Lighting control system

Abstract

We provide a lighting control system that can induce a comfortable awakening. [Solution] The lighting control system (1) comprises a lighting fixture (2) installed in the bedroom and a lighting control means (15) that temporarily turns on the lighting fixture (2) at a first illuminance level a predetermined period before the wake-up time, turns off the lighting fixture (2) for a certain period of time, and then turns on the lighting fixture (2) at a second illuminance level higher than the first illuminance level at the wake-up time. The predetermined period here is preferably the time corresponding to one cycle of the morning sleep cycle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting control system, and more particularly to a lighting control system for inducing comfortable awakening upon waking up.

Background Art

[0002] Similar to an alarm clock, it is possible to turn on the lighting at the wake-up time by allowing the user to set a timer in advance.

[0003] Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2022-10712 (Patent Document 1) proposes a technique for smoothly transitioning from a sleep state to an awake state by monotonically increasing the illuminance at a constant rising rate from 15 minutes before the wake-up time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] During a full night's sleep, a state where non-REM sleep and REM sleep appear alternately is repeated several times. In the case of normal sleep, deep non-REM sleep is observed in the early stage of falling asleep, and it is said that REM sleep becomes longer toward dawn and preparations for awakening are completed.

[0006] As in Patent Document 1, if the illuminance is only monotonically increased at a constant rising rate from 15 minutes before the wake-up time, the sleep state at the time of illuminance adjustment may be a non-REM sleep state. In this case, the user may not be able to wake up comfortably.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a lighting control system capable of inducing comfortable awakening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A lighting control system according to a certain aspect of this invention comprises a lighting fixture installed in a bedroom and a lighting control means that temporarily turns on the lighting fixture at a first illuminance a predetermined period before the wake-up time, turns off the lighting fixture for a certain period of time, and then turns on the lighting fixture at a second illuminance higher than the first illuminance at the wake-up time.

[0009] Preferably, the predetermined period is the time equivalent to one cycle of the morning sleep cycle.

[0010] Preferably, the first illuminance is 100 to 300 [lx] and the second illuminance is 400 [lx] or more.

[0011] Preferably, the lighting control system further includes a history storage means for storing the user's past sleep indicators and activity level indicators (for example, for the last 4-5 days), and a determination means for determining the wake-up time for the following day based on the sleep indicators and activity level indicators stored in the history storage means.

[0012] The determination means preferably determines the wake-up time on holidays according to the weekday sleep debt level and fatigue level identified by the sleep index and activity level index stored in the history memory means.

[0013] Typically, sleep indicators include bedtime and sleep latency, while activity indicators include step count. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to this invention, it is possible to induce a comfortable awakening. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows a concrete example of a judgment table. [Figure 3](A) is a graph schematically showing changes in overnight sleep states, and (B) is a diagram schematically illustrating the lighting control method according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] (A) and (B) are diagrams schematically illustrating the lighting control method according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] (A) is a diagram schematically illustrating the lighting control method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is a diagram schematically illustrating a general lighting control method by timer control. [Description of Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0017] (Overview) The lighting control system according to the present embodiment controls the lighting fixtures provided in the bedroom on holidays so that usual sleep debt and fatigue feeling can be eliminated or reduced on holidays. "Sleep debt" refers to a state in which lack of sleep has accumulated and caused problems for the mind and body.

[0018] Specifically, the weekday sleep debt level and fatigue level are determined (specified) based on weekday sleep indicators and activity volume indicators, and the wake-up time on holidays is determined according to the determined sleep debt level and fatigue level. In addition, in the early morning of holidays, the ON / OFF state and illuminance of the lighting fixtures are adjusted so that the user can wake up comfortably at the determined wake-up time.

[0019] In this specification, the "bedroom" may be any living room (room) used for sleep, and may be a living room that also serves as a living room. It is not limited to a living room surrounded by residential walls, and may be a partial space. In addition, the days of the week for "weekdays" and "holidays" are not limited.

[0020] (System Configuration) With reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the lighting control system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the lighting control system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0021] The lighting control system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a lighting fixture 2, a sleep sensor 3, an activity sensor 4, and a control device 10 that controls the entire system.

[0022] The lighting fixture 2 is installed in a bedroom. The lighting fixture 2 is not particularly limited as long as it can adjust the brightness of the bedroom, and may be a ceiling-mounted ceiling lighting fixture or a floor-standing stand lighting fixture.

