KR100923967B1 - Sleeping inducer and method of inducing sleep using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a device and method for inducing a user's sleep by controlling an external means for controlling temperature, humidity, light, etc., the sleep induction device for inducing sleep by detecting a change in body temperature of the user by controlling by communicating with an external means Proper temperature is provided by changes in body temperature during the sleep phase. Accordingly, it is easy to enter each stage of sleep, and there is an effect of taking a good night's sleep by preventing the case of failing to sleep according to the temperature deviation. In addition, by simplifying the sleep induction apparatus so that the user does not feel uncomfortable during sleep to provide an optimal sleep environment and there is an effect that can minimize the cost. In addition, the sleep induction device can be used by replicating various types of signals, thereby providing versatility to control various external means, and checking the body temperature change at regular intervals so that the sleep induction device can be set to react only when there is a temperature change. Therefore, efficient power management is possible. In addition, the sleep induction device has the effect of preventing malfunction by distinguishing that the user is torsion based on the degree of change in body temperature.

Sleep Induction, REM, NON-REM

Description

SLEEPING INDUCER AND METHOD OF INDUCING SLEEP USING THE SAME}

1 shows an example of assistive devices for inducing sleep.

2 is an example of a device for inducing sleep by analyzing a conventional sleep stage.

Figure 3 is an exemplary view showing an external installation form of the sleep induction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an exemplary view showing another installation form of the sleep induction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sleep induction device.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing a sleep guidance device for communicating with a home network system to control external means.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing another embodiment according to the configuration of the sleep induction apparatus according to the present invention.

8 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the sensing unit according to the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a sleep induction process of entering a water surface.

Figure 10 is a flow chart showing the process of identifying changes in body temperature occurring during sleep.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: light source 20: sound unit

30: oxygen generator 40: massage mat

50: water 60: bed

100: brain wave generator 110: user

200: sleep induction device 210: pillow

220: Quilt 230: Toshi

240: hat 310: communication unit

320: sensing unit 321: body temperature detection unit

322: temperature and humidity detector 330: receiver

340: control unit 341: interface unit

342: memory section 343: timer section

344; Determination unit 350: external module

410: home network server 420: air conditioning

430: TV, radio 440: humidifier, air conditioning

450: curtain controller

The present invention relates to a device for inducing sleep, and more particularly, to a device and a method for inducing a user's sleep by controlling means for controlling temperature, humidity, light and the like.

With insomnia caused by stress spreading throughout society, the most obvious way to sleep is known as taking sleeping pills. These sleeping pills have a strong impact on certain receptors in the brain, causing them to fall asleep, essentially acting like sedatives. Therefore, taking these sleeping pills cause drug dependence, and if they are used frequently, they become resistant (耐性) and have a side effect of taking more and more doses.

Accordingly, in recent years, devices for inducing a comfortable sleep without directly affecting the body by creating an external environment to induce sleep have been developed.

1 shows an example of auxiliary devices for inducing sleep, and adjusts the light source 10 in accordance with the sleeping time zone through voice recognition or automatic adjustment as shown, or lowers the sound 20 so as not to disturb sleep. As a device for preventing or indirectly inducing sleep, a device for generating oxygen through the oxygen generator 30 to prevent breathing-related sleep disorders generated during sleep is known. However, these devices are not enough to perform the function of directly inducing sleep, but only to prevent the temporary disturbances caused by the environment and the sleep process necessary for sleep.

In addition, a device such as inducing sleep by applying a shock to the body using the massage mat 40 or inducing sleep by supplying water 50 into the bed 60 to reduce the pressure applied to the body is developed. However, these devices have never considered the fact that each person has different physical characteristics, and for some people, such devices may cause dizziness and interfere with sleep induction. Is also difficult.

Accordingly, in recent years, a means of analyzing the shape of the EEG generated in the sleep stage in a more scientific way to adjust the EEG of the user through the EEG generator has appeared to sleep.

