Wearable biosignal interface and method thereof

• US 10,241,574 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Chang Mok, Kim, Sang Joon, Yoon, Seung Keun
• Primary Examiner(s): Polo, Gustavo D
• Application Number:
  US14/913,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/221 Ergometry, e.g. by using bicycle type apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A wearable biosignal interface and operation method of the wearable biosignal interface is provided wherein the wearable biosignal interface may perceive a motion unintentionally performed by a user and ignore a biosignal obtained thereby and thus, improve accuracy of a bio-based determination of an intention of the user for operating a device.

Claims

1. A wearable biosignal interface, comprising:

a motion sensor configured to obtain a first signal based on a motion of a target;

a biosignal sensor configured to be disposed on the target and obtain a second signal from the target; and

a determination controller configured to perform, in response to a magnitude of the first signal being less than or equal to a first threshold, a function of the wearable biosignal interface using a portion of the second signal corresponding to an interval during which the magnitude of the first signal is less than or equal to the first threshold.

2. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein the determination controller is configured to determine the second signal to be valid in response to the magnitude of the first signal not satisfying the first threshold.

3. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein the determination controller is configured to:

identify the interval during which the magnitude of the first signal is less than or equal to the first threshold; and

determine a signal, among a plurality of second signals obtained by the biosignal sensor in the identified interval, to be a valid second signal.

4. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 2, wherein the determination controller is configured to determine the first threshold based on a magnitude of the second signal.

5. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein the determination controller is configured to determine the second signal to be invalid, irrespective of the first signal, in response to the magnitude of the second signal not satisfying a second threshold.

6. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein:

in response to a determination to perform the function of the wearable biosignal interface, the determination controller is configured to perform the function; and

the function of the wearable biosignal interface includes the determination controller operating in an active mode to control an external device based on the second signal.

13. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein the second signal includes biological information obtained by one or more biosensor in contact with skin of the target.

20. The wearable biosignal interface of claim 1, wherein the determination controller is configured to perform the function based on a comparison between the first signal and a first threshold.

7. An operation method of a wearable biosignal interface, the method comprising:

using a motion sensor to obtain a first signal based on a motion of a target;

using a biosignal sensor disposed on the target to obtain a second signal; and

performing, in response to a magnitude of the first signal being less than or equal to a first threshold, a function of the wearable biosignal interface using a portion of the second signal corresponding to an interval during which the magnitude of the first signal is less than or equal to the first threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the validity comprises:

determining the second signal to be valid in response to the magnitude of the first signal not satisfying the first threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the validity comprises:

identifying the interval during which the magnitude of the first signal is less than or equal to the first threshold; and

determining a signal, among second signals obtained by the biosignal sensor in the identified interval, to be a valid second signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the validity further comprises:

determining the first threshold based on a magnitude of the second signal.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the validity comprises:

determining the second signal to be invalid, irrespective of the first signal, in response to a magnitude of the second signal not satisfying a second threshold.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

operating in an active mode and controlling an external device based on the second signal, in response to the second signal being determined to be valid.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the second signal includes biological information obtained by one or more biosensor in contact with skin of the target.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a motion sensor configured to detect a movement signal corresponding to a movement of a target;

a second sensor configured to detect a biological signal corresponding to a biological information of the target; and

a controller configured to;

determine an interval of stability in which a magnitude of the movement signal is less than or equal to a movement signal threshold,

determine a portion of the biological signal detected in the interval of stability, and

identify a command for controlling another device using the portion of the biological.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the interval is determined by extracting the movement signal based on the movement of the target; and

the biological signal is extracted from the biological information obtained by the second sensor, the second sensor comprising one or more biosensors.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the interval corresponds to a time duration in which the magnitude of the first processed signal is less than or equal to the movement signal threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit the command to the another device, wherein the determination controller is configured to identify the command based on the portion of the biological signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the movement signal is greater than the movement signal threshold, the apparatus is configured not to transmit a command based on the portion of the biological signal.