Apparatus, systems, and methods for simulating life-like human emotional states
Inventors
Kirchhoff, Allan R. • ROBAINA, ROBERTO R.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12039886-B2
Publication Date
2024-07-16
Expiration Date
Abstract
A method, apparatus, and system according to which a patient simulator includes one or more of the following: a left eye assembly including a simulated left pupil, a simulated left eyelid, and/or a simulated left iris; a right eye assembly including a simulated right pupil, a simulated right eyelid, and/or a simulated right iris; a neck assembly including a simulated neck; a left brow assembly including a simulated left brow; a right brow assembly including a simulated right brow; a tear duct assembly including simulated left and right cheeks through which artificial pores are formed; and a mouth assembly including a simulated mouth. In various embodiments, any one, or a combination, of these assemblies may be, include, or be part of, a manikin in the form of a human face, and may therefore be activated simultaneously to realistically simulate life-like human emotional states.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an interactive patient-simulator manikin that simulates life-like human emotional states. The manikin includes a simulated neck, a simulated mouth, one or more simulated brows, one or more simulated eyelids, one or more simulated pupils, one or more simulated irises, and a tear duct assembly. It is configured to simulate a first life-like human emotional state by simultaneously actuating two or more of these features to corresponding positions, directions, speeds, ranges of motion, and time intervals, or combinations thereof.
Simultaneous actuation comprises at least the brows and the tear duct assembly. The simulator performs an emotional-state change by actuating at least one of the two or more actuated features to another corresponding position, direction, speed, range of motion, time interval, or a combination thereof. The manikin includes a controller associated with the manikin, which implements an idle control routine to simultaneously actuate the features to simulate the first life-like human emotional state.
The described system is computer-implemented and supports controller-based generation of simultaneous actuation patterns. It includes simulating actuation in response to an input signal, including input signal derived from sensor readings taken from the manikin, or a user-generated input signal provided through an input device connected to a controller. The controller is also described as pseudo-randomly generating the simultaneous actuation of two or more features to simulate the first life-like human emotional state, and the manikin simulates a second life-like human emotional state by actuating at least one of the features to corresponding parameters.
Claims Coverage
Independent claims are provided for a method of simulating a first life-like human emotional state, a patient simulator manikin configured to perform the same, and computer-implemented and controller-based idle-control variants. Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on coordinated simultaneous actuation of neck, mouth, brows, blink/eyelids, pupils, irises, and a tear duct assembly to corresponding motion parameters, including execution through a controller and idle control routines.
Simultaneously actuating neck, mouth, brows, eyelids, pupils, irises, and tear duct to simulate a first emotional state
Simulating, using a manikin, a first life-like human emotional state by simultaneously actuating two or more of a neck actuator, a mouth actuator, one or more brow actuators, a blink actuator, one or more pupil actuators, one or more iris actuators, and a tear duct assembly, wherein the two or more are actuated to corresponding positions, directions, speeds, ranges of motion, time intervals, or combinations thereof, and wherein the simultaneously actuated features comprise at least the brows and the tear duct assembly.
Simulating an emotional state by controller-driven idle control routine
Implementing, using a controller associated with the manikin, an idle control routine to simultaneously actuate the two or more features to simulate the first life-like human emotional state.
Patient simulator configured for simultaneous multi-feature emotional-state actuation
A manikin adapted to simulate a first life-like human emotional state by simultaneously actuating two or more of the listed actuators and the tear duct assembly to corresponding parameters, and further adapted to actuate at least one of the two or more to another corresponding set of parameters.
Computer-implemented system for simultaneous actuation and idle routine
A system with a non-transitory computer readable medium and instructions executable by one or more processors that simulates the first life-like human emotional state by simultaneously actuating the listed features, actuates them to another corresponding set of parameters, and implements an idle control routine using a controller associated with the manikin.
Across the independent claims, the patent covers simulating a first life-like human emotional state with a manikin by simultaneously actuating a coordinated set of neck, mouth, brows, blink/eyelids, pupils, irises, and a tear duct assembly to corresponding motion parameters, then actuating at least one feature to another corresponding set. Additional independent coverage specifies implementing this coordinated actuation through a controller using an idle control routine and provides computer-implemented system claim forms that execute the simulation and idle routine.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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