Motion Pillow

Abstract

One embodiment of the motion pillow of the present invention includes a body having multiple airbags formed therein, a motion system unit having a pump for injecting air into and expelling air from the airbags, a sensing unit for measuring the air pressure of the airbags, a sound receiving unit for receiving sounds around the body, and a control unit for controlling the operation mode according to the measurement value of the sensing unit, a connecting unit for connecting each airbag to the motion system unit, and a valve unit for opening and closing the connecting unit.The motion system unit is characterized in that when at least one of the airbags is pressurized and air flows into the sensing unit through the connecting unit, it converts the operation mode from standby mode to drive mode, providing significantly improved user convenience and sleep satisfaction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow, and more particularly to a motion pillow that allows the motion of the pillow to be changed. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, devices that attach sensors to objects and send and receive data in real time have attracted attention on the Internet, and intelligent pillows and smart pads have been proposed to alleviate users' sleep disorders and help them get a good night's sleep.

[0003] Reflecting this trend, Patent Document 1 (Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2008-0075263) discloses a pillow height adjustment device using air cells that uses a body pressure measurement sensor located on the outer surface of the pillow to adjust the air pressure in the internal air cells to fit the shape of the user's head, neck, etc. Also, Patent Document 2 (Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0758780) discloses a pillow with a built-in speaker inside, providing improved convenience to the user.

[0004] However, if a separate device is attached to the outside or inside of the pillow, it may cause inconvenience to the user and may actually interfere with sleep, which may have the opposite effect. In order to alleviate the user's sleep disorders, it is necessary to accurately determine the user's position while adjusting the height, but the above-mentioned prior art has not been able to solve this problem.

[0005] Furthermore, if electrical components are installed in the pillow itself to determine its position, there is a problem that the possibility of malfunction or damage increases, and there is also a problem that the user's body is directly exposed to electromagnetic waves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2008-0075263 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0758780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a motion pillow that can control the motion of the pillow to provide the user with a more ideal sleep and is more convenient to use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a motion pillow includes a body having a plurality of airbags formed therein, a pump for injecting air into and expelling air from the airbags, a sensing unit for measuring the air pressure of the airbags, a sound receiving unit for receiving sounds around the body, and a motion system unit having a control unit for controlling an operation mode according to the measurement value of the sensing unit, a connecting unit for connecting each of the airbags to the motion system unit, and a valve unit for opening and closing the connecting unit, and the control unit is characterized in that when at least one of the airbags is pressurized and air flows into the sensing unit through the connecting unit, the control unit converts the operation mode from a standby mode to a driving mode.

[0009] When the operation mode is converted to the driving mode, the control unit operates the pump to measure the air pressure of the airbag, and can maintain the driving mode only when a first difference value between a maximum air pressure and a minimum air pressure among the measured air pressures exceeds a threshold value.

[0010] The driving mode may include a driving start step of supplying power to a pump when an inflow of air is detected in the sensing unit, a first measurement step of injecting air into each of the airbags and measuring the first difference value, and a re-conversion step of re-converting the operation mode to the standby mode when the first difference value is equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0011] The driving mode may further include an analysis step of measuring the air pressure of the airbag at a predetermined first time interval and analyzing the user's movement if the first difference value exceeds the threshold value after the first measurement step.

[0012] It is preferable that the analysis step analyzes the sound received from the sound receiving unit even if the first time period has not elapsed, and if the user is in an abnormal state, measures the air pressure of the airbag, injects air into the airbag with the maximum air pressure, and guides the user's movement.

[0013] The motion system unit may further include a wireless charging unit connected to a power supply unit, and in the standby mode, only the sensing unit and the wireless charging unit are kept in an operational state to measure pressure changes in the airbag.

[0014] After the analysis step, the motion system unit may convert the operation mode to the standby mode if the pressure of at least one of the airbags suddenly decreases and a second difference value between the maximum air pressure and the minimum air pressure is less than the threshold value.

[0015] The standby mode may include a standby hold step of maintaining the driving mode for a first time even if the second difference value is less than the threshold value; a re-measurement step of measuring the air pressure of each airbag again after the first time has elapsed and measuring a third difference value between the measured maximum air pressure and minimum air pressure; and a standby start step of cutting off power supply except for the sensing unit only if the third difference value is less than the threshold value.

