Inductive Tongue Control System Reducing Fatigue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tongue control systems for severely disabled individuals, such as those with spinal cord injuries or brain impairments, face limitations due to high concentration demands, fatigue, and limited sensor placement, as they rely on pressure-sensitive buttons which are affected by normal speech and swallowing, restricting the number of controllable commands and increasing fatigue.
Innovation Solution
The method employs inductive sensors based on Faraday's law of induction, using a ferromagnetic activation unit attached to the tongue and air-cored induction coils placed in the mouth cavity, allowing for multiple sensor activation with minimal force and reduced fatigue, enabling efficient and precise control of devices like computers and wheelchairs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If pressure sensitive sensors are used in the mouth cavity, then tongue control functionality is achieved, but the number of sensors is limited and user fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pressure-sensitive mechanical sensors with inductive sensors that detect tongue position through electromagnetic fields. This substitution eliminates the need for physical contact and pressure application, allowing numerous sensors to be distributed throughout the mouth cavity without causing user fatigue or requiring forceful tongue movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the detection parameter from pressure (mechanical) to inductance (electromagnetic). By measuring changes in inductance caused by the tongue's movement near coil sensors, the system can detect precise tongue position without requiring physical pressure, thereby enabling more sensors while reducing operational fatigue.
2Measurement precision
If pressure sensitive buttons are placed in the oral cavity, then control functionality is provided, but detection threshold demands increase and control precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical pressure buttons with inductive coil sensors that detect tongue position electromagnetically. This allows for a greater number of sensors to be placed in the oral cavity, each with precise detection capability, since the inductive sensing mechanism does not require physical contact or pressure threshold adjustments.
3Reliability
If the tongue control system uses ferromagnetic materials with coils, then inductance changes can be detected for control signals, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses uniform ferromagnetic material properties across all sensor locations and standardized coil configurations. This homogeneity simplifies the overall system design and signal processing, as the same detection algorithms and calibration procedures can be applied throughout the mouth cavity, reducing system complexity despite the increased number of sensors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system facilitates efficient and fatigue-free control of a wide range of devices, potentially increasing typing speed and independence for quadriplegics by allowing a higher number of sensors and commands, with the inductive sensors being cosmetically acceptable and adaptable for continuous use.
Implementation Method 1
The detection method used in this work is based on Faraday's law of induction for a coil, and uses variable inductance techniques. The idea is to change the inductance of an air-cored induction coil, by moving a ferromagnetic material, attached to the tongue, into the core of the coils
Implementation Method 2
An activation unit made of a magnetic material that will be placed on the tongue. The inductor... As the ferromagnetic material is placed in the coil, the core becomes a combination of air and ferromagnetic material and μr changes according to the magnetic permeability of the ferromagnetic material
Data Source
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AI summary
Method and a System for tongue based control of computers and/or aids, particularly for severely disabled persons, where the method comprises the interaction between the arrangement and the tongue is based on induction, whereby the arrangement is equipped with at least one coil being able to interact with at least one piece of a magnetic responsible material fixed to the tongue, and that the signals transmitted to the device further comprise the position of the coil in the arrangement and/or the position of the magnetic responsible material fixed to the tongue.