Apparatus and/or method for inducing sound sleep and waking

• US 20070083079A1
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bang, Seok-won, Lee, Mi-hee
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/27
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4806 Sleep evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0016 by the smell sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/005 images, e.g. video
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0066 with heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a method and apparatus to induce sound sleep and waking, selecting a protocol to control a sound sleep and waking environment depending on a sleep type selected by a user; adjusting the sleep environment of the user according to the selected protocol; determining a sleep state of the user by measuring physiological signals of the user during sleep in the sleep environment using a sensor which does not contact a body of the user; detecting variation in the physiological signals of the user; and re-adjusting the sleep environment by changing parameters of the protocol depending on the detected variation in the physiological signals. As a result, there is an advantage in that it is possible to naturally induce sound sleep and waking.

Claims

1. An apparatus to induce sound sleep and waking, comprising:

an input unit to receive a sleep type from a user;

a protocol selection unit to select a protocol to control an environment for sound sleep and waking depending on the received sleep type;

a sleep environment adjustment unit to adjust a sleep environment of the user according to the selected protocol;

a sleep state determination unit to determine a sleep state of the user by measuring physiological signals of the user during sleep in the sleep environment using a sensor that does not contact a body of the user; and

a physiological signal variation detection unit to detect variation in the physiological signals of the user using the determined sleep state;

wherein, when the variation in the physiological signals is detected by the physiological signal variation detection unit, the sleep environment adjustment unit re-adjusts the sleep environment by changing one or more parameters of the protocol depending on the variation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input unit receives a wake-up time with respect to a sleep onset time of the user and calculates a sleep time and total sleep duration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parameters of the protocol comprise levels representing content, including sound and image information and information about states of an external environment of a sleep space, the levels being adjusted by at least one of light, oxygen, temperature, humidity, aroma and sound for each of sleep stages of sleep duration from a sleep onset time to a wake-up time.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sleep stages comprises:

a hypnagogic stage spanning from lying in bed to immediately before feeling sleepy, a relaxation stage spanning from feeling sleepy to immediately before falling asleep, a sleep stage spanning from falling asleep to immediately before finally inducing waking, and a wake-up stage spanning from starting to wake up to finally waking up.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the physiological signals are measured through indicators including heart rate, heart rate variability and respiratory rate derived from heartbeat and respiration.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sleep state is determined based on whether the indicators increase, decrease or maintain.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor is located within a distance of about three meters from the heart of the user.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sleep state determination unit determines the sleep state by measuring behavior of the user during sleep.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the physiological signal variation detection unit detects variation in the physiological signals of the user by comparing increases, decreases, and/or lacks of change of the indicators with those of the model based on a physiological signal variation model for each of sleep stages of the user.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sleep environment adjustment unit adjusts the sleep environment of the user by controlling one or more of an Audio-Video (AV) device, a lighting device, an oxygen generation device, a temperature control device, a humidity control device, a aroma generation device and a sound output device.

11. A method of inducing sound sleep and waking, comprising:

selecting a protocol to control a sound sleep and waking environment depending on a sleep type selected by a user;

adjusting the sleep environment of the user according to the selected protocol;

determining a sleep state of the user by measuring physiological signals of the user during sleep in the sleep environment using a sensor which does not contact a body of the user;

detecting variation in the physiological signals of the user; and

re-adjusting the sleep environment by changing parameters of the protocol depending on the detected variation in the physiological signals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the selecting operation comprises receiving a wake-up time with respect to a sleep onset time of the user, and calculating a sleep time and total sleep duration, thus selecting a sleep type.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the parameters of the protocol comprise levels content, including sound and images, and information about states of an external environment of a sleep space, the levels being adjusted through at least one of light, oxygen, temperature, humidity, aroma and sound for each of sleep stages from a sleep onset time to a wake-up time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sleep stages comprises:

a hypnagogic stage spanning from lying in bed to immediately before feeling sleepy, a relaxation stage spanning from feeling sleepy to immediately before falling asleep, a sleep stage spanning from falling asleep to immediately before finally inducing waking, and a wake-up stage spanning from starting to wake up to finally waking up.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the physiological signals are measured through indicators including heart rate, heart rate variability and respiratory rate derived from heartbeat and respiration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sleep state is determined based on whether the indicators increase, decrease or maintain.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor is a Doppler radar sensor located within a distance of about three meters from a heart of the user.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining a sleep state of the user comprises determining the sleep state by measuring behavior of the user during sleep.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the detecting variation in the physiological signals of the user by comparing lacks of change, increases, and/or decreases of the indicators with those of the model based on a physiological signal variation model for each of sleep stages of the user.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the sleep environment of the user by controlling one or more of an AV device, a lighting device, an oxygen generation device, a temperature control device, a humidity control device, a aroma generation device and a sound output device.

21. A computer-readable recording medium for controlling a computer and having embedded thereon a computer program, said computer program performing:

selecting a protocol to control a sound sleep and waking environment depending on a sleep type selected by a user;

adjusting the sleep environment of the user according to the selected protocol;

determining a sleep state of the user by measuring physiological signals of the user during sleep in the sleep environment using a sensor which does not contact a body of the user;

detecting variation in the physiological signals of the user; and

re-adjusting the sleep environment by changing parameters of the protocol depending on the detected variation in the physiological signals.