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 Art

[0002] Various techniques for supporting the sleep of users are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for adjusting the bottom angle of an electric bed when detecting a user's snoring.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] To prevent snoring, it is effective to secure the airway by raising the back. However, since the back-raising angle at which the airway can be secured varies depending on the user's body type and the like, it is not easy to determine the optimal back-raising angle.

[0005] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, a terminal device, a program, a control method, and the like that appropriately support a user's sleep can be provided.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a terminal device including an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information regarding a user's snoring, and a control unit that controls the bottom of the bed used by the user for sleeping based on the snoring information. When the snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even if the angle of the bottom is changed, the control unit performs control to change the angle of the bottom again, and in the control of the bottom, performs control to switch the change direction of the angle based on the angle of the bottom.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a program that causes a computer to function as an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information regarding a user's snoring, and a control unit that controls the bottom of the bed used by the user for sleeping based on the snoring information. When the snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even if the angle of the bottom is changed, the control unit performs control to change the angle of the bottom again, and in the control of the bottom, performs control to switch the change direction of the angle based on the angle of the bottom.

[0008] Still another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a control method including a step of acquiring snoring information regarding a user's snoring, and a step of controlling the bottom of the bed used by the user for sleeping. When the snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even if the angle of the bottom is changed, control is performed to change the angle of the bottom again, and in the control of the bottom, control is performed to switch the change direction of the angle based on the angle of the bottom.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8A

Figure 8B

Figure 9

Figure 10A

Figure 10B

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. For the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content described in the claims. Also, not all of the configurations described in this embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present disclosure.

[0011] 1. Example of System Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the control system 10 according to the present 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 modified implementations such as omitting some configurations or adding other configurations are possible. For example, the detection device 200 may be omitted, or other devices may be added. Also, the fact that configurations can be omitted or added is the same for other drawings such as FIG. 4A.

[0012] The bed 300 is an electric bed including a control unit 310 and a controlled part including a movable part 70 that is controlled by the control unit 310. The movable part 70 includes a bottom 71. A mattress 76 (described later with reference to FIG. 3) is placed on the bottom 71. A user 81 lies on the mattress 76. Here, the bottom 71 is a floor board on which the mattress 76 and the like are placed, and may include a plurality of plate-like members as shown in FIG. 1.

[0013] As the bed controlled by the controlled part, for example, the method described in PCT / JP2018 / 044703 (invention name: electric furniture, international filing date: December 5, 2018) can be applied. This patent application is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

[0014] The movable part 70 includes, for example, a back section 70a, an upper leg section 70b, a lower leg section 70c, and a height changing part 70h. The height changing part 70h is, for example, a bed elevator. As in the example of FIG. 1, the movable part 70 may further include a head section 70d. In the plurality of parts (back section 70a, upper leg section 70b, lower leg section 70c, and head section 70d) included in the bottom 71, the angles between them can be changed. As shown in FIG. 1, the bed 300 may include a lighting unit 73a and a temperature control unit 73b as controlled parts.

[0015] For example, by the operation of the back bottom 70a, the angle of the user's back can be changed. By the operation of the knee bottom 70b and the leg bottom 70c, the angle of the knee can be changed. By the operation of the head bottom 70d, the angle or the height of the user's head can be changed. These angles may change in conjunction with each other. These angles are the angles when based on the bed frame 75. For example, the frame 75 is set to be substantially parallel to the floor surface. The angles of the above bottom 71 may also be the angles based on the floor surface. In this example, casters 70g are provided under the frame 75. The casters 70g may be omitted and changed to "legs".

[0016] The height changing part 70h can change, for example, the distance (height) between the floor surface and the bed surface. The height changing part 70h may be able to independently change the height on the head side of the bed 300 and the height on the foot side of the bed 300. Thereby, the overall inclination of the bed surface can be changed.

[0017] For these movable parts 70, for example, an actuator or the like is used. By the operation of the movable part 70, at least any one of "raising the back", "raising the knees", "height adjustment", and "tilting" is possible. "Tilting" includes at least any one of rolling and tilting.

[0018] The bed 300 of this embodiment is connected to the terminal device 100, and the controlled part including the movable part 70 is controlled based on the signal from the terminal device 100. For example, the terminal device 100 transmits a control signal to the control part 310 of the bed 300, and the control part 310 operates the movable part 70 based on the control signal. The terminal device 100 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. However, the terminal device 100 may be other devices such as a PC (Personal Computer).

[0019] For example, by operating according to control application software, the terminal device 100 displays an arbitrary operation screen on the display unit 160. As a control method for a bed in conjunction with a terminal device or the like, for example, the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-228590 (invention name: bed device, filing date: December 5, 2018) can be adopted. This patent application is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

[0020] FIG. 2A shows a screen 42A which is an example of an operation screen. The 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 the control system 10, an icon ("Automatic Driving") for transitioning to a screen related to the setting of the automatic driving of the control system 10, and an icon ("Screen Switch") for switching to a screen related to the operation of the bed 300.

[0021] When it is determined that the "Screen Switch" icon on the screen 42A has been selected by the user, a transition to the screen 42B shown in FIG. 2B is made. The screen 42B is a screen related to the operation of the bed 300, and includes a region 42B1 showing information on the positions of the respective bottoms of the bed 300 and the position of the frame 75, a region 42B2 displaying a plurality of icons for selecting the operation mode of the bed 300, and an icon ("START") for executing the mode selected by the region 42B2. The movable part 70 of the bed 300 is driven according to each operation mode. Since the operation modes are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-228590, detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the terminal device 100 may display a screen or the like for manually adjusting the angles of the plurality of parts included in the bottom 71.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an arrangement example of the detection device 200. In FIG. 3, for ease of viewing, the components are depicted separately from each other. As shown in FIG. 3, on the bed 300, a bottom 71 is provided on the bed legs 74 of the bed part 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.

