Terminal device, program, and control method

Abstract

To provide a terminal device, program, and control method or the like for appropriately supporting sleep of a user.SOLUTION: A terminal device includes: an acquisition part for acquiring snore information related to snore of a user; and a control part for allowing a bed to be used by a user in sleeping to control sections of the bed based on the snore information. When snore is continuously detected based on the snore information even when an angle of the section is changed, the control section performs control to re-change the angle of the section, and performs control to switch an angle change direction based on the angle of the section in section control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a program, a control method, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] There are various known methods for supporting the sleep of users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for adjusting the bottom angle of an electric bed when snoring by a user is detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0184811 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Elevating the back is an effective way to prevent snoring, as it secures the airway. However, the angle at which the airway can be secured varies depending on the user's body type, making it difficult to determine the optimal angle.

[0005] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal device, a program, a control method, and the like that appropriately support a user's sleep. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a terminal device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information related to a user's snoring and sleep information related to the user's sleep, and a control unit that, when the user is determined to be in a sleeping state, controls the bottom of the bed used by the user to sleep based on the snoring information, wherein the control unit controls the angle of the bed to be changed again if snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even after the angle of the bed is changed, and controls the direction of the angle change based on the angle of the bottom in controlling the bottom. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system. [Figure 2A] 10 is an example of an operation screen displayed on a display unit of a terminal device. [Figure 2B] 10 is an example of an operation screen displayed on a display unit of a terminal device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of a detection device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of searching for a snore suppression angle (first control). [Figure 6] 10 is an example of correspondence information in which users are associated with snoring suppression angles. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining whether to set the first control to on or off. [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between sleeping posture and snoring obtained by the third control. [Figure 8B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between back angle and snoring obtained by the first control. [Figure 9] 10 is an example of a screen displaying information acquired during sleep. [Figure 10A] 10 is an example of an operation screen displayed on a display unit of a terminal device. [Figure 10B] 10 is an example of an operation screen displayed on a display unit of a terminal device. [Figure 11] 10 is an example of second correspondence information in which courses (modes) are associated with controls. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present disclosure.

[0009] 1. System configuration example FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a control system 10 according to this embodiment. The control system 10 may include a terminal device 100, a detection device 200, and a bed 300. However, the control system 10 is not limited to the example of FIG. 1, and modifications such as omitting some components or adding other components are possible. For example, the detection device 200 may be omitted, or other devices may be added. The fact that components may be omitted or added also applies to other drawings such as FIG. 4A.

[0010] Bed 300 is an electric bed that includes a control unit 310 and a movable unit 70 as a controlled unit controlled by control unit 310. Movable unit 70 includes a bottom 71. A mattress 76 (described later with reference to FIG. 3) is placed on bottom 71. A user 81 lies on mattress 76. As described above, bottom 71 here is a floor board on which mattress 76 and the like are placed, and may include a plurality of plate-like members as shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] For the bed in which the controlled unit is controlled, the technique described in PCT / JP2018 / 044703 (Invention title: Electric furniture, International filing date: December 5, 2018) can be used, for example. This patent application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0012] The movable section 70 includes, for example, a back section 70a, a knee section 70b, a leg section 70c, and a height adjustment section 70h. The height adjustment section 70h is, for example, a bed elevator. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the movable section 70 may further include a head section 70d. The angles of the multiple sections included in the bottom 71 (the back section 70a, the knee section 70b, the leg section 70c, and the head section 70d) relative to each other can be changed. As shown in FIG. 1, the bed 300 may also include, as controlled units, a lighting section 73a and a temperature control section 73b.

[0013] For example, the angle of the user's back can be changed by moving the back bottom 70a. The angle of the knees can be changed by moving the knee bottom 70b and leg bottom 70c. The angle or height of the user's head can be changed by moving the head bottom 70d. These angles may change in conjunction with each other. These angles are angles based on the frame 75 of the bed. For example, the frame 75 is set substantially parallel to the floor surface. The angle of the bottom 71 described above may also be an angle based on the floor surface. In this example, casters 70g are provided below the frame 75. The casters 70g may be omitted and replaced with "legs".

[0014] The height change unit 70h can change the distance (height) between the floor surface and the bed surface, for example. The height change unit 70h may be able to change the height of the head side of the bed 300 and the height of the foot side of the bed 300 independently. This allows the overall inclination of the bed surface to be changed.

[0015] For example, an actuator or the like is used for these movable parts 70. The operation of the movable parts 70 enables at least one of "back lifting," "knee lifting," "height adjustment," and "tilting." "Tilt" includes at least one of rolling and tilting.

[0016] The bed 300 of this embodiment is connected to a terminal device 100, and controlled units including the movable unit 70 are controlled based on signals from the terminal device 100. For example, the terminal device 100 transmits a control signal to a control unit 310 of the bed 300, and the control unit 310 operates the movable unit 70 based on the control signal. The terminal device 100 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. However, the terminal device 100 may also be another device such as a PC (Personal Computer).

[0017] For example, the terminal device 100 operates in accordance with control application software to display an arbitrary operation screen on the display unit 160. As a method for controlling a bed linked to a terminal device or the like, for example, the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-228590 (Title of Invention: Bed Apparatus, Filing Date: December 5, 2018) can be used. This patent application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0018] 2A shows screen 42A, which is an example of an operation screen. Screen 42A is, for example, a TOP screen, and displays, for example, an icon ("Menu") for transitioning to a screen related to the menu of control system 10, an icon ("Automatic Operation") for transitioning to a screen related to settings for automatic operation of control system 10, and an icon ("Screen Switch") for switching to a screen related to operation of bed 300.

[0019] When it is determined that the "Screen Switch" icon on screen 42A has been selected by the user, the screen transitions to screen 42B shown in FIG. 2B. Screen 42B is a screen related to the operation of bed 300, and displays area 42B1 showing information about the positions of each bottom of bed 300 and the position of frame 75, area 42B2 displaying multiple icons for selecting an operation mode of bed 300, and an icon ("START") for executing the mode selected in area 42B2. The movable part 70 of bed 300 is driven according to each operation mode. The operation modes are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-228590, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, terminal device 100 may display a screen for manually adjusting the angle of each of multiple parts included in bottom 71.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the detection device 200. In FIG. 3, components are depicted separated from one another to make the illustration easier to see. As shown in FIG. 3, in a bed 300, a bottom 71 is provided on the bed leg portion 74 of a bed section 70B. A mattress 76 is provided on the bottom 71. A user 81 lies on the mattress 76. The detection device 200 is provided, for example, between the bottom 71 and the mattress 76. For example, the detection device 200 is a sheet-like or plate-like device.

