Pain detection method

Abstract

A method for obtaining a measure of pain in a user at home is provided. The proposed concept is to measure pain by utilizing sensor data obtained from force and / or motion sensors integrated in a personal care device (e.g., an oral care device) during each of one or more personal care sessions of a user. Patterns in sensor data, or changes in the patterns, may be used to infer pain information, such as an overall pain level, pain response events at certain points and / or at certain locations during a personal care session, or increased sensitivity at certain body regions. This provides more objective and reliable estimation and monitoring of oral pain of a user that relies on patient (subjective) pain reports.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and system for measuring pain of a user. Background Art

[0002] After dental treatments (e.g., tooth extractions, periodontal pocket cleaning, scaling, root canals, oral surgery), dental practitioners rarely or cannot monitor the patient's healing process. Patients may believe that any pain experienced after treatment is normal, and therefore will not alert the dental practitioner, however, such pain may instead be a sign of a problem. As a result, problems may be missed, leading to medical complications or worse clinical outcomes. This is harmful to the patient and also to the dental practitioner, and damages the dentist-patient relationship.

[0003] In a survey conducted by the applicant, in which 45 dental professionals were interviewed, the most prominent concern was the lack of information on the patient's recovery progress following treatment.

[0004] The same problem also applies to monitoring patient status following a dental consultation where the patient reports pain, but no treatment is given. The dentist may ask the patient to monitor the condition and recontact if the pain gets worse or does not subside. The patient may lose track of their pain progression, may adapt to the pain and therefore begin to ignore it, and thereby not follow up with booking follow-up appointments with the dental practitioner. This may cause an initially minor problem to become worse, with detrimental consequences for the patient's dental health.

[0005] Similar problems may also exist outside the field of oral health, for example in relation to skin health conditions in the field of dermatology. Dermatologists can provide treatment for the skin, but are unable to subsequently track the progression of the condition. Another example is the field of muscle and joint pain, where it is difficult to monitor improvements without regular medical examinations.

[0006] Therefore, a means to facilitate easier and more objective monitoring of a patient's status after treatment or consultation would be valuable. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention is defined by the claims.

[0008] According to an example in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method for determining a measure of user pain during one or more personal care sessions in which the user uses a personal care device is provided. The method includes: obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors integrated in the personal care device, the sensor data indicating personal care actions performed by the user using the device during the one or more personal care sessions; determining information indicating user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions based on an analysis of patterns in the sensor data; and generating a data item indicating the information, the information indicating user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions.

[0009] In some embodiments, the sensor may include one or more force and / or motion sensors. In some embodiments, the sensor may include one or more operating signal sensors adapted to output an operating signal indicative of an operating parameter of the personal care device, the operating parameter being related to a physical interaction between the personal care device and a body surface.

[0010] One purpose of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a means for semi-objectively monitoring the pain level of a patient at home. The technical solution proposed by the inventor is: efficiently utilizing sensors (e.g., force and / or motion sensors) integrated in personal care devices (such as electric toothbrushes or shavers) to indirectly infer the user's pain level. As will be explained below, the inventor has realized that the patterns in this sensor data can be used to infer the user's personal care behavior patterns in each personal care session, and these behavior patterns can be used to infer the user's pain experience. As will become clear, there are a variety of different ways to achieve this. For example, it will be obvious that when a user feels pain, it is often followed by a reflexive motion response, and therefore it will be easy to understand how the data of a motion or force sensor can be used to detect this. Similarly, it will be recognized that the pressure applied and the pattern of brushing are usually different in the anatomical region of pain compared to the anatomical region of no pain. Therefore, the inventor has realized that the user's pain can be very efficiently and effectively monitored by the patterns in the personal care device sensor data.

[0011] One application field is in the field of oral care. In some embodiments, the personal care device is an oral care device, the aforementioned personal care action is a cleaning action, and the personal care session is an oral cleaning session. In other embodiments, the personal care device can be a skin care device, such as a phototherapy device, and the personal care action is a skin care action, and the personal care session is a skin care session. In other embodiments, the personal care device is a hair-grooming device, such as a razor, and the personal care action is a hair-grooming action (e.g., shaving), and the personal care session is a hair-grooming session (e.g., shaving). In other embodiments, the personal care device is a muscle / joint care device (e.g., a massage device). In each case, the personal care device is a device for applying to an area of ​​the user's body for a care function, thereby causing physical stimulation to one or more areas of the body by such application during care. Therefore, the normal use of the device inherently requires systematic physical detection of one or more areas of the body, thereby causing a pain response, and the pain response can be measured by monitoring patterns in sensor data.

[0012] As noted, the one or more sensors may include one or more force and / or motion sensors, and / or one or more operating signal sensors adapted to output operating signals indicative of operating parameters of the personal care device, the operating parameters being related to the physical interaction of the personal care device and the body surface. An example of an operating parameter is an electrical drive signal associated with an actuating device that actuates a portion of the personal care device that is designed to come into contact with the user during use, such as a transmission system mechanism that drives vibrations of a body contacting portion of an electric toothbrush or shaver, or a motor mechanism that drives a body contacting portion of a massage device. The electrical characteristics of the drive signal may vary depending on the applied pressure, because the applied pressure exerts more physical resistance on the actuating mechanism. Another example of an operating parameter is a jet of an oral rinsing device or an electric flossing device.