[0016] The motion system unit may maintain the air injected into each of the airbags in the re-measurement step, and may convert the operation mode back to the driving mode to cycle if the pressure of at least one of the airbags increases rapidly in the standby mode. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, the means for solving the problems of the present invention can be expected to have various effects, including the following: However, the present invention is not valid unless it exhibits all of the following effects.

[0018] The motion pillow according to the present invention switches its operating mode from standby mode to driving mode and from driving mode to standby mode according to the change in air pressure of the airbag, so that it can be operated without any additional operation by the user, thereby providing improved convenience to the user.

[0019] In addition, even if a change in airbag air pressure occurs, a threshold value is set to switch the operation mode, and a standby hold step is placed to prevent unnecessary operation or erroneous switching to standby mode, thereby maximizing the effect of improving convenience and improving user satisfaction.

[0020] In addition, when the sound receiver detects an abnormal state of the user, it guides the user's movement to improve the quality of the user's sleep, and adds additional functions such as a wireless charging unit to improve user satisfaction.

[0021] In this case, electrical components such as the sound receiving unit and wireless charging unit are configured separately from the body, minimizing factors that cause sleep disturbance to the user, improving sleep quality, and minimizing the possibility of damage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a motion pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the motion pillow of the present invention is converted from a standby mode to a driving mode. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart showing the process of the drive mode analysis step of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the motion pillow of the present invention is converted from a driving mode to a standby mode. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a process of guiding a user's movement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, however, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted in order to avoid obscuring the gist of the present invention.

[0024] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a motion pillow according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the process of converting the motion pillow of the present invention from standby mode to driving mode, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the process of analyzing the driving mode of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the process of converting the motion pillow of the present invention from driving mode to standby mode, and Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the process of guiding the user's movement.

[0025] 1 to 5, a motion pillow 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a body 100 having a plurality of airbags 110 formed therein, a pump 210 for injecting and emitting air into and from the airbags 110, a sensing unit 220 for measuring the air pressure of the airbags 110, a sound receiving unit 230 for receiving sounds around the body 100, and a control unit 240 for controlling an operation mode according to the measurement value of the sensing unit 220, a connecting unit 300 for connecting each of the airbags 110 to the motion system unit 200, and a valve unit 400 for opening and closing the connecting unit 300. The motion system unit 200 is characterized in that when at least one of the airbags 110 is pressurized and air flows into the sensing unit 220 through the connecting unit 300, the operation mode is converted from a standby mode to a driving mode.

[0026] The motion pillow 10 includes a motion system unit 200 that changes the motion of the body 100 by letting air flow in and out of the airbag 110, thereby improving the quality of sleep by alleviating snoring, one of the sleep disorders that can occur during sleep.

[0027] In this case, the motion pillow 10 of the present invention automatically selects whether to operate or not according to the pressure change of the airbag 110 without the user having to perform any additional operation, thereby providing improved convenience and satisfaction to the user.

[0028] The body 100 has a plurality of airbags 110 installed inside, and air flows in and out of the airbags 110 to allow the pillow to move, and records the user's movements during sleep and induces the movements to improve snoring, one of the sleep disorders.

[0029] A plurality of airbags 110 may be formed and arranged at regular intervals inside the body 100, and the plurality of airbags 110 may be formed to have the same characteristics, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the airbags may be formed to have different sizes, materials, shapes, etc. according to the design.

[0030] In one embodiment, the motion pillow 10 has four airbags, a first airbag 111, a second airbag 112, a third airbag 113 and a fourth airbag 114, which have the same characteristics such as size, shape, material, inflation coefficient and maximum air capacity, and are arranged at equal intervals, which has the advantage that the airbags 110 can be controlled using simpler logic.

[0031] In another embodiment, the motion pillow 10 is formed so that its characteristics, such as size, shape, material, expansion coefficient, and maximum air capacity, are completely different depending on the placement position, and is formed so that it can record not only the movement of the user's head but also the movement of other parts such as the neck, thereby more precisely guiding the user's movement and increasing the effect of improving sleep disorders.

[0032] In other words, the airbag 110 of the motion pillow 10 of the present invention is designed in various ways to provide a wider range of choices for the user and improve user satisfaction.

