WO2009148357A1

WO2009148357A1 - Locator device for computer remote control without using the hands

Info

Publication number: WO2009148357A1
Application number: PCT/RU2009/000143
Authority: WO
Inventors: Алексей Леонидович КОСИК; Тарас Леонидович КОСИК; Леонид Андреевич КОСИК; Сергей Александрович ТЕЛЬНОВ
Original assignee: Kosik Aleksey Leonidovich
Priority date: 2008-06-04
Filing date: 2009-03-26
Publication date: 2009-12-10
Also published as: RU2372880C1

Abstract

The invention relates to medicine and can be used for paraplegic persons. The inventive device comprises the following electrically connected components: a power supply unit, a coordinate setting and cursor control unit (2) which is designed such as to be placed in the mouth cavity, a transmitter signal processing unit, at least two functional contact buttons operating like mouse buttons and at least one control contact button for controlling the computer keyboard functions. The coordinate unit (2) comprises an unbendable projection (7), a stub of wire tracks, a microcontroller arranged in the stub and connected to the wire track chain, an electrical connector which is disposed at the end of the stub so as it can be electrically connected to the signal processing unit. The coordinate unit is in the form of a hollow disc with a radially rounded outer ridge. The inner cavity of the disc is formed by first and second layers of a flexible polymer film, said layers being jointed along the outer circumference. The first layer of the hollow disc is in the form of a hemisphere bent inside the disc cavity, the second layer being flat. A resistive layer is applied on the inner surface of the concave disc hemisphere. The concentric wire tracks grouped into four mutually perpendicular sectors are applied on the inner surface of the second layer. The invention makes it possible to improve the operational characteristics of the device and to ease the production thereof.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

COORDINATE INPUT DEVICE FOR REMOTE CONTROL OF A COMPUTER WITHOUT HANDS

Technical field

The invention relates to medicine, in particular, to electronic devices for entering coordinates, and can be used for people with paralysis of the upper and lower extremities, as well as for people whose occupation limits the use of hands. State of the art

People with tetraplegia (paralysis of the upper and lower extremities) can not perform any actions with their hands. With a high damage to the spinal cord, the conscious control of skeletal muscles is completely disrupted. Only groups of the maxillofacial muscles and tongue function, since they are innervated by the cranial nerves. In addition, when working with a computer, in some cases the use of hands is either difficult or impossible or insufficient, for example, when the hands are busy with other work, are in protective gloves, when traditional input means are not available or when several commands are issued simultaneously. In these cases, the input device is placed in the mouth and controlled by language.

Known devices for remote control of a computer for a person with physical disabilities, containing a coordinate device, with the possibility of placing the latter in the oral cavity of a person, and a signal processing unit, electrically connected to the coordinate device (US 5460186 A, 10.24.1995 and WO 03/013402 Al, 02/20/2003). Known devices allow you to remotely control a computer by the action of the muscles of the tongue on the joystick, however, the coordinate device in these designs is made without taking into account the features of language control, and the signal processing unit is placed outside the oral cavity. In addition, the devices are made without taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient's oral cavity and language control features. In this case, the front teeth cannot participate in the work, since the teeth hold the external structure (signal processing unit), and the maxillofacial muscles are constantly tensed. Along with this, the device is difficult to manufacture due to the many working elements kinematically connected to each other.

It is also known a coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without the help of hands, containing a coordinate device and a signal processing unit, electrically connected with a coordinate device (RU 2245692 C2, 02/10/2005).

The device according to the patent RU 2245692, although it provides effective control of the computer using the maxillofacial muscles, muscles of the tongue and teeth, is more technologically advanced and more convenient to use than those known from US 5460186 and WO 03/013402, since it is arranged to be placed in the oral the entire cavity, however, it is made strictly taking into account the individual structural features of the oral cavity of a particular person.

A coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without hands is known, comprising (as claimed) an electrically connected power supply unit, setting coordinates and controlling the computer cursor with a coordinate device adapted to be placed in the oral cavity, a signal processing unit, a transmitter, at least two functional contact buttons electrically linking the coordinate device to the signal processing unit to perform the functions of the mouse buttons and at least one control contact button electrically connecting the coordinate device to the signal processing unit to control the functions of the computer keyboard (RU 2269325 Cl, 02/10/2006 )

In the device known from patent RU 2269325, the electronic signal processing module, coordinate device, functional contacts (contact buttons) of the remote control functions of the computer keyboard, control contacts (contact buttons) that perform the functions of the mouse buttons, and connecting wires are located in a single housing , which, in turn, is fixed on a basis made from a cast of the jaw of a particular user. Therefore, for another user, it is necessary to manufacture another device that will correspond to its anthropometric parameters. Unit production limits the range of users and makes the device expensive, difficult to operate and not technologically advanced. In addition, the basis and the body of the device placed on it prevents the tongue from contacting the sensitive receptors of the mucosa of the hard palate, which complicates the orientation of the tongue in the oral cavity and makes it impossible to accurately position the tongue on the controls of the device, which, in turn, leads to the generation of false commands. This degrades performance and complicates the technology for mass production of such a device. The disadvantages of the prototype can also include the following: the reactions of the mucous membrane to the presence in the oral cavity of a foreign body (device) are not taken into account, which causes excessive salivation. With mechanical irritation of the mucosa the shell of the palate and tongue produces thick mucus, which prevents the tongue from sticking tightly to the surface of the manipulator, which makes managing the tongue very difficult and tedious for the user. The known device is not technologically advanced, because it has small metal parts and is laborious to assemble, not durable and not reliable, since intense mechanical wear of the rubbing parts occurs. In addition, in the process of using the known device, microorganisms are formed on its surface that infect the oral cavity - this leads to inflammatory diseases of the organs of the oral cavity. Disclosure of invention

The essence of the problem is that, for entering coordinates (for example, moving the cursor), the device placed in the mouth must be airtight and easily controlled with the tongue, not interfere with the main functions of the oral cavity, this is breathing, talking and taking liquid food, as well be hygienically safe. A paralyzed person (tetraplegic) cannot independently, without outside help, replace a failed device and lose contact with the outside world. Therefore, the device must inform the user in advance about the expiration of the operating life for hygienic reasons and timely replacement in order to avoid failure, and in the event of failure, automatically activate the auto redial function for emergency phones.

Therefore, the urgent task is to develop a device with which the user can easily control the computer using the tongue in the presence of mucus (the more mucus, the easier it is to control), a device that warns the user about timely replacement due to the accumulation of microorganisms on the surface design features and automatically activating the function of auto-dialing an emergency phone when it breaks down, while it is a device suitable for all users with various anthropometric data. The device should also be compact, lightweight, reliable and not have a traumatic effect on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and tongue.

Thus, the technical result is to improve operational characteristics, as well as to simplify the manufacturing technology of the device.

The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that in the coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without hands, containing an electrically connected power supply unit, setting coordinates and controlling the computer cursor, a coordinate device made with the possibility of its placement in the oral cavity, a signal processing unit, a transmitter, at least two functional contact buttons for performing the functions of the mouse buttons, electrically connecting the coordinate device with the processing unit nalov, and at least one control contact button for controlling the functions of the computer keyboard, electrically connecting the coordinate device with the signal processing unit, according to the invention, the coordinate device is equipped with a folding protrusion, a loop of conductive tracks, a microcontroller located in the loop and included in the circuit of conductive tracks, an electrical connector mounted on the end of the loop of conductive tracks with the possibility of its electrical connection with the signal processing unit . The coordinate device is made in the form of a hollow disk with a rounded outer edge. The inner cavity of the disk is formed by the first layer and a second layer of flexible polymer film connected along the outer contour. The first layer of the hollow disk has the shape of a hemisphere concave inside the disk cavity, and the second layer has a flat shape. A resistive layer is deposited on the inner surface of the concave hemisphere of the disk, and concentric conductive paths are grouped in four mutually perpendicular sectors on the inner surface of the second layer. In this case, the concentric conductive paths of neighboring sectors are separated from each other by a common conductive path. The distance between all said conductive paths decreases from the center of the disk to the periphery. The first and second layer of the polymer film are connected to each other in the Central part of the hollow disk with the formation of a bridge. The folding protrusion and the loop of the conductive tracks are formed by the first and second layer of the polymer film bonded along their flat surface. The folding protrusion and the loop are connected to the edge of the disk. Functional contact buttons and a control contact button are located in the folding tab. Concentric conductive paths, said contact buttons and a microcontroller are electrically connected to the signal processing unit via the conductive paths of the loop and the connector. Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 presents a structural diagram of a coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without the help of hands.

Figure 2 shows the coordinate device.