[0013] Note that the integrated force and / or motion sensor may be a sensor that is also used for other sensing purposes, such as monitoring the user's brushing behavior (in the case of oral care) in order to provide feedback and suggestions on brushing coverage and brushing technique. Thus, in practice, the sensors used in accordance with the proposed inventive concept may already be integrated in a personal care device. In some embodiments, the inventive concept may even be implemented purely through software updates, utilizing existing hardware in a personal care device.

[0014] In some embodiments, information indicative of user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions is also determined based on reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort. In a simple example, this could be a reference level of pressure that the user would normally apply when they are not in pain. This could be collected, for example, prior to treatment to provide a baseline against which future sensor data patterns can be compared.

[0015] In some embodiments, the reference sensor pattern information may include one or more characteristic pattern features that each indicate a user pain response at a given moment during a personal care session or user comfort during a given period of a cleaning session. Here, it is proposed that the reference information includes certain standardized waveform features or patterns that indicate a user pain response or user comfort. For example, a sudden spike in movement in a direction away from the tooth surface may indicate a pain response. A continuous high amplitude brushing motion may indicate comfort.

[0016] In some embodiments, the information indicative of pain to the user includes detecting one or more of the characteristic pattern features within at least one sensor signal waveform included in the sensor data. In other words, detecting certain signature waveform features, such as waveform patterns, shapes, or morphologies, that are indicative of a pain event or indicative of comfort.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining information indicating user pain includes determining information indicating user pain over time during each of one or more personal care sessions. For example, a pain signal may be determined that indicates pain levels over time.

[0018] Alternatively, the information indicative of the user's pain may include one or more indicators or metrics indicative of pain throughout a session or a portion of a session, such as a statistical measure of pain or an average measure of pain, or a maximum or minimum level of pain, or the like.

[0019] In some embodiments, information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting one or more inflection points in at least one sensor signal waveform included in the sensor data, the one or more inflection points indicating user pain response events during a given personal care session. Here, the characteristic pattern features are inflection points in the signal.

[0020] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the sensor data includes a pressure sensor waveform that indicates the pressure applied by a portion of the personal care device to a body or anatomical surface (e.g., an oral surface in the case of oral care or a skin surface in the case of skin care or hair grooming) during use, and wherein information indicative of pain for the user is determined based on the pressure signal. In some instances, the pressure signal itself can be used as a direct proxy for pain because when a user is in pain, they will generally press less hard than when the user feels comfortable.

[0021] Additionally or alternatively, pain information may be inferred from certain characteristic pattern features in the pressure sensor signal.

[0022] For example, in some embodiments, information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting troughs in the pressure sensor waveform, the troughs indicating a drop in pressure applied during a subinterval of a given personal care session. Here, the characteristic pattern feature is a trough in the signal. The drop in pressure is an indication that the user is experiencing pain.

[0023] In some embodiments, the reference sensor data pattern information includes reference sensor data acquired for the same user at a time or location on the body / anatomy known to be associated with a baseline pain state (e.g., a location in the mouth for oral care or a location on the skin for skin care or hair grooming), and optionally, where the baseline pain state is a low pain state. For example, this can be data acquired before treatment and associated with a low pain state, or data acquired from another area in the mouth or another area on the skin relative to the affected area (e.g., the opposite side of the mouth or the opposite side of the body) and associated with a low pain state.

[0024] In some embodiments, the sensor data includes a motion sensor signal, and wherein the information indicative of pain to the user is determined based on detecting an inflection point in the motion, the inflection point being indicative of a user's response to locally experienced pain.

[0025] Here, the characteristic pattern feature comprises an upward inflection point in the motion sensor signal.The motion sensor may comprise an inertial sensor such as an accelerometer.

[0026] In some embodiments, the sensor data includes a motion sensor signal, and wherein information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting periods of alternating motion in the motion sensor signal, the alternating motion indicating a brushing action of the user, and wherein the amplitude or duration of the periods of alternating motion is used to infer the patient's comfort level.

[0027] In some embodiments, the sensor data comprises position sensor data, and wherein the method comprises determining information indicative of user pain according to position (i.e., according to a position on / in an anatomical structure to which the device is applied). In some embodiments, if the personal care device is an oral care device, the sensor data comprises position sensor data, and wherein the method comprises determining information indicative of user pain according to a position in the mouth.

[0028] In some embodiments, information indicative of user pain during each of one or more personal care sessions is determined based on reference sensor pattern information including one or more characteristic pattern features, each of which indicates a user pain response at a given moment during the personal care session or user comfort during a given period of time in the personal care session. In some embodiments, determining a measure indicative of user pain according to location is based on using location sensor data to relate each of the detected characteristic pattern features to a corresponding location, such as a corresponding location on the body, such as a corresponding location on / in an anatomical structure to which the personal care device is intended to be applied. In some embodiments, the method further includes generating a pain map indicative of user pain according to location, and optionally transmitting the generated pain map to a user interface for display on the user interface.

