Wearable biosignal interface and method thereof

• US 10,642,359 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• 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
• Application Number:
  US16/267,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20190171288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• 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, an apparatus for operating an external device, and an operation method of a wearable biosignal interface are provided. A wearable biosignal interface may include a motion sensor configured to obtain a first signal based on a motion of a target, a biosignal sensor disposed on the target and configured to obtain a second signal from the target, and a determination controller configured to determine a validity of the second signal based on the first signal.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a motion sensor;

a biological sensor; and

a controller configured to;

obtain a movement signal of an object using the motion sensor, and a biological signal of the object using the biological sensor,

determine, based on an analysis of the movement signal, whether to perform a specified function of the wearable device using the biological signal, and

perform the specified function using a select portion of the biological signal obtained during a select period, of the movement signal, determined to correspond to a specified condition.

2. The wearable device of claim 1,

wherein the specified condition comprises the movement signal being determined to be less than or equal to a first threshold value.

3. The wearable device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine the first threshold value based on a magnitude of the biological signal.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the biological signal to be invalid, irrespective of the movement signal, in response to the magnitude of the biological signal not satisfying a second threshold value.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein, in response to a determination that the biological signal is valid, the controller is configured to operate in an active mode and to control an external device based on the biological signal.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a transmission unit, wherein the controller is configured to transmit an instruction associated with an external electronic device to the external electronic device using the transmission unit as at least part of the specified function.

20. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein

the controller is further configured to validate the biological signal, and

for the performing of the specified function, the controller is configured to perform the specified function using a portion of the validated biological signal.

7. A wearable device comprising:

a motion sensor;

a biological sensor; and

a controller configured to;

obtain a movement signal of an object external to the wearable device using the motion sensor;

obtain a biological signal of the object using the biological sensor;

identify a period, of the movement signal, the movement signal is determined to be less than a specified condition; and

perform a specified function using a select portion of the biological signal corresponding to the period.

8. The wearable device of claim 7, wherein the biological sensor comprises an optical sensor configured to obtain an optical signal corresponding the biological signal.

9. The wearable device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to adjust, prior to the identifying of the period, the specified condition based at least in part on a magnitude of the biological signal.

10. The wearable device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to:

in response to a magnitude of the biological signal being determined to be within a first specified range, determine the biological signal to be a valid signal; and

in response to the magnitude of the biological signal being determined to be within a second specified range, determine the biological signal to be an invalid signal.

11. The wearable device of claim 7, wherein, for the performing of the specified function, the controller is configured to generate an instruction using the select portion of the biological signal.

12. The wearable device of claim 11, wherein, for the performing of the specified function, the controller is configured to control an external electronic device based at least in part on the instruction as at least part of the specified function.

13. The wearable device of claim 12, further comprising a transmission unit, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the instruction to the external electronic device using the transmission unit.

14. A wearable device comprising:

a motion sensor;

a biological sensor; and

a controller configured to;

obtain a movement signal of an object external to the wearable device using the motion sensor;

obtain a biological signal of the object using the biological sensor;

determine a select period, of the movement signal, that meets a specified condition;

determine, as a valid signal, at least a portion of the biometric signal that is determined to correspond to the determined select period; and

perform a specified function using the valid signal.

15. The wearable device of claim 14, wherein the biological sensor comprises an optical sensor configured to obtain an optical signal as the biological signal.

16. The wearable device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the specified condition based at least in part on a magnitude of the biological signal prior to the determining of the select period.

17. The wearable device of claim 14, wherein, for the performing of the specified function, the controller is configured to generate an instruction using at least a portion of the valid signal.

18. The wearable device of claim 17, wherein, for the performing of the specified function, the controller is configured to control an external electronic device based at least in part on the instruction as at least part of the specified function.

19. The wearable device of claim 18, further comprising a transmission unit, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the instruction to the external device using the transmission unit.

21. A wearable device system including one or more wearable devices, the wearable device system comprising:

a motion sensor of the one or more wearable devices;

a biological sensor of the one or more wearable devices; and

a controller of the one or more wearable devices, the controller configured to;

obtain, based on motion information from the motion sensor, a movement signal of an object;

obtain, based on biological information from the biological sensor, a biological signal of the object;

determine whether a period of the movement signal exists that meets a specified motion type indicating condition;

determine whether any portions the biological signal correspond to the period and meet a specified value condition; and

perform, in response to at least one of the one or more portions of the biological signal being determined to correspond to the period, a specified function of at least one of the one or more wearable devices and/or an external device respectively dependent on the movement signal.

