KR101650233B1 - System for stimulating olfactory sense - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a olfactory stimulation system for the measurement of olfactory function. The olfactory stimulation system according to this embodiment allows the odor stimulus generator to generate a predetermined amount of odor stimulus by the odor stimulation controller and supply the odor stimulus to the odor stimulation feeder at a constant rate. In particular, the odor stimulating generator can operate in either a feed mode or a cut-off mode depending on the sensed value of the breathing detection unit, and the odor stimulating dishwasher can be operated in the odor- The stimulus can be cleaned.

Description

{SYSTEM FOR STIMULATING OLFACTORY SENSE}

The present invention relates to a nose stimulation system for use in the measurement of olfactory function, and more particularly, to a nose stimulation system capable of precisely providing olfactory stimulation for the analysis of a chemical sensory nerve system.

Recently, as part of the analysis of chemical sensory nervous system, some researches to find the olfactory event-related potentials (OERP) in the EEG (electroencephalogram) have been conducted to analyze the brain signal change pattern according to the olfactory stimulation . However, much research has not been done since then.

In addition to the EEG patterns, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET) CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MEG), and Magneto Encephalon Graphy ) Technology, and so on.

 In order to accurately measure the cranial nerve change value in the above-described chemical sensory nervous system, it is necessary to provide the smell stimulating substance at constant speed and in a fixed amount to the olfactory sense of the pizza polar body such as a person or an animal.

However, devices that provide odor stimulants were commonly used in laboratories or laboratories for experimental or research purposes, and used only once, or subjects and researchers manually provided odor stimulants directly. Therefore, the conventional smell stimulation method can not provide the odor stimulating substance at a fixed amount or at a constant speed, and thus there is a problem in the reliability of the experimental data and the result of the study.

In addition, since the device for providing the odor stimulus is separately prepared for each experiment of the olfactory function according to the stimulation of the odor stimulating substance, the experiment cost and the test time are greatly increased, and the performance regarding the device for providing odor stimulation is also unsatisfactory.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-0025656 (name of the invention: fragrance distribution device, published on Mar. 13, 2005) discloses a fragrance distribution device for supplying a carrier gas to a reservoir containing a perfume material, Device is disclosed. Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-0025656 discloses a cartridge structure for simply generating a gas containing a fragrance. On the other hand, there is not disclosed a technical idea of measuring and controlling the olfactory function by appropriately changing and combining the kinds of fragrances, or by providing fragrance at a fixed amount and at a constant rate.

The embodiment of the present invention provides a olfactory stimulation system capable of stably providing odor stimulation at a constant and constant rate in the measurement of the olfactory function.

The embodiments of the present invention also provide a nose stimulation system that can easily provide various kinds of odor stimuli to the olfactory sense and can easily replace and combine the odor stimuli during use.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention provides a nose stimulation system capable of maximizing the efficiency of the apparatus by appropriately adjusting supply and cut of the odor stimulation according to the respiration of the pizza polar body.

Further, the embodiment of the present invention provides a olfactory stimulation system capable of removing odor stimulation previously used by performing a change in smell stimulus or stopping supply of smell stimulus.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention provides a nose stimulation system capable of compensating for sensitivity to odor stimulation according to the surrounding environment information of a pizza polar body.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention provides a nose stimulation system in which an odor stimulation made of a mixture of an odor stimulating substance and air can maintain a proper humidity to prevent the damage of the smell.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an odor stimulating device comprising: an odor stimulating feeder arranged in a horn area of a pizza polar body to provide odor stimulation to a smell area of a pizza polar body; An odor stimulus generator connected in communication with the odor stimulating feeder to supply an odor stimulus to the odor stimulating feeder and a second odor stimulating generator connected in signal communication with the odor stimulating generator to supply the odor stimulus to the odor stimulating feeder at a constant and constant rate And an odor stimulating controller for controlling the operation of the odor stimulating generator.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the operation of the odor stimulating generator is appropriately controlled by the odor stimulating controller, not only can the odor stimulation be generated in a constant amount, but also it can be supplied constantly to the odor stimulating feeder.

According to one aspect, the odor stimulating feeder may be formed in a mask shape mounted on a horn region of the cathode body so as to shield a horn region of the cathode body from the outside.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the odor stimulation generator includes an odor supply unit for supplying the odor stimulating substance, a supply unit for supplying odor supply to the odor supply unit so as to generate an odor stimulus composed of a mixture of the odor stimulating substance and the air, And an air supply unit connected to the inlet of the unit for communicating with the outlet of the odor supply unit so as to intermittently supply the odor stimulus in accordance with a control signal of the odor charge controller, And a transfer unit connected to the valve unit and the odor stimulating feeder to transfer the odor stimulus from the valve unit to the odor stimulating feeder.

