FI91363C - Equipment for regulating the state of alertness - Google Patents

Description

91363

EQUIPMENT FOR CONTROL OF SUSPENSION STATUS

The invention relates to an apparatus, the purpose of which is to influence the location of the state of human alertness in relation to the time of day appropriately. The invention can be used as a "natural alarm clock" as well as as a therapeutic device in various circadian rhythm disorders.

Until now, the aids used to awaken a human being have been based mainly on articulation affecting the auditory or tactile senses. Examples of these are alarm clocks operating with an audible signal, as well as, for example, wrist watches used by the hearing-impaired, which, after a set time, fluctuate with messages to a person because it is time to wake up.

Various time signs, such as waking up in the morning or the difference in brightness between day and night, radiate and synchronize human physiological functions. Various light panels and light masks have been developed to control the so-called "biological clock" of these physiological functions (WPI file 351, U.S. Patent No. 4,858,609).

Alarm clocks based on a sound or sensory signal do not take into account the physiological factors that often cause a person to become tired and sleepy when he wakes up. Drowsiness results in reduced performance and an increased risk of accidents, especially in traffic. Univel-ka also reduces motivation, for example, to perform a task sensually (Horne 1988). Shift workers in particular suffer from this. Almost all shift workers have occasional sleep disorders and about a quarter complain of them constantly. 80-90% of shift workers say they are tired during the night shift. About one-fifth have been estimated to have 30 snooze nights because they are unable to resist the onset of sleep (Åkerstedt 1988). Another group that suffers from the above-mentioned drawback is 2 people, ie winter depressives, who suffer from the recurrent depressive-affective disorder (seasonal affective disorder) every year. The production of melatonin secreted by the pineal gland is late. At that time, in the mornings when the production of melatonin is low in healthy people, it is still high-5 Sat in the winter population. Appropriate melatonin levels make people sleep.

During evolution, human vital functions have evolved to follow a regular rhythm of just over twenty-four hours. Examples are body temperature and plasma cortisol levels, the rotational rhythm of which is regulated by the supraciasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (Stenberg and Porkka-Heiskanen 1990). The idea of the location of the human biological journey has only become established in recent years. The supraciasmatic nucleus is mainly regulated by the ambient light.

15 Bright light can effectively time the human circadian rhythm (Czeisler 1989). It has been shown that with properly timed bright (2000 lux) light, the internal clock can be synchronized several hours earlier or later (Eastman 1991). The importance of bright light and its timing for human sleep rhythm is undeniable.

On the basis of these and numerous other studies, various light-based therapy devices have been developed to radiate a circadian rhythm. However, light therapy 2.5 is given as a separate form of treatment after the actual awakening, which is most often effected by an acoustic signal.

When a person wakes up in the dark of a winter morning to the sound of a normal alarm clock, the waking event is essentially a traumatic 30 experience. The heartbeat is an effective but unpleasant way to wake up. An ordinary alarm clock is also slow to adjust the biological trip and, for example, ineffective in cases of winter depression, if not impossible, without a light-therapeutic aid.

3,91363

The device according to the invention provides a decisive improvement in the above-mentioned drawbacks. The invention, or "natural alarm clock," simulates the rising of the sun. In it, the intensity of the light is gradually increased, 5 following the wavelengths of light which are necessary for the awakening.

In the dark, the sensitivity of the eye increases sharply and at the same time the wavelength at which the sensitivity mechanism of the eye is located shortens. In this case, the eye is very sensitive to wavelengths of 10 wavelengths, which are located close to five hundred nanometers (U.Korhonen, S.Vihinen: Valo-oppi). Increasing light penetrating through the eyelid sends a stimulus to the hypothalamus, which regulates the circadian rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. This stimulus awakens the sleeper naturally and 15 softly. If awakened, the person can take a dose of phototherapy if needed. To achieve this, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the claims.

The main advantage of the invention can be considered that in the device according to the invention, the arousal and the light therapy can be combined and achieved by one device. The invention also increases the state of alertness in the user and softens the morning awakening that normally takes place in the dark. The device according to the invention improves work motivation and its result, for example in companies where work is done in shifts.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an alarm clock to which a mains or other voltage is connected by means of a plug 1. The current flows through a conductor 2a to a timer 3 which can be adjusted with the knob 3a to the desired switch-on time. At the set time, the timer 3 turns on the voltage to the supply device 4 via the conductor 35 2b, which automatically starts to supply the voltage from zero volts to a maximum of 4 volts. The adjusting voltage, the maximum value of which is obtained from the potentiometer 4a, and the onset time of which is set from the potentiometer 4b, passes along the conductor 2c to the light panel 5 where the increasing voltage starts to increase the light intensity 5. As a function of time and thus also of the voltage, the voltage can be directed in the light panel to lamps emitting different light wavelengths, whereby a desired change in the spectrum which is advantageous from the point of view of awakening is achieved. Timers 3 and 4b also have 10 bypass connections that allow the equipment to be used for light therapy.

In particular, it should be noted that the timer 3 and the voltage supply device 4 can be constructed from electronic components as a whole. If desired, they can also be constructed together with the light panel 5. Reliability can also be maximized with an audible signal. The position, orientation and distance of the light panel from the sleeper can also be arbitrarily searched, depending entirely on how the panel is hung. Several different light wavelengths can be used in the light panel, or color filter technology can also be used to achieve the desired wavelengths. The timer 3 can also be built in connection with an electronic time display device. It can include several operating levels to distribute the voltage as needed to different locations outside the light panel via separate voltage conditions.

The above functions can be automated using various sensor and / or other technical applications.

Claims (7)

1. Apparatus for adjusting the moon's spike condition spiritually in relation to the daylight hours and for making the wake up softer and more natural, which apparatus comprises a switching clock (3), a voltage regulator (4) and a light panel (5) with the necessary intermediate means. and coupling lines and suspension devices, wherein the timing of switching on the voltage is controlled by the switching clock (3), characterized in that the intensity of light is gradually increased, controlled by a chip feeder device (4), so that the light panel (5) emits the intensity and wavelength of a light spring. . 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the chip feeder device (4) operates independently after receiving the chip from the switching clock (3), and that the time for switching on the chip and the maximum size of the chip can be controlled, for example, by potentiometers, and the voltage can be controlled to Wanted points in the light panel (5) with the help of someone who is in the know of a technical application. 3. Apparatus according to claims 1-2, characterized in that the chip feeding device (4) controls the voltage as a function of time for the lamps which emit different wavelengths. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance and position of the light panel (5) in relation to the sleeping year are adjustable. Apparatus according to claims 1-4, characterized in that it lends itself to use as a non-therapeutic treatment apparatus when its time connections are bypassed. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the switching clock (3) functions in many planes such that a plane is controlled by a sensor that measures the intensity of light. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the switching clock (3) functions in many planes such that a plane is controlled by a sensor that senses the sleeping motion of the sleeper.