Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for cognitive state and brainwave adjustment, and more specifically, to methods and systems for sensing physiological signals as biometric markers and/or altering cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. The present disclosure also relates generally to a light emitter device and system, and more specifically, to a light emitter device and system for user entrainment by applying light, sound, and/or other stimuli.

Brainwave frequencies of humans are associated with certain functions. The brainwave frequencies associated with different states may vary by user. In general, for example, gamma waves (e.g., brainwaves greater than about <NUM>) are associated with mental activities such as perception, problem solving, and consciousness; beta waves (e.g., brainwaves between about <NUM>-<NUM>) are associated with active mental activities such as busy thinking, active processing, active concentration, arousal, and cognition; alpha waves (e.g., brainwaves between about <NUM>-<NUM>) are associated with calm and relaxed, but fully conscious, mental states; theta waves (e.g., brainwaves between about <NUM>-<NUM>) are associated with deep meditation and relaxation, as well as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; delta waves (e.g., brainwaves less than about <NUM>) are associated with deep dreamless sleep and loss of body awareness. In addition, various stimuli, including light, sound, and tactile stimuli are known to affect cognitive states and brainwave compositions of humans.

The retina is the light sensitive portion of the eye for processing external light or photo stimuli. In general, the retina contains at least six different types of neurons: bipolar cells, retinal ganglion cells, horizontal cells, retina amacrine cells, and rod and cone photoreceptors. Light enters the retina and projects to the layer of rod and cone photoreceptors located at the inner surface of the retina. Horizontal cells help to integrate and regulate the input from the rod and cone photoreceptors. The rod and cone photoreceptors project information to ganglion cells via the intermediate bipolar cells and retina amacrine cells. Retinal ganglion cells have long axons that form the optic nerve, optic chiasm, and optic tract to transmit information from the retina to various regions of the brain including the thalamus, hypothalamus, and mesencephalon.

As described by <NPL>," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, the human retina contains different types of retinal ganglion cells, including intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), also called photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGC) or melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs), that regulate behaviors that depend on light, but not necessarily on vision. Unlike other types of retinal ganglion cells, ipRGCs are intrinsically photosensitive due to the presence of melanopsin, a light-sensitive protein. The melanopsin of the ipRGCs is able to isomerize all-trans-retinal into <NUM>-cis-retinal without requiring additional cell types when stimulated with light. The <NUM>-cis-retinal isoform is more responsive to shorter wavelengths of light, while the all-trans isoform is more responsive to longer wavelengths of light. Accordingly, as described by <NPL>," in addition to the rod and cone photoreceptors described above, ipRGCs represent a third type of retinal photoreceptor. However, unlike the other photoreceptors, ipRGCs respond to light by depolarizing, thus increasing the rate at which they fire nerve impulses, which is opposite to that of other photoreceptors which hyperpolarize in response to light.

The ipRGCs are thought to have the primary role of signaling light for largely subconscious, non-image-forming visual reflexes including pupillary constriction, neuroendocrine regulation, including secretion of melatonin via the pineal gland, and synchronizing circadian physiological rhythms to the natural daily cycle of light and dark often referred to as circadian photoentrainment, as described by Peirson et al. In a healthy and normally functioning human body, a rhythmic release of melatonin is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus which is ideally synchronized with the sleep-wake and daily dark-light cycles. Desynchronization or disruption of circadian rhythms, such as desynchronization of endogenous sleep-wake cycles and daytime-nighttime cycles, have been associated with a number of different adverse mental and metabolic conditions including on sleep, stress, anxiety, as well as other health conditions. As described by <NPL>," which is incorporated herein by reference, the ipRGCs project through the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) to the SCN and a variety of other brain regions serving nonimage vision including the intergeniculate leaflet (EGL, a center for circadian entrainment), the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN, a control center for the pupillary light reflex), the ventral sub-paraventricular zone (vSPZ, implicated in "negative masking" or acute arrest of locomotor activity by light in nocturnal animals), and the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO, a control center for sleep).

Additionally, melatonin is known to play an important role in many functions of the human body, including sleep and regulation of the sleep-wake cycles. Secretion of melatonin is a signal for relaxation and lower body temperature associated with high quality sleep. In general, melatonin levels in the human body are elevated during the night, which provides a signal for the body to rest. Although, melatonin is not necessary for sleep, and no particular amount is melatonin is necessary for sleep, higher levels of melatonin secretion have been associated with higher quality and more restful sleep. In general, however, many of the specific mechanisms and responses to light are not well understood by the scientific community at large.

As described below, entrainment may refer to the capacity of the brain to naturally synchronize its brainwave frequencies with the rhythm of periodic external stimuli, such as auditory, visual, and/or tactile. As will be apparent from context, entrainment may refer to synchronization of circadian rhythm to a desired light and dark cycle.

According to an example embodiment, a system for altering the brain state of a user is disclosed. In this example embodiment, the system receives, from at least one sensor, data associated with one or more biometric markers of the user, and determines a brain state of the user based on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers of the user. The system determines a desired altered cognitive state of the user (or a desired brainwave state), and causes an emitter to apply a stimulus to the user.

According to an example embodiment, a system for entraining the user's circadian rhythms is disclosed. The system may include an emitter comprising at least one stimulus configured to be applied to the user, and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored. When the instructions are executed, the processor may perform operations to: control a light condition to reproduce light spectra based on a predefined natural sunrise and sunset light condition, adjust spectral composition to change in time to match the predefined natural sunrise and sunset light condition, and project light at a predetermined time to stimulate the user in a way that engages their circadian biology and assists with circadian entrainment.

According to an example embodiment, a system for supporting a user's sleep is disclosed. The system may include at least one sensor configured to sense one or more biometric markers of a user, an emitter comprising at least one stimulus configured to be applied to the user, and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored. When the instructions are executed, the processor may perform operations to: receive, from the at least one sensor, data associated with the one or more biometric markers of the user, determine a sleep state of the user based on the data associated with the one or more biometric markers of the user, determine a desired sleep state of the user, and cause the emitter to apply the stimulus to the user to reinforce or alter the user's sleep state.

According to an example embodiment, systems and methods for applying non-visual light entrainment to a subject is disclosed.

A system for stimulating a user is described, the system comprising: a light emitting device having a first light and a second light, wherein the first light is configured to emit a first wavelength of light, wherein the second light is configured to emit a second wavelength of light; and a controller for controlling the first light and the second light, wherein the first light is controlled to oscillate the first wavelength of light within a first range of entrainment frequencies, wherein the second light is controlled to oscillate the second wavelength of light within a second range of entrainment frequencies.

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media as a technical solution to the technical problem described.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for dosing light and/or other stimulus, including to a subject, and to entraining a subject. For explanatory purposes, a system and method that applies a light stimulus to a subject will be primarily described. Example devices for applying a light as a stimulus are described in <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>. <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, relate to devices and methods for inducing desired brain wave frequencies. Various embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. While specific example implementations are described, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. Other components and configurations may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

<FIG> illustrates a system <NUM> according to an example embodiment. In one embodiment, the system <NUM> is configured to emit a light stimulus to a user. According to an embodiment, the system <NUM> may include a sensor sub-system <NUM>, an emitter sub-system <NUM>, and a controller sub-system <NUM>. As explained in more detail below, the system <NUM> may be configured to determine different inputs from the sensor sub-system <NUM>, including characteristics sensed from the user's body and/or the user's environment, in order to apply light or other stimulus to the user via the emitter sub-system <NUM>, based on control by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

The sensor sub-system <NUM> may include one or more sensors for sensing and/or recording biometric information of a user, such as one or more markers of a user's parasympathetic nervous system. In general, biometric markers of the parasympathetic nervous system may include, for example, heart rate, heart rate variability, rate of blood flow, blood pressure, body temperature, electrodermal activity (e.g., galvanic skin response), and/or other one or more biometric markers.

The emitter sub-system <NUM> may include one or more stimulus emitters. For example, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit a visual, auditory, or tactile stimulus, or any combination thereof, to a user, as explained in detail below. In one embodiment, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured to apply a predetermined amount of light to the user in order to apply light to stimulate the user's retinal ganglion cells, such as for entrainment of a user's brainwave to a frequency and/or photic entrainment of the circadian rhythm. The predetermined amount of light, for example, may include a predetermined intensity or amplitude of one or more wavelengths of light applied a predetermined entrainment frequency or pulse rate (Hz). As described in more detail below, the light may be applied to stimulate the user's central nervous system and metabolic systems and produce a desired brainwave state in the user. According to an embodiment, sound emitter sub-system <NUM>, the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may be similarly configured to emit their respective stimulus at predetermined intensity or amplitude applied a predetermined entrainment frequency or pulse rate (Hz).

The controller sub-system <NUM> may receive the data collected from the sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>, and process the sensor data to determine or predict the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. For example, the controller sub-system <NUM> may determine or predict the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition without actually directly measuring the user's brainwaves. The controller sub-system <NUM> may, based on the determined or predicted cognitive state or brainwave composition, determine one or more stimuli to apply to the user to alter the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. The controller sub-system <NUM> may then control the emitter sub-system <NUM> to apply the determined stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may determine a sleep state of the user based on data associated with the one or more biometric markers of the user from the sensor sub-system <NUM>. The controller sub-system <NUM> may determine a desired sleep state of the user based on, for example, empirical data from other users or from historical data of the user, and may cause the emitter sub-system <NUM> to apply a stimulus to the user to reinforce or alter the user's sleep state.

