JP2006198023A - Sleeping environment control device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sleeping environment control device controlling sleeping environment according to a sleeping state to make the sleep of a person comfortable one by easily and highly precisely estimating a sleeping state such as a deep or shallow sleep using respiratory signals or body motion signals of the person smoothly detected with him/her non-restricted. <P>SOLUTION: A sleeping environment control part 5 determines whether or not the person is "awakened" based on a peak interval and a peak value ratio of respiratory movement waveforms of the person, determines whether the person is in a "deep sleep" or a "shallow sleep" based on the mean value and the dispersion of the inter-peak area of the waveforms, and controls the bed inside temperature, or the sleeping environment, according to the determined sleeping state for effectively functioning the person's body temperature adjustment thereon. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sleep environment control device that controls a sleep environment based on biological information and a sleep environment control program that causes a computer to control the sleep environment.

  In recent years, as health consciousness is increasing, there is a need to work for health management by controlling sleep environment and managing sleep in order to obtain comfortable sleep every day in a general household.

  Conventionally, human respiration information, heart rate variability information, and snoring information are measured without restriction, human sleep state is estimated from the measurement results, and control is performed so that the human sleep environment is comfortable according to the sleep state. Equipment has been developed.

Such sleep state estimation according to the prior art is to estimate the sleep state from the measured respiratory information, heart rate variability information and snoring information, with particular emphasis on the fluctuation of heart rate variability and the time interval. Yes (Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-339664 A

  However, in the sleep environment control based on the sleep state estimation of the above-described prior art, the measured heart rate variability information signal is minute and contains a lot of noise due to effects other than the heart beat. There is a problem that the FFT processing and the filter calculation processing for analysis must be performed, and the processing becomes complicated.

  Therefore, the present invention easily and accurately estimates a sleep state such as deep sleep or shallow sleep using a human respiratory signal or body motion signal that can be detected smoothly even in an unconstrained state, and the human sleep signal is determined according to the sleep state. It is an object to provide a sleep environment control device and a sleep environment control program for controlling a sleep environment so that sleep is comfortable.

  The sleep environment control device according to the present invention includes a waveform calculation unit that calculates a waveform curve in a time series direction related to respiration based on data from a sensor that acquires biological information, and a waveform shape of the waveform curve calculated by the waveform calculation unit And a sleep environment control means for controlling the sleep environment based on the above.

  According to such a sleep environment control device, the sleep environment can be controlled based on the waveform shape of the waveform curve in the time series direction related to respiration.

  In the sleep environment control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment control unit further includes a sleep state estimation unit that estimates a sleep state based on the waveform shape, and based on the sleep state estimated by the sleep state estimation unit. The sleep environment is controlled.

  According to such a sleep environment control device, the sleep state can be estimated based on the waveform shape of the waveform curve in the time series direction related to respiration, and the sleep environment can be controlled based on the sleep state.

  The sleep control device according to the present invention further includes a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts a sleep environment temperature that is a temperature of the sleep environment, and the sleep environment control unit is based on the sleep state estimated by the sleep state estimation unit. The sleep environment is controlled by the temperature adjusting means.

  According to such a sleep environment control device, the sleep environment can be controlled by adjusting the sleep environment temperature based on the sleep state estimated by the sleep state estimation means.

  In the sleep control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment control unit is configured such that the sleep environment temperature becomes the first comfortable temperature when the sleep state estimation unit estimates that the sleep state is a light sleep state. If it is estimated that the temperature adjustment means adjusts to a deep sleep state, the temperature adjustment means adjusts the temperature adjustment means so that the second comfort temperature is lower than the first comfort temperature. Features.

  According to such a sleep environment control device, it is possible to promote the human body temperature regulation function of lowering the human body temperature when the human sleep state shifts from a shallow sleep state to a deep sleep state.

  In the sleep control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment control means is estimated that the sleep state is a shallow sleep state by the sleep state estimation means after a lapse of a predetermined period from the start of control of the sleep environment. In the case, the temperature adjustment means is adjusted so that the sleep environment temperature becomes a third comfortable temperature higher than the first comfortable temperature, and when it is estimated that the sleep environment temperature is deep sleep state, The temperature adjusting means is adjusted so that the fourth comfortable temperature is lower than the comfortable temperature and equal to or higher than the second comfortable temperature.

  According to such a sleep environment control device, after the human sleep state is repeated a predetermined number of times between a light sleep state and a deep sleep state, the human body temperature regulation function of increasing the human body temperature is promoted. be able to.