At least one of the air supply unit, the valve unit, and the transfer unit may be provided with an air conditioning unit for adjusting the humidity or the temperature of the air.

Meanwhile, a plurality of the odor supply units may be provided depending on the type of the odor stimulating substance. The air supply unit may be connected to the inlet of the odor supply units. The valve unit may be connected to the outlet of the odor supply units to selectively open and close at least one of the outlet portions of the odor supply units according to the control signal of the odor supply device.

The valve unit includes a valve body communicating with the odor stimulating feeder and having a receptacle in which the odor stimulus is temporarily received, a plurality of valve bodies communicating with the valve body and the odor supply units, A connection channel corresponding to one of the supply units and a connection channel provided on the connection channels for selectively opening and closing the connection channels and being operably connected to the odor stimulation controller so that the operation is controlled in accordance with the control signal of the odor stimulation controller An opening / closing valve may be provided.

The conveying unit may include a conveying tube connected to one side of the valve unit so as to communicate with one end of the valve unit and connected to the other end of the odor stimulating feeder so as to communicate with the odor stimulating feeder, The valve unit, or the odor stimulating feeder.

According to one aspect, the odor stimulation controller is connected to the odor stimulus generator in a signal-transferable manner so as to transmit a control signal for controlling the operation to the odor stimulus generator, a controller connected to the controller to control the operation of the controller, And a display unit configured to display an input state of the operation unit or an operation state of the control unit.

The odor stimulation controller may further include a breath sensing unit provided in the odor stimulating feeder to sense a breathing state of the polar body of the user. At this time, the controller may be connected to the respiration sensing unit so as to transmit signals to control the odor stimulation generator to one of a supply mode and a cutoff mode according to the sensed value of the respiration sensing unit.

The supply mode is an operating mode for transferring the odor stimulus from the odor stimulating generator to the odor stimulating feeder and the interrupting mode is an operating mode for interrupting delivery of the odor stimulus from the odor stimulating generator to the odor stimulating feeder to be. Therefore, the control unit can perform the supply mode when the respiration of the polar body of the pizza sensed by the respiration sensing unit is inhaled. If the respiration of the polar body of the pizza sensed by the respiration sensing unit is exhaled, can do.

The odor stimulation controller may further include an environment sensing unit provided in the odor stimulating feeder to sense ambient environment information of the polar body of the pizza. At this time, the controller may be connected to the environment sensing unit so as to transmit signals so as to adjust the sensitivity of the odor stimulation according to the sensed value of the environment sensing unit.

The environment sensing unit may include a temperature sensor provided in the odor stimulating feeder for sensing the ambient temperature of the olfactory bulb of the polar body of the pizza body, a humidity sensor provided in the odor stimulating feeder for sensing the ambient humidity of the smell of the pizza polar body, A sensor or a signal transmission member connected to the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor and the control unit to transmit the sensed value of the humidity sensor to the control unit.

According to one aspect, the olfactory stimulation system according to the present embodiment may further include an odor stimulating dishwasher connected to the odor stimulating generator to clean the interior of the odor stimulating generator. The odor stimulating controller may operate the odor stimulating dishwasher while the operation of the odor stimulating generator is stopped so as to remove the odor stimulus remaining in the inside of the odor stimulating generator when the odor stimulation is changed or stopped.

The odor stimulating dishwasher further includes a cleaning unit connected to one side of the odor stimulating generator to supply a cleansing substance to the inside of the odor stimulating generator, And a discharge unit connected to the other side of the odor stimulating generator to discharge the odor stimulating stimulus to the outside.

The cleaning material may comprise at least one of air, water, or ethanol.

According to one aspect, the olfactory stimulation system according to the present embodiment further includes a central processor, which stores various information of the odor stimulation controller and is connected to the odor stimulation controller in a signal-transferable manner to set an operation algorithm of the odor stimulation controller can do.

The olfactory stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can stably provide odor stimulation at a constant and constant rate in the measurement of the olfactory function. Therefore, when the olfactory stimulation system of the present embodiment is used, it is possible to secure more reliable experimental data by supplying an odor stimulus only to the olfactory angle when measuring the olfactory function.

In addition, the olfactory stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily provide any one of various kinds of odor stimuli to the olfactory angle, and can easily and simply replace and combine odor stimuli during use of the olfactory stimulation system .

In addition, the nasal stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can detect the respiration of the polar body of the pizza by using the respiration sensing unit, so that the odor stimulation can be supplied only when the respiration of the pizza polar body is properly controlled by the provision and blocking of the smell stimulus have. Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the smell stimulus is not supplied when the breath of the pole body is breathing, unnecessary operation of the smell stimulus can be omitted, thereby maximizing the efficiency of the apparatus.

