KR20240042274A - Habit forming aids - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assistive device that can assist in habit formation by periodically reminding the user of the time to perform a specific action for the purpose of habit formation for treatment or correction purposes. For example, if artificial eyelid blinking is induced by periodically making the user aware of the timing of eyelid blinking using stimulation such as electricity, vibration, or voice, the user repeats learning to respond to the delivered stimulus by eyelid blinking, forming a conditioned reflex. , Ultimately, if you develop it into a habit, dry eye syndrome can be treated.

Description

Habit forming aid {HABIT FORMING AIDS}

The present invention relates to a habit forming aid device that periodically recognizes the time to perform a specific action to the user so that the user can form a habit of a specific action for treatment or correction purposes.

Since continuous repetition of specific actions is essential for forming habits, habit forming aids can be implemented in the form of devices that can be worn in daily life, such as bone conduction earphones, glasses, watches, necklaces, etc.

In the present invention, the eyelid blinking habit forming aid device for the treatment of dry eye syndrome, which can be completely cured in many cases with just the eyelid blinking habit, is described.

Conventional pharmacological methods for treating dry eye syndrome are accompanied by several problems. For example, the use of artificial tears is very cumbersome because the effect is temporary. On the other hand, if the viscosity of artificial tear fluid is increased to prolong the effect, there is a problem that the feeling of use is reduced because the eye feels sticky. Additionally, administration of topical steroids may have side effects such as increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma, cataracts, and worsening corneal infections.

Additionally, existing technologies related to dry eye treatment devices include dry eye diagnosis and treatment devices, portable devices with vibrating elements, eye massager control systems, and therapeutic devices for placement under the eyelids. Patent Document 1: A dry eye syndrome diagnosis and treatment device and method simultaneously diagnose and treat abnormalities in the lacrimal and meibomian glands, which are the causes of dry eye syndrome. Additionally, Patent Document 2, a portable device having a vibrating member for treating disorders, stimulates or inhibits nerves and/or treats congestion, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, sinusitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, eye disease, skin disease, acne, cysts, or any other disease. Treats diseases such as In addition, Patent Document 3, a dual eye massager control system using a smartphone application promotes meibomian gland blood circulation through a rolling function through a heating function and compressed air pressure, and relieves eye fatigue to treat dry eye syndrome. Additionally, Patent Document 4 Therapeutic Devices for Deployment Under the Eyelid and Associated Systems, Devices and Methods for Treating Dry Eye Disease are configured to be placed under the eyelid and worn by a user to treat dry eye disease.

However, all existing technologies related to dry eye treatment devices are methods of applying various stimuli (heat, eye massage, light, magnetic field, etc.) with expected therapeutic effects to the body organs (tear glands, meibomian glands, etc.) that cause dry eye syndrome. At the same time, since daily life is impossible, separate time must be secured for treatment. However, due to insufficient treatment time, only temporary symptom improvement occurs, and dry eye syndrome is recognized as a chronic disease that is difficult to treat.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1776226 Dry eye syndrome diagnosis and treatment device and method Publication of Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0125968 Portable device with a vibrating member for treating disorders Public Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0108853 Dual eye massager control system using a smartphone application Publication of Patent No. 10-2022-0007678 Therapeutic devices for placement under the eyelid and associated systems, devices and methods for treating dry eye syndrome

The purpose of the present invention is to form habits that users need.

Various studies have been conducted on habit formation, for example, according to American doctor Maxwell Maltz, based on the fact that it takes patients with amputated hands or feet about 21 days to get used to the fact that they have lost a body part. proposed the hypothesis that it takes about 21 days to form a habit (2010), and Professor Jane Wardle of the University of London concluded through an experiment that it takes about 66 days to act reflexively without thought or will. In addition, NASA conducted an experiment where people lived for 24 hours wearing special glasses that turned the view 180 degrees, and it was confirmed that after 30 days, the world that appeared to be flipped 180 degrees returned to its original state. The glasses were the same as when they were first produced, but they recognized that the brain had to adapt to a new environment and flipped the visual and spatial recognition systems 180 degrees to recognize them.

