WO2024071994A1 - Motion sickness prevention and mitigation electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a device which transmits stimulation in the form of an earset worn on a wearer's ear to prevent and mitigate motion sickness of a user. The device comprises a plurality of electrodes which are in contact with different portions among the vagus nerve of the wearer and transmit electrical stimulation, and a processor for controlling the plurality of electrodes to control at least one among the frequency and strength of the stimulation. The device comprises a first set to come into contact with the left ear of a wearer and a second set to come into contact with the right ear of the wearer, wherein the same number of a plurality of electrodes are included in the first set and the second set, respectively, in a symmetric structure.

Description

Electronic devices to prevent and relieve motion sickness

It is related to wellness or healthcare electronic devices, and more specifically, to electronic devices that prevent and alleviate physical abnormalities related to the senses and nervous system, such as motion sickness.

Motion sickness is a symptom of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and discomfort that occurs in the vestibular system when using transportation such as a car or boat. Recently, motion sickness has been reported during virtual reality (VR) experiences.

The causes of motion sickness can be explained in various ways, but there is an opinion that explains the difference between vision and other senses as a self-defense phenomenon that occurs when the human body judges it to be a danger signal. According to this opinion, in situations where motion sickness is likely, the autonomic nervous system determines that a problem has occurred in the body and sharpens the senses to find the cause. In particular, the sense of smell is greatly affected because, from an evolutionary perspective, it is said that the need to increase olfactory sensitivity remains when the cause of physical abnormalities is spoiled food or toxic food such as poisonous mushrooms.

Prevention of motion sickness is effective, and representative treatments for prevention include antihistamines, anticholinergics (parasympathetic nerve blockers), antispasmodics (anticonvulsants), and sympathomimetics.

The most commonly used antihistamines are first-generation antihistamines such as meclizine, dimenhydrinate, and chlorpheniramine, and are mainly used in combination with pyridoxine or caffeine. There is scopolamine as an anticholinergic, and it can be taken orally in combination with antihistamines, but patch preparations are widely known. The effect of the patch lasts for three days, so it can be a good choice if you need to prevent motion sickness for a long time, but it is strong enough to paralyze the nerves and is toxic, so care must be taken when handling it.

Drugs such as antihistamines and scopolamine have anticholinergic side effects such as blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation, and urinary retention. In some cases, the side effects can make motion sickness worse. In the case of children, pregnant women, and patients, extra caution is required when using motion sickness medication, making it difficult to use motion sickness medication on a daily basis without risk.

Recently, a system that provides galvanic vestibular stimulation to alleviate motion sickness in cyber environments such as virtual reality has been introduced, but it has limitations such as having a structure that is difficult to general usability and being used for special purposes in special environments.

We provide an electronic motion sickness prevention and relief device that can be used safely as an alternative to motion sickness medications that have side effects due to toxicity.

When transmitting electrical stimulation to the body, it provides a device that quickly and reliably prevents and relieves motion sickness by delivering direct and appropriate stimulation to the vagus nerve.

Because it alleviates motion sickness in an appropriate way depending on the situation the user experiences, it provides a device that is more general-purpose and can cope with various situations compared to previously known methods.

According to one side, a device is provided that prevents and alleviates motion sickness in users by transmitting stimulation in the form of earsets worn on the wearer's ears. The device includes: a plurality of electrodes that contact different parts of the wearer's vagus nerve to deliver electrical stimulation; and a processor that controls at least one of the intensity and frequency of stimulation by controlling the plurality of electrodes.

According to one embodiment, the device includes a first set contacting the wearer's left ear and a second set contacting the wearer's right ear, wherein the first set and the second set include an equal number of electrodes. Each is included in a symmetrical structure.

According to one embodiment, the plurality of electrodes include: 1) a first electrode that is inserted into the external auditory canal through the auricular cavity of the wearer in an in-ear manner and transmits electrical stimulation to the external auditory canal; 2) a second electrode in contact with the wearer's cymba concha; 3) a third electrode contacting the wearer's tragus; and 4) at least two of the fourth electrodes that approach the back of the wearer's ear and come into contact with the wearer's mastoid process. By way of example, but not limitation, a set of the first to fourth electrodes are symmetrically disposed in each of the first set and the second set.

