User preference and user hierarchy in an electroencephalography based control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10682069-B2
Application number	US-201815981446-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2018
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

A system including an electroencephalography (EEG) device configured to be positioned on a head of a user. The system also includes a processor in communication with the EEG device, a memory accessible by the processor and instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor to, in configuration phase, for each respective location among a plurality of locations at a respective time among a plurality of times, obtain an identification (ID) associated with the respective premises at the respective time, determine a control instruction associated with the EEG signals detected from among a plurality of control instructions; store the determined control instruction in association with the obtained premises ID, as a user preference data relative to the respective location; and at a later time, during an operational phase at the respective location, utilize the stored user preference data to communicate a control data signal corresponding to the determined control instruction to a controllable device at the respective premises.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an electroencephalography (EEG) device configured to be positioned on a head of a user, wherein the EEG device includes one or more electrodes configured to detect EEG signals from the brain of the user;
circuitry coupled to the one or more electrodes configured to process the EEG signals detected via the one or more electrodes of the EEG device;
a processor coupled to or in communication with the circuitry;
a memory accessible by the processor;
program instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor;
wherein execution of the program instructions configures the processor to:
in an configuration phase, for each respective location among a plurality of locations at a respective time among a plurality of times:
obtain an identification (ID) associated with the respective premises at the respective time;
determine a control instruction associated with the EEG signals detected via the one or more electrodes of the EEG device, from among a plurality of control instructions; and
store the determined control instruction in association with the obtained premises ID, as a user preference data relative to the respective location; and

at a later time, during an operational phase at the respective location, utilize the stored user preference data to:
communicate a control data signal corresponding to the determined control instruction to a controllable device at the respective premises based at least in part on similar EEG signals detected at the later time via the one or more electrodes of the EEG device and reception of the premises ID at the respective premises.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein during the configuration phase, the processor is further configured to:
store the determined control instruction as the user preference data relative to the respective time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein during the operational phase, the execution of the program instructions further configures the processor to:
upon detection of the similar EEG signals at the later time, access the memory to retrieve the user preference data associated for the user of the EEG device at the respective premises
determine whether the control instruction corresponds to the later detected similar EEG signals;
in response to the determination that the control instruction corresponds to the later detected similar EEG signals, generate a control data signal associated with the control instruction, wherein the control data signal corresponds to a control operation among a plurality of control operations of the controllable device; and
transmit the control data signal to a controller of the controllable device, wherein the controller is configured to provide the control operation among the plurality of control operations of the controllable device in response to the control data signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein during the operational phase, the execution of the program instructions further configures the processor to:
upon detection of the similar EEG signals at the later time, access the memory to retrieve the user preference data associated for the user of the EEG device at the respective premises;
determine whether the control instruction corresponds to the later detected similar EEG signals;
in response to the determination that the control instruction does not correspond to the later detected similar EEG signals, update the control instruction in the user preference data at the respective premises.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein to update, the processor determines another control instruction among the plurality of control instructions corresponding to the later detected similar EEG signals and replaces the control instruction with the another control instruction in the user preference data, wherein the another control instruction is different than the control instruction.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein during the operational phase, the execution of the program instructions further configures the processor to generate another control data signal associated with the another control instruction, wherein the another control data signal corresponds to another control operation among the plurality of control operations such that the another control data signal is different from the control data signal and the another control operation is different from the control operation.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein during the operational phase, the execution of the program instructions further configures the processor to:
update the associated control instruction in the user preference data at the respective premises based on an input provided by the user via a user device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein during the operational phase, the execution of the program instructions further configures the processor to:
provide the user preference data at the respective premises to the user via a user device;
based upon the input from the user via the user device, determine another control instruction among the plurality of control instructions;
replace the control instruction with the another control instruction in the user preference data, wherein the another control instruction is different than the control instruction; and
generate another control signal associated with the another control instruction, wherein the another control data signal corresponds to another control operation among the plurality of control operations such that the another control data signal is different from the control data signal and the another control operation is different from the control operation.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a user identification data is stored in the memory in association with the EEG device, for use in identifying the user of the EEG device among a plurality of potential users of the controllable device.

10. A system, comprising:
a first processor coupled to or in communication with a controllable device to selectively provide a premises related service in a premises;
a receiver coupled to the first processor;
a first memory, accessible to the first processor;
a hierarchy of different privilege levels stored in the first memory in association with different user device identifiers, each privilege level granting permission to utilize one or more control operations among a plurality of control operations relative to the controllable device; and
a user device comprising:
an electroencephalography (EEG) device configured to be positioned on a head of a user, wherein the EEG device includes one or more electrodes configured to detect EEG signals from the brain of the user;
circuitry coupled to the one or more electrodes configured to process the EEG signals detected via the one or more electrodes of the EEG device;
a transmitter compatible with the receiver;
a second processor coupled to the transmitter and coupled to or in communication with the circuitry; and
a second memory accessible by the processor storing an identifier of the user device and program instructions for the second processor, execution the program instructions configuring the second processor of the user device to:
generate a control data signal based on the detected EEG signals, wherein the control data signal corresponds to a control operation among a plurality of control operations to control the controllable device; and
transmit, via the transmitter, the control data signal and the identifier of the user device to the first processor,

wherein the first processor is configured to implement functions to:
receive the control data signal and the identifier of the user device via the receiver:
determine a privilege level of the stored hierarchy applicable to the us

Assignees

• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Ramer David P
• Rains Jr Jack C
• Baker Youssef F
• Eegholm Niels G
• Megginson Daniel M
• Kastee Jenish S

Classifications

• G16H40/63 Primary

  for local operation · CPC title

• A61B5/291

  for electroencephalography [EEG] · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• A61B5/6814

  Head · CPC title

• A61B5/0478 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic