WO2013156900A1

WO2013156900A1 - A method for providing stimuli to a user

Info

Publication number: WO2013156900A1
Application number: PCT/IB2013/052844
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tim Johannes Willem Tijs; Murray Fulton Gillies; Gary Nelson Garcia Molina; Gijs Antonius Franciscus Van Elswijk; Raymond Van Ee
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Priority date: 2012-04-16
Filing date: 2013-04-10
Publication date: 2013-10-24

Abstract

Systems (200, 250) for generating ambient stimuli for the purpose of reducing patient anxiety. One of the systems is a learning mode ambience stimuli controller (200) which generates stimuli during a learning phase where a user learns an association between a desired behavior response or a desired emotional state and an arbitrary stimuli generated by the learning mode controller (200). The other system is an exploitation mode ambient stimuli controller (250) which generates stimuli during an exploitation phase. During the learning phase the stimuli is generated e.g. during periods where the user has a low stress level being the desired behavior response. During the exploitation phase, stimuli are generated in dependence of the stimuli which was associated with the desired behavior response. Thus, the user may experience a stress reducing effect in response to the presented stimuli during the exploitation phase since the presented stimuli will be associated with a low stress feeling.

Description

A method for providing stimuli to

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for providing stimuli to a user, in particular to such method which utilizes associating a desired behavior response with and arbitrary stimulus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Patients facing medical procedures in a hospital environment may experience an increase anxiety. Such increases in anxiety are often induced by negative associations that the patient has with particular medical procedures such as catheterization, personnel of the hospital, e.g. surgeons or devices e.g. an MR scanner.

Ambient stimuli such as music and lighting effects can be used for reducing a patient's anxiety in connection with medical procedures such as MR scans, radiotherapy, PET-CT uptake, and catheterization. It may be important to reduce the anxiety in order to obtain satisfactory results. For example, MR scans often results in motion artifacts if the patient is too anxious. In Radiotherapy it may cause poor tumor-beam alignment. The reduction of anxiety is therefore not only beneficial for the patient experience but also for the clinical outcome.

The assumed effect of such ambient stimuli is based on general positive association. For example, tropical beaches are generally considered as relaxing. By projecting images of tropical beaches next to an MR scanner, the images aims to create associations between the "high-anxiety" MR scanner and the "low-anxiety" tropical beach resulting in an overall MR room experience that is lower in terms of anxiety than without the tropical beach imagery.

Although, in general, lying on tropical beaches is considered as relaxing the use of such images of tropical beaches faces several uncertainties concerning its

effectiveness. For example, lying on a tropical beach is considered to be relaxing in general but one cannot be sure whether images of tropical beaches has a relaxing effect on all users. For example, some may get aroused by scarcely dressed individuals on the beach. Further, the association between lying on a tropical beach and the sense of relaxation is not learned in a hospital setting. Whereas lying on the beach is found very relaxing during a holiday it is uncertain what effect such beach- image stimuli has on a patient in hospital environment who is worried about a coming medical prognosis.

Accordingly, it is a problem that the certainty about the effectiveness of such ambient stimuli is relatively low. Therefore, there is a need to apply ambient stimuli to patients so that the effect of the stimuli becomes more reliable and possibly also more effective.

US 6,774,929 discloses a display system that provides visual stimuli to a patient who is undergoing diagnostic treatment within a magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) apparatus.

The system utilizes a magnetically inert and RF shielded projector located in the close proximity to the MRI to transpose a video picture on a translucent screen inside the bore of the MRI. The patient views the screen through a prism. Even though US 6,774,929 discloses a method for providing stimuli to a patient by use of a display system for showing images to the patient there is no guarantee that the images have a desired relaxing effect on the patient.

The inventor of the present invention has appreciated that an improved systems for generation ambient stimuli is of benefit, and has in consequence devised the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to achieve improvements within systems for generating ambient stimuli for reducing patient anxiety or stress. In general, the invention preferably seeks to provide a solution that improves the chance that an ambient stimulus will have a positive effect on stress reduction for a patient. In particular, it may be seen as an object of the present invention to provide a method that solves the above mentioned problems of current systems for providing ambient stimuli to patients, or other problems, of the prior art.

To better address one or more of these concerns, in a first aspect of the invention a learning mode ambience stimuli controller for providing stimuli to a user is presented that comprises:

an input for receiving one or more input values corresponding to one or more quantifiable external conditions, a first stimuli generator capable of providing a stimulus to the user, where the stimulus is selected in dependence of the one or more input values, and

a data generator for determining stimuli information describing the stimulus which has been provided to the user by the first stimuli generator, where the stimuli information has a data format which is readable by an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller according to the second aspect below.

