JP5741471B2 - Sleep control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sleep control device.

  Conventionally, a sleep control device that controls the sleep state of a user is known. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-213707 discloses a sleep control device that allows a driver during driving to take an appropriate nap.

  By the way, in daily life, it is common to wake up by an alarm such as an alarm clock at a scheduled wake up time several hours after going to bed. It is well known that after awakening temporarily by an alarm, it is driven again by the urge to sleep, that is, the urge to sleep twice.

JP 2009-213707 A

  However, if you are awakened in the state of deep sleep while sleeping twice, you may not be able to get a comfortable feeling of awakening because you will have uncomfortable feelings such as drowsiness and dullness after getting up.

  Therefore, the present invention is intended to provide a sleep control device that can provide a comfortable awakening feeling to a user who has been awakened while sleeping twice.

Sleep control device according to the present invention includes a sleep depth controller for controlling the sleep depth of the user, the sleep depth control unit again after the user has temporarily awakening by the operation of the definitive awake scheduled time awakening device It operates when sleeping and maintains the user's sleep depth at a constant level that is below the threshold level. The sleep depth is divided into a plurality of different levels according to the sleep depth, and the constant level may be a level equal to or lower than a threshold value among the plurality of levels. Also, the plurality of levels include a first level indicating light sleep, a second level indicating relatively light sleep, a third level indicating relatively deep sleep, and a fourth level indicating deep sleep. The predetermined level may be the second level, including four different levels depending on the depth of the second level. The sleep depth control unit may maintain the user's sleep depth for a predetermined maintenance period.

  According to the sleep control device of the present invention, the sleep depth control device operates after the wake-up device is activated at the scheduled wake-up time, and the sleep depth of the user is maintained below the threshold level. Here, the sleep depth equal to or lower than the threshold level means a sleep depth of a level corresponding to a shallow sleep that allows a person to sleep. Accordingly, the user is prevented from falling into a deep sleep after the wake-up device is activated at the scheduled wake-up time. For this reason, even if the user is awakened in the state of sleeping twice after the operation of the awakening device, the user can obtain a comfortable awakening feeling without remaining uncomfortable after waking up.

  In addition, the sleep depth control unit may be activated when the user is awakened temporarily by the activation of the awakening device and is sleeping again. Thereby, sleep depth control can be reliably started after confirming the implementation of the double sleep by the user.

  In addition, the sleep depth control unit may operate after the user interrupts the operation of the awakening device. Thereby, after confirming the intention of the user to sleep twice, the sleep depth control can be surely started.

  Further, during the operation of the sleep depth control unit, it may be suppressed from restarting for a while after the operation of the awakening device is interrupted by the user. This corresponds to, for example, suppressing the alarm snooze function. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the sleep depth control from being hindered by the operation of the awakening device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sleep control apparatus which can provide a comfortable feeling of awakening to the user who was awakened in the state of sleeping twice can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the sleep control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the sleep control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the control condition of a user's sleep depth.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the sleep control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a sleep control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sleep control device is provided in a sleep device such as a bed or a reclining chair. In the following, a case where the sleep control device is applied to a bed will be described.

  The sleep control device is a device that can provide a comfortable awakening feeling to a user who has been awakened while sleeping twice. The sleep control device includes an alarm operating unit 11, a sleep state measuring unit 12, a control unit 13, and a stimulus applying unit 14.

  The alarm operating unit 11 is an example of an awakening device that operates an alarm for awakening. The alarm operation unit 11 includes a speaker that emits an alarm sound, for example, disposed at the bedside of the bed. The speaker emits an alarm sound such as a beep sound, music, or voice at a preset scheduled awakening time. The alarm activation unit 11 supplies an operation signal to the control unit 13 when the alarm is activated. In the following, the case where the alarm operating unit 11 functions as a wake-up device will be described. However, the wake-up device may be an external device such as an alarm clock that is separate from the sleep control device.

  The alarm operation unit 11 includes, for example, an alarm switch and a snooze switch arranged at the bedside of the bed. The alarm switch is a switch for switching an alarm on and off, and the snooze switch is a switch for switching an alarm snooze function on and off. When the alarm switch or the snooze switch is switched, the alarm operating unit 11 supplies each switching signal to the control unit 13. The alarm switch or snooze switch is preferably configured to be switched by the user and also by the control unit 13.