  In the sleep environment control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment control means, when the sleep state estimation means estimates that the sleep state is an awakening state immediately after starting the control of the sleep environment, The temperature adjusting means is adjusted so that the sleep environment temperature becomes a fifth comfortable temperature lower than the first comfortable temperature.

  In such a sleep environment control device, when the human sleep state shifts from the awake state immediately after falling asleep to the shallow sleep state, the human body temperature regulation function of reducing the human body temperature can be promoted. .

  In the sleep environment control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment control means estimates that the sleep state is an awake state by the sleep state estimation means after a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of control of the sleep environment. In this case, the temperature adjustment means is adjusted so that the sleep environment temperature becomes a seventh comfortable temperature equal to or higher than the third comfortable temperature.

  In such a sleep environment control device, when a human sleep state is repeated a predetermined number of times between a light sleep state and a deep sleep state and then transitions to an awake state, the human body temperature is approximately the same as normal heat. It is possible to promote the human thermoregulatory function of raising it to a level higher than that.

  In the sleep environment control device according to the present invention, the sleep environment is an environment formed by a space between a comforter and a mattress, and the temperature adjusting means blows air into the comforter and / or the mattress. The sleep environment temperature is adjusted by adjusting the temperature of the wind.

  In such a sleep environment control device, the sleep environment temperature can be adjusted quickly and efficiently.

  In the sleep environment control device according to the present invention, the sleep state estimation unit includes an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value according to a waveform shape of the waveform curve, and an evaluation value and a sleep state from the evaluation value calculation unit. Comparing means for comparing with a prescribed comparison value is provided.

  The sleep environment control means according to the present invention is characterized in that the evaluation value calculation means includes area calculation means for calculating an area surrounded by the waveform curve and a reference axis.

  According to the sleep environment control device according to the above two inventions, since the waveform shape is grasped from the area drawn by the waveform, it can be calculated relatively easily, and as a result, the sleep state can be estimated with high accuracy. . Note that the reference axis is a straight line drawn when assuming that the outputs from the sensor for acquiring biological information are all constant values in the time series direction, for example, zero, assumed for area calculation.

  The sleep environment control program according to the present invention is characterized in that the function of each means described in any one of claims 1 to 11 is given to a computer.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately estimate a sleep state such as deep sleep or shallow sleep based on a respiratory motion waveform in a time series direction that regularly and irregularly changes every moment. The sleep environment control apparatus which controls a sleep environment in order to promote a human body temperature regulation function based on the estimated sleep state can be provided.

  The features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments.

  However, the following embodiment is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the meaning of the term of the present invention or each constituent element is not limited to that described in the following embodiment. Absent.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a sleep environment control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The sleep environment control device according to the present embodiment calculates a waveform that calculates a waveform curve that is a time-series direction characteristic related to respiration based on data from an exhalation band 1 that is one of the sensors that acquire biological information as shown in FIG. A living body information processing unit 4 including means, a sleep environment control unit 5 for estimating a sleep state and controlling a sleep environment, a mattress 2 for lying down, a comforter 3 for covering a lying human body, and a sleep environment The sleep environment adjusting means 6 is changed.

  In FIG. 1, a person lies on a mattress 2 and an exhalation band 1 is attached to the upper body of the person. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhalation band 1 is an elastic band having a strain gauge 1a (for example, a conductive rubber sealed in a stretchable rubber tube). When the exhalation band 1 is applied to the human chest or abdomen, the strain gauge 1a expands and contracts due to the human breathing motion, and its electrical resistance changes.

  The biological information processing unit 4 converts the resistance change of the strain gauge 1a into a voltage change via a bridge circuit or the like, and measures this voltage change as a human respiratory motion waveform.

  The sleep environment control unit 5 estimates the human sleep state based on the respiratory motion waveform of the human measured by the biological information processing unit 4, and controls the sleep environment adjustment means 6 based on the estimation to make the human comfortable. Control your sleep environment to sleep.

  The sleep environment refers to an environment where a person sleeps, for example, a space in a room where the person sleeps, or the comforter 2 and the comforter 3 used when the person sleeps. It means an environment formed by a space between them (hereinafter referred to as a bed).

  The sleep environment adjusting means 6 may be anything that can adjust the human sleep environment. In the present embodiment, the sleep environment adjusting means 6 can send the wind into the mattress 2 or the comforter 3, and the temperature of the wind can be adjusted in the bed. A blower that can adjust the temperature is used.