Since the information describing what stimulus has been provided to the user is generated in a format which is readable by an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller, the learning mode ambience stimuli controller is capable of communicating information to the learning mode stimuli controller so that this controller is capable of generating stimuli which are similar to the stimuli generated during the learning phase.

Thereby, an arbitrary stimulus which has been learned during the learning phase to be associated with a desired emotional/mental state of the user with help of the learning mode ambience stimuli controller can be generated by the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller to exploit the learned associated emotional/mental state at later time and in a different context.

The user may be a patient in a hospital or other caregiving environment, or other user which can benefit from exposure to ambient stimuli.

A second aspect of the invention relates to an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller for providing stimuli to a user comprising:

an input for reading stimuli information according to the first aspect, and a second stimuli generator configured to provide a stimulus to the user, where the stimulus provided by the second stimuli generator is selected in dependence of the stimuli information.

Since the input is capable of reading stimuli information in a format which was generated by the data generator of the learning mode ambient stimuli controller, the second stimuli generator is capable of generating ambient stimuli which are similar to the stimuli generated by the first stimuli generator.

Accordingly the learning mode ambience stimuli controller and the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller constitute inter-related controllers which are able to interact via the stimuli information provided by the learning mode ambience stimuli controller, e.g. via a storage, and via the input of the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller. In an embodiment of the learning mode ambience stimuli controller the quantifiable external condition is determined on basis of one or more of: a measured or estimated emotional state of the user, a measured or estimated mental state, a time of day and an event state.

In a related embodiment the learning mode ambience stimuli controller is configured to select the stimulus at least in dependence on the emotional state or the mental state. Since, e.g. a specific time of the day, such as the time where family is allowed to visit a patient, may invoke a special emotional state such as a low stress level, the stimulus may be selected in dependence of time of the day in addition to e.g. a stress level or a level of attentiveness. Alternatively, the stimulus is selected in dependence of only a measured or estimated emotional state of the user or a measured or estimated mental state.

In a related embodiment the learning mode ambience stimuli controller is configured for determining the measured or estimated emotional state or the measured or estimated mental state from a model based on one or more model inputs relating to time of day or event states .

In an embodiment the first stimuli generator is configured for generating different stimuli in dependence on the emotional state or the mental state. For example different stimuli may be generated in dependence of the stress level, so that e.g. green light is generated for low stress levels and blue light is generated for high (e.g. above a threshold) stress levels.

In an embodiment the learning mode ambience stimuli controller comprises a storage for storing the stimuli information. Accordingly, the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller may read the stimuli information from the storage, e.g. an electronic memory.

In an embodiment the learning mode ambience stimuli controller comprises a storage for storing the number of times that the user has been exposed to the stimulus or an accumulated time of which the user has been exposed to the stimulus. Advantageously, this embodiment enables determining when an association between an arbitrary stimulus and a desired emotional state is strong enough so that the arbitrary stimulus can be used as a stimulus during the exploitation phase. In order to avoid that the generation of a stimulus is included in the number of times or accumulated time, when an emotional or mental state changes to an undesired state, e.g. a high stress level, also changes in e.g. emotional states may be stored so that effectiveness of the stimuli can be determined. Alternatively, the number of times or the accumulated time may be determined in dependence of the emotional or mental state provided via the input, for example so that inappropriate stimuli which increases the stress level does not count in the number of applied stimuli or the accumulated time.

In an embodiment the first stimuli generator is a video system capable of inserting additional frames into a video and possibly also capable of presenting the video for the user. In another embodiment the first stimuli generator is capable of presenting an interactive task for the user.

A third aspect of the invention relates to an ambience stimuli system comprising:

a learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to the first aspect, and an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller according to the second aspect.

The learning mode ambience stimuli controller and the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller may be integrated in a system where exchange of the stimuli information from the learning mode ambience stimuli controller to the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller may be performed directly or via a storage such as a database.

A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a method for providing stimuli to a user, comprising:

- providing a first stimulus to the user using a first stimuli generator, where the first stimulus is provided in a first period of time,

providing a second stimulus to the user using a second stimuli generator, where the second stimulus is provided in a second period of time succeeding the first period of time and where the second stimulus is selected in dependence of the first stimulus.