Further, the nose stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention is a structure that cleans the inside of the odor stimulating generator by using the odor stimulating dishwasher. Therefore, when the odor stimulating agent is changed or when the supply of the odor stimulation is interrupted, So that the previously used odor stimuli can be completely eliminated. Therefore, when the olfactory stimulation system is used, it is possible to prevent the problem that the smell stimulation currently used and the smell stimulus previously used are mixed with each other.

In addition, the olfactory stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention senses the surrounding environment information of the pizza polar body through the environment sensing unit provided in the odor stimulating feeder, and thus can appropriately compensate for the change in sensitivity of the odor stimulation according to the surrounding environment have.

In addition, the olfactory stimulation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can appropriately adjust the state of the odor stimulation provided by the olfactory angle of the pizza polar body, because the olfactory stimulus generator or the odor stimulus feeder is provided with the air regulator. That is, in the present embodiment, the air conditioning portion can appropriately maintain the humidity of the odor stimulation, thereby preventing damage to the odor caused by dry odor stimulation.

1 is a schematic diagram of a nose stimulation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the olfactory stimulation system shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a main part of the odor stimulating generator shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
4 to 6 are operational state diagrams showing the operating state of the odor stimulating generator shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to or limited by the embodiments. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a nose stimulation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a main configuration of a nose stimulation system 10 shown in FIG. 1, 2 is a diagram showing a main part of the odor stimulus generator 200 shown in FIG. 4 to 6 are operational state diagrams showing the operating state of the odor stimulus generator 200 shown in FIG.

1 to 3, the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an odor stimulating feeder 100, an odor stimulating generator 200, and an odor stimulating controller 300.

The olfactory stimulation system 10 is a device that provides odor stimuli (S1, S2, S3, S4) at a constant and constant rate to the olfactory angle of the pizza polar body 20 to measure the olfactory function. That is, in the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to the present embodiment, the operation of the odor stimulating generator 200 can be appropriately controlled by the odor stimulating controller 300, so that the odor generated by the odor stimulating generator 200 The magnetic poles S1, S2, S3, and S4 can be transmitted through the odor stimulating feeder 100 to the odd angle of the pizza polar body 20 at a constant and constant rate.

Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, it is described that the pawl body 20 is a person and the smell stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are gases containing an odor stimulating substance. However, It can be deformed. For example, the pizza polar body 20 may be an animal having an olfactory function, and the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4 may also be liquids or solids including odor stimulants.

1, the odor stimulating generator 200 and the odor stimulating controller 300 may be placed outdoors for operation control by a researcher or an experimenter, and the odor stimulating feeder 100 may include a pizza electrode body 20, And may be disposed in an interior isolated from the outside. Thereby, the operation of the olfactory stimulation system 10 can be used easily and smoothly, and an unwanted odor stimulus can be prevented from being transmitted to the olfactory angle of the pawl body 20.

1 and 2, the odor stimulating feeder 100 is an apparatus for providing odor stimulation (S1, S2, S3, S4) to a horn region of the pawl body 20. The odor stimulating feeder 100 may be disposed around the horn region of the pizza polar body 20. [

For example, the odor stimulating feeder 100 is mounted on the face of the face of the pizza pole body 20 so as to provide odor stimulation S 1, S 2, S 3, S 4 while shielding the smell region of the pizza electrode body 20 from the outside As shown in FIG. The mask type odor stimulating feeder 100 can be formed in various shapes according to the design conditions and conditions of the olfactory stimulation system 10. [

1 to 3, the odor stimulus generator 200 is a device that generates odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 supplied by the odor stimulus feeder 100. [ The odor stimulating generator 200 may be connected to the odor stimulating feeder 100 to supply the odor stimulating agents S1, S2, S3 and S4 to the odor stimulating feeder 100.

For example, the odor stimulus generator 200 may include an air supply unit 210, an odor supply unit 220, 222, 224, 226, a valve unit 230, and a transfer unit 240. 3 shows an example of the smell stimulus generator 200. However, the structure of the smell stimulus generator 200 is not limited to the structure, and may be formed in various structures depending on the design conditions and conditions of the olfactory stimulus system 10. [

The air supply unit 210 is a device that supplies air (A) to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226. The air supply unit 210 can be connected to the inlet portion 210a of the odor supply unit. The air in the air supply unit 210 is mixed with the odor stimulating substances M1, M2, M3, and M4 in the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, , S3, S4 may be generated.

Hereinafter, although the air supply unit 210 supplies air (A) in this embodiment, it is also possible to supply another gas such as oxygen. For example, the air supply unit 210 may be formed of a structure composed of a compressor and an air tank, and configured to provide the air (A) compressed by the compressor to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224 and 226. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed in various structures depending on the design conditions and conditions of the olfactory stimulation system 10.