According to one embodiment, the device further includes a communication unit that is connected to an external device and receives external data. And the processor may adaptively adjust the output of at least one of the plurality of electrodes according to the external data.

According to one embodiment, the electrical stimulation is constant current stimulation in a predetermined size range, such as 7 mA or less. And the frequency can be adjusted within a pre-specified range from 30Hz.

According to another embodiment, at least one of the plurality of electrodes exchanges heat energy to cause a temperature change in at least one semicircular canal of the wearer. This exchange of heat energy may cause the electrode in contact with the skin to momentarily provide (donate) heat to the contact area or absorb heat, thereby causing a change in the temperature of the skin. In particular, such changes may occur differentially in the left and right ears, leading to a change in sensation in the wearer.

According to another embodiment, the device further includes a plurality of EEG electrodes for measuring the wearer's EEG. In this case, the plurality of EEG electrodes may be evenly arranged left and right in a symmetrical array along the connection portion connecting the first set and the second set.

According to one embodiment, the processor: calculates a first acceleration vector (a1) corresponding to a change in visual information of the wearer using the measurement signals of the plurality of EEG electrodes, and calculates the first acceleration vector (a1) and The intensity or frequency of each of the plurality of electrodes may be changed to reduce the difference between the second acceleration vector (a2) actually applied to the wearer and the device.

In this case, the device may further include a sensor that measures the second acceleration vector (a2).

In another embodiment, the second acceleration vector (a2) may be obtained by information received from an external device that is communicatively connected to the device. By way of example, but not limitation, the external device may be a means of transportation such as a car, ship, or airplane and/or an On Board Diagnostics (OBD) device connected to such means of transportation, a smartphone, a navigation device, a black box, etc.

According to embodiments, it effectively prevents and suppresses motion sickness without the toxicity caused by motion sickness medications such as existing anticholinergics and antihistamines. Therefore, children, pregnant women, patients, and the elderly can also use it to relieve motion sickness without worrying about drug addiction or side effects.

And, compared to previously known electronic means of alleviating motion sickness through electrical stimulation or vibration, it creates an appropriate effect by directly stimulating the vagus nerve, so the effect of preventing and alleviating motion sickness is immediate and more certain.

In addition, it can be universally applied to various situations and environments, such as motion sickness caused by shaking while the user is riding a vehicle such as a car or ship, and virtual reality motion sickness caused by visual information input while the user's body is stationary. is high.

Furthermore, a synesthetic effect is expected by combining various sensory stimuli such as electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve, acoustic stimulation, and temperature stimulation, so there is a synergistic effect and it is possible to adaptively respond to the cause of motion sickness.

The difference between the vehicle's movement and the estimated movement due to visual processing can be adaptively offset in real time, enabling control tailored to the actual situation of the user riding the vehicle. Furthermore, the stability and balance of the autonomic nervous system through various stimuli such as sound, heat, and electricity improve the user's satisfaction while riding in the vehicle and their health. Additionally, since connected control between biometric information and vehicle information is possible, the user can communicate with the status of the vehicle, thereby improving satisfaction with safety, attention, and vehicle information sharing.

1 is a block diagram showing a device according to one embodiment.

Figure 2 is an exemplary outline diagram for explaining the structure of a device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the structure of one side of the device according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the positions of electrodes disposed thereon.

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining EEG electrodes disposed in a device according to one embodiment.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a device according to another embodiment.

Figure 6 shows a user wearing a device according to an embodiment and boarding a vehicle.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing a device according to another embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the scope of rights is not limited or limited by these embodiments. The same reference numerals in each drawing indicate the same members.

The terms used in the description below have been selected as general and universal in the related technical field, but there may be different terms depending on technological developments and/or changes, customs, technicians' preferences, etc. Accordingly, the terms used in the description below should not be understood as limiting the technical idea, but should be understood as illustrative terms for describing embodiments.

In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the detailed meaning will be described in the relevant description section. Therefore, the terms used in the description below should be understood based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the specification, not just the name of the term.

