DE20215786U1 - Device for generating light effects - Google Patents

Description

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German utility model

Device for generating light effects

Applicant:

. Matthias Becker

HaLEENBACH 3 53937 SCHLEIDEN

2. JÜRGEN BLERTH

WlCKENPATHS

51427 Bergisch Gladbach

Device for generating light effects

The invention relates to a device for generating light effects, with at least one radiation source which at least temporarily emits at least one beam formed by coherent radiation at least in the visible range, an exposure room, a projection area arranged in the exposure room in which the radiation is exposed to at least one person, at least one beam guiding device which has at least one beam exit and is able to guide the beam emerging from this within the projection area via movable and motor-driven means for beam deflection.

Devices for irradiating people with coherent radiation are known from the medical field. Here, these devices are mostly used for wound healing or to stimulate cell metabolism. For example, the German utility model 295 19 481 describes a device for the treatment and prophylaxis of decubitus ulcers. This device stimulates the so-called ATP synthesis in order to stimulate sore areas of the body in such a way that the body's own wound healing is improved. A so-called low-level laser is used for this, which irradiates the affected parts of the body, whereby the cellular metabolism is stimulated as a result of the irradiation. A wavelength between 180 and 1000 nm is used here, and the laser output is between 1 and 120 mW.

Although this well-known device is obviously well suited to stimulating cell metabolism as part of wound healing, it cannot be used to improve general well-being without specific therapeutic use. In particular, when irradiating body areas with this device, there is always the risk of damage occurring if it is used improperly or if the radiation hits sensitive areas, such as the face.

Another therapeutic irradiation device is known from German laid-open specification 36 03 156. Here too, laser radiation in the visible range (633 nm) is used for the therapeutic irradiation of organic tissue. The device has a means for beam deflection in order to direct the beam from the laser onto the skin via a mirror system, wherein the mirror system

has an adjustable beam outlet. This device is also not suitable for achieving a calming effect through color therapy by irradiating a person with different colors and sufficiently large areas of the body covered by the radiation.

Finally, color therapy is well known, for example in the sauna area, where different colors, usually the primary colors red, yellow, green and blue, are shined onto a body via spotlights in a continuous cycle. This diffuse light then illuminates the sauna room in the respective color in order to achieve the color therapeutic effect.

However, experience has shown that a color therapy effect with diffuse light does not lead to a sufficiently satisfactory effect. This is due on the one hand to the fact that the colored light can only be perceived as light through the eyes due to the low surface intensity. On the other hand, it is not possible to illuminate different parts of the body with different colors, so that only a continuous change of individual colors is possible. Otherwise, the diffuse light sources would mix with each other and a new color would be created.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a device for generating light effects which, with increased perception, are able to direct different colours onto the body of a person.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the projection area is arranged at a distance of at least 100 cm from the beam exit, that the beam guiding device has at least one means for beam expansion and is able to guide the beam expanded thereby continuously over the projection area.

The inventive design of the device means that coherent light, in particular the radiation of a laser, can now be used to achieve the desired effects. The person on whom the effects are intended to act sits in the projection area of the laser radiation, which is preferably even further than 1 m from the beam exit point. The laser radiation can be generated, for example, by a white light laser that covers all wavelengths of the visible range.

The beam is directed via the beam guidance device onto the person or the area next to the person, whereby it is essential to the invention that this beam follows a line of movement in order to create a moving image for the person. To ensure that the person is not injured by the laser radiation, and in particular that looking into the radiation is safe, the laser beam is widened to such an extent that the surface intensity is so low that the eye or the skin cannot be damaged.

The exposure room is preferably soundproof or soundproofed and darkened to prevent light from entering from the outside. This is how the best effects can be achieved. The beam guidance device then guides the beam over the body of the person, who is able to perceive the intensity distribution over the body not only visually but also tactilely. Tests have shown that even the radiation components that do not hit the person directly but affect the area of the aura close to the body are perceived by the person.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the white light laser is split into different partial beams using beam splitters, which can have the same or different wavelengths. This creates a wide range of possibilities for generating different intensity distributions and different color distributions over several trajectories described by different partial beams. The beam splitters can be conventional optical elements, such as prisms or irradiated holograms. In contrast to the prior art, the invention does not use a low-level laser, but rather a powerful device that can achieve corresponding brightness and color distributions over a larger area. One or more people can be irradiated with the device at the same time, whereby in addition to the optical effect, stimulation of the brain, glands and the autonomic nervous system can also be achieved.

Experiments have even shown that, similar to a foot reflexology massage, the irradiation of certain parts of the body can also stimulate internal organs. However, in contrast to the foot reflexology massage according to the invention, the direct effect of the radiation on the internal parts of the body is the reason for the stimulation, even if these do not come into direct contact with the light itself. Here, the light acts on the irradiated parts of the body with the typical electromagnetic properties of the corresponding wavelength.

A positive effect can then be achieved by adjusting the vibration behavior of the respective body areas.