[0021] The detection device 200 determines the state of the user 81. Specifically, when the user 81 goes to bed, the detection device 200 detects the body vibrations (body movement, vibrations) of the user 81 through the mattress 76. Based on the body vibrations detected by the detection device 200, biological information indicating the state of biological activity of the user 81 is calculated. For example, the biological information includes information on the respiratory rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, awake / asleep, and whether the user is out of bed or in bed. Furthermore, the determination of sleep may include determining whether the user is in non-REM sleep or REM sleep, and determining the depth of sleep.

[0022] Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the terminal device 100 and the detection device 200 are communicatively connected and the biological information is obtained in the terminal device 100. However, the calculation of the biological information may be performed in the detection device 200 or in another device (for example, the control unit 310 of the bed 300, a server connected to the terminal device 100, etc.).

[0023] For example, the periodicity of body movement may be analyzed, and the respiratory rate and heart rate may be calculated from the peak frequency. The periodicity may be analyzed by, for example, a Fourier transform. The respiratory rate is the number of breaths per unit time. The heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit time. The unit time may be, for example, one minute. Alternatively, body vibrations may be detected per sampling unit time, and the number of detected body vibrations may be calculated as the amount of activity.

[0024] Furthermore, as a method for detecting whether the user 81 is in or out of bed, their position, posture, etc., the method for detecting entry and exit described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327624 (title of invention: bed entry and exit detection device, filing date: November 11, 2002), the detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327632 (title of invention: bed position shift detection device, filing date: November 11, 2002), and the detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327633 (title of invention: bed position detection device, filing date: November 11, 2002) can be used. These patent applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0025] The method of this embodiment is not limited to one that uses body vibrations, as long as it can detect biometric information of the user 81. For example, the biometric information may be calculated using an infrared sensor, a camera, an actuator with a strain gauge, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, radar that detects the displacement of the body surface or bedding, or the like.

[0026] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG.

[0027] The acquisition unit 110 acquires snoring information related to snoring of the user 81. The snoring information here may be information about snoring sounds obtained based on the output sound of a microphone placed near the user, for example.

[0028] Based on the snoring information, the control unit 120 controls the bottom 71 of the bed 300 used by the user 81 to sleep. Here, the bottom 71 may include the back bottom 70a, the knee bottom 70b, the leg bottom 70c, the head bottom 70d, etc., as described above.

[0029] The control unit 120 is configured by the following hardware. The hardware can include at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the hardware can be configured by one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on a circuit board. The one or more circuit devices are, for example, an integrated circuit (IC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The one or more circuit elements are, for example, a resistor, a capacitor, etc.

[0030] The control unit 120 may also be implemented by the following processor. The terminal device 100 of this embodiment includes a memory that stores information and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The information may be, for example, a program and various data. The processor includes hardware. Various types of processors may be used, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a digital signal processor (DSP). The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a flash memory, or may be a register, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive. For example, the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions to realize the functions of the control unit 120 as processing. The instructions may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a program, or instructions that instruct the hardware circuitry of the processor to operate.

[0031] In this embodiment, if snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even after the angle of the bottom 71 has been changed, the control unit 120 performs control to change the angle of the bottom 71 again. The control of the bottom 71 may then switch the direction of the angle change based on the current angle of the bottom 71. For example, while snoring by the user 81 is detected, the control unit 120 repeatedly performs control to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle at predetermined intervals. In this way, the angle of the back bottom 70a changes, and an angle that can suppress snoring for the target user 81 can be appropriately determined. In this case, the direction of change does not have to be fixed to an increase, and control to decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a may be performed. For example, if the angle of the back bottom 70a reaches the upper limit of the movable range as a result of increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a, the control unit 120 may switch to control to decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. Similarly, if the angle of the back bottom 70a is decreased and the current angle reaches the lower limit of the movable range, the control unit 120 may switch to control to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. However, the change direction is not limited to when the end point of the movable range is reached, and the change direction may also be changed at points other than the end points of the movable range. By changing the change direction at points other than the end points, it is possible to increase the priority of a portion of the movable range and decrease the priority of other ranges within the movable range. A high priority for a given angle means that the angle is likely to be set. For example, the conditions for changing the change direction may be different for each user 81.

[0032] Furthermore, when snoring is detected based on the snoring information, the control unit 120 of this embodiment performs control to search for a snore suppression angle, which is an angle determined to suppress snoring, based on the angle of the bottom 71 and the snoring information. Specific processing details will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 etc.

[0033] According to the method of the present embodiment, it is possible to control the angle of the bottom 71 while checking the actual snoring state. Therefore, although the back angle at which the airway can be secured may differ for each user, it is possible to determine a back angle suitable for each user. The back angle here refers to the angle of the back of the user 81, and is synonymous with the angle of the back bottom 70a relative to the floor surface on which the frame 75 or the bed 300 is placed, for example. In other words, according to the method of the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately determine the angle of the back bottom 70a that is effective in suppressing snoring and control the back bottom 70a to be at that angle. Note that the control unit 120 is not prevented from controlling parts of the bottom 71 other than the back bottom 70a.

[0034] Furthermore, even for the same user 81, the back angle suitable for suppressing snoring may change depending on the situation. The method of this embodiment searches for the snore suppression angle within a given search range, so it can also respond to changes in the situation of the user 81. As a result, snoring noise by the target user 81 is suppressed, making it possible to improve the sleep of the user 81 and those around them (such as family members) and avoid disrupting their sleep.

[0035] 4B is a diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4A, the terminal device 100 may include a processing unit 130, a microphone 140, a storage unit 150, a display unit 160, and a communication unit 170.