The sensor sub-system <NUM>, the emitter sub-system <NUM>, and the controller sub-system <NUM> may communicate with each other over one or more data links <NUM>, which may include a wired or wireless link. For instance, in an embodiment where the sensor sub-system <NUM>, the emitter sub-system <NUM>, and the controller sub-system <NUM> are integrated into a single device, the data link <NUM> may include a circuit path along a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the sensor sub-system and the controller sub-system <NUM> are both connected. In an embodiment where the sensor sub-system <NUM>, the emitter sub-system <NUM>, and the controller sub-system <NUM> are implemented as two or more separate, discrete devices, the data link <NUM> may include a wired connection (e.g., USB, etc.) or a wireless connection based on an established protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, etc.) or another protocol, such as a proprietary protocol.

According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may sense and track biometric data related to emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and/or sleep quality or function of the user. For example, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may detect an elevated stress level of the user based on sensed biometric data from the sensor sub-system <NUM>. As another example, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may determine that the user is in a state of anxiety or depression based on sensed biometric data from the sensor sub-system <NUM>. As another example, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may determine that the user is in a state of fatigue based on sensed biometric data from the sensor sub-system <NUM>. As another example, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may determine the circadian phase or the extent of circadian synchrony (or lack thereof, as in jetlag or other disrupted states) of the user.

According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may include one or more sensors configured to detect a biometric marker related to the parasympathetic nervous system. For example, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may include one or more sensors, such as, but not limited to, a galvanic sensor, an infrared sensor, a photoplethysmographic sensor, a heart rate sensor, a temperature sensor, other types of sensors, and/or combinations thereof to detect markers for the parasympathetic nervous system.

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may include a light emitter sub-system <NUM> having one or more lights to emit light-based stimulus to the user. The one or more lights may be, for example, a micro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) or LED configured to emit light at a predetermined frequency and brightness (e.g. photo-stimulation) according to the controller sub-system <NUM> and explained in further detail below. For example, the one or more lights may provide a visual stimulus (for example, photo-stimulation) to the user when the light emitter sub-system <NUM> is moved to a location adjacent to the user's face and eyes.

According to an embodiment, the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit light in the same direction as the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit light in a different direction than the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. For example, the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit light towards the eyes of the user when the system <NUM> is placed at a location adjacent to the user's face. In an embodiment, all of the lights are identical. In another embodiment, one or more of the lights differs from the remaining lights, such as in emission color spectrum, maximum or minimum intensity, or other characteristics.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be provided as a standalone system and controlled by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured to emit light towards a user. As explained in more detail below, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be embodied in different forms to apply light to the user. For example, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured with one or more lights and controlled by controller sub-system <NUM> to emit one or more wavelengths of light at a predetermined pulse rate or entrainment frequency. The one or more wavelengths of light may be within the human visual spectrum of light and/or outside the human visual spectrum of light. In order to entrain a user to a desired brainwave state, the pulse rate or entrainment frequency of the one or more lights may correspond to one or more of the brainwave frequencies described above. For example, in order to entrain a user to a theta state, the one or more lights may be pulsed at a rate between <NUM> to <NUM> for a predetermined amount of time.

Conventionally, for example, light sources were removed in order to signal a human body to relax and/or prepare for sleep, such as by increasing secretion of melatonin. In contrast, the inventors have discovered that the application of light to the human eye, as disclosed herein, improves sleep quality and mood in humans. As described above, ipRGCs are receptive to light and impact neuroendocrine regulation and synchronization of circadian physiological rhythms, among other physiological functions. As described below, the methods and system are configured to stimulate a physiological response in the user, such as via the retina and ipRGCs.

As known to one of ordinary skill in the art, the visible light spectrum to a typical human eye has a range of wavelengths of about <NUM> nanometers to about <NUM> nanometers (or a frequency range of about <NUM> THz to about <NUM> THz). Ultra-violet (UV) light is non-visible light to a typical human eye and has a range of wavelengths of about <NUM> nanometers to less than about <NUM> nanometers (or a frequency range of about <NUM> PHz to about <NUM> THz). Infrared (IR) light is also non-visible light to a typical human eye with a range of wavelengths greater than about <NUM> nanometers to about <NUM><NUM> nanometers (or a frequency range of about <NUM> PHz to about <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, the non-visual light spectrum, such as UV and IR light, is applied to a user in order to stimulate ipRGCs. The inventors have discovered that this light stimulation is effective for entrainment or increasing the likelihood of theta and/or delta brainwaves, such as, for example, to promote specific physiological responses (e.g., restful sleep, increased cognitive ability, etc.).

According to an embodiment, the predetermined amount of light, whether from the visual spectrum or the non-visual spectrum of wavelengths of light, emitted from the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be controlled to a threshold and dynamic range of light response in the ipRGCs, as described by <NPL>), which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be controlled to emit specific wavelengths of light (and oscillations thereof, as described below) to a predetermined amount of a retinal irradiance range. According to an embodiment, the light may be controlled to levels that are only perceived by the ipRGCs in order to stimulate the SCM. This light can be within the visual spectrum of light but controlled to levels that are otherwise imperceptible or not visible to a user. As shown in Table <NUM>, for example, various wavelengths of light may be controlled to within ranges of retinal irradiance in order to regulate and/or stimulate the ipRGCs.

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may include a sound emitter sub-system <NUM> having one or more speakers <NUM> to emit sound-based stimulus to the user. The one or more speakers <NUM> may be configured to emit sound at a predetermined frequency and volume (e.g., auditory stimulation) according to the controller sub-system <NUM> and explained in further detail below. For example, the one or more speakers <NUM> may provide auditory-stimulation to the user when the emitter sub-system <NUM> is moved to a location adjacent to the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the one or more speakers <NUM> may emit sound in the same direction as the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more speakers <NUM> may emit sound in a different direction than the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more speakers <NUM> of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit sound in a different direction than the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a third direction at an angle to the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the one or more speakers <NUM> of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit sound towards the ears of the user, while the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit light towards the eyes of the user, when the system <NUM> is placed at a location adjacent to the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may be provided as a standalone system and controlled by the controller sub-system <NUM>. For example, the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may include headphones, earbuds, and or a speaker for emitting the sound to directly to one user or to a plurality of users.

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may include a tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> having one or more motors to emit tactile or haptic-based stimulus to the body or hands of a user. The one or more motors may be, for example, but not limited to, an eccentric rotating motor (ERM) or a linear resonant actuator (LRA) configured to emit vibration at a predetermined frequency and strength according to the controller sub-system <NUM> and explained in further detail below. For example, the one or more motors may provide tactile stimulation to the user with the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in the same direction as the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a fourth direction at an angle to the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit vibration towards the face of the user, while the one or more speakers of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit sound towards the ears of the user, while the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit light towards the eyes of the user, when the system <NUM> is placed at a location on the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> may be provided as a standalone system and controlled by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, piezoelectric transducers may be used to apply tactile stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, the emitter sub-system <NUM> may include a bone conduction sub-system <NUM> having one or more motors to emit vibration-based stimulus to the user via the jawbone or cheekbone of the user. The vibration-based stimulus applied to the jawbone or cheekbone of the user are received by the cochlea and perceived by the user as sound. The one or more motors may be, for example, but not limited to, an eccentric rotating motor (ERM) or a linear resonant actuator (LRA) configured to emit vibration, and perceived sound, at a predetermined frequency and strength according to the controller sub-system <NUM> and explained in further detail below. For example, the one or more motors may provide auditory-stimulation and tactile-stimulation to the user when the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> is moved into contact with the user's face, such as on the jawbone or cheekbone.

According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in the same direction as the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction of the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may emit vibration in a different direction than the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, such as, for example, in a fourth direction at an angle to the second direction of the one or more lights. For example, the one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit vibration on the face of the user, while the one or more speakers of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit sound towards the ears of the user, while the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may directionally emit light towards the eyes of the user, when the system <NUM> is placed at a location on the user's face.

According to an embodiment, the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> may be provided as a standalone system and controlled by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to receive data, such as biometric marker data relating to the user's parasympathetic nervous system, sensed by the sensor sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may utilize a general-purpose computing device <NUM>, as explained in more detail below.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to receive data, such as biometric marker data relating to the user's parasympathetic nervous system, sensed by the sensor system <NUM>, in order to determine or predict the user's cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. According to an embodiment, the user's brainwave composition is determined or predicted.

According to an embodiment, the user's brainwave composition is determined or predicted without directly measuring the user's brainwaves.