Devices 100, 200, 500, 600, and 700 according to embodiments may be electronic devices. As shown, the electronic device may be capable of operating independently through dedicated hardware and firmware. However, as one of ordinary skill in the electronics industry can easily predict, the illustrated devices (100, 200, 500, 600, 700) are equipped with hardware such as electrodes and circuit boards, and at least some external computing devices (not shown) It is also possible to operate in conjunction with the invention, and even in this case, it should be understood as falling within the scope of rights as long as the idea of the invention described through the examples is not changed.

For example, it is possible for the illustrated devices to be operated by receiving electrical or electromagnetic signals from a computing device implemented by system-on-chip hardware and/or application software. Such computing devices include, for example, smart phones, tablet personal computers, mobile phones, video phones, e-book readers, desktop personal computers, A laptop personal computer, netbook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), portable multimedia player (PMP), MP3 player, mobile medical device, camera, or wearable device (e.g. : Head-mounted-device (HMD) such as electronic glasses, electronic clothing, electronic bracelet, electronic necklace, electronic accessory, electronic tattoo, smart watch, or electronic system of a vehicle It can contain at least one.

The electronic system of the means of transportation may include at least one of, for example, automotive infotainment devices, marine electronic equipment (e.g. marine navigation systems and gyro compasses, etc.), avionics, security devices, and vehicle head units. there is.

Additionally, when the devices 100, 200, 500, 600, and 700 are specifically designed to prevent and alleviate motion sickness in a virtual environment, the computing device may be used as furniture, part of a home infotainment system mounted on a building/structure, It may include at least one of an electronic board, an electronic signature receiving device, a display device, or a projector. In this way, the devices according to the embodiments may have their own shape modified, or may be linked and/or manipulated by some external computing device, and there may also be forms in which such functions are added while the main purpose of the devices is other than preventing motion sickness. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that this can be done. Below, specific embodiments will be described on this premise. It should be understood that it is assumed that the above-mentioned modifications are possible even if not mentioned each time in each embodiment.

Causes of motion sickness and the action of the autonomic nervous system

Motion sickness is a phenomenon that occurs when the human body judges the difference between vision and other senses as a danger signal. The autonomic nervous system, which determines that there is a problem with the body, tends to sensitize other senses to find the cause, and the sense of smell is especially greatly affected. This appears to be because it is thought to be an effect of toxic food such as spoiled food or poisonous mushrooms.

Symptoms vary slightly from person to person, but usually include dizziness, headache, and nausea caused by low blood pressure. Sometimes you break out in a cold sweat, and often burp or yawn for no reason. The sense of smell is strengthened, the stomach weakens, and you may feel drowsy. In particular, when nausea becomes severe, sour fluid comes out of the mouth and eventually causes vomiting. This spreads to the surrounding area, causing other people who are also suffering from motion sickness to vomit as well. It may cause shock and fear.

Symptoms persist for quite a long time even after getting off the vehicle. It lasts at least 10 minutes and on average several hours. In severe cases, it may last more than 2 days.

It is known that the parasympathetic nerve (vagus nerve) connected to the stomach is overexcited, producing too much acetylcholine and histamine, and when these neurotransmitters stimulate the vestibular system again, it stimulates the vomiting center in the medulla oblongata. . Ultimately, the factors that cause motion sickness may be diverse, but motion sickness can be understood as a result of a disruption in the harmony and balance of the autonomic nervous system. According to embodiments, electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is provided to alleviate and prevent problems with the autonomic nervous system, thereby preventing motion sickness symptoms from occurring.

Prevention and relief of motion sickness through vagus nerve stimulation

The vagus nerve is one of the cranial nerves and corresponds to the 10th cranial nerve. The vagus nerve emerges from the brain and is distributed throughout the face, chest, and abdomen. It is a mixed nerve containing parasympathetic nerve fibers and is involved in the regulation of the parasympathetic nerves that act on the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It is the longest and most complex of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves, and contains both sensory and motor nerve fibers. It is known that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can improve cerebral plasticity and increase neural activity, and can especially regulate the activity of the parasympathetic nerve among the activities of the autonomic nervous system.