  Hereinafter, a human sleep state estimation method by the sleep environment control unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a human respiratory motion waveform measured by the biological information processing unit 4. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the measurement time (sec), the vertical axis indicates the voltage (V), and when the voltage is positive, the intake movement is indicated. In FIG. 3, a large change in the waveform is observed in the interval from 20 seconds to 30 seconds on the time axis due to the influence of body movement, and the change in voltage due to body movement is conspicuously large with respect to the respiratory movement. Are known.

  The information from the body motion can be used to estimate whether the sleep state is in the “wakeful” state or a so-called “sleeping” state other than the awakened state. The body movement referred to here includes not only the turning over during sleep, but also the body movement in an awake state.

  Since the sleep environment controller 5 can detect the state of body movement from the change in voltage as described above, in this embodiment, the ratio of each peak value in the voltage change in FIG. , Called peak value ratio). The peak value is a value at a location where the voltage waveform shape having a positive voltage and a maximum value has a peak. In FIG. 3, there are 14 points (P1 to P14) having positive peak values in the section of time 0 to 59 seconds.

  In addition, the fact that the time interval between the timings of each peak of the voltage change (hereinafter referred to as the peak interval) is outside the predetermined range can be called awakening or body movement from the experiment / survey data. Used to estimate

  Further, when the biological information clearly has an abnormal value or an abnormal period exists, it is determined that the state represents awakening.

  As described above, the sleep environment control unit 5 estimates whether or not the human is in the awake state based on the peak value ratio and the peak interval.

  Here, the peak value and the peak interval are specifically calculated as follows. That is, the maximum value from when the measured voltage change data exceeds a predetermined positive threshold (1 V in the present embodiment) to the predetermined negative threshold (-1 V in the present embodiment) is determined as the voltage. Is calculated as a positive peak value. By providing a negative threshold in this way, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of a positive peak value due to a hysteresis effect. Further, the time from the calculated positive peak value to the arrival of the next positive peak value is defined as a peak interval. As described above, the peak value ratio and the peak interval are expressed by the following equations.

  Furthermore, the sleep environment control unit 5 calculates the area between the peaks, calculates the average and variance of the areas between the peaks, calculates the evaluation value SV, and compares the evaluation value SV with a predetermined threshold value. Estimate human sleep state.

This evaluation value SV indicates a value corresponding to the waveform shape of the human respiratory motion waveform. The peak-to-peak area is the area of each section surrounded by the human respiratory motion waveform and the reference axis between each peak timing, and the absolute value of the integral value is used in the section where the voltage value is negative. The reference axis is arbitrary, but here, it is a characteristic straight line when it is assumed that all the outputs from the sensor are constant values and further zero in the time series direction. Here, the variance B is expressed by the following equation, where the peak-to-peak area is g _j ([j = 1, 2, 3,..., (N−1)]) and the average of the peak-to-peak areas is A.

Therefore, the evaluation value SV is given by the following equation.

  As described above, the sleep environment control unit 5 estimates the human sleep state from the human respiratory motion waveform measured by the biological information processing unit 4 based on the peak value ratio, peak interval, and peak-to-peak area of the waveform. .

  Next, a method for controlling a human sleep environment by the sleep environment control unit 5 will be described.

  Humans are awake from sleep until they fall asleep, and when they fall asleep, the sleep state shifts from the awake state to a shallow sleep state. Thereafter, the state shifts from a light sleep state to a deep sleep state, and then shifts again to a light sleep state. In this human sleep state, a series of transitions from a shallow sleep state to a deep sleep state to a shallow sleep state again is called a sleep cycle. The time required for the sleep cycle is generally said to be about 90 minutes.

  It is said that after repeating this sleep cycle a plurality of times, the human will again shift to the awake state and eventually wake up.

  On the other hand, humans are equipped with a body temperature regulation function, and after the person enters the floor, the body temperature regulation function is said to change the body temperature of the human as follows in conjunction with changes in the human sleep state. .

  That is, when a human is in a state of awakening from entering the bed to falling asleep, the body temperature regulation function normally keeps the body temperature of the person at normal temperature (usually about 35 to 36 ° C.). Yes. When a human sleep state shifts from an awake state to a shallow sleep state, heat is radiated from the peripheral part of the human body, and the body temperature is lowered by about 0.2 to 0.3 ° C. from normal heat.

  When the human sleep state shifts from a shallow sleep state to a deeper sleep state, the human body temperature is further reduced by approximately 0.2 to 0.3 ° C.

  Subsequently, when the human sleep state shifts from a deep sleep state to a shallow sleep state, the human body temperature is increased by approximately 0.2 to 0.3 ° C.