2 is a diagram of an apparatus for inducing sleep by analyzing a conventional sleep stage. Referring to FIG. 2, the brain wave generator 100 is connected to the user 110 to analyze sleep stages to induce sleep in a manner that generates appropriate brain waves according to the sleep stages. In other words, by analyzing the multi-channel biological signals such as electroencephalogram, electrocardiogram, EMG signal, etc. as an automatic analysis element of the sleep stage, it generates the EEG suitable for the sleep stage to induce sleep.

However, since it is difficult to process a large amount of information flowing through such multi-channels in real time, most of the sleep stages are analyzed using only one channel of EEG. However, this method shows a weak point that the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) state, which is a stage of a good night sleep state, cannot be distinguished from the awake state and the shallow sleep state in which the REM state and the output EEG form are similar. This is because the frequency information that is significant for the recognition of the sleeping brain waves was not used. Therefore, the sleep stages are not accurately distinguished, and based on this, the brain waves are adjusted based on this, so that it is impossible to give assurance that the brain waves are optimized for sleep, and the user has to attach many devices directly to the body, which is cumbersome to use. In addition, the cost is very high compared to its performance.

Recently, in order to improve this, nonlinear characteristics and mathematical analysis results are used for the automatic analysis of the sleeping brain waves. However, this method also uses the frequency characteristics of several manually set sleeping brain waves for pattern recognition, so it is not certain that the frequency components significant for the recognition of the sleeping brain waves are properly used. In this case, too, the user has to attach a lot of equipment directly to the body, which is cumbersome to use, and the cost is very high for its performance.

That is, since the devices are expensive to install and inconvenient to use by various wearing means, they are often used for the purpose of studying the sleep stage rather than the device for inducing sleep. As such, there is no guarantee that a proper brain wave will be generated for each stage of sleep.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method using the same that efficiently induce sleep through external environmental control by analyzing the exact stage of the sleep state without adversely affecting the body.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sleep guidance device and a method using the same to simplify the device so that the user does not feel uncomfortable sleep while providing an optimal sleep environment at a low cost.

In order to achieve the above object, the sleep induction apparatus for communicating with an external means for adjusting the temperature, humidity, light, and the like, the wireless communication unit for communicating with the external means; Sensing unit for detecting the body temperature of the user; A control unit for determining a current sleep state by determining a change in body temperature based on the sensing information of the sensing unit, and controlling the external means in a direction of switching or maintaining the current sleep state to a sleep state through the wireless communication unit; It is made to include.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the sleep induction device for communicating with a home network device for controlling an environment including a temperature, the wireless communication unit for communicating with the home network device; Sensing unit for detecting the body temperature of the user; A memory unit having a standard temperature change pattern according to sleep; The wireless communication unit is a process of determining the current sleep state of the user by comparing the temperature change pattern of the user acquired through the sensing information of the sensing unit with the temperature change pattern of the memory unit, and proceeding from deep sleep to deep sleep of non-RAM sleep. By increasing the external temperature through, and if the current sleep state of the user is a RAM sleep, the wireless communication through the wireless communication unit is made to include a control unit for lowering the temperature suitable for the sleep.

In addition, the sleep induction method using the sleep induction device for controlling the external means for adjusting the temperature, humidity, light, etc. provided to achieve the above object, the upper and lower threshold value of the ambient temperature based on the user's body temperature information. A setting step of setting; Detecting the body temperature of the user; If the user's body temperature obtained through the detection step begins to descend for the first time, the current sleep state of the user is determined to proceed from a shallow sleep state of non-ram sleep to deep sleep, and the external temperature is raised to the threshold through the wireless communication unit. And determining that the current sleep state becomes RAM sleep when the user's body temperature is raised after the user's body temperature is increased, thereby lowering an external temperature to the lower limit through the wireless communication unit.

The external means means for controlling the temperature of the room, means for adjusting the light source, means for controlling the movement of the curtain, means for controlling the humidity, EEG generating means for inducing sleep and deep sleep and wake up, various environmental means Control means of the controlling home network.