[0029] In some embodiments, the sensor in the personal care device may be a pre-existing sensor that is already used for other functions. In other words, the method may also include processing the sensor data for the purpose of performing one or more other operating functions of the device. Thus, there is a structural efficiency in reusing the same sensor.

[0030] The present invention may also be embodied in software. Therefore, another aspect of the present invention is a computer program product comprising computer program code means configured to, when run on a processor, cause the processor to perform a method according to the embodiments described in this document or according to any claim of this application.

[0031] The present invention may also be embodied in hardware. Therefore, another aspect of the present invention is a processing device comprising: an input / output portion; and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to: receive sensor data generated by one or more sensors integrated in a personal care device at the input / output portion, the sensor data indicating personal care actions performed by a user using the device during one or more personal care sessions; based on an analysis of patterns in the sensor data, and optionally based on reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort, determine information indicating user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions; and generate a data item indicating the determined information indicating user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions, and preferably route the data item to the input / output portion for export from the processing device.

[0032] The processing device may be integrated into the personal care device itself and may include a communication module for transmitting information indicative of the user's pain to an external device (eg, a memory or computing device).

[0033] The processing device may be a processing device of an external computing device (e.g., a mobile computing device), and wherein the sensor data is received via communication with a personal care device or a data storage device (e.g., a cloud-based data storage device) with which the personal care device communicates.

[0034] The processing device may be a cloud-based processing device.

[0035] Another aspect of the invention is a system comprising: a personal care device comprising: one or more sensors configured to generate sensor data indicative of personal care actions performed by a user using the device during one or more personal care sessions; and a processing device as outlined above or in accordance with any embodiment described in this document, and arranged to receive the generated sensor data as input at an input / output. In one set of embodiments, the personal care device is an oral care device.

[0036] In some embodiments, the processing device may be integrated into a personal care device.

[0037] In some embodiments, the processing device may be comprised by a computing device external to the personal care device that is communicatively coupled to the personal care device or a data storage device that is communicatively coupled to the personal care device.

[0038] In some embodiments, the processing device may be a cloud-based processing device.

[0039] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] For a better understanding of the invention, and in order to more clearly show how the invention may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] Figure 1 The steps of an example method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention are outlined;

[0042] Figure 2 is a block diagram of components of an example processing device and system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 3 shows brushing action sensor data recorded in the form of a brushing pressure signal, which can be used to infer user pain from troughs in the brushing pressure signal;

[0044] Figure 4 shows brushing action sensor data recorded in the form of motion data in a direction away from the tooth surface, which can be used to infer user pain from upward inflection points or spikes in the signal;

[0045] Figure 5 shows brushing motion sensor data recorded in the form of motion data in directions within the plane of the tooth surface and shows how user pain can be inferred from reduced amplitude in alternating brushing motion patterns; and

[0046] Figure 6 and Figure 7 An example graph comparing average brushing pressure over a monitoring period including a period before and after treatment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating exemplary embodiments of the device, system and method, are intended only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the device, system and method of the present invention will become better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are only schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to indicate the same or similar parts.

[0049] The present invention provides a method for obtaining a measure of a user's pain in one or more anatomical regions or zones at home. The proposed concept is to measure pain by utilizing sensor data obtained from a usage sensor (e.g., a force and / or motion sensor) integrated in a personal care device during each of one or more personal care sessions of the user. Patterns in the sensor data or changes in the patterns can be used to infer pain information, such as overall pain levels, pain response events at certain points during a personal care session and / or at certain locations, or increased sensitivity in certain anatomical regions. This provides a more objective and reliable estimate and monitoring of a user's personal care pain than relying on patient (subjective) reports of pain.

[0050] The concept is based on the principle that systematic use of personal care devices is something that users do on a daily basis at regular and reliable points in time, and that normal use generally requires the application of a series of systematic physical stimuli to the anatomical structure or different regions of the anatomical structure. Therefore, this provides an efficient way to measure pain information associated with the relevant anatomical structure and use data captured from sensors associated with the personal care device.

[0051] By way of example, one field of application is for use with an oral care device (e.g. for oral cleaning). Since teeth cleaning is something that people usually already do twice a day, the monitoring method can be integrated very easily and efficiently in the normal daily life of the user, so that compliance may be very high. Moreover, the force / motion sensor may already be integrated in the oral care device for other functional purposes, and therefore additional hardware requirements are minimal or none at all.

[0052] One advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that it enables clinical practitioners (e.g., dental practitioners, dermatologists, etc.) to remain informed of the progress of a patient's condition even when the patient is at home. This creates several advantages. It creates an improved patient experience by providing the patient with peace of mind that their practitioner is monitoring their healing. The staff experience is improved by providing practitioners with insight into how a patient's condition is progressing (or regressing). Clinical efficiency is also improved by optimizing practitioner time: for example, scheduling a follow-up appointment can be postponed until pain data indicates that there may be a problem that needs to be checked out. Another benefit is improved health outcomes. For example, monitoring of healing after treatment increases the chances of successful treatment.

