JP2013165817A - Sleep controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sleep controlling apparatus that can cope with an emergency.SOLUTION: A sleep controlling apparatus 1 for controlling the sleep depth of a user includes: a sleep control part 2 for controlling the sleep depth of the user; and an emergency information reception part 4 for receiving emergency information from the outside. The sleep control part 2 is equipped with an urgently applied stimulation control part 11 for applying an awakening stimulus to the user according to an emergency level of the emergency information when the emergency information reception part 4 receives the emergency information. Thus, the sleep controlling apparatus 1 can cope with the emergency even during the used thereof.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sleep control device that controls sleep depth.

  Patent Document 1 describes a sleep control device that keeps a user asleep so that the user does not fall asleep, and awakens the user after a predetermined sleep time set according to the sleepiness level.

JP 2009-213707 A

  However, since the sleep control device described in Patent Document 1 controls the sleep depth and sleep duration, there is room for improvement in terms of handling emergency situations such as disasters.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the sleep control apparatus which can respond in an emergency.

  The sleep control device according to the present invention is a sleep control device that controls the sleep depth of the user, and when the emergency information receiving unit that receives emergency information from the outside and the emergency information receiving unit receives the emergency information, And a stimulus imparting means for giving a user a wake-up stimulus according to emergency information.

  According to the sleep control device of the present invention, when emergency information from the outside is received, the user is provided with a wake-up stimulus according to the emergency information, so that it is possible to cope with an emergency even when the sleep control device is in use. .

  In this case, it is preferable that the stimulus applying unit changes the degree of arousal stimulus given to the user according to the urgency of the emergency information received by the emergency information receiving unit. By doing in this way, a user can be awakened by the appropriate awakening stimulus according to the degree of urgency. For example, when the urgency level is high, it is possible to wake up the user who is sleeping by using the sleep control device by giving a high arousal stimulus to the user, while when the urgency level is low By giving a comfortable arousal stimulus to the user, the user who is sleeping can be awakened comfortably by using the sleep control device.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to determine the urgency level of the emergency information according to the distance between the position of the user and the place where the emergency has occurred. Usually, the shorter the distance between the user's position and the place where the emergency occurs, the higher the probability that the emergency information is more urgent. Thus, by doing so, the urgency level can be determined appropriately and easily.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to cope with an emergency.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the sleep control apparatus which concerns on suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the sleep patterns P1-P4.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sleep control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the element which is the same or it corresponds in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sleep control device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The sleep control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used when a user during night shift or standby takes a nap in an emergency organization such as a fire department or a hospital. The sleep control device 1 includes an electronic sleep control unit 2 that controls the sleep control device 1 as a whole.

  The sleep control unit 2 is connected to a physiological information detection unit 3 that detects user's physiological information. The physiological information detection unit 3 is a part that detects physiological information such as the number of blinks of the user and the heart rate. The physiological information detection unit 3 outputs various detected physiological information to the sleep control unit 2.

  The sleep control unit 2 is connected to an emergency information receiving unit 4 that receives emergency information. The emergency information receiving unit 4 is a part that receives emergency information notifying an emergency from an emergency center that receives a call 119 by performing communication control with the outside. The emergency information received by the emergency information receiving unit 4 includes various information, for example, weather information (heavy rain, flood, thunder, etc.) transmitted by public organizations (such as the Japan Meteorological Agency and government offices), various information providing organizations, various companies, etc. Earthquakes, etc.), public organizations (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, government offices, etc.), road information, traffic information (accidents, traffic jams, disasters, etc.) sent by public corporations, public organizations (polices and government offices), various information provision Information on fires, natural disasters, man-made disasters, crimes, etc. transmitted by institutions and companies. The emergency information receiving unit 4 outputs the received information to the sleep control unit 2.