The communication method is wireless communication such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wireless LAN, Wibro, RF (Radio Frequency), Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or Ultra WideBand (UWB). Can be communicated using. Each communication method has a different effective communication distance and a difference in cost. Therefore, it is preferable to select and configure a suitable method according to a use environment.

In addition, the sleep induction method using the sleep induction device in communication with the home network device that controls the environment including the temperature provided to achieve the above object, the upper and lower threshold value of the ambient temperature based on the user's body temperature information A setting step of setting; Detecting the body temperature of the user; When the user's body temperature obtained through the detection step begins to descend for the first time, the current sleep state of the user is determined to proceed from a shallow sleep state of non-ram sleep to deep sleep, and the external temperature is raised to the threshold through the wireless communication unit. And determining that the current sleep state becomes RAM sleep when the user's body temperature is raised after the user's body temperature rises, thereby lowering an external temperature to the lower limit through the wireless communication unit.

Sleep is usually divided into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM), which are largely fast-moving eyes. It is composed of three to four stages of sleep (the deep sleep stage), in which the sleep is deep and the brain is substantially rested and the memory is lost and the body is slowed. Sleep goes through the non-REM sleep steps sequentially and proceeds to REM sleep to form a cycle. When you start to sleep, this cycle usually repeats at 90-minute intervals. Over time, the deep sleep phase of your periods begins to decrease gradually, and as your REM sleep gradually increases, High probability of breaking Among these, deep sleep, which can be called deep sleep, determines the freshness and psychological stability.

The basis for distinguishing the above sleep stages may be a change in body temperature according to the sleep process. First, when you enter a shallow sleep, it becomes a berm sleep state, the body temperature is maintained in the shallow sleep stage and enters a deep sleep stage, the brain activity slows down and the body temperature begins to drop gradually. The body temperature dropped to the lower threshold through the deep sleep stage starts to rise again when entering the REM sleep stage, and when the upper threshold is reached, the body temperature tends to remain constant afterwards. In other words, the REM sleep step is a step of preventing the body temperature from falling by acting as a stimulant to wake up the brain in the deep sleep phase to reactivate. Afterwards, the sleeper enters a shallow sleep stage of the berem sleep and undergoes a process of changing the body temperature while repeating the sleep stage.

The present invention analyzes the sleep pattern according to the change in body temperature occurring during the above process, and based on this, adjusts the ambient temperature appropriately based on this and moves to the REM sleep stage at a time earlier than the time occupied by the normal deep sleep stage due to the continuous decrease in body temperature. It can be prevented from falling to induce a deep sleep by increasing the specific gravity occupied by the deep sleep stage in the sleep process as much as possible.

In addition, the user does not wake up according to the temperature decrease of the deep sleep stage, and by appropriately adjusting the ambient temperature according to the change in body temperature generated by repeating the above steps can be a comfortable sleep by inducing easy progress to each step Make sure

In addition, the present invention is to create an environment for the user to take a good night's sleep by communicating with the external means associated with lighting, humidity, etc. The external means means for adjusting the temperature of the room, means for adjusting the light source, curtain Means for controlling movement, means for controlling humidity, brain wave generation means for inducing sleep and maintaining deep sleep and wake-up, control means for a home network for controlling various environmental means, and the like.

In particular, the present invention can directly control by communicating with the external means, but the recent development of the home network system also accommodates a method of indirectly controlling each means by communicating with a home network server connected to various means .

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a view showing the external installation form of the sleep induction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the sleep induction device 200 may be installed on the pillow 210 or the blanket 220 to continuously detect the user's body temperature. By disposing as described above, it is possible to prevent sleep disturbance caused by the device 200 while the user is sleeping.

In addition, when the user is mounted as described above, because the user can be turned out of the detection range of the device 200, the sleep induction device 200 is based on the sudden temperature difference according to the deviation of the detection range of the user It can be determined that the user is overturned and take action accordingly. For example, it may be possible to ignore the subsequent temperature when a sudden temperature difference occurs, and to consider it as the body temperature when the temperature close to the final temperature is measured again. In addition, the sleep state may be predicted according to the user's temperature at the time of being measured again based on the sleep cycle according to the user's age and the standard sleep pattern.

