Patent Application
20220071556
In general, the present invention relates to systems and methods that monitor one or more life signs of a person and provide biofeedback data that is useful during meditation or to manage stress. More particularly, the present invention relates to system that use detected biofeedback data to control auxiliary media devices that can produce visual, audio and/or video stimuli.
In many forms of meditation, a person becomes more mindful of their body and mind, such as the movement of their chest and abdomen as they breathe, their heartbeat patterns, their thoughts, and any other body sensations. Using various meditative techniques, that person attempts to become more aware of how their body and mind respond to the way in which they are breathing. By controlling the way in which a person inhales and exhales, that person can cause a desired effect on the body and mind. For some people, meditation may be assisted by using a biofeedback device that can detect and respond to the change in a person's body. Biofeedback devices can monitor respiration rate, heart rate and other physical changes, and provide real-time feedback. In the same way a teacher may help identify and correct a student's knowledge of the subject matter that the student may not be aware they are lacking in, this biofeedback device may help identify and correct for habits in a user's meditation practices that they may not be aware could be improved upon.
There are many devices that are designed to monitor life signs of a person. In the prior art, respiration rate and heartrate can be detected either actively or remotely. Active detection systems place sensors on the body. For example, respiration rate can be actively detected by placing a sensor in the mouth that detects air as it is inhaled and exhaled. Such prior art is exemplified by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0011906 to Wallach. Alternatively, a sensor can be placed around the chest that detects the expansion and contraction of the chest during respiration. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 9,699,528 to Dixit. Such active systems can obtain detailed breathing waveforms.
It will be understood that if a person is attempting to meditate, having a sensor in the mouth or wrapped around the chest can be a significant distraction. As a result, many people prefer to use remote sensors that do not restrict the movements of a person or detract from the comfort of that person. In the prior art, it has been possible to detect respiration rate and/or heart rate remotely using radar, lidar, cameras, piezoelectric sensors and the like. Radar systems are exemplified by Chinese Patent Disclosure No. CN104133199A and Chinese Patent Disclosure No. CN103110422A. Radar systems are exemplified by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0139389 to White et al. However, such systems are used to detect the existence of life signs. Such devices are used in hospitals or as baby monitors, wherein an alarm is sounded if a life sign indicates a health emergency or values fall outside of the normal range.
In the prior art, there are systems that detect respiration rate or heartrate and use this information to adjust an external system. For example, CPAP breathing machines detect respiration and automatically synchronizes its operation to the respiration rate. Systems also exist that select and synchronize music to breathing rate or heartrate, such systems are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 10,327,073 to McElhone. However, many of these prior art systems contain circuitry and software that add latency to the detected signals as they are processed. The latency in signal analytics makes such prior art systems inadequate for biofeedback applications. Biometric signals used by a biofeedback system must be time synchronized and amplitude synchronized to the movements of the body. If the biometric signals were delayed or not time aligned with the user's body, then the feedback would not have a meditative, relaxing or entertaining benefit. It is also important the amplitudes be accurate in real-time so the biofeedback can vary in intensity. Measuring the respiration rate of the heart rate alone does not give adequate information to accomplish the needs of biofeedback for meditation, relaxation or entertainment.
A need therefore exists for a system and method that can integrate data contained within a breathing waveform or a heartbeat waveform into a real-time biofeedback system that is appropriate for meditation, relaxation or entertainment. A need also exists for such a system that is responsive, accurate, and portable. In this manner, a person can meditate with detailed feedback at various locations. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a system and method for generating biofeedback using feedback signals created by at least one media device. A subject person is scanned to obtain biometric data. The biometric data is used to generate a waveform, wherein the waveform has waveform characteristics other than frequency that are indicative of the body's physical position as a person breathes and/or as their heart beats. The waveform is used to generate low-latency control signals.
The control signals are used to regulate audio signals, lighting, and/or audiovisual imagery so that these feedback signals can be altered to represent the physical waveform characteristics of the user's body at each moment in time. The subject person will hear, feel and/or see the feedback signals and that align with their real-time breathing and/or heartrate.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention biofeedback control system and method can be can embodied in many ways. A few exemplary embodiments of the monitoring system have been selected for the purposes of description and illustration that show the present invention being used by an individual who wants to meditate. The illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary and should not be considered limitations when interpreting the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that although intended for meditation, the present invention can be utilized for other purposes, such as entertainment, stress relief, anxiety treatment and to treat a variety of mental health conditions.