The odor supply units 220, 222, 224 and 226 are devices for supplying the odor stimulating substances M1, M2, M3 and M4. The odor stimulating materials M1, M2, M3 and M4 are mixed with the air A to generate odor stimuli S1, S2, S3 and S4, .

A plurality of odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 may be provided depending on the types of the odor stimulating materials M1, M2, M3, and M4. M2, M3, and M4 may be required if the types of odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 used for the olfactory stimulation of the olfactory stimulation system 10 are increased, The number of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 can be determined depending on the type of the odor stimulating materials M1, M2, M3, and M4.

At this time, the air supply unit 210 may be connected to the inlet of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226. That is, the air supply unit 210 can simultaneously supply air to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 at the same pressure.

Although the four odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 are described as being connected to one air supply unit for convenience of explanation, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the design conditions of the olfactory stimulation system 10 And may be formed in various numbers depending on the circumstances.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 may be disposed in a structure in which the odor stimulus generator 200 is removable. That is, the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 are disposed between the air supply unit 210 and the valve unit 230 so as to be selectively replaceable according to the types of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, And may be formed in a replaceable structure. In addition, the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 may be disposed in a structure exposed to the outside of the odor stimulus generator 200.

As described above, the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 can be easily replaced without disassembling the olfactory stimulation system 10. Therefore, the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to the present embodiment can easily change the kinds of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 according to the experimental conditions of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, It is possible to proceed quickly.

The valve unit 230 is a device for intermittently adjusting the supply of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 according to the control signal of the odor stimulation controller 300. [ The valve unit 230 may be connected to the outlet 220b of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, When the valve unit 230 is opened, the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are generated as the air in the air supply unit 210 passes through the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, And the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3 and S4 can be supplied to the inside of the valve unit 230 along the outlet portion 220b of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224 and 226. [

The valve unit 230 may be connected to the odor stimulation controller 300 in a signal-transferable manner. Accordingly, the operation of the valve unit 230 can be adjusted in accordance with the control signal of the odor stimulation controller 300. [

The valve unit 230 may selectively open and close at least one of the outlet portions 220b of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 according to a control signal of the odor stimulating feeder 100. [ To this end, the valve unit 230 may be separately connected to the outlet 220b of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226, respectively.

For example, the valve unit 230 may include a valve body 231, connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235, and on / off valves 236, 237, 238 and 239.

The valve body 231 may be connected to the odor stimulating feeder 100 so as to guide the odor stimulation S1, S2, S3, S4 to the odorous area of the pizza electrode body 20. The accommodating portion 231a in which the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are temporarily accommodated may be provided inside the valve body 231. [ Therefore, when the odor stimulation S 1, S 2, S 3, S 4 flows into the receiving portion 231 a of the valve body 231, the odor stimulation S 1, S 2, S3, and S4, the temperature, humidity, pressure, and the like can be made uniform.

A plurality of connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235 may be formed between the valve body 231 and the odor supply units 220, 222, 224 and 226. One end of the connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235 may be connected to different parts of the valve body 231 and the other end of the connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235 may be connected to the odor supply units 220 and 222 , 224, 226, respectively. That is, the connection channels 232, 233, 234, and 235 correspond to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226, respectively.

The opening and closing valves 236, 237, 238 and 239 may be provided in the connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235 to selectively open and close the connection channels 232, 233, 234 and 235. The open / close valves 236, 237, 238, and 239 may be communicably connected to the odor stimulation controller 300 so that operation is controlled in accordance with the control signal of the odor stimulation controller 300.

The transfer unit 240 is a device for transferring the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4 from the valve unit 230 to the odor stimulating feeder 100. The transfer unit 240 can be connected to the valve unit 230 and the odor stimulating feeder 100 in a communicative manner.

For example, the transfer unit 240 may include a transfer tube 242 and a blower 244.

One end of the transfer tube 242 may be connected to one side of the valve unit 230 and the other end of the transfer tube 242 may be connected to the odor stimulating feeder 100. For example, the transfer tube 242 is a tube elongated to guide the odor stimulating agent 100 to the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 in an isolated state from the outside, and is connected to the discharge port of the valve body 231 And can be connected to each other.

The blower 244 is a member that forcibly blows the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4 along the delivery tube 242 to the odor stimulating feeder 100. The blower 244 may be disposed on the conveyance path of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4. Specifically, the blower 244 may be disposed in either the delivery tube 242, the valve body 231, or the odor stimulating feeder 100.

Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the blower 244 is installed at the discharge port of the valve body 231. [ However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the blower 244 may be disposed in any one of the feed tube 242 and the odor stimulating feeder 100, or if the air pressure of the air supply unit 210 is sufficient, You may.

The discharge port of the valve body 231 may be provided with a discharge valve 246 for interrupting discharge of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4. The drain valve 246 may be communicatively coupled to the odor stimulation controller 300. When the odor stimulus (S1, S2, S3, S4) is supplied to the pizza polar body 20, the discharge valve 246 may be opened and the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 may be supplied to the pizza polar body 20 The discharge valve 246 may be closed.