[0053] Figure 1 The steps of an example computer-implemented method 10 according to one or more embodiments are summarized in block diagram form. These steps will be generally described before further explanation in the form of an exemplary embodiment.

[0054] The method 10 is for determining a measure of pain of a user during one or more personal care sessions in which the user uses a personal care device.

[0055] The method 10 includes obtaining 12 sensor data from one or more sensors integrated in a personal care device, the sensor data being indicative of personal care actions performed by a user using the device during one or more personal care sessions.

[0056] The method 10 also includes determining 14 information indicative of pain for the user during each of the one or more personal care sessions based on the analysis of patterns in the sensor data.

[0057] The method 10 further comprises generating 16 a data item indicative of information indicative of pain of the user during each of the one or more personal care sessions.

[0058] The method may also include generating a report based on the data items and sending the report via a communication channel to a remote computer, such as a computer accessible to a practitioner, such as a dental practitioner. For example, the report may be uploaded to a server, such as a cloud-based server or other server accessible to the practitioner. In this way, the practitioner may be informed of the patient's pain status.

[0059] As indicated above, the method may also be embodied in hardware form, for example in the form of a processing device configured to perform a method according to any example or embodiment described in this document or according to any claim of this application.

[0060] To further aid understanding, Figure 2 A schematic representation of an example processing device 32 configured to perform a method in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention is presented. The processing device is shown in the context of a system 30 that includes the processing device. The processing device alone represents one aspect of the present invention. The system 30 is another aspect of the present invention. The provided system need not include all of the hardware components shown; it may include only a subset of them.

[0061] The processing device comprises one or more processors 36 configured to perform the method according to the above summary, or according to any embodiment described in any claim of this document or this application. In the example shown, the processing device also comprises an input / output 34 or a communication interface. Figure 2In the example shown, the system 30 also includes one or more sensors for measuring sensed data indicating personal care actions performed by the user using the device during one or more personal care sessions. The one or more sensors are integrated into the personal care device 52 for use by the user. In some embodiments, the personal care device can be part of the system 30.

[0062] The one or more sensors may include one or more force and / or motion sensors for sensing the movement of the device and / or the force applied on or by the device. Additionally or alternatively, data from one or more operating signal sensors integrated in the oral care device may be used, the one or more operating signal sensors being suitable for outputting operating signals indicating operating parameters of the personal care device, the operating parameters being related to the physical interaction of the personal care device with the body surface. An example of an operating parameter is an electrical drive signal associated with an actuating device that actuates a portion of the personal care device, such as a transmission system mechanism that drives the vibration of an electric toothbrush or shaver, or a motor mechanism that drives a massage device. The electrical characteristics of the drive signal may vary depending on the applied pressure, because the applied pressure applies more physical resistance to the actuating mechanism. Another example of an operating parameter is a jet stream of an oral rinsing device or an electric dental floss device.

[0063] In some embodiments, the processing device 32 is integrated into the personal care device. In other embodiments, the processing device 32 may be comprised by a computing device external to the personal care device that is communicatively coupled to the personal care device or to a data storage device that is communicatively coupled to the personal care device. In other embodiments, the processing device 32 may be a cloud-based processing device.

[0064] In order to illustrate and illustrate the inventive concept, an example is presented below with reference to an oral care device, for which the aforementioned personal care action is a cleaning action, and the personal care session is an oral cleaning session. However, it will be appreciated that the principles outlined can be easily applied to other types of personal care devices, such as, by way of example, skin care devices (e.g., phototherapy devices), hair-cutting devices (e.g., shavers), or muscle / joint care devices (e.g., massage devices). For any personal care device, the device is generally designed to be applied to an area of ​​the user's body for a care function, thereby causing physical stimulation to one or more areas of the body by such application during a care session. Therefore, the normal use of the device inherently requires systematic physical detection of one or more areas of the body, thereby causing a pain response, and the pain response can be measured by monitoring patterns in sensor data. Therefore, it can be seen how the principles of the general inventive concept outlined above and described below can be used in any personal care device. Therefore, in the embodiments described below, references to oral care devices can be replaced by references to any other personal care devices without making substantial changes to the inventive principle. Likewise, references to cleaning actions may be replaced by references to personal care actions, and references to cleaning sessions may be replaced by references to personal care sessions.

[0065] In the case where the personal care device is an oral care device, in some embodiments the oral care device can be an electric toothbrush. The toothbrush can have a brush head that carries an array of cleaning elements (such as bristles). The integrated force and / or motion sensor can include a pressure sensor for sensing the applied pressure of the cleaning elements of the brush head to the teeth during operation. Such a pressure sensor can be integrated in the brush head itself, but more typically will be integrated in the handle portion of the toothbrush to which the brush head is attached. The brush head can be removably attached to the handle portion to enable replacement. The applied pressure to the teeth can be sensed, for example, via a cantilever pressure sensing method.

[0066] The integrated force and / or motion sensor may include a motion sensor for sensing the motion of the personal care device. The motion sensor may include or take the form of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which typically includes one or more accelerometers, such as a three-axis accelerometer device.

