Brain imaging communication system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a brain imaging communication system and method, and the system comprises a main control module, a multiplexer, and a brain imaging device. The communication method comprises the following steps: the main control module sends an initial signal, a communication target address and a read / write command, judges whether the multiplexer carries out feedback or not, and receives control switch data or sends a stop signal according to a feedback result; the main control module sends a starting signal, a communication target address, a read / write command and a control register address, judges whether the brain imaging device carries out feedback or not, and receives collection state data or sends a stop signal according to a feedback result. According to the invention, one-to-many communication between one main control module and a plurality of brain imaging devices is realized, the problem of insufficient I2C interfaces of the main control module can be effectively solved, the communication efficiency is effectively improved, and the use cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of brain imaging and brain regulation, and in particular to a brain imaging communication system and a communication method. Background Art

[0002] Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive brain function monitoring technology that infers brain activity by detecting changes in the absorption of near-infrared light by the cerebral cortex. Its principle is based on the fact that near-infrared light of different wavelengths will be absorbed by hemoglobin when penetrating brain tissue, especially the different absorption characteristics of oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR). fNIRS technology uses this characteristic to place a near-infrared light source on the surface of the scalp, measure the light signal reflected from the scalp, and then analyze the changes in cerebral blood flow to reflect the activity status of different areas of the brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy brain functional imaging technology has high temporal resolution and good spatial resolution, and the equipment is relatively portable and easy to operate. Therefore, it is widely used in cognitive neuroscience, clinical diagnosis, and brain function research in children and the elderly. It is particularly suitable for real-time monitoring of brain activity, especially in laboratory or clinical environments, because it does not require electrode implantation and the patient or subject has a high degree of comfort.

[0003] Existing fNIRS brain imaging devices require multiple small analog front ends (AFEs) to amplify, filter, and convert the weak light signals collected by optical sensors into analog signals for further processing and analysis. Since the analog front end usually needs to be connected to multiple optical sensors, and each sensor requires a corresponding signal processing circuit, it is necessary to coordinate the work of each AFE through multiple main control modules. In existing fNIRS brain imaging devices, the number of I2C interfaces of the main control module is limited, and it is usually unable to support multiplexing and parallel communication of multiple AFEs. In addition, the communication rate and transmission stability are poor, which will cause the system response time to be extended when the data volume is large, affecting the real-time performance of the data. Summary of the invention

[0004] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art and to propose a brain imaging communication system and a communication method.

[0006] In order to achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a brain imaging communication system, comprising:

[0007] A main control module, which is used to send and receive communication data, control and switch multiplexer communication channels, and communicate with the brain imaging device;

[0008] A multiplexer, the multiplexer is used to identify the communication data sent by the main control module, and select and switch the communication channel between the main control module and the brain imaging device;

[0009] A brain imaging device is used to monitor brain imaging data of multiple different brain regions and transmit the data to a main control module through the multiplexer.

[0010] In some of the embodiments, the main control module and the multiplexer are electrically connected via a main I2C communication signal line, the multiplexer and the brain imaging device are electrically connected via multiple slave I2C communication signal lines, and the main control module, the multiplexer and the brain imaging device are powered by a power supply.

[0011] In some of the embodiments, the brain imaging device includes a plurality of brain imaging boards, which are symmetrically arranged, and each of the brain imaging boards is electrically connected to the multiplexer via an I2C communication signal line.

[0012] In some embodiments, the brain imaging board includes a light emitting diode, a light detector and an analog front end, wherein the light emitting diode and the light detector are symmetrically arranged relative to the analog front end, and the analog front end is electrically connected to the light emitting diode and the light detector.

[0013] In some embodiments, the communication data includes a start signal, communication transmission data, a feedback signal and a stop signal, and the main control module identifies the feedback signal of the multiplexer and the brain imaging device through the communication data for communication transmission.

[0014] In some embodiments, the communication transmission data includes communication device address data and acquisition device address data, the communication device address data is used to configure multiplexer control and switch communication channels, and the acquisition device address data is used to configure analog front-end response and read and write data.

[0015] In some embodiments, the communication device address data includes a communication target address, a read / write command and control switch data, and the main control module controls the communication signal line level output state and selects the multiplexer communication channel through the communication device address data.

[0016] In some of the embodiments, the acquisition device address data includes an acquisition target address, a read / write command, and register control data. The main control module controls the communication signal line level output state and selects the brain imaging device acquisition channel through the acquisition device address data.