According to an embodiment, the user's biometric data is processed in real time by the general-purpose computing device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the general-purpose computing device <NUM> contains algorithms that predict cognitive states / brainwave composition based upon the user's biometric data. For example, the controller sub-system <NUM> may use a set of stored data of empirical testing of users in different known cognitive states and/or brainwave compositions. The controller sub-system <NUM> may compare the user's biometric data to the set of stored data to predict the current cognitive state and/or brainwave composition of the user. For example, changes in brainwaves may be associated with changes in heart rate, heart rate variability, or galvanic skin response. The data sensed from the biosensors may detect changes in these or other relevant biological outputs to predict the current cognitive state and/or brainwave composition of the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to determine a desired cognitive state or brainwave state of the user. For example, the controller sub-system <NUM> may use a set of stored data of empirical testing of users to determine likely desired cognitive states and/or brainwave compositions. The controller sub-system <NUM> may compare the user's biometric data to the set of stored data to predict the user's desired cognitive state and/or brainwave composition. According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may receive a user selection to select a desired cognitive state or brainwave state of the user.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to control the emitter sub-system <NUM> based on the data sensed by the sensor sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to control the emitter sub-system <NUM> based on a predefined natural sunrise and sunset light conditions. For example, natural sunrise and sunset light conditions may be measured according to a user's location or desired location. Such conditions may be measured light spectra over time of a natural sunrise and natural sunset. The controller sub-system <NUM> may be loaded with the measurements as a predefined light spectra of the natural sunrise and natural sunset. The controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to adjust and project the spectral composition of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> to match or emulate the predefined light spectra of the natural sunrise and natural sunset when in use. The controller sub-system <NUM> may be further configured to notify the user to use the device at a predetermined time in order to stimulate the user in a way that engages their circadian biology and assists with circadian entrainment, as explained above.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or the sound emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or the bone conduction sub-system, can deliver rhythmic stimuli with properties specified by the controller sub-system <NUM> when the user's biometric data provided by the sensor sub-system <NUM> indicate an undesired state. These rhythmic neurological stimuli are configured and synchronized to algorithmically influence the user's endogenous brainwave composition and associated cognitive states.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to control one or more of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, sound emitter sub-system <NUM>, tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or bone conduction sub-system <NUM> to increase probability of altering the cognitive state or brainwaves of a user. For example, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to simultaneously control the light emitter sub-system <NUM> and sound emitter sub-system <NUM> or bone conduction system <NUM> to provide a neurological stimulus.

Various aspects of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> will now be discussed with respect to <FIG>. In one embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> includes a light emitter <NUM> and a diffuser screen <NUM>. The light emitter <NUM> may be formed of one or more lighting units <NUM>, each lighting unit <NUM> including a substrate (e.g., printed circuit board (PCB)) and one or more light emitters mounted on the substrate. The diffuser screen <NUM> is overlaid on the light emitter and diffuses light emitted therefrom.

The diffuser screen <NUM> may be formed of diffuser material. The diffuser screen <NUM> may cover or be overlaid onto one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs). According to an embodiment, a small PCB may be formed from a larger standard PCB panel. For example, standard PCB panels vary in size, but the most common panel size is about <NUM> inches by about <NUM> inches. The panel size may limit or dictate the largest possible PCB that may be formed.

Referring to <FIG>, examples of arrangements of one or more PCBs to be used with the diffuser screen <NUM> and light emitter <NUM> are shown. In the examples of <FIG>, the PCBs may be formed of the units <NUM>. Each individual lighting unit <NUM> includes an individual PCB and may be shaped and arranged as a narrow vertical strip. The lighting units <NUM> may be coupled or tied together electrically using couplings <NUM>. For example, in <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> may include three lighting units <NUM> (e.g., three PCBs) with couplings <NUM> electrically coupling or tying together each adjacent two lighting units <NUM>. The diffuser screen <NUM> may be overlaid on the lighting units <NUM> and both the lighting units <NUM> and the diffuser screen <NUM> may be housed in a housing of light emitter <NUM>. The lighting units <NUM> may be small enough to be manufactured by a standard or conventional process. An air gap <NUM> may exist between sides of the lighting units <NUM>. The width of the air gap <NUM> (e.g., the distance between sides of the lighting units) may be relatively small. For example, the air gap <NUM> may be in the range of about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>) or less. The air gap <NUM>, for example, may dissipate heat from the lighting units <NUM> and alleviate heating of the diffuser screen <NUM>. More or fewer than three lighting units <NUM> may be provided. For example, in <FIG>, the diffuser screen <NUM> and light emitter <NUM> may include nineteen lighting units <NUM>. And <FIG> illustrates a side view of an example embodiment that includes three lighting units <NUM>.

The lighting units <NUM> may be sized and dimensioned such that, collectively, the lighting units <NUM> form generally an elongated oval or elliptical shape. In an example, the centermost lighting unit <NUM> may have the greatest height. The height of the lighting units <NUM> may gradually decrease from the centermost lighting unit <NUM> toward each of a first end 40a and a second end 40b of the arrangement of lighting units <NUM>. The lighting units <NUM> may have curved upper and lower surfaces. The lighting units <NUM> may be substantially straight lateral sides. The lighting units <NUM> at the ends 40a, 40b may be curved such that are substantially semi-circular in plan view. Alternatively, the lighting units <NUM> may collectively form a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or any other shape for emitting a desired profile of light.

The lighting units <NUM> may be curved. Each lighting unit <NUM> may curve from top to bottom (e.g., about a horizontal axis <NUM>). Each lighting unit <NUM> may also (or alternatively) curve from side to side (e.g., about a vertical axis <NUM>). Each lighting unit <NUM> may have a different amount of curvature about the axis <NUM>. In an example, each lighting unit <NUM> may bend from top to bottom and adjacent lighting units <NUM> may have a different amount of curvature. In this example, the diffuser screen <NUM> may curve about both the vertical and horizontal axis. Although PCBs may allow for bending only in a single axis, providing the light emitter <NUM> with many vertical strips may simulate bending in two axes.

Referring to <FIG>, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of standard PCB material. According to an embodiment, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material such as, for example, FR4. FR4 is a fiberglass substrate coated with copper, a solder mask (usually green, but may be any color), and printed "silk screen" lettering. FR4 can be turned into PCBs ranging in thickness from <NUM>" to <NUM>". Since FR4 is made of fiberglass, FR4 is rigid but can still achieve gentle bends, especially if thinner FR4 is used. To provide a diffuser screen <NUM> with a bend radius of about <NUM> inches, the lighting units <NUM> used with the diffuser screen <NUM> may be formed of FR4 having a thickness of about <NUM> inches (<NUM>). FR4 is only flexible in one dimension, (e.g., FR4 may bend, but it may not cup). That is, as shown in <FIG>, FR4 may bend about the axis <NUM> (<FIG>), but not about the axis <NUM> (<FIG>). To create the bend about axis <NUM>, each lighting unit <NUM> may be placed in the light emitter <NUM> at a different radius of curvature.

Referring to <FIG>, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of aluminum. For example, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of thin sheets of aluminum. Aluminum is a good thermal conductor and may be helpful in managing thermal loads. Similar to FR4, aluminum PCBs are only flexible in one dimension, that is, an aluminum PCB may slightly bend but may not "cup. " To create the bend about two axes, the aluminum PCB may be arranged in a manner similar to the FR4, and as described with respect to <FIG>, to be used with the diffuser screen <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of flexible printed circuits (FPC). FPCs may be used when very tight bend radii (less than about <NUM> inch) are required. FPC may be either aramid fiber, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, or polyvinyl chloride as a substrate. The feeling of an FPC is similar to classic <NUM> celluloid camera film. FPCs are more delicate than other PCBs, require special manufacturing techniques, and are more costly (although, the PCB itself may be about <<NUM>% of the overall assembled PCB or assembled product cost). FPCs are only flexible in one dimension, meaning it can bend but it cannot "cup. " To create the bend about two axes, the FPC may be arranged in a manner similar to the FR4, and as described with respect to <FIG>, to be used with the diffuser screen <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of a combination of FR4 <NUM> and FPC <NUM> into a hybrid rigid flex PCB <NUM>. This configuration may be used when only a small area of the entire PCB needs to be flexible. Each FPC <NUM> may form a bridge. The FPC bridge may be flexible in only one dimension, so each bridge may bend but may not "cup. " Multiple bridges may be used to create a kind of cupping effect if some bridges bend in one axis and other bend on another axis. With this technique, the lighting units <NUM> of <FIG> may be used to bend about two axes and accommodate the shape of the diffuser screen <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the lighting units <NUM> may be formed of stretchable electronics. Stretchable electronics may bend and stretch in many axes. One or more stretchable electronics may be used with the diffuser screen <NUM>.

Although any of the examples described in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> may be used with the diffuser screen <NUM>, or alternatives not mentioned herein, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be formed of a thin FR4 PCB.

The light emitter <NUM> may have spatial control (e.g., spatially controlled zones) for controlling the stimulus provided to the subject. For example, the spatial control may be light controlled zones. According to an embodiment, the light emitter <NUM> may be have zones that may be separately and/or selectively controlled. For example, one or more control zones may be an area of a predetermined color and/or flicker behavior, such as a constant or variable color and/or flicker behavior. According to an embodiment, the color and/or flicker may be controlled selectively, separately, and/or individually for each zone. According to an embodiment, the zones may be physically separated but may be controlled as a single zone. According to an embodiment, the light emitter <NUM> may have one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) in each of the one or more zones.