The above studies on habits are in different environments and end with different conclusions, but what they have in common is that constant repetition is necessary to form habits.

To explain the habit in brain science, when brain cells are stimulated several times, the concentration of protein kinase A in the cell increases and spreads, eventually entering the cell nucleus and stimulating DNA to create a protein that creates a cell synapse. do. In other words, long-term memory of cells is formed. However, repetitive stimulation is required to create a synapse, and once a synapse is connected, the connection is maintained with only intermittent stimulation.

The present invention utilizes conditioned reflexes to create synaptic connections by repeating specific actions.

All animals have reflexes that respond to certain stimuli outside the body. For example, when a hot object touches the skin, it is a reflex to move part of the body to move away from the object, a reflex to unconsciously close the eyes when an object approaches in front of the eyes, etc.

When such a reflex occurs through learning by repeating another stimulus that is unrelated or very distant from the stimulus that causes the reflex, the reflex is called a conditioned reflex.

Around 1990, Paplov repeated the practice of sounding a bell and then immediately giving the dog food several times, and found that the sound of the bell caused the dog to salivate even if no food was given. So, he called the secretion of saliva when food enters the mouth an unconditional reflex, and found that while receiving a stimulus that was completely unrelated to the original food, for example, the sound of a bell in the above experiment, repeatedly, food came out after that stimulus. Through experience, we learned that the reflex that causes salivation even when receiving a stimulus is called a conditioned reflex and differentiated the two. It was also confirmed that conditioned reflexes are easier to form in higher animals and more difficult to form in lower animals.

The present invention is a habit-forming aid that periodically transmits stimulation such as vibration, voice, and electricity to the body. The user repeats learning to respond to the delivered stimulation with a specific action to form a conditioned reflex and ultimately develops it into a habit. Achieve the purpose of habit formation.

According to the National Health Insurance Corporation's big data, the number of dry eye patients in Korea is estimated at 2,374,482 as of 2020. Although it is a very common disease that affects about 330 million people worldwide, existing treatment methods have side effects. Dry eye has been recognized as a chronic disease that is difficult to cure because it is accompanied by or the effect is temporary.

Normally, you blink 15 times per minute, but when you focus on a computer or smartphone, eyelid blinking rapidly decreases to about 4 to 5 times per minute, which is the main cause of dry eye syndrome.

If you do not blink your eyelids, your eyes will dry out and micro-damage will occur in the cornea. If micro-damage is repeated, the cornea may become cloudy and lead to vision loss.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a habit forming assistive device that can help form a specific action into a habit by recognizing the timing of performing a specific action through stimulation such as vibration, electricity, or voice. The user can freely select or adjust the stimulation type, stimulation generation cycle, and intensity.

The habit forming aid device of the present invention,

A stimulation generator (3) that transmits vibration stimulation using a vibrating member, electrical stimulation using an electrode pad, vibration (bone conduction earphones), and voice stimulation using a speaker to the body in order to make the user aware of the timing of performing a specific action.

A driving signal generating unit (4) that generates a signal to drive the stimulation generating unit (3) such as a vibrating member, electrode pad, and speaker;

A driving signal control unit (5) capable of selecting and controlling the type of driving signal such as vibration, electricity, voice, etc., and the signal generation cycle and intensity, etc.; and

It is a secondary battery, which is charged by an external power source and is characterized in that it includes a battery (7) that is separated from the external power source and is responsible for supplying independent power.

In addition, selection and settings of the type of driving signal and the intensity of the signal generation cycle can be made using the control buttons 8 provided on the habit forming aid or on a smartphone that has established a communication channel.

The present invention utilizes vibration stimulation, electrical stimulation, voice stimulation, etc. to periodically make the user aware of the time to perform a specific action, thereby helping the user form a specific action into a habit.