[0023] The sleep sensor 3 measures a user's sleep index. The sleep index includes the sleep time from going to bed to waking up, and the time from going to bed to actually falling asleep, that is, sleep onset latency. The activity sensor 4 measures a user's activity amount index. The activity amount index includes the number of steps. The sleep sensor 3 and the activity sensor 4 can be implemented by a known wearable terminal.

[0024] The control device 10 is an information processing apparatus including a processor 11 and a memory 12, and is connected to the lighting fixture 2, the sleep sensor 3, and the activity sensor 4 by wire or wirelessly. Note that the control device may be configured to periodically receive the measurement information from the sleep sensor 3 and the activity sensor 4, or the measurement information of the sleep sensor 3 and the activity sensor 4 may be imported into the control device 10 by a user operation.

[0025] The control device 10 includes a history database (history storage unit) 13 that stores the user's weekday sleep indices and activity amount indices. The processor 11 stores the sleep time and sleep onset latency measured by the sleep sensor 3 as the sleep indices, and stores the number of steps measured by the activity sensor 4 as the activity amount index. History data including the sleep indices and the activity amount index is recorded in the history database 13 in association with the measurement date.

[0026] The processor 11 includes a determination unit 14 that determines the (optimal) wake-up time on holidays, and a lighting control unit 15 that controls the lighting fixtures 2 on holidays based on the wake-up time determined by the determination unit 14. The method for determining the wake-up time by the determination unit 14 and the method for controlling the lighting by the lighting control unit 15 will be described in detail below.

[0027] (How to determine wake-up time) The decision unit 14 determines the wake-up time for the holiday (the following day) after going to bed on the last weekday (typically Friday), based on the historical data for the most recent weekdays (for example, 4-5 days) stored in the history database 13. Specifically, it calculates the median weekday bedtime, the median weekday activity level, and the median weekday sleep latency from the weekday historical data, and uses these calculated values ​​and the decision table stored in memory 12 to determine the wake-up time for the holiday (optimal wake-up time).

[0028] Figure 2 shows a specific example of a judgment table. The judgment table includes items for the median weekday bedtime, median weekday activity level, median weekday sleep latency, fatigue level, and weekend wake-up time.

[0029] The median weekday bedtime is an indicator of the degree (level) of sleep debt, and is classified into three stages: less than 6 hours (high level of sleep debt), 6-8 hours (normal level of sleep debt), and 8 hours or more (no sleep debt).

[0030] The median weekday activity level is an indicator of the degree of physical fatigue on weekdays and is classified into three stages: 7,500 steps or more (high physical fatigue), 3,000 to 7,500 steps (medium physical fatigue), and less than 3,000 steps (low physical fatigue).

[0031] The median weekday sleep latency is an indicator of the presence or absence of mental fatigue, and is classified into two categories: less than 10 minutes (mental fatigue "present") and 10 to 30 minutes (mental fatigue "absent"). Note that sleep latency of 30 minutes or more may indicate a sleep disorder and will therefore be excluded from this system.

[0032] The level of fatigue is determined based on the degree of physical fatigue and the presence or absence of mental fatigue. If the degree of physical fatigue is "high," the fatigue level is determined as "high" regardless of the presence or absence of mental fatigue. If the degree of physical fatigue is "medium" or "low," the fatigue level is determined as "high" or "normal" depending on the presence or absence of mental fatigue.

[0033] The calculation pattern for holiday wake-up times is determined based on the weekday sleep debt level and fatigue level (overall fatigue level). In this embodiment, the following four patterns are defined for calculating holiday wake-up times: the "no change" pattern, where bedtime is the same as the median weekday bedtime; the "+1 hour" pattern, where bedtime is added by 1 hour to the median weekday bedtime; the conditional "+1 hour" pattern; and the "-1 hour" pattern, where bedtime is subtracted by 1 hour from the median weekday bedtime.

[0034] If the decision unit 14 determines that the user's weekday sleep debt level is "high" (sleep deprivation) and their fatigue level is "high" (hereinafter referred to as "Case 1"), it calculates the wake-up time using the "+1 hour" pattern based on the judgment table. Specifically, it calculates the optimal bedtime for holidays as the median of weekday bedtimes + 1 hour, and determines the wake-up time for holidays to be after the optimal bedtime, which is later than the (measured) bedtime on the last weekday.