[0067] As mentioned previously, the present invention can also be embodied in software. Therefore, another aspect of the present invention is a computer program product comprising code means, which, when running on a processor, is configured to cause the processor to perform a method according to any example or embodiment of the present invention described in this document or according to any claim of this patent application.

[0068] There are different methods to perform analysis of patterns in sensor data in order to determine information indicative of pain for a user.

[0069] According to one method, the obtained sensor data includes a pressure sensor waveform indicating the applied pressure of a portion of a personal care device to a surface during use, and information indicating pain to the user is determined based on the pressure signal. For example, if the personal care device is an oral care device, such as an electric toothbrush device, the pressure sensor waveform can indicate the applied pressure of a brush head cleaning element (e.g., bristles) to a tooth / oral surface. Such pressure sensor data provides information indicating the cleaning action performed by the user using the device during one or more oral cleaning sessions, because the cleaning action involves the user pressing the cleaning element onto the oral / tooth surface with more force during the cleaning session. Similarly, if the personal care device is a hair-grooming device, such as a razor, the pressure sensor waveform can indicate the applied pressure of the razor shearing area to the user's skin during use. Such pressure sensor data provides information indicating the shaving action performed by the user during one or more shaving sessions. Similar principles apply to other types of personal care devices.

[0070] Application pressure sensor data is useful for inferring information indicative of user pain during a personal care session, as it is known that application pressure will be inversely correlated with the level of pain experienced (e.g., brushing pressure decreases as pain increases). Thus, analysis of patterns of pressure over the course of a single personal care cycle or multiple cycles can provide information about the user's pain experience. For example, in the simplest embodiment, observation of application pressure (e.g., brushing pressure) over the course of an entire personal care cycle (e.g., a cleaning cycle) will show a pattern whereby differences in the distribution of application pressure over time or location (e.g., compared to baseline measurements) will provide an indication of pain: that is, if an unexpected drop in pressure is seen in the pattern (where a fairly constant pressure would normally be observed), this may be an indication of a pain-causing anomaly in an area of ​​lower pressure. Even simpler than this, a standard threshold pressure may be set, and any drop in applied pressure below that threshold over a segment of the sampled signal is considered to be an indication of pain experience in the location of the anatomical structure (e.g., the mouth) to which the signal segment corresponds.

[0071] With respect to this group of embodiments, as a general approach, it can be stated that information indicating user pain during each personal care session in one or more personal care sessions can be further determined based on reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort. The reference sensor pattern information can include a reference pattern of baseline brushing pressure according to time (or location) during a personal care cycle, the reference pattern being personalized for the user, and wherein pain in a personal care session is detected by comparing the reference baseline pattern with a pattern measured in a new personal care session. More simply, the reference sensor pattern information can include one or more characteristic pattern features in the sensor signal waveform, each of which indicates a user pain response at a given moment during a personal care session, or user comfort during a given period of a personal care session. In particular, for a pressure sensor signal, the relevant characteristic pattern feature will be a trough or negative spike in the pressure sensor waveform, the trough or negative spike indicating a drop in pressure applied during a sub-interval of a given personal care session. For example, a trough in the signal where the pressure drops below a predefined threshold baseline pressure can indicate a pain event for a sub-interval of a personal care session where the pressure remains below the threshold. The threshold may be set based on a reference baseline pressure, such as that obtained prior to treatment, or otherwise obtained during a period or at an anatomical location associated with low or zero pain.

[0072] Figure 3 An example of a scenario in which an oral care device is used to perform a cleaning function is shown. Figure 3 An example brushing pressure signal as a function of time is shown. A trough in the signal is indicated by an arrow 62. During the sub-time interval spanned by the trough, the applied pressure is below a defined threshold 64, and therefore a pain event is determined to have occurred during the sub-time interval spanned by the trough. A trough 62 having a depth below the threshold 64 represents a characteristic pattern feature, the detection of which indicates that pain is experienced for the time period spanned by the trough.

[0073] Optionally, in some embodiments, the pressure signal as a function of time or position in the mouth can be converted into a signal indicating user pain as a function of time or position during each of one or more cleaning sessions. In a simple example, the pressure signal can be used directly as a proxy for pain, as it is expected to be inversely correlated with the pain experienced.

[0074] As mentioned above, the brushing pressure signal will be rendered more specifically by adding location information. The combination of the position sensor and the pressure sensor enables each pain event to be associated with an oral location. This allows the dentist or user to know if the pressure drop coincides with the location of a specific dental problem such as a post-treatment wound, whereby the signal can be attributed to the pain level with greater certainty.

[0075] Thus, in some embodiments, the obtained sensor data may include position sensor data, and wherein the method includes determining information indicative of user pain as a function of location in the mouth. Determining a measure indicative of user pain as a function of location in the mouth may be based on using the position sensor data to relate each of the detected troughs in the pressure signal to a corresponding location in the mouth. Further, the method may include generating a pain map indicative of user pain as a function of location in the mouth, and optionally transmitting the generated pain map to a user interface for display on the user interface.

