Method and system for EEG-based task management

• US 9,583,013 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Ami, Gu, Haisong
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): HONG, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/780,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20140242559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 434/236
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for determining a task for a subject, which includes sensing electrical activity along a scalp of a subject; characterizing a mental state of the subject based on the electrical activity of the subject; comparing the mental state of the subject with a pre-defined task list to select a task for the subject based on the mental state of the subject; and assigning the task to the subject based on the comparison of the mental state of the subject and the pre-defined task list.

Claims

1. A method for determining an occupational task for a subject, comprising:

sensing electrical activity along a scalp of a subject with an electrical sensing device;

processing the electrical activity to generate a vector of the current mental state of the subject, the vector including a creativity level, a focus level, and a relaxation level;

comparing the vector of the current mental state of the subject with vectors in a pre-defined task list to select a task for the subject based on the current mental state of the subject, the pre-defined task list including a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks in the pre-defined task list having a vector of ideal mental state for the task to be assigned; and

assigning the task to the subject from the plurality of tasks based on the comparison of the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vectors of the pre-defined task list, wherein the task is an activity that is performed by the subject, and the assigning of the task is based on a minimum Euclidean distance between the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vector of ideal mental state for the task assigned to the subject.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

sensing the electrical activity of the subject using an electroencephalograph (EEG) device.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

recording the electrical activity over one or more frequency bands, wherein the one or more frequency bands include electrical signals between approximately 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz.

4. A method for determining a task for a subject, comprising:

sensing biological activity of a subject with a sensing device;

processing the biological activity to generate a vector of the current mental state of the subject, the vector including a creativity level, a focus level, and a relaxation level;

comparing the vector of the current mental state of the subject with vectors in a pre-defined task list to select a task for the subject based on the current mental state of the subject, the pre-defined task list including a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks in the pre-defined task list having a vector of ideal mental state for the task to be assigned; and

assigning the task to the subject from the plurality of tasks based on the comparison of the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vectors of the pre-defined task list, wherein the task is an activity that is performed by the subject, and the assigning of the task is based on a minimum Euclidean distance between the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vector of ideal mental state for the task assigned to the subject.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the biological signals are brainwave signals, and the biological activity is electrical activity, which is obtained using an electroencephalograph (EEG) device.

6. The method of claim 5, comprising:

recording the electrical activity over one or more frequency bands, wherein the one or more frequency bands include electrical signals between approximately 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz, and wherein the plurality of signals are in pre-defined frequency bands as follows;

(1) 0.1 to 3 Hz;

(2) 4 Hz to 7 Hz;

(3) 8 Hz to 12 Hz;

(4) 12 Hz to 30 Hz; and

(5) 30 Hz to 100 Hz.

7. A system for determining a task for a subject, comprising:

a sensing device for sensing electrical activity over one or more frequency bands along a scalp of a subject; and

a computer device having executable instructions for;

processing the electrical activity to generate a vector of the current mental state of the subject, the vector including a creativity level, a focus level, and a relaxation level;

comparing the vector of the current mental state of the subject with vectors in a pre-defined task list to select a task for the subject based on the current mental state of the subject, the pre-defined task list including a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks in the pre-defined task list having a vector of ideal mental state for the task to be assigned; and

assigning the task to the subject from the plurality of tasks based on the comparison of the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vectors of the pre-defined task list, wherein the task is an activity that is performed by the subject, and the assigning of the task is based on a minimum Euclidean distance between the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vector of ideal mental state for the task assigned to the subject.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensing device is an electroencephalograph (EEG) device;

and

wherein the electrical activity is recorded over one or more frequency bands, wherein the one or more frequency bands include electrical signals between approximately 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz, and wherein the plurality of signals are in pre-defined frequency bands.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising:

recording the electrical activity over one or more frequency bands, wherein the one or more frequency bands include electrical signals between approximately 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a computer program having computer readable code embodied for determining a task for a subject, the computer readable program code configured to execute a process comprising:

sensing electrical activity along a scalp of a subject with an electrical sensing device;

processing the electrical activity to generate a vector of the current mental state of the subject, the vector including a creativity level, a focus level, and a relaxation level;

comparing the vector of the current mental state of the subject with vectors in a pre-defined task list to select a task for the subject based on the current mental state of the subject, the pre-defined task list including a plurality of tasks, each of the plurality of tasks in the pre-defined task list having a vector of ideal mental state for the task to be assigned; and

assigning the task to the subject from the plurality of tasks based on the comparison of the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vectors of the pre-defined task list, wherein the task is an activity that is performed by the subject, and the assigning of the task is based on a minimum Euclidean distance between the vector of the current mental state of the subject and the vector of ideal mental state for the task assigned to the subject.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, comprising:

sensing the electrical activity of the subject using an electroencephalograph (EEG) device.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, comprising:

recording the electrical activity over one or more frequency bands, wherein the one or more frequency bands include electrical signals between approximately 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz.