RU145012U1 - HEAD TRACKING DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A head tracking device (10) for use in given tracking conditions, comprising: - a tracking unit (11) containing at least three tracking elements (20), - a base unit (12) containing a first surface (26) for placement of the head tracking device (10) on the head area of the subject, and - a removable adhesive tape (18) for attaching the first surface (26) to the said head area of the subject, and the said head tracking device is characterized in that - the mentioned at least three tracking elements (20) are located on the tracking surface of the tracking unit (11), and the distances between at least two sets of tracking elements (45, 46, 47) are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of the head tracking device (10) in the given tracking conditions , and - a removable adhesive tape (18), attached to said first surface and said head section, is capable of independently holding removably the tracking device (10) head in a fixed position on the subject's head. 2. The head tracking device according to claim 1, in which - said tracking surface comprises a printed circuit board (14) permanently or removably attached to a support element (13) of the tracking unit (11), and - tracking elements (20) are printed and formed during printing, the tracking surfaces or are attached to the tracking surface by means of an adhesive. 3. A head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - at least two tracking elements (20) are located on the extensions (24) of the support element (13) of the tracking unit (11), and - the distance between at least three pairs of elements (45, 46, 47) tracking, ka

Description

The technical field to which the utility model relates.

The present utility model relates to tracking devices, in particular tracking devices, placed on the head of a subject undergoing controlled transcranial magnetic stimulation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, accurate tracking of the heads of subjects is an important part of many methods, procedures, and systems. For example, in navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS), it is very important to know the position and orientation of the subject's head relative to the stimulating coil device.

In order to accurately monitor the head of the subject, you must attach some kind of tracking device to the head of the subject. After the tracking device is placed on the subject’s head, the tracking system can be calibrated in order to perceive the position and orientation of the subject’s head based on the known or predetermined position and orientation of the tracked tracking device.

One of the main problems associated with tracking the subject’s head using a tracking device attached to the subject’s head is that, based on the design and use of the tracking device, facial expressions can move the tracking device without changing the position or orientation of the subject’s head. In addition, it is necessary to provide a tracking device that does not contradict the basic method, procedure or system in which a monitored position of the head of the subject is required.

In relation to, for example, nTMS, conventional tracking devices are based on glasses containing additional elements attached to them, which should be monitored. However, each person who wears glasses knows that they do not always remain in place and easily change their position as a result of wrinkling of your nose or movement of your ears. In addition, such ordinary models of glasses are expensive and do not equally fit the face of each subject.

Therefore, in the art there is a need for a tracking device that is less susceptible to conventional facial movements. In addition, in the art there is a need for a universal tracking device that is not affected by the usual deviations in the structure of the subject's face, such that make it difficult to use ordinary glasses. In addition, in the art there is a need for a tracking device that is simple and cheap to manufacture, either completely discarded, or partially reusable, and which also provides a high degree of accuracy in the tracking process.

In the prior art, the publication of international application WO 2011/113441 A2, published on 09/22/2011, entitled "OPTICAL MOTION TRACKING OF AN OBJECT", is known optical tracking system for determining the movement of an object, containing a borescope to form an image on the object or part of the surface of the object in the camera and image processing means for calculating the movement of said pattern or part of the surface with respect to the distal end of the borescope based on a plurality of frames / image zenies captured by the camera. In addition, a marker plate is disclosed for use in tracking object movements, comprising a pattern of markers.

Utility Model Essence

The purpose of this utility model is to provide a tracking device. One of the technical results of the utility model is to reduce the influence of conventional facial movements on the readings of the tracking device. Preferably, said tracking device is a head tracking device for use in predetermined tracking conditions. However, this description also refers to tracking devices for placement not only on the head of the subject.

An aspect of some embodiments of the present utility model is to provide a tracking device comprising a tracking unit and a base unit. Furthermore, said tracking device may comprise one or more removable adhesive tapes. Said tracking unit and said base unit may be made integrally or detachably connected to each other. Said removable adhesive tape may also be integrated with the base assembly. In addition, an aspect of some embodiments is the provision of a system comprising a plurality of one or more tracking units, base units and / or removable adhesive tapes in equal or unequal proportions.

According to some embodiments, the tracking unit comprises at least three tracking elements. Examples of tracking elements are, for example, two-dimensional reflective circles, two-dimensional colored areas, stickers and / or three-dimensional spheres.