[0076] Furthermore, it should be noted that utilizing position sensors to correlate pain events to locations in the mouth is not limited to embodiments using pressure sensors. Regardless of which specific force and / or motion sensor data is used to infer pain information, the additional use of position sensors allows for characteristic pattern features detected in the force / motion sensor signals and associated with pain to be correlated to locations in the mouth. As suggested above, the generation of pain maps is also more broadly compatible with any of the other described embodiments in this document.

[0077] According to another approach (which can be combined with or used in place of the pressure sensor approach already described), one or more motion sensing devices can be used to sense the movement of the personal care device. In this case, when severe pain is felt, the sensor signal can show a sudden (impulsive) movement of the personal care device. The movement can be, for example, perpendicular to (e.g., away from) an anatomical surface (e.g., a tooth surface), but sudden movement in any direction is possible following the sensation of pain. Here, the pain level can be inferred to increase with increasing motion impulses.

[0078] Thus, according to the method, the sensor data may include a motion sensor signal, and wherein the information indicative of pain to the user is determined based on detecting an inflection point in the motion, the inflection point being indicative of a user's reaction to locally experienced pain.

[0079] Therefore, this method is also based on detecting one or more characteristic pattern features in the sensor signal waveform, which are indicative of the user's pain response at a given moment during the personal care session, or the user's comfort during a given period of the personal care session. In this method, the characteristic waveform pattern features are inflection points or spikes or pulses in the signal.

[0080] The motion sensor may include an inertial sensor, such as, for example, an accelerometer.

[0081] Figure 4 1 shows an example motion sensor signal as a function of time during a single personal care session. In this case, the motion sensor is at least responsive to a movement of the anatomical surface (e.g., tooth surface) in a direction perpendicular to (e.g., away from) the anatomical surface of interest (e.g., tooth surface) during use of the personal care device. Figure 4 The signal is sensitive to motion in the direction of the axis (indicated as z-direction in FIG. 7 ). An upward inflection point or spike or fluctuation in the signal is indicated at arrow 72. The amplitude or height of the inflection point or spike or fluctuation in the signal exceeds a threshold motion level 74, which in this example may correspond to a motion speed or acceleration. If an inflection point in the signal exceeds a predefined threshold 74, it may be classified as corresponding to a pain event.

[0082] According to another approach (which may be used in combination with or in place of any other approach in this document), a motion sensor operable to detect motion during use of the personal care device may be used. The pattern in the signal represents the brushing action of the user, which manifests as an alternating pattern in the signal waveform. Figure 5 An example is shown. In this example, Figure 5 In the diagram of , by way of illustration, movement in a direction in the plane of the tooth surface (y direction) is shown. However, the brushing movement can be sensed using a motion sensor that senses movement in any direction, such as simply a three-axis accelerometer that is operable to sense movement in any direction.

[0083] At locations where pain is experienced, it would be expected that the amplitude of the brushing motion would be reduced compared to the amplitude of the brushing motion in areas where pain is not felt. Thus, here, the sensor data comprises a motion sensor signal, and wherein the information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting periods of alternating motion indicative of the user's brushing action in the motion sensor signal, and wherein the amplitude or duration of the periods of alternating motion is used to infer the patient comfort level.

[0084] In particular, pain can be detected by detecting a characteristic waveform feature in the form of a segment of an alternating signal having an amplitude that drops below a threshold value 74. In some examples, the threshold value can be set to a defined proportion of the average amplitude of the signal over the entire personal care session, such as half the average amplitude. Subsegments of the signal during which the amplitude of the alternating motion signal detected is below a defined threshold value can be classified as corresponding to a pain event. Again, the additional use of a position sensor can allow these subsegments of the signal to be associated with specific locations (e.g., specific tooth sites) of the anatomical structure (e.g., in the mouth).

[0085] For example, the acquired sensor data may include position sensor data, and wherein the method includes determining information indicative of user pain according to a location on / in an anatomical structure (e.g., in the mouth). The user pain according to the location may be determined based on using the position sensor data to correlate each of the signal periods of the detected lower amplitude alternating motion with a corresponding location on / in an anatomical structure (e.g., in the mouth).

[0086] In addition to or in lieu of the amplitude of the brushing motion, the frequency of brushing may also be used to detect areas of higher pain. In particular, slow careful movement or brushing (at that location) would be expected in areas of higher pain. Thus, in some embodiments, determining information indicative of user pain includes determining the frequency of an alternating motion signal along a direction parallel to an application surface (e.g., a tooth surface), identifying segments of continuous motion signals having a frequency below a threshold frequency, and classifying those segments as corresponding to pain events. Again, the addition of a position sensor here would improve specificity.

[0087] In addition to or in lieu of the amplitude and frequency of the brushing motion, the duration of time spent applying the device to a particular area, such as the duration spent cleaning a particular tooth or dental area, can also be used to infer the pain level experienced at the area. Here, the analysis of the sensor signal can include first identifying a plurality of different signal segments in the force and / or motion sensor signal, the plurality of different signal segments corresponding to the time periods spent cleaning different areas (such as different dental areas, such as different teeth). In some cases, this can be done by correlating different signal segments with the output of the motion sensor. In other cases, this can be done by identifying pattern segments separated by interruptions or pauses in the signal when the user moves to the next signal. For example, for a pressure signal, a pause can have a recognizable signature or fingerprint, such as a signal period of time with a duration below a threshold duration, and wherein, for example, the pressure or motion amplitude is below a certain threshold. Once different signal segments have been identified, the duration of each signal segment can be determined, and thereby it can be determined how long the user spends to treat each area, such as cleaning each tooth. Short time can indicate higher pain. A short period of time combined with the presence of one of the characteristic signal waveform features discussed during that signal segment (such as lower amplitude alternating motion, or spikes of out-of-plane motion, or a decrease in pressure) can be used to indicate pain.

