Dream Enhancement Apparatus and Method

Abstract

Dream stage enhancement uses a headband with EEG-EOG sensors, onboard processors, memory, coarse and fine time REM waveform detection modules, LEDs and an audio playback unit. After normalization to the user's EEG waveforms, the user's EEG-EOG signals are processed, REM and NREM stages detected and light, sound or AV stimuli are presented to the user based upon user-supplied light-sound-AV stimuli commands. To provide a reality check control (“RCC”), the head unit has a user actuatable RC interface whereby during sleep, RC stimuli are presented when the user depresses the RCC control which plays back the user supplied stimulus. In a “learning mode,” the user selects “Recall” or “No Recall” (“NR”) after the sleep period. If NR, then the system changes the color of light stimuli, light intensity, flash, audio sound type, audio intensity, and AV. If “Recall” the user supplied stimuli commands are carried out.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage adapted to be sworn on the head and skull of the user comprising:
 a headband unit with one or more electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) sensors in contact with the skin of the user and generating EEG and EOG signals representative of a physical condition of the user;   a plurality of light emitting devices positioned on said headband to stimulate and illuminate the user's ocular senses with a plurality of distinct colored lights;   an onboard telecommunications module on said headband unit;   an onboard processor in said headband unit, said processor coupled to said EEG and EOG sensors, said light emitting devices and said telecommunications module;   an onboard data store in said headband unit and coupled to said processor;   an audio playback device having a speaker, an audio playback data store and a device telecommunications module, the audio playback device presenting audible sounds via said speaker based upon data from the audio playback data store and an audio command;   a telecommunications network linking said onboard telecommunications module with said device telecommunications module;   a programmable neural network operative with said onboard processor and said data store to detect a user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns corresponding to rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep stage one (NREM1), NREM sleep stage two (NREM2), and NREM sleep stage three (NREM3) and to generate at least REM indicator signals representative of a user's REM sleep stage;   said onboard data store having programmed therein one or more lucid stimuli commands from the user, said lucid stimuli commands corresponding to one or more light stimuli, audio stimuli and a combination of audio-visual (AV) stimuli, said light stimuli being one or more of said plurality of distinct colored lights, said audio stimuli being one or more of a plurality of audible sounds directed at the user, and the AV stimuli being a combination of said light stimuli and said audio stimuli;   a light activation module, operative with said onboard processor and said onboard data store, for actuating said light emitting devices in the presence of said REM indicator signals and based upon the lucid stimuli commands;   an audio activation module, operative with said onboard processor, said onboard data store and said telecommunications module, for actuating said audio playback device in the presence of said REM indicator signal and based upon the lucid stimuli commands, said audio activation module transmitting the audio command corresponding the lucid stimuli commands to said audio playback device via said telecommunications network.   
     
