Patent Document ID: 9615776
Application ID: 13980320
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of generating a signal processing algorithm for processing signals representing finger and thumb positions for identifying subjects exhibiting bradykinesia or tremor at a required discrimination confidence, said method comprising the steps of: (1) receiving a plurality of patient position data sets representing tapping tests performed by a plurality of patients, wherein: each patient position data set includes a time series of data points representing three-dimensional position data of finger and thumb gathered by a sensor during tapping tests performed by a patient of the plurality of patients; the plurality of patients includes a plurality of subjects exhibiting bradykinesia or tremor; (2) receiving a plurality of control position data sets representing tapping tests performed by a plurality of control subjects, wherein each control position data set includes a time series of data points representing three-dimensional position data of finger and thumb gathered by the sensor during tapping tests performed by a subject of the plurality of control subjects; (3) processing each of the plurality of patient position data sets and each of the control position data sets to produce patient acceleration data sets and control acceleration data sets, respectively, wherein each of the patient acceleration data sets and each of the control acceleration data sets includes a time series of data points representing acceleration of the finger relative to the thumb for a corresponding tapping test; (4) using a processor to configure an initial Cartesian Genetic Programming (CGP) network comprising a set of function blocks and a fitness function giving a measure of the success of the CGP network in discriminating between the control acceleration data set and the patient acceleration data set, wherein the CGP network accepts a plurality of input data comprising adjacent values in an acceleration data set and produces a single output value putatively indicative of the presence or absence of bradykinesia or tremor; (5) evolving with the processor said initial CGP network by sequential evolutionary mutation and selection towards increased fitness until said required discrimination confidence is achieved.