[0035] In the first case, it can be determined that the person has a sleep debt, but by adding one hour, it is possible to prevent jet lag caused by a significant deviation from the weekday bedtime. Note that the added time in the first case is not limited to one hour; it can be set within the range of 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

[0036] If the decision unit 14 determines that the user's weekday sleep debt level is "high" (sleep deprivation) and their fatigue level is "normal" (hereinafter referred to as "the second case"), it calculates the wake-up time using the "no change" pattern based on the judgment table. Specifically, it sets the optimal bedtime on holidays to the same time as the median bedtime on weekdays, and determines the wake-up time on holidays to be after the optimal bedtime (measured) on the last weekday.

[0037] In the second case, although there may be a sleep debt, the optimal bedtime varies from person to person. Therefore, if the fatigue level is not high, the user can maintain a regular lifestyle throughout the week by setting the additional time to zero. In the second case as well, the optimal bedtime may be calculated by adding, for example, 30 minutes to the median weekday bedtime.

[0038] If the decision unit 14 determines that the user's weekday sleep debt level is at a "normal level" (appropriate bedtime) and their fatigue level is "high" (hereinafter referred to as "the third case"), it calculates the wake-up time using a conditional "+1 hour" pattern based on the judgment table. Specifically, it calculates the optimal bedtime for holidays as the median of weekday bedtimes + 1 hour, with the condition that it must be a maximum of 8 hours, and determines the wake-up time for holidays to be after the optimal bedtime, which is later than the (measured) bedtime on the last weekday.

[0039] In the third case, it can be determined that there is little sleep debt, but by setting the optimal bedtime to be longer than on weekdays, fatigue on weekends can be reduced. On the other hand, by setting a condition of a maximum of 8 hours, fatigue caused by oversleeping can be suppressed. In the third case, the additional time can be set within a range of, for example, 30 minutes or more and 1 hour or less.

[0040] If the decision unit 14 determines that the user's weekday sleep debt level is at a "normal level" (appropriate bedtime) and their fatigue level is "normal" (hereinafter referred to as "Case 4"), it calculates the wake-up time using the "no change" pattern based on the judgment table. Since Case 4 represents the healthiest state, the system determines the wake-up time on weekends so that the user can sleep for about the same amount of time as on weekdays.

[0041] If the decision unit 14 determines that the weekday sleep debt level is "low" (oversleeping) and the overall fatigue level is "high" (hereinafter referred to as "Case 5"), it calculates the wake-up time using the "no change" pattern based on the judgment table. In Case 5, although there is a possibility of oversleeping, fatigue on weekends can be reduced by ensuring that the person sleeps for about the same amount of time on weekends as on weekdays.

[0042] If the decision unit 14 determines that the weekday sleep debt level is "low" (oversleeping) and the overall fatigue level is "normal" (hereinafter referred to as "Case 6"), it calculates the wake-up time using the "-1 hour" pattern based on the judgment table. Specifically, it calculates the optimal bedtime on holidays as the median of weekday bedtimes minus a predetermined time, and determines the wake-up time on holidays to be the time after the optimal bedtime, which is measured from the last weekday bedtime.

[0043] In the sixth case, the patient is judged to be oversleeping but not fatigued, so shortening bedtime on weekends compared to weekdays can contribute to reducing the mortality rate due to oversleeping.

[0044] (Regarding lighting control methods) The lighting control unit 15 controls the lighting fixture 2 so that the user can wake up comfortably at the wake-up time determined by the determination unit 14.

[0045] Figure 3(A) is a graph that schematically represents the changes in sleep states over one night as defined by electroencephalography (EEG). If the user can wake up during REM sleep, they can wake up comfortably. However, it is uncertain whether the wake-up time determined by the decision unit 14 coincides with the REM sleep state. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5(B), if the lighting fixture 2 is turned on at the wake-up time (for example, 9:00) using timer control at the same brightness as in normal daily life, there is a possibility that the user will be woken up during non-REM sleep.

[0046] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3(B), the lighting control unit 15 temporarily turns on the lighting fixture 2 at a first illuminance level a predetermined period before the wake-up time, turns off the lighting fixture 2 for a certain period of time, and then turns on the lighting fixture 2 at a second illuminance level higher than the first illuminance level at the wake-up time. This type of lighting control will be referred to as "two-stage lighting" below. Note that Figure 3(B) corresponds to an enlarged view of the area enclosed by a rectangle in Figure 3(A).