  As described above, the human moves to a state of awakening after repeating the sleep cycle a plurality of times. As a human approaches wakefulness, the human thermoregulatory function reduces the rate of decrease in human body temperature as the human sleep state transitions from a light sleep state to a deep sleep state. That is, as the human approaches the awake state, the body temperature rises, and when the human body transitions to the awake state again, the body temperature becomes normal or higher.

  Although such a human body temperature regulation function appropriately functions, a human can obtain a comfortable sleep, but whether such body temperature regulation function can function properly depends on the human sleep environment.

  The sleep environment controller 5 in the present embodiment controls the sleep environment by controlling the sleep environment adjustment means 6 so that the human body can effectively function the body temperature regulation function.

  Specifically, the sleep environment control unit 5 controls the temperature in the bed as a human sleep environment.

  The best way for humans to change the temperature in the bed in order to allow the above-mentioned body temperature regulation function to function varies depending on individual differences and seasonal environments. However, since the temperature in the bed that a person feels most comfortable throughout the four seasons is said to be approximately 32 ° C., the sleep environment control unit 5 in the present embodiment sets this 32 ° C. as the central temperature CT ° C. and the season as the summer In winter, the temperature in the bed is controlled as shown below.

  When the season is summer, when the human is awake after entering the floor, the sleep environment adjusting means 6 is controlled so that the temperature in the bed is approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.) (fifth comfort) Temperature).

  This is because when a human transitions from awake state to a shallow sleep state, the human temperature control function dissipates heat from the skin on the human surface and lowers the human body temperature, thus promoting such heat release. Because.

  When the human sleep state is a light sleep state, the temperature in the bed is set to CT ° C. (32 ° C.) (first comfortable temperature).

  This is because when the person is in a light sleep state, the thermoregulatory function is reduced, and the human body temperature is affected by the temperature in the bed, so that the person feels comfortable even if affected by the temperature in the bed To be able to do that.

  When the human sleep state is in a deep sleep state, it is approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.) (second comfortable temperature).

  This is because when the human sleep state shifts from a light sleep state to a deep sleep state, the human body temperature falls to a lower temperature.

  After the time when it is considered that the sleep cycle has been repeated a predetermined number of times, for example, three times after the human has entered the bed, the temperature in the bed is approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.) when the human is in a light sleep state. ) (Third comfortable temperature), approximately CT ° C. (approximately 32 ° C.) when in a deep sleep state (fourth comfortable temperature), approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.) when transitioning to an awake state (Seventh comfortable temperature).

  This is because when a human transitions to a state of awakening again, the human thermoregulatory function raises the body temperature to approximately normal or higher.

  On the other hand, when the season is winter, when the person is awake after entering the floor, the sleep environment adjusting means 6 is controlled so that the temperature in the bed is approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.) (No. 6 The control of the sleep environment adjusting means 6 in other sleep states is the same as in the summer.

  In winter, vasoconstriction and the like due to the cooling of the peripheral part cause a hindrance to heat release during sleep.

  For this reason, in winter, it is necessary to set the temperature higher than the central temperature CT ° C. when the human is awake after entering the floor.

  Below, based on the flowchart shown in FIG.4 and FIG.5, the sleep state estimation by the sleep environment control part 5 and the control method of the sleep environment in the case of summer are demonstrated.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of steps S100 to S110.

  In step S100, the timer for time measurement is reset, and various variables (such as loop count variable i) and memory are cleared.

  In step S101, a trigger signal for starting time measurement and taking in biometric information data is generated in each hardware, that is, a timer and a biometric information data memory. Thereafter, the timer starts measuring time, and generates an interrupt T signal every predetermined period (in this embodiment, every 60 seconds). In addition, the biological information processing unit 4 starts measuring the voltage change based on the respiratory information from the sensor, and at the same time, the biological information data memory starts taking in the digital data.

  In step S102, whether or not data for a predetermined period of 60 seconds has been stored in the biometric information data memory by receiving the interrupt T signal is confirmed. If confirmed, the process proceeds to step S103, and otherwise, the process branches to step S102.

  In step S103, the peak is detected by the above method, and the peak interval and peak value ratio are calculated.

  In step S104, it is determined whether or not all the peak intervals are within a predetermined range. If they are within the range, the flag PIflag is set to 1, otherwise it is set to 0. In addition, the case of PIflag = 0 represents a state that cannot be regarded as a body movement or a sleep state in the “wakefulness” state.

  In step S105, it is determined whether or not all peak value ratios are within a predetermined range. If they are within the range, the flag PVflag is set to 1; The case of PVflag = 0 represents a state that cannot be regarded as a body movement or a sleep state in the “wakefulness” state.