[0023] The detection device 200 determines the state of the user 81. Specifically, when the user 81 lies down on the bed, the detection device 200 detects the body vibration (body movement, vibration) of the user 81 via the mattress 76. Based on the body vibration detected by the detection device 200, biometric information representing the state of the user 81's biological activity is calculated. For example, the biometric information includes information regarding the respiration rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, wakefulness / sleep, getting out of bed / staying in bed. Also, the determination of sleep may include the determination of non-REM sleep and REM sleep, and the determination of the depth of sleep.

[0024] Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the terminal device 100 and the detection device 200 are communicatively connected and biometric information is obtained in the terminal device 100. However, the calculation of the biometric information may be performed in the detection device 200, or may be performed in other devices (for example, the control unit 310 of the bed 300, a server connected to the terminal device 100, etc.).

[0025] For example, the periodicity of body movement may be analyzed, and the respiration rate and heart rate may be calculated from the peak frequency. The analysis of the periodicity is, for example, Fourier transform or the like. The respiration rate is the number of breaths per unit time. The heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit time. The unit time is, for example, 1 minute. Also, body vibration may be detected per sampling unit time, and the number of detected body vibrations may be calculated as the activity level.

[0026] As a method for detecting the getting out of bed, being in bed, position, posture, etc. of the user 81, for example, the entrance / exit detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327624 (Title of Invention: Bed Entrance / 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 adopted. These patent applications are incorporated in their entirety by reference.

[0027] In addition, in the method of this embodiment, it is only necessary to be able to detect the biological information of the user 81, and the method is not limited to using body vibration. For example, the biological information may be calculated using an infrared sensor, a camera, an actuator with a strain gauge, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, a radar for obtaining the displacement of the body surface or bedding, etc.

[0028] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams showing a configuration example of the terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4A, the terminal device 100 may include an acquisition unit 110 and a control unit 120.

[0029] The acquisition unit 110 acquires snoring information regarding the snoring of the user 81. The snoring information here may be information regarding the snoring sound obtained based on the output voice of a microphone arranged near the user, for example.

[0030] Based on the snoring information, the control unit 120 causes the bottom 71 of the bed 300 used by the user 81 for sleeping to be controlled. Here, as described above, the bottom 71 may include the back bottom 70a, the knee bottom 70b, the leg bottom 70c, the head bottom 70d, etc.

[0031] The control unit 120 is composed of 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 composed of one or more circuit devices mounted on a circuit board and one or more circuit elements. The one or more circuit devices are, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), etc. The one or more circuit elements are, for example, a resistor, a capacitor, etc.

[0032] Also, the control unit 120 may be realized by the following processor. The terminal device 100 of the present embodiment includes a memory for storing information and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The information is, for example, a program and various data, etc. The processor includes hardware. The processor can use various processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), flash memory, etc., or a register, or a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an optical storage device such as an optical disk device. For example, the memory stores instructions readable by a computer, and by the processor executing the instructions, the functions of the control unit 120 are realized as processing. The instructions here may be instructions in an instruction set constituting a program or instructions for instructing operations to the hardware circuit of the processor.

[0033] Even when the control unit 120 of this embodiment changes the angle of the bottom 71, if snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information, the control unit 120 performs control to change the angle of the bottom 71 again. In the control of the bottom 71, control to switch the direction of the angle change may be performed based on the current angle of the bottom 71. For example, while the snoring of the user 81 is being 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, since the angle of the back bottom 70a changes, an angle that can suppress the snoring of the target user 81 can be appropriately obtained. At that time, the change direction is not fixed to an increase, and control to decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a may be performed. For example, as a result of increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a, when the angle of the back bottom 70a reaches the upper limit value of the movable range, the control unit 120 may switch to control to decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. Similarly, as a result of decreasing the angle of the back bottom 70a, when the current angle reaches the lower limit value 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 switching of the change direction is not limited to reaching the end point of the movable range, and switching the change direction at a point other than the end point of the movable range is not precluded. By switching the change direction at a point other than the end point, it becomes possible to increase the priority of a part of the movable range and decrease the priority of other ranges of the movable range. That a given angle has a high priority means that it is easy to be set to that angle. For example, the conditions for switching the change direction may be different for each user 81.

[0034] Also, when the control unit 120 of this embodiment detects snoring based on the snoring information, the control unit 120 performs control to search for a snoring 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 and the like.

[0035] According to the method of this embodiment, it is possible to control the angle of the bottom 71 while checking the actual snoring situation. Therefore, although the back angle that can secure the airway may vary from user to user, it becomes possible to obtain a back angle suitable for each user. The back angle here is the angle of the user 81's back, and is synonymous with the angle of the back bottom 70a with respect to, for example, the floor surface on which the frame 75 or the bed 300 is arranged. That is, according to the method of this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately determine the angle of the back bottom 70a effective for suppressing snoring, and to 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.

[0036] Furthermore, even for the same user 81, the back angle suitable for suppressing snoring may change according to the situation. In the method of this embodiment, since the snoring suppression angle is searched from a given search range, it is possible to cope with changes in the situation of the user 81. As a result, the generation of snoring sounds by the target user 81 is suppressed, so that it becomes possible to improve the sleep of the user 81 himself and the people around him (such as family members) and avoid disturbing sleep.

[0037] FIG. 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.

[0038] The processing unit 130 here can use various processors such as a CPU, a GPU, and a DSP. The processing unit 130 may include a snoring information acquisition unit 111, a biological information acquisition unit 113, an angle adjustment unit 121, and an on / off determination unit 123. The snoring information acquisition unit 111 and the biological information acquisition unit 113 correspond to, for example, the acquisition unit 110 in FIG. 4A. The angle adjustment unit 121 and the on / off determination unit 123 correspond to, for example, the control unit 120 in FIG. 4A.