By stimulating the vagus nerve by the device according to the embodiments, the parasympathetic nerve is suppressed and the sympathetic nerve is activated. Therefore, similar to the mechanism of existing motion sickness drugs, motion sickness is alleviated by the action of parasympathetic nerve blockers (anticholinergics), antispasmodics (anticonvulsants), and sympathomimetics. As mentioned earlier, the idea of relieving motion sickness with low-frequency electrical stimulation has been mentioned in some literature, but it is unrelated to the vagus nerve, the stimulation for the vagus nerve was not set appropriately, or the mechanisms and situations in which motion sickness occur are not related to the vagus nerve. There were limitations, such as not being able to respond adaptively, and the embodiments are differentiated in this respect. Detailed embodiments are described below with reference to the drawings.

Composition and functions of anti-motion sickness devices

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a device 100 according to one embodiment.

The device 100 prevents and alleviates the user's motion sickness by transmitting stimulation in the form of an earset worn on the wearer's ears.

The device 100 according to one embodiment includes a plurality of electrodes 130 that contact different parts of the wearer's vagus nerve and transmit electrical stimulation.

The processor 120 controls each of the plurality of electrodes to control at least one of the intensity and frequency of stimulation. According to one embodiment, the electrical stimulation is constant current stimulation in a predetermined size range, such as 7 mA or less. And the frequency can be adjusted within a pre-specified range from 30Hz. However, the processor 120 can adjust this as needed, and various cases requiring adjustment will be described in detail with reference to the respective drawings.

According to one embodiment, device 100 includes a first set contacting the wearer's left ear and a second set contacting the wearer's right ear, wherein the first set and the second set include an equal number of electrodes. Each is included in a symmetrical structure, and this structure will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

According to one embodiment, the plurality of electrodes include: 1) a first electrode that is inserted into the external auditory canal through the auricular cavity of the wearer in an in-ear manner and transmits electrical stimulation to the external auditory canal; 2) a second electrode in contact with the wearer's cymba concha; 3) a third electrode contacting the wearer's tragus; and 4) at least two of the fourth electrodes that approach the back of the wearer's ear and come into contact with the wearer's mastoid process. By way of example, but not limitation, a set of the first to fourth electrodes are symmetrically disposed in each of the first set and the second set. The structure and role of these electrodes will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. 3.

According to one embodiment, the device 100 further includes a communication unit 110 that is connected to the external device 101 and receives external data. Additionally, the processor 120 may adaptively adjust the output of at least one of the plurality of electrodes according to the external data.

According to another embodiment, at least one of the electrodes 130 exchanges heat energy to cause a temperature change in the semicircular canal of the wearer. This exchange of heat energy may cause the electrode in contact with the skin to momentarily provide (donate) heat to the contact area or absorb heat, thereby causing a change in the temperature of the skin. In particular, such changes may occur differentially in the left and right ears, leading to a change in sensation in the wearer.

According to another embodiment, the device further includes a plurality of EEG electrodes for measuring the wearer's EEG. In this case, the plurality of EEG electrodes may be evenly arranged left and right in a symmetrical array along the connection portion connecting the first set and the second set. The structure of these EEG electrodes will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 4.

According to one embodiment, the processor 120 calculates a first acceleration vector (a1) corresponding to a change in visual information of the wearer using measurement signals from a plurality of EEG electrodes, and calculates the first acceleration vector (a1) and The intensity or frequency of each of the plurality of electrodes 130 may be changed so that the difference with the second acceleration vector a2 actually applied to the wearer wearing the device 100 is reduced. In some other embodiments, the second acceleration vector (a2) may be obtained by information received from the external device 101. By way of example, but not limitation, the external device 101 may be a means of transportation such as a car, ship, or airplane and/or an On Board Diagnostics (OBD) connected to such means of transportation, a smartphone, a navigation device, a black box, etc. there is.

Exemplary structure of anti-motion sickness device

Figure 2 is an exemplary outline diagram for explaining the structure of the device 200 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the overall shape of the device 200 is a neck band-type structure in which the left (L) unit 210 and the right (R) unit 220 are held by the connection portion 230. It looks similar to earphones. However, since the units 210 and 220 include a plurality of electrodes for vagus nerve stimulation, their structure and function are different from general earphones. In order to understand the structure of the electrodes in each unit and the structure and arrangement of the EEG electrodes that may be included in the connection part, the description will be made with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the structure of one side of the device according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the positions of electrodes disposed thereon.

