SLEEP DISTURBANCE MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20130338446A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Buil, Vincentius Paulus, Van Vugt, Henriette Christine, Raymann, Roy Joan Eli Marie
• Granted Patent: US 9,993,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• 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: A61B 5/4815 Sleep quality
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0066 with heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/10 Electroencephalographic signals

Abstract

The invention relates to a sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus (1) for monitoring a sleep disturbance of a person. An ambience disturbance profile, which describes which levels and/or changes of an ambient signal, which is, for example, a temperature signal or a noise signal, are related to disturbed sleep, is amended depending on a correlation between the ambience signal and a sleep signal which is indicative of the quality of the sleep of the person. After the ambience disturbance profile has been amended, an environmental disturbance factor, which disturbs the sleep, is determined based on a comparison of an actual ambient signal with the amended ambience disturbance profile, wherein information regarding the determined environmental disturbance factor is output to the person on an output unit. This allows providing personalized information regarding environmental sleep disturbance factors, i.e. the information considers the individual susceptibility of a person for environmental disturbances during sleep.

Claims

1. A sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus for monitoring a sleep disturbance of a person, the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus comprising:

an ambient sensor for generating an ambient signal, the ambient signal being indicative of a property of the environment of the person,

an ambience disturbance profile providing unit for providing an ambience disturbance profile, the ambience disturbance profile describing which levels and/or changes of an ambient signal are related to disturbed sleep,

a sleep sensor for generating a sleep signal over time, while the person is sleeping, the sleep signal being indicative of the quality of the sleep of the person over time,

a correlation unit for correlating the ambient signal and the sleep signal,

an ambience disturbance profile amending unit for amending the ambience disturbance profile depending on the correlation,

an environmental disturbance determination unit for determining an environmental disturbance factor, which disturbs the sleep, based on a comparison of a generated ambient signal with the ambience disturbance profile,

an output unit for outputting information regarding the determined environmental disturbance factor to the person.

2. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus further comprises an advice generating unit for generating an advice for improving the sleep quality, wherein the advice generating unit is adapted to generate the advice depending on the determined environmental disturbance factor and wherein the output unit is adapted to output the advice to the user.

3. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus further comprises a sleep signal calculation unit for providing a calculated sleep signal over time from the ambience disturbance profile and the ambient signal.

4. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus further comprises an expected sleep quality determination unit for determining an expected sleep quality from the ambient signal and the ambience disturbance profile.

5. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus further comprises a disturbed period determination unit for determining a disturbed period during which the environment potentially disturbed the sleep, wherein the disturbed period determination unit is adapted to determine the disturbed period depending on the ambient signal and the ambience disturbance profile.

6. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus comprises:

a sleep depth transition determination unit for determining sleep depth transitions over time based on the sleep signal,

a sleep transition period determination unit for determining a sleep transition period during which the sleep depth changes over time based on the determined sleep depth transitions,

a disturbed sleep period determination unit for determining a disturbed sleep period depending on the determined sleep transition period and the ambient signal.

7. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus is adapted for being held in a hand of the person or for being worn by the person.

8. The sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus is adapted for being worn by the person as a watch.

9. A sleep disturbance monitoring method for monitoring a sleep disturbance of a person, the sleep disturbance monitoring method comprising:

generating an ambient signal over time, the ambient signal being indicative of a property of the environment of the person,

generating a sleep signal over time, while the person is sleeping, the sleep signal being indicative of the quality of the sleep of the person over time,

correlating the ambient signal and the sleep signal,

providing an ambience disturbance profile, the ambience disturbance profile describing which levels and/or changes of an ambient signal are related to disturbed sleep,

amending the ambience disturbance profile depending on the correlation,

generating an ambient signal and determining an environmental disturbance factor, which disturbs the sleep, based on a comparison of the generated ambient signal with the ambience disturbance profile,

outputting information regarding the determined environmental disturbance factor to the person.

10. A sleep disturbance monitoring computer program for monitoring a sleep disturbance of a person, the computer program comprising program code causing a sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus to carry out the steps of a sleep disturbance monitoring method, when the computer program is run on a computer controlling the sleep disturbance monitoring apparatus, wherein the sleep disturbance monitoring method comprises:

generating an ambient signal over time, the ambient signal being indicative of a property of the environment of the person,

generating a sleep signal over time, while the person is sleeping, the sleep signal being indicative of the quality of the sleep of the person over time,

correlating the ambient signal and the sleep signal,

providing an ambience disturbance profile, the ambience disturbance profile describing which levels and/or changes of an ambient signal are related to disturbed sleep,

amending the ambience disturbance profile depending on the correlation,

generating an ambient signal and determining an environmental disturbance factor, which disturbs the sleep, based on a comparison of the generated ambient signal with the ambience disturbance profile, and

outputting information regarding the determined environmental disturbance factor to the person.