[0039] The snoring information acquisition unit 111 acquires an audio signal from the microphone 140 and performs a process of obtaining snoring information representing the user's snoring based on the audio signal. For example, the snoring information acquisition unit 111 may extract a component corresponding to snoring from the audio signal and obtain information representing the duration of snoring as snoring information. In this way, the snoring information acquisition unit 111 can determine whether snoring is detected, and if snoring is detected, the length of its duration. Note that the component corresponding to snoring may be, for example, a component in a predetermined frequency band. Also, known audio signal processing can be widely applied in the calculation of snoring information.

[0040] The biological information acquisition unit 113 obtains the biological information of the user 81 based on the information representing the body vibration from the detection device 200. Specifically, as described above, the biological information acquisition unit 113 obtains information regarding the respiration rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, wakefulness / sleep, getting out of bed / staying in bed as biological information. Although the connection relationship is omitted in FIG. 4B, the acquisition of body vibration from the detection device 200 is executed via the communication unit 170.

[0041] When snoring is detected based on the snoring information, the angle adjustment unit 121 transmits a signal for controlling the bottom 71 (narrowly, the back bottom 70a) of the bed 300 to the control unit 310 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.

[0042] The on / off determination unit 123 determines the on / off of the first control for performing a back lift for snoring suppression based on at least one of the snoring information and the biological information. The first control is a control for searching for a snoring suppression angle, and specifically, it is 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 in the on / off determination unit.

[0043] The microphone 140 is a microphone built into the terminal device 100 and is an element that converts sound into an electrical signal. Here, an example where the terminal device 100 includes the microphone 140 is shown, but the snoring information acquisition unit 111 may acquire an audio signal from a microphone provided outside the terminal device 100.

[0044] The storage unit 150 is a work area of the processing unit 130 and is realized by various memories such as SRAM, DRAM, and ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 150 may store snoring information or biometric information. Further, the storage unit 150 may store a recording result using the output signal of the microphone 140 (for example, recording data during the period when snoring is occurring). By outputting the recording data, it becomes possible to present the snoring situation to the user 81. Further, the storage unit 150 may store the recording data for a predetermined period after the control of the bottom 71 by the angle adjustment unit 121. By outputting the recording data, it becomes possible to present the effect of the snoring stop operation by the angle adjustment unit 121 to the user 81. Further, the storage unit 150 may store various types of information described later with reference to FIGS. 6, 8A, 8B, 11, etc.

[0045] The display unit 160 is an interface for displaying various types of information, and may be a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or another type of display. The display unit 160 displays the operation screen described above with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B and the operation screen described later with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

[0046] The communication unit 170 is an interface for performing communication via a network, and includes, for example, an antenna, an RF (radio frequency) circuit, and a baseband circuit. The communication unit 170 may operate according to the control by 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 perform communication using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or may perform communication using other methods. Also, 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.

[0047] Note that part or all of the processing performed by the terminal device 100 of the present embodiment may be realized by a program. The processing performed by the terminal device 100 is, for example, the processing performed by the processing unit 130 (acquisition unit 110 and control unit 120). Also, the program here may be, for example, application software that operates on a smartphone or the like.

[0048] The program according to the present embodiment can be stored, for example, in a non-temporary information storage device (information storage medium) that is a computer-readable medium. The information storage device can be realized, for example, by an optical disk, a memory card, an HDD, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a ROM. The processing unit 130 and the like perform various processes of the present embodiment based on the program stored in the information storage device. That is, the information storage device stores a program for causing a computer to function as the processing unit 130 and the like. A computer is a device including an input device, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit. Specifically, the program according to the present embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute each step described later using FIG. 5 and the like.

[0049] In addition, the method of this embodiment can be applied to a control method including the following steps. The control method includes a step of acquiring snoring information regarding the user's snoring, and a step of causing the bottom 71 to be controlled for the bed used by the user for sleeping. When snoring is detected based on the snoring information, control is performed to search for a snoring suppression angle, which is an angle determined to suppress snoring, based on the angle of the bottom 71 and the snoring information.

[0050] 2. Snoring Suppression Processing Next, specific processing for suppressing snoring will be described.

[0051] 2.1 Flow of Processing FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing in the control unit 120 of the terminal device 100, specifically the angle adjustment unit 121. The processing in FIG. 5 may be periodically executed at a predetermined interval, for example, when the user 81 is determined to be in a sleeping state based on biological information. Also, as will be described later, the processing in FIG. 5 may be executed on the condition that the first control is on.

[0052] First, in step S101, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires snoring information from the snoring information acquisition unit 111. Specifically, the snoring information acquisition unit 111 acquires the output signal of the microphone 140 and obtains snoring information from the output signal. The angle adjustment unit 121 determines whether snoring is detected based on the snoring information. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine that snoring is detected when the duration of snoring is greater than a predetermined threshold. The threshold here may be 0 or a value greater than 0.

[0053] When it is determined that snoring is detected (Yes in step S101), in step S102, the angle adjustment unit 121 outputs a control signal for instructing the angle change of the back bottom 70a to the bed 300 via the communication unit 170. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may transmit a control signal for increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. Hereinafter, an example where the predetermined angle is 2 degrees will be described, but various modifications are possible for the specific change amount.

[0054] Based on the process of step S102, the control unit 310 of the bed 300 controls to increase the angle of the back bottom 70a by 2 degrees by driving an actuator or the like. For example, if the angle of the back bottom 70a before the change is 0 degrees in a horizontal state, control is performed to change the angle of the back bottom 70a to 2 degrees. Here, the horizontal state is not limited to a completely horizontal state, but includes a substantially horizontal state where the angle difference from the horizontal plane is within a predetermined range. When the driving of the back bottom 70a of the bed 300 is completed, the bed 300 transmits the fact and the angle after the change to the terminal device 100.

[0055] In step S103, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires the completion of the angle change and the angle after the change via the communication unit 170. In the above example, the angle adjustment unit 121 acquires information indicating that the angle of the back bottom 70a has been changed to 2 degrees from the bed 300.