[0088] Although the above examples are described with reference to example signals corresponding to in-plane motion, in practice the detected alternating motion may be in any direction.

[0089] An example technique for determining information indicative of user pain based on identifying certain characteristic pattern features in (one or more) sensor signals has been described above. Another method that can be used in combination with or in place of the methods already described is to compare all or part of the acquired force and / or motion sensor signal waveform with a personalized reference waveform acquired at a time or region known to be associated with low pain. In other words, for the user, reference sensor data pattern information is pre-acquired at a time or anatomical location (e.g., a location in the mouth) known to be associated with a baseline pain state, and preferably wherein the baseline pain state is a low pain state. For example, it can be acquired before treatment (e.g., dental treatment) or before a new claim arises. Then, by comparing the sensor signal of a new personal care session with the reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort, information indicating user pain during each of one or more personal care sessions is determined.

[0090] An illustrative example can be implemented as follows, in this case with reference to oral care using an oral care device. First, prior to dental treatment, or during a calibration period unrelated to any treatment, a force and / or motion sensor integrated in an oral care device (e.g., an electric toothbrush) is used to monitor the user's normal brushing behavior over a period of time (e.g., 3 to 7 days). Thus, the average signal waveform over time in a cleaning session can be determined based on the data acquired by each of the one or more force and / or motion sensors. Thus, a single characteristic or representative value can be obtained. For example, an average application pressure. Alternatively, an entire average waveform can be obtained.

[0091] After a calibration period, for example after a dental treatment, the force and / or motion sensor data may be monitored in the same manner as before, and the signal waveform recorded for each cleaning session may be compared to a reference acquired during the calibration period. Alternatively, the entire waveform may be compared to the reference to thereby detect significantly deviating signal segments (which may then optionally be associated with a specific mouth position), or a single characteristic or representative value may be compared. Significant deviations may indicate a change in pain state.

[0092] In other words, any immediate change from the pre-treatment pattern is indicative of pain. If this change remains consistent, the pain is still present. The duration (optionally spread and intensity) of the pain can now be extracted and, depending on the procedure, provide the dental practitioner with insight as to whether a follow-up of the patient is required (is the pain persisting longer than normal) or whether the progression is normal.

[0093] Once the patient returns to the pattern recorded during the calibration period (eg pre-treatment pattern), this means that the pain has disappeared. The dental practitioner can even use this information, for example, to cancel a planned follow-up appointment that is no longer needed.

[0094] Exactly the same principle can be applied to other personal care devices, such as skin care devices in the context of skin care treatments, massage devices in the context of muscle care treatments, etc.

[0095] To explain it intuitively, Figure 6 An example period of 25 days for acquiring oral cleaning sensing data is schematically shown. The period from day 1 to day 4 is a calibration period. For simplicity, in this example, a single representative value of the average brushing pressure is extracted from the brushing pressure waveform of each day's cleaning session. These are plotted as data points on a graph. On day 5, the patient undergoes a dental treatment that leaves a wound at a tooth site. It can be seen that the average brushing pressure drops immediately. This can be taken as an indication of pain for the user. The brushing pressure changes day by day over a period of approximately 6 days while remaining at a level significantly lower than the reference or baseline level measured during the calibration period of days 1 to 4. Then, around day 10 or 11, the average pressure returns to approximately the level before the treatment. This indicates that the pain has resolved and the user has returned to normal. It can be inferred that the wound left by the treatment has healed.

[0096] Figure 7 A comparative example is shown where, in contrast, the mean pressure remains near a significantly reduced level after treatment and does not recover. This indicates that even after 20 days after treatment, the pain has not resolved. This may indicate that the wound is not healing properly.

[0097] Note that in a more basic implementation, a calibration phase to acquire reference waveforms or reference values ​​may not be required. Instead, a reference may be acquired from measured sensor data at an area known to be associated with a baseline low pain state, such as an area of ​​the anatomy that is different from the area being treated or affected by pathology (e.g., the opposite side of the mouth).

[0098] It should also be noted that while the examples discussed above are presented in terms of monitoring before and after treatment, the methods described are applicable in any situation, whether or not treatment is present. Pain can be associated with pathology independent of any treatment, and changes in the measured sensor data pattern compared to a reference time or reference area can indicate pain, and therefore a change in health status.

[0099] As already noted above, in accordance with any embodiment of the present invention, position sensor data indicative of the location or position of an operative portion of a personal care device may be acquired and used to register force and / or motion sensor waveforms to a location relative to the body / anatomy, such as a location in the mouth in the case of an oral care device. Using a combination of position and pressure / motion sensors allows the generation of a pain map showing relative pain distribution and pain levels. Monitoring such a pain map over time will enable improved diagnosis.