  When the scheduled awakening time arrives, the alarm operating unit 11 operates the alarm over an alarm period (for example, 1 to 3 minutes). When the snooze function is turned on during the alarm period, the alarm activation unit 11 activates the alarm again after interrupting the alarm operation over the snooze period (for example, 10 to 30 minutes).

  The sleep state measurement unit 12 measures the sleep state of the user. The sleep state measurement unit 12 includes, for example, a heart rate measurement sensor for measuring a user's heart rate. The heart rate measurement sensor is arranged on a bed mat, for example, measures the heart rate of the user for each measurement period, and supplies the measurement result to the control unit 13.

  The control unit 13 includes an alarm situation determination unit 15, a sleep depth determination unit 16, and a sleep depth control unit 20. The control unit 13 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and by reading a program stored in the ROM and executing the program on the CPU, the alarm state determination unit 15, the sleep depth determination unit 16, and the sleep depth control unit 20 Function as. Note that some or all of the alarm status determination unit 15, the sleep depth determination unit 16, and the sleep depth control unit 20 may be configured as individual units or devices.

  The alarm status determination unit 15 determines the operating status of the alarm. The alarm status determination unit 15 determines the alarm activation status based on the signal from the alarm activation unit 11 and supplies the determination result to the sleep depth control unit 20. The alarm status determination unit 15 determines whether the alarm has been activated at the scheduled awakening time based on the alarm activation signal. Further, the alarm status determination unit 15 determines the on state and off state of the alarm or the on state and off state of the snooze function based on the alarm or snooze function switching signal.

  The sleep depth determination unit 16 determines the sleep depth of the user. The sleep depth determination unit 16 determines the sleep depth based on the measurement result of the sleep state, and supplies the determination result to the sleep depth control unit 20. The sleep depth means here the depth of sleep at an arbitrary time. The sleep depth is classified into levels L0 to L4, for example, where level L0 is an awake state, level L1 is a light sleep, level L2 is a light sleep, level L3 is a deep sleep, and level L4 is a deep sleep.

  The sleep depth control unit 20 controls the sleep depth of the user. The sleep depth control unit 20 includes a sleep pattern storage unit 21, a sleep pattern selection unit 22, an elapsed time measurement unit 23, a sleep depth comparison unit 24, and a stimulus signal generation unit 25. As will be described later, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates to start control of the sleep depth based on the alarm operation state or the determination result of the sleep depth.

  The sleep pattern storage unit 21 stores a sleep pattern used for controlling the sleep depth. The sleep pattern storage unit 21 stores at least the sleep pattern A that maintains the sleep depth below the threshold level. Here, the sleep depth equal to or lower than the threshold level means a sleep depth at a level corresponding to a shallow sleep that allows a person to sleep without reaching deep sleep, for example, a sleep depth at the level L2 described above. In the sleep pattern A, after the sleep depth is maintained below the threshold level over the maintenance period, the sleep pattern A is lowered to a level suitable for awakening.

  The sleep pattern storage unit 21 may store other sleep patterns using a natural sleep rhythm. Here, the natural sleep rhythm is an awakening rhythm with a 90-minute cycle called ultradian rhythm, and REM sleep and non-REM sleep are alternately repeated. In other sleep patterns, the sleep depth is maintained above a threshold level over the maintenance period and then lowered to a level suitable for awakening.

  The sleep pattern selection unit 22 selects a sleep pattern used for controlling the sleep depth. The sleep pattern selection unit 22 selects a sleep pattern based on the alarm operating state and the sleep depth determination result, and supplies the selection result to the elapsed time measurement unit 23 and the sleep depth comparison unit 24.