[0017] In some of the embodiments, the feedback signal includes correct transmission and error loss, and the main control module determines multiple times through the feedback signal whether the multiplexer and the brain imaging device have fed back and then performs read and write communication operations.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a brain imaging communication method, which is performed via the brain imaging communication system as described in the first aspect, and the communication method steps include:

[0019] S100, the main control module sends a start signal, a communication target address and a read / write command, determines whether the multiplexer performs feedback, and receives control switch data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result;

[0020] S200, the main control module sends a start signal, a communication target address, a read / write command and a control register address, determines whether the brain imaging device performs feedback, and receives acquisition status data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result.

[0021] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The present invention provides a brain imaging communication system and a communication method. The brain imaging communication system consists of a main control module, a multiplexer and a brain imaging device. The main control module sends and receives communication data through an I2C communication protocol, controls and switches the communication channel of the multiplexer, and communicates with a specific small analog front end, thereby controlling a specific light-emitting diode and a light detector through a register, monitoring brain imaging data of multiple different areas of the brain, and realizing one-to-many communication between a main control module and multiple brain imaging devices. The problem of insufficient I2C interface of the main control module can be effectively solved, the communication efficiency is effectively improved, and the use cost is reduced.

[0023] Studying a communication paradigm using fNIRS near-infrared spectroscopy imaging BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 The hardware framework diagram of the brain imaging communication system of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2It is a structural connection diagram of the brain imaging communication system of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 Write communication protocols for the master control module and multiplexer of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 Reading communication protocols for the master control module and the multiplexer of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 Write communication protocols for the master control module and analog front end of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 Reading communication protocols for the master control module and analog front end of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 The process of the brain imaging communication method of the present invention is Figure 1 ;

[0031] Figure 8 The process of the brain imaging communication method of the present invention is Figure 2 ;

[0032] Fig. 9 The process of the brain imaging communication method of the present invention is Figure 3 ;

[0033] Fig.10 The process of the brain imaging communication method of the present invention is Figure 4 ;

[0034] Fig.11 The process of the brain imaging communication method of the present invention is Figure 5 ;

[0035] Legend:

[0036] 1. Main control module; 2. Multiplexer; 3. Brain imaging device; 31. Brain imaging board; 311. Light emitting diode; 312. Photo detector; 313. Analog front end; 4. Power supply. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] The existing fNIRS brain imaging device needs to use multiple small analog front ends (Analog Front-End, AFE) to amplify, filter and convert the weak light signals collected by the optical sensor into analog signals for further processing and analysis when performing brain imaging. The embodiment of the present application provides a brain imaging communication system and communication method, which solves the problem that the analog front end usually needs to be connected to multiple optical sensors, and each sensor requires a corresponding signal processing circuit, so it is necessary to coordinate the work of each AFE through multiple main control modules. In the existing fNIRS brain imaging device, the number of I2C interfaces of the main control module is limited, and it is usually unable to support multiplexing and parallel communication of multiple AFEs, and the communication rate and transmission stability are poor. When the amount of data is large, it will cause the system response time to be extended, affecting the real-time performance of the data.

[0039] The entire brain imaging communication system consists of a main control module, a multiplexer and a brain imaging device. The main control module sends and receives communication data through the I2C communication protocol, controls and switches the multiplexer communication channel, and communicates with a specific small analog front end, thereby controlling specific light-emitting diodes and light detectors through registers, monitoring brain imaging data from multiple different areas of the brain, and realizing one-to-many communication between a main control module and multiple brain imaging devices. This can effectively solve the problem of insufficient I2C interface of the main control module, effectively improve communication efficiency, and reduce usage costs.

[0040] Please refer to the following examples for details:

[0041] Reference Figure 1-Figure 2 The present invention provides an embodiment of a brain imaging communication system, the specific structure of which includes: a main control module 1, a multiplexer 2 and a brain imaging device 3.

[0042] Among them, the main control module 1 is used to send and receive communication data, control and switch the communication channel of the multiplexer 2 based on the communication protocol, and realize communication with the brain imaging device 3 by stipulating the data transmission protocol between the master device (main control module 1) and other slave devices (multiplexer 2 and brain imaging device 3), including data format, start and stop signals, response mechanism, etc. When in use, the main control module 1 communicates with other devices by generating a clock signal (SCL) and a data signal (SDA) according to the timing requirements of the I2C protocol.