4 is a view showing another installation form of the sleep induction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated sleep guidance device 200 may be mounted to the user in the form of a hat 240, a hood or a headband, or may be in the form of a toshi 230 surrounding the wrist.

When installed as described above, there is no fear that the user may leave the detection range of the device, and sleep disturbance may be minimized. In addition, the device may be configured in the form of a garment to detect the user's body temperature.

Hereinafter, a detailed configuration of the sleep induction apparatus will be described.

5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the sleep induction device. Referring to FIG. 5, a communication unit 310 communicating with external means for controlling temperature, humidity, light, etc., a sensing unit 320 for detecting a user's body temperature, and sensing information of the sensing unit 320 may be used. On the basis of this may include a control unit 340 for inducing sleep by grasping a change in body temperature according to the sleep process.

The communication unit 310 indirectly improves the user's sleep by communicating with a curtain controller for controlling whether the air conditioner for controlling the temperature, a humidifier for controlling the humidity, a light for controlling the light, or a curtain controller for controlling whether the external light source is blocked. Can be induced. In addition, the device may directly induce sleep by communicating with an EEG generator that induces sleep induction, deep sleep maintenance, and wake up.

The sensing unit 320 may include a temperature sensor for detecting a user's body temperature, and transmits the sensing information detected through the sensor to the controller. Here, the body temperature of the user is information that is a target of the sleep process analysis, and since the change in body temperature occurring during the sleep process may vary according to physical characteristics, the sensing unit communicates with an external module through the control unit 340. The sensitivity of the sensing unit 320 may be adjusted. Therefore, when the difference in the temperature change of the user is small, the sensing sensitivity can be increased.

The control unit 340 is a part for grasping a change in body temperature based on the sensing information of the sensing unit 320 and controlling the external means for inducing sleep through the communication unit 310, a microcomputer with a predetermined algorithm embedded Logic computing devices such as (Micom) may be used.

The sleep induction device receives a signal from a control device such as a remote controller or a wireless keyboard for controlling the external means, and receives a signal corresponding to a signal of the control device by bandpass filtering the received signal. It may include. The control unit 340 communicates with the external means through the communication unit 310 based on the signal information of the receiving unit 330 to allow the sleep induction device to replace the control device to control the external means.

On the other hand, the device for inducing sleep not only can communicate with each individual means as described above through the communication unit 310, but also indirectly regulates the external means by communicating with a server of a home network system that collectively controls the external means. It is also possible to create an environment suitable for induction of sleep.

The home network system is connected to the intelligent home network to implement intelligent service and automation using the home networking infrastructure in the home to process high quality AV signals and intelligent home control system for controlling, monitoring and managing various home appliances and facilities. It refers to the intelligent home network information appliances system for integrated management of media home appliances systems such as digital TV and game consoles, and home automation and media home appliances systems, and processing intelligent services such as situational awareness. In this case, the server of the home network system may change the environment such as temperature, humidity, light by automatically or manually controlling various environmental control means, and also includes various communication means to communicate with various external devices. have. In addition, the home network server may accept various user inputs and provide the information to client devices that can communicate.

6 is a diagram illustrating a sleep inducing device communicating with a home network system to control external means. Referring to FIG. 6, the sleep induction device 200 worn by the user 110 to induce sleep is a home network server 410 connected to various external means 420, 430, 440, and 450 for inducing sleep. By communicating with the respective means (420, 430, 440, 450) can be integrated management.

The home network technology can be largely divided into a wired method and a wireless method.

The wired method is actively developing the IEEE 1394 technology, which is a new standard and a configuration through Ethernet, including a telephone line and a power line method using existing equipment in forming a home network. Home networks are wired, including traditional Ethernet, telephone lines, power lines as communication media, and new communication media to build high-speed transmission capabilities.

In addition, there are wireless methods such as Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Radio Frequency (RF), Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ultra Wideband (UWB), and the like. Network installation is easy and user's mobility is efficiently supported.