[0036] The processing unit 130 here can use various processors such as a CPU, a GPU, a DSP, etc. The processing unit 130 may include a snoring information acquiring unit 111, a biological information acquiring unit 113, an angle adjusting unit 121, and an on / off determining unit 123. The snoring information acquiring unit 111 and the biological information acquiring unit 113 correspond to, for example, the acquiring unit 110 in Fig. 4A. The angle adjusting unit 121 and the on / off determining unit 123 correspond to, for example, the control unit 120 in Fig. 4A.

[0037] The snore information acquisition unit 111 acquires an audio signal from the microphone 140 and performs processing to obtain snore information representing the user's snoring based on the audio signal. For example, the snore information acquisition unit 111 may extract components corresponding to snoring from the audio signal and obtain information representing the duration of snoring as snore information. In this way, the snore information acquisition unit 111 can determine whether snoring has been detected and, if so, the duration of snoring. The components corresponding to snoring may be, for example, components in a predetermined frequency band. Furthermore, known audio signal processing can be widely applied to the calculation of snore information.

[0038] The biometric information acquisition unit 113 obtains biometric information of the user 81 based on information representing body vibrations from the detection device 200. Specifically, as described above, the biometric information acquisition unit 113 obtains information on the respiratory rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, wakefulness / asleep, and getting out / being in bed as the biometric information. Note that although the connection relationship is omitted in FIG. 4B , the acquisition of body vibrations from the detection device 200 is performed via the communication unit 170.

[0039] When snoring is detected based on the snoring information, the angle adjustment unit 121 transmits a signal to the control unit 310 of the bed 300 to control the bottom 71 (or, more specifically, the back bottom 70a) of the bed 300. Although the connection relationship is omitted in FIG. 4B, the transmission of the control signal to the bed 300 is executed via the communication unit 170.

[0040] The on / off determination unit 123 determines whether a first control for raising the back to suppress snoring is on or off based on at least one of the snoring information and the biological information. The first control is a control for searching for a snore suppression angle, and specifically, a control for executing each step described later with reference to Fig. 5. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may execute the process described later with reference to Fig. 5 on the condition that the first control is set to on by the on / off determination unit.

[0041] The microphone 140 is a microphone built into the terminal device 100 and is an element that converts sound into an electric signal. Note that, although an example in which the terminal device 100 includes the microphone 140 has been shown here, the snoring information acquiring unit 111 may acquire an audio signal from a microphone provided outside the terminal device 100.

[0042] The storage unit 150 is a work area for the processing unit 130 and is realized by various types of memory such as SRAM, DRAM, and ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 150 may store snoring information and biological information. The storage unit 150 may also store recording results (e.g., recording data during a period when snoring occurs) using the output signal of the microphone 140. By outputting the recording data, it becomes possible to present the snoring situation to the user 81. The storage unit 150 may also store audio recording data for a predetermined period after the angle adjustment unit 121 has controlled the bottom 71. By outputting the audio recording data, it becomes possible to present to the user 81 the effect of the snoring prevention operation performed by the angle adjustment unit 121. The storage unit 150 may also store various types of information, which will be described later using Figures 6, 8A, 8B, 11, etc.

[0043] Display unit 160 is an interface that displays various information and may be a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or any other type of display. Display unit 160 displays the operation screens described above with reference to Figures 2A and 2B and the operation screens described later with reference to Figures 10A and 10B.

[0044] The communication unit 170 is an interface for communicating via a network, and includes, for example, an antenna, an RF (radio frequency) circuit, and a baseband circuit. The communication unit 170 may operate under the control of the control unit 120 (processing unit 130), or may include a processor for communication control different from the control unit 120. For example, the communication unit 170 communicates with the detection device 200 and the bed 300 using Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, the communication unit 170 may communicate using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or may communicate using another method. Furthermore, the communication method used for communication with the detection device 200 and the communication method used for communication with the bed 300 may be the same or different.

[0045] Note that part or all of the processing performed by the terminal device 100 of this embodiment may be realized by a program. The processing performed by the terminal device 100 is, for example, processing performed by the processing unit 130 (the acquisition unit 110 and the control unit 120). The program here may be, for example, application software that runs on a smartphone or the like.

[0046] The program according to this embodiment can be stored in, for example, a non-transitory information storage device (information storage medium), which is a medium readable by a computer. The information storage device can be realized, for example, by an optical disc, a memory card, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a ROM. The processing unit 130 and the like perform various processes of this embodiment based on the programs stored in the information storage device. In other words, the information storage device stores programs for causing a computer to function as the processing unit 130 and the like. A computer is a device equipped with an input device, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit. Specifically, the program according to this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute each step described below using FIG. 5 and the like.

[0047] The technique of this embodiment can also be applied to a control method including the following steps: The control method includes a step of acquiring snoring information related to the user's snoring, and a step of controlling the bottom 71 of a bed used by the user to sleep, and when snoring is detected based on the snoring information, control is performed to search for a snore suppression angle, which is an angle determined to suppress snoring, based on the angle of the bottom 71 and the snoring information.

[0048] 2. Snoring prevention treatment Next, a specific process for suppressing snoring will be described.

[0049] 2.1 Processing flow 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing in the control unit 120 of the terminal device 100, specifically in the angle adjustment unit 121. The processing in FIG. 5 may be executed periodically at predetermined intervals, for example, when the user 81 is determined to be asleep based on biological information. Furthermore, as will be described later, the processing in FIG. 5 may be executed on the condition that the first control is turned on.

[0050] First, in step S101, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires snore information from the snore information acquisition unit 111. Specifically, the snore information acquisition unit 111 acquires an output signal from the microphone 140 and obtains snore information from the output signal. The angle adjustment unit 121 determines whether or not snoring has been detected based on the snore information. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine that snoring has been detected when the duration of snoring is longer than a predetermined threshold. The threshold here may be 0 or a value greater than 0.

[0051] If it is determined that snoring has been detected (Yes in step S101), in step S102, the angle adjustment unit 121 outputs a control signal via the communication unit 170 to the bed 300 to instruct it to change the angle of the back bottom 70a. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may transmit a control signal to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. Below, an example will be described in which the predetermined angle is 2 degrees, but the specific amount of change can be varied in various ways.