The first stimulus may be determined manually e.g. by the user or other persons or from quantifiable external conditions as defined in the first aspect.

In summary the invention relates to systems for generating ambient stimuli for the purpose of reducing patient anxiety or stress. One of the systems is a learning mode ambience stimuli controller which generates stimuli during a learning phase where a user learns an association between a desired behavior response or a desired emotional state and an arbitrary stimuli generated by the learning mode controller. The other system is an exploitation mode ambient stimuli controller which generates stimuli during an exploitation phase. During the learning phase the stimuli is generated e.g. during periods where the user has a low stress level being the desired behavior response. During the exploitation phase, stimuli are generated in dependence of the stimuli which was associated with the desired behavior response. Thus, the user may experience a stress reducing effect in response to the presented stimuli during the exploitation phase since the presented stimuli will be associated with a low stress feeling.

In general the various aspects of the invention may be combined and coupled in any way possible within the scope of the invention. These and other aspects, features and/or advantages of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 illustrates the principle of associating a desired emotional state 103b with an arbitrary stimulus 104b during a learning mode phase 101 and exploiting the learned association during an exploitation mode phase 102, and

Fig. 2 illustrates a learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 for providing stimuli to a user during the learning mode phase 101, and an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller 250 for providing stimuli to a user during the exploitation mode phase 101.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a learning mechanism where a user, e.g. a patient in a hospital, is exposed to an arbitrary stimulus when the user is or is expected to be in a desired state, e.g. a desired emotional state. The desired emotional state is a desired behavior response which will be associated with the arbitrary stimulus by the user.

The desired emotional response may be elicited by an unconditioned stimulus which naturally elicits the desired behavior response.

By exposing the user to the arbitrary stimulus when the desired emotional response has been elicited or the desired emotional response is present for other reasons (e.g. the desired emotional response may occur spontaneously) an association between the arbitrary stimulus and the desired response will be created after exposure to the stimulus a number of times. The association becomes stronger as the user is exposed to stimuli more often. The period where association is created is referred to as a learning mode phase. Subsequent to the learning mode phase, in an exploitation mode phase, where the user is not in the desired emotional state, the user may be exposed to the same arbitrary stimulus as used in the leaning mode phase in order to change the user's emotional state into the desired emotional state.

An example of the learning mode phase and the exploitation mode phase is illustrated in Fig. 1 which illustrates the learning mode phase 101 and the exploitation mode phase 102 as a function of time 110. During the learning mode phase 101 the patient's emotional states changes between non-specific emotional states 103 a and desired emotional states 103b. For example a desired emotional state 103b may be a state where the patient has a low stress level (e.g. a stress level below a given threshold), and the other non-specific states 103a may be states where the patient has relatively high stress levels (e.g. stress levels above a given threshold). During the periods of low stress levels, i.e. desired emotional states 103b, the patient is exposed to an arbitrary stimulus 104b in order to establish an association between the arbitrary stimulus 104b and the desired emotional response. The arbitrary stimulus could be a specific light color, e.g. green, used for illuminating a patient ward.

During the other periods 103a, e.g. periods of higher stress levels, the patient may be exposed to other stimuli 104a, e.g. other light colors such as green for illumination of the patient ward, or the patient could be exposed to a default light setting. The other stimuli 104a does not need to be selected from any predetermined set of stimuli. I.e. during the non-specific emotional states 103a the patient need not be exposed to any predetermined stimulus.

Subsequently, during the exploitation mode phase 102, the patient may be in a state 103c which causes the stress level to increase, e.g. because the patient is awaiting an examination procedure, e.g. an MR-scanning, a consultation with a doctor or an operation. In order to reduce the patient's stress level in state 103c, the patient is exposed to a stimulus 104c which is the same or corresponding stimulus as the arbitrary stimulus 104b used in the learning mode phase 101. Since the patient associates the desired emotional state 103b, i.e. the low stress, with the arbitrary stimulus 104b, the effect of exposing the patient to the same or corresponding stimulus 104c is that the stress level of the patient is reduced during the exploitation phase. The lowering of the stress may be essential in order to be able to perform the examination and may be important for the well-being of the patient.

