Field of the art

The present invention refers to physiological computing and generally relates to a system and method for interacting remotely with a computing system using physiological signals representative of muscle contractions, handling by suitable computing applications pressure values acquired from a manometer.

The invention also proposes the use of a manometer, in particular a perineometer for muscles contraction measuring as input for remote controlling a device with computing capacity. Background of the invention

Many types of input devices are presently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens and the like. Touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility operations as well as their declining price.

Mutual capacitance touch sensor panels can be formed from a matrix of drive and sense lines of a substantially transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), often arranged in rows and columns in h orizontal and vertical. Not only touching detection, hover detection is considered an input interface.

One example of hover detection is US201 1/0007021 "Touch and hover sensing". While some touch sensors can also detect a hover event, i.e., an object near but not touching the touch sensor, typical hover detection information may be of limited practical use due to, for example, limited hover detection range, inefficient gathering of hover information, etc.

Remote control of computing systems is used for operating them wirelessly, mostly from a short line-of-sight distance. The Directional Touch Remote system and method US2010/0277337, is about a remote touch interface. This touch device remote control is not application specific, and can operate without viewing a display of the remote, operating quickly and efficiently. Lastly, people with physical disabilities which hinder or make it impossible for them to use their hands would benefit from a management device different of the one proposed.

Hands free remote control of computing systems using voice US6397186 is an appropriate method only for some kind of applications with simple command input (TV channel selection, home automation ...).

Looking for hands free remote controllers of computing systems, the use of physiological signals voluntarily modified by users has been set out in theory. Thus, the field of Physiological Computing has researched the use of different physiological signals as possible inputs, for example in a personal computer, the most outstanding signals of which are the electrooculographic, electroencephalographic and electromyographic.

1. The Electrooculogram (EOG) measures the differential in potential between the cornea and retina of the eye, a circumstance affording the possibility of recording the speed and direction of eye movement by means of electrodes placed on the skin of the vicinity of the eye. The electrode nearest to the cornea will record a positive potential. On moving one's eyes, the cornea and retina positions change in relation to the electrode, which gives rise to a change in potential. The EOG signal can be used by persons who have a high degree of disability, nevertheless, the EOG-based systems are comparatively expensive, requiring a great deal of attention and effort to control the proper cursors, and both calibrating and learning how to use them are complex.

2. The Electroencephalogram (EEG) measures the brain's bioelectrical activity, and its use as an interface depends upon each user's ability to learn to control it.

3. Electromyography (EMG) is based on measuring the bioelectrical activity associated with voluntary muscle contraction. One of the advantages of this signal is its relative immunity to the interferences coming from others physiological signals, in comparison with EOG and EEG signals. The EMG signal can be used in different ways to manage a system, for example, in a way similar to a switch (ON/OFF System) but turning on/off a certain action with a voluntary muscle contraction. It is feasible to define a pulse code in order to be able to perform different actions with one same muscle. This last strategy has been used, for example, in bioelectrical prosthesis control and is based on a 3-bit code ( high-amplitude signal, low-amplitude signal, no contraction ) without being it possible for a given code to start with "no contraction", which makes a maximum of 18 commands possible. This system does not define a language based on the structure of the signal recorded.

For some kind of muscles, manometry is a different method for measuring the level of some kind of muscles contraction. By the moment, this kind of sensors have not been used as inputs for computers devices, nor any kind of commands have been decided using manometers acted with muscles.

A perineometer or Kegel perineometer (vaginal/anal manometer) is an instrument for measuring the strength of voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor muscles (Perineometer with wireless Biofeedback US2006/0036188).

Ascertaining the air pressure inside the vagina by insertion of a perineometer, while requesting the user to squeeze as hard as possible, can measure a level for contraction, and identify a level with relaxation.

By the moment, perineometer is only used as a method of prevention for urinary incontinence (Perineometer for Domestic Use in Prevention of Urinary Incontinence ES2182049).

There exist some problems with existing solutions

1- As hands free remote controllers of computing systems, all the physiological computing interfaces found are more expensive than the object of this invention.

2- As hands free remote controllers of computing systems, all the physiological computing interfaces found (EOG, EEG, EMG) include electrical components, which imply possible problems in electric contact and worse usability.