Types and roles of electrodes

The first electrode 310 is an electrode that contacts the external auditory canal by being inserted into the external auditory canal through the wearer's ear canal using an in-ear method. Since it is inserted into and contacts the external auditory canal located inward from the ear, the first electrode 310 is configured to protrude in the form of an earbud and has a plurality of protruding wings 311 to increase the contact of the electrode and fix it so that it does not fall out easily. You can have it.

If the first electrode 310 in contact with the external auditory canal is made of a conductive polymer with flexibility and elastic recovery, it can conduct electricity and be appropriately deformed to suit the size of the external auditory canal, which varies from person to person, and increases adhesion to the external auditory canal. . And after being removed from the ear canal, the electrode can be restored to its original shape and size, and no problems due to deformation occur during repeated use. The structure and shape of the first electrode 310 using a conductive polymer can be applied to earphones, etc. to achieve sealing and internal adhesion using polymer.

In addition, the first electrode 310 using a conductive polymer can be manufactured in a detachable form so that only the electrode can be replaced. It can be manufactured in various sizes and replaced according to the user, and can be used in case of damage to the electrode. It can be used by replacing only the electrode.

Meanwhile, an acoustic unit (not shown) for sound generation may be provided within the device 200, and sound or sound waves may be transmitted through the sound output passage 312 adjacent to the first electrode 310 inserted into the external auditory canal. It can transmit music or sounds to stabilize the autonomic nervous system, or sound waves so that users can listen to their favorite music or other sound sources. It can induce meditation or mental stability, but instability in the autonomic nervous system can also be relieved by listening to your favorite music or watching a video of interest, so there is no need to limit the sound source to any specific sound source, and the wearer can choose the device (or device) according to his or her choice. It is possible to listen to music provided by 200) or a sound source of your choice.

Through these sound stimuli, the activity of the cerebral cortex can be regulated, and this effect can promote changes by influencing neural synapses related to degenerative brain diseases based on neural plasticity. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation according to the described embodiments stimulates the cerebral cortex via the Nucleus tractus solitarius, Locus Cceruleus, and Nucleus basalis to improve cerebral neural plasticity. This can improve learning ability by promoting the formation of new synapses.

The second electrode 320 is an electrode that contacts the wearer's cymba concha. The device 200 according to one embodiment includes electrodes that transmit electrical stimulation by contacting the external auditory canal and the conchae, and the second electrode 320 transmits electrical stimulation by contacting the conchae. At this time, since a person's conchae concha is disposed concavely above the auricle, the second electrode 320 may be in the form of a wing that protrudes along the shape of the conchae.

According to one embodiment, but not limited thereto, the second electrode 320 in contact with the conchae is made of a wing-type conductive polymer with flexibility and elastic recovery, and although it conducts electricity, it varies from person to person. After it is properly modified and inserted according to its structure and size, its restoring force increases the adhesion to the conchae revision. Regarding the transmission of electrical stimulation, it is the same as mentioned above.

According to one embodiment, the device 200 further includes a third electrode 330 that contacts the tragus. The third electrode 330 is structured so that when the first electrode 310 is inserted into the external auditory canal to a certain extent, the third electrode 330 naturally comes into close contact with the tragus surface by lightly pressing it. In the case of the tragus, the size, shape, and location are slightly different for each person, so the third electrode 330 to be in contact with the tragus is molded to extend slightly in the longitudinal direction of the wearer's face to cover a wide area. The material is selected from conductive materials including conductive polymers.

According to one embodiment, the device 200 includes a fourth electrode 340 that goes to the back of the ear and contacts the wearer's mastoid process. The fourth electrode 340 may also be made of a conductive polymer such as conductive silicon, and must be in good contact with the mastoid process. Although the left unit 210 side is shown, referring to FIG. 2, the elasticity of the connection portion 230 can be adjusted by pressing the fourth electrode, one on each of the left unit 210 and the right unit 220, toward the wearer's head. The 4-electrode 340 can maintain contact by lightly pressing the mastoid process. Furthermore, considering that this is a place where there is a lot of sweat, the surface of the fourth electrode 340 may be treated with a material that has strong friction against slipping and can maintain a contact point.