[0033] The motion system unit 200 includes a pump 210 for injecting and discharging air into and from the airbag 110, a sensing unit 220 for measuring the air pressure of the airbag 110, a sound receiving unit 230 for receiving sound, a control unit 240 for controlling an operation mode according to the measurement value of the sensing unit 220, and a wireless charging unit 250 for providing wireless charging. At this time, a power supply unit 270 for supplying power to the internal electrical components is formed on one side of the motion system.

[0034] The pump 210 is connected to each of the plurality of airbags 110 via a connecting unit 300, and selectively injects and injects air into and out of each airbag 110. At this time, the sensing unit 220 is also connected to each of the plurality of airbags 110, and is capable of measuring the air pressure of each airbag 110, allowing for more accurate determination of the user's movements while sleeping, and enabling switching of operation modes without the user's separate operation, thereby maximizing the effect of improving user convenience.

[0035] This will be explained in more detail in the description of the operation modes below.

[0036] The control unit 240 controls the operation of the motion system, specifically, controls whether or not power is applied to the pump 210, controls the amount of air flowing in and out of the airbag 110, determines the operation mode according to the measurement value of the sensing unit 220, and analyzes the sound received from the sound receiving unit 230 to determine the user's abnormal condition.

[0037] The wireless charging unit 250 is connected to the power supply unit 270, and power is applied even when the motion pillow 10 is in standby mode, allowing the user to use it as a wireless charger for other devices, thereby increasing the utility of the motion pillow 10, which is only used while sleeping.

[0038] The signal receiving unit 260 is connected to and communicates with the user's communication device, server, or database via a network interface, and transmits the user's sleep habits and the like to an external device, allowing the user to more easily access them.

[0039] In this case, the network interface may be implemented as a commonly known communication module, i.e., a wired / wireless communication module, a network card, an infrared communication module, etc., to support various communication methods, and Wi-Fi, WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA, WIMAX, Mobile WiMAX, WiBro, 3GPP, 5G, infrared communication, LTE, LTE-A, Bluetooth, NFC, ZigBee, LAN, wireless LAN, WAN, and PAN technologies may be applied.

[0040] Therefore, the user can communicate with the communication device and receive analysis of abnormal conditions (snoring) during sleep and operation history information of the motion pillow 10 to improve the abnormal conditions through a dedicated application installed on the communication device, and can also directly inject air into and out of the airbag 110 using the dedicated application to test for any malfunctions.

[0041] The power supply unit 270 is formed on one side of the motion system and supplies power to the electrical components required for the motion pillow 10 and components that provide additional functions, thereby simplifying the product and improving user convenience and the appearance of the product.

[0042] Therefore, the motion pillow 10 of the present invention does not have electrical components for operation formed inside or outside the body 100, but is instead provided in a separate motion system unit 200, thereby minimizing factors that disturb the user's sleep and malfunctions, and providing improved convenience to the user.

[0043] The connecting unit 300 has a plurality of cables 310 connected to each airbag 110, a first connector unit 320 formed at one end and connected to the body 100, and a second connector unit 330 formed at the other end and connected to the motion system unit 200, so that each airbag 110 and the motion system unit 200 can be easily connected by simply connecting the first and second connector units 320, 330.

[0044] In this case, in order to couple the first and second connector parts 320 and 330, the body 100 is formed with a structure that is complementary to the first connector part 320, and the motion system part 200 is formed with a structure that is complementary to the second connector part 330. It is preferable that the shapes of the first and second connector parts 320 and 330 are different from each other to make it easier for the user to connect them.

[0045] In addition, the connecting portion 300 is preferably configured such that the cables 310 are covered and fixed by an integrated tube or fixing means to prevent the cables 310 from getting tangled and improve the appearance of the motion pillow 10.

[0046] The valve unit 400 is installed in an air flow path connected to a plurality of cables 310 by a second connector unit 330, and opens and closes the cables 310 that allow air to flow in and out of each airbag 110 as needed, allowing air to flow in and out selectively to any one of the plurality of airbags 110. In standby mode, the valve unit 400 is closed to allow air discharged from the airbag 110 to flow into the sensing unit 220.

[0047] At this time, the air flow path is connected to the pump 210 to allow air to selectively flow in and out of each airbag 110, and branches between the second connector part 330 and the valve part 400 to be connected to the sensing part 220 so that a sudden increase in air pressure can be measured in standby mode.

[0048] Therefore, the motion pillow 10 of the present invention further includes electrical components that perform additional functions in addition to improving the user's abnormal sleep state and recording sleep habits, allowing the user to use the product outside of sleep time, thereby improving the usability of the product.