An additional aspect of some embodiments is the presence of at least three tracking elements that must be placed on the tracking surface of said tracking node. In addition, an aspect of some embodiments is that the distances between at least two groups of tracking elements are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of the head tracking device under given tracking conditions.

According to some embodiments, said base assembly comprises a first surface for positioning a head tracking device on a portion of a subject's head. Said first surface can be made, for example, in geometry, dimensions and material properties, so that it can be easily adapted to different parts of faces / heads of different subjects.

In addition, an aspect of some embodiments is that a removable adhesive tape is provided for attaching said first surface on said base assembly to a portion of a subject’s head, and that said adhesive tape attached to said first surface and a portion of a head is self-retaining and removably held a head tracking device in a fixed position on a portion of the subject’s head.

In addition, various examples are described herein, including changing the geometry and manufacture of tracking surfaces and the design of a head tracking device. For example, the tracking surface of the tracking device may comprise a printed circuit board attached to the support member. In addition, the tracking surface may contain three, four, five or even more tracking elements in any number of structures and geometries. In accordance with some embodiments, the distances between each pair of tracking elements are unique. According to other embodiments, some or all of the distances between the pairs of tracking elements are the same.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is an example of a head tracking device in accordance with an embodiment of the present utility model.

Figure 2 is a view with a spatial separation of the elements of the example shown in figure 1.

3a-3c are examples of tracking surfaces in accordance with embodiments of the present utility model.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the support element shown in figure 2.

Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments

In accordance with an embodiment of the present utility model, a head tracking device 10 is described herein. In some cases, it is necessary to accurately track the position of the object, in particular the head of the subject. For example, in controlled brain stimulation, it is important to know the exact position and orientation of the subject’s head relative to the coil device for performing controlled transcranial magnetic stimulation.

In any tracking conditions, a monitored object and a compatible system for tracking the said object are provided. For example, the said object may be one or more reflective stickers, three-dimensional ball manipulators, or active radiating (for example, lighting) elements. Examples of compatible tracking systems can be one or more infrared cameras, a laser tracking system, or a standard camera or cameras that transmit data to optical recognition and tracking software. A person skilled in the art will recognize many changes and combinations. However, to ensure maximum efficiency, the tracked object and the tracking system must be systematically and physically positioned in such a way that the tracking system accurately monitors the object during the intended movement process.

According to an embodiment of the present utility model, there is a head tracking device 10, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1, which comprises a tracking unit 11 and a base unit 12. The head tracking device 10 may also comprise one or more adhesive tapes 18. FIG. 2 shows a more detailed view of the head tracking device 10 in an exploded state.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an example of the head tracking device 10 shown in FIG. In this example, the tracking unit 11 comprises a plurality of tracking elements 20. Tracking elements 20 are placed on the tracking surface. The tracking surface is a part of the head tracking device 10, which is either tracked under predetermined tracking conditions, or on which tracking elements 20 are placed.

In this example, the tracking surface is a printed circuit board 14. The printed circuit board 14 can be manufactured in various ways. For example, the printed circuit board may be a paper product containing one or more layers of material printed on it for use in tracking, which is at least partially coated with material not used for tracking. In one embodiment in which predetermined tracking conditions comprise a plurality of infrared cameras, the tracking material should be visible to the infrared camera and / or reflect infrared waves, and the material not used for tracking should at least partially appear against the background of the tracking material. Thus, a substantially two-dimensional object can be monitored based on differences in material properties.

Other examples may include predetermined tracking conditions using more or less standard imaging technology associated with any optical recognition software. Under such conditions, the tracking material may be a material having a certain color, for example red, and the material not used for tracking may be the same or different material having a different, preferably contrasting color, for example, white, black, gray and others. In addition, the tracking elements 20 may be three-dimensional spheres or objects, or may have essentially any other shape that is suitable for tracking under predetermined tracking conditions.

Based on the selected materials and their properties, a person skilled in the art will determine many manufacturing methods. These methods may include printing when materials are printed in their respective areas, selective multi-layer printing, when tracking material or material not used for tracking, is printed over a larger area and then at least partially coated with another material in the next step, etching where material not used for tracking covers the layer of tracking material, and then removed to form tracking elements, the manufacture of tracking elements 20 separately from the printed circuit board 14, etc. fastening them, such as by use of an adhesive, to each other, combinations thereof or other compatible way.

