Illumination equipment

• US 5,403,261 A
• Filed: 05/05/1993
• Issued: 04/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xomed Surgical Products, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Masanori, Sakamoto, Syouetu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/058,160
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 600/26-28
• US Class Current: 600/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/10 Electroencephalographic signals

Abstract

An illumination system comprises a 1st signal generator to generate signals with a frequency range of the alpha rhythms of human brain waves, a 2nd signal generator to generate signals with a power spectrum distribution expressed by 1/fⁿ, where n is between 0 and 2, and also with a frequency range below 50 Hz, a driver amplifier a and a driver amplifier b, both serving as light controllers to control the illumination of light sources according to the signals from the 1st and 2nd signal generators respectively and finally a light source 1 and a light source 2 to shed lights, and contributes to inducing a person under the light shedding from it to generate alpha rhythms without having an uncomfortable impression due to flickering illumination in a readily available illumination environment. Thus, the illumination from the light source 1 contributes to the entrainment of alpha rhythms and that from the light source 2 contributes to masking the illumination from the light source 1 eliminating the unpleasant flickering impression with a resultant ready creation of an illumination environment wherein alpha rhythms are induced. If necessary, it is possible to enhance the alpha rhythm entrainment effect by using sounds and also it is possible to apply a bio-feedback for stabilizing and intensifying the alpha rhythms through a brain wave feedback loop formed visually and/or acoustically, if necessary, with the analyzed signals of the brain waves from a person under the illumination environment used as the control signals for the 1st signal generator.

Claims

1. An illumination control system comprising:

a first and second light source;

a first signal generator wherein a first signal with a frequency ranging from 8 Hz to 13 Hz is generated;

a second signal generator wherein a second signal with a power spectrum distribution expressed by 1/fⁿ, where n is between 0 and 2 and with a frequency ranging below 50 Hz is generated; and

a first light controller controlled by said first signal generator, said first light controller driving said first light source;

a second light controller controlled by said second signal generator, said second light controller driving said second light source;

wherein light generation from said first light source is controlled by said first signal from said first signal generator and light generation from said second light source is controlled by said second signal from said second signal generator.

5. An illumination control system according to one of claims 1, 3 and 2 wherein said first signal generator is equipped with a signal synthesizer having an oscillation frequency changing and fluctuating over a frequency range of 8 Hz to 13 Hz.

6. An illumination control system according to claim 5 further including a signal synthesizer connected to said second signal generator wherein the n in the power spectrum distribution, 1/fⁿ, of said second signal generator is made variable and the value of n is arbitrarily set.

7. An illumination control system according to one of claims 1, 8 and 11 further including a signal synthesizer connected to said second signal generator wherein the n in the power spectrum distribution, 1/fⁿ, of said second signal generator is made variable and the value of n is arbitrarily set.

8. An illumination control system according to one of claims 1, 3 and 2 wherein the second signal generator includes means for generating a audio signal input.

9. An illumination control system according to claim 8 further including an amplifier, connected to said means for generating an audio output signal, to amplify the audio signal input and a speaker, connected to said amplifier to convert the amplified signals acoustically.

10. An illumination control system as in one of claims 1, 3 and 2 further including a brain wave measurement instrument and a brain wave analyzer, connected to said first signal generator, to measure and analyze the brain waves of a person placed in an illumination environment created by said illumination equipment and to use the analyzed brain waves as control signals to the first signal generator.

11. An illumination control system as in one of claims 1, 3 and 2 further including a converter connected to said first signal generator, to convert signals from the first signal generator to audible rhythmic signals, an amplifier, connected to said converter to amplify the audible rhythmic signals and a speaker, connected to said amplifier, to convert the amplified signals acoustically.

2. An illumination control system comprising:

light source;

a first signal generator wherein a first signal with a frequency ranging from 8 Hz to 13 Hz is generated;

a second signal generator wherein a second signal with a power spectrum distribution expressed by 1/fⁿ where n is between 0 and 2, and with a frequency ranging below 50 Hz is generated; and

a light output controller coupled between said first signal generator and second signal generator

for controlling said first generator and said second generator and connected to said light source for driving said light sources;

wherein light generation from said light sources is controlled by signals from said first signal generator and said second signal generator.

3. An illumination control system as in claim 2 said light output controller further including a first light output controller to arbitrarily set the minimum value of the variation in light output from the first light source and the second light source illuminated by the first signal and the second signal from the first and the second signal generators respectively and a second light output controller to vary the ratio of the light output value controlled by the first signal generator to the light output value controlled by the second signal generator.

4. An illumination control system as in claim 2 said light output controller further including a second light output controller to arbitrarily set the maximum and the minimum values of the variation in light output from the light sources illuminated by the first signal and the second signal from the first signal generator and the second signal generator respectively.