The spatial control strategy for the light emitter <NUM> may depend on how many unique spatial control zones are required or desired. These light control zones may or may not correspond to individual PCBs. For example, where more than one PCB is employed in light emitter <NUM>, a control zone may span multiple PCBs, or may alternatively correspond to each individual PCB. Increasing the number of control zones may increase the complexity of creating animations or predetermined light stimulus for the light emitter <NUM>. Complete control of a single-zone diffuser screen may require tuning of <NUM> unique parameters. Complete control of a quad-zone diffuser screen may require tuning of <NUM> parameters. Complete control of a multi-zone (e.g., more zones than a quad-zone) diffuser screen <NUM> may require tuning of thousands of parameters. Zone control might require the use of a tool like video editing software in addition to music production software.

Referring to <FIG>, exemplary control zones for the light emitter <NUM> are shown. In <FIG>, a light emitter 16A may have a single control zone 56A. The single control zone 56A may include the peripheral, foveal, and left and right zones. According to an embodiment, a peripheral zone may be completely outside the line of sight of a user. According to an embodiment, a foveal zone may be completely with the line of sight of a user. According to an embodiment, a zone may overlap the peripheral zone and the foveal zone.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter 16B may have dual control zones. The light emitter 16B may have a foveal control zone 56B and a peripheral control zone 58B. The peripheral zones 58B, although separated, may be controlled as a single zone. That is, the left and right peripheral control zones may be controlled together and may thus behave identically.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter 16C may have dual control zones. The light emitter 16C may have a left control zone 56C and a right control zone 58C.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter 16D may have tri-control zones. The light emitter 16D may have a left peripheral control zone 56D, a foveal control zone 58D, and a right peripheral control zone 60D.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter 16E may have quad-control zones. The light emitter 16E may have a left peripheral control zone 56E, a left foveal control zone 58E, a right foveal control zone 60E, and a right peripheral control zone 62E.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter 16F may have multi-zone control (e.g., a multi-zone array). The multi-zone control may have multiple zones 56F<NUM> through 56Fn.

In <FIG>, an exemplary light emitter <NUM> may have multi-zone grid control. The multi-zone control may have multiple zones <NUM><NUM> through <NUM>n.

The examples of <FIG> may be combined (e.g., the multi-zone array may include left and right control, peripheral and foveal control, or combinations thereof). Each zone of the control zones may be controlled independently, separately, selectively, or combinations thereof.

Each control zone may include one or more LEDs. The LEDs may be distributed within each control zone. The distribution of LEDs within each control zone may affect blending and diffusion of color. The distribution of LEDS within each control zone may affect the complexity of wiring power and data to all the LEDs. The distribution of LEDS may be according to the Fibonacci sequence or other dense packing strategies. Depending on the level of diffusion, the specific placement of each LED may be undetectable to the subject.

The LEDs may be coupled to the PCBs (e.g., to the lighting units <NUM>). According to an embodiment, the LEDs may be wire bonded to the PCB, such as shown in <FIG>. Wiring-bonding is a process by which a bare silicon die is bonded to a very small PCB substrate. In an exemplary embodiment, the substrate may be about <NUM> in. x <NUM> in. and each silicon die (e.g., an LED chip) may be about <NUM> in. x <NUM> in. Wire bonding may allow for very dense packing of integrated circuits. In an exemplary embodiment, the LEDs may constitute discrete LEDs that are soldered to the PCB. In an embodiment, both wire bonding and soldering may be used to couple the LEDs to the PCB. <FIG> illustrates a comparison in size between a wire-bonded chip-on-board package containing an LED chip, and individual discrete LEDs.

<FIG> show exemplary LED distributions for each control zone. Although depicted as a square, other shape control zones (such as those shown in <FIG>) may be provided. The LED distributions (e.g., packing strategies) of <FIG> illustrate eight (<NUM>) LEDs for each of eight (<NUM>) color channels. In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in horizontal bands. In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in vertical bands. In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in radial bands. In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged in a semi-random nature. In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged as discrete LED clusters (approximating chip-on-board). In <FIG>, an exemplary control zone may have the LEDs arranged as small chip-on-board emitters. In one embodiment, one or more of the LEDs may constitute an organic LED (OLED), high-definition OLED (HD-OLED), and/or ultra-wide-gamut OLED. In one embodiment, all the LEDs in the device are of the same type. In another embodiment, the LEDs of are of different type. In one exemplary embodiment, some of the LEDs disposed in a central region of the field of view are OLED, HD-OLED, or ultra-wide-gamut OLED, while some of the LEDs disposed in a peripheral region of the field of view are non-organic LEDs. In one embodiment, the light emitter <NUM> includes one or more LEDs capable of emitting UV light at (and/or beyond) a peripheral region of the field of view of a user. In one embodiment, the one or more LEDs capable of emitting UV light at (and/or beyond) a peripheral region of the field of view of a user are configured to emit light in the UV wavelength without emitting light in visible wavelengths.

The diffuser material for the diffuser screen <NUM> may allow for the transmission of ultraviolet (UV) and/or infrared (IR) light. The diffuser material may affect the aesthetics and/or lighting performance of the diffuser screen <NUM>. Transmission spectra curves of various polymers (e.g., polystyrene, cyclic olefin polymer or copolymer, polycarbonate, PMMA (acrylic), ultraviolet acrylic) that may be employed for the diffuser material <NUM> are published by GS Optics, and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Some polymers may be able to transmit UV light down to approximately <NUM>. The diffuser material may be a polymer, quartz, UV-fused silica, float glass, or combinations thereof. The diffuser material may have a surface finish (e.g., bead blasting) that may scatter light. The diffuser material may have a dopant that may scatter light. Some of these materials may not be flexible and may require the diffuser screen <NUM> to be tiled with several or many smaller pieces together into a larger mosaic.

According to an embodiment, the entire diffuser screen <NUM> may be constructed of a single material with one level of opacity (either opacity within specific wavelength ranges or overall opacity). In another embodiment, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be constructed of multiple materials with different levels of opacity. In one exemplary embodiment, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be constructed of different materials depending on the location along the field of view of the diffuser screen <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be constructed of one or more UV-absorbing diffuser materials between a central to mid-peripheral region with a first level of opacity and one or more UV-transmissive diffuser materials between a mid-peripheral and a far-peripheral region with a second level of opacity. Examples of such UV-transmissive materials include, but are not limited to, quartz, glass, or UV-transparent polymers. In one embodiment, the diffuser screen <NUM> includes at least one of a wave bypass filter material, a tint layer, and a Fresnel lens.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter <NUM> may include a dual control zone having a foveal and peripheral control (e.g., <FIG>), may include a three piece mechanical PCB design (e.g., <FIG>) made from thin semi-flexible FR4 PCBs (with mechanical breaks between the foveal and peripheral zones), may include eight (<NUM>) discrete package LEDS controlled by at least two (and possibly three or four) discrete LED pulse width modulation (PWM) controllers, may include vertical (e.g., <FIG>) or horizontal (e.g., <FIG>) band packing strategy, and may include a polymer (not glass) diffuser material for diffuser screen <NUM>.

The system of the present disclosure may include a diffuser screen including any combination of the aforementioned features. The diffuser screen may be shaped, sized, and designed to deliver a stimulus to a subject.

As described further below, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured to emit only visual wavelengths of light, only non-visual wavelengths of light (such as either UV light, IR light, or both), or a combination of both visual and non-visual wavelengths of light. The light emitter sub-system <NUM>, including the individual wavelengths of light or combination of wavelengths of light described above, may be controlled by controller sub-system <NUM> to: (<NUM>) emit one or more wavelengths of light, (<NUM>) control the intensity, amount and/or retinal irradiance of the respective one or more wavelengths of light, (<NUM>) control the entrainment frequency or pulse rate of the respective one or more wavelengths of light (e.g., oscillations of the intensity of the respective one or more wavelengths of light), and/or (<NUM>) control the shape of the pulses of light (as illustrated in <FIG>).

For example, the entrainment frequencies of the respective one or more wavelengths of light may be controlled by the depth or relative dimming of amplitude between the brightest and dimmest parts of an oscillating wave may be controlled by a depth control. For example, a depth of <NUM>% may indicate that a wave oscillates between a swatch (or selected) color and black, such as illustrated in the <FIG>. A depth of <NUM>% may indicate that the wave oscillates between the swatch color and <NUM>% dimmer than the swatch color. A <NUM>% depth is illustrated in the wave of <FIG>. According to an embodiment, a width of a square wave, which indicates a proportion of the square wave that is in the max brightness state compared to the total period of the waveform, may be controlled by a pulse width control. For example, a pulse width of <NUM>% may indicate that the wave is bright <NUM>% of the time and dim <NUM>% of the time, such as illustrated in wave of <FIG>.

The speed of the oscillations or pulse rate are controlled in order to increase likelihood of brainwave entrainment to a desired frequency or entrainment frequency. As indicated in Table <NUM> below, provided as an exemplary but not limiting example, entrainment frequencies may be provided in sequential stages in order to enhance likelihood of entrainment of a user in response to the applied stimulus.

