Patent Application
20210113142
The present invention relates to techniques for detecting a traumatic brain injury or concussion, and more particularly to systems and apparatus for diagnosis of a concussion.
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/956,331, filed 2020 Jan. 2 by the present inventors.
The present invention relates to techniques for detecting a traumatic brain injury or concussion, and more particularly to systems and apparatus for diagnosis of a concussion.
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
A recent study shows that an estimated 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States every year during competitive or recreational sports or other activities. This study adds that this number, however, is believed to be underreported by as much as 50 percent, because oftentimes, a concussion, mild and severe is ignored or undiagnosed. Sometimes, following a brain injury, a person appears to be normal to untrained observers. They did not sustain any cuts, broken bones, or observable physical deformative in the accident or sporting event. The individual need not be “knocked out” or rendered unconscious in order to have sustained a serious, permanent, and disabling traumatic brain injury. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that even a low speed or low impact blow, bump, jolt to the head, collisions in sports or crash can exert sufficient force or movement on the brain to cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion, The severity of the TBI can range from mild, where the subject may experience a transient change in their mental state or briefly lose consciousness, to severe, where the period of unconsciousness is extended and may be accompanied by a memory loss.
Because traumatic brain injuries and consequences can worsen rapidly without treatment, there is a need for objective diagnostic testing to assess the situation quickly. There are injury diagnostic systems that use several tests to identify brain injury after the subject receives an injury or a physical event.
Wong et al. show a diagnostic device that features a framed spectacle or glasses computing device with an accelerometer to perform eye, motor, or visual response tests after an injury or physical event of the user. Use of a framed affixed to the head by sidearms or temples bent down at an angle over the ear may not be secure. The frame can slip down the subject's face if the ears are too small or the skin being too oily. Frames made of plastic or metal construction may become uncomfortable, tempting the user to leave them off Also, the structures can obstruct peripheral vision, leading to the user not correctly seeing one side or the other. Lane shows a concussion screening system that includes an illumination unit, an image sensor array, a processing unit, and a system memory. The Lane device displays stimuli on a screen, processes images, and detects the evaluated person's pupil or pupils after experiencing an injury or physical event. The pupils must pass an image acceptance test, stored, and processed before determining concussion status. The Barth et al. article discusses the relationship of acceleration or deceleration and potential concussions with methods that reduce the probability of sports-related concussions. The Barth et al. article describes the use of physics formulas to analyze recorded, time-stamped, and transmitted applied impact to the helmet to develop prevention strategies after the occurrence of such an effect.
The diagnostic device configured as wearable headgear calculates two metrics that affect the brain. The device functions to mathematically evaluate impact acceleration-deceleration force and magnitude of initial impact on the head of a user. Output signals of the calculated metrics are transmitted to remote devices capable of performing the metrics and providing a digital output simultaneously with occurrence of the injury event. The headgear includes headband and beanie cap configurations that can be worn under a helmet or head covering of any type or without any head covering.
In the accompanying drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
There are several advantages of the TBI diagnostic device over other diagnostic devices. This diagnostic device is not used in conjunction with a wired helmet or require the performance of subsequent tests such as eye, verbal, and motor response, or visual diagnostic tests. Other advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
In an exemplary embodiment, a pressure sensor/transducer 302 operatively connected to an accelerometer/decelerometer 402 are disposed within the interior of headband 204 on chamber 208 enclosure wall. Here, pressure sensor/transducer 302 configured as a Bluetooth® pressure transducer designed to communicate via Bluetooth® transmission mode. A single energy source or power supply 502 is located on headband 204 exterior surface 206 to power both the transducer and accelerometer. The liquid gel substance 210 is maintained in fluid communication with appropriate connectors to Bluetooth® pressure transducer 302 accelerometer 402 and energy source 502 elements.
In another embodiment, pressure transducer 302 connectivity uses a WiFi transmission mode (rather than Bluetooth®) that results in a higher power consumption. When pressure transducer operates in the WiFi transmission mode, pressure sensor 302 component is located inside Chamber 208. Accelerometer 402 can be situated either on the interior or on the exterior of the headband 204.