On Fig.3 shows the placement and fixation of the coordinate device in the human oral cavity. The best embodiment of the invention

A coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without the help of hands contains an electrically connected power supply (1) a coordinate device (2) that defines the coordinates and controls the computer cursor and is arranged to be placed in the oral cavity, a signal processing unit (3), a transmitter (4), at least two functional contact buttons (5) for performing functions mouse buttons, electrically connecting the coordinate device with the signal processing unit, and at least one control contact button (6) for controlling the functions of the computer keyboard, electrically connecting the coordinate device with the block Botko signals. The coordinate device (2) is equipped with a folding protrusion (7), a loop (8) of the conductive tracks (9), a microcontroller (10) located in the loop (8) and included in the circuit of the conductive tracks (9), an electrical connector (11) mounted on the end of the loop of conductive tracks with the possibility of its electrical connection with the signal processing unit (3). The coordinate device (2) is made in the form of a hollow disk with a radially rounded outer edge. The inner cavity of the disk is formed by the first layer (12) and the second layer (13) of a flexible polymer film connected along the outer contour to form the said rounded edge. The first layer of the hollow disk has the shape of a hemisphere (14) concave into the cavity of the disk of the disk, and the second layer has a flat shape. A resistive layer (15) is deposited on the inner surface of the concave hemisphere of the disk. On the inner surface of the second layer (13), concentric conductive tracks (16) are applied, grouped into four mutually perpendicular sectors N ₅ E ₃ S ₅ W (Fig. 1). In this case, the concentric conductive paths of neighboring sectors are separated from each other by a common conductive path (17). The distance L (FIG. 2) between all the aforementioned conductive tracks decreases from the center of the disk to the periphery. The first and second layer of the polymer film are connected to each other in the central part of the hollow disk with the formation of a bridge (18). The folding protrusion (7) and the loop (8) of the conductive tracks are formed by the first and second layer (12.13) of the polymer film bonded along their flat surface. The folding protrusion and the loop are connected to the edge of the disk. Functional contact buttons (5) and control contact button (6) are located in the folding tab (7). Concentric conductive paths (16), the aforementioned contact buttons and the microcontroller (10) through the conductive paths (9) of the loop (8) and the connector (11) are electrically connected to the signal processing unit (3).

The device operates as follows.

The device is placed in the oral cavity with a second layer (13) of flexible polymer film to the hard palate (Figs. 2 and 3). In the initial position, the hemisphere (14) is held in the central position (figure 2), in which the concentric conductive paths (16) and the common conductive path (17) are not closed by the resistive layer (15) of the hemisphere (14) in any of the sectors N ₅ E ₅ S ₅ W (Fig. I) _{5 no} electrical signal is received and the cursor does not move.