The opening of the discharge valve 246 may be delayed for a predetermined time during operation of the odor stimulus generator 200. Therefore, the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 supplied from the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226 can temporarily stay in the accommodating portion 231a of the valve body 231 during the set time. The discharge valve 246 can be kept closed during operation of the odor stimulating washing machine 400 described later.

At least one of the air supply unit 210, the valve unit 230, or the transfer unit 240 may be provided with an air conditioning unit 250 for adjusting the humidity or temperature of the air A. The air conditioning unit 250 is a device for bringing the humidity or the temperature of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 into an appropriate state. That is, if the odor stimuli (S1, S2, S3, S4) are too dry or too cold, it may adversely affect the olfactory angle of the pizza polar body (20)

1 to 3, the odor stimulation controller 300 is an apparatus for controlling the operation of the olfactory stimulation system 10. [ The odor stimulating controller 300 may be operably coupled to the odor stimulating generator 200 to control the operation of the odor stimulating generator 200. The odor stimulation controller 300 may appropriately adjust the operation of the odor stimulus generator 200 to supply the odor stimulus S1 to the odor stimulating feeder 100 at a constant and constant rate.

For example, the odor stimulation controller 300 may include a control unit 310, an operation unit 320, and a display unit 330.

The control unit 310 is a device that transmits a control signal for controlling the operation to the odor stimulation generator 200. The control unit 310 may be connected to the odor stimulus generator 200 in a signal-transferable manner. The control unit 310 and the odor stimulus generator 200 may be capable of transmitting signals in either a wired or wireless manner.

The operation unit 320 is a device for controlling the operation of the control unit 310. That is, the operation unit 320 is connected to the control unit 310 so that the operation of the control unit 310 can be controlled by a user such as a researcher or an experimenter. Accordingly, the operation unit 320 can be formed in a structure that can be operated by a user. For example, the operation unit 320 may include various kinds of switches such as a button, a knob, a touch screen, a slider, and the like.

The display unit 330 is a device for displaying input contents of the operation unit 320 or an operation state of the control unit 310. [ The display unit 330 may be formed of various display members such as an LCD, an LED, a lamp, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the odor stimulation controller 300 according to the present embodiment may further include a breath sensing unit 340. The breath sensing unit 340 is a device for sensing the breathing state of the pawl body 20. Therefore, the breath sensing unit 340 may be provided in the odor stimulating feeder 100.

As described above, the respiration sensing unit 340 may be connected to the controller 310 in a signal-transferable manner. Accordingly, the control unit 310 may appropriately control the operation of the odor stimulation generator 200 according to the sensed value of the breath sensing unit 340.

For example, the control unit 310 may control the odor stimulation generator 200 to operate in either a supply mode or a cut-off mode according to the sensed value of the breath sensing unit 340. The supply mode is an operating mode for delivering the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 from the odor stimulus generator 200 to the odor stimulating feeder 100, (S1, S2, S3, S4).

More specifically, when the respiration sensing unit 340 senses the respiration of the pizza polar body 20, the control unit 310 can perform the supply mode, and the respiration sensing unit 340 is provided with the pizza polar body 20 The control unit 310 can perform the cut-off mode. Therefore, when the respiration of the pizza polar body 20 is exhaled, the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are not supplied so that the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are not consumed unnecessarily, The operation efficiency of the olfactory stimulation system 10 can be increased by supplying the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 only when the breath of the olfactory stimulus system 10 is inhalation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the odor stimulation controller 300 according to the present embodiment may further include an environment sensing unit 350. The environment sensing unit 350 is a device for sensing the environmental information of the pizza body 20. [ The environment sensing unit 350 may be provided in the odor stimulating feeder 100.

At this time, the control unit 310 may be connected to the environment sensing unit 350 so as to transmit signals so as to adjust the sensitivity of the smell stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 according to the sensed values of the environment sensing unit 350. That is, since the sensitivity of the smell is affected by the surrounding environment, it is possible to appropriately correct the sensitivity of the smell by measuring the information of the surrounding environment.

For example, the environmental sensing unit 350 may include a temperature sensor 352, a humidity sensor 354, and a signal transmission member 356.

The temperature sensor 352 is a member for sensing the ambient temperature of the smell of the pizza polar body 20 and may be provided in the smell stimulus feeder 100. The humidity sensor 354 is a member for sensing the ambient humidity of the smell of the pizza polar body 20 and may be provided in the odor stimulating feeder 100. The signal transmitting member 356 is a member for transmitting the sensed value of the temperature sensor 352 or the humidity sensor 354 to the control unit 310 and outputs a signal to the temperature sensor 352 and the humidity sensor 354 and the control unit 310 And can be communicably connected.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to the present embodiment may further include an odor stimulus cleaner 400 for cleaning the inside of the odor stimulus generator 200.