[0052] Based on the processing of step S102, the control unit 310 of the bed 300 controls the actuators and the like to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by 2 degrees. For example, if the angle of the back bottom 70a before the change was 0 degrees, which indicates a horizontal state, the control unit 310 controls the angle of the back bottom 70a to be changed to 2 degrees. Note that the horizontal state here is not limited to a completely horizontal state, but also includes a substantially horizontal state where the angle difference with the horizontal plane is less than a predetermined value. When the bed 300 has completed driving the back bottom 70a, it transmits this information and the changed angle to the terminal device 100.

[0053] In step S103, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires information indicating that the angle change has been completed and the changed angle via the communication unit 170. In the above example, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires information from the bed 300 indicating that the angle of the back bottom 70a has been changed to 2 degrees.

[0054] After the process of step S103, the process returns to step S101 and continues. That is, the microphone 140 outputs an output signal representing the sound around the user after the angle has been changed. The snoring information acquisition unit 111 acquires the output signal of the microphone 140 and obtains snoring information from the output signal. That is, the snoring information here is information representing snoring when the back bottom 70a is at an angle of 2 degrees. The angle adjustment unit 121 determines whether or not snoring has been detected based on the snoring information. In this way, it is possible to appropriately determine, based on the snoring information, whether or not the snoring has stopped as a result of changing the angle of the bottom 71. For example, the snoring information acquiring unit 111 may obtain the snoring information based on the audio signal during a predetermined period (e.g., about 30 seconds) after receiving the notification from the bed 300 in step S103.

[0055] If snoring continues to be detected even after the angle is changed (Yes in step S101), steps S102 and S103 are executed again. For example, if snoring is detected even when the back bottom 70a is at 2 degrees, the angle adjustment unit 121 issues an instruction to increase the angle by another 2 degrees, and the control unit 310 of the bed 300 changes the angle of the back bottom 70a to 4 degrees. After the processing of step S103, the process returns to step S101 and continues. That is, the angle adjustment unit 121 determines whether snoring is occurring when the angle is 4 degrees.

[0056] In this way, by repeating the processes of steps S101 to S103, it is possible to properly search for an angle at which snoring can be suppressed while actually sensing the snoring state, and therefore it is possible to properly determine the snore suppression angle according to the target user 81.

[0057] When the angle of the back bottom 70a reaches the upper limit of the search range, the angle adjustment unit 121 may change the angle of the back bottom 70a to the lower limit of the search range, or may decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. For example, if the search range is 0 to 10 degrees and snoring is detected at 10 degrees (Yes in step S101), the angle adjustment unit 121 may set the angle of the back bottom 70a to 0 degrees and continue searching from there, such as 2 degrees and 4 degrees. Alternatively, when snoring is detected at 10 degrees, the angle adjustment unit 121 may search in the reverse direction, in the order of 8 degrees, 6 degrees, and so on, and when snoring reaches 0 degrees, increase the angle by 2 degrees again. Additionally, the angle adjustment unit 121 may search for a snore-suppressing angle within the search range in the loop processing of steps S101 to S103, and various modifications of the specific search procedure are possible.

[0058] If snoring is not detected (No in step S101), in step S104, the angle adjustment unit 121 ends the angle adjustment of the bottom 71. Then, in step S105, the angle adjustment unit 121 stores the angle of the back bottom 70a at that time in the storage unit 150 in association with the user 81 as the snore suppression angle.

[0059] In a situation where the user 81 is not snoring, it is determined that snoring has not been detected in the initial process of step S101 after the process of FIG. 5 is started (No in step S101). In this case, since there is no need to search for the snore suppression angle, the angle adjustment unit 121 maintains the current angle in step S104. In step S105, the angle adjustment unit 121 may store the current angle as the snore suppression angle in the storage unit 150. Alternatively, in this embodiment, the angle at which it is determined that snoring has stopped may be set as the snore suppression angle, and the process of step S105 may be omitted if the loop process of steps S101 to S103 is not being executed.

[0060] 6 shows an example of the correspondence information stored in the storage unit 150 by the process of step S105 in FIG. 5. The correspondence information is information in which users are associated with snore suppression angles, and may be table data as shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the snore suppression angle for user A is 2 degrees, and the snore suppression angle for user B is 10 degrees. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately manage the snore suppression angle according to the user.

[0061] Furthermore, if snoring is detected after storing the correspondence information, the control unit 120 (angle adjustment unit 121) may control the angle of the bottom 71 using the snore-suppression angle associated with the user 81 as the initial value for the search. For example, consider a case where the process of FIG. 5 is executed for user A after the data of FIG. 6 is acquired. In this case, in step S102, the angle adjustment unit 121 instructs the bed 300 to preferentially select the snore-suppression angle of 2 degrees over other angles. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may send an instruction to set the angle of the back bottom 70a to 2 degrees, regardless of the current angle of the back bottom 70a. In this way, angles that have a proven track record of suppressing snoring in the past are preferentially set, making it possible to efficiently suppress snoring by the user 81.

[0062] However, whether user 81 snores or not varies depending on the user's condition. For example, the degree to which the airway is blocked changes depending on the weight of the user 81. Therefore, even if an angle has previously prevented snoring, it does not necessarily mean that snoring will be prevented. In this case, the angle adjuster 121 may perform a process of searching for a new snore suppression angle by repeating the processes of steps S101 to S103 in Fig. 5. In this way, it becomes possible to obtain a plurality of snore suppression angles for one user 81.

[0063] For example, even if information that the snore suppression angle for user A is 2 degrees is required, the snore suppression angle search may be performed targeting angles other than 2 degrees. In the example of Fig. 6, 8 degrees is searched for as the new snore suppression angle for user A, and therefore two snore suppression angles, 2 degrees and 8 degrees, are associated with user A. Also in the example of Fig. 6, two snore suppression angles, 10 degrees and 6 degrees, are associated with user B. In this case, the angle adjuster 121 performs angle change in step S102 in the process of Fig. 5 for user A, for example, so that 2 degrees and 8 degrees are set with higher priority than other angles.

[0064] Although the above describes an example in which the loop process of steps S101 to S103 immediately ends when snoring is no longer detected (Yes in step S101), the specific process is not limited to this. For example, even when snoring is no longer detected at a given angle, the angle adjustment unit 121 may repeat the process of steps S101 to S103 until searching the predetermined angle range is completed. The predetermined angle range here may be the entire search range or a part of it. In this way, the probability that multiple angles will be found as the snore suppression angle increases, thereby enabling more efficient snore suppression.