[0056] 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 change. 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 the snoring in the state where the back bottom 70a is at 2 degrees. The angle adjustment unit 121 determines whether or not snoring is detected based on the snoring information. In this way, after changing the angle of the bottom 71, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the snoring has stopped due to the change based on the snoring information. For example, the snoring information acquisition unit 111 may obtain snoring information based on the audio signal in the period until a predetermined period (for example, about 30 seconds) elapses after receiving the notification from the bed 300 in step S103.

[0057] When snoring detection continues even after the angle is changed (Yes in step S101), the processes of steps S102 and S103 are executed again. For example, when snoring is detected even in the state where the back bottom 70a is at 2 degrees, the angle adjustment unit 121 gives an instruction to further increase the angle by 2 degrees, and the control unit 310 of the bed 300 changes the angle of the back bottom 70a to 4 degrees. After the process of step S103, the process returns to step S101 and continues. That is, the angle adjustment unit 121 determines snoring in the state of 4 degrees.

[0058] In this way, by repeating the processes of steps S101 to S103, it becomes possible to appropriately search for an angle capable of suppressing snoring while actually sensing the state of snoring. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the snoring suppression angle according to the target user 81.

[0059] When the angle of the back bottom 70a reaches the upper limit value of the search range, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to change the angle of the back bottom 70a to the lower limit value of the search range, or may perform control to decrease the angle of the back bottom 70a by a predetermined angle. For example, when the search range is 0 degrees to 10 degrees and snoring is detected in the state of 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 the search from there by 2 degrees, 4 degrees, etc. Alternatively, when snoring is detected in the state of 10 degrees, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform search in the reverse direction in the order of 8 degrees, 6 degrees... and when reaching 0 degrees, may perform control to increase by 2 degrees again. In addition, in the loop process of steps S101 to S103, the angle adjustment unit 121 only needs to be able to search for the snoring suppression angle within the search range, and various modifications of the specific search procedure are possible.

[0060] When 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 as the snoring suppression angle in the storage unit 150 in association with the user 81.

[0061] In the situation where the user 81 is not snoring in the first place, it is determined that snoring is not detected in the process of the first 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 snoring suppression angle, in step S104, the angle adjustment unit 121 maintains the current angle. In step S105, the angle adjustment unit 121 may store the current angle in the storage unit 150 as the snoring suppression angle. Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the angle at which it is determined that the snoring that has occurred has stopped may be used as the snoring suppression angle, and when the loop process of steps S101 to S103 is not executed, the process of step S105 may be omitted.

[0062] FIG. 6 is 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 the user and the snoring suppression angle are associated, and may be table data as shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the snoring suppression angle of user A is 2 degrees, and the snoring suppression angle of user B is 10 degrees. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately manage the snoring suppression angle according to the user.

[0063] Further, when snoring is detected after the storage of the correspondence information, the control unit 120 (angle adjustment unit 121) may control the angle of the bottom 71 using the snoring suppression angle associated with the user 81 as the initial value of the search. For example, consider the 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 so that the snoring suppression angle of 2 degrees is preferentially selected compared to other angles. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may transmit 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, since the angle with a record of suppressing snoring in the past is preferentially set, it becomes possible to efficiently suppress the snoring of the user 81.

[0064] However, whether the user 81 snores or not changes according to the user's state. For example, due to changes in the weight of the user 81, the way the airway is blocked changes. Therefore, just because it was the angle at which snoring was suppressed in the past, it is not always the case that snoring will be suppressed. In that case, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform a process of searching for a new snoring suppression angle for angles other than the existing snoring suppression angles by repeating the processes of steps S101 to S103 in FIG. 5. In this way, it becomes possible to obtain a plurality of snoring suppression angles for one user 81.

[0065] For example, even when information indicating 2 degrees is obtained as the snoring suppression angle of user A, the search for the snoring suppression angle may be executed for angles other than 2 degrees. In the example of FIG. 6, since 8 degrees is searched as the new snoring suppression angle of user A, two snoring suppression angles of 2 degrees and 8 degrees are associated with user A. Also, in the example of FIG. 6, two snoring suppression angles of 10 degrees and 6 degrees are associated with user B. In this case, the angle adjustment unit 121 performs the angle change in step S102 so that, for example, in the process of FIG. 5 for user A, 2 degrees and 8 degrees are preferentially set compared to other angles.

[0066] In the above, an example was described in which when snoring is no longer detected (Yes in step S101), the loop process of steps S101 to S103 immediately ends, but 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 processes of steps S101 to S103 until the search within a predetermined angle range is completed. The predetermined angle range here may be the entire search range or a part of it. In this way, since the probability of obtaining a plurality of angles as the snoring suppression angle increases, more efficient snoring suppression becomes possible.

[0067] Also, the snoring suppression angle in the present embodiment is not limited to being determined within one sleep, and may be statistically determined based on long-term measurement results. For example, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 8B, the angle adjustment unit 121 may obtain the relationship between each angle and the snoring duration, and determine the angle with a short snoring duration as the snoring suppression angle. For example, during a period (e.g., one month, etc.) in which it is assumed that sleep is performed a predetermined number of times or more, the relationship between the angle and the snoring duration may be measured, and the snoring suppression angle may be obtained based on the statistical result. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 obtains a statistical quantity (average value, median value, etc.) of the snoring duration for each angle, and determines the angle with a small statistical quantity as the snoring suppression angle. For example, before the data of the target user 81 is accumulated, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform angle adjustment within a relatively wide range and accumulate data indicating the relationship between the angle and the snoring duration. On the other hand, when the accumulation of the data of the user 81 progresses, the angle adjustment unit 121 may execute search processing limited to the vicinity of the snoring suppression angle obtained from the data.

