housing and the second housing to adjust a fit of the device on the subject.

9. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first elongated band includes a plurality of extensions and the electrodes of the first set are individually disposed at respective ends of the extensions.

10. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the extensions are flexible.

11. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the first set includes at least a portion of a ring.

12. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the first set includes a ball.

13. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the first set includes a hook.

14. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first, second, third or fourth sets of electrodes are removably coupled to the respective first, second, third or fourth elongated band.

15. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein one or more of the electrodes of the first set is to compress a stratum corneum of the subject at a force of about 1 to about 2 Newtons per millimeter square.

16. The device as defined in claim 1 further including:

an analog-to-digital converter to convert signals gathered by the electrodes to digital data;

an amplifier to amplify the signals;

a signal conditioner to remove noise from the signals;

a data processor to analyze the data in accordance with an analysis protocol to determine a mental state of the subject; and

a transmitter to transmit at least one of the digital data or the mental state.

17. The device as defined in claim 16, wherein the device is to be worn on a head of the subject.

18. A method comprising:

obtaining electroencephalographic data with a device including;

a first elongated band coupled to a first housing located near a first ear of a subject and a second housing located near a second ear of the subject, the first elongated band including a first set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a second elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the second elongated band including a second set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a third elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the third elongated band including a third set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes; and

a fourth elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the fourth elongated band including a fourth set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes; and

analyzing the electroencephalographic data to determine a mental state of the subject.

19. The method of claim 18, further including:

converting the electroencephalographic data gathered from at least a subset of the electrodes to digital data;

amplifying the electroencephalographic data;

removing noise from the electroencephalographic data;

analyzing the data in accordance with an analysis protocol to determine the mental state; and

transmitting at least one of the digital data or the mental state.

20. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a device to at least:

obtain electroencephalographic data with;

a first elongated band coupled to a first housing located near a first ear of a subject and a second housing located near a second ear of the subject, the first elongated band including a first set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a second elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the second elongated band including a second set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes;

a third elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the third elongated band including a third set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes; and

a fourth elongated band coupled to the first housing and to the second housing, the fourth elongated band including a fourth set of electrodes having at least eight electrodes; and

analyze the electroencephalographic data to determine a mental state of the subject.