[0065] Furthermore, the snore suppression angle in this embodiment is not limited to being determined during a single sleep session, but may be determined statistically based on long-term measurement results. For example, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 8B , the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine the relationship between each angle and snoring duration and determine the angle at which the snoring duration is short as the snore suppression angle. For example, the relationship between the angle and snoring duration may be measured over a period (e.g., one month) during which a predetermined number of sleeps are expected, and the snore suppression angle may be determined based on the statistical results. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine a statistic (such as an average or median) of the snoring duration for each angle and determine the angle at which the statistic is small as the snore suppression angle. For example, while data on the target user 81 is not yet accumulated, the angle adjustment unit 121 may adjust the angle within a relatively wide range and accumulate data indicating the relationship between the angle and snoring duration. On the other hand, as data on the user 81 is accumulated, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform a search process limited to the vicinity of the snore suppression angle determined from the data.

[0066] 2.2 Automatic On / Off Settings As described above, the first control for raising the back to suppress snoring includes a process for detecting snoring based on snoring information (step S101) and a process for changing the angle of the bottom 71 of the bed 300 (step S102). Although not shown in Fig. 5, a recording process of the output signal from the microphone 140 may be performed to notify the specific circumstances of the snoring to the user 81 and related parties (family members, caregivers, etc.) after waking up.

[0067] The first control may be manually set to on or off, but in this embodiment, the on / off determination may be performed automatically.

[0068] 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for determining whether the first control is on or off. First, in step S201, the on / off determining unit 123 calculates an evaluation value based on the snoring information, the biological information, or both. The evaluation value here may be the snoring information itself, or may be information calculated from the snoring information. For example, the evaluation value is the duration of snoring within a predetermined period.

[0069] That is, the control unit 120 (on / off determination unit 123) may determine whether or not to control the bottom 71 based on the degree of snoring determined based on the snoring information. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately switch on / off the first control based on whether or not there is a high need to suppress snoring.

[0070] The evaluation value may be the biological information itself or information calculated from the biological information. For example, the evaluation value may be a respiratory event index. The respiratory event index is information calculated based on the respiratory state, and represents, for example, the number of events determined to be breathing cessation per unit time.

[0071] That is, the acquisition unit 110 (biometric information acquisition unit 113) acquires biometric information of the user 81 from the detection device 200 placed on the bottom 71 of the bed 300. Then, the control unit 120 (on / off determination unit 123) determines whether to control the bottom 71 based on the biometric information. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately switch on / off the first control based on the biometric information. For example, since the respiratory event index is information that indicates the degree of apnea, by using the respiratory event index, it becomes possible to appropriately switch on / off the first control based on whether sleep is disturbed.

[0072] The evaluation value may be calculated by combining the snoring information and the biological information, or by combining a plurality of pieces of biological information.

[0073] In step S202, the on / off determination unit 123 determines whether the evaluation value is greater than a predetermined threshold. Note that the evaluation value here is information indicating that the greater the value, the higher the probability that sleep is disturbed. The on / off determination unit 123 may determine whether the value of the snoring duration is greater than a first threshold, or whether the respiratory event index is greater than a second threshold, or may perform a determination using another evaluation value and threshold.

[0074] If the evaluation value is greater than the threshold value (Yes in step S202), in step S203, the on / off determination unit 123 sets the first control to on. That is, when it is determined that sleep is disturbed and there is a high probability of snoring, snoring can be appropriately suppressed. For example, by recording the microphone sound or changing the angle of the back bottom 70a, it is possible to prevent snoring from being overlooked.

[0075] On the other hand, if the evaluation value is equal to or less than the threshold value (No in step S202), in step S204, the on / off determination unit 123 sets the first control to off. That is, when it is determined that there is a high probability that the subject is having a good night's sleep, recording of microphone audio and changing the angle of the back bottom 70a can be suppressed. This prevents the area of the storage unit 150 from being consumed by recording audio other than snoring, and prevents the back bottom 70a from being erroneously activated based on noise other than snoring.

[0076] Whether or not snoring occurs varies from day to day, and even for the same user, there are days when snoring occurs and days when it does not. According to the method of this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately switch on / off the first control based on the specific situation of the user. Therefore, the user 81 does not need to manually control on / off, and convenience can be improved.

[0077] 2.3 Snoring suppression variants A modified example relating to suppression of snoring will be described below.

[0078] 2.3.1 Snoring prevention measures other than back angle The above describes the first control, which raises the back to suppress snoring. This secures the airway and suppresses snoring by causing the user to assume a posture with a higher back angle than the horizontal state (0 degrees). In other words, this is a method that is intended to stabilize the angle of the back bottom 70a at a value appropriate for the user 81.

[0079] However, a method other than the first control may be used to suppress snoring. For example, the control unit 120 may suppress snoring by changing the angle of the back bottom 70a to vibrate the body of the user 81 (provide stimulation to the body) and encourage momentary awakening. In an awake state, the user 81's muscles are no longer relaxed, so snoring can be suppressed by momentary awakening. Hereinafter, the control that encourages momentary awakening by operating the back bottom 70a will be referred to as the second control.

[0080] The second control can be realized by the angle adjustment unit 121. In this case, since the purpose is to provide a stimulus, the specific angle of the back bottom 70a can be set arbitrarily. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle and then decrease it by the same predetermined angle. In this case, the angle of the back bottom 70a returns to its original angle after the control, so the posture of the user 81, including the back angle, does not change significantly, but a sufficient stimulus is applied to the user 81, making it possible to encourage awakening. However, the specific control to encourage instant awakening of the user 81 is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible. In addition, the change in the back angle (first control) to encourage the user 81 to assume a posture that makes it easier to maintain the airway may also serve as the second control.

[0081] The degree of snoring is also related to the sleeping posture of the user 81. Therefore, the acquisition unit 110 (biometric information acquisition unit 113) may acquire, from the detection device 200 placed on the bottom 71 of the bed 300, biometric information including posture information indicating the sleeping posture of the user 81. The control unit 120 determines the relationship between the user's sleeping posture and snoring based on the posture information and the snoring information. The posture information here is, for example, information specifying whether the sleeping posture is supine, left lateral, right lateral, or prone. In this way, it is possible to determine a sleeping posture suitable for snoring suppression for each user 81. Hereinafter, the control for determining a sleeping posture suitable for the user 81 will be referred to as third control.