Thus, the odor stimulus cleaner 400 may be configured to detect the presence or absence of the previous odor stimulus generator 200 remaining inside the odor stimulus generator 200 when the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 is changed or disabled during use of the olfactory stimulation system 10. [ The odor stimuli (S1, S2, S3, S4) can be removed.

The odor stimulating cleaner 400 may be connected to the odor stimulating generator 200 and may be connected to the odor stimulating controller 300 in a signal-transmissive manner. That is, when the odor stimulation controller 300 determines that the removal of the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 remaining in the odor stimulus generator 200 is necessary, the operation of the odor stimulus generator 200 is stopped The smell stimulating dishwasher 400 can be operated.

For example, the odor stimulus cleaner 400 may include a cleaning unit 410 and a discharge unit 420.

The cleaning unit 410 is a device that cleans the inside of the odor stimulation generator 200 by supplying a cleaning material W into the inside of the odor stimulation generator 200. The cleaning unit 410 may be connected to one side of the valve body 231 in a communicative manner. For example, the cleaning unit 410 may be formed in a nozzle structure that injects the cleaning material W into the receiving portion 231a of the valve body 231 at a high pressure. Here, the cleaning material W may be variously used depending on the kind of the odor stimulating materials M1, M2, M3, and M4. For example, the cleaning material W may comprise at least one of air, water, or ethanol.

The cleaning unit 410 may be disposed above the valve body 231. Accordingly, since the cleaning material W is sprayed in the gravity direction, it is possible to prevent a problem that the spray pressure of the cleaning material W is reduced by gravity or the spray direction of the cleaning material W is deformed by gravity .

The discharge unit 420 is a device for discharging the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 remaining in the interior of the odor stimulus generator 200 and the cleaning material W supplied from the cleaning unit 410 to the outside. The discharge unit 420 may be connected to the other side of the valve body 231 in a communicative manner. For example, the discharge unit 420 includes a cleaning material discharge port through which the cleaning material W 'containing the cleaned odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 is discharged, and a cleaning material discharge valve for opening and closing the cleaning material discharge port . In addition, the discharge unit 420 may dispose the discharge pump at the cleaning material outlet so that the cleaning material W 'containing the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, S4 is forcibly discharged through the cleaning material discharge port.

The discharge unit 420 may be disposed below the valve body 231. Accordingly, the cleaning material W 'in which the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 are mixed is moved to the discharge unit 420 by the action of gravity and is then discharged naturally to the outside through the discharge unit 420 .

1 to 3, the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to the present embodiment may further include a central processor 500 connected to the odor stimulation controller 300 in a signal-transferable manner.

 The central processor 500 may store various kinds of information of the odor stimulation controller 300 in a database and may change an operation condition of the olfactory stimulation system 10 by setting an operation algorithm of the odor stimulation controller 300. For example, the central processor 500 may be configured as a PC, a notebook, a smart phone, or a tablet PC.

The central processor 500 may also analyze the chemical sensory nervous system by analyzing various kinds of information of the sensory stimulation controller 300 and patterns of EEG changes according to the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4. Of course, instead of the EEG pattern, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET), MEG, Magneto Encephalo Graphy technology, and so on.

The operation and effect of the olfactory stimulation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 4, the controller 310 of the odor stimulation controller 300 receives the sensed values of the respiration sensing unit 340 and the environment sensing unit 350, and analyzes the sensing values.

Here, the controller 310 selects the operation mode according to the sensed value of the breath sensing unit 340. That is, when the respiration of the polar body 20 is analyzed as inspiration by the sensing value of the respiration sensing unit 340, the control unit 310 controls the odor stimulating feeder 100 to transmit odor stimulation S1, S2, S3, And advances the supply mode to be supplied. In contrast, when the respiration of the polar body 20 is analyzed as an exhalation by the sensed value of the breathing detection unit 340, the control unit 310 controls the odor stimulating feeder 100 such that the odor stimulation S1, S2, S3, A cut-off mode for cutting off the supply of the heat source is started.

The control unit 310 corrects the olfactory sensitivity of the odor stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 according to the sensed values of the environment sensing unit 350. That is, when it is analyzed that the sensitivity of the sense of smell is lowered by the sensing value of the environment sensing unit 350, the control unit 310 corrects the sense of smell of the smell stimuli S1, S2, S3, and S4 to increase the sense of smell. On the other hand, when it is analyzed that the sensitivity of the smell stimulus is increased by the sensed value of the environment sensing unit 350, the control unit 310 modifies the smell stimulus S1, S2, S3, and S4 to decrease the sense of smell.