[0068] 2.2 Automatic setting of on / off As described above, the first control for performing the back raising for snoring suppression includes the snoring detection process (step S101) based on the snoring information and the angle change process (step S102) of the bottom 71 of the bed 300. Although not shown in FIG. 5, a recording process of the output signal of the microphone 140 may be performed to inform the user 81 or a related person (family member, caregiver, etc.) after getting up of the specific situation of the snoring.

[0069] The first control is not prevented from being manually set for on / off. However, in the present embodiment, the on / off determination may be automatically executed.

[0070] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a process of determining on / off of the first control. First, in step S201, the on / off determination 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 information calculated from the snoring information. For example, the evaluation value is the duration of snoring within a predetermined period.

[0071] That is, the control unit 120 (on / off determination unit 123) may determine whether to execute the control of the bottom 71 based on the degree of occurrence of snoring determined based on the snoring information. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately switch the on / off of the first control based on whether there is a high need to suppress snoring.

[0072] Also, 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 obtained based on the respiratory state and represents, for example, the number of occurrences per unit time of an event determined to be apnea.

[0073] That is, the acquisition unit 110 (biological information acquisition unit 113) acquires the biological 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 execute the control of the bottom 71 based on the biological information. In this way, it becomes possible to appropriately switch the on / off of the first control based on the biological information. For example, since the above-mentioned respiratory event index represents the degree of apnea, by using the respiratory event index, it becomes possible to appropriately switch the on / off of the first control based on whether sleep is inhibited.

[0074] Also, the evaluation value may be obtained by combining the snoring information and the biological information, or may be obtained by combining a plurality of biological information.

[0075] In step S202, the on / off determination unit 123 determines whether the evaluation value is greater than a predetermined threshold value. Here, the evaluation value is information indicating that the higher the value, the higher the probability that sleep is inhibited. The on / off determination unit 123 may determine whether the value of the snoring duration is greater than the first threshold value, or may determine whether the respiratory event index is greater than the second threshold value, or may perform determination using other evaluation values and threshold values.

[0076] When 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 the situation is such that sleep is inhibited and the probability of snoring occurring is high, it becomes possible to appropriately suppress snoring. For example, since recording of microphone voice and changing the angle of the back bottom 70a are executed, it is possible to suppress overlooking of snoring.

[0077] On the other hand, when the evaluation value is less than or equal to 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 the situation is such that the probability of getting good sleep is high, recording of microphone voice and changing the angle of the back bottom 70a can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress consumption of the area of the storage unit 150 by recording voices other than snoring, and incorrect driving of the back bottom 70a based on noises other than snoring.

[0078] Whether or not snoring occurs varies depending on the day, and even for the same user, there are days when snoring occurs and days when it does not. According to the method of the present embodiment, it becomes possible to appropriately switch the on / off of the first control based on the specific situation of the user. Therefore, there is no need for the user 81 to manually control the on / off, and the convenience can also be improved.

[0079] 2.3 Variations of snoring suppression Hereinafter, variations regarding the suppression of snoring will be described.

[0080] 2.3.1 Snoring suppression by means other than the back angle Above, the first control for performing a back lift to suppress snoring has been described. This is to secure the airway and suppress snoring by making the user assume a posture with a higher back angle compared to the horizontal state (0 degrees). That is, it is a method assuming that the angle of the back bottom 70a is stabilized at a value corresponding to the user 81.

[0081] However, methods other than the first control may be used to suppress snoring. For example, the control unit 120 may suppress snoring by vibrating the body of the user 81 (applying a stimulus to the body) by changing the angle of the back bottom 70a and prompting momentary awakening. In the awakened state, since the relaxation of the muscles of the user 81 is resolved, it is possible to suppress snoring by momentary awakening. Hereinafter, the control for prompting momentary awakening by operating the back bottom 70a is referred to as the second control.

[0082] The second control can be realized by the angle adjustment unit 121. In this case, since the purpose is to apply a stimulus, any specific angle of the back bottom 70a can be set. 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, since the angle of the back bottom 70a after the control returns to the original value, the posture of the user 81 including the back angle does not change significantly, but sufficient stimulus is applied to the user 81, so it is possible to prompt awakening. However, the specific control for prompting momentary awakening of the user 81 is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. Also, changing the back angle (first control) to make it easier to secure the airway is not precluded from also serving as the second control.

[0083] Moreover, the degree of snoring occurrence is related to the posture of user 81 at bedtime (hereinafter also referred to as the sleeping posture). Therefore, the acquisition unit 110 (biological information acquisition unit 113) may acquire biological information including posture information representing the posture of user 81 at bedtime from the detection device 200 placed on the bottom 71 of the bed 300. The control unit 120 obtains the relationship between the sleeping posture of the user and snoring based on the posture information and the snoring information. The posture information here is information for specifying, for example, whether the sleeping posture is the supine position, the left lateral position, the right lateral position, or the prone position. In this way, it becomes possible to obtain a sleeping posture suitable for suppressing snoring for each user 81. Hereinafter, the control for obtaining the sleeping posture suitable for user 81 is referred to as the third control.

[0084] For example, as the third control, the control unit 120 may perform a process of obtaining the relationship between the sleeping posture and snoring based on the posture information and the snoring information. FIG. 8A is an example of the information obtained by the third control. Specifically, in the information shown in FIG. 8A, for each of a plurality of sleeping postures, the snoring duration per unit time when taking the sleeping posture is associated. For example, the snoring duration in FIG. 8A is a value representing the value per hour (unit: minute).

[0085] 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. Also, since there is no time (or it is shorter than a predetermined time) during the measurement period for which the target user 81 is determined to be in the prone position, the snoring duration for the prone position has not been obtained. Therefore, in this case, it can be determined that the recommended sleeping posture for the target user 81 is the left lateral position.

[0086] Note that the third control may include control for driving the bottom 71, the pillow, etc. to realize the recommended sleeping posture. For example, a method of promoting the transition to the lateral position by changing the height of the bottom 71 or the pillow in the left - right direction (the side direction of the bed 300) is known, and this method can be applied in this embodiment.