Since continuous repetition of a specific behavior is essential to form a habit, habit forming aids can be implemented in the form of devices that do not interfere with daily life when worn, such as bone conduction earphones, glasses, watches, necklaces, etc.

The habit of blinking frequently is a fundamental dry eye treatment method with no side effects, but the problem is that it is difficult to form a habit.

The bone conduction earphone-shaped habit-forming aid device periodically alerts patients with dry eye syndrome when it is time to blink their eyelids using vibration, voice, or electrical stimulation, thereby inducing intentional eyelid blinking, thereby preventing and treating dry eye syndrome in the short term. This can be achieved, and in the long run, it is possible to create a synapse and form a habit of periodically blinking the eyelids without will or thought, making it possible to completely cure dry eye syndrome without side effects.

In the case of general commercial bone conduction earphones, a stimulation generator that can transmit vibration and voice to the body; A driving signal generator capable of generating vibration and voice driving signals; A battery consisting of secondary cells is already provided, so it can be used as a simple habit-forming assistive device just by modifying the firmware of the bone conduction earphones (similar to the case of wearable watches, it can be implemented by installing an app), and provides electrical stimulation to the facial contact area. It can be used as a perfect habit-forming aid if it is equipped with a stimulation generator including an electrode pad that can transmit and generates an electrical stimulation drive signal in the drive signal generator.

Figure 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a habit forming assistive device in the form of bone conduction earphones according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a habit forming aid device in the form of glasses according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is an illustration showing a watch-shaped habit forming aid device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the habit forming aid device of the present invention.

The present invention can be used for forming various habits, and in this specification, the periodic eyelid blinking habit forming aid for treating dry eye syndrome is described as an example.

The eyelid blinking habit forming assistive device uses vibration stimulation, electrical stimulation, or voice stimulation to make the user aware of the timing of eyelid blinking, induces artificial eyelid blinking, and repeats this to form a habit of periodic eyelid blinking through a conditioned reflex. The purpose is to

Figure 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a habit forming assistive device in the form of bone conduction earphones according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the bone conduction earphone-shaped habit forming assistive device (1) includes a stimulation generator (3), a drive signal generator (4), a drive signal controller (5), and a battery (6). It consists of control buttons (8) for and a communication unit (7) for linking with the control app on the smartphone.

The stimulation generating part (3) of typical bone conduction earphones is coated with silicone or rubber to improve wearing comfort. Voice stimulation or vibration stimulation can be used to recognize when to perform a specific action. If you want to use electrical stimulation, electrode pads can be used. must be included, and the electrode pad can be located anywhere on the skin contact surface, including the stimulation generating area (3).

The driving signal generator 4 generates a signal that can generate one of vibration stimulation, voice stimulation, or electrical stimulation in the stimulation generating unit 3 according to the settings of the driving signal control unit 5. Vibration stimulation can be done with a vibration motor, voice stimulation can be done with a speaker, and electrical stimulation can be done with electrode pads.

The driving signal control unit 5 can select vibration stimulation, voice stimulation, and electrical stimulation of the driving signal generating unit 4 and set the stimulation signal generation cycle and intensity, and is equipped with control buttons 8 for setting. .

The communication unit 7 creates a communication channel between the driving signal control unit 5 and the control app 9 of the smartphone, and the control app 9 selects vibration stimulation, voice stimulation, and electrical stimulation and generates a stimulation signal, You can set the intensity, etc.

The battery 6 is a secondary battery that is charged by an external power source and is separated from the external power source to provide independent power.

Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a habit forming reporting device in the form of glasses according to a second embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the habit forming aid device 1 in the form of glasses includes a glasses frame 21, a nose pad 22, It includes a hinge switch 23, a driving signal generation unit 4, a driving signal control unit 5, a communication unit 7, and a battery 6.

