Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M21/00—Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61M—DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
  • A61M21/00—Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
  • A61M2021/0005—Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis by the use of a particular sense, or stimulus
  • A61M2021/0027—Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis by the use of a particular sense, or stimulus by the hearing sense
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
  • H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
  • H04R1/1016—Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
  • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a sleep and relaxation promoting aid.
• One object of this invention is to provide an aid which can be used in a simple and practical manner for producing natural sleep and which does not disturb other people.
• a further object is to provide an aid which can be completely or partly inserted in the auditory meatus of the ear.
• Still another object of the invention is to provide a sound-generating device which is rendered inoperative when a state of relaxation or sleep has been achieved.
• the said aid consists of an integrated circuit connected to a current supply unit and having a sound-generating member and a member, connected to an operating means, for con ⁇ trolling the frequency, amplitude and pattern of the sound, as well as a loudspeaker means, at least the latter being insertable in the auditory meatus or placeable in direct conjunction with the ear.
• Fig. 1 shows the device in the form of a block diagram
• Fig. 2 shows the device inserted in the auditory meatus of the ear.
• the sleep and relaxation promoting aid illustrated in the drawing is shown merely in the form of a block diagram because the electronics expert will have no difficulty in designing the circuits involved by apply ⁇ ing prior art technique.
• the main part of the aid is an integrated circuit 10 comprising a digital part 16 and an analog part 17.
• the integrated circuit 10 is connected to a current supply unit 11, preferably in the form of a battery.
• an operating part 12 is connected to said circuit 10 which in turn operates a loudspeaker means 13.
• the digital part 16 of the integrated circuit 10 has a control part connected to said operating part 12, a memory, and preferably a random generator for random generation of noise, especially so-called random noise.
• the analog part 17 has an amplifier and suitable filters for operating the subsequent unit 13 which produces sound of a suitable character within the audible range, but which may also generate sound outside this range, such as high-frequency noise.
• the unit 13 normally comprises a microloudspeaker and therefore is termed loudspeaker in the subsequent description and in the claims.
• the current supply unit 11 may comprise, in addition to a battery, a rectifier unit connectible to the mains.
• the operating part 12 has a switch for switching the aid on or off, as well as means for controlling the sound volume, for program selection etc.
• the aid according to the present invention may be designed in many different ways.
• An especially advantageous embodiment is shown in Fig. 2 where all of the parts 10-13 have been combined into a unit of such a shape that it can be inserted in the auditory meatus 18 of the ear.
• the loudspeaker means 13 is mounted at the inner end of the unit adjacent the tympanic membrane 19, the operating part 12 at the outermost end, and the two remaining parts 10, 11 therebetween.
• the operating part 12 may be provided in its outwardly facing surface with a readily accessible and manually operable means for switching the aid on and off.
• a timer may be mounted in the unit, but it is preferred to sense the user's state, of wakefulness so that the aid is switched off as soon as the user has fallen asleep.
• a separate sensor 14 may be connected to the main part 15 of the operating part 12.
• the transducer may be in the form of a separate switch which the user holds with his thumb and index finger and which main ⁇ tains the activated state of the aid as long as the user is applying pressure to the switch, but which disconnects the aid when the pressure ceases because the user has fallen asleep.
• a more sophisticated so ⁇ lution is to provide a sensor 14 which senses the brain activity and controls the operating part accord ⁇ ingly. The requisite means for this operation are also commercially available.
• the outer part of the aid can be provided with a trans ⁇ mitter -20 transmitting the sound on a suitable frequency to a receiver 21 tuned to the said frequency and con ⁇ nected to the loudspeaker means in the auditory meatus.
• the aid may be divided also in some other way, for example by placing the loudspeaker means 13 and the circuit 10 in the auditory meatus 18.
• the sound generated by the integrated circuit 10 may vary within wide limits, as has been mentioned by way of introduction.
• the pro ⁇ spective user may choose between different sounds at the medical center or the shop where the aid is sold.
• the circuit 10 may generate a single selected sound pattern, while in a more expensive design it can produce several sound patterns such that the user can alter the sound pattern by means of a switch. Sound above or below the limit of audition, noise etc. may be used alternately with or superimposed on the first-mentioned sound patterns.
• the present invention provides a sleep and relaxa ⁇ tion promoting aid which is superior to conventional soporifics in that it is efficient and inexpensive, has no side effects, and is not unfavourably habit- forming.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Hematology (AREA)
• Psychology (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Anesthesiology (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Percussion Or Vibration Massage (AREA)
• Measurement Of The Respiration, Hearing Ability, Form, And Blood Characteristics Of Living Organisms (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Measuring Pulse, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure Or Blood Flow (AREA)
• Details Of Audible-Bandwidth Transducers (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20363402

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (5)

Citations (6)

• 1986
  • 1986-02-10 SE SE8600560A patent/SE451800B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1987
  • 1987-02-06 WO PCT/SE1987/000055 patent/WO1987004630A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1987-02-06 EP EP19870901162 patent/EP0292496A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1987-02-06 JP JP50120887A patent/JPH01502082A/ja active Pending
  • 1987-02-06 AU AU70244/87A patent/AU7024487A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1987-10-09 DK DK530887A patent/DK530887D0/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1988
  • 1988-08-09 FI FI883704A patent/FI91485C/sv not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (6)

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