By electrically stimulating the mastoid part by contacting the fourth electrode 340, the stability of the autonomic nervous system can be increased through galvanic vestibular stimulation. According to one embodiment, the four electrodes of the first electrode 310 to the fourth electrode 340 apply electrical stimulation to the wearer's body simultaneously or alternately for each combination.

According to one embodiment, the stimulation current is provided as constant current stimulation with an intensity of up to 7 mA or less. As a result of the present inventors' experiments so far, it was discovered that the effect and safety of vagus nerve stimulation, and the user's wearing comfort are the best compromise in a range less than 10 mA when stimulation is about 30 Hz.

induction of sensation

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, at least some of the first to fourth electrodes 310 to 340, especially the first electrode 310, may include a component that provides thermal stimulation to the wearer's skin that comes into contact with it. In otolaryngology, a caloric test is sometimes performed during vestibular examination, which means that temperature stimulation induces changes in vestibular response. While the test is to test whether such changes in vestibular response are normally felt like tilting or rotating, in this embodiment, temperature stimulation is applied in addition to the electrical stimulation and sound stimulation mentioned above to stabilize the autonomic nervous system. By artificially inducing the feeling of tilt or rotation through temperature stimulation, it can contribute to resolving the discrepancy between what is currently perceived in the brain by both visual and sensory information. This embodiment uses this to prevent or alleviate motion sickness.

Active Movement Cancelling

According to one embodiment, the device 200 senses a person's brain waves and roughly grasps the visual information seen by the user. An example of how the static or dynamic landscape seen when looking forward with both eyes can be determined by imaging brain waves or electrically observing the symmetry of brain activation areas is 'Mayo Clinic's Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) Technology'. etc. are known. The problem is that the visual information recognition of the human body as understood in this way causes the brain to recognize movement in a specific direction, but in reality, the body does not move in that way, so there is a discrepancy with the brain's perception of the senses felt by the sensory system such as the vestibular system. . In these cases, people may feel dizzy and motion sick due to such information inconsistency.

Accordingly, in this embodiment, in which direction the user visually perceives the movement, that is, rotational movement in the roll, pitch, and yaw directions, movement in the forward direction, movement backward, Or, it detects movement toward the left or right from the direction you are looking (such as when looking at an object through the window of a car while riding in a running car, or when experiencing a similar experience through a VR display). And if such visual perception information is different from the actual body movement acceleration, there is a way to compensate for this (artificially creating and feeling a compensating sensation through electrical stimulation or temperature difference, at least temporarily increasing the stimulation to adjust the autonomic nervous system, or other methods) distracting attention from such visual incongruities through stimulation, and combinations of these methods). In this specification, this is referred to as Active Movement Cancelling (AMC) or Active Acceleration Cancelling (AAC) technology in the sense of offsetting dissonance with visual perception due to movement.

It is a similar principle to active noise canceling, which prevents noise from being heard by causing destructive interference through sound waves opposing the surrounding noise. If the calculated/estimated acceleration due to movement, which is perceived from visual information and therefore the brain thinks the body will move and processes information, is called the a1 vector, then the sensation corresponding to the a2 vector, which is the opposite vector, is felt electrically, soundly, This creates thermal (thermal) discrimination. In terms of sound, it is similar to adjusting the balance of the front/rear/left/right speakers in real time in a multi-channel speaker, making it seem as if a visually visible object is passing by with actual sound. Even when electrically stimulating the vagus nerve, this balance difference can be created to some extent by stimulating the front/back/left/right differently. In addition, just as a feeling of rotation is created by exposing something like warm water to one ear during a vestibular examination in an otolaryngology department, according to an embodiment, it is possible to create a feeling of rotation through thermal differences.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining EEG electrodes 411 to 415 disposed in a device according to an embodiment. As mentioned earlier, since it is necessary to electrically visualize which part of the brain is activated and analyze its symmetry, the EEG electrodes 411 to 415 according to this embodiment are arranged symmetrically. A 5-axis or 7-axis gyro sensor and/or an acceleration sensor may be included inside the connection unit 230. In such an embodiment, the visually perceived acceleration a1 vector, which is estimated by brain activation through the EEG electrodes 411 to 415, and the a2 vector, which is the acceleration perceived by these sensors, are calculated or estimated, respectively, and the difference between a1 and a2 is minimized. A third vector a3 is synthesized in this direction. Strictly speaking, the sensory information that vector a3 exists is used to confuse the wearer with stimulation such as electricity, sound, or heat. Therefore, if the equation (a1 = a2 + a3) is established or is actually established, the cause of motion sickness called visual cognitive dissonance can be offset. This active movement cancellation is also utilized in Figure 6.