  In addition, a stimulus imparting device 5 is connected to the sleep control unit 2. The stimulus imparting device 5 is a device that imparts a physical stimulus to the user. Examples of the stimulus imparting device 5 include a speaker that imparts an auditory stimulus by sound, and a light emitting unit that imparts a visual stimulus by light. Examples of the stimulus given to the user by the stimulus applying device 5 include an arousal stimulus, a maintenance stimulus, and a wakefulness stimulus. Examples of the awakening stimulus include a visual stimulus such as flash light from a light emitting device, and an auditory stimulus such as music reproduction at a sound pressure exceeding a sensory threshold (for example, about 60 to 80 dB with white noise). Examples of the arousal stimulus include a perceptual stimulus such as room temperature adjustment suitable for sleep, a tactile stimulus by massage, and an auditory stimulus such as music reproduction suitable for sleep. Examples of the maintenance stimulus include continuous application of faint light and faint vibration, and auditory stimulus that repeatedly reproduces a sound of a predetermined sound pressure level (for example, about 55 dB for pink noise) for a period of 30 seconds.

  The sleep control unit 2 is a device that provides the user with a sleep pattern corresponding to the sleepiness level and awakens the user when receiving emergency information. The sleep control unit 2 includes a sleepiness level detection unit 6, a sleep depth determination unit 7, a sleep pattern selection unit 8, a sleep depth comparison unit 9, a sleep pattern application stimulus control unit 10, and an emergency application stimulus control unit 11. It is equipped with.

  The sleepiness level detection unit 6 is a part that detects the current sleepiness level of the user based on various physiological information detected by the physiological information detection unit 3. The sleepiness level detection unit 6 detects the sleepiness level according to the number of blinks and the heart rate of the physiological information detected by the physiological information detection unit 3, and outputs the detected sleepiness level to the sleep pattern selection unit 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the sleepiness level is classified into six levels 1 to 6 from mild to severe according to the severity of sleepiness. In this embodiment, the sleepiness degree 1-2 is defined as extremely mild sleepiness, the sleepiness degree 3-5 is defined as mild sleepiness, and the sleepiness degree 6 is defined as severe sleepiness that requires recovery from fatigue.

  The sleep depth determination unit 7 is a part that determines the sleep depth of the user during sleep (hereinafter referred to as “current sleep depth”). The sleep depth determination unit 7 determines the current sleep depth of the user based on the heart rate detected by the physiological information detection unit 3. The sleep depth determination unit 7 outputs the determined current sleep depth to the sleep depth comparison unit 9.

  The sleep pattern selection unit 8 is a part that selects one sleep pattern corresponding to the sleepiness level detected by the sleepiness level detection unit 6 and sets it as a sleep method to be controlled. Information about the sleep pattern selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8 is output to the sleep depth comparison unit 9 and the sleep pattern application stimulus control unit 10.

  The sleep pattern selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8 includes a plurality of sleep patterns P1 to P4 corresponding to the sleepiness level. As shown in FIG. 2, the sleep patterns P1 to P4 correspond to sleep patterns P1 to P3 corresponding to sleepiness levels 3 to 5 which are mild sleepiness and sleep patterns P4 corresponding to sleepiness level 6 which is severe sleepiness. And classified.

  The sleep patterns P1 to P3 are sleep patterns in which the user's sleep depth is maintained for a certain period of time at a sleep depth 2, which is a shallow sleep that allows the user to sleep. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the sleep pattern P1 is a sleep pattern corresponding to the sleepiness degree 3, and the sleep maintenance time T1 maintained at the sleep depth 2 is, for example, about 5 minutes. The sleep pattern P2 is a sleep pattern corresponding to the sleepiness level 4, and the sleep maintenance time T2 maintained at the sleep depth 2 is, for example, about 10 minutes. The sleep pattern P3 is a sleep pattern corresponding to sleepiness level 5, and the sleep maintenance time T3 maintained at the sleep depth 2 is, for example, about 30 minutes.