[0043] Specifically, the main control module 1 and the multiplexer 2 are electrically connected through a main I2C communication signal line, the multiplexer 2 and the brain imaging device 3 are electrically connected through multiple slave I2C communication signal lines, and the main control module 1, the multiplexer 2 and the brain imaging device 3 are powered by a power supply 4.

[0044] Furthermore, the multiplexer 2 is used to identify the communication data sent by the main control module 1, and select and switch the communication channel between the main control module 1 and the brain imaging device 3. The I2C multiplexer 2 is a device based on the principle of electronic switching, with multiple input channels and one or more output channels. The internal electronic switch is used to select which input channel is connected to the output channel, and the state of the electronic switch inside the multiplexer 2 is changed based on the I2C protocol control signal. When the main control module 1 sends a specific I2C address and control byte, the I2C multiplexer 2 will recognize this signal, realize the selection of the data transmission path, and then select a specific brain imaging device 3 to communicate with the main control module 1, realizing one-to-many communication between a main control module 1 and multiple brain imaging devices 3, which can effectively solve the problem of insufficient I2C interface of the main control module 1, effectively improve communication efficiency, and reduce use costs.

[0045] Furthermore, the brain imaging device 3 is used to monitor brain imaging data of multiple different brain regions and transmit the data to the main control module 1 through the multiplexer 2 .

[0046] Exemplarily, the brain imaging device 3 includes a brain imaging board 31, which is symmetrically arranged, and each brain imaging board 31 is electrically connected to the multiplexer 2 via an I2C communication signal line; and each brain imaging board 31 includes a fixed-wavelength light emitting diode 311 (Light Emitting Diode, LED), a fixed-wavelength photodetector 312 (Photodetector, PD) and an analog front-end 313 (Analog Front-End, AFE), the light emitting diode 311 and the photodetector 312 are symmetrically arranged relative to the analog front-end, and the analog front-end is electrically connected to the light emitting diode 311 and the photodetector 312.

[0047] In the brain imaging board 31, the light emitting diode 311 is a light source with a fixed wavelength, which emits near-infrared light of a specific wavelength to the brain tissue. After being absorbed, scattered and reflected by the brain tissue, the light is received by the light detector 312, and the light signal is converted into a photocurrent signal based on the photoelectric effect, providing input for the signal processing of the small analog front end 313, amplifying the received weak photocurrent signal (the light signal is very weak when converted into a photocurrent signal, so it is necessary to amplify the weak input signal according to a certain amplification factor so that the signal strength reaches a level that can be effectively processed by the subsequent circuit) and filtering (in the actual brain imaging environment, the received light signal may be subject to various interferences, such as ambient light noise, electromagnetic interference, etc., so it is necessary to remove the interference frequency components and only retain the effective frequency components related to the near-infrared light signal), and convert the analog signal into a digital signal for subsequent transmission and processing, thereby realizing the detection of the light signal reflected from the brain tissue.

[0048] Please continue reading Figure 3-Figure 6 It should be noted that the communication data includes a start signal (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 START, S), communication transmission data (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 Device Address, Target Address, ControlRegister Address, R / W, DATA, etc.), feedback signal (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 ACK / NACK) and stop signal (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 In the process, the main control module 1 recognizes the feedback signals of the multiplexer 2 and the brain imaging device 3 through the communication data to perform communication transmission.

[0049] Exemplarily, the communication transmission data includes communication device address data and acquisition device address data, the communication device address data is used to configure the multiplexer 2 to control and switch the communication channel, and the acquisition device address data is used to configure the analog front end 313 to respond and read and write data.

[0050] The communication device address data includes the communication target address (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 Device Address), read / write commands (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 R / W) and control switch data (corresponding Figure 3-Figure 6 In the Control Register), the main control module 1 controls the level output state of the communication signal line and selects the communication channel of the multiplexer 2 through the communication device address data.

[0051] The acquisition device address data includes the acquisition target address (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 Target Address), read / write commands (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 R / W), register control data (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 DATA), the main control module 1 controls the level output state of the communication signal line and selects the acquisition channel of the brain imaging device 3 by acquiring device address data.

