Wearable system for detecting and measuring biosignals
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Publication Number
US-11974859-B2
Publication Date
2024-05-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
A system for detecting bioelectrical signals of a user comprising: a set of sensors configured to detect bioelectrical signals from the user, each sensor in the set of sensors configured to provide non-polarizable contact at the body of the user; an electronics subsystem comprising a power module configured to distribute power to the system and a signal processing module configured to receive signals from the set of sensors; a set of sensor interfaces coupling the set of sensors to the electronics subsystem and configured to facilitate noise isolation within the system; and a housing coupled to the electronics subsystem, wherein the housing facilitates coupling of the system to a head region of the user.
Core Innovation
The invention describes a wearable biosignal detection system for processing bioelectrical signals of a user. A set of sensors is positioned proximal to a scalp region, with sensor interfaces positioned proximal to the scalp region and providing non-polarizable contact. The system receives bioelectrical signals while blocking direct current (DC) signals from being received as the bioelectrical signals.
Sensor interfaces coupled to the set of sensors include pre-gain AC coupling with level shifting around a mid-rail and DC blocking via a high-pass RC network, and further include post-gain AC coupling and level shifting. The system uses separated digital electronics and analog electronics subsystems to provide noise isolation. The analog electronics subsystem includes a multiplexer and an amplifier/ADC, together with a mid-rail generator.
To address interference and contact quality, the analog electronics subsystem includes a hum remover that uses a common-mode sensor (reference) to generate a driven right leg (DRL) style calibration/interference mitigation signal. The driven-right-leg calibration/interference mitigation signal is based on superimposing a square wave calibration/interference signal with a local ambient signal for contact potential/contact quality estimation and signal normalization. The system further includes protection circuitry, and supports wireless or wired data links and motion sensing, including options for dry/semi-dry nonvolatile-electrolyte hydrogel pads.
Claims Coverage
This document includes two independent methods (clm-00001 and clm-00011). Across these methods, the core claim set covers scalp-proximal sensor interfaces, blocking DC and/or noise signals, generating a calibration signal by superimposing an ambient signal with a predetermined signal outside a bioelectrical-signal frequency range, applying the calibration signal through sensors, and using the calibration to determine contact impedance or contact potential, with sensor positioning based on the contact potential.
Scalp-proximal sensor interfaces with DC blocking and calibration-based contact impedance
A method for processing bioelectrical signals where a set of sensor interfaces is positioned proximal to a scalp region, receiving the bioelectrical signals comprises blocking direct current (DC) signals, an electronics subsystem receives the bioelectrical signals, generates a calibration signal by superimposing an ambient signal with a predetermined signal having a frequency outside of a frequency range of the bioelectrical signals, and applies the calibration signal through at least one sensor to determine a contact impedance of each sensor.
Scalp-proximal noise blocking and contact-potential based sensor positioning
A method for detecting bioelectrical signals where a set of sensors positioned proximal to a scalp region receives the bioelectrical signals, blocking a noise signal from the bioelectrical signals, generating a calibration signal by superimposing an ambient signal with a predetermined signal, applying the calibration signal to the user through at least one sensor, determining a contact potential for each sensor based on the calibration signal, and positioning the set of sensors on the user based on the contact potential.
The claim coverage is centered on calibration signal generation using an ambient signal superimposed with a predetermined signal outside the bioelectrical-signal frequency range, applying that calibration through scalp-proximal sensors, and using the calibration to determine sensor contact properties (contact impedance or contact potential). The second independent method additionally ties those contact measurements to positioning the sensor set.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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