According to an embodiment, the pre-idle stage is provided in order to assuage a user for the entrainment frequencies of the later stages. The controller sub-system <NUM> sets an oscillation frequency in this stage at about the frequency of a person's resting heart rate of about <NUM> beats per minute (bpm) or slower or <NUM> bpm or slower. The oscillation frequency at this stage may be applied at a constant rate. The pre-idle stage provides a calming or relaxing sensation to the user to prepare for the entrainment oscillations of later stages. According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may sense the user's heart rate and send the information in real-time to the controller sub-system <NUM>. The controller sub-system <NUM> may dynamically adjust the oscillation frequency to match the user's heart rate based on the sensor sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, in stages <NUM>-<NUM>, the controller sub-system <NUM> sets an oscillation frequency to an entrainment frequency corresponding to one or more brainwave states. For example, a stage may provide a sweep of entrainment frequencies (such as incremental or continuous increase/decrease of frequency) within a frequency range of one brainwave state or two or more adjacent brainwave states. For example, another stage may provide alternating entrainment frequencies corresponding to within a frequency range of one brainwave state or between frequency ranges of two or more brainwave states. The inventors have discovered that the controlling the entrainment frequencies of light to emit over a plurality of frequencies (such as the sweeping or alternating entrainment frequencies) greatly enhances the likelihood of entrainment to a desired frequency. As illustrated in <FIG>, the different zones may be controlled to emit different wavelengths of light. According to an embodiment, the different zones may be further controlled to have a synchronized entrainment frequency. For example, the different zones of may be controlled to emit different colors or wavelengths of light, but all the zones are controlled to simultaneously sweep over a range of entrainment frequencies. Alternatively, the zones may be controlled to different entrainment frequencies. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the foveal zone 58D are controlled to oscillations corresponding to theta waves, while the left and right foveal zones are controlled to oscillations corresponding to alpha waves.

According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured to emit the light directly to the eyes of a user, such as to only the foveal region of one or both eyes of the user, to only the peripheral regions of one or both eyes of the user, or a combination of both the foveal and peripheral regions of one or both eyes of the user. According to an embodiment, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be deployed to emit light to an entire room and/or a plurality of users.

According to an embodiment, controller sub-system <NUM> may be further configured to control sound and sensation to the user in conjunction with the control of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. In general, the methods and systems of emitting light as described herein may be used in conjunction with other stimuli, such as sound and haptics (or sensation), as described herein. For example, the stimuli (e.g., light, sound, tactile) can be synchronized according to the control aspects described above.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a controller sub-system <NUM> or other computing system may convert an audio file into a corresponding visualization file to be used with the light emitter sub-system <NUM> and bone conduction sub-system <NUM>, or the light emitter sub-system <NUM> and sound emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to receive audio data as an input, and to control one or more of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>, sound emitter sub-system <NUM>, tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>, and/or bone conduction sub-system <NUM>, according to the audio data. For instance, the audio data may be provided to the controller sub-system <NUM> as an audio file or streaming audio content, through a wired connection (e.g., USB), media (e.g., SD card), or wireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi). In an example embodiment, the audio data provided to the controller sub-system <NUM> is mono or stereo and has a <NUM> sampling rate and <NUM>-bit fidelity (the same as that of a compact disc). In an example embodiment, the audio data is a. mp3 audio file uploaded from an external source.

The controller sub-system <NUM> may be configured to analyze the audio data to determine an appropriate emission corresponding to the audio data. For instance, the controller sub-system <NUM> may perform a short-time Fourier transform on the audio data to determine frequency and/or amplitude of light emission by the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. In an example embodiment, the processing may, based on analysis of the audio data, create multiple visualization files corresponding to channels of light emission by the light emitter sub-system <NUM>.

As one example, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> includes <NUM> channels of LEDs, each channel independently controlled according to a <NUM>, <NUM>-bit pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal output to a TIP120 bipolar junction transistor. With the PWM signal having a <NUM> frequency, a flicker rate of up to <NUM> may be selected by the controller sub-system <NUM> for each LED channel. With the pulse-width modulation signal having a <NUM>-bit fidelity, <NUM> different intensities may be selected by the controller sub-system <NUM> for each LED channel. In such a case, the controller sub-system <NUM> may create eight independent visualization files on a <NUM>-bit map, assigned to each LED channel. It will be appreciated that other frequencies and/or fidelities may be used. For instance, the PWM signal may incorporate a <NUM> frequency and/or a <NUM>-bit fidelity.

The control of each LED channel may include a certain flicker rate based on the analysis of the audio data. The controller sub-system <NUM> may determine a maximum and minimum flicker rate for each LED channel, and control each LED channel of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> independently according to the determined maximum and minimum flicker rates.

The control of each LED channel may include a certain brightness based on the analysis of the audio data. The controller sub-system <NUM> may determine a maximum and minimum brightness for each LED channel, and control each LED channel of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> independently according to the determined maximum and minimum brightnesses.

In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an option to control the range of light emission brightnesses and/or the range of light emission flicker rates for the experience. In an example embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may, if the user changes the brightness range or the flicker rate, notify the user that such change may reduce the overall experience compared to the brightness and/or flicker rate ranges determined by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an option to control a number of stages of the experience and/or the duration of each stage. In an example embodiment, the user may be provided with an option to create the audio data to be analyzed by the controller sub-system <NUM> for the experience.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> based on the audio data. For example, the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may include Bluetooth wireless headphones worn by the user or a Bluetooth speaker, and the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the wireless headphones or speaker to emit the audio data. According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system emits the audio data through the wireless headphones or speaker in synchronization with light control of the light emitter sub-system, according to the audio data.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> based on the audio data. For example, the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> may include Bluetooth wireless bone conduction headphones worn by the user, and the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the wireless headphones to emit the audio data. According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system emits the audio data through the bone conduction headphones in synchronization with light control of the light emitter sub-system, according to the audio data.

According to an example embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may control an array of lights of the device. For example, one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be controlled by an application programming interface (API), such as a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) API. According to an example embodiment, the API may be a physical control surface such as, for example, but not limited to an AKAI MIDIMIX controller or other physical control surface. According to an example embodiment, the API may be a virtual control surface such as, for example, but not limited to a LEMUR controller or other virtual control surface. According to an example embodiment, the API may be a digital audio workstation (DAW) automation lane control surface such as, for example, but not limited to an Ableton controller or other automation lane control surface. The API may provide creative control to a user and/or enable repeatable and replayable experiences of the device. Example user interfaces are illustrated at <FIG> and <FIG>, which provide the various controls described below.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may include an oscillator to control the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. The oscillator may generally include any number of controls described above, such as a swatch control and a wave control. As explained in more detail below, a single oscillator may be used or a plurality of oscillators may be used in combination to control the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>.

The swatch may include a mixture of different color channels to control the color or colors of the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the swatch may further include a brightness control to control the brightness of the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. The mixture of different color channels may be a mixture of <NUM> individual LED color channels. According to other embodiments, the mixture of different color channels may be a mixture of other numbers of individual LED color channels, such as greater than <NUM> different color channels, <NUM> or more different color channels, <NUM> or more different color channels, <NUM> or more different color channels, <NUM> or more different color channels, <NUM> or more different color channels, and so on. According to an embodiment, each individual LED color channel may correspond to a different light of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the color channel for each LED may be linked or correspond to each number in a range of <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values.

According to an embodiment, the brightness control may be a master brightness that controls the brightness of the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. The brightness output of a light may be the product of a light's color channel brightness and the light's master brightness. The brightness control may control one or both of color channel brightness and/or master brightness. According to an embodiment, the brightness control may adjust the brightness of one, some, or all of the color channels of the swatch described above. For example, where the color channel for each LED is linked or corresponds to each number in a range of <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values, each color channel in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values may be modulated by the master brightness control such that a range of <NUM><NUM> (or <NUM>,<NUM>) unique brightnesses may be selected for each color channel. According to an embodiment, the multiplied value may be mapped to a <NUM><NUM> pulse width modulation (PWM) number to control the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>.

The wave control may include a time-varying brightness of the swatch. For example, the wave control may modulate the swatch from a default state to a brightness that is equal to or dimmer than the default state. The time-varying brightness of the swatch may correspond to a wave shape, such as a square wave, a sine wave, a saw up wave, and/or a saw down wave. According to an embodiment, wave shapes may be linked or correspond a range of numbers within the <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values. For example, values in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> may be a square wave, values in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> may be a sine wave, values in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> may be a saw up wave, values in the range of <NUM>-<NUM> may be a saw down wave. According to an embodiment, a single oscillator may have wave control according to only one wave shape, such as a sine wave. According to an embodiment, when a plurality of oscillators is used, different oscillators may have different wave shapes.

According to an embodiment, the rate of wave oscillation or frequency between a maximum brightness and a minimum brightness may be provided through a frequency control. In order to obtain a high degree of control, the frequency control may provide both coarse frequency control and fine frequency control. According to an embodiment, the coarse frequency control may control integer frequency between <NUM>-<NUM>, and the fine frequency control may control from <NUM> to <NUM>. In combination, the coarse frequency control and the fine frequency control may provide a range of control from <NUM> to <NUM> in <NUM> increments.

According to an embodiment, phase control of the waves may be provided. For example, phase control may provide phase shift of a wave relative to other waves. As explained above, for example, multiple oscillators may be concurrently used and one or more waves from the respective one or more oscillators may be shifted relative to the other waves. A <NUM>-degree phase shift is illustrated in the wave of <FIG>. The phase shift to offset the different waves may be used to provide different flickering patterns of the one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the phase may be controlled by a single MIDI control from <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values. The <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values may adjust phase from a negative phase angle to a positive phase angle. For example, each integer value in the <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI value range may provide <NUM>-degree angle shift to give a total range of <NUM>-degrees of phase angle shift. According to an embodiment, different angle shifts may be provide for each integer value in the <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI value range, such as a <NUM>-degree angle shift, greater than <NUM>-degree angle shift, or other angle shifts.

