RU2661756C2 - Brain computer interface device for remote control of exoskeleton - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to information technology and neurophysiology and can be used for a brain-computer interface. In the method, the device is made in the form of a portable wireless device that allows to detect the electrophysiological and biometric parameters of the operator. This device contains an electroencephalogram detection module, an electrooculogram detection module, an electromyogram detection module, a motor activity detection module, a processing module, configured to process the detection signals by a method of merging and comparing the motor activity with the electrophysiological parameters of the operator. Also the device is configured to generate and wirelessly transmit control signals of an intended movement to the exoskeleton in real-time.

EFFECT: invention makes it possible to improve the performance characteristics of the brain-computer interface device, to provide mobility and to improve the accuracy of control of neuroelectronic systems and exoskeletons.

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Description

The invention relates to information technology and neurophysiology. The invention can be used to provide a person with neuroelectronic systems and exoskeletal structures, replenishing and complementing motor functions.

The invention is known "Brain-computer interface" (JP4876988, published September 25, 2008). The device records the signals of an electroencephalogram (EEG) to control a computer.

However, the use of only EEG signals limits the functionality of the system, since there are a number of problems associated with the extraction of characteristic properties from the unprocessed EEG signal, and with the correct classification of these properties based on them. One way to overcome these shortcomings may be to use a hybrid brain-computer interface (MCI), in which brain signals are complemented by other biological signals. The use of all biological channels available to the user will improve the accuracy and efficiency of management, especially for patients with neuromuscular diseases.

The disadvantages of the device are the inconvenience of use due to the lack of mobility of the device, as well as insufficient control accuracy due to the lack of comparison of the EEG signals with the signals of the electromyogram (EMG) and electrooculogram (EOG), and signals of motor activity (pulse wave and temperature).

The well-known "Customizable device for identifying brain waves, tunable method and computer program" (RF Patent No. 2410026, published 01/27/2011). The disadvantages of the device are the inconvenience of use due to the lack of mobility of the device, as well as insufficient control accuracy due to the lack of comparison of EEG signals with EMG and EOG signals, and signals of motor activity (pulse wave and temperature).

The well-known "Method and device for the brain-computer interface", selected as a prototype (US patent No. 9211078, published December 15, 2015). The invention comprises a device for removing an EEG and an algorithm for recognizing EEG commands and transmitting them in the form of functional commands. The disadvantages of the device are the inconvenience of use due to the lack of mobility of the device and insufficient control accuracy due to the lack of comparison of EEG signals with EMG and EOG signals, and signals of motor activity (pulse wave and temperature).

The technical result to which the invention is directed is to improve the operational characteristics of the device by providing mobility and increasing the accuracy of controlling neuroelectronic systems and exoskeletal structures, supplementing and complementing the motor functions of a person, by realizing the possibility in a wearable device, providing registration and processing of electrophysiological and biometric parameters, as well as the ability to control and organize multimodal feedback communication.

The technical result is achieved in a portable wireless device configured to record electrophysiological and biometric parameters of an operator, comprising an EEG registration module, an EOG registration module, an EMG registration module, a motor activity registration module comprising a gyroscope and an accelerometer, a surface temperature determination module, and a photoplethysmogram recording module ( FPG), non-volatile memory for storing information, a battery for operation of the device without the use of wire s, a processing module configured to process the measured signals by merging and comparing motor activity with the electrophysiological parameters of the operator, also configured to generate control signals for exoskeleton structures, as well as a module for wirelessly transmitting control information to exoskeleton structures about the alleged movement in real time time.

The device operates as follows.