[0082] For example, as the third control, the control unit 120 may perform a process of determining the relationship between sleeping posture and snoring based on posture information and snoring information. Fig. 8A shows an example of information determined by the third control. Specifically, the information shown in Fig. 8A associates each of a plurality of sleeping postures with the duration of snoring per unit time while in that sleeping posture. For example, the duration of snoring in Fig. 8A is a value representing a value per hour (unit: minutes).

[0083] In the example of FIG. 8A, the snoring duration per hour in the supine position is 3.8 minutes. The snoring duration per hour in the right lateral position is 2.5 minutes. The snoring duration per hour in the left lateral position is 1.2 minutes. Furthermore, since the target user 81 did not have any time determined to be in the prone position during the measurement period (or the time was shorter than a predetermined value), the snoring duration for the prone position was not calculated. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that the recommended sleeping position for the target user 81 is the left lateral position.

[0084] The third control may include control to drive the bottom 71, a pillow, etc. to achieve a recommended sleeping position. For example, a method is known in which the height of the bottom 71 or a pillow in the left-right direction (toward the side of the bed 300) is changed to encourage transition to a lateral position, and this method can be applied in this embodiment.

[0085] As described above, factors that can be considered to suppress snoring include raising the back, back movement (instantaneous awakening), and sleeping posture. Therefore, the control unit 120 may perform a first control of searching for a snore suppression angle based on snoring information, a second control of rocking the body of the user 81 by driving the bottom 71 based on the snoring information, and a third control of determining a sleeping posture suitable for the user 81 based on the snoring information and posture information. In this way, snoring can be suppressed taking various factors into consideration.

[0086] 2.3.2 Presentation Process In this embodiment, various pieces of information acquired by the first to third controls may be presented to the user 81, etc. Here, the presentation is, for example, a display using the display unit 160 of the terminal device 100, but other methods may also be used. Furthermore, it is not necessary for all of the various presentations described below to be made, and some may be omitted.

[0087] For example, the control unit 120 may present information about the snore suppression angle obtained based on the first control to the user 81, etc. For example, the control unit 120 may obtain information in which the angle of the back bottom 70a is associated with the snoring duration per unit time at that angle, as shown in Fig. 8B, based on the first control. For example, the information shown in Fig. 8B may be obtained by repeating the process of searching for the snore suppression angle.

[0088] In the example shown in FIG. 8B, the snoring duration per unit time is shortest when the angle of the back bottom 70a is 8 degrees. In this case, the control unit 120 may present a message that the back angle effective for suppressing snoring for the target user 81, i.e., the snore suppression angle, is 8 degrees. For example, the control unit 120 may display the table shown in FIG. 8B, or may display a screen including text, images, etc., recommending that the back bottom 70a be set to 8 degrees. In this way, snoring can be suppressed by encouraging the user to sleep at the recommended back angle.

[0089] Furthermore, the control unit 120 may present information indicating the sleeping position determined to suppress snoring of the target user 81 based on the third control. For example, the control unit 120 may display the table shown in Fig. 8A, or may display a screen including text, an image, or the like recommending the left lateral position. In this way, by encouraging the user to sleep in the recommended sleeping position, it becomes possible to suppress snoring.

[0090] 9 is an example of a screen that displays data acquired during one night's sleep using a graph. For example, the control unit 120 displays the screen shown in FIG. 9 on the display unit 160 or the like based on the snoring information, biological information, control history of the back bottom 70a, and the like stored in the storage unit 150.

[0091] The horizontal axis of Fig. 9 represents time, and the vertical axis represents the value of each parameter. A1 in Fig. 9 represents the length of snoring duration at each timing. A2 represents the respiratory rate at each timing. A3 represents the angle of the back bottom 70a at each timing. A4 represents the heart rate at each timing. A5 represents the timing of performing the action to prompt momentary awakening, with one triangle representing one action. By displaying the information shown in FIG. 9, the sleep state can be presented to the user 81 in an easy-to-understand manner. More specifically, by presenting the information shown in A1, A3, and A5, the snoring state, the adjustment status of the back angle (the execution status of the first control), and the timing and frequency of prompting momentary awakening (the execution status of the second control) can be presented.

[0092] 2.3.3 Determining the effectiveness of each element As described above, there are three factors related to snoring suppression: back angle, momentary awakening, and sleeping posture. Therefore, the control unit 120 may perform control to suppress snoring using all of these, or may perform control to suppress snoring using only some of these. For example, the user 81 may be able to set each of the first to third controls described above to on / off. However, there are significant individual differences in how effective the first to third controls are in suppressing snoring, and it may be difficult for the user 81 to know which control (which function provided by the application software) to turn on.

[0093] Therefore, the control unit 120 may present the degree of association between each of the back angle, momentary awakening, and sleeping posture and snoring. This allows the user 81 to recognize how much each of the above-mentioned factors affects the snoring of the target user 81. As a result, the user 81 can appropriately recognize the factors that are effective in suppressing his / her own snoring, and can easily realize the on / off setting of the first to third controls.

[0094] For example, the control unit 120 may present the information shown in FIG. 8B based on the results of the first control. The control unit 120 may also compare the snoring durations included in the table of FIG. 8B with a threshold value and present snoring durations shorter than the threshold value in a distinguishable manner. For example, if all snoring durations are longer than the threshold value, adjusting the back angle may not be sufficient to suppress snoring. Conversely, if there is an angle at which the snoring duration value is shorter than the threshold value, that angle is highly effective in suppressing snoring. By presenting the information shown in FIG. 8B or similar information in this way, the degree of correlation between the back angle and snoring, i.e., the effectiveness of the first control, can be appropriately presented.

