Bio-feedback process and device for affecting the human psyche

• US 6,102,847 A
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gunter Stielau
• Original Assignee: Gunter Stielau
• Inventors: Stielau, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US09/091,803
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 600/26-28
• US Class Current: 600/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/163 by tracking eye movement, gaze, or pupil change
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0066 with heating or cooling
• 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 2230/60 Muscle strain, i.e. measured on the user

Abstract

A bio-feedback process for affecting the human psyche and a device for implementing it comprises measuring eye movements, physiological parameters of eye muscles and/or nose root muscles of a person sensors. The measurements are transmitted to an evaluation system, which, by means of the measurements made in the immediate vicinity of the eyes and information stored in the evaluation system, assesses the psychological condition of the person. Depending on the data measured, the person is then stimulated by a stimulation system with relaxing or tensing stimuli. It is thus possible to relax or stimulate a person'"'"'s psyche in a targeted manner, whereby the person'"'"'s psychological condition can be easily and accurately measured in the immediate vicinity of the eye.

Claims

1. A biofeedback process for producing acoustic and/or optical signals for relaxation purposes comprising:

electrically measuring eye movements of a person to obtain measured values by detecting action potentials in an eye and/or nose root area by sensors;

transferring the measured values to an evaluation system having information allotted to the measured values;

producing control signals for a stimulation system on the basis of the detected measured values and the information allotted to the measured values and stored in the evaluation system;

substantially continuously producing acoustic and/or optical signals from the stimulation system, in dependence on the control signals; and

delivering the produced acoustic and/or optical signals so that they are detected by at least one perceptive sense of the person.

2. The biofeedback process according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic and/or optical signals are frequency and/or amplitude modulated tones or color signals.

3. The biofeedback process according to claim 1 wherein the acoustic and/or optical signals are natural sounds, spoken words, rustling noises with variable bandwidth and mean frequency or vibrations with interposed interruptions.

4. The biofeedback process according to claim 1 wherein producing the acoustic and optical signals further comprises retrieving the acoustic and/or optical signals from a memory system.

5. The process according to one of the preceding claims further comprising correlating the produced measured values relating to the eye movements of the person and the produced acoustic and/or optical signals together through correlation programs of the evaluation system so that a functional connection is produced between the eye movements and the acoustic and/or optical signals perceived by the person.

6. The process according to claim 5 further comprising developing, through the evaluation system and the stimulation system, independent acoustic and/or optical signals which lead to an influence on the eye movements of the person.

7. The process according to claim 6 further comprising using artificial neuronal networks for developing the independent acoustic and/or optical signals.

8. The process according to claim 2 further comprising influencing the frequency or the frequency spectrum, and the volume of the acoustic signals directly by the eye moment.

9. The process according to claim 1 wherein the sensors that measure the action potentials of the eyes detect eye movements.

10. The process according to claim 9 wherein the sensors that measure eye movements also measure nerve impulses of muscles in the area of the nose root, and the nerve impulses serve as a starting value for the control signals produced by the evaluation system.

11. The process according to claim 1 further comprises providing signals of a control element that is operable by the person as a starting value for the control signals produced by the evaluation system.

12. A device for implementing a biofeedback process producing acoustic and/or optical signals for relaxation purposes comprising:

sensors that detect measured values by electrically measuring eye movements of a person, wherein the sensors detect action potentials in the eye and/or nose root area;

an evaluation system to which the measured values detected by the sensors are transferred, and the evaluation system has a control signal producer that produces control signals on the basis of the measured values and data which is allotted to the measured values and stored in the evaluation system;

a stimulation system that substantially continuously generates acoustic and/or optical signals in dependence on the control signals; and

a transporter that sends the generated acoustic and/or optical signals to the person.

13. The device according to claim 12 wherein the evaluation system has correlation programs for determining functional connections between the measured values and the acoustic and/or optical signals.

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the evaluation system, through the stimulation system, produces acoustic and/or optical signals suitable for influencing the eye movements and thus psyche of the person.

15. The device according to claim 14 wherein the evaluation system has artificial neuronal networks that produce the acoustic and/or optical signals suitable for influencing the eye movements and psyche of the person.

16. The device according to claim 12 wherein the sensors are mounted on a spectacles frame and the spectacle frame has an interface for data lines.

17. The device according to claim 12 wherein the stimulation system has a sound generator or a synthesizer.

18. The device according to claim 12 wherein the stimulation system has at least one memory system wherein the evaluation system can access individual information stored on the memory system.

19. The device according to claim 18 wherein the stimulation system has a CD ROM player as the memory system.

20. The device according to claim 12 wherein the stimulation system has elements for creating an optimal temperature and/or generators for optical signals.

21. The device according to claim 12 wherein the evaluation system has indicators for the measured values.