Thus, an embodiment of the invention relates to a method for providing stimuli to a user, e.g. a patient in a hospital wherein a first stimulus 104b is provided to the user using a first stimuli generator 201 (see description of Fig. 2), where the first stimulus 104b is provided in a first period of time 1 11 comprising periods wherein the patient is in a desired state 103b, and for providing a second stimulus 104c to the user using a second stimuli generator 252 (see description of Fig. 2), where the second stimulus 104c is provided in a second period of time 112 where the patient may not be in the desired state 103c, where the second period of time succeeds the first period of time and where the second stimulus 104c is selected in dependence of the first stimulus 103b, meaning that the second stimulus 104c is the same stimulus or corresponding stimulus as the first stimulus 104b. The second stimulus 104c may differ from the arbitrary first stimuli 104b. For example, the first arbitrary stimulus 104b may be green illumination at a high color saturation, whereas the second stimulus 104c used during the exploitation mode may also be green illumination but at a lower saturation. The first and second periods of time 111, 112 corresponds to the respective learning phase 101 and the exploitation phase 102. The first stimulus 104b is equivalent to the arbitrary stimulus 104b.

The method may further comprise providing another stimulus 104a to the user using the first stimuli generator 201 in the first period of time when the patient is in a nonspecific state 103a, e.g. situations where the user has high levels of stress.

The arbitrary state 103b, the non-specific state 103a and the user's state 103c during the exploitation phase 102 may be states characterized by emotional states of the patient such as a stress state, a level of stress, a mood state (happy/sad), a level of

happiness/sadness, and/or characterized by mental states such as a state of attentiveness or level of attentiveness.

Fig. 2 illustrates a learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 for providing stimuli to a user, e.g. a patient in a caregiving environment.

The controller 200 comprises an input 204 for receiving one or more input values corresponding to one or more quantifiable external conditions. A quantifiable external condition may be a measured or estimated stress level of the user, a time of day, event states (e.g. currently the user is watching television which is known to reduce stress levels), a detected presence of people near the user or other conditions which may affect the user. A time of day may be a time point such as 12.00 or a time period such as 12.00-13.00.

The learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 further comprises a first stimuli generator 201 capable of providing a stimulus to the user. The stimulus is selected by the generator 201 in dependence of the one or more input values. By selecting the stimulus in dependence of one or more input values, e.g. in dependence of the user's stress level, it is possible to expose the user to an arbitrary stimulus 104b when the user has a desired low stress level, i.e. when the user is in a desired emotional state 103b.

The arbitrary stimulus 104b provided by the first stimuli generator 201 may be a fixed single stimulus, e.g. a specific color to be generated by a light installation in a patient ward, or the arbitrary stimulus 104b provided by the first stimuli generator may be selected from a list stored in a storage of the learning mode controller 200 or from an external database. The first stimuli generator 201 may also be capable of providing other stimuli 104a to the user during non-specific emotional states 103a such as periods where the user's stress level is above a given threshold.

In an embodiment the first stimuli generator 201 is configured for generating different stimuli in dependence on the stress level. For example, the first stimuli generator may generate a first stimulus, e.g. green light, when the stress level is below a predetermined threshold, and generate a second stimuli if the stress level is above a predetermined threshold. The second stimuli could be "normal artificial light" (e.g. normal white light) corresponding to a non-explicit stimulus or "blue light" corresponding to a second specific stimulus type which should be learned to be associated with a high stress levels in the absence of the desired low stress state. The first stimulus is essential to be present for the

learning/exploitation phases, whereas the second stimulus may be applied could be applied during an exploitation phase as an alternative to applying normal lighting such as normal white light.

The learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 further comprises a data generator 202 for determining stimuli information describing which stimulus has been provided to the user by the first stimuli generator 201. The stimuli information has a data format which is readable by an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller 250 which is responsible for exposing the user to a stimulus 104c - corresponding to the arbitrary stimulus 104b - during the exploitation phase 202, i.e. during a period of time 112 located subsequent to the first period of time 111.

The stimuli information may be made available for the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller 250 as a data signal via an output 211 comprised by the learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200. The learning mode controller 200 may further comprise a storage for storing the stimuli information so that the information can be outputted from the output 211 at a later time. Alternatively, the stimuli information may be outputted via the output 211 to an external storage 221 from where it is accessible by the exploitation mode controller 250 at a later time. The learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 may further be configured for determining changes in a measured stress level provided via the input 204 in dependence of stimuli generated by the first stimuli generator 201. Thus, if the stress level starts increasing when a stimulus is generated, this may mean that the stimulus is not suited as an arbitrary stimulus 104b for the user. Therefore, the data generator 202 may further be configured for determining the stimuli information in dependence of a measured stress level. For example, in an undesired increase in stress level is detected in response to a stimulus, the data generator may not generate any stimuli information for that stimulus, or the stimuli information may contain information indicating that this arbitrary stimulus 104b should not as stimulus 104c during the exploitation phase 102.

