DE29907612U1 - Device for controlling a CD player - Google Patents

Description

GLAWE, DELFS, MOLL &JPARTNEF»· ⁵ * PATENT ATTORNEYS ANNOYED REPRESENTATIVES BEFORE THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE

RICHARD GLAWE, Dr.-Ing. (1952-1985)

KLAUS DELFS, Dipl.-Ing., Hamburg

WALTER MOLL, Dipl.-Phys. Dr. rer. nat., Munich

HEINRICH NIEBUHR, Dipl.-Phys. Dr. phil. habil., Hamburg

ULRICH GLAWE, Dipl.-Phys. Dr. rer. nat., Munich

BERNHARD MERKAU, Dipl.-Phys., Munich

CHRISTOF KEUSSEN, Dipl.-Chem. Dr. rer. nat., Hamburg

Karl-Heinz Gelsen, Pinneberg

PO Box 26 01 62 80058 Munich

Liebherrstrasse 20 80538 Munich

PO Box 13 03 91 20103 Hamburg

Rothenbaumchaussee 58 20148 Hamburg

Phone (089) 22 46 65 Phone (040) 4 10 20 08

Fax (089) 22 39 38 (G3) Fax (040) 45 89 84 (G4.G3) Telex 5 22 505

HAMBURG,

&rgr; 19367/98 N/kt/at (150)

Device for controlling a CD player

The invention relates to a device for controlling a CD player for playing educational programs.

Learning programs, for example for languages, that are recorded on audio cassettes have been around for a long time. Recently, such learning programs have also appeared in the form of compact discs (CDs). The learner has the opportunity to decide for himself when and how many lessons he wants to work through.

The problem is that people are exposed to fluctuations in their mental and emotional state. They can be stressed, overtired, distracted, but may not even notice it. The learning success will then be low.

Dresdner Bank AG Hamburg 04 030 448 00 (bank code 200 800 00) Postbank Hamburg 1476 07-200 (bank code 200 100 20)

In recent years, a new way to learn easily has emerged, known as super-learning. This method is based on the knowledge that the human brain is much more receptive when relaxed. The goal is to achieve a state of relaxation that is optimal for learning, in which the learner can absorb information in a deeply relaxed and highly concentrated manner. In this case, the learner's brain unconsciously "focuses" solely on the material presented. This effect ensures - as scientific studies show - an accelerated and sustainable absorption of learning material.

The object of the invention is to create a device of the type mentioned above with which learning processes can be optimized on the basis of these findings.

The solution according to the invention consists in that the device can be connected to electrodes which are in contact with the skin of the learner, that it has circuits for measuring electrical signals from the electrodes and for comparing them with stored signals for determining the mental and emotional state of the learner and controlling the CD player depending thereon, and that it has an IR transmitter for controlling the CD player.

The device is connected to electrodes that are in contact with the skin of the student. It has proven particularly useful if these electrodes, preferably two electrodes with a size of approximately 2x2 cm, are held in the hand or, even better, with a

Belts or the like can be attached there. The electrical signals which emanate from these electrodes are different and characteristic of different emotional and mental states. The corresponding signal forms are stored in the device according to the invention. By comparing these stored signals with the actually measured signals, the mental and emotional state of the learner can then be determined. The CD player is then controlled depending on this specific state. If a large deviation from the optimal state for the learning process is determined, it is possible, for example, to switch over for a while to a piece of music which has been specially selected to eliminate the currently existing unfavorable state. Other types of control are also conceivable, e.g. switching off the device, repeating parts of the lesson, etc. The device according to the invention therefore takes the emotional and mental state of the learner into account during the learning process, thereby optimizing the learning process. The device according to the invention does not need to be connected to the CD player with a cable, since the CD player is controlled by infrared radiation emitted by the IR transmitting device of the device, in particular an IR transmitting light-emitting diode.