[0095] The control unit 120 may also present information shown in A1 and A5 of FIG. 9 based on the results of the second control. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, snoring continues to be detected even after the second control (driving the back bottom 70a) is performed, and as a result, the second control is repeatedly performed during one sleep session. In this case, the second control is considered to be not very effective in suppressing snoring for the target user 81. On the other hand, if the duration of snoring decreases after the second control is performed, the second control is considered to be effective in suppressing snoring. In this way, by presenting the information shown in FIG. 9 or similar information, the degree of association between momentary awakening and snoring, i.e., the effectiveness of the second control, can be appropriately presented.

[0096] The control unit 120 may also present the information shown in FIG. 8A based on the results of the third control. The control unit 120 may also compare the snoring durations included in the table of FIG. 8A with a threshold value and present snoring durations shorter than the threshold value in an identifiable manner. As with the first control example, a sleeping position in which the snoring duration is shorter than the threshold value is considered to be effective in suppressing snoring. Therefore, by presenting the information shown in FIG. 8A or similar information, the degree of association between sleeping position and snoring, i.e., the effectiveness of the third control, can be appropriately presented.

[0097] As described above, the control unit 120 can determine the effectiveness of the first to third controls based on the above-mentioned information. Therefore, the control unit 120 may perform control to present to the user one or more of the first, second, and third controls that have been determined to be effective in suppressing snoring. In this way, it is possible to present to the user 81 in an easy-to-understand manner which of the multiple controls related to suppressing snoring that should be set to ON. Note that the control unit 120 may also automatically switch each control ON / OFF based on the above-mentioned determination results.

[0098] 2.3.4 User Input The control unit 120 may also display a message prompting the user 81 to input information about his or her condition. For example, the control unit 120 may prompt the user to input information by displaying the question "Did you drink alcohol before going to bed?" and answer options ("Yes / No") to the question. The control unit 120 may also display the question "How are you feeling now?" and options "Good / Average / Bad." The control unit 120 may also display the question "Did you sleep well last night?" and options "Yes / No." In this way, it becomes possible to obtain information that is difficult to detect from the microphone 140 or the detection device 200, and information that represents the subjective condition of the user 81.

[0099] It is known that drinking alcohol increases the likelihood of snoring due to muscle relaxation, etc. Therefore, if a user drinks alcohol, it is possible that snoring will not be suppressed even if the snore suppression angle determined from past results is set. In this case, the occurrence of snoring is caused by drinking alcohol, and it may be inappropriate to determine that the snore suppression angle is ineffective. Therefore, when a user inputs that the user has drunk alcohol, the control unit 120 may perform a process to exclude corresponding data from the calculation of the snore suppression angle. For example, even when the angle adjustment unit 121 performs the processes of steps S101 to S104 shown in FIG. 5, the process of step S105 may be omitted. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may exclude data from when drinking alcohol is used to calculate the information shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. This reduces the impact of irregular data on the snore suppression angle, etc.

[0100] Similarly, when the user 81 is in poor physical condition, this is also considered to be an irregular state for the user 81. Therefore, when the user inputs that he or she is in poor physical condition, the control unit 120 may perform processing such as excluding the corresponding data from the calculation of the snoring suppression angle.

[0101] Furthermore, the control unit 120 can determine the level of sleep based on snoring information, respiratory rate, heart rate, etc. Therefore, when a user inputs a question such as "Did you sleep well last night?", the control unit 120 may perform a process of comparing the sleep determination result based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 with the subjective judgment of the user 81.

[0102] Furthermore, the user input in this embodiment is not limited to the above items, and various modifications are possible.

[0103] 3. Sleep support other than snoring suppression The above describes the control for suppressing snoring of the target user 81. The control here may be the first control described above, or may include the second control and the third control.

[0104] However, the controls executed by the control unit 120 of this embodiment are not limited to this. For example, the control unit 120 may execute a plurality of controls including a first control for searching for a snore suppression angle, a fourth control for supporting the user 81 in falling asleep by adjusting the bottom 71, and a fifth control for supporting the user in waking up by adjusting the bottom 71. The plurality of controls may also include a second control and a third control. In this way, it is possible to support the sleep of the user 81 in various situations.

[0105] For example, it is known that the user 81 is more likely to fall asleep when the back bottom 70a is gently inclined, and that the user 81 is more likely to turn over in sleep when the top surface of the bottom 71 is nearly flat. Therefore, as the fourth control, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to raise the back before falling asleep to encourage the user to fall asleep, and to lower the back after sleep has been detected to make it easier to turn over.

[0106] Furthermore, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform the fifth control by raising the back to encourage awakening. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform the fifth control by determining whether the sleeper is in REM sleep or non-REM sleep based on biological information and increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a at the timing of REM sleep closest to the scheduled wake-up time.

[0107] PCT / JP2018 / 044703 also discloses a control for changing the angle of the back bottom 70a in response to a fluctuation ΔS in a signal SS corresponding to a biological signal. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine that the user 81 is sleeping deeply when ΔS is decreasing, and may increase the angle of the back bottom 70a to encourage deeper sleep, or may decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a when ΔS is increasing to facilitate turning over. Hereinafter, this control will also be referred to as "sixth control." The control unit 120 of this embodiment may also execute various other controls disclosed in PCT / JP2018 / 044703 and the like.

[0108] As described above, in this embodiment, by performing the first control to the sixth control, etc., it is possible to support the user 81 in various situations while sleeping. However, it is not limited to performing all of these controls, and the on / off of the automatic driving may be customized depending on the user 81.

[0109] 10A and 10B are examples of operation screens that are displayed on the display unit 160 of the terminal device 100, for example. For example, when an operation to select "Autonomous driving" in Fig. 4A is performed, a screen 42C shown in Fig. 10A is displayed. Screen 42C includes an object for switching automatic driving on and off, and when an operation to turn on the object is performed, a screen 42D in Fig. 10B is displayed.

[0110] Screen 42D is a screen for making more specific settings. In this embodiment, multiple modes (courses) are set, and automatic operation may be set to on / off for each mode. The courses here include, for example, a sleep improvement course, a sleep onset improvement course, a wake-up improvement course, a snoring prevention course, a good dream course, a dream erasure / memory reduction course, etc.

