Operation Control Through Brain-Command Stimulus Verification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are susceptible to issuing unintended commands due to irrelevant stimuli, such as verbal cues or visual feedback, leading to inappropriate execution of brain wave commands.

Innovation Solution

An operation control device and method that includes a brain information acquiring unit, a determining unit, and an executing unit to differentiate between first and second commands, where the second command is presented to the user to confirm the user's intention before executing the first command, thereby preventing interference from irrelevant stimuli.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If a conventional BMI system executes brain wave commands directly upon detection, then the response speed is fast, but the system becomes susceptible to irrelevant stimuli causing unintended commands to be issued

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommand execution speedVSAvoidcommand accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary verification by detecting whether a relevant stimulus was presented before executing the brain wave command. The determining unit checks if the stimulus timing and type match the detected brain wave command, preventing execution when no relevant stimulus is found. This preliminary check ensures reliability without significantly compromising response speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The determining unit acts as an intermediary between the brain wave detection unit and the execution unit. It verifies the correspondence between detected brain wave commands and presented stimuli, allowing only verified commands to pass through to the execution unit. This intermediary layer filters out spurious commands caused by irrelevant stimuli while maintaining fast execution for valid commands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the system adds verification steps to filter out irrelevant stimuli, then command accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommand accuracyVSAvoidsystem structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The determining unit performs multiple functions: it detects stimulus timing, identifies stimulus type, compares with brain wave commands, and makes execution decisions. By consolidating these verification functions into a single multi-functional unit, the system achieves high command accuracy without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the verification parameter from complex pattern recognition to simple temporal and categorical matching. Instead of analyzing complex brain wave patterns or stimulus content, the system only checks whether a stimulus was presented within a specific time window and whether its type matches the command category, simplifying the verification process while maintaining accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the system verifies each brain wave command against presented stimuli, then irrelevant stimuli are blocked, but the processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestimulus filtering effectivenessVSAvoidcommand processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs only the necessary verification steps - checking stimulus presence and type matching - rather than进行全面 analysis of brain wave patterns or stimulus content. This partial verification approach provides sufficient filtering of irrelevant stimuli while minimizing additional processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs verification at discrete time points corresponding to stimulus presentation intervals rather than continuously monitoring. By checking commands only when stimuli are or are not expected, the system achieves effective filtering without constant processing, reducing overall processing time while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4357887B1Operation control device, operation control method, and program
Publication Date: 2025.10.22 JVC KENWOOD CORP
  • EP4357887B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4357887B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4357887B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An operation control device includes a brain information acquiring unit (11) configured to acquire brain information of a user; a determining unit (21) configured to determine whether or not the brain information acquired by the brain information acquiring unit (11) represents brain information corresponding to a first command and a second command which are different from each other; an information presenting unit (17, 18) configured to present information which evokes the second command to the user; and an executing unit (22) configured to execute operation specified in the first command when the determining unit (21) determines that the brain information corresponding to the first command and the brain information corresponding to the second command are acquired.