Connected control that receives vehicle information from external devices such as vehicles and operates

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a device according to another embodiment.

The communication unit 510 of the device 500 receives vehicle movement information from an external device. The external device may be the vehicle itself. In this case, the vehicle's OBD data will be received in real time. In another embodiment, the vehicle's movement information may be received from other electronic equipment attached to the vehicle, such as a black box, a navigation device, or a user's smartphone. It is best to receive information that includes the direction and magnitude of acceleration due to vehicle movement, especially rotational acceleration. However, it is also possible to differentiate the speed information and calculate the acceleration indirectly through steering information, information on the operation of the accelerator pedal or brake pedal, etc.

Instead of, or in conjunction with, this information from the vehicle, a sensor 540 mounted on the device 500 itself, such as a gyro sensor, can calculate the linear and/or rotational acceleration applied to the wearer of the device 500 in real time. .

Then, the processor 520 determines the degree of stimulation to be provided to the wearer through each of the electrodes 530 for the above-described Active Movement Cancellation (AMC) or Active Acceleration Cancellation (AAC) and provides a signal to the electrodes 530. . The exemplary structure of the electrode 530 is as described above with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 .

This vehicle information linkage, like the recent connected drives such as Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, allows passengers to receive vehicle movement information from the vehicle they are riding in and use it to generate stimulation to prevent and alleviate motion sickness. In this specification, this is called ‘connected control’.

Figure 6 shows a user wearing a device 600 according to an embodiment and boarding a vehicle. Stimulation provided by the device 600 within the vehicle 610, such as electrical stimulation and sound stimulation, prevents or reduces motion sickness. As mentioned above, the device 600 may be operated stand alone, but according to the connected control described with reference to FIG. 5, it may be connected to other devices, such as the vehicle 610, and operate while receiving information. . By way of example, but not limitation, such information transmission may be streamed in a multicast or broadcast manner as established by standards or industry standards. Then, multiple passengers can use their respective devices 600 to enjoy personalized stimulation to suit their own settings and prevent motion sickness. Additionally, in addition to preventing motion sickness, these connected controls can also contribute to stabilizing a person's autonomic nervous system by providing fun and alertness through other additional elements such as vehicle seat control or playing music according to the weather.

Furthermore, the device 600 may include an EEG sensor as described in Figures 4 and 5, so that information about the passenger's current state, such as sleeping, feeling anxious, dizzy, or excited, is transmitted to the vehicle. You can also share it. Then, the driver can understand the information, and it can also be used to control the vehicle's music or lighting. In other words, linking the device 600 with the vehicle 610 or other devices (not shown) connected to the vehicle through connected control technology provides the possibility of various additional applications. Broadly speaking, the linkage between providing passengers' biometric information to the vehicle and providing vehicle movement information and surrounding information to passengers in real time will bring about important changes in the perspective of new industries and health care technologies.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing a device 700 according to another embodiment. The processor 720 and the electrode 730 can be understood by referring to various embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 . As briefly mentioned in FIG. 3 , the sound output unit 740 can provide various types of sound stimulation to prevent and alleviate motion sickness of the wearer. By way of example, but not limitation, the sound output unit 740 may transmit sound or sound waves to the wearer through the sound output passage 312 adjacent to the first electrode 310 for insertion into the external auditory canal described with reference to FIG. 3. .

This sound stimulus may be music or sound to stabilize the autonomic nervous system, or the user's favorite music or other sound source. Furthermore, in important situations, vehicle announcements received through the communication unit 710 by the above-described connected control technology or information about the vehicle's driving linked to the navigation (e.g., “The vehicle will soon turn right”) The vehicle comes to a sudden stop”, etc.). It is also possible to output strong emergency warning information when a collision or accident is expected.

