Sensorbed

• US 20020007124A1
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Woodward, Steven H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,485,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/481
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation

Abstract

A mattress device provides a high information variety from a low number of sensors configured and placed in correspondence with a mattress core layer and a mattress top layer of the mattress device in order to monitor a patient'"'"'s sleep behavior. Mattress core and top layers provide a static position transmission characteristic and a dynamic impulse transmission characteristic enabling the sensors to recognize body imprint position and body impulses induced by the sleeping patient with a broad bandwidth. In an alternate embodiment, the mattress device may be combined with a signal coder capable of receiving signals or signal components from the sensors and transform them in an analog signal that can be received and processed by a conventional sound card of a computer. A decoding program installed on the computer decodes the alphanumeric information processed from the analog signal by the sound card and makes it available for further interpretation.

Claims

1. A mattress device for monitoring sleep behavior comprising:

a) a mattress core layer;

b) a mattress top layer;

c) a dynamic response means for creating a dynamic responds signal in response to a mechanical impulse induced by a patient lying on said mattress device; and

d) a static response means for creating a static response signal in response to an angular position change induced to said sensor means by said patient imprinting said mattress device.

3. The mattress device of claim 1 or 2, wherein said dynamic responds means and said static response means are combined in an accelerometer, said accelerometer providing a DC signal component in correspondence to said angular position change and an analog signal component corresponding to said mechanical impulse.

4. The mattress device of claim 1 or 2, wherein said mattress device comprises a sensing area for receiving said mechanical impulses and for transmitting said mechanical impulses towards said dynamic response means.

5. The mattress device of claim 4, wherein said sensing area is a thorax monitoring area.

6. The mattress device of claim 4, wherein said sensing area is an abdominal monitoring area.

7. The mattress device of claim 4, wherein said sensing area is a leg monitoring area.

2. A system for monitoring sleep behavior comprising:

a) a mattress core layer;

b) a mattress top layer;

c) a dynamic response means for creating a dynamic responds signal in response to a mechanical impulse induced by a patient lying on said mattress device;

d) a static response means for creating a static response signal in response to an angular position change induced to said sensor means by said patient imprinting said mattress device;

e) a signal coder for receiving said dynamic responds signal and said static response signal and for transforming said dynamic responds signal and said static response into an analog signal recognizable by a sound card; and

f) a decoder program for decoding an alphanumeric information in accordance with said transforming, said alphanumeric information being computed by said sound card from said analog signal.

8. The mattress device of claim 2, wherein said decoder program is stored on a data storage medium.

9. The mattress device of claim 2, wherein said data storage medium is a floppy disk.

10. The mattress device of claim 2, wherein said data storage medium is a compact disk.

11. The mattress device of claim 2, wherein said decoder program is a self extracting data string accessible for down loading from a web page.

12. The mattress device of claim 2, wherein said decoder program is a self extracting email attachment.

13. A method for providing a sleep behavior information of a patient sleeping on a mattress device, said method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving an impulse and a static body imprint from said patient induced on said mattress device during said sleeping;

b) dynamically transmitting said impulses to a sensor means;

c) inducing an angular position change to said sensor means from said body imprint;

d)transforming said transmitted impulse within said sensor means into a impulse response signal component; and

e) transforming said angular position change within said sensor means into a into twist response signal component.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of combining said impulse response signal component and said twist response signal component into a multi dimensional sleep behavior signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said multi dimensional sleep behavior signal is transformed in an analog signal recognizable by a sound card.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of decoding an alphanumeric information in accordance with said transforming in an analog signal, said alphanumeric information being computed by said sound card from said analog signal.