     
         2 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 1  including:
 a reality check (RC) control operative with said processor and said onboard data store in said headband unit, said RC control including an actuatable user interface on said headband unit which, upon activation, generates an RC stimuli command; 
 said onboard data store having, programmed therein, a user-supplied RC stimuli command which corresponds to an RC light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli which is one or more of said light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli; 
 whereby upon actuation of said user interface, said RC control generates said RC stimuli command and said headband unit stimulates the user in accordance with said RC light stimuli. 
 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 1  wherein:
 said onboard data store, having programmed therein, a learning mode program, the learning mode program having an initial set of lucid stimuli commands, independent of the user, corresponding to one or more light stimuli, audio stimuli and AV stimuli; 
 means for generating a lucid dream recall indicator signal; 
 said learning mode program, in the presence of the recall dream indicator, employing the user-supplied lucid dream stimuli commands rather than the initial set of lucid stimuli commands, and in the absence of the recall dream indicator: 
 changing one or more of: (a) the color of the light stimuli, (b) the intensity of the light stimuli, (c) the application of a flashing light stimuli, (d) the frequency of the flashing light stimuli, (e) the application of the audio stimuli; (f) the intensity of the audio stimuli, (g) the sensory impact of the AV stimuli; and 
 in a continued absence of the recall dream indicator, changing the one or more of the light, audio and AV stimuli until the recall dream indicator is present. 
 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 1 :
 wherein said audio playback device is part of a smart phone;   said telecommunications network being a short range wireless communications link between said onboard telecommunications module and said device telecommunications module which is part of said smart phone;   said smart phone having a memory data store which includes said audio playback data store;   said smart phone having a program interface, communicatively linked to said onboard processor, said onboard data store and said audio activation module, for actuating said audio playback device in the presence of said REM indicator signal based upon the lucid stimuli commands.   
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 4  including:
 an input module as part of said smart phone permitting the user to input said lucid stimuli commands, said device telecommunications module supplying the user-supplied lucid stimuli commands to said headband unit. 
 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 5  including:
 a waveform data store as part of said onboard data store, said waveform data store storing signals representative of the user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns; 
 said onboard processor having pattern detection modules for detecting the user's REM sleep stages, NREM1 sleep stages, NREM2 sleep stages, NREM3 sleep stages from the user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns and generating time-based marker data for the user's sleep stages, said time-based markers being stored in said waveform data store; 
 an upload program in said onboard data store and operative with said onboard processor and said onboard telecommunications module for supplying to said smart phone memory data store said user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns and the time-based marker data for REM, NREM1, NREM2 and NREM3 sleep stages; 
 said smart phone memory data store having means for accepting and storing, from said upload program, said user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns and the time-based marker data. 
 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 6  including:
 a reality check (RC) control operative with said onboard processor and said onboard data store in said headband unit, said RC control including an actuatable user interface on said headband unit which, upon activation, generates an RC stimuli command; 
 said onboard data store having, programmed therein, a user-supplied RC stimuli command which corresponds to an RC light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli which is one or more of said light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli; 
 whereby upon actuation of said user interface, said RC control generates said RC stimuli command and said headband unit stimulates the user in accordance with said RC light stimuli; 
 said onboard processor generates and stores RC stimuli time-based marker data for said RC stimuli command; 
 said smart phone means for accepting and storing also stores said RC stimuli time-based marker data. 
 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 7  wherein:
 said onboard data store, having programmed therein, a learning mode program, the learning mode program having an initial set of lucid stimuli commands, independent of the user, corresponding to one or more light stimuli, audio stimuli and AV stimuli; 
 said smart phone input module having a user actuated means for generating a lucid dream recall indicator signal and said telecommunications module supplying said recall indicator to said headband unit; 
 said learning mode program, in the presence of the recall dream indicator, employing the user-supplied lucid dream stimuli commands rather than the initial set of lucid stimuli commands, and in the absence of the recall dream indicator: 
 changing one or more of: (a) the color of the light stimuli, (b) the intensity of the light stimuli, (c) the application of a flashing light stimuli, (d) the frequency of the flashing light stimuli, (e) the application of the audio stimuli; (f) the intensity of the audio stimuli, (g) the sensory impact of the AV stimuli; and 
 in a continued absence of the recall dream indicator, changing the one or more of the light, audio and AV stimuli until the recall dream indicator is present. 
 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 8  wherein said smart phone means for accepting and storing also stores said recall indicator in said memory data store. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 9  wherein said learning mode program first changes said the intensity of the light stimuli in the initial absence of said recall dream indicator. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 10  including:
 a reality check (RC) control operative with said onboard processor and said onboard data store in said headband unit, said RC control including an actuatable user interface on said headband unit which, upon activation, generates an RC stimuli command; 
 said onboard data store having, programmed therein, a user-supplied RC stimuli command which corresponds to an RC light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli which is one or more of said light stimuli, audio stimuli or AV stimuli; 
 whereby upon actuation of said user interface, said RC control generates said RC stimuli command and said headband unit stimulates the user in accordance with said RC light stimuli; 
 said onboard processor generates and stores RC stimuli time-based marker data for said RC stimuli command; 
 said smart phone means for accepting and storing also stores said RC stimuli time-based marker data. 
 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 11  wherein:
 said neural network, during the designated sleep period, detects REM sleep stage over an 30 second epoch and detects REM sleep stage over a predetermined time-based window, said window being less than 15 seconds and generates a plurality of REM indicator signals for the 30 second epoch and the time-based window; and 
 said light activation module and said audio activation module, in the presence of each REM indicator, actuating said light emitting devices and said audio commands based upon said lucid stimuli commands. 
 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage adapted to be sworn on the head and skull of the user comprising:
 a headband unit with one or more electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG) sensors in contact with the skin of the user and generating EEG and EOG signals representative of a physical condition of the user;   a plurality of light emitting devices positioned on said headband to stimulate and illuminate the user's ocular senses with a plurality of distinct colored lights;   a speaker on said headband to stimulate the user's aural sense;   an onboard telecommunications module on said headband unit;   an onboard processor in said headband unit, said processor coupled to said EEG and EOG sensors, said light emitting devices and said telecommunications module;   an onboard data store in said headband unit and coupled to said processor;   a smart phone having a device input, a device data store and a device telecommunications module, the device data store storing user commands;   a telecommunications network linking said onboard telecommunications module with said device telecommunications module;   a programmable wave processing network operative with said onboard processor and said data store to detect a user's EEG and EOG waveform patterns corresponding to rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep stage one (NREM1), NREM sleep stage two (NREM2), and NREM sleep stage three (NREM3) and to generate at least REM indicator signals representative of a user's REM sleep stage;   said onboard data store having programmed therein one or more lucid stimuli commands from the user, said lucid stimuli commands corresponding to one or more light stimuli, audio stimuli and a combination of audio-visual (AV) stimuli, said light stimuli being one or more of said plurality of distinct colored lights, said audio stimuli being one or more of a plurality of audible sounds directed at the user, and the AV stimuli being a combination of said light stimuli and said audio stimuli;   a light activation module, operative with said onboard processor and said onboard data store, for actuating said light emitting devices in the presence of said REM indicator signals and based upon the lucid stimuli commands;   an audio activation module, operative with said onboard processor, said onboard data store and said speaker for presenting audio stimuli in the presence of said REM indicator signal and based upon the lucid stimuli commands.   
     
     
         14 . An apparatus for enhancing a user's lucid dream stage as claimed in  claim 13  including:
 an input module as part of said smart phone permitting the user to input said lucid stimuli commands, said device telecommunications module supplying the user-supplied lucid stimuli commands to said headband unit.