In this example, where the tracking surface contains any printed circuit board 14, the circuit board can either be permanently or removably attached to the support member 13. For example, the printed circuit board 14 may comprise an adhesive layer, which in this case is adhered to the support member 13 when the circuit board 14 is made. In addition, the tracking elements can be manufactured separately and applied directly to the supporting element 13. In this case, the outer surface of the supporting element containing the attached tracking elements is considered a tracking surface. In addition, the tracking elements can be made directly on or combined with the supporting element 13.

As shown in the drawings, the tracking elements 20 are located on the extensions of the tracking surface. This saves both material and weight. In addition, the separation of the tracking elements from each other and the main part of the tracking surface introduces additional contrast to facilitate tracking of the tracking elements 20. In the example shown in the drawings, the tracking elements are located on the extensions 22 of the printed circuit board 14, which correspond to the extensions 24 of the support element 13. Although the printed circuit board 14 has a geometry corresponding to the support element 13, a person skilled in the art will come up with many changes in the geometry of the printed circuit board (boards) and supporting element (s), combinations of which will achieve the goals set forth in this document and which do not depart from the scope of this utility model.

The accuracy is improved by manufacturing all the tracking elements 20 during the manufacture of the printed circuit board 14, which is tightly placed within the small protrusion of the supporting element, as shown in figure 2, while either the surface of the supporting element 13 and / or the geometry of the said small protrusion corresponds to the geometry of the printed boards 14. However, the printed circuit board 14 may be made of two or more parts and attached to one or more support elements 13 separately. In addition, the support element 13 may be larger, smaller, and / or have a different geometry than that of the printed circuit board 14.

An important feature of some embodiments is that the physical arrangement of the tracking elements does not change during tracking. Therefore, in order to achieve this, the tracking unit 11 must be rigid enough to prevent deflection or displacement of the tracking elements 20. This can be achieved by attaching the flexible circuit board 14 to the fully or partially rigid support element 13. Additionally or alternatively, the extensions 22 and / or 24 may contain additional support and / or structure to increase rigidity.

In addition, the tracking unit 11 may further comprise a source of information. For example, either the printed circuit board 14 or the entire tracking unit 11 may be unique to one subject and may be used to identify the subject and / or reusable. Examples of information sources are, for example, text, machine-readable codes, such as bar codes or QR codes, or images. They can be located directly on the printed circuit board 14 or the tracking surface. In addition, they can be located on an additional protective layer 36, which is applied to the printed circuit board 14 or the tracking surface. When a protective layer 36 is applied, for example, in the form of a sticker or with another adhesive, with or without text and / or machine-readable code (s), it can also form a portion of the tracking surface.

In addition to the simple sources of information described above, the tracking unit 11 may also comprise an information source such as an RFID (radio frequency identification) integrated circuit or other passive or active computer readable memory or integrated circuit. Such an information source 34 may be located directly on the printed circuit board 14, the support element 13, or inside the printed circuit board 14, the support element 13, or another source of information or coating 36.

The base assembly 12 comprises a first surface 26 for accommodating a head tracking device 10 on a portion of a subject's head. An advantage of the head tracking device 10 of the present utility model is that it can be placed in or on substantially any part of the subject's head or body. However, it is preferable to place the head tracking device on a portion of the head of a subject that is not subject to local displacement, such as an overlay, between the eyebrows, the forehead or the upper third. In such areas, for example, local displacement, not associated with the movement of the entire head of the subject, is limited, and therefore the accuracy increases.

The first surface 26 can be made according to the geometry and properties of materials with the possibility of simple adaptation to these areas. For example, when the first surface 26 is flexible and at least slightly concave, the first surface 26 can easily adapt to various geometries of the heads of the subjects, while providing the necessary support for the rest of the head tracking device 10. In addition, for some embodiments, in particular in which the head tracking device 10 should be placed on the forehead of the subject, it may be preferable that the first surface 26 is rectangular, as shown in the drawings.

The base assembly 12 is detachably attached to the subject’s head by means of a removable adhesive tape 18. The removable adhesive tape 18, which in geometry and size may correspond to the first surface 26 of the base assembly, may comprise two opposing adhesive surfaces. One surface of the removable adhesive tape 18 is attached to the first surface 26, and the other detachably attaches the base assembly 12 to a portion of the subject's head. An additional advantage of this system is that the removable adhesive tape 18 can form a hygienic barrier between the base assembly 12 and the subject so that at least the base assembly can be reused for many subjects.