Referring to
The monitoring unit 12 emits the scanning signals 16 and receives back reflected signals 18 that reflect from the subject person 14. The monitoring unit 12 has a central processing unit 13 that runs operational software 19. The monitoring unit 12 detects the reflected signals 18 and uses circuitry and processing software to specifically extract biometric data from the reflected signals 18 that are associated with the breathing and/or heartbeat of the subject person 14. The extracted biometric data is then used to generate a biometric waveform 20, that can be either a heartbeat waveform or the illustrated breathing waveform. The methodology used to generate biometric waveforms 20 is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0139389 to White et al, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
As will be explained, the biometric waveform 20 identified by the monitoring unit 12 is used to produce control signals 30 that control the output of various media devices 22. The control signals 30 are generated in real time with a latency that is unperceivable by the user. In this manner, the control of the media devices 22 seems synchronized with user's biometrics. The media devices 22 include audio devices 24, lighting devices 26 and auxiliary devices 28. The audio devices 24 are devices, such as digital music players and virtual assistant AIs, that broadcast audio signals 25 in the form of music, tones, spoken words, or any other audio. The lighting devices 26 are devices, such as lighting fixtures and LED arrays, that produce light signals 27 in the form of polychromatic, monochromatic, or any other kind of light. The auxiliary devices 28 are electronic devices, such as televisions smartphones, scent infusers or the like that produce other perceptible signals 29. The media devices 22 can be integrated into the monitoring unit 12. If mot, the media devices 22 receive control signals 30 from the monitoring unit 12. This can be done using either cables or by establishing a wireless data link, such as a Bluetooth® data link.
Referring to
The biometric waveform 20 is used to generate corresponding control signals 30. The control signals 30 are generated and executed in a fraction of a second, so as to provide no perceivable latency to the user. As mentioned, the control signals 30 can be used to control various media devices 22 that produce audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29. In
Also shown in
Referring to
Referring to
From the above, it will be understood that audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29 can be varied in a variety of ways by the control signal 30. The control signal 30 can control the audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29 to be time synchronized and amplitude synchronized with the biometric waveform 20. Alternatively, the audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29 can be altered as a function of the frequency (i.e. respiration rate) of the biometric waveform 20 and/or by a rate of change in amplitude (i.e. alterations in deepness of breaths) of the biometric waveform 20.
Referring to
Optionally, range boundaries for the frequency and amplitude of the biometric waveform 20 can be calculated or set. Alternatively, the operational software 19 can calculate a person's average respiration rate and average breathing amplitude through direct measurements over time. These average values can then be used to determine appropriate high/low ranges for the audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29.
Using the high/low ranges, the monitoring unit 12 generates control signals 30 that are a function of the biometric waveform 20. See Block 48. The control signals 30 are sent to the various media devices 22 that are used by the biofeedback control system 10 in order to operate those media devices 22. See Block 50. The media devices 22 create the audio signals 25, light signals 27 and/or perceptible signals 29 bounded within the selected high/low ranges. In this manner, what might be considered a red line for one user may not be for another user. Rather, the biofeedback control system 10 adjusts to the life signs of the subject person 14.
In the embodiment of the biofeedback control system 10 described above, the monitoring unit 12 contains the central processing unit 13 that runs the operational software 19. It is the operational software 19 that identifies the biometric waveform 20 and creates the corresponding control signals 30. Referring to
Modern smartphones use depth mapping in order to perform autofocus features. Some smartphones are being equipped with lidar scanners by the manufacturers. Referring to
In all prior exemplary embodiments, the biometric waveform was obtained remotely. This need not be a limitation. The biometric waveform can be obtained in active manners, using a variety of sensors. There are many fitness monitors sold in commerce that are capable of detecting heartbeat waveforms and/or biometric waveforms. Such devices typically communicate with software being run on a smartphone, via a Bluetooth® connection. Referring to
It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention that are illustrated and described are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to those embodiments. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