In an embodiment the ambience stimuli controller comprises a storage, e.g. the storage 203, for storing the number of times that the user has been exposed to the stimulus or an accumulated time of which the user has been exposed to the stimulus. The number or accumulated time may be determined in dependence of measured stress level provided via the input 204, for example so that inappropriate stimuli which increases the stress level does not count in the number of applied stimuli or the accumulated time. According to this embodiment it may be possible to determine when an association between an arbitrary stimulus 104b and a desired emotional state 103b is strong enough so that the arbitrary stimulus 104b can be used as a stimulus 104c during the exploitation phase 102.

Fig. 2 further illustrates an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller 250 for providing stimuli to a user. The exploitation mode controller 250 comprises an input 251 for receiving the stimuli information generated by the data generator 202, e.g. from the output 211 or an external storage 221, and further comprises a second stimuli generator 252 configured to provide a stimulus to the user. The stimulus provided by the second stimuli generator 252 is selected in dependence of the stimuli information from the input 251.

Accordingly, since the exploitation mode stimuli controller 250 selects stimuli based on the stimuli information, the second stimuli generator can expose the user to a stimulus 104c which is the same or corresponding stimulus as the arbitrary stimulus 104b used during the learning mode 101 of the same user. Therefore, the exploitation mode controller 250 is capable of presenting stimuli 104c to the user, e.g. in connection with a clinical examination procedure, which may have a stress reducing effect since the

corresponding stimuli 104b was associated with low stress situations 103b during the learning phase 101. The combination of the learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200, the exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller 250 and possibly the external storage 221 constitutes an ambience stimuli system 299.

As mentioned above a quantifiable external condition may be an emotional state such as a stress level of the user, a mental state such as a state of attentiveness, a time of day, an event state or other external conditions which affects the user's emotional status.

An emotional state such as stress level may be obtainable from measurements performed by an associated stress detector. For example, the user may carry a stress detector in the form of a bracelet which measures the user's skin conductivity.

A mental state such as a level of attentiveness may be obtainable from measurements performed by a suitable detector such as detectors for measuring eye movement and skin conductance. For example, a camera or laser system may be used for measuring eye movement. Rapid eye movements can be converted to low level of attentiveness and, oppositely, detection of few eye movements can be converted to a high level of attentiveness.

Alternatively or additionally, an emotional state such as the stress level may be determined/estimated by a model based on one or more model inputs, e.g. time of day, events, visit times, examination times and planed medical procedures. For example, the user may have relatively low stress levels at certain times of the day, e.g. in the evening hours between 20.00 and 22.00 or when lunch is served at time point 12.00. Events such as lunch time may be known to generate low stress levels, and visit times where family are allowed to visit the patient could generate low stress levels. On the other hand, planed medical procedures such as examinations may generate higher stress levels. Thus, based on such inputs it is possible to estimate the user's stress level and, thereby, estimate desired states 103b of the user.

A mental state such as a level of attentiveness may also be

determined/estimated by a model based on one or more model inputs, e.g. time of day, events, visit times, examination times and planed medical procedures. For example, at times of the day where meals are served the model can be configured to determine that a patient has a high level of attentiveness since normally such events are considered as positive events which would generate a high level of attentiveness, as well as happiness. Similarly, times of the day where family are allowed to visit a patient or an event where the patient receives an unexpected family visit could be modeled to generate a high level of attentiveness. Instead of basing the quantifiable external condition on a stress level, the quantifiable external condition could be based directly on time of day, e.g. visit times or lunch times, or event states such an event where the user is presented to some entertainment. For example, hospitalized children may be entertained by events, e.g. by a hospital clown, where such events most likely will reduce the stress level of such patients. Accordingly, the user may be considered to be en a desired state during such periods of time.

The learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 itself could be configured for determining the stress level from a model. E.g. the controller may have a data processor configured for executing a computer program code implemented model.

It is understood that the learning mode ambience stimuli controller 200 may be configured to select the stimulus dependence on one or more quantifiable external conditions, e.g. on stress level and time of the day.