TBI diagnostic device 100 is operable to conduct pressure, and force impact measurements to the head of the user of the wearable headgear 202. Each of the TBl diagnostic device 100 components, pressure sensor 302, accelerometer 402 and power source 502, serves function for determining the probability of sustaining a concussion for a given force impact. These three elements are arranged and configured to convert input rotational acceleration or deceleration impact pressure into a measurable electronic signal. The electrical signal output is capable of being displayed, and also simultaneously transmitted to a far-end recipient, either by Bluetooth® wireless transmission mode, or by a wired data transmission mode in a manner more fully detailed hereinafter. When the pressure sensor 302 operates in the Bluetooth® transmission mode, the combination of components automatically logs pressure and intensity information. In this arrangement, the Bluetooth® allows transmission of pressure information via the wireless connectivity connection.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Pressure transducer 302 is physically arranged to always be located inside headband 204 and beanie cap 304 on chamber 208 interior wall. Accelerometer 402 is located on the exterior surface of both headband 204 and beanie cap 304, or on chamber 208 interior wall. Power supply 502 is physically located on the exterior surface of headband 204 and exterior surface of beanie cap 304 headgear and accessible only from outside headband 204 and beanie cap 304.
Technologically, pressure transducer 302 functions as an electronic circuit that replicates, in the form of an electrical signal, an imposed pressure. Thus, in TBI diagnostic device 100 pressure transducer 302 operated to sense and detect an asserted pressure of wearable headgear 202. In both the headband 204 and beanie cap 304 formats, pressure transducer 302 operates to convert an imposed pressure sensed into an analog electric signal whose magnitude depends upon the pressure applied. Because pressure transducer 302 is utilized to convert pressure into an electrical output signal, it is regarded as a pressure sensor transducer.
Referring now to
Both low power accelerometers and low power pressure transducers exist. For example, a Ceramic Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) pressure transducer designed for wireless pressure monitoring could be one class of pressure transducer used. Capacitive ceramic type pressure sensors operate with power consumptions in the range of 0.5 μW while conventional piezoresistive pressure sensors operate with power consumptions in the range of 2.5 mW. Some wireless accelerometers have their own rechargeable batteries while other wireless Bluetooth® accelerometers function with a CR2032 replaceable power cell. Thus, the accelerometer selected for the diagnostic device 100 can vary from a range of accelerometer models.
Accelerometer 402 measure of acceleration or deceleration has been identified as a metric of importance when determining the probability of a concussion. The standard formula for calculating acceleration or deceleration is the formula for acceleration/deceleration or the equation :
a=(v2−v02)/2sg
Terms in the acceleration/deceleration equation are as follows:
Accelerometer 402 will determine this information for transmission from diagnostic device 100. In one embodiment, accelerometer 402 allows wireless connectivity and output transmission of motion information via Bluetooth® 404 transmission mode. In Bluetooth® 404 transmission mode, accelerometer 402 will automatically log acceleration/deceleration information.
In one embodiment, pressure transducer 302 utilizes Bluetooth® 404 transmission mode to automatically log input pressure and intensity and wireless transmission of pressure information. For operation via Bluetooth® 404 transmission mode, pressure transducer 302 is located on the outer surface of both headband 204 and beanie cap 304. In another embodiment, pressure transducer 302 is located inside headband 204 and beanie cap 304 on chamber 208 interior wall.
Referring to
Pressure transducer 302 functions as a scalar quantity. Thus, a pressure applied to any point within fluid gel substance 210 that fills chamber 208 interior wearable headgear 202 will be equally transmitted to all points of the interior of the wearable headgear 202 with no decremental losses.
Referring now to
Some possible platforms for integrator 702 include a personal computer, a cellular phone via code embedded within a mobile application, and a computer touch pad via code embedded within a mobile application. Integrator 702 is configured to receive the signal (amplification if needed), convert analog signal to digital signal (A/D Conversion) and display the signal and perform any calculations that result in a calculated metric. Metrics either measured or calculated at integrator 702 include pressure waveform (from pressure transducer); measured metric (amplitude of pressure waveform); and calculated metric (pressure-time derivative maximum value resulting from pressure waveform.
Additional metrics measured or calculated at integrator 702 are linear acceleration/deceleration forces (from accelerometer) of: measured metric gravitational force in x-y-z axes (Cartesian Coordinate System); rotational acceleration/deceleration forces (from gyroscope); and measured metric angular acceleration/deceleration forces (Radians/sec2 relative to Cartesian Coordinates Reference from the accelerometer).
The measured and calculated metrics obtained at integrator 702 will be used to generate a function that provides probability of concussion metrics as defined in Table 1 as follows:
A mathematical model based on the following relationship could be used to indicate probability of concussion is shown in Equation 1.
Y=f(X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6)
Equation 1. Framework for Probability of Concussion Mathematical Model Equation
A critical value for “Y” will be identified where the integrator will notify a subject wearing the device headgear as well as those monitoring the device that the subject is at risk for a concussion. This notification could be audible and/or visual. Following notification, the subject would then be prompted to receive proper clinical treatment.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/956,331, filed 2020 Jan. 2 by the present inventors.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62956331 | Jan 2020 | US |