  The sleep pattern selection unit 22 selects the first sleep pattern after the alarm is activated at the scheduled awakening time. In this case, the sleep pattern is selected based on the alarm activation signal. Moreover, the sleep pattern selection part 22 may select a 1st sleep pattern, when the user is awakening temporarily by the action | operation of an alarm and is sleeping again. In this case, the sleep pattern is selected based on the alarm operating state and the determination result of the sleep depth. Furthermore, the sleep pattern selection unit 22 may select the first sleep pattern after the user interrupts the operation of the alarm. In this case, the sleep pattern is selected based on an alarm-off or snooze-on switching signal.

  The elapsed time measurement unit 23 measures the elapsed time of sleep depth control. The elapsed time measurement unit 23 measures the time that has elapsed since the start of sleep depth control, and supplies the measurement result to the sleep depth comparison unit 24.

  The sleep depth comparison unit 24 compares the actual level of the user with the target level of the sleep pattern for the sleep depth. The sleep depth comparison unit 24 compares the actual level and the target level according to the progress of sleep depth control, and supplies the comparison result to the stimulus signal generation unit 25. In addition, an actual level is a level based on the determination result of sleep depth, and a target level is a level set as a sleep pattern.

  The stimulus signal generation unit 25 generates a stimulus signal corresponding to the comparison result of the sleep depth. The stimulation signal generation unit 25 generates a stimulation signal for appropriately controlling the sleep depth, and supplies the generated stimulation signal to the stimulation applying unit 14. The stimulus signal is any one of an arousal stimulus signal that promotes the user's awakening, a maintenance stimulus signal that maintains sleep, and a wakefulness stimulus signal that promotes sleep.

  The wakefulness stimulation signal is a signal for prompting wakefulness when the actual level is higher than the target level, that is, when the user is too sleepy. The maintenance stimulation signal is a signal for maintaining sleep when the actual level is substantially equal to the target level, that is, when the user is properly sleeping. The wakefulness stimulation signal is a signal for prompting sleep when the actual level is lower than the target level, that is, when the user is too sleepy.

  The stimulus applying unit 14 provides the user with a stimulus for appropriately controlling the sleep depth based on the stimulus signal. The stimulus applying unit 14 includes, for example, a speaker that is arranged at the bedside of the bed and applies an auditory stimulus by sound. The stimulus applying unit 14 includes a light emitting device that is provided, for example, above or on the side of the bed and applies a visual stimulus by light. Moreover, the stimulus imparting unit 14 includes a vibration device that is arranged on, for example, a bed mat or a pillow and imparts a tactile stimulus by vibration.

  The stimulus for controlling the sleep depth is classified into an arousal stimulus, a maintenance stimulus, and a wakefulness stimulus. The arousal stimulus is, for example, a visual stimulus by flash light, or an auditory stimulus by sound having a sound pressure exceeding a sensory threshold (for example, white noise is about 60 to 80 dB). The maintenance stimulus is, for example, a perceptual stimulus by continuous application of weak light or vibration, or an auditory stimulus by a sound having a predetermined sound pressure (for example, about 55 dB for pink noise) repeated at a predetermined cycle. The arousal stimulus is a perceptual stimulus by adjusting a room temperature suitable for sleep, a tactile stimulus by a massage suitable for sleep, and an auditory stimulus by a sound suitable for sleep.

  Next, operations of the sleep control device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the sleep control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a control state of the sleep depth. The sleep control device executes the process shown in FIG. 2 for each user.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the alarm situation determination unit 15 determines whether or not an alarm is activated at the scheduled awakening time (step S11). The activation of the alarm serves as a trigger for starting sleep depth control.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the alarm has been activated, the alarm situation determination unit 15 may determine whether or not the user has interrupted the operation of the alarm (S12). By determining the interruption of the alarm operation, the user's intention to sleep twice can be confirmed. The interruption of the alarm operation is determined based on an alarm off or snooze on switching signal. The interruption of the alarm operation is also a trigger to start sleep depth control.

  Here, when determining the interruption, it is preferable that the sleep depth determination unit 16 determines whether or not the user is getting up based on the measurement result of the sleep state. This is because it is not necessary to carry out sleep depth control when the user wakes up by interrupting the operation of the alarm.