According to an embodiment, the depth or relative dimming between the brightest and dimmest parts of a wave may be controlled by a depth control. For example, a depth of <NUM>% may indicate that a wave oscillates between the swatch color and black, such as illustrated in the wave of <FIG>. A depth of <NUM>% may indicate that the wave oscillates between the swatch color and <NUM>% dimmer than the swatch color. A <NUM>% depth is illustrated in the wave of <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the depth control may be provided by a single MIDI control channel. According to an embodiment, a single MIDI control channel with a range of <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values may be mapped to depth values from <NUM>% to <NUM>%.

According to an embodiment, a width of a square wave, which indicates a proportion of the square wave that is in the max brightness state compared to the total period of the waveform, may be controlled by a pulse width control. For example, a pulse width of <NUM>% may indicate that the wave is bright <NUM>% of the time and dim <NUM>% of the time, such as illustrated in the wave of <FIG>. According to an embodiment, a single MIDI control channel with a range of <NUM>-<NUM> MIDI values may be mapped to pulse values from <NUM>% to <NUM>%.

According to an embodiment, a single oscillator may include a number of channels corresponding to any number of control channels described above. For example, a single oscillator may include <NUM> channels (<NUM> color channels, <NUM> master brightness channel, <NUM> shape channel, <NUM> frequency channels, <NUM> phase channel, <NUM> depth channel, and <NUM> width channel). The number of channels included with a single oscillator may vary depending on the number of controls desired, such as if more color channels are desired. For example, <FIG> is an example user interface to control a single oscillator according to the controls described above.

According to an embodiment, any number of oscillators may be used with the device. For example, a plurality of oscillators, such as <NUM> unique oscillators, may be used to provide a large variety of distinctive flickering patterns. If each oscillator includes <NUM> channels, the device may be controlled with <NUM> channels as automation lanes. For example, <FIG> is an example user interface to control <NUM> oscillators according to the controls described above.

According to an embodiment, the system <NUM>, such as implemented in a wearable device, may be used by a user to alter the user's cognitive state or increase likelihood of altering their brainwaves.

The sensor sub-system <NUM> of the system <NUM> may sense and track biometric data related to emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and/or sleep quality or function of the user, as explained above.

The controller sub-system <NUM> may determine or predict the cognitive state or dominant brainwave of the user based on the biometric data.

The controller sub-system <NUM> may suggest a modification to the user's cognitive state or dominant brainwave based on the biometric data. Alternatively, the user may select a desired cognitive state or desired dominant brainwave, or the modification selected by the controller sub-system <NUM>.

After the user selects the cognitive state or brainwave, the user may raise the device(s) (which has/have already been placed on the forearms, wrists, or hands) to the eyes so that the devices can apply the photo-stimulation to the eyes, and tactile-stimulation to the eyes and face, and optional auditory-stimulation to the user, as explained above, to illicit the desired modification to the user's brainwaves or altered cognitive state. For example, the stimulations may illicit or increase the likelihood of a dominant brainwave or altered cognitive state.

According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may use an algorithm to elicit or increase the likelihood of a dominant brainwave or altered cognitive state. For example, if the system <NUM> senses an elevated level of stress in the user, the controller sub-system <NUM> can use the algorithm to suggest a level of photo-stimulation, tactile-stimulation, and/or auditory-stimulation to modify the user's brainwaves to alleviate the stress. According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may use the algorithm to suggest a level of photo-stimulation, tactile-stimulation, and optional auditory-stimulation to produce a temporary hallucination or feeling of euphoria in the user.

The algorithms used by the controller sub-system <NUM> may be constructed from multimodal physiological data, including from measurement of brainwave activity, combined with the subjective reports of emotional and/or stress states of a user before and after stimulation is applied. The physiological and subjective data sets may be used to train a machine learning algorithm in a supervised learning procedure that classifies brainwave composition and cognitive /emotional states based upon the user's biometric data. The machine learning framework may include the construction of proprietary predictive algorithms used by the controller sub-system <NUM> that specify optimized stimulation parameters from the emitter sub-systems based upon feature extraction from multimodal biosignals, classification of user states, and predictive model validation. The controller sub-system <NUM> algorithm may use the user's biometric data to assign personalized stimulation properties to the emitter sub-systems described above.

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system <NUM> may be implemented as one or more devices worn on the body of a user (also known as a "wearable device"). For example, the system <NUM> may be provided on each of a user's forearms, wrists, or hands. According to an example embodiment, the entirety of the system <NUM> may be implemented as one or more wearable devices.

According to an example embodiment, the system <NUM> may be implemented as one or more wearable devices, worn on a body of the user so that one or more markers of the user's parasympathetic nervous system is sensed by the sensor sub-system <NUM> and recorded by the controller sub-system <NUM>. One example embodiment, implemented as two wristbands or armbands, is illustrated in <FIG>. Although this embodiment is described with respect to two wristbands, the system may be implemented with a single wristband, with three or more wristbands, or with bands that are worn on parts of the body other than the wrist.

As shown in <FIG>, the system <NUM> may be constructed as two wristband assemblies, each having a band <NUM> and an emitter assembly <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the emitter assembly <NUM> may include the sensor sub-system <NUM>, the emitter sub-system <NUM>, and the controller sub-system <NUM>. The emitter assembly <NUM> may further include wired or wireless transceivers to communicate with each other. For example, the controller sub-systems <NUM> of the emitter assembly <NUM> may communicate with each other via the respective transceivers. According to an embodiment, the band <NUM> may include one or more of the sensor sub-system <NUM> and/or the controller subsystem <NUM>, or portions of the sensor sub-system <NUM> and/or the controller subsystem <NUM>. The band <NUM> may also include portions of the emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated at <FIG>, the one or more sensors of the sub-sensor system <NUM> may be integrated into the system <NUM> when implemented as a wearable device. For example, the one or more sensors of the sensor sub-system <NUM> may be located in the band <NUM> or the emitter assembly <NUM>, to sense one or more biometric markers at the inner wrist facing a first direction through the wrist.

According to an embodiment, one or more lights <NUM>, forming part of the light emitter sub-system <NUM> of the emitter sub-system <NUM>, may be provided at an end of the emitter assembly <NUM>. In this example, the one or more lights <NUM> may be provided at a perimeter or circumference of the surface of the emitter assembly <NUM> and may be outwardly facing from a user's palm when in use. The one or more lights may be, for example, a micro-light emitting diode (micro-LED) configured to emit light at a predetermined frequency and brightness (e.g. photo-stimulation), according to the controller sub-system <NUM>. For example, the one or more lights may provide a visual stimulus (for example, photo-stimulation) to the user when the light emitter sub-system <NUM> is moved to a location adjacent to the user's face and eyes. The light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be sized so that all emitted light is applied to the foveal area of one or both eyes of the user. According to an embodiment, the one or more lights may be covered with a diffuser material to reduce intensity of one or more wavelengths of light. Alternatively, no diffuser material covers the one or more lights so that the full emitted spectrum of light wavelengths is directly applied to the user. The light may be applied directly to the foveal region of the user's eyes when the eyes are open, or when the eyes are closed.

According to an embodiment, one or more speakers <NUM>, forming part of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM> of the emitter sub-system <NUM>, may be provided at one or both ends of the emitter assembly <NUM>. The one or more speakers <NUM> may be provided within the perimeter or circumference of the surface of the emitter assembly <NUM> and may be outwardly facing from a user's palm when in use.

According to an embodiment, the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>, forming part of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM> and/or the bone conduction sub-system <NUM> of the emitter sub-system <NUM>, may be located in the wearable device. The one or more motors <NUM> may be provided at an end of the emitter assembly <NUM>. In this example, the one or more motors <NUM> are provided at one or both ends of the emitter assembly <NUM> in order to provide tactile stimulation towards the palm and/or wrist of the user and/or bone conduction stimulation if the wearable device is contacted to a bone conduction-sensitive area of the user's body (e.g., jawbone or cheekbone). According to an embodiment, the one or more motors <NUM> may be provided with the band <NUM> in order to provide tactile stimulation to the wrist of the user and/or bone conduction stimulation to the bone conduction-sensitive area of the user's body.

According to an embodiment, the band <NUM> may be a flexible, thin, silicon or silicon-like cuff and may be configured to hold electronics or portions associated with the various systems described below. The emitter assembly <NUM> may configured to hold electronics or portions associated with the various systems described below. The emitter assembly <NUM> may include a patch configured for affixation to, or held in the palm of a user when in use.

According to an example embodiment, the emitter assembly <NUM> may be detachably affixed to the band <NUM>. For example, the emitter assembly <NUM> and the band <NUM> may be affixed together by one or more magnets (not shown) integrated into one or both of the emitter assembly <NUM> and the band <NUM> at their contact points. The magnets provide retention of emitter assembly <NUM> and the band <NUM> based on magnetic force, while permitting the user to detach the emitter assembly <NUM> while continuing to wear the band <NUM>.

