Patent No. 4034741 Noise generator and transmitter

 

Patent No. 4034741  Noise generator and transmitter (Adams, et al., Jul 12, 1977)

Abstract

An analgesic noise generator employs a circuit that can be switched to provide a variable waveform from an active noise source out of an integrated circuit amplifier.

 

Notes:

 

BACKGROUND

In todays active, mobilized society noise has become a common problem. No where is this felt more than when one is trying to fall asleep. In an effort to aid in sleeping the use of sleeping tablets has mushroomed. As is well known, however, this approach to the problem often creates physical and psychological side effects.

For this reason it was early on considered advantageous to induce sleep by physical methods. One such early method was to use electrodes to apply rectangular pulses. Another development was to create a hypnotic effect with lights, i.e., alternately dimming and brightening of a light source. Recently it has been recognized that white noise broadcast as a hum, for lack of a better worded description, can be quite effective as a sleep inducer. It is to the improvement of such an anlgesic nosie generator that this invention is directed. To that end the invention of patent application ser. No. 606,708 filed Aug. 21, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,043 assigned to the common assignee was conceived.

SUMMARY

This invention provides a device, for improving upon the aforesaid application in assisting the induction of natural sleep.

As stated above, this invention is concerned specifically with an improvement that will permit the creation of several waveforms such that an analgesic noise device can approximate soothing sounds of nature, i.e., waves, rain, wind.

A more detailed object of the invention is to provide a means in combination with a circuit of enhancement type MOS transistors controlling a noise source to circuits that will provide variable waveforms.

Still another object of this invention is to provide circuits as above that will provide waveforms of white noise that are variable from square waveform to saw tooth waveform to trangular waveforms and to steady waveforms.