Different CD players have different control signals. It is therefore expedient for the device to have a memory with the control signals for different CD players so that the device can be set up accordingly so that it can be used with different CD players.

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So that the user does not have to go to the trouble of finding out the type of CD player, it is advantageous for the device to have circuits for selecting the control signals for the CD player. This can be done, for example, by the device sending the switch-on signals for different CD players one after the other. If the correct control signal is sent for the CD player currently being used and this device is therefore switched on, the learner can press a button on the device to stop the search process and store these control signals so that they are immediately available for future learning processes.

It may happen that the learner wants to use a very unusual CD player whose control signals are not stored, or a CD player that has just come onto the market and whose control signals are also not yet stored. In this case, it is expedient for the device to have an IR receiver and circuits for receiving and storing the control signals from the IR remote control of a CD player. By pressing a button, the device is set so that it expects a certain control signal (e.g. track 1 or pause). This control signal is then sent using the IR remote control of the CD player to the IR receiver of the device according to the invention, received by the latter and stored. In order to avoid errors, it can expediently be provided that the signal from the IR remote control must be sent several times until the device according to the invention gives an acknowledgement that it has received the control signal correctly. The device according to the invention is designed in such a way that it can register different systems of control signals, e.g.

Remote controls where a playback signal or no playback signal must be sent after the track selection signal.

In this way, not only are the originally stored control signals for various CD players available in the device according to the invention, but the device is also able to "learn" new control signals for new devices.

The device works in such a way that changes in the direct current resistance in the area of the electrodes can be measured and evaluated.

The device is equipped with a display that is used when programming for a specific CD player, when displaying tracks and learning functions, etc. The display can also be designed to show information about the learning success. If the device registered unfavorable mental or emotional states of the learner during the last learning process, a negative assessment of 0 for the learning success would be displayed here.

The invention is described below using an advantageous embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows an embodiment of the device in perspective.

The device has an IR transmitting LED 1 on its front, with which it is directed at the CD player (not shown) and with which the control signals are sent from the device according to the invention to the CD player. At 2 an IR control LED is shown, with which it is indicated,

whether the IR transmission is working properly. At 3 there is a light indicator that shows that the electrodes are correctly positioned, in order to alert the learner in good time if the electrodes are not correctly positioned on his palm and therefore the mental and emotional state cannot be determined. At 4 there is a rewind button, while at 5 there is a button that can be used to control the state in which the device "learns" the IR control signals of the CD player. A lamp 6 shows whether the device is switched on. A pause button 7 can be used to interrupt the learning process. It is also used in connection with "learning" the control signals of the CD player. The device can be switched on and off with an on/off switch 8. An IR receiver 9 can receive signals from the remote control of a CD player so that the device can "learn" these signals. The cable connected to the electrodes is plugged into the electrode socket 10. The

The stop button 11 can be used to end the program and/or the process of "learning" the IR control signals for a CD player. Messages are shown in the display 12, e.g. about the inserted CD, the track that is currently being played, the learning success, etc. The playback can be set using the button 13. A lamp 14 is used to check the battery. The control signals for a specific CD player can be selected using the button 15. The button 16 is used to fast forward. The battery compartment is located at 17 (on the underside, not shown).

Claims (7)

1. Device for controlling a CD player for playing learning programs, characterized in that it can be connected to electrodes which are in contact with the skin of the learner, that it has circuits for measuring electrical signals from the electrodes and for comparing them with stored signals for determining the mental and emotional state of the learner and controlling the CD player depending thereon, and that it has an IR transmitter device ( 1 ) for controlling the CD player. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a memory with the control signals for different CD players. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises circuits for automatically selecting the control signals for the CD player. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has an IR receiver ( 9 ) and circuits for receiving and storing the control signals of the IR remote control of a CD player. 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that changes in the direct current resistance in the region of the electrodes can be measured and evaluated. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it has a display ( 12 ) for information on the learning success. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is designed to fade in music to influence the mental and emotional state of the learner.