According to an example embodiment, only a single controller sub-system <NUM> is provided in one wristband assembly among multiple wristband assemblies. For instance, a first wristband assembly may include a sensor sub-system <NUM> and an emitter sub-system <NUM>, and a controller sub-system <NUM>, while a second wristband assembly may include contain a sensor sub-system <NUM>' an emitter sub-system <NUM>', and optionally a controller sub-system <NUM>'. The controller sub-system <NUM> provided in the first wristband may receive sensed data from both sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' and also control both emitter sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>'. Of course, it will be appreciated that the controller sub-system <NUM> may alternatively be provided in the second wristband instead of the first wristband. It will be further appreciated that the sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' may be identical or may be different. For instance, in the case that the sensor sub-systems are different, the various sensors provided in the system <NUM> may be divided amongst the sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>'. In the case that the sensor sub-systems are identical, the multiple sensors for each sensing criteria may provide redundancy and/or additional sensor readings specific to the individual parts of the body for which the particular wristband is worn. Likewise, the emitter sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' may be identical or may be different to collectively provide the functionality to apply the various stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, the system <NUM> may be implemented as one or more patches applied to a body of a user, such as to the wrists or palms, with an adhesive or material that is able to adhere to the skin of the user. The two patches of the system <NUM> may each contain a sensor sub-system <NUM>, an emitter sub-system <NUM>, and a controller sub-system <NUM>. The patches may further include transceivers to communicate with each other. For example, the respective controller sub-systems <NUM> may communicate with each other via respective transceivers.

According to an embodiment, only a single controller sub-system <NUM> is provided among multiple patches. For instance, a first patch may include a sensor sub-system <NUM>, an emitter sub-system <NUM>, and a controller sub-system <NUM>, while a second patch may include a sensor system <NUM>' and an emitter system <NUM>'. The controller sub-system <NUM> provided in the first patch may receive sensed data from both sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' and also control both emitter sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>'. According to an embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may be provided in the second patch instead of the first patch. According to an embodiment, the sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' may be identical or may be different. For instance, in the case that the sensor sub-systems are different, the various sensors provided in the system <NUM> may be divided amongst the sensor sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>'. In the case that the sensor sub-systems are identical, the multiple sensors for each sensing criteria may provide redundancy and/or additional sensor readings specific to the individual parts of the body for which the particular patch is worn. Likewise, the emitter sub-systems <NUM> and <NUM>' may be identical or may be different to collectively provide the functionality to apply the various stimuli to the user.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, one or both wristbands or armbands may include one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or more lights of the light emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, one or both wristbands or armbands may include one or more speakers of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or more speakers of the sound emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, one or both wristbands or armbands may include one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or more motors of the tactile emitter sub-system <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, one or both wristbands or armbands may include one or more motors of the bone conduction system <NUM>. According to an embodiment, one or both patches may include one or more motors of the bone conduction sub-system <NUM>.

It will be appreciated that the functionality described with respect to emitter assembly <NUM> and motors <NUM> is likewise applicable to emitter assembly <NUM>' and motors <NUM>'.

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system <NUM> may be implemented as a therapeutic device.

In an embodiment, illustrated in <FIG>, the system <NUM> may include a chair <NUM>, the light emitter <NUM>, and a connecting device <NUM> that couples the light emitter <NUM> to the chair <NUM>. The chair <NUM> may be adjustable in various aspects including but not limited to, recline/tilt, head or foot rest adjustment, lumbar adjustment, and/or any other adjustment. According to an embodiment, the adjustability of these elements includes adjustment in both translation and orientation directions. According to an embodiment, the chair <NUM> is of a category as a "zero gravity" chair. The light emitter <NUM> emits light towards a subject <NUM>, as described in further detail below. The connecting device <NUM> may be an articulating arm, a jointed linkage, or other device capable of positioning and/or orienting the light emitter <NUM> in relation to the subject <NUM> and/or the chair <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the connecting device <NUM> may couple the light emitter <NUM> to a different support component separate from the chair <NUM>, such as a ceiling or a wall. The system <NUM> may apply one or more stimuli in order to increase the likelihood of a desired brain wave or state, as described herein.

In an embodiment, <FIG> illustrates an overhead view of the light emitter <NUM> emitting light towards the subject <NUM>, while <FIG> illustrate various perspective views of the light emitter <NUM>. The light emitter <NUM> may include or be coupled to a connector <NUM>. The connector <NUM> may connect the light emitter <NUM> to the connecting device <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>). As described in more detail to follow, the light emitter <NUM> may be sized, shaped, and dimensioned to generally conform to the profile (e.g., size, shape and/or dimension) of the subject's head <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the connector <NUM> may allow for the light emitter <NUM> to move with respect to the connecting device <NUM>, providing additional adjustability in positioning and orienting the light emitter <NUM> in relation to the subject <NUM> and/or the chair <NUM>. The connector <NUM> may allow for single or multi-dimensional (e.g., three-dimensional) movement of the light emitter <NUM>. In this manner, the light emitter <NUM> may be placed in a preferred or desired location about the subject's head <NUM> or eyes (as shown in <FIG>). In one example embodiment, the light emitter <NUM> may be in the shape of a curved elongated oval.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> may be sized based on the average human head height. That is, the average human head height may be used to define the height of the light emitter <NUM>. In an example, the average human head may have a height <NUM>. The height <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The height <NUM> of the light emitter <NUM> may be dimensioned taking into account the height <NUM>. For example, the height <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The height <NUM> may be in the range of about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about to about <NUM>. <NUM>), or about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>). Of course, it will be appreciated that the light emitter <NUM> may be smaller or larger in height than the aforementioned dimensions.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> may be sized based on the average human head width. That is, the average human head width may be used to define the width of the light emitter <NUM>. In an example, the average human head may have a width <NUM>. The width <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The width <NUM> of the light emitter <NUM> may be dimensioned taking into account the width <NUM>. For example, the width <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The width <NUM> may be in the range of about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), or about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>). Of course, it will be appreciated that the light emitter <NUM> may be smaller or larger in width than the aforementioned dimensions.

With continued reference to <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> may include a housing, one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs), and a diffuser screen <NUM>. The lighting emitter <NUM> and the diffuser screen <NUM> may be formed as described above with respect to <FIG>. The housing may be elongated and/or curved. The housing may contain or house the diffuser screen <NUM> and the one or more PCBs. For example, the PCBs may be placed between the housing and the diffuser screen <NUM>. The diffuser screen <NUM> may be a diffuser material overlaid onto the PCBs. The PCBs and/or the diffuser screen <NUM> may be secured, either permanently or removably, to the housing using various fastening mechanisms, such as adhesive, screws, and/or retention clips. The light emitter <NUM> may be formed as one or more lighting units <NUM> as described above.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> may include the diffuser screen <NUM> at an inner surface of the light emitter <NUM>. For example, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be an elongated and/or curved piece of translucent material. The diffuser screen <NUM> may have an arc length <NUM>. The arc length <NUM> may be dimensioned taking into account the dimensions of the average human head. For example, the arc length <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The arc length <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>), or about <NUM> inches to about <NUM> inches (about <NUM> to about <NUM>).

In an embodiment, the diffuser screen <NUM> may be arranged as illustrated in <FIG> when in a laid flat arrangement. The laid flat arrangement of <FIG> may be an approximation of the diffuser screen <NUM> of the light emitter <NUM> if it were laid out flat. The laid flat diffuser screen <NUM> may have a length <NUM> along the major axis and a height <NUM> along the minor axis. The length <NUM> may be about the same as the arc length <NUM>. In an example, the length <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The height <NUM> may be about the same as the height <NUM>. In an example, the height <NUM> may be about <NUM> inches (about <NUM>). The laid flat diffuser screen <NUM> may have an aspect ratio of <NUM>:<NUM>. The diffuser screen <NUM> may have a surface area of about <NUM> square inches (about <NUM> square cm). The diffuser screen <NUM> may have a surface area about equal to the illuminated surface area of a <NUM> inch laptop screen.

With continued reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the light emitter <NUM> and the diffuser screen <NUM> may curve about an axis. The light emitter <NUM> and diffuser screen <NUM> may curve about a vertical plane or vertical axis <NUM> (<FIG>). The light emitter <NUM> and diffuser screen <NUM> may curve about a horizontal plane or horizontal axis <NUM> (<FIG>). The light emitter <NUM> and diffuser screen <NUM> may have about a <NUM> inch (about <NUM>) bend radius about the vertical axis <NUM>. The bend radius about the vertical axis <NUM> may be around the subject's brow (e.g., around the width of the subject's head). The bend radius about the vertical axis <NUM> may result in a bend of the light emitter <NUM> and the diffuser screen <NUM>. The light emitter <NUM> and the diffuser screen <NUM> may have a second bend radius about the horizontal axis <NUM> (e.g., around the height of the subject's head). The second bend radius may result in a cup effect of the light diffuser <NUM> and diffuser screen <NUM>. The second bend radius may be optional. Although not depicted in <FIG> and <FIG>, the PCBs may curve about the vertical plane or vertical axis and/or the horizontal plane or horizontal axis, as will be described in more detail to follow.