On the other hand, when the supply mode of the olfactory stimulation system 10 is performed as described above, the air supply unit 210 supplies the air A to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226. At this time, the air conditioning unit 250 appropriately adjusts the humidity and the temperature of the air (A) supplied to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226.

4, only one of the four on / off valves 236, 237, 238, and 239 is opened by the control unit 310. As shown in FIG. 4, the air supply unit 210 supplies air (A) to the on-off valve 236 of one of the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226, And mixes with the odor stimulating material M1 stored in the unit 220 to form a single odor stimulus S1.

The generated odor stimulus S1 temporarily stays in the accommodating portion 231a of the valve body 231. When the control unit 310 opens the discharge valve 246, the odor stimulus S1 is transmitted through the outlet And is discharged to the transfer unit 240. The odor stimulus S1 is conveyed to the odor stimulating feeder 100 along the conveying unit 240 and supplied to the odorous area of the pizza electrode body 20 through the odor stimulating feeder 100. [

6, when changing the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4 provided in the olfactory stimulation system 10 or stopping the use of the odor stimulus S1, S2, S3, S4, the controller 310 Operates the odor stimulating dishwasher 400 with the open / close valves 236, 237, 238, and 239 and the discharge valve 246 closed. At this time, the accommodating portion 231a of the valve unit 230 is completely blocked from the outside.

The cleaning unit 410 of the odor stimulating dishwasher 400 cleans the odor stimulus S1 remaining in the accommodation portion 231a by spraying the cleaning material W into the accommodating portion 231a, The discharge unit 420 discharges the cleaning material W 'existing inside the accommodating portion 231a to the outside of the valve body 231. [ At this time, the cleaning substance W 'discharged from the valve body 231 includes the odor stimulus S1 used in the previous step.

When the operation of washing the smell stimulus generator 200 is completed, the smell stimulus generator 200 generates the smell stimulus S1, S2, S3, and S4 again while the operation of the smell stimulus cleaner 400 is stopped do.

5, when the supply mode of the olfactory stimulation system 10 is performed again, the air supply unit 210 supplies air A to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226, The air conditioning unit 250 appropriately adjusts the humidity and the temperature of the air A supplied to the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226.

In Fig. 5, two open / close valves 237 and 238 which are not previously opened among the four open / close valves 236, 237, 238 and 239 are shown opened by the control unit 310. 5, the air supply unit 210 supplies air A to two odor supply units 222 and 224 which are not used in the odor supply units 220, 222, 224, and 226, respectively Supply. Thus, the air A is mixed with the odor stimulating substances M2 and M3 stored in the two odor supplying units 222 and 224 to form two odor stimuli S2 and S3.

The smell stimulus S2 and S3 generated as described above temporarily stay in the accommodating portion 231a of the valve body 231 and are mixed with each other. When the control unit 310 opens the discharge valve 246, The odor stimuli (S2, S3) are discharged to the transfer unit (240) through the discharge port. The two odor stimuli S2 and S3 are fed to the odor stimulating feeder 100 along the feeding unit 240 and fed to the odorous area of the pizza obj ect 20 through the odor stimulating feeder 100. [

Although the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, belong to the scope of the present invention .

10: olfactory stimulation system
20: Pizza pole
100: odor stimulating feeder
200: odor stimulus generator
210: air supply unit
220, 222, 224, 226: odor supply unit
230: Valve unit
240: transfer unit
250:
300: odor stimulation controller
310:
340:
350: Environmental sensing unit
400: odor stimulator
500: central processor
A: air
M1, M2, M3, M4: Odor stimulating substance
S1, S2, S3, S4: odor stimulus
W: Cleaning material
W ': a cleaning substance comprising odor stimulus

Claims (16)