  On the other hand, the sleep pattern P4 is a sleep pattern using a natural sleep rhythm. As shown in FIG. 2, in the sleep pattern P <b> 4, the sleep depth of the user is increased to the sleep depth 4 using a natural sleep rhythm, and is temporarily maintained at the sleep depth 4. Then, after being maintained at the sleep depth 4, the user is awakened when the sleep becomes shallow until the sleep depth 2. In addition, in the nap in an emergency organization, since it is necessary to respond quickly to an emergency situation, it is preferable to select the sleep patterns P1 to P3 without selecting the sleep pattern P4.

  The sleep depth comparison unit 9 compares the sleep depth (hereinafter referred to as “target sleep depth”) in the sleep pattern selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8 with the current sleep depth determined by the sleep depth determination unit 7. And it is a part which outputs the comparison signal about the difference to the sleep pattern provision stimulation control part 10. FIG.

  The sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 is a part that drives and controls the stimulus imparting device 5.

  When the comparison signal from the sleep depth comparison unit 9 is input, the sleep pattern application stimulus control unit 10 provides the user with any one of the awakening stimulus, the maintenance stimulus, and the wakefulness stimulus according to the comparison signal. The drive of the stimulus applying device 5 is controlled. That is, when the sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 receives a comparison signal from the sleep depth comparison unit 9 that the current sleep depth is greater than the target sleep depth, that is, the sleep that is targeted by the user's sleep depth When it is deeper than the depth of the device, the stimulating device 5 is operated to give the user a wake-up stimulus that reduces the sleep depth of the user. When the sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 receives a comparison signal from the sleep depth comparison unit 9 that the current sleep depth is smaller than the target sleep depth, that is, the sleep depth of the user is the target. When it is shallower than the depth of sleep, the stimulating device 5 is operated to give the user a wakefulness stimulus that increases the sleep depth of the user. The sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 receives a comparison signal from the sleep depth comparison unit 9 that the current sleep depth and the target sleep depth are the same, that is, the sleep depth of the user is the target. When the sleep depth is equal to the sleep depth, the stimulus applying device 5 is operated to apply a maintenance stimulus for maintaining the user's sleep depth to the user.

  On the other hand, when the sleep pattern selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8 is completed, the sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 drives and controls the stimulus imparting device 5 so as to impart the arousal stimulus to the user. That is, when the sleep pattern P1 to P3 is selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8, the sleep pattern imparting stimulus control unit 10 has elapsed time after starting the sleep pattern exceeds the sleep maintenance time of the sleep pattern. Then, the stimulus imparting device 5 is driven and controlled so as to impart an arousal stimulus to the user, and the user is awakened. In addition, when the sleep pattern application stimulus control unit 10 determines that the sleep pattern P4 is selected and set by the sleep pattern selection unit 8 and the sleep depth determination unit 7 determines that the user's sleep has become shallower to the sleep depth 2, the awakening stimulus The stimulus applying device 5 is driven and controlled so as to give the user awaken the user.

  When the emergency information receiving unit 4 receives the emergency information, the emergency giving stimulus control unit 11 is a part that drives and controls the stimulus applying device 5 so as to give the user a wake-up stimulus according to the emergency information.

  When the emergency giving stimulus control unit 11 detects that the emergency information receiving unit 4 has received the emergency information, the emergency giving stimulus control unit 11 first determines the urgency of the emergency information received by the emergency information receiving unit 4.

  The urgency of the emergency information is determined based on the urgency of the emergency information itself, the degree of influence on the user, and the like. The degree of urgency is determined according to, for example, a distance between a place where the user uses the sleep control device 1 and a place where an emergency has occurred. For example, in the case where a doctor takes a nap using the sleep control device 1 in an emergency hospital, if the emergency vehicle carrying the emergency patient is far from the emergency hospital, the emergency patient will be transported to the emergency hospital. Because there is time, the impact on the doctor is relatively low. However, if the emergency vehicle that transports the emergency patient is close to the emergency hospital, there will be time before the emergency patient is transported to the emergency hospital. Therefore, the influence on the doctor is relatively high. Therefore, the shorter the distance between the place where the user uses the sleep control device 1 and the place where the emergency occurs, the higher the degree of urgency, and the user uses the sleep control device 1. It is determined that the urgency level is lower as the distance between the current location and the location where the emergency has occurred is longer.