  Moreover, when it determines with the alarm having act | operated in step S11, the sleep depth determination part 16 is whether it is sleeping again after the user woke up temporarily by the action | operation of an alarm, ie, it is sleeping twice. It may be determined whether or not (S13). Double sleep is determined based on fluctuations in the level of sleep depth. By determining whether to sleep twice, it is possible to confirm that the user has gone to sleep twice. Twice sleeping is also a trigger to start sleep depth control.

  When the sleep depth control start trigger is obtained in at least one of steps S11, S12, and S13, the alarm situation determination unit 15 may determine whether or not the snooze function is turned on (S14). If the snooze function is on, a control signal for turning off the snooze function is supplied to the alarm operating unit 11 (S15). This is to prevent the execution of the sleep depth control from being hindered by the activation of the alarm during the operation of the sleep depth control.

  When the sleep depth control start trigger is obtained in at least one of steps S11, S12, and S13, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates to start the sleep depth control (S16). And the sleep depth control part 20 maintains a user's sleep depth below a threshold level (S17).

  Specifically, when sleep depth control is started, the sleep pattern selection unit 22 selects the sleep pattern A. The elapsed time measurement unit 23 measures the elapsed time of sleep depth control. The sleep depth comparison unit 24 compares the actual level and the target level for the sleep depth. The stimulus signal generation unit 25 generates a stimulus signal corresponding to the comparison result of the sleep depth. And the stimulus provision part 14 provides the user with the stimulus for appropriately controlling the sleep depth based on the stimulus signal.

  During the execution of the sleep depth control, the elapsed time measurement unit 23 determines whether or not the sleep depth maintenance period has ended (S18). If it is not determined that the maintenance period has ended, the sleep control device returns to step S17 to continue the sleep depth and maintain it below the threshold level. On the other hand, when it is determined that the maintenance period has ended, the stimulus application control unit supplies the stimulus applying unit 14 with an arousal stimulus signal for making the user wake up (S19).

  Drawing 3 is a mimetic diagram showing an example of a control situation of a user's sleep depth. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the level of sleep depth. FIG. 3 shows the sleep depth control status based on various sleep patterns. At a time prior to the scheduled awakening time t0, the user is in a relatively deep sleep state and the sleep depth is at the level L3. When the scheduled awakening time t0 is reached, an alarm is activated. The user is temporarily awakened at time t1 by the alarm, enters a state of shallow sleep, and the sleep depth falls to level L1.

  Here, when the sleep depth control is not performed, the user goes to sleep again after being temporarily awakened, that is, sleeps twice, and the sleep depth is increased to the level L3. Furthermore, if the user falls into a deep sleep while sleeping twice, the sleep depth increases to level L4. In this state, when the alarm is forcibly awakened by another alarm or another person at time t5, the sleep depth suddenly decreases from the level L4 to the level L0. In this case, the user remains uncomfortable such as drowsiness and dullness after getting up, and cannot obtain a comfortable awakening. Note that even when the user is awakened from a relatively deep sleep, the user has some discomfort after getting up and cannot get a comfortable awakening.

  On the other hand, in the sleep pattern A, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates after the alarm is activated (when it is in a temporary awakening state (time t1)). When the sleep depth control is started, the user is prompted to sleep, and the sleep depth is increased to the level L2. Then, the sleep depth maintenance period Ta starts. During the sleep depth maintenance period Ta, the user is in a relatively shallow sleep state, and the sleep depth is maintained at the level L2. When the sleep depth maintenance period Ta elapses, the user is gradually awakened by the continuous awakening stimulus, and the sleep depth gradually decreases from the level L2 to the level L0. In this case, the user can obtain a comfortable awakening feeling without remaining uncomfortable after waking up.

  Moreover, in the sleep pattern B, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates after the user interrupts the operation of the alarm (time t2). In this case, the user is awakened to shift to a shallow sleep, and the sleep depth is increased to the level L2. Then, during the sleep depth maintenance period Tb, the user is in a relatively shallow sleep state, and the sleep depth is maintained at the level L2. In the sleep pattern B, since the intention of sleeping twice by the user is confirmed, the sleep depth maintenance period Tb may be set longer than the sleep pattern A maintenance period Ta.