  In step S106, if both the flags PIflag and PVflag are within the predetermined range, that is, if (PIflag, PVflag) = (1, 1), the process branches to step S107. Otherwise, the process branches to step S109c.

In step S107, (n−1) peak-to-peak areas g _j ([j = 1, 2, 3,..., (N−1)]) within a predetermined period of 60 seconds are calculated, and then each peak-to-peak area is calculated. An evaluation value SV is calculated by calculating an average and a variance of.

  In step S108, the evaluation value SV is compared with a comparison value that defines a sleep state. If the evaluation value SV is less than the comparison value, the process branches to step S109a, and otherwise, the process branches to step S109b. In this embodiment, 0.2 is used as the comparison value.

  In steps S109a, S109b, and S109c, sleep state values Deep, Light, and MT are set in SleepValue [i], respectively.

  In step S110, the loop count variable i is incremented to generate an interrupt SV signal indicating the end of the sleep state value setting work for the predetermined period. The process returns to step S102 to start the state estimation routine for the next predetermined period.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of steps S200 to S210.

  In step S200, the process proceeds to step S201 only when the interrupt SV signal is received.

  In step S201, it is determined whether the loop count variable i is 5 or more. That is, it is determined whether sleep state values for five periods are obtained. This is because sleep state values for a plurality of predetermined periods are used in order to estimate a sleep state at a predetermined timing (in this embodiment, for five periods), and immediately after the start, sleep state values for the plurality of predetermined periods are used. This is because it is necessary to determine whether or not If the loop count variable i is 5 or more, the process branches to step S202; otherwise, the process branches to step S200.

  In step S202, the counting variables DeepCount and MTCount are cleared.

  In step S203, the number of DEEPs and MTs in five of SleepValue [i-4] to SleepValue [i] is counted, the number of DEEPs is set to the variable DeepCount, and the number of MTs is set to the variable MTCount.

  In step S204, the sleep state is estimated according to the values of the variable DeepCount and the variable MTCount, and one of the estimated values “WAKE”, “REM”, “DEEP”, and “LIGHT” is set in SleepState [i]. This value is the value of the final result obtained by estimating the sleep state for the predetermined period. In step S106 or step S108, the flag PIflag, PVflag or evaluation value SV is compared with each threshold value, and in step S109a-c, the sleep state value for the predetermined period is set. This is a provisional state. At this stage, for example, there is a possibility that the body motion of turning over is erroneously determined as “awakening” in step S106, and the accuracy should be further improved. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sleep state estimation is not confirmed at this stage.

  Therefore, in Step S203 and Step S204, SleepValue [i-4] to SleepValue [i-1], which are history information before the period, are also used, and the sleep state value is determined in consideration of the temporarily determined sleep state value. The accuracy is improved by estimating the state. In addition to the above case, not only the past history but also the sleep state value after that may be considered in the estimation of the predetermined period.

  Hereinafter, steps S205 to S210 show a method for controlling the temperature in the bed by the sleep environment control unit 5.

  In step S205, it is determined whether or not the remainder obtained by dividing the loop number variable i by 5 is zero. If the remainder obtained by dividing the loop number variable i by 5 is 0, the process proceeds to step S206. Otherwise, the process returns to step S200.

  As described above, the loop count variable i is incremented every minute as a predetermined period in the present embodiment. Therefore, when the remainder obtained by dividing the loop count variable i by 5 is 0, the loop count variable i is 5 Is a multiple of. This indicates that steps S205 to S210 are executed every 5 minutes to control the bed temperature.

  In step S206, it is determined whether or not the variable indicating the predetermined value is SC and whether or not the loop count variable i is 3 × SC or more. If the loop count variable i is 3 × SC or more, the process proceeds to step S209. Branch to S207. Note that the variable SC is set to SC = 90 in this embodiment because the sleep cycle time is approximately 90 minutes.

  Whether or not the loop count variable i is 3 × SC or more means that it is determined whether or not the time for three sleep cycles has elapsed since the person entered the floor and the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 were started. I mean. As described above, the human body temperature rises when the sleep cycle is repeated a predetermined number of times and the state shifts to the awake state.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the sleep environment control method is different from the time when the time when it is considered that the repetition of the sleep cycle has occurred three times has passed.

  In step S207, it is determined whether or not the loop count variable i is 5. If the loop count variable i is 5, the process proceeds to step S208. If not, the process proceeds to step S210.

