Posture monitoring device and method

Abstract

Disclosed are a posture monitoring device and method for monitoring the posture of a patient with mobility limitations and thereby estimating the possibility of bedsores for each body part and alleviating the bedsores. The posture monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a communication unit for communicating with a user terminal; a sensor unit including one or more pressure sensors; and a control unit connected to the communication unit and the sensor unit, wherein the control unit can estimate at least one of the posture of a user, the pressure on each body part of the user, and the duration of the pressure on each body part of the user on the basis of sensor information received through the one or more pressure sensors.

Description

Posture monitoring device and method

[0001] As a technique for posture monitoring, the present invention relates to a posture monitoring device and method for estimating and alleviating the possibility of developing bedsores in each body part by monitoring the posture of a patient with difficulty moving.

[0002] If a patient or other user remains in the same position for extended periods of time, the risk of developing bedsores increases. Furthermore, patients with existing bedsores should be encouraged to adjust their positions after a certain amount of time to prevent pressure from building up in a single area. To achieve this, a system needs to be developed that uses pressure sensors integrated into the bed to recognize specific body parts, measure the pressure and duration of the pressure applied to a specific area, notify the administrator, and automatically reduce the pressure.

[0003] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0129754 discloses a method for controlling a medical robot bed for preventing bedsores using a body pressure sensor.

[0004] The purpose is to provide a posture monitoring device and method for estimating and alleviating the possibility of developing bedsores in each body part by monitoring the posture of a patient with difficulty moving.

[0005] According to one aspect, a posture monitoring device includes a communication unit that performs communication with a user terminal; a sensor unit including one or more pressure sensors; and a control unit connected to the communication unit and the sensor unit, wherein the control unit can estimate at least one of a user's posture, a pressure for each body part of the user, and a pressure duration for each body part of the user based on sensor information received through the one or more pressure sensors.

[0006] The one or more pressure sensors may be a sensor array type pressure sensor having a conductive layer between electrode layers.

[0007] The control unit estimates the position of each body part based on sensor information received through the one or more pressure sensors, and can estimate the user's posture as at least one of a supine position, a left-lying position, a right-lying position, and a prone position based on the estimated position of each body part.

[0008] The control unit estimates a body position area based on the position of each body part, and can determine sensor information measured at a location outside the estimated body position area as error information.

[0009] The control unit can calculate the risk of developing bedsores for each body part based on the pressure for each body part and the duration of pressure for each body part of the user.

[0010] The control unit may further calculate the risk of developing pressure ulcers based on at least one of the user's medical history, age, and gender.

[0011] The control unit generates user identification information based on the position and pressure of each body part, and if at least one of the position and pressure of each body part is outside a predetermined range based on the user identification information, it can be determined that the user has changed.

[0012] The control unit can reduce the risk of developing bedsores in a specific body part based on the duration of the pressure being below a specific standard when the pressure in the specific body part is below a specific standard.

[0013] The posture monitoring device may further include a deformable mattress whose height can be adjusted for each of a plurality of areas.

[0014] The control unit can control the deformable mattress to adjust the height of at least one area among a plurality of areas so as to reduce the pressure on a body part expected to have a risk of developing bedsores exceeding a predetermined standard based on the risk of developing bedsores for each body part.

[0015] The control unit can lower the height of at least one of a plurality of areas corresponding to a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard, and can raise the height of at least one of a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard.

[0016] The control unit can change the height of one or more areas among a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard at predetermined time intervals.

[0017] According to one aspect, a method performed in a computing device having one or more processors and a memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors may include the steps of: receiving sensor information from one or more pressure sensors; and estimating at least one of a user's posture, a pressure for each body part of the user, and a pressure duration for each body part of the user based on the received sensor information.

[0018] The estimating step estimates the position of each body part based on sensor information received through the one or more pressure sensors, and based on the estimated position of each body part, the user's posture can be estimated as at least one of a supine posture, a left-lying posture, a right-lying posture, and a prone posture.

[0019] The estimating step estimates a body location area based on the location of each body part, and sensor information measured at a location outside the estimated body location area can be determined as error information.