In order to ensure strong contact between the base assembly 12, the removable adhesive tape 18 and the subject’s head, the first surface 26 may include one or more holes 30. Hole (s) 30 may be provided to provide direct access to the area of the removable adhesive tape 18 attached to the opposite side of the first surface 26, for example, through the finger of a user or subject. In order to facilitate removal of the base assembly 12 and the removable adhesive tape 18, the removable adhesive tape 18 may comprise a non-sticking protruding portion 32.

In accordance with some embodiments, a removable adhesive tape (18) attached to the first surface 26 and a portion of the head is capable of independently retaining the removable head tracking device (10) in a fixed position on a portion of the subject’s head. This differs from the known solutions, which are usually in the form of glasses and require one or more extensions extending to and behind the ears of the subject in order to strengthen the support of the head tracking device. However, the ears, and the area of the head around the ears, can easily be locally moved by the subject, and therefore unsuitable as ideal reference sites for a tracking device designed to minimize local movements of the head / face of the subject.

The node 12 of the base and the node 11 tracking can be detachably connected to each other or made as one piece. An advantage of some embodiments is that the base assembly 12 is reusable to a plurality of entities, thereby reducing costs. Thus, the base assembly 12 may comprise first connecting means 28 for releasably connecting the base assembly 12 to the second connecting means 38 of the tracking assembly 11. A person skilled in the art knows many connecting means, including a device such as a threaded cover, a device in the form of a plurality of teeth and a receiver, a snap-on device, any mechanical locking or securing device, etc.

The system described herein may be implemented in various forms. For example, a head tracking device may comprise only a tracking unit 11 and a base unit 12. It may contain one or more elements. The base assembly 12 may comprise a single sticky portion and / or other attachment means for attaching the base assembly 12 to a subject's head, such as a suction cup. All elements described in this document can be manufactured as one integrated unit. In addition, the elements described with reference to one section can be made together or separately in one or more additional or alternative sections.

One advantage of some embodiments is that the development and manufacture of a head tracking device is so cheap compared to known solutions that the entire head tracking device can be disposable, for example, intended for single use only. However, as is customary in some low-yield conditions, an object designed for single use is reused in practice. Thus, in accordance with some embodiments, although the tracking unit 11 and the base unit 12 can be reused, the removable adhesive tape 18 can be specifically designed to tear after a single use and / or otherwise performed for a single use. Essentially, the removable adhesive tape 19 acts as a hygienic barrier between the subject and the contact surface or the first surface 26 of the base assembly.

An additional advantage of the hygienic and anti-pollution properties of the removable adhesive tape 18 is that, in some embodiments, it is the only part of the head tracking device 10 that is constantly in contact with the subject's head. Essentially, this is the only part of the head tracking device 10, which must be manufactured using special materials adapted to interact with the body of the subject. This allows you to make the rest of the tracking device from any other, for example, less expensive, material without having to worry about prolonged contact with the skin.

Fig. 3a shows an example of a tracking surface 40 comprising three tracking elements 41, 42 and 43. In accordance with embodiments of the present utility model, at least three tracking elements 41, 42 and 43 are located on the tracking surface of the tracking unit 11, while the distances between at least two groups of tracking elements, for example at least two of the three 45, 46, 47 are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of the head tracking device 10 under predetermined tracking conditions. In the example shown in figa, containing three tracking elements, there will be three pairs of tracking elements that are located at a distance from each other. In accordance with some embodiments, tracking accuracy is increased if each of the distances between the tracking elements is unique. Furthermore, for example, in accordance with some embodiments, it is preferable if the difference between said distances is greater than a predetermined value that is greater than the error limit of the tracking system.

Figures 3b and 3c show further examples of tracking surfaces 50 and 60 containing four and five tracking elements, respectively. Although in some embodiments it is preferable if all the distances between all pairs of tracking elements are unique and the differences between them are above a certain value, this does not always happen. Therefore, it is possible if at least some of the distances between different pairs of tracking elements are the same or are within a certain limit. For example, it may be necessary that only the distances between adjacent pairs of tracking elements at the periphery of the tracking surface have unique differences, i.e. internal distances between opposing pairs, if four or more tracking elements are provided, may not be important.

