Novel System for EMG Instrumentation

描述（由申请人提供）：先进医疗电子公司（AME）提议开发一个16节点无线表面肌电图（EMG）系统，包括一个定制集成电路（IC），用于研究和临床应用。肌肉激活模式的研究已广泛用于临床目的，并已被证明是研究儿童和成人人群的神经病理学的有用工具，包括共济失调、肌张力障碍和帕金森病。目前最先进的无线肌电信号应用是一组肌电信号传感器，连接到人体佩戴的放大器和发射机设备，呈星形拓扑结构。固定在身体上的连接线可能(1)限制身体运动，特别是儿童，(2)增加噪音和/或运动伪影。基于所提出的集成电路的传感器不会受到这些限制，因为它们可以在不需要电线的情况下局部放大、数字化和传输数字肌电信号，这在受试者运动的动态肌电信号测量中特别重要。IC技术的最新进展使AME能够设计和制造无线肌电信号节点，将肌电信号传感、信号调理、数字化、无线传输和电源集成到一个非常小的电极封装中。用粘合剂固定在皮肤上的电极包将能够通过无线网络将数据传输到数据收集PC。该系统将实现一个网络协议，该协议将支持多达16个独立的无线肌电信号传感器。在第一阶段，AME完全指定了IC要求，设计了模拟模块电路，设计了自定义无线网络协议，并对模拟IC和无线协议进行了仿真。在第二阶段，AME及其合作伙伴将建立一个生产原型无线肌电图系统，并在人体研究中验证其性能。该项目的创新源于AME能够将所有必要的功能集成到一个微型节点上，以执行无线肌电数据收集。该设备将支持详细的人类神经学研究，支持许多研究领域，包括但不限于共济失调、肌张力障碍和帕金森病。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Advanced Medical Electronics Corporation (AME) proposes to develop a 16 node wireless surface electro-myography (EMG) system, including a custom integrated circuit (IC), for research and clinical applications. The study of muscular activation patterns has been widely used for clinical purposes and has proven to be a useful tool for investigating neurological pathologies in pediatric and adult populations including ataxia, dystonia and Parkinson's disease. The current state-of-the-art for wireless EMG applications is a collection of EMG sensors wired to a body-worn amplifier and transmitter device in a star topology. The connecting wires, which are secured to the body, may (1) restrict body movement, especially with children, and (2) add noise and/or motion artifacts. Sensors based on the proposed integrated circuit will not suffer from these limitations since they will locally amplify, digitize, and transmit digital EMG signals without the need for wires, which is of particular importance in dynamic EMG measurements where the subject is in motion. Recent advances in IC technology enable AME to design and fabricate wireless EMG nodes that integrate the functions of EMG sensing, signal conditioning, digitizing, wireless transmission, and power sourcing into a very small electrode package. An electrode package held to the skin by adhesive will be able to transmit the data via a wireless network to a data collection PC. The system will implement a network protocol that will support up to 16 independent wireless EMG sensors. In phase I, AME has completely specified the IC requirements, designed the analog building block circuits, designed a custom wireless network protocol, and performed simulations of the analog IC and wireless protocol. In phase II, AME, with its partners, will build a production prototype wireless EMG system, and verify its performance in a human study. This project's innovation stems from AME's ability to integrate all the functions necessary to perform wireless EMG data collection onto a miniature node. This device will support detailed human neurological studies, which support numerous research areas including, but not limited to, ataxia, dystonia, and Parkinson's disease.