[0047] The second illuminance is equivalent to the illuminance encountered in normal daily life, for example, 500 [lx]. The first illuminance is, for example, 100 [lx]. The first illuminance should preferably be between 100 and 300 [lx]. In relation to the second illuminance, the first illuminance should preferably be set within the range of 1 / 6 to 1 / 3 of the second illuminance. If it is less than 1 / 6 of the second illuminance, it will be too dark to achieve a semi-awake state, and if it is more than 1 / 3, it will be too bright to achieve a fully awake state. The second illuminance should be 400 [lx] or higher.

[0048] The timing for switching on the lights at the second illumination level (the period preceding the wake-up time) should ideally correspond to one cycle of the morning sleep cycle, for example, 20 minutes. It is known that the sleep cycle shortens as morning approaches.

[0049] As shown in Figure 4(A), assuming that the wake-up time determined by the determination unit 14 is 9:00, the lighting control unit 15 temporarily turns on the lighting fixture 2 at the first illuminance at 8:40, one cycle earlier. The duration of illumination at the first illuminance can be set to between 1 and 3 minutes. For example, it is 2 minutes. After that, the lighting fixture 2 is turned off until 9:00. The time from turning on at the first illuminance to turning on at the second illuminance (off time) is 15 minutes or more.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4(B), slightly brightening the bedroom one sleep cycle earlier causes the sleep cycle to shift forward in time because the person briefly approaches a waking state. As a result, one sleep cycle becomes shorter than the original one cycle (20 minutes), and the amplitude of the brainwaves decreases. Therefore, the sleep becomes lighter than when the light fixture 2 is not turned on until the wake-up time.

[0051] Therefore, even if the sleep state during the temporary illumination at the first illuminance is a non-REM sleep state as shown in Figure 4(A), as shown in Figure 5(A), the brainwaves shift towards REM sleep just before the wake-up time (for example, 5 minutes before), resulting in a state close to wakefulness. The time just before the wake-up time is included in the period when the lighting fixture 2 is off.

[0052] As described above, according to this embodiment, the wake-up time on holidays is determined according to the user's weekday sleep debt level and fatigue level, so that sleep debt and fatigue can be appropriately eliminated on holidays every week.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the lighting control unit 15 performs two-stage lighting on holidays, even if the bedtime is different from that on weekdays, it is possible to regulate the body's biological rhythm to wake up at the appropriate time, allowing the user to wake up comfortably.

[0054] <Variation> In the judgment table shown in Figure 2, an example is given where the median weekday bedtime is used as the criterion for determining the level of sleep debt. However, this criterion could also be the average weekday bedtime or the minimum value (the worst value). Similarly, an example is given where the median weekday sleep latency is used as the criterion for determining the presence or absence of mental fatigue. However, this criterion could also be the average weekday sleep latency or the minimum value. Furthermore, an example is given where the median weekday activity level is used as the criterion for determining the degree of physical fatigue. However, this criterion could also be the average weekday activity level or the maximum value.

[0055] In this embodiment, we have described an example in which the lighting control unit 15 performs two-stage lighting on holidays to help the user wake up comfortably. However, it is also possible to operate the lighting control unit 15 on weekdays. In this case, for example, two-stage lighting can be performed based on the wake-up time set by the user.

[0056] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 1: Lighting control system, 2: Lighting fixture, 3: Sleep sensor, 4: Activity sensor, 10: Control device, 11: Processor, 12: Memory, 13: History database, 14: Decision unit (decision means), 15: Lighting control unit (lighting control means).

Claims

1. Lighting fixtures installed in the bedroom, A lighting control system comprising lighting control means that temporarily turns on the lighting fixture at a first illuminance a predetermined period before the wake-up time, turns off the lighting fixture for a certain period of time, and then turns on the lighting fixture at a second illuminance higher than the first illuminance at the wake-up time.

2. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined period is the time corresponding to one cycle of the morning sleep cycle.

3. The lighting control system according to claim 1, wherein the first illuminance is 100 to 300 [lx] and the second illuminance is 400 [lx] or more.

4. A history memory means for storing the user's past sleep indicators and activity level indicators, The lighting control system according to claim 1, further comprising a determination means for determining the wake-up time for the following day based on sleep indicators and activity level indicators stored in the history storage means.

5. The lighting control system according to claim 4, wherein the determination means determines the wake-up time on holidays according to the weekday sleep debt level and fatigue level identified by the sleep index and activity index stored in the history memory means.

6. The lighting control system according to claim 5, wherein the sleep indicator includes bedtime and sleep latency, and the activity level indicator includes the number of steps.

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