3- None of the input devices found are at the same time a method for prevention of urinary incontinence.

Description of the Invention

It is necessary to offer an alternative to the state of the art which covers the gaps found therein, particularly related to the lack of proposals which really present an efficient system and method to interact remotely with physiological signals representative of muscles contractions and perform operations with computing applications.

To that end, the present invention provides a system that comprises:

a manometer for muscles contraction measuring providing pressure signals; a control unit arranged to receive said pressure signals from said manometer and to generate from said pressure signals a biofeedback signal including pressure values and to communicate said biofeedback signal to a device with computing capacity; and

a frontoffice application running in said device with computing capacity, wherein said frontoffice application uses said pressure values for remote controlling said device with computing capacity.

Other embodiments of the system of the first aspect of the invention are described according to appended claims 2 to 12 and in a subsequent section related to the detailed description of several embodiments.

A second aspect of the present invention concerns to a method that comprises: detecting a plurality of pressure values by means of a manometer, said pressure values being caused by muscle contractions;

generating a biofeedback signal including said pressure values; and

remote controlling a device with computing capacity by communicating said biofeedback signal thereto.

Other embodiments of the method of the invention are described according to appended claims 14 to 21 and in a subsequent section related to the detailed description of several embodiments.

A third aspect of the present invention concerns to a use of a manometer as input device for remote controlling a device with computing capacity.

Other embodiment of the use of the invention is described according to appended claim 23 and in a subsequent section related to the detailed description of several embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The previous and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, which must be considered in an illustrative and non-limiting manner, in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows the system of the first aspect of the present invention, according to an embodiment.

Figure 2 shows an example of a pressure signal values generated, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the flux diagram method of the second aspect of the present invention, according to an embodiment. Figure 4 shows an example of rehabilitation pelvic floor process, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 and Figure 6 show some examples of possible games implementation, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Several Embodiments

This invention proposes a system that provides a user interface device using specific muscles with the capability of varying pressure levels in a manometer. The invention features a self-contained manometer probe for muscles contraction use that communicates a wireless biofeedback signal to a small portable receiver and display unit. The display unit provides an optional audible signal and visual display that allows the user to monitor the efforts and translate the received data as actions in a computer application, showed graphically in a display.

The system comprises an interface which includes a self-contained-manometer probe in contact with the user's body and which is integrated to a Control Unit which it communicates a wireless (e.g. by Bluetooth, RF, WIFI, ...) biofeedback signal to an application running on a terminal with computing capacity ( tablet, mobile phone, PC, ...).

The system enables the user proper to interrelate remotely with the application game. The possibilities of this new invention include gaming purposes, training purposes and remote interaction with several kinds of applications.

The system of the invention consists, Figure 1 , of a pressure Probe (1 ), known as manometer, with a balanced pneumatic camera operating at atmospheric pressure that is connected via a rubber tube (12) with a Control Unit (2) containing an electronic air pressure sensor (3), a microcontroller that runs a state machine (6), an analog to digital converter (5) and an unwired transceiver (4).

The different pressure values are detected with a pressure sensor (3) in pressure units (1 hPa=1 ,0197cm H2o=0,75mmHg), and sampled with an analog to digital converter (5), with a predefined number of samples in a second, and a range of values for measuring the changes of pressure enough to detect very small variations in pressure in the probe camera, once it has been placed between the muscles that will be responsible of the contraction. These values are transmitted using an unwired connection to a Frontoffice Application (7) running in any kind of device with computing capacity.

The Application Controller (9) is able to receive the pressure values from the control unit (2), and treats them as if the signal generated were an ideal square signal. As showed in Figure 2, three kinds of parameters will be extracted from received values:

• Sequence of Amplitudes ( where Amplitude is proportional with level of strength in contractions)

• Sequence of Contraction Times

· Sequence of Relaxing Times

These three changing values will be the parameters used to control de application. The User Interface Controller (10) will be in charge of translating these sets of data to actions showed in the display (1 1 ) of the Frontoffice (7).

Parameterization is needed for adapting the method to the strength level capability of each final user, and interpreting received data based on context currently displayed screen these could be done dynamically with the help of a BackOffice.