[0020] The estimation step can calculate the risk of developing pressure ulcers for each body part based on the pressure for each body part and the duration of pressure for each body part of the user.

[0021] The estimation step can calculate the risk of developing pressure ulcers based on at least one of the user's medical history, age, and gender.

[0022] The estimating step generates user identification information based on the position and pressure of each body part, and if at least one of the position and pressure of each body part is outside a predetermined range based on the user identification information, it can be determined that the user has changed.

[0023] The estimating step can reduce the risk of developing pressure ulcers in a given body part based on the duration of the pressure below a given standard when the pressure in the given body part is below a given standard.

[0024] The method may further include a step of controlling a deformable mattress, the height of which is adjustable for each of the plurality of areas.

[0025] The step of controlling the deformable mattress may include adjusting the height of at least one area among a plurality of areas so as to reduce the pressure on a body area expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard based on the risk of developing pressure ulcers for each body area.

[0026] The step of controlling the deformable mattress may include lowering the height of at least one of a plurality of regions corresponding to a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard, and raising the height of at least one of a plurality of regions corresponding to a predetermined region surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard.

[0027] The step of controlling the deformable mattress may include changing the height of one or more areas among a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing a pressure ulcer exceeding a predetermined standard at predetermined time intervals.

[0028] By monitoring the posture of patients with limited mobility, the possibility of developing bedsores in each body part can be estimated, and the development of bedsores can be prevented through pressure relief.

[0029] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a posture monitoring device according to one embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating an environment in which a posture monitoring device according to one embodiment operates.

[0031] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining the operation of a posture monitoring device according to one embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a deformable mattress according to one embodiment.

[0033] Fig. 5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the operation of a deformable mattress according to an example.

[0034] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a vector value offset operation referenced in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a posture monitoring method according to one embodiment.

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations will be omitted if they are deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms described below are defined based on their functions in the present invention and may vary depending on the intentions or practices of the user or operator. Therefore, their definitions should be based on the overall content of this specification.

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments of a posture monitoring device and method are described in detail with reference to drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a posture monitoring device according to one embodiment.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the posture monitoring device (100) may include a communication unit (110) that performs communication with a user terminal, a sensor unit (120) including one or more pressure sensors, and a control unit (130) connected to the communication unit (110) and the sensor unit (120).

[0040] Referring to FIG. 2, the posture monitoring device (100) can communicate with one or more user terminals (10) via a communication unit (110). For example, the communication unit (110) can receive user information including at least one of a setting government for controlling the posture monitoring device (100), user medical history, age, and gender from the user terminal (10). The communication unit (110) can transmit sensor information measured by the sensor unit (120) and various information generated by the control unit (130) to the user terminal (10).

[0041] According to one embodiment, one or more pressure sensors may be a sensor array type pressure sensor having conductive layers between electrode layers. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the pressure sensor may be a sensor array type pressure sensor having conductive layers between horizontal and vertical electrode layers. When the pressure sensor is pressed by the weight of a patient, an electrical connection is established through the conductive layers, and the electrical signal generated thereby can be used to measure pressure.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can estimate at least one of the user's posture, the pressure for each body part of the user, and the duration of pressure for each body part of the user based on sensor information received through one or more pressure sensors.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can estimate the position of each body part based on sensor information received through one or more pressure sensors. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the control unit (130) can estimate the position of the measured body part using the sensor information. For example, the control unit (130) can estimate at least one of the head, back, left shoulder, right shoulder, left arm, right arm, waist, buttocks, left thigh, right thigh, left calf, right calf, left foot, and right foot.

[0044] For example, the control unit (130) can continuously estimate the location of pressure even when the user's location or posture changes by estimating the location of each body part using sensor information. For example, as shown in Fig. 3(b), if the user's location moves from 210 to 240, the location of the sensor that detects pressure may change. However, since the control unit (130) estimates the location of each body part using sensor information, it can be known that it is the same body part even when the location of the sensor that detects pressure changes.