The sleep induction device 200 is connected to the wired or wireless home network network as described above, based on the temperature change occurring during the sleep process, temperature control 420 through the air conditioner, noise prevention through the termination of various media devices ( 430), by controlling the movement of the curtain 450 outside light, and remote control of the humidity control 440, such as a humidifier or air conditioner to create a suitable environment for the water surface to allow the user to take a good night's sleep.

On the other hand, the sleep induction device 200 must be operated efficiently during the sleep time in order to allow the user to take a deep sleep, and to properly adjust the ambient temperature in response to changes in body temperature occurring during sleep. Accordingly, an embodiment of the sleep induction device 200 will be described in detail.

7 is a view showing another embodiment according to the configuration of the sleep induction apparatus according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the control unit 340 may include a timer unit 343 which checks time by itself in order to transmit a signal at regular intervals or check an operation state, and the control unit 340 may include the Determination unit 344 for determining the temperature change on the basis of the sensing information of the sensing unit 320 at the signal interval of the timer unit 343 includes a control unit for controlling each unit by supplying power when the temperature change occurs Real-time checks can prevent power loss. In addition, when a change in body temperature occurs but does not last a certain time, and thus does not change in body temperature according to the sleep process, the timer unit 343 checks the corresponding time and resets the sleep induction device to prevent malfunction.

In addition, the controller 340 may include a memory unit 342 capable of storing standard body temperature change pattern information according to sleep. Accordingly, the controller 240 compares the standard temperature change pattern stored in the memory unit 342 with the temperature change pattern of the user to determine the current sleep state of the user, and then determines the upper and lower temperature thresholds determined according to the user's temperature. By adjusting the external means according to the value, the user can maintain a proper temperature according to the user's body temperature so that the user can continue the deep sleep stage, which is one step of the sleep process, or induce the user's sleep through the smooth progression of each sleep stage. have.

For example, when the user's body temperature decreases, the determination unit 344 determines whether the deep sleep stage of the berem sleep is performed and controls the external means to raise the ambient temperature to an upper threshold determined according to the user's body temperature. By not waking up in the cold to sleep deep sleep stages are induced. In addition, when entering the REM sleep after the deep sleep step, the determination unit 344 adjusts the external means to lower the temperature to the falling threshold determined according to the user's body temperature can maintain a proper temperature in the sleep. . In addition, the determination unit 344 determines a sudden change in body temperature caused by the user's overturning on the basis of the user's temperature change state and determines that the user's body temperature change is over the threshold and maintains the existing temperature by determining that it is the user's overturning. You can prevent it.

Here, since the time interval occupied in the sleep process, the shallow sleep stage and the deep sleep stage, which are the stages of non-remem sleep, are different for each age group, and the optimum upper limit threshold temperature and the lower limit threshold temperature differ according to age or gender, and thus the sleep induction apparatus is An interface unit 341 may be provided to connect each unit and an external module to connect the control information with an external module such as a personal computer (PC) to receive the input and change the control information value. Alternatively, the user may receive the user's age, gender, etc. from the home network server through the communication unit 307 and change the standard sleep change pattern, which is a standard for determining the user's sleep, or the upper and lower thresholds. .

8 is a view showing another embodiment of the sensing unit according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the sensing unit 320 may further include a temperature and humidity detector 322 that detects an external temperature and humidity in addition to a body temperature detector 321 that detects a body temperature of a user. . The controller calculates the discomfort index based on the detected information of the temperature and humidity detector 322.

In addition, it is possible to store the comfort information according to the discomfort index value in the memory unit 342, and based on this, the control unit 340 can adjust the external means to create an environment for a comfortable sleep.

The numerical value measured by the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor calculates the discomfort index value DI through a formula described below.

DI = 0.72 [Ta (° C) + Tw (° C)] + 40.6

Ta: dry bulb temperature, Tw: wet bulb temperature

The sleep induction apparatus may adjust the discomfort index by adjusting an external means for controlling temperature or humidity by comparing the discomfort index value with the comfort information.