22. The wearable device system of claim 21, wherein the determination of whether the period of the movement signal exists includes determining what period of the movement signal meets the specified motion type indication condition that is predetermined to be one or more measures of relatedness of obtained motions to an incidental motion, corresponding to a non-spontaneous or non-intentional motion of the object, and/or an intentional motion of the object.

23. The wearable device system of claim 22, the determination of whether the period of the movement signal exists that meets the specified motion type indicating condition includes determining whether a measured rotational velocity magnitude is below a predetermined velocity magnitude, where the measured rotational velocity magnitude being below the predetermined velocity magnitude is representative of the movement signal being not the incidental motion and/or being the intentional motion of the object.

24. The wearable device system of claim 22, the determination of whether the period of the movement signal exists that meets the specified motion type indicating condition includes determining whether a measured velocity variance magnitude is below a predetermined velocity variance magnitude, where the measured rotational velocity variance magnitude being below the predetermined velocity variance magnitude is representative of the movement signal being not the incidental motion and/or being the intentional motion of the object.

25. The wearable device system of claim 24, wherein the predetermined velocity variance magnitude is a predetermined acceleration-based threshold, a predetermined rotation-based threshold, a predetermined bearing signal-based threshold, or a predetermined coordinate signal-based threshold.

26. The wearable device system of claim 21, wherein the specified value condition is a measure of valuableness of a measured biological signal for intentional controlling of one or more functions of an external device, the measure being a determination that a magnitude of at least one portion of the biological signal, corresponding to the select period, is greater than a predetermined threshold.

27. The wearable device system of claim 26, wherein the magnitude of the at least one portion of the biological signal is a measure of a relaxation and/or contraction of one or more muscles of the object.

28. The wearable device system of claim 27, wherein the biosensor includes one or more biosensors, and the muscles include one or more of one or more wrist muscles, one or more hand muscles, one or more forearm muscles, one or more face muscles, and/or one or more neck muscles of the object.

29. The wearable device system of claim 28, further comprising determining which one or more of different interaction controls are represented the movement signal, with the performing of the specified function being a performance of the specified function of the determined one or more of the different interaction controls represented by the movement signal.

30. The wearable device system of claim 29, wherein the specified motion type indicating condition is a predetermined condition that, when met, the one or more wearable devices are controlled according to a determined gesture of the object, represented by the movement signal, and the biological signal of the object.

31. The wearable device system of claim 30, wherein the determination of whether the period of the movement signal exists includes determining what period of the movement signal meets the specified motion type indication condition that is predetermined to be one or more measures of relatedness of obtained motions to an incidental motion, corresponding to a non-spontaneous or non-intentional motion of the object, and/or an intentional motion of the object, and

wherein the determining of what period of the movement signal meets the specified motion type indication condition includes determining whether a measured rotational velocity magnitude is below a predetermined velocity magnitude, where the measured rotational velocity magnitude being below the predetermined velocity magnitude is representative of the movement signal being not the incidental motion and/or being the intentional motion of the object, and/or

wherein the determining of what period of the movement signal meets the specified motion type indication condition includes determining whether a measured velocity variance magnitude is below a predetermined velocity variance magnitude, where the measured rotational velocity variance magnitude being below the predetermined velocity variance magnitude is representative of the movement signal being not the incidental motion and % or being the intentional motion of the object.

32. The wearable device system of claim 31, wherein the predetermined velocity variance magnitude is a predetermined acceleration-based threshold, a predetermined rotation-based threshold, a predetermined bearing signal-based threshold, or a predetermined coordinate signal-based threshold.

33. The wearable device system of claim 21, wherein the specified motion type indicating condition is a predetermined condition that, when met, the one or more wearable devices are controlled to shift modes of operation from an inactive mode of operation to an active mode of operation.

34. The wearable device system of claim 21, wherein the biological signal is a bio-electric/magnetic signal, a bioimpedance signal, and/or a bio-mechanical signal generated in association with skeletal muscle movement signal or skeletal muscle tone of the object.