  In step S208, the sleep state value is not stored in SleepState [i-4] to SleepState [i-1], and the state is five minutes after the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are started. Therefore, assuming that the sleep state value is “WAKE”, the temperature of the wind sent from the sleep environment adjusting means 6 is adjusted so that the temperature in the bed becomes approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.). Return to step S200.

  In step S209, the number of sleep state values “WAKE”, “REM”, “LIGHT”, and “DEEP” stored in each of SleepState [i-4] to SleepState [i] is counted.

  When the sleep state value with the largest count is “WAKE”, it is determined that the human sleep state is an awake state, and sleep is performed so that the temperature in the bed is approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.). The temperature of the wind sent from the environmental control means 6 is adjusted.

  When the sleep state value with the highest count is “REM” or “LIGHT”, it is determined that the human sleep state is a light sleep state, and the temperature in the bed is approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.). The temperature of the wind sent from the sleep environment adjusting means 6 is adjusted so that

  When the sleep state value with the largest count is “DEEP”, it is determined that the human sleep state is in a deep sleep state, and the sleep environment is such that the temperature in the bed becomes approximately CT ° C. (approximately 32 ° C.). The temperature of the wind sent from the adjusting means 6 is adjusted.

  In addition, when the count number of a sleep state value is equal, a priority is made as follows.

  That is, “REM”, “LIGHT”> “DEEP”> “WAKE”.

  After performing the above process, it returns to step S200.

  In step S210, the number of sleep state values “WAKE”, “REM”, “LIGHT”, and “DEEP” stored in each of SleepState [i-4] to SleepState [i] is counted.

  When the sleep state value with the largest number of counts is “WAKE”, the sleep environment adjustment means 6 is used so that the temperature in the bed becomes approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.). Adjust the temperature.

  When the sleep state value with the largest count is “REM” or “LIGHT”, it is determined that the human sleep state is a shallow sleep state, and the temperature in the bed becomes approximately CT ° C. (approximately 32 ° C.). Thus, the temperature of the wind sent out is adjusted using the sleep environment adjusting means 6.

  When the sleep state value with the largest count is “DEEP”, it is determined that the human sleep state is in a deep sleep state, and the temperature in the bed becomes approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.). As described above, the temperature of the wind sent out is adjusted by the sleep environment adjusting means 6.

  In addition, when the count number of a sleep state value becomes equal, a priority is made as follows.

  That is, “REM”, “LIGHT”> “DEEP”> “WAKE”.

  After performing the above process, it returns to step S200.

  As described above, the sleep environment control unit 5 determines whether or not “wakefulness” based on the peak interval and peak value ratio of the human respiratory motion waveform, and “deep” based on the average value and variance of the peak-to-peak area of the waveform. Whether it is “sleeping” or “light sleep” is determined, and the temperature in the bed, which is a sleeping environment, is controlled so that the human body temperature regulation function functions efficiently according to the determined sleep state.

  In the winter season, when the sleep state value having the largest count is “WAKE” in step S210, the sleep environment is set such that the temperature in the bed becomes approximately (CT + 1) ° C. (approximately 33 ° C.). Adjusting means 6 adjusts the temperature of the delivered wind.

  In FIG. 10, the estimation result of the sleep state by the sleep environment control unit 5 and the temperature control result in the bed based on the result are shown. In FIG. 10, it turns out that the temperature adjustment in the bed is performed as follows based on the sleep state.

<Sleep environment control start-3 x SC minutes>
Awakening state (WAKE): Approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.)
Light sleep state (LIGHT + REM): CT approximately ℃ (approximately 32 ℃)
Deep sleep state (DEEP): Approximately (CT-1) ° C. (approximately 31 ° C.)
<3 x SC minutes later-awakening>
Awakening state (WAKE): Approximately (CT + 1) ° C (approximately 33 ° C)
Light sleep state (LIGHT + REM): Approximately (CT + 1) ° C (approximately 33 ° C)
Deep sleep state (DEEP): Approximately CT ℃ (approximately 32 ℃)
In the present embodiment, as described above, the sleep environment control unit 5 controls the temperature in the bed by the sleep environment adjustment means 6 as a human sleep environment, but is not limited to the temperature in the bed, and the person sleeps. It is good also as controlling by the air conditioner provided with the air-conditioning function etc. which can adjust the indoor temperature which is located.

  In addition, the sleep environment control unit 5 uses a different sleep environment control method after a period when it is considered that the human sleep cycle has been repeated three times, but is not limited to three times. It is good also as changing according to.

