METHODS AND DEVICES FOR ACQUIRING ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY

• US 20130317318A1
• Filed: 12/03/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: TARTZ, Robert S., KING, Jay S., VARTAK, Aniket A.
• Application Number:
  US13/692,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317318A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0215 Silver or silver chloride containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/043 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1125 Grasping motions of hands
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6843 Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7225 Details of analog processing, e.g. isolation amplifier, gain or sensitivity adjustment, filtering, baseline or drift compensation A61B5/30, A61B5/316 take precedence; transformers for specific applications H01F38/00; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

Handheld devices using an array of stainless steel electrodes located on an edge and/or back of the handheld devices for acquiring electrodermal activity are provided. The stainless steel electrode array may allow for the skin conductance level (SCL) or skin conductance response (SCR) on an individual to be measured and collected. The skin conductance signal may be related to sympathetic nervous system activity which is a major component of human emotion, known as arousal, or emotional intensity such as anxiety, stress, fear, or excited, etc.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an array of stainless steel electrodes;

a polarity switching module coupled to the array of stainless steel electrodes for switching polarity of electrodes in the array of stainless steel electrodes;

a memory device; and

at least one processor coupled to the array of stainless steel electrodes and the memory device, the at least one processor configured to;

determine a number of adjacent electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes contacted to scale a skin conductance response threshold;

fuse all negative electrodes together and all positive electrodes together in the array of stainless steel electrodes upon activation of the electrodes in the array of stainless steel electrodes; and

measure a single overall skin conductance response to capture a total electrode activity measurement.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a force sensor array coupled to each electrode pair in the array of stainless steel electrodes for detecting grip force.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

invalidate captured electrodermal activity data if changing grip force or if the grip force exceeds a grip force threshold.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

reverse the current flow direction through the one or more electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes as each electrode pair is activated.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement measures a reaction of an individual to an advertisement that has appeared on the device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement is used to track stress levels of an individual.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

generate a graph of the total electrodermal activity measurement captured over a period of time; and

compute an index of emotional arousal based on historical data.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

automatically adjust the skin conductance response threshold to count legitimate skin conductive responses using the number of contacted electrode pairs, wherein the counted legitimate skin conductive responses is a determination of arousal.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on a right side and a left side of the device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are interleaved down the sides and back of the device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion wrapping around to a backside of the device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is an interactive handheld device.

13. A method for acquiring electrodermal activity on a device using an array of stainless steel electrodes embedded on the device, comprising:

determining a number of adjacent electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes contacted to scale a skin conductance response threshold;

fusing all negative electrodes together and all positive electrodes together in the array of stainless steel electrodes upon activation of electrodes in the array of stainless steel electrodes; and

measuring a single overall skin conductance response to capture a total electrode activity measurement.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising detecting grip force from the temporary gripping of the one or more electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising invalidating captured electrodermal activity data if changing grip force or if the grip force exceeds a grip force threshold.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising reversing the current flow direction through the one or more electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes as each electrode pair is activated.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement measures a reaction of an individual to an advertisement that has appeared on the device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement is used to track stress levels of an individual.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

generating a graph of the total electrodermal activity measurement captured over a period of time; and

computing an index of emotional arousal based on historical data.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising automatically adjusting the skin conductance response threshold to count legitimate skin conductance responses using the number of contacted electrode pairs, wherein the counted legitimate skin conductive responses is a determination of arousal.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on a right side and a left side of the device.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are interleaved down the sides and back of the device.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion wrapping around to a backside of the device.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the device is an interactive handheld device.

25. A device, comprising:

means for determining a number of adjacent electrode pairs in an array of stainless steel electrodes contacted to scale a skin conductance response threshold;

means for fusing all negative electrodes together and all positive electrodes together in the array of stainless steel electrodes upon activation of electrodes in the array of stainless steel electrodes; and

means for measuring a single overall skin conductance response to capture a total electrode activity measurement.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising means for detecting a grip force change from the temporary gripping of the one or more electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes.

27. The device of claim 26, further comprising means for invalidating captured electrodermal activity data if changing grip force or if grip force exceeds a grip force threshold.

28. The device of claim 26, further comprising means for reversing the current flow direction through the one or more electrode pairs in the array of stainless steel electrodes as each electrode pair is activated.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement measures a reaction of an individual to an advertisement that has appeared on the device.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein the total electrodermal activity measurement is used to track stress levels of an individual.

31. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

means for generating a graph of the total electrodermal activity measurement captured over a period of time; and

means for computing an index of emotional arousal based on historical data.

32. The device of claim 26, further comprising means for automatically adjusting the skin conductance response threshold to count legitimate skin conductance responses using the number of contacted electrode pairs, wherein the counted legitimate skin conductive responses is a determination of arousal.

33. The device of claim 26, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on a right side and a left side of the device.

34. The device of claim 26, wherein the array of stainless steel electrodes are interleaved down the sides and back of the device.

35. The device of claim 26, the array of stainless steel electrodes are embedded on an upper edge portion and a lower edge portion wrapping around to a backside of the device.

36. The device of claim 26, wherein the device is an interactive handheld device.