Some examples of flexible interpretation of received data (based on context) could include:

1 ) LONG CONTRACTION: movement of a figure in the display (horizontally or vertically depending on context).

2) LINEAR TRANSLATION: movement of a figure in the display following the same square wave of pressure values.

3) MENU MANAGEMENT: short contraction with different time length (1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds) to select different options (not more than 4 in each displayed screen) in an adapted menu.

A possible embodiment of the current invention is rehabilitation of pelvic floor with the help of games designed for this purpose. The use of games in rehabilitation, where the results and data collected during rehabilitation session are stored in a database, and can be reviewed from a therapeutic team, that are allowed to change parameters of the games.

In this embodiment, Figure 4, the invention features a self-contained perineometer probe (1 ) for intravaginal use that communicates a wireless biofeedback signal to a patient ^' s game application (3) running in a device with computing capacity and display unit. The display unit provides an audible signal and visual display that allows the patient to monitor the efforts as self-directed or according a prescribed training protocol as prompted by a pre-programmed routine (6) established from remote rehabilitation management software (5).

This way of biofeedback of perineum movement, both to the user and to a therapeutic team, is a benefit as:

1 ) Improves adherence

2) Synchronous biofeedback let's user know evolution of muscle control. 3) Asynchronous biofeedback let ^' s therapeutic team change parameters of rehabilitation games.

Different kind of games can be implemented. In Figure 5 and Figure 6 are showed some examples of them, its parameters, and ways to use the pressure information for playing:

BIRDI GAME

The objective of the game is picking fruits thrown from a catapult, as showed in Figure 5.

The user has to play with the contraction and relaxation times, so that BIRDI walks while user is contracting and the fruit is getting bigger size on the catapult. BIRDI is not allowed to stop walking until it picks the fruit. Otherwise, points of this walk are lost, and score will be cero. The final score or result of the game will be the sum of points of each walk of BIRDI. The speed of BIRDI walking is proportional to the number of seconds' goal for contraction.

Parameter:

Goal Time of Contraction: X seconds

Goal Time of Relaxation: Y seconds Number of Repetitions: Z times

BIRDI has to walk across the display Z times, and each walk the user will have to maintain a contraction of X seconds, while a fruit on the catapult will be getting bigger, depending on the strength value of pressure received from the perineometer. Score will be the sum of weight of the fruits of each walk. The user has to maintain relaxation times of Y seconds between walk.

WEIGHTTTLIFTER GAME

The objective of this game is to control Contraction and Relaxing timing, as showed in Figure 6.

The weightlifter man has to lift weights while a number of seconds set as the goal time of contraction, and after this time he should leave the weights on the floor for the seconds set as the goal time of relaxation. The closer to the goal timing, the best score the user is going to obtain.

Parameter:

Goal Time of Contraction: X second

Goal Time of Relaxation: Y second

Number of Repetitions: Z times

The user has to make a contraction that will be reflected in the display with the weightlifter lifting the weight.

The user has to maintain Z times the weight with the bigger strength possible for X seconds, and then relax the muscles for Y seconds this relaxing model will be reflected on the display with the weightlifter smiling photogram.

So, the present invention is not restricted to gaming purposes, as the possibilities of this new kind of input device include training purposes for a group of muscles that are responsible of urinary continence and sexual functions. The biofeedback provided with such games, help the users to quantify the level of strength of these set of muscles, and the different games are a funny possibility of in traducing these healthy costumes in our lives.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to control a game using exclusively the perineum pressure signal, providing moments of entertainment for users by means of educational games, video games, musical compositions... A further objective is to record the pressure signal from the perineo.

A further objective is to use perineo muscle to use a system and enhance discreetness and ergonomics.

A further objective of the present invention is the development of a language based on the parameters of duration, amplitude and interval of pressure signal.

A further objective is training pelvic muscles at the same time the user is playing, so that users can benefit:

vaginal tone improved

sexual health maintenance

prevention of some forms of urinary incontinence

Advantages of the present invention

It is a User Interface and at the same time a therapeutic method that improves pelvic floor muscles.

The reading of the pressure values as square waves, after an analysis of amplitudes, times of contraction and relaxation times, would also allow games to interact with pre-set parameters, and to encode an alphabet.

ACRONYMS

Electrooculogram

Electroencephalog

Electromyography