Direction of cursor movement. Then, depending on the chosen direction of cursor movement, the edge of the hemisphere (14) is pressed with the tip of the tongue from the center up, down, left, right, or along a complex path, while the resistive layer (15) closes the concentric conductive paths (16) and the common conductive path (17 ) in the upper sector N, lower sector S, left O, right W, or in a combination of adjacent sectors, for example, sectors NW, NE, SE ₅ SW. At the same time, the concave design of the hemisphere (14) does not allow performing incorrect actions, namely, at the same time, close the concentric conductive paths (16) and the general conductive track (17) of opposite sectors (e.g. NS, WE). The cursor movement speed is controlled by the degree of tongue pressing on the hemisphere edge (14). To slowly and accurately move the cursor, lightly press the tongue on the hemisphere edge (14). In this case, the hemisphere tilts in the direction of pressing and its resistive layer (15) closes the concentric conductive path (16) closest to the center of one of the sectors N ₃ E ₅ S ₅ W (Fig. 1) or the concentric conductive paths of the adjacent sectors NW ₅ closest to the center NE ₅ SE ₅ SW with a common conductive path (17). The cursor movement speed depends on the resistance of the resistive layer (14) and the distance L (Fig. 1 and 2) between all the above-mentioned conductive paths (16) and (17). For slow movement and accurate cursor positioning, the distance Ll between the conductive paths (16) and (17) is greater than the distance L2 ₅ L3, L4 ₅ Ln (Figure 2) between subsequent conductive paths. To move the cursor faster, pressing the tongue on the hemisphere edge (14) is enhanced. In this case, the hemisphere tilt in the direction of depression increases and its resistive layer (15) closes the subsequent concentric conductive paths of one of the sectors N ₅ E ₅ S ₅ W (Fig. L) or the subsequent concentric conductive paths of adjacent sectors NW, NE ₅ SE ₅ SW with common conductive path (17). The number of parallel-closed resistive circuits increases, respectively, the total resistance in the circuit decreases, the speed of the cursor increases. To instantly move the cursor (for example, from one part of the screen to another), press the tongue sharply and completely against the edge of the hemisphere (14) in the intended direction. In this case, the resistive layer (15) of the hemisphere closes all concentric conductive paths of one of the sectors N ₅ E ₅ S ₅ W (Fig. 1) or all concentric conductive paths of adjacent sectors NW, NE, SE, SW with a common conductive path (17). The resistance in the circuit becomes minimal, respectively, the cursor instantly moves in the selected direction. A microcontroller (10) is included in the electrical circuit of the device, which analyzes the correctness of the signals passing through the circuit, and also controls the duration of the operation of the device. When a certain operating time is reached, it sends a signal to the computer about the need to replace the device. In addition, the microcontroller monitors the charging of the power supply unit (1) of the device and warns of the need for timely recharging or replacement. When incorrect signals pass through the electrical circuit (for example, when opposite sectors NS WE are closed, opposite sectors are adjacent, and the cursor is not moving when one of the N ₅ E ₅ S ₅ W sectors with a common current path is closed), the user is informed of a device failure and It activates a computer program for automatically dialing into a pre-installed emergency service. If necessary, use the left or right buttons of the conditional mouse - with the front teeth of the upper and lower jaws click on the buttons (5) (Fig. 1, 2 and 3). To switch the type of work, for example, to operate the device as an analog joystick, press the button (6) and select the desired function presented in the menu. When the conductive paths (16) and (17) are closed by the resistive layer (15), the contacts of the buttons (5) and (6) are closed, the current arising in the circuit through the microcontroller (10) and then through the conductors (conductive loops) (9) arrives at the connector (11), which in turn is connected to the signal processing unit (3) of the device in which the signal is processed and digitized. Then the signal enters the transmitter (4) and is transmitted via a communication channel to an external radio signal receiver (19) connected to the computer. Industrial applicability

The proposed device can be claimed by people with physical disabilities, in particular, with paralysis of the upper and lower extremities, or whose occupation limits the use of hands.

Clinical trials of the device have been completed and it is used in patients with damage to the cervical spinal cord (tetraplegic). The device is convenient to operate when placed in the human oral cavity and provides effective remote control of the computer.

Claims

CLAIM

A coordinate input device for remote control of a computer without hands, containing an electrically connected power supply unit, setting coordinates and controlling the computer cursor with a coordinate device adapted to be placed in the oral cavity, a signal processing unit, a transmitter, at least two functional contact buttons for executing the functions of the mouse buttons, electrically connecting the coordinate device with the signal processing unit, and at least one control contact kn a control box for controlling the functions of a computer keyboard, electrically connecting a coordinate device with a signal processing unit, characterized in that the coordinate device is equipped with a folding protrusion, a loop of conductive tracks, a microcontroller located in the cable and included in the circuit of the conductive tracks, an electrical connector mounted on the end a loop of conductive tracks with the possibility of its electrical connection with the signal processing unit, the coordinate device is made in the form of a hollow a disk with a radially rounded outer edge, the inner cavity of the disk is formed by a first layer and a second layer of flexible polymer film connected along the outer contour, the first layer of the hollow disk has the shape of a hemisphere concave inside the disk cavity, and the second layer has a flat shape, on the inner surface of the concave hemisphere a resistive layer is deposited on the disk, and on the inner surface of the second layer there are applied concentric conductive paths, grouped into four mutually perpendicular sectors, while concentric koprovodyaschie track adjacent sectors are separated from each other common conductive path, the distance between all of the mentioned conductive paths decreases from the center of the disk to the periphery, the first and second layer of the polymer film are connected to each other in the Central part of the hollow disk with the formation of a jumper, the folding protrusion and the loop of the conductive paths are formed by the first and second polymer layer films fastened along their flat surface, the folding protrusion and the loop are connected to the edge of the disk, the functional contact buttons and the control contact button are placed in the folding protrusion Concentric wirings, said contact button and the microcontroller via wirings and loop connector electrically connected to the signal processing unit.