  In this case, if the emergency information received by the emergency information receiving unit 4 includes information on the location where the emergency has occurred, the location where the emergency has occurred is determined from the information included in the emergency information. Can be specified. On the other hand, when the emergency information received by the emergency information receiving unit 4 does not include information on the location where the emergency has occurred, the location where the emergency has occurred can be specified by an operator's operation or the like. it can.

  And the emergency provision stimulus control part 11 changes the grade (wakefulness stimulus level) of the arousal stimulus given to a user according to the judgment result of the urgency level of emergency information, and drives and controls the stimulus provision device 5.

  That is, the emergency giving stimulus control unit 11 drives and controls the stimulus giving device 5 so as to give the user an arousal stimulus having a high arousal stimulus level as the emergency degree of the emergency information is higher. The stimulus applying device 5 is driven and controlled so as to give the user an arousal stimulus having a low arousal stimulus level. Thus, when the urgency level of the emergency information is high, the user can be immediately awakened by giving the user an arousal stimulus having a high arousal stimulus level. As a result, the user can immediately respond to an emergency with a high degree of urgency. On the other hand, when the urgency level of the emergency information is low, the user can be awakened comfortably by giving the user an arousal stimulus having a low arousal stimulus level. As a result, the user can take an appropriate action in an emergency with ease.

  Note that the degree of urgency and the arousal stimulation level can be set in advance according to the contents of the emergency information. In this case, it is preferable to create a database in which the contents of emergency information, the urgency level, and the arousal stimulus level are associated with each other. Thereby, since user customization is possible, it can be made more effective for the user.

  As described above, according to the sleep control device 1 according to the present embodiment, when emergency information is received from the outside, the sleep control device 1 of the sleep control device 1 is provided with an appropriate arousal stimulus according to the urgency of the emergency information. Even during use, the user can be awakened by an appropriate arousal stimulus according to the degree of urgency.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the embodiment described above, the wakefulness stimulation level is changed according to the urgency level of the emergency information. However, the wakefulness stimulation level can be changed according to various factors of the emergency information.

  In the above embodiment, the urgency level has been described as being determined according to the distance between the user's position and the location where the emergency has occurred, but there are various levels such as surrounding traffic information and the severity of the emergency. It can be judged by factors.

  The emergency information receiving unit 4 may be connected to a separate communication means (cell phone, mobile communication, TV, personal computer, etc.) to receive emergency information, and has its own dedicated communication hardware built in. Information may be received.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the sleep control apparatus demonstrated as what selects and sets from sleep pattern P1-P4 and controls a user's sleep depth, the sleep pattern only maintains at the sleep depth 2 which is a shallow sleep. It is good also as what controls a user's sleep depth using only.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sleep control apparatus, 2 ... Sleep control part, 3 ... Physiological information detection part, 4 ... Emergency information receiving part (emergency information vibration means), 5 ... Stimulus imparting apparatus, 6 ... Sleepiness degree detection part, 7 ... Sleep depth determination 8 is a sleep pattern selection unit, 9 is a sleep depth comparison unit, 10 is a sleep pattern application stimulus control unit, and 11 is an emergency application stimulus control unit (stimulation unit).

Claims (3)

A sleep control device for controlling a user's sleep depth,
Emergency information receiving means for receiving external emergency information;
When the emergency information receiving means receives emergency information, a stimulus applying means for giving a user a wake-up stimulus according to the emergency information;
A sleep control device comprising: The stimulus applying means changes the degree of arousal stimulus given to the user according to the urgency of the emergency information received by the emergency information receiving means,
The sleep control apparatus according to claim 1. The urgency level of emergency information is determined according to the distance between the user's location and the location where the emergency occurred,
The sleep control apparatus according to claim 2.

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