The use of polarized light can be particularly effective when interacting via vibrational behavior, since the vibrational behavior, i.e. the excitation of the individual molecules, can be directly influenced.

Preferably, the beam is not only widened, but its shape is also modulated. In this way, a surface effect can be achieved using appropriate lenses or apertures, and it is also possible to achieve optical effects in the room, particularly using moving holograms that reflect the beam. For optical effects of this kind, it can be useful to add another reflective medium to the room so that reflections of the light are also visible in the field of vision in front of the person to visually stimulate the person. All non-toxic vapors, especially water vapor, can be used as a reflective medium. In addition to the optical reflective effect, these vapors also have the advantage that the person is also influenced psychologically by the special optical effect of the rising vapor, which, without being scientifically explainable, often also contributes to increasing the effect.

Furthermore, the effect achieved can be manipulated in many different ways by adding odorous substances. Calming substances or stimulating smells can be used, and a specific memory can be evoked by choosing the odorous substance.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the laser is not in direct contact with the beam guiding device, but is optically connected to it via optical fibers or a beam path formed by mirrors. The laser and its additional devices can be arranged in an adjacent room, which on the one hand makes it possible to use one laser for different sessions in different rooms by selectively splitting or redirecting the beam, and on the other hand keeps the rather complex cooling and the associated operating noise away from the actual exposure room. Of course, several lasers can also be used, both to feed an exposure room and to

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position room as well as to supply several exposure rooms.

In addition to the white light laser, all other types of laser can of course be used as beam sources; in particular, a single laser can be used for each color. In practice, however, it will turn out that this will probably not be very economical. However, depending on the development of equipment, this may change in the future, so that a device can also consist of several lasers. Depending on the desired intensity, beam guidance devices and thus beam outlets can be arranged in all positions in the room. The person can be illuminated from both the front and the back, so that not only can all parts of the body be irradiated, but also various optical effects can be achieved as a result of the more or less visible beam path, especially in the presence of vaporous reflection media.

Instead of vaporous reflection media, solid bodies can of course also be used onto which the radiation can be projected. The effect can be enhanced by arranging partially transparent or fully reflective bodies in the room, which allow any desired effect. Finally, the person's psyche can be further influenced by playing music or other sequences of sounds; here too, a calming effect can be achieved, for example, to enable the person to deal with what they have experienced even more intensively.

The wavelengths used for the partial beams are preferably between 300 and 900 nm, often between 400 and 800 nm. Waves with these wavelengths have proven to be particularly effective, although other wavelengths could also be used depending on the intended purpose. Finally, different wavelengths can also be used depending on the part of the body being irradiated. It has been found that a different wavelength is perceived as particularly beneficial in the head area than in the leg area.

In order to achieve sufficient effects, it is preferable to use at least two partial beams, which at least temporarily have a distance from each other that is not significantly greater than 50 cm. The aim of this special beam

The aim of the method is to irradiate essentially a large part of the person's body so that a maximum effect can be achieved. In contrast to conventional medical irradiation, the method according to the invention preferably irradiates a large part of the body so that the overall irradiation leads to a special effect.

The beam guiding devices have a motor drive that can move the beam or the partial beams along the desired line of movement by driving the deflecting mirrors or other optical elements. This motor drive will usually be computer-controlled so that different lines of movement and patterns can be stored in the computer. In this way, complete show programs can be stored and then called up. A further preferred embodiment of the invention has the option of detecting the position of the person in the projection area so that the control for the beam guiding devices can be aligned to this position. In this way, not only can different positioning of the person within the projection area be compensated for, but also movement of the person during the execution of the pre-stored program can be compensated for.

Another preferred additional feature of the devices is that so-called biofeedback is carried out. Here, certain body characteristics can be recorded using suitable sensors, whereby the measured value can then have a direct influence on the control of the beam guidance devices. For example, in addition to blood pressure, the local body temperature can also be measured or just the intensity of the body's movement can be recorded using cameras.

The control of the device can then be programmed so that if a certain tolerance range is exceeded, the beam path is changed, the basic conditions are adjusted or the duration of the light emission is simply extended in order to regulate undesirable effects. If, for example, the light effect is intended to calm the person down, the session can be extended if the blood pressure determines that the desired state of calm has not yet occurred. Furthermore, a certain effect can be intensified by adding more calming music or scents.

The laser radiation used can be emitted by a continuous laser or by a pulsed laser. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wavelength can increase with increasing distance between the area assigned to it and the head of the living being. For example, a wavelength of approximately 400 nm, corresponding to violet light, can be provided for the head and neck of a person, a wavelength of 450 nm, corresponding to blue light, for the chest, and a wavelength of approximately 550 nm, corresponding to green light, for the stomach. The abdomen can then be irradiated with a wavelength of 470 nm (yellow light), and the lower legs and knees with a wavelength of approximately 600 nm (orange light). It is also possible to change the wavelength continuously so that the light falls on the person in the form of a rainbow. This can be achieved, for example, using prisms in the beam guidance device.

