United States Patent |
4,034,741
|
Adams
,   et al.
|
July 12, 1977
|
Noise generator and transmitter
Abstract
An analgesic noise generator employs a circuit that can be switched to
provide a variable waveform from an active noise source out of an
integrated circuit amplifier.
Inventors:
|
Adams; Guy Emery (Monroe, NY);
Carden, Jr.; Jesse (Piermont, NY)
|
Assignee:
|
Solitron Devices, Inc. (Tappan, NY)
|
Appl. No.:
|
658596 |
Filed:
|
February 17, 1976 |
Current U.S. Class: |
600/28; 327/100; 331/78 |
Intern'l Class: |
A61B 019/00 |
Field of Search: |
128/1 C,1 R
331/78,38 M
307/239,240,304
332/31 T
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2304095 | Dec., 1941 | Hull | 128/1.
|
3213851 | Oct., 1965 | Currea | 128/1.
|
3219028 | Nov., 1965 | Giordano | 128/1.
|
3404235 | Oct., 1968 | Goldberg | 331/78.
|
3668561 | Jun., 1972 | Krupa et al. | 332/31.
|
3712292 | Jan., 1973 | Zentmeyer, Jr. | 128/1.
|
3718987 | Mar., 1973 | Carver | 331/78.
|
3863136 | Jan., 1975 | Hanson | 307/304.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
1,165,541 | Oct., 1969 | UK | 128/1.
|
Primary Examiner: Kamm; William E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Geib; Richard G.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A random noise generator and transmitter comprising:
a source of electrical energy;
a switch for control of said source; source via
a noise generating means connected to said source via said switch means to
be productive of electrical noise;
a means to broadcast electrical noise including a speaker and an insulated
gate element connected to said speaker and to a resistance capacitance
circuit in series with said insulated gate element and said speaker to
said source via said switch, said insulated gate element having at least
one gate connected to said noise generating means;
a divide circuit connected to said noise generating means and said source
of electrical energy; and
a modulator circuit connected to said divide circuit and said source of
electrical energy, said modulator circuit having an output terminal
connected to another gate of said insulated gate element so as to control
the desired waveform from said means.
2. A device for producing a soothing noise, said device including:
first means to generate random noise;
a variable volume control controlling level of random noise from said first
means;
second means connected to said first means to receive random noise
thereform, said second means being a divider circuit to divide said random
noise into cycles of repetitive pusles; and
third means to transmit said random noise in accordance with said pulses,
said third means to transmit comprising a MOS FET element having one gate
connected to the variable volume control connected to said first means and
another gate to said second means whereby the repetitive pulses of said
second means controls the transmission of the random noise from said first
means by said third means.
3. The device of claim 2 and further characterized by a modulator circuit
between said second and third means to provide an equal rate of gain
increase and decrease, a steady gain and a first rate of increase and a
different rate of decrease of the gain for said MOS FET.
4. A portable noise generator and transmitter comprising:
a housing including a pocket;
an electrical source within said housing;
noise generating means in said housing;
a divide circuit in said housing, said divide circuit connected to said
noise generating means to divide same into repetitive pulses;
insulated gate means in said housing having one gate connected to said
noise generating means and another gate connected to said divide circuit;
a modulator circuit between said divide circuit and said insulated gate
means to provide an equal rate of gain increase, a steady gain and a first
rate of increase and a different rate of decrease of the gain of the
repetitive pulse of said divide circuit in obtaining the desired waveform
from said insulated gate means of said noise generating means;
a speaker to broadcast the product of said noise generating means via said
insulated gate means, said speaker being stowable in the pocket of said
housing; and
control means on said housing to connect said electrical source to turn on
and off said noise generating means said divide circuit and said modulator
circuit and to control volume of said noise of said noise generating
means.
Description
BACKGROUND
In todays active, mobilized society noise has become a common problem. No
where is this felt more than when one is trying to fall asleep. In an
effort to aid in sleeping the use of sleeping tablets has mushroomed. As
is well known, however, this approach to the problem often creates
physical and psychological side effects.
For this reason it was early on considered advantageous to induce sleep by
physical methods. One such early method was to use electrodes to apply
rectangular pulses. Another development was to create a hypnotic effect
with lights, i.e., alternately dimming and brightening of a light source.
Recently it has been recognized that white noise broadcast as a hum, for
lack of a better worded description, can be quite effective as a sleep
inducer. It is to the improvement of such an anlgesic nosie generator that
this invention is directed. To that end the invention of patent
application ser. No. 606,708 filed Aug. 21, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No.
3,993,043 assigned to the common assignee was conceived.
SUMMARY
This invention provides a device, for improving upon the aforesaid
application in assisting the induction of natural sleep.
As stated above, this invention is concerned specifically with an
improvement that will permit the creation of several waveforms such that
an analgesic noise device can approximate soothing sounds of nature, i.e.,
waves, rain, wind.