[0049] The operation mode of the motion pillow 10 will now be described in detail.

[0050] The operation modes of the motion pillow 10 are divided into a standby mode and a driving mode. The standby mode is defined as a state in which power is connected to the motion system unit 200 but power is only applied to some components because the user is not using the motion pillow 10. The driving mode is defined as a state in which power is applied to all components while the user is using the motion pillow 10.

[0051] In the standby mode, power is applied only to the wireless charging unit 250, the signal receiving unit 260, the sensing unit 220, and the control unit 240, and the valve unit 400 is closed, waiting for the user to use the pillow. When the user uses the pillow, at least one of the airbags 110 is pressurized by the weight of the head, and air flows into the sensing unit 220 along the cable 310 and the air flow path. As a result, the air pressure measured by the sensing unit 220 rises sharply, and the motion system unit 200 switches its operating mode from the standby mode to the driving mode.

[0052] Specifically, when the sensing unit 220 detects an instantaneous increase in air pressure, the motion system unit 200 supplies power to the control unit 240, thereby operating the pump 210 and converting the operating mode to the driving mode.

[0053] That is, the process of switching from standby mode to operating mode includes a drive start step of supplying power to the pump when an increase in air pressure is detected by the sensing unit 220, thereby preparing the motion of the body 100 so that air can flow in and out of the airbags 110; a first measurement step of injecting a certain amount of air into each airbag 110 and measuring the air pressure; a re-conversion step of switching the operating mode back to standby mode if a first difference value between the maximum air pressure and the minimum air pressure measured in the first measurement step is equal to or less than a threshold value; and an analysis step of measuring the air pressure of each airbag 110 at a preset first time interval and analyzing the user's movement if the first difference value exceeds the threshold value.

[0054] At this time, the threshold value is preset based on the pressure difference between when no pressure is applied to the body 100 and when pressure is applied. For example, only when the difference value is between 4 psi and 8 psi, it is determined that pressure is being applied by a person's head, and the operating mode is maintained in the driving mode. If this is exceeded, the operating mode is switched back to the standby mode.

[0055] The analysis step also periodically measures the air pressure of each airbag 110 every first hour to measure the user's movements during sleep, and transmits this information to an external device to store and record the user's sleeping habits.

[0056] In summary, the motion pillow 10 of the present invention is in standby mode and can be switched to operating mode simply by the user lying down on the motion pillow 10, without any additional activation operation by the user, thereby simplifying the steps required to start operating a typical wired electronic product and providing improved convenience to the user.

[0057] In addition, even if the user falls asleep unintentionally, the sleep habits can be recorded so that the user can check their continuous sleep habits, thereby improving abnormal conditions such as sleep disorders, improving the quality of the user's sleep, and significantly increasing the user's satisfaction.

[0058] In addition, even after the operating mode is switched to the driving mode, if the first difference value is below the threshold, the device switches back to the standby mode to prevent malfunctions, and additional functions such as a wireless charger and signal receiver can be operated even in the standby mode, maximizing the effect of improving convenience.

[0059] In the driving mode, power is applied to all components of the motion pillow 10 and the user is using it. When the user stands up, the load on at least one of the airbags 110 decreases, causing the air pressure measured by the sensing unit 220 to decrease rapidly. As a result, the motion system unit 200 changes the operating mode from the driving mode to the standby mode.

[0060] Specifically, when the sensing unit 220 detects a momentary decrease in air pressure, the motion system unit 200 sequentially measures the air pressure of each airbag 110, and switches the operation mode only when the second difference value between the maximum air pressure and the minimum air pressure among the measured air pressures is equal to or less than a threshold value.

[0061] At this time, even if the second difference value is equal to or less than the threshold value, the difference value is measured again after a preset first time period has elapsed to prevent malfunction, and the operation mode is switched.

[0062] That is, the process of switching from the driving mode to the standby mode includes a standby hold step of maintaining the driving mode for a preset first time period when the sensing unit 220 detects a decrease in air pressure and a second difference value between the maximum air pressure and the minimum air pressure among the measured air pressures of each airbag 110 is equal to or less than a threshold value; a re-measurement step of measuring a third difference value again through the air pressure of each airbag 110 after the first time period has elapsed; and a standby start step of cutting off the power supply except for the sensing unit 220 and the wireless charging unit 250 only if the third difference value is equal to or less than the threshold value.

