Apparatus, method, and computer-readable recording medium for generating tactile sensation through non-invasive brain stimulation using ultrasonic waves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9265974-B2
Application number	US-201414285807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2014
Priority date	Mar 5, 2014
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for creating a tactile sensation through non-invasive brain stimulation by using ultrasonic waves. The apparatus includes: an ultrasonic transducer module for inputting the ultrasonic waves to stimulate a specific part of the brain of a specified user non-invasively through at least one ultrasonic transducer unit; a compensating module for acquiring information on a range of tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user and compensating properties of ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to the acquired information thereon; and an ultrasonic waves generating module for generating ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to a compensating value decided by the compensating module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for creating a tactile sensation through non-invasive brain stimulation by using ultrasonic waves, comprising:
at least one support fixture configured to fix the apparatus to a head of a specified user;
a brain activity monitoring sensor supported by the at least one support fixture, said brain activity monitoring sensor configured to acquire information on a range of tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user;
at least one processor in electronic communication with the brain activity monitoring sensor, said processor configured to determine at least one compensating value for ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through at least one ultrasonic transducer unit based on the acquired information on the range of tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user;
said at least one processor further configured to determine properties of ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the at least one ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to the compensating value; and
said at least one ultrasonic transducer unit supported by the at least one support fixture and in electronic communication with said at least one processor to receive said properties of said ultrasonic waves, said ultrasonic transducer unit configured to generate and input the ultrasonic waves having said properties into the brain of the specified user, resulting in the tactile sensation within the brain of the specified user non-invasively;
wherein the brain activity monitoring sensor acquires the information on the range of the tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user by referring to a first tactile perception location in the tactile perception areas in the brain that perceives stimulation to a first body part of the specified user, when inputted, and a second tactile perception location in the tactile perception areas that perceives stimulation to a second body part, when inputted and said processor determines properties of the ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to the acquired information on the range of the tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines the compensating value for the ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to a path from the first tactile perception location to the second tactile perception location along the tactile perception areas in the brain of the specified user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first body part is a first finger of one hand of the specified user and the second body part is a second finger thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor, based on information from the brain activity monitoring sensor, additionally adjusts a physical location of the ultrasonic transducer unit on the brain of the specified user to adjust the location of the brain of the specified user on which the ultrasonic waves are focused.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the brain activity monitoring sensor acquires information on a range of a specific tactile perception area, among all the tactile perception areas, in the brain of the specified user used to feel a certain tactile sensation or deciding an accurate range of the tactile perception areas in the brain at a present status by monitoring the size of a brain which is changed depending on an emotion and a mental state of the specified user; and
the processor adjusts a location of a focal point of the ultrasonic transducer unit which is focused on the brain of the specified user by referring to the information on the range of the specific tactile perception areas and the size of the brain at the present status acquired through the brain activity monitoring sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor adjusts a location on the brain of the specified user on which the ultrasonic waves are focused at a state with three degrees of freedom.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the processor adjusts the three degrees of freedom with software or adjusts two thereof with hardware, and the other with software.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein at least some of strengths, frequencies, and phase differences of the ultrasonic waves inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit are adjusted with software, and the physical location of the ultrasonic transducer unit on the brain of the specified user is adjusted with hardware.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor further determines properties of the ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user based on at least some of thickness of the skull of the brain of the specific user and that of skin or internal fat layer thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processor further determines properties of the ultrasonic waves to be inputted by referring to transmission properties of the ultrasonic waves including reflection and/or refraction attributes of the skull of the brain of the specified user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a brain map database stored in an electronic memory for recording information on locations on the brain to be stimulated to transmit various senses of touch and the properties of the ultrasonic waves to transmit the senses of touch, and
wherein the processor decides data recorded in the brain map database as a reference value and determines the properties of the ultrasonic waves to be inputted to the specified user through the ultrasonic transducer unit by referring to transmission characteristics of the ultrasonic waves including the reflection and/or refraction of the skull of the brain of the specified user.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the properties of the ultrasonic waves to transmit the senses of touch recorded in the brain map database include at least some of strengths, frequencies, and phases of the ultrasonic waves.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ultrasonic transducer unit includes a transducer array composed of multiple transducer units.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer unit inputs the ultrasonic waves to the brain of the specified user through a medium for transmitting the ultrasonic waves.

Assignees

• Ct Of Human Ct Ed Interaction For Coexistence
• Korea Inst Sci & Tech
• Catholic Univ Ind Acad Coop

Inventors

• You Bum Jae
• Lee Sung On
• Chung Yong An

Classifications

• G06F1/00

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title

• A61N7/00 Primary

  Ultrasound therapy (lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 {; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092}) · CPC title

• A61N2007/0021

  Neural system treatment · CPC title

• A61N2007/0026

  Stimulation of nerve tissue · CPC title

• A61B5/4064

  Evaluating the brain (for intracranial pressure A61B5/031; for cerebral blood gases A61B5/14553; using EEG A61B5/369) · CPC title