Computer input device with biosensors for sensing user emotions

• US 6,190,314 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dryer, D. Christopher, Ark, Wendy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASTORINO, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US09/116,063
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/544-547, 600/595, 600/500, 600/481-486, 600/513, 600/587, 128/900, 128/903-905, 128/920-925, 704/270, 463/35-36, 345/156
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/18 for vehicle drivers or machine operators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6897 Computer input devices, e.g. mice or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method and system for correlating physiological attributes including heart rate, temperature, general somatic activity (GSA), and galvanic skin response (GSR) to N emotions of a user of a computer input device, such as a mouse. Sensors are in the mouse to sense the physiological attributes, which are correlated to emotions using a correlation model. The correlation model is derived from a calibration process in which a baseline attribute-to-emotion correlation is rendered based on statistical analysis of calibration signals generated by users having emotions that are measured or otherwise known at calibration time. A vector in N dimensions, representative of a subject user'"'"'s emotions, is output for subsequent subject users whose emotions are sought to be known, with the baseline being the reference in the N-dimensional space of the vector.

Claims

1. A system including a computer input device configured for engagement with a computer for inputting data to the computer, comprising:

at least one input surface on the computer input device and configured for receiving a user signal, the user signal being converted to an electrical signal for communication of the electrical signal to the computer;

one or more sensors on the computer input device for sensing one or more physiological attributes of a user when a user manipulates the input surface, the one or more sensors generating respective physiological signals; and

a correlation element for receiving the physiological signals from the one or more sensors and correlating the physiological signals to one or more emotions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a heart rate sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a galvanic skin response sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer for determining at least one of:

a pressure on the input surface, and a speed of the input device relative to a stationary surface for deriving a general somatic activity signal therefrom.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a first sensor, and the computer input device further includes at least a second sensor, the first and second sensors being selected from the group of sensors including:

heart rate sensors, galvanic skin response sensors, and temperature sensors.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a third sensor on the input device, the third sensor being selected from the group of sensors including:

heart rate sensors, galvanic skin response sensors, and temperature sensors.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a computer for determining at least one of:

a pressure on the input surface, and a speed of the input device relative to a stationary surface for deriving a general somatic activity signal therefrom, the physiological signals including the general somatic activity signal, a GSR signal, a temperature signal, and a heart rate signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer implements the correlation element, the correlation element including:

logic means for establishing a baseline relationship between the physiological signals and the emotions;

logic means for using the baseline relationship to correlate the physiological signals to one or more of N emotions, wherein N is a positive integer.

10. A computer program device comprising:

a computer program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus; and

a program means on the program storage device and including instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus for performing method steps for correlating physiological signals to emotions, the method steps comprising;

receiving one or more physiological signals from a computer input device, the physiological signals being respectively representative of physiological attributes of a user, the physiological signals being generated as a result of a user touching the computer input devices; and

correlating the physiological signals to one or more emotions.

11. The computer program device of claim 10, wherein the physiological signals include two or more of:

a heart rate signal, a temperature signal, a general somatic activity, and a galvanic skin response signal.

12. The computer program device of claim 10, wherein the method steps further comprise:

establishing a baseline relationship between the physiological signals and the emotions; and

using the baseline relationship to correlate the physiological signals to one or more of N emotions, wherein N is a positive integer.

13. The computer program device of claim 12, wherein the method steps further comprise:

in response to the correlating step, generating a vector in N dimensions relative to the baseline relationship.

14. The computer program device of claim 12, wherein the establishing step includes:

receiving plural calibration signals from one or more calibration users;

associating the calibration signals with emotions of the calibration users; and

based on the associating step, rendering the baseline relationship using one or more statistical analyses.

15. The computer program device of claim 12, in combination with one or more a computers.

16. A method for correlating physiological attributes of a computer user to emotions when the user touches a computer input device, comprising:

establishing one or more baseline physiological signals, the physiological signals being representative of respective physiological attributes;

using the baseline physiological signals to statistically derive at least one correlation model, the correlation model correlating one or more physiological signals to one or more emotions;

receiving subsequent physiological signals generated when a subject user touches the computer input device; and

based on the correlation model, correlating the subsequent physiological signals to one or more emotions of the subject user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising correlating the subsequent physiological signals to one or more of N emotions, wherein N is a positive integer.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, in response to the correlating step, generating a vector in N dimensions relative to the baseline relationship.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the physiological signals include two or more of:

a heart rate signal, a temperature signal, a general somatic activity, and a galvanic skin response signal.