[0087] As described above, as elements for suppressing snoring, raising the back, back movement (instantaneous awakening), and sleeping posture can be considered. Therefore, the control unit 120 may perform a first control for searching for a snoring suppression angle based on snoring information, a second control for shaking the body of the user 81 by driving the bottom 71 based on the snoring information, and a third control for determining a sleeping posture suitable for the user 81 based on the snoring information and the posture information. By doing so, it becomes possible to suppress snoring considering various elements.

[0088] 2.3.2 Presentation process Also, in the present embodiment, various information obtained by the first control to the third control may be presented to the user 81 and the like. The presentation here is, for example, a display using the display unit 160 of the terminal device 100, but other methods may be used. Also, not all of the various presentations described below need to be performed, and some may be omitted.

[0089] For example, the control unit 120 may present information regarding the snoring suppression angle obtained based on the first control to the user 81 and the like. For example, based on the first control, the control unit 120 may obtain information in which the snoring duration per unit time at the angle is associated with the angle of the back bottom 70a as shown in FIG. 8B. For example, the information shown in FIG. 8B may be obtained by repeating the search process for the snoring suppression angle.

[0090] In the example shown in FIG. 8B, when the angle of the back bottom 70a is 8 degrees, the snoring duration per unit time is the shortest. In this case, the control unit 120 may present that the back angle effective for suppressing the snoring of the target user 81, that is, the snoring 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, an image, etc. recommending setting the back bottom 70a to 8 degrees. In this way, it becomes possible to suppress snoring by prompting sleeping at the recommended back angle.

[0091] Further, the control unit 120 may present information indicating a sleeping posture determined to suppress the 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 sleeping position. In this way, by encouraging going to bed in the recommended sleeping posture, it becomes possible to suppress snoring.

[0092] Also, FIG. 9 is an example of a screen for displaying 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, etc. accumulated in the storage unit 150.

[0093] The horizontal axis in FIG. 9 represents time, and the vertical axis represents the values of each parameter. A1 in FIG. 9 represents the length of the 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 execution timing of an operation that promotes momentary awakening, and one triangle represents one operation. 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 state of snoring, the adjustment status of the back angle (execution status of the first control), the timing and frequency of promoting momentary awakening (execution status of the second control) can be presented.

[0094] 2.3.3 Determination of the effectiveness of each element Also, as described above, there are three elements related to snoring suppression: back angle, instantaneous arousal, 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 some of them. For example, for each of the first to third controls described above, the user 81 may be able to set 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) should be turned on.

[0095] Therefore, the control unit 120 may present the degree of association between each of the back angle, instantaneous arousal, sleeping posture, and snoring. In this way, it becomes possible for the user to recognize how much each of the above elements affects the snoring of the target user 81. As a result, the user 81 can appropriately recognize the elements effective in suppressing their own snoring, and thus it becomes possible to easily realize the on / off setting of the first to third controls.

[0096] For example, the control unit 120 may present the information shown in FIG. 8B based on the result of the first control. Also, the control unit 120 may compare the snoring duration included in the table of FIG. 8B with a threshold value and present the snoring duration smaller than the threshold value in an identifiable manner. For example, if all snoring durations are larger than the threshold value, it is considered that adjusting the back angle is not sufficient to suppress the occurrence of snoring. Conversely, if there is an angle with a snoring duration value smaller than the threshold value, the effect of suppressing snoring is high for that angle. By presenting the information shown in FIG. 8B or information similar thereto in this way, the degree of association between the back angle and snoring, that is, the effectiveness of the first control, can be appropriately presented.

[0097] Further, the control unit 120 may present the information shown in A1 and A5 of FIG. 9 based on the result of the second control. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, snoring is continuously detected even after the second control (driving of the back bottom 70a) is performed, and as a result, the second control is repeatedly executed during one sleep. In this case, the second control is considered to be not very effective in suppressing the snoring of the target user 81. On the other hand, if the snoring duration decreases after the second control is performed, the second control is considered to be effective in suppressing snoring. By presenting the information shown in FIG. 9 or similar information in this way, the degree of association between momentary awakening and snoring, that is, the effectiveness of the second control, can be appropriately presented.

[0098] Further, the control unit 120 may present the information shown in FIG. 8A based on the result of the third control. Further, the control unit 120 may compare the snoring duration included in the table of FIG. 8A with a threshold value, and present the snoring duration smaller than the threshold value in an identifiable manner. Similar to the example of the first control, a sleeping posture with a snoring duration smaller than the threshold value is considered to be effective in suppressing snoring. Therefore, by presenting the information shown in FIG. 8A or similar information in this way, the degree of association between the sleeping posture and snoring, that is, the effectiveness of the third control, can be appropriately presented.

[0099] As described above, the control unit 120 can determine the effectiveness of the first to third controls based on the above-described respective information. Therefore, the control unit 120 may perform control to present to the user one or more controls determined to be effective in suppressing snoring among the first control, the second control, and the third control. In this way, it becomes possible to clearly present to the user 81 the control that should be turned on among the plurality of controls related to snoring suppression. Note that based on the above determination result, it is not precluded that the control unit 120 automatically switches the on / off of each control.

[0100] 2.3.4 User Input Further, the control unit 120 may display a prompt for input regarding the state of the user 81. For example, the control unit 120 may prompt user input by displaying a question such as "Did you drink alcohol before going to bed?" and options for answering the question ("Yes / No"). Also, the control unit 120 may display a question such as "How do you feel now?" and options such as "Good / So-so / Bad". The control unit 120 may display a question such as "Did you sleep well last night?" and options such as "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 representing the subjective state of the user 81.