  Furthermore, the sleep environment control unit 5 is not limited to the sleep state estimation method described above, and can control the sleep environment based on various sleep state estimation methods. For example, the sleep polygraph method and the following documents The sleep environment may be controlled based on the sleep depth estimation method described.

1. JP-A-9-294731. JP-A-2001-61820. Transactions of the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers Vol 138, No. 7,581 / 58
Although not described in detail in the present embodiment, the sleep state may be estimated by weighting the sleep state value of each period. For example, when calculating the variable DeepCount using SleepValue [3] to SleepValue [7] to determine SleepState [5], if SleepValue [3] and SleepValue [7] are Deep, do not take 1 When SleepValue [5] is Deep, change the weighting, for example, twice instead of once. As a result, further improvement in accuracy can be expected.

  The estimated value “WAKE” is “wakefulness” according to the definition of the sleep depth defined by the international standard, “REM” is “REM sleep”, “LIGHT” is the state of “sleep depth 1, 2”, “ “DEEP” is a state of “sleep depth 3, 4”.

  FIG. 6 shows a comparison between the sleep state estimation result by the sleep environment control unit 5 and the estimation result by PSG in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the estimation of “REM” and “LIGHT” is “shallow”, and the estimation of “DEEP” is “deep”. Referring to FIG. 6, trends such as the timing of entering shallow sleep after going to bed, the timing of deep sleep around 1 to 3 hours, the sleep cycle, etc. are estimated with higher accuracy than the results of PSG. I can confirm that. In addition, after 7 hours, although it is a shallow sleep in the result of PSG, there exists a tendency to judge that it is an arousal state by the estimation from respiratory motion. The reason for this is that, due to the characteristics of sleep, it is known that body motion increases as it becomes dawn, and it is considered that body motion that frequently occurred at dawn was determined to be awake. Note that the PSG result is a determination based on the Allan Rechtschaffen & Anthony Kales method. However, there may be a case in which the determination of the PSG is not consistent with the actual state of the subject because the subject's subjectivity may cause a deviation in the determination .

  Although the exhalation band 1 is used as the biological information sensor in the above embodiment, an unconstrained sensor, for example, a sheet-type capacitive sensor may be used as the other biological information sensor. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sheet-like capacitive sensor 7 is attached to the mattress 2.

  The sheet-like capacitive sensor 7 is pressed by the upper body of the human to change the distance between the electrodes, and the capacitance of the sheet-like capacitive sensor 7 changes accordingly. Therefore, in this case, the biological information processing unit 4 measures the variation data of the capacitance of the sheet-like capacitance type sensor 7 due to human respiratory motion and body movement. Specifically, for example, the resonance frequency is measured using an LC resonance circuit. In this case, the sleep environment control unit 5 estimates the sleep state using a capacitance fluctuation waveform curve based on human respiratory motion and body movement, which is an output signal of the biological information processing unit 4. Specifically, it is the same as the example of the exhalation band.

  FIG. 9 shows voltage changes due to human respiratory movement measured by the biological information processing unit 4 (the sampling frequency is 10 Hz). In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the measurement time (sec), and the vertical axis represents the resonance frequency (Hz). FIG. 5B is an enlarged view in the vertical axis direction so that the range of the vertical axis in FIG. From 60 seconds to 100 seconds on the time axis, the influence of body movement is seen on the change in waveform. Thus, the change in frequency due to body movement is considerably larger than in the case of respiratory movement. As described above, the waveform relates to the resonance frequency, but even in this case, calculation, estimation, and the like can be performed as in the above-described embodiment by setting an appropriate threshold value.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the sleep environment control part 5 samples and digitizes the voltage change measured by the biological information processing part 4 with the sampling frequency of 100 Hz, and based on the voltage measurement result for 60 seconds as a predetermined area. The sleep state is estimated using the peak interval value, the peak value, and the evaluation value based on the average and variance of the peak-to-peak area, but the sampling frequency, threshold value, and length of one section can be changed as appropriate. it can. Further, a threshold value such as a peak interval value when the sleep environment control unit 5 estimates the sleep state applies a value tuned by statistically processing data from a plurality of subjects.

  Note that the processing flows shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be realized in hardware by a CPU, memory, or other LSI of an arbitrary computer. In terms of software, it is realized by a program loaded in a memory. Although FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the sleep environment control apparatus as functional blocks, it goes without saying that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms such as hardware only, software only, and combinations thereof. For example, the function of the biological information processing unit 4 and the sleep environment control unit 5 in FIG. 1 or the program for executing the processes of FIGS. 4 and 5 can be installed in a personal computer to configure the sleep environment control device.