A more detailed object of the invention is to provide a means in
combination with a circuit of enhancement type MOS transistors controlling
a noise source to circuits that will provide variable waveforms.
Still another object of this invention is to provide circuits as above that
will provide waveforms of white noise that are variable from square
waveform to saw tooth waveform to trangular waveforms and to steady
waveforms.
DRAWING DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the portable sleep inducer unit constructed
according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the interior circuit arrangement within the
housing of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a graphical illustration of electrical noise waveforms possible
with this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
With more particular reference now to FIG. 1 there is shown a housing 20
having a base 22 and a cover 24. The cover 24 has formed on one side a
pocket 26 for stowage of a speaker 28 and a speaker cord 30. The cover
also had, projecting from a front face, waveform control knob 32 and
volume control 34. In the form shown the cover 24 is attached to the base
22 by a flange 36.
The base 22 as seen in the copending application has means for mounting
batteries, and while two batteries are preferred there could be more used
for additional fail-safe and lifetime provisioning. The batteries shown
are of the usual nine volt variety common to transistor radios.
Also as seen in the copending application, the cover 24 provides the base
for a printed circuit board bonded to the cover 24 with its discrete
components projecting therefrom for easy service without removal of the
board being necessary.
With reference now to FIG. 2 there is shown the circuit which provides the
improvement to the device shown by the copending application. More
particularly, there is shown a noise source 37 connected by a lead 38 to a
lead 40 to an IC chip, such as CD4020, at pin 10 thereof for input pulses.
As may be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art of electronics the
logic of an IC chip may be produced by discrete devices connected in a
divider circuit. The particular chip chosen has a divide by 16,348 logic
whereby at pin 3 one can get one pulse per second at pin 2 one half second
and at pin one one quarter second. Variable resistance 42 with movable
contact 44 is connected between lead 38 and a ground potential. Completing
the connection of chip 46 is the connection of reset pin 11 and negative
terminal 8 to a ground potential to permit continuous operation, the
providing of a positive potential at pin 16 and an output lead 48 on pin 3
of chip 46 so as to provide one second pulses.
As can be seen a resistance 50 is connected between lead 48 and a ground
potential at the point that a diode-resistance circuit 52 is connected
thereto from a switching terminal 54 to which is also connected a resistor
56 between a capacitance 58 and switch terminal 60. Another switch
terminal 62 is located with respect to switch 64 so as to controllably
vary or preclude connection of resistance lead 66 from the B+ source to
lead 48.
A lead 70 connects the output of resistance 56 to one of the gates of the
insulated gate device 72 preferably G.sub.1. The other gate (G.sub.2) is
connected by lead 74 to movable contact 44. Completing the circuit the
speaker 28 is connected to the drain of the device 72 biased at its source
in accordance with the resistance-capacitance circuit 76 connected to the
ground potential. Device 72 is preferably a MOS FET as are commonly known
in the market place.
OPERATION
In operation knob 34 is turned to close the switch and connect the positive
potential B+ in the circuitry. At the same time knob 34 is turned to
adjust slider 44 for the desired volume at speaker 28.
Noise source 37 as is familiar to one skilled in the art of manufacturing
white (random) noise generators will then provide electrical noise to gate
G.sub.2 of device 72 at the intensity permitted by slider 44. This
electrical noise also passes without regard to variable resistance 42 to
provide input of electrical noise to chip 46 which will divide it down to
provide a repetitive output from its buffered outputs such as the one per
second pulse deliverable from pin 3 of the 4020 chip.
If knob 32 is in the wind position shown by FIG. 1, switch contact 64 is
connecting resistance lead 66 to contact 62 whereby the lead 70 will
deliver the output from divider chip 46 pin 3 to gradually increase the
gain on gate G.sub.1 of 72 and then with the same rate decrease the gain.
This will produce electrical noise at the speaker 28 having a triangular
waveform 78 of FIG. 3.
If on the other hand switch arm 64 is as shown by FIG. 2 where the
resistance lead 66 from B+ is connected directly to lead 70 to buck the
output of chip 46 the gate G.sub.1 is hard on and the electrical noise is
steady from speaker 28, as shown by waveform 80 of FIG. 3.
In the other position of the arm 64, on contact 54, the positive potential
is applied to the one per second output of chip 46 via resistance diode
lead 52 so as to provide a gradual increase in gain at gate G.sub.1 and a
sharper decrease in the rate of fall of such gain. This will produce the
more nearly sawtooth waveform 82 shown by FIG. 3.
As artistically represented adjacent thereto traces 78, 80 and 82 represent
waveforms where the electrical noise will be representative of wind, rain
and ocean waves.
In that numerous changes in structure may appear to one skilled in the art
as such advances without departing from the scope of this invention, the
above operative description is to be considered only in meeting with the
statutory proscription of setting forth a preferred embodiment for this
invention is that practitioners may realize how to build same once these
Letters Patent are issued.
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