  In the sleep pattern C, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates when the user is awakened temporarily at the time t1 by the operation of the alarm and is sleeping again (time t3). In this case, the user is awakened to shift to shallow sleep, and the sleep depth is lowered to the level L2. Then, during the sleep depth maintenance period Tc, the user is in a relatively shallow sleep state, and the sleep depth is maintained at the level L2. In sleep pattern C, since it has been confirmed that the user has slept twice, the sleep depth maintenance period Tc may be set shorter than the sleep pattern A maintenance period Ta.

  As described above, according to the sleep control device according to the present embodiment, the sleep depth control device operates after the wake-up device is activated at the scheduled wake-up time, and the sleep depth of the user is maintained below the threshold level. Accordingly, the user is prevented from falling into a deep sleep after the wake-up device is activated at the scheduled wake-up time. For this reason, even if the user is awakened in the state of sleeping twice after the operation of the awakening device, the user can obtain a comfortable awakening feeling without remaining uncomfortable after waking up.

  In addition, the sleep depth control unit 20 is activated when the user is awakened temporarily by the activation of the awakening device and then sleeping again. Control can begin.

  In addition, the sleep depth control unit 20 operates after the user interrupts the operation of the awakening device, so that the sleep depth control can be surely started after confirming the intention of the user to sleep twice.

  In addition, during the operation of the sleep depth control unit 20, by suppressing the restart of the awakening device for a while after the operation of the awakening device is interrupted by the user, the execution of the sleep depth control is prevented by the operation of the awakening device. This can be prevented.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above demonstrated best embodiment of the sleep control apparatus which concerns on this invention, and the sleep control apparatus which concerns on this invention is not limited to what was described in this embodiment. . The sleep control device according to the present invention may be obtained by modifying the sleep control device according to the present embodiment within a range not departing from the gist of the invention described in each claim, or by applying it to other devices.

  Further, the present invention provides a program for providing a comfortable awakening feeling to a user who has been awakened in the state of sleeping twice according to the above-described method, or a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. Can be applied similarly.

  For example, in the description of the above embodiment, the case where the alarm operating unit 11 of the sleep control device functions as a wake-up device has been described. However, the stimulus applying unit 14 of the sleep control device may function as an awakening device. An external device such as an alarm clock that is separate from the sleep control device may be used as the wake-up device. In this case, the external device may be operated in cooperation with the sleep control device or may be operated individually. The operating condition of the alarm may be acquired through an electrical / mechanical connection unit, or may be acquired by a microphone or the like.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the case where the alarm operating unit 11 generates an alarm sound has been described. However, the alarm may be given to the user as a stimulus other than the auditory stimulus such as a visual stimulus and a contact stimulus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Alarm operation part, 12 ... Sleep state measurement part, 13 ... Control unit, 14 ... Stimulation provision part, 15 ... Alarm condition determination part, 16 ... Sleep depth determination part, 20 ... Sleep depth control part, 21 ... Sleep pattern storage Unit, 22 ... sleep pattern selection unit, 23 ... elapsed time measurement unit, 24 ... sleep depth comparison unit, 25 ... stimulation signal generation unit.

Claims (6)

With a sleep depth control unit that controls the sleep depth of the user,
The sleep depth control unit, by the operation of the definitive awakening device awake scheduled time and activated when the user is sleeping again after temporarily awakening is the threshold level below said sleep depth of the user A sleep control device that maintains a constant level . The sleep depth is divided into a plurality of different levels according to sleep depth,
  The sleep control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the certain level is a level equal to or lower than the threshold level among the plurality of levels. The plurality of levels include: a first level indicative of light sleep, a second level indicative of light sleep, a third level indicative of relatively deep sleep, and a fourth level indicative of deep sleep. Includes four different levels depending on depth,
The sleep control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the certain level is the second level.   The sleep control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sleep depth control unit maintains the sleep depth of the user for a predetermined maintenance period. The sleep control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sleep depth control unit operates after the user interrupts the operation of the awakening device. The sleep control according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein during the operation of the sleep depth control unit, the operation of the awakening device is suppressed from being resumed for a while after being interrupted by the user. apparatus.

Images