[0101] When a person drinks alcohol, it is known that snoring is likely to occur due to muscle relaxation or the like. Therefore, when a person drinks alcohol, it is conceivable that snoring may not be suppressed even if the snoring suppression angle obtained from past results is set. In this case, the occurrence of snoring is caused by drinking alcohol, and it may not be appropriate to determine that the above snoring suppression angle is ineffective. Thus, when a user input indicating that the user has drunk alcohol is made, the control unit 120 may perform a process of excluding the corresponding data from the calculation target of the snoring suppression angle. For example, even when the angle adjustment unit 121 executes 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 during drinking from the data used for the calculation of the information shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In this way, the influence of irregular data on the snoring suppression angle and the like can be suppressed.

[0102] Similarly, when the physical condition of the user 81 is poor, it is considered an irregular state for the user 81. Thus, when a user input indicating that the physical condition is poor is made, the control unit 120 may perform a process of excluding the corresponding data from the calculation target of the snoring suppression angle.

[0103] In addition, the control unit 120 can determine the degree of sleep based on snoring information, respiratory rate, heart rate, etc. Therefore, when a user input is made in response to the question "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.

[0104] Also, the user input in this embodiment is not limited to the above items, and various modifications can be made.

[0105] 3. Sleep support other than snoring suppression So far, the control for suppressing the snoring of the target user 81 has been described. The control here may be the first control described above, or may include the second control and the third control.

[0106] However, the control executed by the control unit 120 of this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 120 may execute a plurality of controls including a first control for searching for a snoring suppression angle, a fourth control for supporting the user 81 to fall asleep by adjusting the bottom 71, and a fifth control for supporting the user to wake up by adjusting the bottom 71. The plurality of controls may also include the second control and the third control. In this way, it becomes possible to support the sleep of the user 81 in various situations.

[0107] For example, it is known that the user 81 is likely to fall asleep when the back bottom 70a is gently inclined, and it is easy to turn over when the upper surface of the bottom 71 is close to flat. Therefore, as the fourth control described above, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to raise the back before falling asleep to promote falling asleep, and lower the back after falling asleep is detected so that it is easy to turn over.

[0108] Further, as the fifth control, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to promote awakening by raising the back. For example, the angle adjustment unit 121 may determine REM sleep / non-REM sleep based on biological information, and perform the fifth control by increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a at the timing of REM sleep closest to the scheduled wake-up time.

[0109] Also, PCT / JP2018 / 044703 discloses control for changing the angle of the back bottom 70a according to the variation ΔS of the signal SS corresponding to the biological signal. For example, when ΔS is decreasing, the angle adjustment unit 121 determines that the user 81 is falling into a deeper sleep, and promotes deep sleep by increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a. When ΔS is increasing, the angle adjustment unit 121 may perform control to make it easier for the user to turn over by decreasing the angle of the back bottom 70a. Hereinafter, this control is also referred to as the sixth control. In addition, the control unit 120 of the present embodiment may execute various controls disclosed in PCT / JP2018 / 044703 and the like.

[0110] As described above, in the present embodiment, by performing the first control to the sixth control and the like, it becomes possible to support the user 81 in various situations during sleep. However, not all of these controls are limited to being executed, and the on / off of the automatic driving may be customized according to the user 81.

[0111] FIGS. 10A and 10B are examples of operation screens displayed on the display unit 160 of the terminal device 100, for example. For example, when the selection operation of "automatic driving" in FIG. 4A is performed, the screen 42C shown in FIG. 10A is displayed. The screen 42C includes an object for switching the on / off of the automatic driving. When an operation is performed to turn on the object, the screen 42D in FIG. 10B is displayed.

[0112] The screen 42D is a screen for performing more specific settings. In the present embodiment, a plurality of modes (courses) are set, and the on / off of the automatic driving may be set for each of the modes. Here, the courses include, for example, a sleep improvement course, a falling asleep improvement course, a waking up improvement course, a snoring prevention course, a good dream course, a dream erasure / memory reduction course, and the like.

[0113] The sleep improvement course is a course for improving the overall sleep situation. The falling asleep improvement course is a course for improving the situation related to falling asleep. The waking up improvement course is a course for improving the situation related to waking up. The snoring prevention course is a course for suppressing the occurrence of snoring. The good dream course is a course for making the user 81 have a favorable dream. The dream erasure / memory reduction course is a course for making the user forget having a dream or reducing the memory or impression. Since there are many bad dreams and the fact that having a dream is one of the factors that makes the user feel light sleep and reduces the subjective sleep feeling, using the dream erasure / memory reduction course is effective as support for the sleep of the user 81. In this way, by enabling user input in units of courses, the user 81 can easily input their own desires.

[0114] For example, the memory 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). Then, the control unit 120 may determine whether to execute each of the plurality of controls based on a user input for selecting any one of the plurality of modes and the second correspondence information.

[0115] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the second correspondence information representing the correspondence relationship between courses and controls. The controls here correspond to the first control to the sixth control described above. As shown in FIG. 11, the sleep improvement course is associated with all of the six controls. Therefore, when the automatic driving of the sleep improvement course is set to on, the corresponding six controls are automatically executed.

[0116] Similarly, the sleep induction improvement course is associated with the fourth control that performs back raising and lowering during sleep induction. The wake-up improvement course is associated with the fifth control that performs back raising during waking up. The snoring prevention course is associated with the first control that performs back raising using the snoring suppression angle, the second control that prompts momentary awakening, and the third control that recommends the optimal sleeping posture, etc. The good dream course is associated with the sixth control that performs back raising and lowering according to ΔS. Also, the dream erasure / memory reduction course is associated with the sixth control. However, FIG. 11 is an example of the association between the course and the control, and various modifications can be made regarding the specific course, control, and the association between them.