In addition, although the tracking surfaces, printed circuit boards, and support elements are shown to be substantially flat in the drawings, they can also be convex, concave, or have a different three-dimensional shape. In addition, although this description relates primarily to a tracking device for placement on a subject’s head, similar tracking devices that are within the scope of the present utility model may also apply to other parts of the subject’s body or even to other animals or objects.

You must understand that the disclosed embodiments of the utility model are not limited to the specific structures, technological steps or materials described herein, and apply to their equivalents, which can be determined by specialists in this field of technology. You must also understand that the terminology used in this document is used only to describe specific embodiments and should not be construed as limiting.

Throughout this specification, reference to “one embodiment” or “embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described with reference to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present utility model. Thus, the presence of the expressions “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in different places of this description does not necessarily mean that they all refer to the same embodiment.

Used in this document, many details, structural elements, components and / or materials can be presented in the General list for convenience. However, these lists should be interpreted as if each element of the list was individually identified as a separate and unique element. Thus, a separate element of such a list should not be construed as the actual equivalent of any other element of the same list only on the basis of their presence in the general group, unless otherwise indicated. In addition, various embodiments and an example of the present utility model may be referred to herein with alternatives for their various components. You must understand that such options for implementation, examples and alternatives should not be construed as actual equivalents to each other, but should be interpreted as separate and independent representations of this utility model.

In addition, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The description below provides many specific details, such as, for example, length, width, shape, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the utility model. However, one skilled in the art will understand that a utility model can be implemented without one or more specific details or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other examples, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or not described in detail. so as not to complicate the understanding of aspects of the utility model.

Although the above examples illustrate the principles of the present utility model in one or more specific applications, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications in the form, application, and implementation details can be made without showing the inventive capabilities and without departing from the principles and concepts of the present useful models. Therefore, the utility model is limited only by the utility model formula given below.

Claims (11)

1. A head tracking device (10) for use in predetermined tracking conditions, comprising: - a tracking unit (11) comprising at least three tracking elements (20), - a base unit (12) containing a first surface (26) for placing a head tracking device (10) on a portion of a subject’s head, and - a removable adhesive tape (18) for attaching the first surface (26) to said portion of the subject’s head, moreover, said head tracking device is characterized in that - said at least three tracking elements (20) are located on the tracking surface of the tracking unit (11), and the distances between at least two sets of tracking elements (45, 46, 47) are sufficient to determine the position and orientation of the tracking device (10) behind the head in the given tracking conditions, and - a removable adhesive tape (18) attached to said first surface and said portion of the head is capable of independently holding, with the possibility of removal, the tracking device (10) for tracking the head in a fixed position on the portion of the subject’s head. 2. The head tracking device according to claim 1, wherein - said tracking surface comprises a printed circuit board (14) permanently or removably attached to the supporting element (13) of the tracking unit (11), and - tracking elements (20) are printed and formed in the process of printing the tracking surface or attached to the tracking surface by adhesive. 3. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein - at least two tracking elements (20) are located on the extensions (24) of the support element (13) of the tracking unit (11), and - the distances between at least three pairs of tracking elements (45, 46, 47), each, are unique. 4. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - the distance between each pair of tracking elements (45, 46, 47) is unique. 5. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein - the distances between at least two pairs of tracking elements (45, 46, 47) are the same. 6. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - the supporting element (13) of the tracking unit (11) is rigid, and the first surface (26) of the base unit (12) is flexible, and - the supporting element (13) of the tracking unit (11) and the base unit (12) are either detachably connected to each other or are made as a whole. 7. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - the tracking unit (11) further comprises a source (34, 36) of information selected from the group including: text, RFID integrated circuit, computer-readable memory, or a combination thereof. 8. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - the first surface (26) of the base assembly (12) contains at least one hole (30) to provide direct access to a portion of the removable adhesive tape (18) attached to the opposite side of the first surface (26). 9. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein - removable adhesive tape (18) contains a non-sticking protruding portion (32) for removal from the head of the subject. 10. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - at least one of the tracking elements (20) is a three-dimensional object. 11. The head tracking device according to claim 1 or 2, in which - said tracking surface is substantially flat, concave or convex.