METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GATHERING AND ANALYZING HUMAN BIOLOGICAL SIGNALS

• US 20170259028A1
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eight Sleep, Inc
• Original Assignee: Eight Sleep, Inc
• Inventors: Franceschetti, Matteo, Bassi, Massimo Andreasi
• Application Number:
  US15/602,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20170259028A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/00 Attachments for beds, e.g. sheet holders, bed-cover holders bed tables supported on the bedstead A47B23/02; for children's beds A47D7/00, A47D15/00; Ventilating, cooling or heating means in connection with bedsteads or mattresses
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/044 with active means, e.g. by using air blowers or liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/048 for heating
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/123 for beds or mattresses
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 9/0238 Bed linen
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/07 Home care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/063 in a linear array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• 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 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4266 sweat secretion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 : characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/161 : with means for measuring the humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0022 : by the tactile sense, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0066 : with heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0083 : especially for waking up
• 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
• 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 2205/0294 : Piezoelectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 : with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3303 : Using a biosensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 : Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 : Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 : using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 : using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3673 : thermo-electric, e.g. Peltier effect, thermocouples, semi-conductors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 : with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 : Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/005 : Parameter used as control input for the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/06 : Heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/42 : Rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/50 : Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/63 : Motion, e.g. physical activity
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 : Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 : HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 : characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 : Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0272 : For heating of fabrics

Abstract

Introduced are methods and systems for an adjustable bed device configured to: gather biological signals associated with multiple users, such as heart rate, breathing rate, or temperature; analyze the gathered human biological signals; and heat or cool a bed based on the analysis.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor strip, comprising;

a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an environment surrounding the temperature sensor;

a piezo sensor configured to measure a biological signal associated with a user;

a computer bus having an adjustable length and configured to bend at specified locations to change said adjustable length of said sensor strip; and

a thermal member, configured to modify said temperature of a bed; and

a computer processor communicatively coupled to said sensor strip and said thermal member, said computer processor configured to determine a presence in said bed associated with said user solely based on a temperature recorded by said temperature sensor, and to determine a control signal, and a time to send said control signal to said thermal member.

2. The system of claim 1, said computer processor configured to determine said presence in said bed when said temperature recorded by said temperature sensor is between 36°

C. and 37.5°

C.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal member is divided into a plurality of zones corresponding to a plurality of users, wherein each zone of said plurality of zones is controlled independently of remaining zones of said plurality of zones.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each said zone is further divided into a plurality of subzones, wherein said thermal member is configured to uniformly heat each subzone in said plurality of subzones.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said thermal member has a density that is higher in said subzone corresponding to lower back, or feet, than in said plurality of subzones corresponding to other parts of a body.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein each said zone is further divided into a plurality of subzones, wherein said thermal member is configured to uniformly cool each subzone in said plurality of subzones.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said thermal member has a density that is higher in said subzone corresponding to lower back, or feet than in said plurality of subzones corresponding to other parts of a body.

8. The system of claim 3, further comprising a power supply, wherein said power supply is configured to independently supply power to each of said plurality of zones corresponding to said plurality of users.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said biological signal associated with said user corresponds to said presence in said bed associated with said user, a motion associated with said user, a breathing rate associated with said user, or a heart rate associated with said user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said control signal comprises one of:

an instruction to heat said thermal member, or an instruction to cool said thermal member.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said time comprises average bedtime associated with said user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer bus comprises three straight strips, wherein said three straight strips include a first strip that is coupled at a right angle to a second strip, and said second strip is coupled at a right angle to a third strip, and further wherein said first strip is configured to bend backwards at specified locations, thereby extending a total length of said sensor strip.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said thermal member comprises a left thermal member and a right thermal member, wherein said left thermal member and said right thermal member are mirror images of each other, and further wherein said left thermal member comprises a plurality of consecutive elongated rectangles, each rectangle sharing and elongated edge with a neighboring rectangle, and further wherein each said rectangle is missing a short edge, wherein said short edge is different from a first short edge missing in said neighboring rectangle.

14. A system comprising:

a sensor strip, comprising;

a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of an environment surrounding the temperature sensor;

a piezo sensor configured to measure a biological signal associated with a user, said biological signal comprising a heart rate associated with said user, a breathing rate associated with said user, or a motion associated with said user;

a computer bus having an adjustable length and configured to bend at specified locations to change said adjustable length of said sensor strip; and

a computer processor communicatively coupled to said sensor strip and configured to determine a presence in a bed associated with said user based on a temperature recorded by said temperature sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer processor is configured to identify said user based on at least one of:

said heart rate associated with said user, said breathing rate associated with said user, or said motion associated with said user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer processor is configured to determine a sleep phase associated with said user, based on said biological signal.

17. The system of claim 14, said computer processor configured to determine that said presence in said bed associated with said user when said temperature recorded by said temperature sensor is between 36°

C. and 37.5°

C.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer processor is configured to calculate an average bedtime associated with said user based on said presence in said bed associated with said user.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said computer bus comprises three straight strips, wherein a first strip is coupled at a right angle to a second strip, and said second strip is coupled at a right angle to a third strip, and further where said first strip is configured to bend backwards at predetermined locations to extend said adjustable length of said sensor strip.

20. A method comprising:

measuring a temperature associated with a bed using a temperature sensor coupled to said bed;

determining that a user is present in said bed solely based on when said measured temperature is within 35.5°

C. to 37.5°

C. range; and

upon determining that said user is present in said bed, sending a control signal to an appliance.