  While the embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, the embodiment can be appropriately modified in various ways within the scope of the technical idea shown in the claims.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the sleep environment control apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the expiration band which is one of the sensors which acquire the biometric information which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the respiratory signal waveform extracted by the biometric information processing part which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which estimates the sleep state which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart which estimates the sleep state which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the result of having compared the sleep state estimation result by the sleep environment control apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and the measurement data of the sleep depth by a sleep polygraph. It is a figure which shows the structure of the sleep environment control apparatus at the time of using a sheet-like capacitance-type unconstrained biological information sensor. It is a figure which shows the structure of the sleep environment control apparatus at the time of using a sheet-like capacitance-type unconstrained biological information sensor. It is a figure which shows the respiration signal waveform extracted by the biometric information processing part at the time of using a sheet-like capacitance-type unconstrained biometric information sensor. It is a figure which shows the sleep state estimation result by the sleep environment control apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and the temperature control result in the bed based on this result.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Exhalation band 2 Quilt 3 Quilt 4 Bio-information processing part 5 Sleep environment control part 6 Environment control means 7 Sheet-like capacitive sensor

Claims (12)

In the sleep environment control device that controls the sleep environment,
Waveform calculating means for calculating a waveform curve in a time series direction related to respiration based on data from a sensor that acquires biological information;
Sleep environment control means for controlling the sleep environment based on the waveform shape of the waveform curve calculated by the waveform calculation means;
A sleep environment control device comprising: The sleep environment control means further includes sleep state estimation means for estimating a sleep state based on the waveform shape,
The sleep environment control device according to claim 1, wherein the sleep environment is controlled based on a sleep state estimated by the sleep state estimation unit. Temperature adjustment means for adjusting the sleep environment temperature which is the temperature of the sleep environment,
The sleep environment control device according to claim 2, wherein the sleep environment control unit controls the sleep environment by the temperature adjustment unit based on a sleep state estimated by the sleep state estimation unit. The sleep environment control means includes
When the sleep state estimation means estimates that the sleep state is a light sleep state, the sleep environment temperature is adjusted to the first comfortable temperature so that the temperature adjustment means adjusts the sleep environment temperature to be a deep sleep state. The sleep environment control device according to claim 3, wherein the temperature adjustment unit is adjusted so that the second comfortable temperature is lower than the first comfortable temperature. When the sleep environment control means estimates that the sleep state is a shallow sleep state by the sleep state estimation means after the elapse of a predetermined period from the start of sleep environment control, the sleep environment temperature is When the temperature adjustment means is adjusted to be a third comfortable temperature that is higher than the first comfortable temperature, and it is estimated that a deep sleep state is assumed, the second comfortable temperature is lower than the third comfortable temperature. The sleep environment control device according to claim 4, wherein the temperature adjusting unit is adjusted so as to be a fourth comfortable temperature equal to or higher than a temperature. When the sleep environment control means estimates that the sleep state is an awake state immediately after the sleep environment control is started, the sleep environment temperature is higher than the first comfortable temperature. 6. The sleep environment control device according to claim 4, wherein the temperature adjustment unit is adjusted so that the fifth comfortable temperature is lower. When the sleep environment control means estimates that the sleep state is an awake state immediately after the sleep environment control is started, the sleep environment temperature is higher than the first comfortable temperature. The sleep environment control device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the temperature adjusting means is adjusted so as to achieve a higher sixth comfortable temperature. When the sleep environment control means estimates that the sleep state is an awake state by the sleep state estimation means after the elapse of a predetermined period from the start of sleep environment control, the sleep environment temperature is The sleep environment control device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the temperature adjusting means is adjusted so as to be a seventh comfortable temperature equal to or higher than three comfortable temperatures. The sleep environment is an environment formed by a space between a comforter and a mattress,
The temperature adjusting means adjusts the sleep environment temperature by blowing wind into the comforter and / or the mattress and adjusting the temperature of the wind. The sleep environment control apparatus described in the item. The sleep state estimation means includes an evaluation value calculation means for calculating an evaluation value according to the waveform shape of the waveform curve, and a comparison means for comparing the evaluation value from the evaluation value calculation means with a comparison value that defines a sleep state. The sleep environment control device according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the sleep environment control device is provided. The sleep environment control device according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation value calculation unit includes an area calculation unit that calculates an area surrounded by the waveform curve and a reference axis. In a sleep environment control program that causes a computer to control the sleep environment,
A sleep environment control program that gives the function of each means described in any one of claims 1 to 11 to a computer.

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