Hereinafter, a method of inducing sleep using the sleep induction device will be described in detail through changes in body temperature generated during sleep.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inducing sleep in the step of entering the water surface. Referring to FIG. 9, upper and lower threshold values of body temperature information and ambient temperature of a user are set. Thereafter, when entering the sleep state, the sleep induction device detects a change in body temperature of the user.

When the sleep enters the deep sleep stage through the shallow sleep stage of the belem sleep, the temperature starts to fall sequentially. At this time, the sleep induction device senses a change in body temperature to raise the temperature to the set upper limit threshold so that the user can continue a deep sleep stage. Subsequently, the sleep induction device determines whether or not to enter the REM sleep stage through the deep sleep stage, and lowers the ambient temperature to the set lower limit threshold when entering the REM sleep stage, thereby creating a comfortable sleep environment.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of determining whether a change in body temperature occurring during a sleep process is a sleep stage. Referring to FIG. 10, upper and lower threshold values of body temperature information and ambient temperature of a user are set. Thereafter, the sleep induction device detects the user's body temperature and determines whether the body temperature changes, and if the temperature change degree is greater than or equal to the threshold based on the detected information, the sleep induction device maintains the existing temperature. In addition, when the degree of change in body temperature is less than the threshold value, it is determined to enter a deep sleep stage, and adjusts the external means to raise the temperature to the set upper limit threshold.

According to the present invention, the sleep induction device in communication with the external means for controlling the temperature, humidity, light and the like provides an appropriate temperature according to the body temperature change occurring in the sleep stage. Accordingly, it is easy to enter each stage of sleep, and there is an effect of taking a good night's sleep by preventing the case of failing to sleep according to the temperature deviation.

In addition, the sleep induction device can be simplified, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable during sleep, thereby providing an optimal sleep environment and minimizing the device cost.

In addition, the sleep induction device can be used by replicating various types of signals, thereby providing versatility to control various external means, and checking the body temperature change at regular intervals so that the sleep induction device can be set to react only when there is a temperature change. Therefore, efficient power management is possible.

In addition, the sleep induction device has the effect of preventing malfunction by distinguishing that the user is torsion based on the degree of change in body temperature.

Claims (17)

A sleep guidance device in communication with external means for controlling temperature, humidity, and light, A wireless communication unit for communicating with the external means; Sensing unit for detecting the body temperature of the user; Determining the change in the user's body temperature based on the sensing information of the sensing unit to determine the current sleep state, and controls the external means in the direction to switch or maintain the current sleep state to the sleep state through the wireless communication unit, Sleeping induction apparatus characterized in that it comprises a control unit to maintain the existing temperature by determining that the degree of change in body temperature is more than a predetermined threshold. According to claim 1, wherein the external means means for controlling the temperature of the room, means for adjusting the light source, means for controlling the movement of the curtain, means for controlling the humidity, induction of sleep and deep sleep and brain wave generation to induce deep sleep Sleep guidance device characterized in that the control means of the home network for controlling at least one or more of the means. The wireless communication unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit includes Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wireless LAN, Wibro, Radio Frequency (RF), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), or UWB (UrB). Sleep induction device characterized in that it supports at least one of the (Wideband). The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate with the external means through the wireless communication unit to continuously adjust the ambient temperature to an upper threshold value according to the user temperature when the user's body temperature starts to decrease based on the information of the sensing unit. Sleep induction apparatus, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate with the external means through the wireless communication unit to sequentially set the ambient temperature to a lower limit threshold according to the user temperature when the temperature of the user is maintained constant after the temperature of the user is increased based on the information of the sensing unit. Sleep induction device, characterized in that to adjust and maintain. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit alternates between an operation mode for controlling the external means and a low power mode for maintaining a low power state for a predetermined time after transmitting a signal at a predetermined time interval or checking an operating state. Sleep induction apparatus, characterized in that. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit further comprises a temperature and humidity sensing unit configured to sense temperature and humidity around the user, and the control unit adjusts the external means through the wireless communication unit such that the discomfort index is lowered based on the information of the sensing unit. Sleep induction apparatus, characterized in that. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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