[0117] 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 of changing the angle of the back bottom 70a may be different according to the course. For example, whether or not the content of the dream is remembered depends on whether or not one wakes up after seeing the dream. Thus, there is a finding that if one continues to sleep after seeing a dream, the memory of the dream is erased, and only the dream immediately before waking up is remembered. Therefore, in the good dream course, for example, in order to avoid middle-of-the-night awakening due to a nightmare or the like, during REM sleep (a period when one is likely to remember the dream) at a time other than the scheduled wake-up time, by changing the angle of the back bottom 70a, the memory of the dream can be softened, and as a result, it becomes possible to make it easier to interpret as a good dream. On the other hand, in the dream erasure / memory reduction course, for example, when continuing for a predetermined time or more from the timing of switching from REM sleep to non-REM sleep and the time difference from the scheduled wake-up time is below the threshold, the fifth control of increasing the angle of the back bottom 70a may be performed. By doing so, it is possible to prompt waking up in a state where the memory of the dream is erased / reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to make one forget having seen a dream or to reduce the memory and impression.

[0118] By doing so, it becomes possible to appropriately turn on the necessary automatic driving control according to the requests of the user 81. Therefore, it becomes possible to reduce the operation burden on the user 81 compared to the case where each function is set individually. Also, although six controls from the first to the sixth are exemplified here, there is a possibility that the number of executable controls may increase, such as when functions are added to the control system 10. Even in such a case, by allowing the selection of an intuitively understandable course, it is possible to easily realize settings that meet the requests of the user 81.

[0119] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as above, those skilled in the art will easily understand that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel matters and effects of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modified examples are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the specification or drawings, a term that is described at least once together with a broader or synonymous different term can be replaced with that different term at any place in the specification or drawings. Also, all combinations of the present embodiment and modified examples are included within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, the configurations and operations of the terminal device, detection device, bed, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modified implementations are possible.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0120] 10... Control system, 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D... Screens, 42B1, 42B2... Regions, 70... Movable part, 70B... Bed part, 70a... Back bottom, 70b... Knee bottom, 70c... Leg bottom, 70d... Head bottom, 70g... Caster, 70h... Height changing part, 71... Bottom, 73a... Lighting part, 73b... Temperature control part, 74... Bed leg part, 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... Storage part, 160... Display part, 170... Communication part, 200... Detection device, 300... Bed, 310... Control part

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires snoring information regarding a user's snoring; A control unit that, based on the snoring information, causes the bottom of a bed used by the user for sleeping to be controlled; comprising: The control unit: When the snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information even if the angle of the bottom is changed, controls to change the angle of the bottom again; In the control of the bottom, controls to switch the direction of change of the angle based on the angle of the bottom; The control unit: When the snoring is detected based on the snoring information, controls to search for a snoring suppression angle, which is the angle determined to suppress the snoring, based on the angle of the bottom and the snoring information; The acquisition unit: Acquires biological information including posture information representing the posture of the user at bedtime from a detection device placed on the bottom of the bed; The control unit: A terminal device that obtains the relationship between the posture of the user and the snoring based on the posture information and the snoring information.

2. In Claim 1, including a storage unit that stores correspondence information, which is information in which the user and the snoring suppression angle are associated; The control unit: When the snoring is detected after the storage of the correspondence information, controls the angle of the bottom using the snoring suppression angle associated with the user as an initial value for the search.

3. In Claim 1, The control unit: A terminal device that performs control to present at least one of information regarding the snoring suppression angle and information regarding the posture at bedtime determined to suppress the snoring.

4. In Claim 1 or 2, The control unit: A terminal device that performs a first control to search for the snoring suppression angle based on the snoring information, a second control to rock the user's body by driving the bottom based on the snoring information, and a third control to determine a posture suitable for the user based on the snoring information and the posture information.

5. In Claim 4, The control unit: A terminal device that presents one or more controls determined to be effective in suppressing the user's snoring among the first control, the second control, and the third control.

6. In any one of Claims 1 to 3, The control unit: A terminal device that executes a plurality of controls including a first control for searching for the snoring suppression angle based on the snoring information, a fourth control for supporting the user's falling asleep by adjusting the bottom, and a fifth control for supporting the user's waking up by adjusting the bottom.

7. In claim 6, including a storage unit that stores second correspondence information, which is information in which one or more of the plurality of controls are associated with each of the plurality of modes; the control unit, a terminal device that determines whether to execute each of the plurality of controls based on a user input for selecting one of the plurality of modes and the second correspondence information.

8. In any one of claims 1 to 7, the control unit, a terminal device that determines whether to execute control of the bottom when snoring is detected based on the degree of occurrence of snoring determined based on the snoring information.

9. In any one of claims 1 to 8, the control unit, a terminal device that determines whether to execute control of the bottom when snoring is detected based on the biological information.

10. an acquisition unit that acquires snoring information regarding the user's snoring; as a control unit that causes the bottom of the bed used by the user for sleeping to perform control based on the snoring information, functioning a computer, the control unit, even if the angle of the bottom is changed, when snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information, performs control to change the angle of the bottom again; in the control of the bottom, performs control to switch the change direction of the angle based on the angle of the bottom; when snoring is detected based on the snoring information, performs control to search for a snoring suppression angle, which is an angle determined to suppress snoring, based on the angle of the bottom and the snoring information; a program for obtaining the relationship between the user's posture and the snoring based on the posture information representing the user's sleeping posture included in the biological information acquired from a detection device placed on the bottom of the bed and the snoring information.

11. a step of acquiring snoring information regarding the user's snoring; a step of causing the bottom of the bed used by the user for sleeping to perform control; including Even if the angle of the bottom is changed, when snoring is continuously detected based on the snoring information, control is performed to change the angle of the bottom again. In the control of the bottom, control is performed to switch the direction of change of the angle based on the angle of the bottom. When snoring is detected based on the snoring information, control is performed to search for a snoring suppression angle, which is the angle at which it is determined that the snoring is suppressed, based on the angle of the bottom and the snoring information. A control method for obtaining the relationship between the posture of the user and the snoring based on the posture information representing the posture of the user at bedtime included in the biological information acquired from the detection device placed on the bottom of the bed and the snoring information.

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