The nose pad 22 serves as a stimulus generating unit 3 in a glasses-type habit forming aid, and may have electrode pads that transmit stimulation to the skin of a user wearing glasses. In addition to the nose pad 22, the electrode pad may be located anywhere on the skin-contacting surface of the eyeglass frame 21.

The glasses frame 21 supports the shape of the glasses, and includes a nose pad 22 including a stimulation generator 3 at the nose position, a hinge switch 23 that controls the operation of the habit forming aid device on/off, a drive signal control unit ( A driving signal generator (4) that generates a signal capable of generating stimulation in the stimulation generator (3) according to the settings in 5), a control unit (5) that controls the cycle and intensity of stimulation, etc., and a smartphone (2) It includes a control app (9), a communication unit (7) that creates a communication channel, and a battery (6) that supplies power.

The hinge switch 23 can turn on/off the switch to supply or cut off power to the battery 6 depending on when the hinge is folded or unfolded, and this can also be done with a separate button.

The driving signal control unit 5 can set the stimulation signal generation period and intensity of the driving signal generating unit 4, and is provided with control buttons 8 for setting. The stimulation cycle and intensity can also be set using the control app (9) on the smartphone (2).

The communication unit 7 creates a communication channel between the driving signal control unit 5 and the control app 9 of the smartphone 2, and the control app 9 can set the stimulation signal generation cycle and intensity, etc.

The battery 6 is a secondary battery that is charged by an external power source and is separated from the external power source to provide independent power.

Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a (smart) watch-type habit forming assistive device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, which includes a stimulus generator (3), a drive signal generator (4), a drive signal controller (5), and a communication unit. (7), including battery (6).

The stimulation generator is an electrode pad for electrical stimulation and is configured around the biometric sensor 31 in Figure 3. You can also use voice signals using Bluetooth earphones connected to vibration stimulation, which is a basic function of the watch.

The driving signal generator 4 generates a stimulation signal according to the settings of the driving signal control unit 5, and the driving signal control unit 5 can select and set the type of stimulation, the generation period of the stimulation, and the intensity. It can also be set using the control app (9) on the smartphone (2) through the button on the watch or the communication unit (7).

The battery 6 is a secondary battery that is charged by an external power source and is separated from the external power source to provide independent power.

The present invention is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed in the claims. Of course, such changes are within the scope of the claims.

1: Habit-forming aids
2: Smartphone
3: Stimulus generating part
4: Driving signal generation unit
5: Driving signal control unit
6: Battery
7: Department of Communications
8: Control button
9: Control app
21: Glasses frame
22: Nose pad
23: hinge switch
31: Biometric sensor

Claims (5)

A stimulation generator (3) that transmits stimulation such as vibration, electricity, and voice to the body to make the user aware of the time of performing a specific action or accident;
a driving signal generating unit (4) that generates a signal for driving the stimulation generating unit (3);
A driving signal control unit (5) capable of selecting and controlling the type of driving signal such as vibration, electricity, voice, etc., and the signal generation cycle and intensity, etc.; and
A habit forming aid device comprising a secondary battery, a battery (6) that is charged by an external power source and is separated from the external power source and is responsible for supplying independent power. According to paragraph 1,
In the control app (9) of the smartphone (2) that forms a communication channel using the control button (8) or the communication unit (7) provided in the habit forming assistive device, selection of the type of driving signal, signal generation cycle intensity, etc. , a configurable habit-forming aid. According to paragraph 1,
A habit forming aid device characterized in that it has the form of commercial bone conduction earphones, glasses, and a commercial smart watch. According to paragraph 3,
A habit-forming aid device characterized by using the vibration stimulation and voice stimulation that are basically provided in the commercial bone conduction earphones as a recognition signal at the time of performing a specific action. According to paragraph 3,
A habit forming aid device characterized by using the vibration stimulation and voice stimulation provided by default in the commercial smart watch as a recognition signal when a specific action is performed.