[0111] The sleep improvement course is a course that improves overall sleep conditions. The sleep onset improvement course is a course that improves conditions related to falling asleep. The wake-up improvement course is a course that improves conditions related to waking up. The snoring prevention course is a course that suppresses snoring. The good dream course is a course that helps the user 81 have pleasant dreams. The dream elimination / memory reduction course is a course that makes the user forget dreams and reduces memories and impressions. Since it is known that dreams are often nightmares and that dreaming is one factor that makes people feel like they are not sleeping well and reduces the subjective sense of sleep, using the dream elimination / memory reduction course is effective in supporting the user 81's sleep. By allowing users to input their preferences on a course-by-course basis, the user 81 can easily input their own requests.

[0112] For example, the storage unit 150 may store second correspondence information in which one or more of a plurality of controls (a plurality of functions) are associated with each of a plurality of modes (courses).The control unit 120 may then determine whether or not to execute each of the plurality of controls based on the second correspondence information and a user input selecting one of the plurality of modes.

[0113] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of second correspondence information indicating the correspondence between courses and controls. The controls here correspond to the first to sixth controls described above. As shown in Fig. 11, the sleep improvement course is associated with all six controls. Therefore, when automatic driving of a sleep improvement course is set to on, the corresponding six controls are automatically executed.

[0114] Similarly, the sleep onset improvement course is associated with the fourth control, which raises and lowers the back when falling asleep. The wake-up improvement course is associated with the fifth control, which raises the back when waking up. The snoring prevention course is associated with the first control, which raises the back using a snore suppression angle, the second control, which promotes instantaneous awakening, and the third control, which recommends the optimal sleeping position. The good dream course is associated with the sixth control, which raises and lowers the back according to ΔS. The dream elimination / memory reduction course is associated with the sixth control. However, FIG. 11 is an example of the association between courses and controls, and various modifications can be made to the specific courses and controls, as well as the association between them.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 11 , the good dream course and the dream erasure / memory reduction course are each associated with the same sixth control, but the timing for changing the angle of the back bottom 70a may differ depending on the course. For example, it is known that whether or not a person remembers the content of a dream depends on whether or not they wake up after having a dream. Therefore, it is known that if a person continues to sleep after having a dream, the memory of the dream is erased, and they only remember the dream just before waking up. Therefore, in the good dream course, for example, to avoid mid-wake awakening due to nightmares, the angle of the back bottom 70a is changed during REM sleep (a period when dreams are often remembered) that is not the scheduled wake-up time, thereby making the dream memory milder and, as a result, making it easier to interpret the dream as a good dream. On the other hand, in the dream erasure / memory reduction course, for example, the fifth control may be performed, which increases the angle of the back bottom 70a when REM sleep has continued for a predetermined time or more since the switch from REM to non-REM sleep and the time difference from the scheduled wake-up time is equal to or less than a threshold. In this way, it is possible to encourage waking up with dream memory erased or reduced. As a result, it is possible to forget the dream and reduce memories and impressions.

[0116] In this way, it is possible to appropriately set automatic operation of the necessary controls to ON in accordance with the request of the user 81. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the operational burden on the user 81 compared to when each function is set individually. Also, although six controls, the first to sixth controls, have been exemplified here, there is a possibility that the number of executable controls will increase if functions are added to the control system 10, for example. Even in that case, it is possible to easily realize settings that meet the request of the user 81 by allowing the user 81 to select a course that is easy to understand intuitively.

[0117] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel features and advantages of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term described at least once in the specification or drawings with a different term having a broader or equivalent meaning may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations and operations of the terminal device, detection device, bed, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0118] [Additional Notes] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a terminal device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information related to a user's snoring, and a control unit that controls the bottom of a bed used by the user to sleep based on the snoring information, wherein the control unit controls the angle of the bottom to change again if snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even after the angle of the bottom is changed, and controls the direction of the angle change based on the angle of the bottom in controlling the bottom.

[0119] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a program that causes a computer to function as an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information related to a user's snoring, and a control unit that controls the bottom of a bed used by the user to sleep on the basis of the snoring information, wherein the control unit controls the angle of the bottom to be changed again if snoring is continuously detected on the basis of the snoring information even after the angle of the bottom is changed, and controls the direction of the change in the angle to be switched on the basis of the angle of the bottom.

[0120] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a control method including a step of acquiring snoring information related to a user's snoring, and a step of controlling the bottom of a bed used by the user to sleep, wherein if snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even after the angle of the bottom is changed, control is performed to change the angle of the bottom again, and in controlling the bottom, control is performed to switch the direction of change of the angle based on the angle of the bottom. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 10...control system, 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D...screen, 42B1, 42B2...area, 70...movable part, 70B...bed part, 70a...back bottom, 70b...knee bottom, 70c...leg bottom, 70d...head bottom, 70g...caster, 70h...height change part, 71...bottom, 73a...lighting part, 73b...temperature control part, 74...bed legs, 75...frame, 76...mattress, 81...user, 100...terminal device, 110...acquisition part, 111...snoring information acquisition part, 113...biometric information acquisition part, 120...control part, 121...angle adjustment part, 123...on / off determination part, 130...processing part, 140...microphone, 150...memory part, 160...display part, 170...communication part, 200...detection device, 300...bed, 310...control part

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information related to a user's snoring and sleep information related to the user's sleep; a control unit that controls a bottom of a bed used by the user to sleep based on the snoring information when the user is determined to be in a sleeping state; Including, The control unit If the snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even after the angle of the bottom is changed, control is performed to change the angle of the bottom again; A terminal device that performs control to switch the direction of change of the angle based on the angle of the bottom in controlling the bottom.

2. In claim 1, The control unit When the snoring is detected based on the snoring information, the terminal device performs control to search for a snore suppression angle, which is the angle that is determined to suppress the snoring, based on the angle of the bottom and the snoring information.

3. In claim 2, The bed is capable of automatically operating in a first mode or a second mode; When the terminal device accepts the selection of the first mode, the control unit controls the bottom of the bed using a first control method; When the terminal device accepts the selection of the second mode, the control unit controls the bottom of the bed using a second control method different from the first control method, The first control method is a control method for raising the back of the bed used by the user to sleep based on the snoring information.

4. In claim 2, The bed is capable of being automatically operated in a first mode; The control unit The terminal device calculates an evaluation value related to the snoring based on the snoring information, and automatically switches the first mode on and off based on a comparison between the evaluation value and a threshold value.

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