An odor stimulating feeder disposed in a horn region of the pizza polar body to provide an odor stimulation to the olfactory region of the pizza polar body;
An odor stimulating generator formed to generate the odor stimulus supplied by the odor stimulating feeder and connected in communication with the odor stimulating feeder to supply the odor stimulating feed to the odor stimulating feeder; And
An odor stimulation controller operably connected to the odor stimulating generator for controlling the operation of the odor stimulating generator to supply the odor stimulus to the odor stimulating feeder in a constant and constant rate;
/ RTI >
Wherein the odor stimulation controller is provided with a delay time that is generated during operation of the odor stimulus generator and is maintained in the odor stimulus generator for a predetermined delay time before the odor stimulus generated by the odor stimulus generator is supplied to the odor stimulus generator. Wherein the odor stimulating agent is supplied to the odor stimulating feeder after the stimulating intensity, temperature, humidity or pressure of the odor stimulating agent is uniformized in the odor stimulating generator.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the odor stimulating feeder is formed in a mask shape mounted on an odd-numbered area of the pizza polar body so as to shield the odd-numbered area of the polarizer body from the outside.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the odor stimulating generator comprises:
An odor supply unit for supplying the odor stimulating material;
An air supply unit connected to the inlet of the odor supply unit to supply the air to the odor supply unit to generate an odor stimulus composed of a mixture of the odor stimulating material and the air;
A valve unit communicably connected to the odor stimulation controller and connected to the outlet of the odor supply unit to intermittently adjust the supply of the odor stimulus according to a control signal of the odor stimulation controller; And
A transfer unit connected to the valve unit and the odor stimulating feeder to transfer the odor stimulus from the valve unit to the odor stimulating feeder;
And a nose stimulation system.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein at least one of the air supply unit, the valve unit, and the transfer unit has an air adjusting unit for adjusting humidity or temperature of the air.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein a plurality of odor supply units are provided depending on the kind of the odor stimulating material,
Wherein the air supply unit is connected to the inlet of the odor supply units,
Wherein the valve unit is connected to the outlet of the odor supply units to selectively open and close at least one of the outlet sections of the odor supply units in accordance with the control signal of the odor supply agent.
6. The method of claim 5,
The valve unit includes:
A valve body connected to the odor stimulating feeder and having a receptacle in which the odor stimulus is temporarily accommodated;
A connection channel formed so as to communicate between the valve body and the odor supply units and correspondingly connected to the odor supply units one by one; And
An opening / closing valve provided on the connection channels for selectively opening / closing the connection channels, the opening / closing valve being connected to the odor stimulation controller so as to be actuated in accordance with a control signal of the odor stimulation controller;
Wherein the nose stimulation system comprises:
The method of claim 3,
The transfer unit
A delivery tube connected at one end to the one side of the valve unit and connected at the other end to the odor stimulating feeder; And
A blower disposed in either the delivery tube, the valve unit or the odor stimulating feeder to blow the odor stimulus along the delivery tube to the odor stimulating feeder;
Wherein the nose stimulation system comprises:
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Wherein the odor stimulation controller comprises:
A control unit operably connected to the odor stimulus generator to transmit a control signal for controlling the operation of the odor stimulus generator;
A control unit connected to the control unit to control operation of the control unit and configured to be operable by a user; And
A display unit configured to display input contents of the operation unit or an operation state of the control unit;
Wherein the nose stimulation system comprises:
9. The method of claim 8,
The smell stimulation controller may further include a breath sensing unit provided on the odor stimulating feeder to sense a breathing state of the polar body of the pizza body,
Wherein the controller is connected to the respiration sensing unit to control the operation of the odor stimulation generator in one of a supply mode and a cutoff mode according to a sensed value of the breath sensing unit.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the feeding mode is an operating mode for delivering the odor stimulus from the odor stimulating generator to the odor stimulating feeder and the interrupting mode is an operating mode for interrupting transmission of the odor stimulus from the odor stimulating generator to the odor stimulating feeder,
Wherein the control unit performs the supply mode when the respiration of the polar body of the pizza sensed by the respiration sensing unit is in an inhalation mode and executes the interruption mode when the respiration of the polar body of the pizza sensed by the respiration sensing unit is exhaled, .
9. The method of claim 8,
The odor stimulation controller may further include an environment sensing unit provided in the odor stimulating feeder to sense ambient environment information of the polar body of the pizza body,
Wherein the control unit is connected to the environment sensing unit in a signal-transferable manner to adjust sensitivity of the odor stimulation according to the sensed value of the environment sensing unit.
12. The method of claim 11,
The environment sensing unit includes:
A temperature sensor provided in the odor stimulating feeder for sensing the ambient temperature of the smell of the pizza polar body;
A humidity sensor provided on the odor stimulating feeder for sensing the ambient humidity of the smell of the pizza polar body; And
A signal transmission member connected to the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor and the control unit to transmit the sensed values of the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor to the control unit;
Wherein the nose stimulation system comprises:
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
And an odor stimulating dishwasher connected to the odor stimulating generator to clean the inside of the odor stimulating generator,
Wherein the smell stimulation controller operates the smell stimulus generator in a state in which the operation of the smell stimulus generator is stopped so as to eliminate the smell stimulus remaining in the inside of the smell stimulus generator when the smell stimulus is changed or stopped.
14. The method of claim 13,
The smell-
A washing unit connected to one side of the odor stimulating generator to supply a washing substance into the inside of the odor stimulating generator; And
A discharge unit connected to the other side of the odor stimulus generator to discharge the odor stimulus remaining inside the odor stimulus generator together with the cleaning material supplied from the cleaning unit;
And a nose stimulation system.
15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the cleansing material comprises at least one of air, water, or ethanol.
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
And a central processor for storing various kinds of information of the odor stimulation controller and being connected to the odor stimulation controller in a signal-transferable manner to set an operation algorithm of the odor stimulation controller.

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