[0045] For example, one or more pressure sensors may be configured as a structure in which electrode sensors are arranged in a grid shape, and when a body part of a patient comes into contact with the mattress, the electrodes of the corresponding body part are pressed and electricity is conducted, so that pressure can be detected. At this time, the control unit (130) can express a specific location of the mattress detected by the sensor as a coordinate. The coordinate generally means a location on a two-dimensional plane consisting of the X-axis and the Y-axis, and when a body part of a patient presses an electrode located at the corresponding coordinate, a pressure value corresponding to the coordinate can be recorded.

[0046] For example, if the control unit (130) accumulates sensor information in a time-series fashion, and pressure is continuously detected at a specific coordinate for a certain period of time, that coordinate may be recognized as a location where the patient's body has been in contact for a long period of time. For example, if the patient's buttocks are pressed for a long period of time, pressure may be continuously measured at the coordinate corresponding to the buttocks. Conversely, there may also be coordinates where pressure is applied and then disappears as the patient moves or changes position.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (130) can determine a monitoring area corresponding to a body part of a patient by recognizing a time-series pressure value for a preset period of time, and determine a risk level for a predetermined area angle within the monitoring area.

[0048] For example, the control unit (130) may determine a predetermined area including coordinates of a sensor array in which a pressure value exceeding a threshold value is measured for a preset period of time as an area corresponding to a body part. In addition, the control unit (130) may generate the predetermined area as a closed curve, and the closed curve may include local points or small areas within it based on time-series pressure value recognition. In other words, various pressure values ​​may be measured for each coordinate within the area corresponding to a body part.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (130) can determine the pressure ulcer risk level of an area corresponding to the body part, and can also determine the risk level for each internal coordinate and / or sub-area. For example, the control unit (130) can determine a pressure ulcer area and a pressure ulcer candidate area for each area, and generate a corresponding solution for each area and transmit it to the user terminal (10).

[0050] For example, a heat map is a method of visualizing the pressure distribution on a mattress, and can be expressed by varying the color intensity based on the pressure duration at a specific coordinate, as in FIG. 3. For example, coordinates where pressure is continuously detected for a long time can be displayed in a dark color, and coordinates where pressure is detected for a short time can be displayed in a light color. In this way, the control unit (130) can display the pressure distribution of a specific body part, such as the buttocks, as a heat map. For example, the control unit (130) can display an area where pressure is continuously detected among coordinates corresponding to the buttocks in the form of a closed curve, which means that pressure is concentrated on the buttocks. For example, the control unit (130) can analyze a pressure vector applied to a specific area, such as the buttocks of a patient, through the heat map. For example, the vector value is determined based on the patient's weight and lying direction, and if pressure is concentrated in a specific area, it can be determined that there is a high risk of bedsores. For example, the control unit (130) can determine that dark areas within a closed curve are areas with a high risk of developing pressure ulcers, while surrounding light-colored areas are areas with less pressure but still require attention. Through this, the control unit (130) can measure the risk of pressure ulcers and take appropriate preventive measures.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit (130) can learn pressure values ​​measured in time series corresponding to a patient's body part. For this purpose, an artificial neural network widely known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can be utilized.

[0052] Accordingly, the control unit (130) can learn the pressure value change according to the change in the patient's posture for a predetermined period of time, and determine the range of the pressure value for each area of ​​the mattress (or pressure sensor) corresponding to the body part of the patient using the deformable mattress (140). For example, the control unit (130) can generate threshold values ​​for the upper and lower limits of the pressure value applied to the patient's buttocks. In addition, the control unit (130) can learn information about an area where the pressure value is not measured, an area where the pressure value is lower than a predetermined value, or an area where the pressure value is temporarily measured.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can estimate the user's posture as at least one of supine, left-sided, right-sided, and prone postures based on the estimated positions of each body part. For example, the control unit (130) can estimate the user's posture based on the positions of each body part and the range of the area where pressure is detected for each body part.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can estimate a body location area based on the location of each body part. Referring to FIG. 3(a), the control unit (130) can determine the location of each body part based on sensor information, and can estimate the location area (210) where the user is located using the location of each body part. For example, the control unit (130) can determine the locations of the head (221), back (222), and waist (223) based on sensor information, and can estimate the area (210) where the user is located based on the measured locations.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) may determine sensor information measured at locations outside the estimated body position area as error information. For example, a phenomenon in which pressure measurement values ​​are output due to leakage current in an area where no pressure is applied may occur due to crosstalk, a shortcoming of the sensor array method. In this case, if pressure is detected at a location outside the estimated body position area, the control unit (130) may determine that the crosstalk phenomenon has occurred and remove the corresponding error information.