Conversely, rather than providing vehicle information from time to time, meditation sounds, ASMR, and meditation music that can induce mental stability may be provided to cognitively block vehicle and road conditions. Additionally, depending on the wearer's choice, the wearer may be provided with the sound of his or her favorite music or video of interest.

In this way, any music or sound is not limited to some embodiments. This embodiment explains that the user can alleviate and overcome the instability of the autonomic nervous system by receiving a sound source suitable for the user through the sound output unit 740.

It is known that the activity of the cerebral cortex is regulated through specific sound stimuli, and this effect can promote changes by influencing neural synapses related to degenerative brain diseases based on neural plasticity. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation according to embodiments can improve cerebral neural plasticity by stimulating the cerebral cortex through the Nucleus tractus solitarius, Locus Cceruleus, and Nucleus basalis. , it can improve various cognitive abilities by promoting the formation of new synapses. Changes in cerebral synapses caused by sound stimulation can synergize with the improvement of cerebral plasticity caused by the non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation of the present invention, thereby improving the stabilizing effect of the autonomic nervous system.

The device described above may be implemented with hardware components, software components, and/or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, devices and components described in embodiments may include, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA), It may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers, such as a programmable logic unit (PLU), microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. A processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications that run on the operating system. Additionally, a processing device may access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For ease of understanding, a single processing device may be described as being used; however, those skilled in the art will understand that a processing device includes multiple processing elements and/or multiple types of processing elements. It can be seen that it may include. For example, a processing device may include multiple processors or one processor and one controller. Additionally, other processing configurations, such as parallel processors, are possible.

Software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, which may configure a processing unit to operate as desired, or may be processed independently or collectively. You can command the device. Software and/or data may be used on any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device to be interpreted by or to provide instructions or data to a processing device. , or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. Software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc., singly or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. -Includes optical media (magneto-optical media) and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Examples of program instructions include machine language code, such as that produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described with limited drawings, various modifications and variations can be made from the above description by those skilled in the art. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or components of the described system, structure, device, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components are used. Alternatively, appropriate results may be achieved even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below.

Claims (10)

1. In a stimulation delivery device in the form of an earset worn on the wearer's ears,

   a plurality of electrodes that contact different parts of the wearer's vagus nerve to deliver electrical stimulation; and

   A processor that controls at least one of the intensity and frequency of stimulation by controlling the plurality of electrodes

   A device containing a.
2. According to paragraph 1,

   The device includes a first set in contact with the wearer's left ear and a second set in contact with the wearer's right ear, and the first set and the second set each have an equal number of electrodes in a symmetrical structure. Devices included.
3. According to paragraph 1,

   The plurality of electrodes include:

   1) A first electrode that is inserted into the external auditory canal through the wearer's auricular cavity in an in-ear manner and transmits electrical stimulation to the external auditory canal;

   2) a second electrode in contact with the wearer's cymba concha;

   3) a third electrode contacting the wearer's tragus; and

   4) A fourth electrode approaches the back of the wearer's ear and contacts the wearer's mastoid process.

   A device containing at least two electrodes.
4. According to paragraph 1,

   The device is connected to an external device and receives external data.

   It further includes,

   The processor adaptively adjusts the output of at least one of the plurality of electrodes according to the external data.
5. According to paragraph 1,

   A device wherein the electrical stimulation is constant current stimulation in a predetermined magnitude range.
6. According to paragraph 3,

   A device wherein at least one of the plurality of electrodes exchanges heat energy to cause a temperature change in at least one semicircular canal of the wearer.
7. According to paragraph 2,

   The plurality of electrodes further include a plurality of EEG electrodes for measuring the wearer's EEG,

   A device wherein the plurality of EEG electrodes are arranged in a symmetrical array between the first set and the second set.
8. In clause 7,

   The processor:

   Calculating a first acceleration vector (a1) corresponding to a change in visual information of the wearer using the measurement signals of the plurality of EEG electrodes,

   A device that changes the intensity or frequency of each of the plurality of electrodes to reduce the difference between the first acceleration vector (a1) and the second acceleration vector (a2) actually applied to the wearer and the device.
9. According to clause 8,

   A device further comprising a sensor that measures the second acceleration vector (a2).
10. According to clause 8,

    The second acceleration vector (a2) is obtained by information received from an external device that is communicatively connected to the device.

Images