Types of ambient stimuli provided by the first and second stimuli generators 201, 251 comprise:

- Light effects such as light colors generated by a general light installation, an ambient light device specifically designed for creating lighting atmospheres, or for example a light installation being visible from the bore of an MR-scanner,

Video such as nature scenes generated by a video system,

Music or sounds generated by an audio system,

- Fragrance generated by a fragrance dispenser, or

other effects capable of generating sub-threshold stimuli which are perceivable but not interpretable or subliminal stimuli which are non-perceivable but can have an influence on the user.

In an embodiment the first stimuli generator 201 is a video system capable of presenting video for the user where additional frames, e.g. frames with a given color or frames showing medical equipment, are inserted in the video. The video itself may be a relaxing nature video which may reduce the stress level. The inserted frames with the specific color have the effect of an arbitrary stimulus 104b, and the same color may be used as a stimulus 104c during a subsequent exploitation phase for reducing stress. The frame time of the inserted frames is sufficiently short so that the color is not perceived but does become associated with relaxing atmosphere of the video. In this embodiment video may be presented at the patient's home where the video is shown via an internet connection during the learning phase 101. In this case the first stimuli generator 201 comprises a video generator capable of transmitting the video over internet or other network connection to a given user. The alternative of inserting frames showing medical equipment may create a direct positive association between the medical equipment, e.g. an MR scanner, and the relaxing images of the video. The inserted frames subconsciously introduce the patient to the anxiety inducing medical equipment that the patient will be confronted with later. However, since a desired emotional state 103b, i.e. a relaxing state, is associated with the medical equipment, the patient may be less stressed when being confronted with the medical equipment during the exploitation phase.

In an embodiment the first stimuli generator 201 is configured for presenting stimuli in the form of an interactive task which is presented for the user. An example of such interactive tasks could be that the user is asked to count the number of objects in an image, i.e. a nature scene with birds and asked to count the number of birds. During the exploitation mode the second stimuli generator 252 presents the same interactive task for the user which will automatically start this task and be distracted from stress affecting procedures or devices, e.g. an MR scanner the procedures associated with the scanner.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller (200) for providing stimuli to a user, comprising:

an input (204) for receiving one or more input values corresponding to one or more quantifiable external conditions,

a first stimuli generator (201) capable of providing a stimulus (104a, 104b) to the user, where the stimulus is selected in dependence of the one or more input values, and a data generator (202) for determining stimuli information describing the stimulus (104a, 104b) which has been provided to the user by the first stimuli generator (201), where the stimuli information has a data format which is readable by an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller (250) according to claim 2.

2. An exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller (250) for providing stimuli to a user comprising:

an input (251) for reading stimuli information generated during operation by the data generator (202) according to claim 1 , and

a second stimuli generator (252) configured to provide a stimulus (104c) to the user, where the stimulus provided by the second stimuli generator is selected in dependence of said stimuli information.

3. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 1, wherein the quantifiable external condition is determined on basis of one or more of: a measured or estimated emotional state of the user, a measured or estimated mental state, a time of day and an event state.

4. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 3, wherein the learning mode ambience stimuli controller is configured to select the stimulus (104a, 104b) at least in dependence on the measured or estimated emotional state or the measured or estimated mental state.

5. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 3, wherein the learning mode ambience stimuli controller is configured for determining the estimated emotional state or the estimated mental state from a model based on one or more model inputs relating to time of day or event states.

6. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 3, wherein the first stimuli generator is configured for generating different stimuli (104a, 104b) in dependence on the measured or estimated emotional state or the measured or estimated mental state.

7. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 1, comprising a storage (203) for storing the stimuli information.

8. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 1, comprising a storage (203) for storing the number of times that the user has been exposed to the stimulus or an accumulated time of which the user has been exposed to the stimulus.

9. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 1, wherein the first stimuli generator (201) is a video system capable of inserting additional frames into a video.

10. A learning mode ambience stimuli controller according to claim 1, wherein the first stimuli generator (201) is capable of presenting an interactive task for the user.

11. An ambience stimuli system (299) comprising:

a learning mode ambience stimuli controller (200) according to claim 1 , and an exploitation mode ambience stimuli controller (250) according to claim 2.

12. A method for providing stimuli to a user, comprising:

providing a first stimulus (104 a, 104b) to the user using a first stimuli generator (201), where the first stimulus is provided in a first period of time (111),

providing a second stimulus (104c) to the user using a second stimuli generator (252), where the second stimulus is provided in a second period of time (112) succeeding the first period of time and where the second stimulus is selected in dependence of the first stimulus.