If the coherent light provided to the beam guiding device contains several wavelengths, the desired wavelength can be filtered out of a partial beam divided from the total beam using a color filter, which can be formed by an acousto-optical modulator, for example. Such a filter device can have an adjustable transmission curve so that this filter function can also be controlled by an electric motor. By adjusting the color filter according to a predetermined time sequence, different waves can then be filtered out one after the other, which can be directed to the desired areas of the body using the beam guiding device, which is controlled synchronously with the color filter.

If a gaseous medium that partially refracts the light is arranged in the room, special figures can also be created by the partial rays, which can achieve special effects by moving towards or away from the person. These additional effects can be superimposed on the normal exposure, so that an intensification of consciousness can be achieved.

Different beams can be expanded to different dimensions. For example, a person's head can be covered in blue with a beam about 50 cm thick, while his kidneys can be covered with a beam about 15 cm thick.

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Beam in yellow and the knee is irradiated with a red beam about 10 cm thick. In contrast to conventional color therapy light applications, the method according to the invention can only be carried out with prismatic light refraction. Color filters can be used, but are not a prerequisite for carrying out the method.

Experiments have shown that the person being irradiated can certainly be clothed. Nevertheless, it can be useful to expose the body to the radiation without clothing. This can have an intensifying effect, and at least partial nudity can also have a positive effect on the patient's feelings, allowing them to open up mentally to the special effects of color therapy.

Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the subclaims and from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the device with reference to the drawing.

In Figure 1 of the drawing shows

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the structure of a device according to the invention for displaying light effects using coherent laser radiation. The device has a beam source 4, here a white light laser. The radiation source 4 supplies beam guiding devices 5 with laser light via optical fibers 3, the laser light being divided into various partial beams with different wavelengths in the beam guiding devices.

In particular, the beam guiding device 5 shown in the middle here is designed as a controllable beam guiding device 5 that can be controlled via a sequence control 1, here formed by a conventional PC. A power supply 2 supplies the laser beam source 4 with power.

In addition to the optical effects, the exposure room (not shown here) is supplied with music via a music system 3.

List of reference symbols :

1 flow control 2 Power supply 5 3 Music supply 4 Radiation source 5 Beam guidance device

Claims (15)

1. Device for generating light effects, with - at least one radiation source ( 4 ) which emits at least one beam formed by coherent radiation at least temporarily, at least in the visible range, - an exposure room, - a projection area arranged in the exposure room in which the radiation is exposed to at least one person, - at least one beam guiding device ( 5 ) which has at least one beam exit and is able to guide the beam emerging therefrom within the projection area via movable and motor-driven means for beam deflection, characterized in that the projection area is arranged at a distance of at least 100 cm from the beam exit, that the beam guiding device ( 5 ) has at least one means for beam expansion and is able to guide the beam expanded thereby continuously over the projection area. 2. Device for generating light effects according to claim 1, characterized in that the radiation source emits a beam comprising a plurality of wavelengths and at least one beam splitter is provided which is able to divide the beam of the radiation source into a plurality of partial beams of different or the same wavelength, wherein a plurality of beam guiding devices ( 5 ) which can be moved independently of one another are provided and different beam guiding devices ( 5 ) are assigned to the partial beams. 3. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the partial beams have a different beam path, wherein the beam guiding devices ( 5 ) are designed such that the distance between the partial beams is not greater than 50 cm, at least during individual time intervals. 4. Device for generating light effects according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the beam splitter is a prism arranged in the beam path. 5. Device for generating light effects according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that optical beam formers formed by lenses, diaphragms or mirrors are arranged in the beam path of the beam or the partial beams. 6. Device for generating light effects according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the area irradiated by the beam or the partial beams in the region of the projection plane is larger than 9 cm ² , preferably larger than 25 cm ² . 7. Device for generating light effects according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the area irradiated by the beam or the partial beams in the region of the projection plane is at least 30%, preferably 50% and more preferably 100% of the body surface of an adult person. 8. Device for generating light effects according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radiation source is a white light laser with an output power of more than 150 mW, preferably more than 250 mW. 9. Device for generating light effects according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a sequence control ( 1 ) with a program memory, wherein the motor movement of the beam guiding devices ( 5 ) is controlled by the sequence control ( 1 ) according to at least one movement sequence stored in the program memory. 10. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it has a means for target recognition, in particular formed by a camera, wherein the sequence control ( 1 ) is able to control the movement sequence relative to a reference point predetermined by the target recognition. 11. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one of the partial beams contains exclusively polarized light. 12. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises at least one steam generator which is able to permeate the exposure space with steam which partially refracts the light of the rays. 13. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the exposure room is soundproof and darkened from the environment. 14. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it has at least one state detection means for the state of the body of the person and a control which can adapt the beam path and/or the beam intensity to the state of the body on the basis of predefined rules. 15. Device for generating light effects according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it has a plurality of beam guiding devices ( 5 ) arranged at a distance from one another within the exposure space, wherein each of the beam guiding devices ( 5 ) is capable of directing one or more beams onto the exposure surface.