[0063] However, during the process of switching from the driving mode to the standby mode, power is applied to the pump 210, so the standby step and re-measurement step for measuring the second and third difference values ​​can measure the air pressure by injecting a predetermined amount of air into each airbag 110 and measuring the air pressure.

[0064] Therefore, the motion pillow 10 of the present invention can continuously record the user's sleeping habits even when the user makes a momentary movement during sleep or when the user wakes up for a while and then goes back to sleep, thereby improving the user's satisfaction.

[0065] In addition, the first time set for each step is set to 10 minutes in the motion pillow 10 in one embodiment, but this can be changed and the user can change it by setting it as needed.

[0066] The motion pillow 10 of the present invention does not require a separate on / off button, but automatically performs a series of predetermined processes, such as receiving sound, analyzing the user's condition, sequentially injecting air, measuring air pressure, and recording the user's movements, and repeats these processes repeatedly, greatly improving user convenience.

[0067] In addition, when switching between operating modes, the switching conditions are checked twice to minimize malfunctions, and the motion system part 200 is provided separately from the body 100 to minimize sleep disturbances to the user while improving the appearance of the product.

[0068] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above as examples, the scope of the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and appropriate modifications within the categories described in the claims are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A body with multiple airbags formed inside, a motion system unit having a pump for injecting and discharging air into and from each of the plurality of airbags, a sensing unit for measuring the air pressure of each of the plurality of airbags, a sound receiving unit for receiving sounds around the body, and a control unit for controlling an operation mode in accordance with the measurement value of the sensing unit; a connecting portion that connects each of the plurality of airbags to the motion system portion; a valve portion that opens and closes the connecting portion, The control unit When at least one of the plurality of airbags is pressurized and air flows into the sensing unit through the connecting unit, the operation mode is changed from a standby mode to a driving mode, and when the operation mode is changed to the driving mode, the pump is operated to measure the air pressure of each of the plurality of airbags; If a difference between a maximum air pressure and a minimum air pressure among the measured air pressures of each of the plurality of airbags exceeds a threshold, the difference is measured again at a predetermined first time interval while maintaining the driving mode, and if the difference is equal to or less than the threshold, the operation mode is switched back to the standby mode; The valve unit opens and closes the connecting unit in the driving mode to allow air to flow in and out of each of the plurality of airbags, and closes the connecting unit in the standby mode to allow air discharged from each of the plurality of airbags to flow into the sensing unit.

2. The driving mode includes: a driving start step of supplying power to the pump when the inflow of air is detected by the sensing unit; a first measuring step of injecting air into each of the airbags and measuring the difference value; 2. The motion pillow of claim 1, further comprising a re-conversion step of re-converting the operating mode to the standby mode when the difference value measured in the first measuring step is equal to or less than the threshold value.

3. The motion pillow of claim 2, wherein the driving mode further includes an analysis step of re-measuring the air pressure of each of the plurality of airbags every first time period to analyze the user's movement if the difference value measured in the first measurement step exceeds the threshold.

4. 4. The motion pillow of claim 3, wherein the analysis step analyzes the sound received from the sound receiving unit even if the first time period has not elapsed, and if the user is in an abnormal state, measures the air pressure of each of the plurality of airbags and injects air into the airbag with the highest air pressure to guide the user's movement.

5. The motion system unit further includes a wireless charging unit connected to a power supply unit, The motion pillow according to claim 3 , wherein in the standby mode, only the sensing unit, the wireless charging unit, and the control unit are kept in an operational state, and pressure changes of the plurality of airbags can be measured.

6. 4. The motion pillow of claim 3, wherein the motion system unit converts the operation mode to the standby mode when the pressure of at least one of the plurality of airbags suddenly decreases and the re-measured difference value is less than the threshold value in the analysis step.

7. The motion system unit a standby hold step of maintaining the driving mode for the first time period when the pressure of at least one of the plurality of airbags is suddenly reduced in the analyzing step and the re-measured difference value is less than the threshold value; a re-measuring step of re-measuring the difference value after the first time has elapsed; The motion pillow of claim 3, further comprising a standby start step of cutting off power supply except for the sensing unit and the control unit when the difference value remeasured in the remeasurement step is less than the threshold value, thereby converting the operating mode to the standby mode.

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