[0100] The embodiments of the present invention described above employ processing equipment. The processing equipment may generally include a single processor or multiple processors. It may be located in a single containing device, structure or unit, or it may be distributed between multiple different devices, structures or units. Therefore, references to processing equipment adapted or configured to perform a particular step or task may correspond to: the step or task is performed by any one or more of the multiple processing components individually or in combination. The technician will understand how such distributed processing equipment can be implemented. The processing device includes a communication module or input / output unit for receiving data and outputting data to other components.

[0101] The one or more processors of the processing device can be implemented in many ways using software and / or hardware to perform the various functions required. The processor generally employs one or more microprocessors that can be programmed using software (e.g., microcode) to perform the required functions. The processor can be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware for performing some functions and one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuits for performing other functions.

[0102] Examples of circuits that may be employed in various embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0103] In various implementations, the processor may be associated with one or more storage media such as volatile and non-volatile computer memory (such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM). The storage media may be encoded with one or more programs that perform the desired functions when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers. The various storage media may be fixed within the processor or controller, or may be removable so that one or more programs stored thereon may be loaded into the processor.

[0104] By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations of the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "one" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0105] A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims.

[0106] The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0107] The computer program may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or solid-state medium supplied with or as part of other hardware, but the computer program may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

[0108] If the term "suitable for" is used in the claims or the specification, it should be noted that the term "suitable for" is intended to be equivalent to the term "configured to".

[0109] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A method for determining a measure of pain of a user during one or more personal care sessions of the user using a personal care device, the method comprising: obtaining sensor data from one or more sensors integrated into a personal care device, the sensor data indicating personal care actions performed by the user using the device during one or more personal care sessions; determining information indicative of pain for a user during each of the one or more personal care sessions based on an analysis of patterns in the sensor data; as well as A data item indicative of the information indicative of pain of the user during each of the one or more personal care sessions is generated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include: one or more force and / or motion sensors; and / or One or more operating signal sensors adapted to output an operating signal indicative of an operating parameter of the personal-care device, the operating parameter being related to a physical interaction of the personal-care device and a body surface.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicating user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions is determined also based on reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the reference sensor pattern information includes one or more characteristic pattern features, each of which indicates a user pain response at a given moment during a personal care session or a user comfort during a given period of time during a personal care session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the information indicative of user pain comprises: One or more of the characteristic pattern features are detected within at least one sensor signal waveform included in the sensor data.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting one or more inflection points in at least one sensor signal waveform included in the sensor data, the one or more inflection points indicating a user pain response event during a given personal care session.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sensor data comprises a pressure sensor waveform indicative of an applied pressure of a portion of the personal care device to a surface during use, and wherein the information indicative of user pain is determined based on the pressure signal, and Optionally, wherein said information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting a trough in said pressure sensor waveform, said trough being indicative of a drop in applied pressure during a sub-interval of a given personal care session.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reference sensor data pattern information comprises reference sensor data acquired for the same user at a time or body location known to be associated with a baseline pain state, and optionally, wherein the baseline pain state is a low pain state.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sensor data comprises a motion sensor signal, and wherein the information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting an inflection point in motion, the inflection point being indicative of a user's reaction to locally experienced pain.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sensor data includes a motion sensor signal, and wherein the information indicative of user pain is determined based on detecting periods of alternating motion in the motion sensor signal, the alternating motion being indicative of a brushing action of the user, and wherein the amplitude or duration of the periods of alternating motion is used to infer a patient comfort level.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the sensor data comprises position sensor data, and wherein the method comprises determining information indicative of user pain as a function of position.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the information indicative of user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions is determined based on reference sensor pattern information including one or more characteristic pattern features, the one or more characteristic pattern features each indicating a user pain response at a given moment during the personal care session or a user comfort during a given period of the personal care session; and Wherein determining the measure indicative of user pain as a function of location is based on correlating each of the detected characteristic pattern features with a corresponding location using the location sensor data.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the method comprises: A pain map is generated indicating user pain as a function of location, and the generated pain map is optionally transmitted to a user interface for display on the user interface.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the personal care device is an oral care device, the personal care action is a cleaning action, and the personal care session is an oral cleaning session.

15. A computer program product comprising code means configured, when executed on a processor, to cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A processing device comprising: Input / output; as well as One or more processors configured to: receiving at the input / output sensor data generated by one or more sensors integrated in a personal care device, the sensor data indicative of personal care actions performed by a user using the device during one or more personal care sessions; determining, based on an analysis of patterns in the sensor data, and optionally based on reference sensor pattern information associated with user pain or user comfort, information indicative of user pain during each of the one or more personal care sessions; as well as A data item indicative of said determined information indicative of user pain during each of said one or more personal care sessions is generated and preferably routed to said input / output for export from said processing device.

17. A system comprising: A personal care device comprising: one or more force or motion sensors configured to generate sensor data indicative of personal care actions performed by a user using the device during one or more personal care sessions; and 17. A processing device according to claim 16, arranged to receive said generated sensor data as input at said input / output.

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