Device for measuring the brain activity signals of an individual

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11272880-B2
Application number	US-201515528222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a device suitable for measuring the brain activity signals of an individual, the device being intended to be placed on the head of the individual and having a structure intended to carry sensors, the structure allowing the position of the sensors to be adjusted. The structure of the device has: a deformable central support, which is able to adapt to the curvature of the head and is intended to be positioned along the head, preferably on the median plane of the cranium; flexible guides, which extend laterally with respect to the central support and are spaced apart from each other; sensor supports, which are rigidly connected and fixed to the flexible guides, in adjustable positions along the flexible guides; and a system for tightening the flexible guides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for measuring brain activity signals of an individual, said device being configured to be placed on the head of said individual, to carry a plurality of sensors, and to enable positions of the sensors to be adjusted, said device comprising:
a deformable central support configured to adapt to a curvature of the head and to be positioned along the head;
a plurality of flexible guides extending laterally with respect to said central support and spaced apart from one another;
a plurality of sensor supports rigidly connected and fixed to said flexible guides, the sensor supports being in adjustable positions along the flexible guides, the sensor supports having feedthroughs configured to receive the flexible guides to allow position adjustment, all or part of the plurality of sensor supports being multiple sensor supports, each of the multiple sensor supports supporting at least two physically distinct sensors of the plurality of sensors, the at least two physically distinct sensors being of different types,
each of the sensor supports comprising a portion having a support foot configured to bear on the head of the wearer, in a central position with respect to the positions of the supported sensors, the portion of the sensor support having the support foot comprising
the feedthroughs, crossed by one of the flexible guides, and a dorsal surface on which a longitudinal section of the respective flexible guide bears, the sensors being disposed on either side of the flexible guide bearing on the dorsal surface, the dorsal surface being disposed just above the foot; and
a tension system configured to tension said flexible guides.

2. The device according to claim 1 , said tension system comprises, on each side of the head of the wearer,
a rigid brace configured to extend at least locally under an ear of the individual, and
a plurality of elastic pieces, each of the elastic pieces being rigidly attached by one of the ends thereof to a lower terminal end below the corresponding flexible guide, each of the elastic pieces being configured to be attached to said brace in order to ensure tensioning of the corresponding flexible guide.

3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein said tension system comprises at least one tension adjustment system configured to adjust the tension of the elastic pieces.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one tension adjustment system comprises a through-opening of the brace for the respective elastic piece, said through-opening having dimensions less than a cross-section of the respective elastic piece, such that:
a manual pulling force on a free end of the elastic piece causes the elastic piece to slide through said through-opening, and thus enables adjustment by increasing the tension, and
when the manual pulling force is no longer applied, frictional forces between the through-opening and the elastic piece occur to prevent sliding, ensuring tensioning of the corresponding flexible guide.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible guides are an inelastic material.

6. The device according to claim 5 , wherein the flexible guides are a textile.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible guides are bands.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, after a manual adjustment operation has been carried out, the respective sensor support is held in position on the respective flexible guide by frictional forces between the flexible guide and the sensor support.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said portion of the sensor support having the support foot comprises
two of the feedthroughs that are respectively disposed on either side of said foot, both of the two feedthroughs being crossed by one of the flexible guides, and
the dorsal surface on which the longitudinal section of said flexible guide bears at a position intermediate between the two feedthroughs.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said multiple sensor supports comprise a set of the sensor supports for two of the sensors configured to be positioned on either side of said support foot.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said multiple sensor supports comprise a set of the sensor supports for four of the sensors configured to be positioned around said support foot.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the sensors is configured to be moveably mounted, by sliding, with respect to the portion of the sensor support equipped with the support foot, a spring element being configured to compel the respective sensor in the direction towards and bearing on the head of the individual.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein said sensor support portion equipped with said bearing support foot is a fixed part, said sensor support including, for at least one of the sensors, a moveable part movable with respect to said fixed part rigidly attached to the at least one sensor, said spring element being provided between the fixed part and the moveable part of the sensor support.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein said fixed part comprises, for the at least one sensor, a hollow shaping that is cylindrical, the movable part being configured to slide inside of the hollow shaping, and
said movable part of the sensor support has a terminal end configured to attach to one of the sensors, and a guide surface configured to slide along an inner wall of the hollow shaping.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the movable part has a projecting portion extending through an upper opening of the hollow shaping, a locking member being removably mounted on the projecting portion to both ensure retention and locking of said moveable part to said fixed part of the sensor support and to enable withdrawal and dismantling of the moveable part from the fixed part when the locking member is withdrawn.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein the locking member is a loop configured to grip and to allow the respective sensor to be removed from a surface of the head when a traction force is applied on the loop.

17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said central support has, in the longitudinal direction, a plurality of through passages, mutually spaced along a length of said central support for the respective positioning and retaining of the plurality of flexible guides, having different separated positions defined between said flexible guides.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein said central support forms, along a longitudinal direction, a longitudinal canal acting as a cable guide, the longitudinal canal being configured to guide wiring connections of the sensors.

19. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an enclosure accommodating electronics for acquisition of sensor signals.

20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors comprise at least one of (i) electrodes configured to measure signals by electroencephalography and (ii) optical detectors and transmitters configured to measure signals by near-infrared spectroscopy.

21. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a removable cover, made from an obscuring material, the removable cover being configured to be applied on the sensor support to isolate the sensors from optical interference from the ambient environment.

22. A method for measuring signals by electroencephalography, comprising:
providing the device of claim 20 equipped with sensors comprising electrodes; a

Assignees

• Univ Centre Hospitalier
• Univ Amiens Picardie Jules Verne
• Inst Nat Sante Rech Med
• Etablissements Malterre Sarl

Inventors

• Wallois Fabrice
• Mahmoudzadeh Mahdi
• Grebe Reinhard
• Malterre Laurent
• Safaie Javad

Classifications

• A61B5/6843

  Monitoring or controlling sensor contact pressure · CPC title

• A61B2562/0238

  Optical sensor arrangements for performing transmission measurements on body tissue · CPC title

• A61B5/0075

  by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy (A61B5/0071 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/0261

  using optical means, e.g. infrared light · CPC title

• G06F3/015

  Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection · CPC title