[0052] The feedback signal includes the correct transmission (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 ACK) and error loss (corresponding to Figure 3-Figure 6 The main control module 1 determines whether the multiplexer 2 and the brain imaging device 3 have fed back through the feedback signal for multiple times before performing read and write communication operations.

[0053] Reference Figure 7-Figure 11 The present invention also provides an embodiment of a brain imaging communication method, which is executed via the brain imaging communication system in the above embodiment, and the communication method steps include:

[0054] S100, the main control module 1 sends a start signal, a communication target address and a read / write command, determines whether the multiplexer 2 performs feedback, and receives control switch data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result;

[0055] S200, the main control module 1 sends a start signal, a communication target address, a read / write command and a control register address, determines whether the brain imaging device 3 performs feedback, and receives acquisition status data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result.

[0056] Please continue reading Figure 3-Figure 6 In the actual communication process, it is necessary to configure the I2C multiplexer 2 first, then configure the analog front end 313, and then control the light emitting diode 311 and the light detector 312 to complete the brain imaging data monitoring.

[0057] Please continue reading Figure 8 , write the communication process for the main control module 1 circuit board and I2C multiplexer 2:

[0058] After sending the start signal (S), the master control module 1 continues to send the device address of multiplexer 2 (including 7-bit target address + 1-bit write operation, releasing the data signal line to a high level, and waiting for the I2C multiplexer 2 to respond); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks a correct transmission (ACK, the I2C multiplexer 2 pulls the data transmission line level down to respond), the master control module 1 sends the control switch data (8-bit target channel). If the multiplexer 2 feedbacks an error loss (NACK, the I2C multiplexer 2 does not send the data If the transmission line level is pulled down to respond), the master control module 1 sends a stop signal (P); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks correct transmission (ACK), the write communication operation is performed through the corresponding communication channel (bit7-bit0 are controlled separately, I2C1 bit7=1, 8-bit data is 0X80, the data signal line is released to a high level, and the I2C multiplexer 2 is waiting for a response), and the next step is to send a stop signal (P); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks an error loss (NACK), the master control module 1 sends a stop signal (P);

[0059] Please continue reading Fig. 9, read the communication process for the main control module 1 circuit board and I2C multiplexer 2: the main control module 1 sends the start signal (S) and then continues to send the multiplexer 2 device address (including 7-bit target address + 1-bit read operation, releases the data signal line to a high level, and waits for the I2C multiplexer 2 to respond); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks the correct transmission (ACK, the I2C multiplexer 2 pulls the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends the control switch data; if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks the error loss (NACK, the I2C multiplexer 2 If the multiplexer 2 does not pull the data transmission line level down to respond), the master control module 1 sends a stop signal (P); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks correct transmission (ACK), the corresponding communication channel (bit7-bit0 are controlled separately, I2C1 bit7=1, 8-bit data is 0X80, the data signal line is released to a high level, and the I2C multiplexer 2 is waiting for a response) is used for read communication operation, and the next step is to send a stop signal (P); if the multiplexer 2 feedbacks an error loss (NACK), the master control module 1 sends a stop signal (P);

[0060] Please continue reading Fig.10 , which is the communication process between the main control module 1 circuit board and the analog front end 313 after a certain channel of the I2C multiplexer 2 is opened: the module sends the start signal (S) and then continues to send the analog front end 313 (AFE) device address (including 7-bit target address + 1-bit write operation, releasing the data signal line to a high level, waiting for AFE to respond); if the analog front end 313 feedbacks correct transmission (ACK, AFE pulls the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends the register address (8-bit target address, releases the data signal line to a high level, waiting for AFE to respond); if the AFE feedbacks an error loss (NACK, AFE does not pull the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P); if the analog front end 313 (AFE) feedbacks correct transmission (A CK, AFE pulls the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends register control data (DATA, releases the data signal line to a high level, and waits for AFE to respond). If AFE feedback error is lost (NACK, AFE does not pull the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P); after repeatedly sending control register data for multiple times, if the analog front end 313 (AFE) feedbacks correct transmission (ACK), the corresponding communication channel (bit7-bit0 is controlled respectively, I2C1 bit7=1, 8-bit data is 0X80, the data signal line is released to a high level, and waits for I2C multiplexer 2 to respond) is used for write communication operation. If AFE feedback error is lost (NACK), the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P);