According to an embodiment, the individual zones of the light emitter <NUM> may be controlled by the controller sub-system <NUM>, as described above, to emit one or more predetermined wavelengths of light from one or more zones or have no light emission from one or more zones. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the foveal zone of the light emitter <NUM> may emit one or more visual wavelengths of light, while the left peripheral and right peripheral zones emit only one or more non-visual wavelengths of light. As another example, the foveal zone of the light emitter <NUM> may emit no light, while the left peripheral and right peripheral zones emit only one or more non-visual wavelengths of light. As another example, the foveal zone of the light emitter <NUM> may emit only one or more non-visual wavelengths of light, while the left peripheral and right peripheral zones emit no light. In any configuration, the light may be applied directly to the foveal and/or peripheral regions of the user's eyes when the eyes are open, or when the eyes are closed.

In an embodiment, the diffuser material is omitted for one or more of the zones so that the full emitted spectrum of light wavelengths is directly applied to the user.

According to an example embodiment, at least a portion of the system <NUM> may be implemented as a household or commercial device to be placed in a room setting.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the light emitter sub-system <NUM> may be configured to emit light to an area via a central emitter <NUM>, such as a ceiling projector <NUM>' (<FIG>), a wall panel <NUM>" (<FIG>), and/or a lamp <NUM>‴ (<FIG>). According to an embodiment, the area may be of an appropriate size in which one person or a plurality of people can sit or stand. For example, the area may be a bedroom, a living room, or other partially or fully enclosed area.

For example, the system <NUM> may be configured to emulate a predetermined spectrum of light, such as a measured spectrum of light emitted from the night sky, to one or more users. According to an embodiment, the predetermined spectrum of light may be according to a spectrum of light measured or determined from a particular geographic location at a particular time of the year and at a particular time of the day or night. For example, a desired light spectrum in a room may be the light spectrum of the nighttime sky in a remote geographic location (with little or no light pollution).

The sensor sub-system <NUM> may be used to sense or measure a spectrum of light in a room. For example, the spectrum of light in a room may come from ambient lights sources from within a room (such as lights from electronic devices) and/or from external to the room. The sensor sub-system <NUM> may sense or measure the light spectrum (both visual and non-visual light spectrum) in a darkened room. Based on the sensed or measured light spectrum, controller sub-system <NUM> may compare the sensed or measured light spectrum with a desired light spectrum and determine any wavelengths of light that are deficient in the darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum and/or determine any wavelengths of light that are in excess in the darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum.

When one or more wavelengths of light are determined to be in excess in the darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum, the controller sub-system <NUM> may inform the user (such as via a user interface) that of a range of wavelengths that are in excess and/or recommend further darkening of the room.

When one or more wavelengths of light are determined to be deficient in the darkened room relative to the desired light spectrum, the controller sub-system <NUM> may further determine one or more light wavelengths and intensities to emulate the desired light spectrum. The controller sub-system <NUM> may control the central emitter <NUM> to emit only the one or more light wavelengths and intensities to emulate the desired light spectrum in the darkened room.

As an example, a desired light spectrum may contain a predetermined amount of UV and IR light. For a darkened room that is determined by the sensor sub-system <NUM> and controller sub-system <NUM> to have no UV and IR light, the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the central emitter <NUM> to emit UV and IR light to match the desired light spectrum. For example, the system <NUM> may be configured to entrain the user to a desired circadian rhythm. According to an embodiment, the system <NUM> may include a predetermined cycle and timing of light and dark of a natural day, with a predetermined sunrise (dawn) and a predetermined sunset (dusk) with the predetermined types and amounts of light described above.

In the embodiments described above, the light emitting sub-system <NUM> may be configured to emit light to a user's eyes while the user's eyes are closed. In particular, the light emitted from the light emitting sub-system <NUM> is transmitted through the user's eyelids. By operating the system <NUM> while the user's eyes are closed, the visual stimulus perceived by the user is isolated to the light emitted by the light-emitting sub-system <NUM>.

In one embodiment, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may determine when the user's eyes are open or closed. For example, with respect to the embodiments described above when the light emitter sub-system <NUM> is configured to emit light to one user, the sensor sub-system <NUM> may sense or determine an open position or a closed position of the user's eyes. When the user's eyes are sensed or determined to be open, controller sub-system <NUM> may control the light emitter sub-system <NUM> to emit light at a first predetermined intensity, may stop emitting only visual light and/or non-visual light. When the user's eyes are sensed or determined to be closed, the controller sub-system <NUM> may control the light emitter sub-system <NUM> to emit light at a second predetermined intensity to account for diffusion through or translucency of light the user's eyelids. In one embodiment, the controller sub-system <NUM> may continuously monitor the open/close status of the user's eyes (e.g., at predetermined intervals), and control the light emitter sub-system <NUM> to refrain from emitting light until it is sensed that the user's eyes are closed.

The embodiments described above may be generally used to entrain a user's brainwaves to a desired wavelength.

With reference to <FIG>, an exemplary system of the controller sub-systems described above includes a general-purpose computing device <NUM>, including a processing unit (CPU or processor) <NUM> and a system bus <NUM> that couples various system components including the system memory <NUM> such as read-only memory (ROM) <NUM> and random access memory (RAM) <NUM> to the processor <NUM>. The system <NUM> can include a cache of high-speed memory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of the processor <NUM>. The system <NUM> copies data from the memory <NUM> and/or the storage device <NUM> to the cache for quick access by the processor <NUM>. In this way, the cache provides a performance boost that avoids processor <NUM> delays while waiting for data. These and other modules can control or be configured to control the processor <NUM> to perform various actions. Other system memory <NUM> may be available for use as well. The memory <NUM> can include multiple different types of memory with different performance characteristics. It can be appreciated that the disclosure may operate on a computing device <NUM> with more than one processor <NUM> or on a group or cluster of computing devices networked together to provide greater processing capability. The processor <NUM> can include any general purpose processor and a hardware module or software module, such as module <NUM><NUM>, module <NUM><NUM>, and module <NUM><NUM> stored in storage device <NUM>, configured to control the processor <NUM> as well as a special-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. The processor <NUM> may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric.

The system bus <NUM> may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. A basic input/output (BIOS) stored in ROM <NUM> or the like, may provide the basic routine that helps to transfer information between elements within the computing device <NUM>, such as during start-up. The computing device <NUM> further includes storage devices <NUM> such as a hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, tape drive or the like. The storage device <NUM> can include software modules <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for controlling the processor <NUM>. Other hardware or software modules are contemplated. The storage device <NUM> is connected to the system bus <NUM> by a drive interface. The drives and the associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computing device <NUM>. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a particular function includes the software component stored in a tangible computer-readable storage medium in connection with the necessary hardware components, such as the processor <NUM>, bus <NUM>, display <NUM>, and so forth, to carry out the function. In another aspect, the system can use a processor and computer-readable storage medium to store instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method or other specific actions. The basic components and appropriate variations are contemplated depending on the type of device, such as whether the device <NUM> is a small, handheld computing device, a desktop computer, or a computer server.

Although the exemplary embodiment described herein employs the hard disk <NUM>, other types of computer-readable media which can store data that are accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memories (RAMs) <NUM>, and read-only memory (ROM) <NUM>, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment. Tangible computer-readable storage media, computer-readable storage devices, or computer-readable memory devices, expressly exclude media such as transitory waves, energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

To enable user interaction with the computing device <NUM>, an input device <NUM> represents any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An output device <NUM> can also be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodal systems enable a user to provide multiple types of input to communicate with the computing device <NUM>. The communications interface <NUM> generally governs and manages the user input and system output. There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement and therefore the basic features here may easily be substituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

Use of language such as "at least one of X, Y, and Z," "at least one of X, Y, or Z," "at least one or more of X, Y, and Z," "at least one or more of X, Y, or Z," "at least one or more of X, Y, and/or Z," or "at least one of X, Y, and/or Z," are intended to be inclusive of both a single item (just X, or just Y, or just Z) and multiple items (i.e., {X and Y}, {X and Z}, {Y and Z}, or {X, Y, and Z}). "At least one of" is not intended to convey a requirement that each possible item must be present.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) for altering brainwaves, the system comprising:
a first stimulus emitter comprising a plurality of lights arranged in an array, wherein the plurality of lights are configured to direct light towards a user; and
a controller (<NUM>) comprising a processor (<NUM>) and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
control the first stimulus emitter to emit a first stimulus at a first intensity and a first oscillation frequency,
control the first stimulus emitter to adjust the first stimulus to a second oscillation frequency,
control a second stimulus emitter, comprising at least one sound emitter configured to direct sound towards a user, to emit a second stimulus at a second intensity and a third oscillation frequency, and
control the second stimulus emitter to adjust the second stimulus to a fourth oscillation frequency,
wherein the array is divided into a plurality of zones comprising a first zone having a first plurality of lights and a second zone having a second plurality of lights,
characterized in that at least one of the following is satisfied:
(i) the first zone is a foveal zone configured to emit the first stimulus to a foveal area of an eye of a user, wherein the second zone is a peripheral zone configured to emit the first stimulus to a peripheral area of the eye of the user,
(ii) the oscillation frequency of the first zone is different than the oscillation frequency of the second zone, and
(iii) the first stimulus emitted from the first zone is configured to be visually perceptible to the user, wherein the first stimulus emitted from the second zone is configured to be visually imperceptible to the user.