To remove the EEG, cup electrodes made of silver (Ag / AgCl) are used, placed using a cap. EEG electrodes are fixed on the operator’s head according to the scheme with bipolar lead, electrodes are fixed on the back of the head, reference electrodes are fixed on the earlobes, and the following modes of receiving the EEG signal are used:

low pass filter 30 Hz;

high-pass filter 0.5 Hz;

50 Hz notch filter;

X-axis scan 30 mm / s;

Y-axis sweep of 50 μV / mm;

The EEG signal is recorded in the form of rhythm frequencies (alpha - 8-13 Hz, beta - 14-40 Hz, theta - 4-8 Hz, delta - 0.5-3 Hz, gamma - above 40 Hz), for example alpha rhythms;

Electrodes for EOG (plate electrodes from Ag / AgCl) are fixed on the temples, near the right eye and on the forehead according to the scheme with bipolar abduction, and the following parameters are used to obtain EOG signals:

low pass filter 40 Hz;

high-pass filter 1 Hz;

50 Hz notch filter;

X-axis sweep 15 mm / s;

Y-axis sweep of 50 μV / mm;

the EOG signal is recorded by recording eye movement;

Electrodes for EMG (plate electrodes from Ag / AgCl) are fixed near the muscle with which it is necessary to receive a signal, for example, a thigh muscle, according to the scheme with bipolar lead;

the distance between the electrodes is 5 cm;

use the following EMG signal acquisition modes:

low pass filter 100 Hz;

high-pass filter 1 Hz;

50 Hz notch filter;

X-axis sweep 120 mm / s;

Y-axis sweep of 10 μV / mm;

EMG signal is recorded by recording muscle contraction.

To measure the ECG, a PPG sensor is used, in which the skin surface of the operator near the blood vessels is illuminated by an LED, and depending on the reflected light, the current on the phototransistor included in the PPG sensor changes. Since the current value changes in real time, a function of the voltage versus time U (t) is constructed, the graph of which is a pulse wave. To remove noise and smooth the curve, the voltage data is filtered by hardware using a low-pass filter. Using the moving average method, mathematical processing of the pulse wave graph is carried out for smoothing and subsequent visualization convenience, in addition, the function U (t) is squared and differentiated. As a result, they get a graph of PPG, which has the same form as the graph of an electrocardiogram (ECG), according to which you can conduct medical research and diagnosis.

Data from the module of registration of motor activity is sent to the processor for the numerical processing of the data of the coordinate axes from the accelerometer, the position of the body parts of the operator in space is determined by changing Euler angles.

Using the EEG registration module, the electrical activity of the operator’s brain is removed from the operator’s scalp. Using the EMG registration module, bioelectric potentials arising in the skeletal muscles of the operator are measured. Using the EOG registration module, biopotentials are measured during the movement of the eyeball of the operator. Using the module for determining the surface temperature, the body temperature of the operator is determined. Using the module of registration of motor activity, including a gyroscope and accelerometer, the motor activity of the operator is determined by changing Euler angles. The PPG method measures the pulse and ECG of the operator. The received data is recorded in graphical and digital form, which allows organizing multimodal feedback in the device. To increase the accuracy of the operator’s intentions transmitted to the electromechanical device, a program is pre-loaded into the device that provides signal processing by the merger method with the ability to select the weights of all the operator’s electrophysiological and biometric parameters.

Thus, the device provides mobility and increased accuracy of control of neuroelectronic systems and exoskeletal structures, due to the implementation of the possibility in a portable device, registration and comparison of a large number of electrophysiological and biometric parameters of the operator, as well as the ability to control and organize multimodal feedback.

Claims (4)

1. The device is a brain-machine interface, characterized in that it is made in the form of a wearable wireless device, configured to register electrophysiological and biometric parameters of the operator, comprising an electroencephalogram registration module, an electrooculogram registration module, an electromyogram registration module, a motor activity registration module, a processing module, made with the possibility of processing the measured signals by the method of merging and matching motor activity with electronic ktrofiziologicheskimi operator settings made with the possibility of forming and wireless transmission of control signals to the exoskeletal structure of the proposed motion in real time. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the module for recording motor activity contains a gyroscope and an accelerometer. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains a non-volatile memory for storing information, as well as a surface temperature determination module and a photoplethysmogram recording module. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains a battery for operating the device without using wires.