[0061] Please continue reading Fig.11, which is the communication process between the main control module 1 circuit board and the analog front end 313 after a certain channel of the I2C multiplexer 2 is opened: the module sends a start signal (S) and then continues to send the analog front end 313 (AFE) device address (including 7-bit target address + 1-bit write operation, releasing the data signal line to a high level, waiting for AFE to respond); if the analog front end 313 (AFE) feedbacks correct transmission (ACK, AFE pulls the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends the register address (8-bit target address, releases the data signal line to a high level, waiting for AFE to respond), if (AFE) feedbacks error loss (NACK, AFE does not pull the data transmission line level down to respond), the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P); if the analog front end 313 (AFE) feedbacks correct transmission (ACK), the module sends a start signal (S) and then continues to send the analog front end The device address of terminal 313 (AFE) (including 7-bit target address + 1-bit read operation); if the analog front end 313 feedbacks correct transmission (ACK), the main control module 1 receives the 8-bit register data (DATA[23-16]) of the analog front end. In the next step, the main control module 1 responds to ACK (if NACK, the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P) to stop receiving the analog front end register data), and continues to receive the next byte of register data (DATA[15-8]) of the analog front end AFE. In the next step, the main control module 1 responds to ACK (if NACK, the main control module 1 sends a stop signal (P) to stop receiving the analog front end register data), and continues to receive the next byte of register data (DATA[7-0]) of the analog front end AFE. Finally, the main control module 1 feedbacks NACK (AFE data has been received and no more data needs to be received), and sends a stop signal (P).

[0062] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or to make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A brain imaging communication system, characterized in that: include: A main control module (1), the main control module (1) is used to send and receive communication data, control and switch the communication channel of the multiplexer (2), and communicate with the brain imaging device (3); A multiplexer (2), the multiplexer (2) being used to identify the communication data sent by the main control module (1), and to select and switch the communication channel between the main control module (1) and the brain imaging device (3); A brain imaging device (3), wherein the brain imaging device (3) is used to monitor brain imaging data of multiple different brain regions and transmit the data to the main control module (1) through the multiplexer (2).

2. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main control module (1) and the multiplexer (2) are electrically connected via a main I2C communication signal line, the multiplexer (2) and the brain imaging device (3) are electrically connected via a plurality of slave I2C communication signal lines, and the main control module (1), the multiplexer (2) and the brain imaging device (3) are powered by a power supply (4).

3. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The brain imaging device (3) comprises a plurality of brain imaging boards (31), wherein the brain imaging boards (31) are symmetrically arranged, and each of the brain imaging boards (31) is electrically connected to the multiplexer (2) via an I2C communication signal line.

4. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The brain imaging board (31) comprises a light emitting diode (311), a light detector (312) and an analog front end (313); the light emitting diode (311) and the light detector (312) are symmetrically arranged relative to the analog front end; and the analog front end is electrically connected to the light emitting diode (311) and the light detector (312).

5. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The communication data includes a start signal, communication transmission data, a feedback signal and a stop signal. The main control module (1) identifies the feedback signals of the multiplexer (2) and the brain imaging device (3) through the communication data to perform communication transmission.

6. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The communication transmission data includes communication device address data and acquisition device address data, the communication device address data is used to configure the multiplexer (2) to control and switch the communication channel, and the acquisition device address data is used to configure the analog front end (313) to respond and read and write data.

7. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The communication device address data includes a communication target address, a read / write command and control switch data. The main control module (1) controls the level output state of the communication signal line and selects the communication channel of the multiplexer (2) through the communication device address data.

8. A brain imaging communication system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The acquisition device address data includes an acquisition target address, a read / write command, and register control data. The main control module (1) controls the level output state of the communication signal line and selects the acquisition channel of the brain imaging device (3) through the acquisition device address data.

9. The brain imaging communication system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feedback signal includes correct transmission and error loss. The main control module (1) determines multiple times through the feedback signal whether the multiplexer (2) and the brain imaging device (3) have fed back and then performs read and write communication operations.

10. A brain imaging communication method, characterized in that: The communication method is performed via the brain imaging communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the steps of the communication method include: S100, the main control module (1) sends a start signal, a communication target address and a read / write command, determines whether the multiplexer (2) performs feedback, and receives control switch data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result; S200, the main control module (1) sends a start signal, a communication target address, a read / write command and a control register address, determines whether the brain imaging device (3) performs feedback, and receives acquisition status data or sends a stop signal according to the feedback result.

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