[0056] For example, a person other than the user or an object may be positioned above the sensor unit (120). Alternatively, it may be recognized that pressure has occurred at a specific location due to an error in the sensor. For example, if sensor information is input as in Fig. 3(a), the control unit (130) may recognize that pressure has occurred at a predetermined location (230) outside the body location area (210). In this case, the control unit (130) may determine that the pressure (230) detected outside the body location area (210) is an error and may not use the corresponding sensor information.

[0057] In another embodiment, the control unit (130) may identify error information based on area-specific learning of a pressure sensor of a sensor array type or an area of ​​a deformable mattress (140).

[0058] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can calculate the risk of developing bedsores for each body part based on the pressure applied to each body part and the duration of pressure applied to each body part of the user. For example, as the intensity of pressure applied to each body part and the duration of pressure applied to each body part increase, the risk of developing bedsores may increase.

[0059] In one embodiment, the control unit (130) may further calculate the risk of developing pressure ulcers based on at least one of the user's medical history, age, and gender. For example, a history of diabetes may increase the risk of developing pressure ulcers due to impaired blood circulation. For another example, an older user may also increase the risk of developing pressure ulcers. The risk of developing pressure ulcers based on the user's medical history, age, and gender may be calculated using preset information.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) may calculate the pressure duration differently for each body part of the user even for the same body part when the posture changes. For example, the control unit (130) may not accumulate the pressure duration for each body part measured in the side lying posture with the pressure duration for each body part measured in the supine posture. As another example, the control unit (130) may classify the body parts by subdividing them into different body parts according to posture, and may calculate the pressure duration differently for each detailed part. As another example, the control unit (130) may combine body part and posture angle information to calculate the pressure duration differently for each angle.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) may reduce the risk of developing bedsores in a given body part based on the duration of the pressure below a predetermined standard when the pressure in that body part is below a predetermined standard. For example, if a user changes from a lying position to a sitting position, the pressure in the lumbar region may be measured to be below a predetermined standard. In this case, the control unit (130) may reduce the duration of the pressure in the lumbar region, thereby reducing the risk of developing bedsores.

[0062] For example, if a user changes their posture, the control unit (130) can reduce the risk associated with the changed posture. For example, if the user changes from lying flat to lying on their left side, the pressure on the back can be relieved. In this case, the control unit (130) can reduce the duration of pressure on a body part where the pressure falls below a predetermined standard, thereby reducing the risk of bedsores.

[0063] In one embodiment, the control unit (130) may generate user identification information based on the location and pressure of each body part. For example, the control unit (130) may generate user identification information including the user's height, weight, length of each body part, weight of each body part, area area of ​​each body part, etc. based on the location and pressure of each body part.

[0064] In one embodiment, the control unit (130) may determine that the user has changed if at least one of the body part-specific position and body part-specific pressure falls outside a predetermined range based on user identification information. For example, if the user's height is measured based on the body part-specific position and body part-specific pressure and falls outside a predetermined range, the control unit (130) may determine that a new user is lying down. In this case, the control unit (130) may initiate measurements for the new user and generate information.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the posture monitoring device (100) may further include a deformable mattress whose height can be adjusted for each of a plurality of areas. Referring to FIG. 4, the deformable mattress (140) may be positioned below the sensor unit (120). In addition, the control unit (130) may match the sensor positions of the sensor unit (120) with the positions of the plurality of areas of the deformable mattress (140).

[0066] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an embodiment of responding to the risk of bedsores according to the height adjustment of each area of ​​a deformable mattress (140) will be described.

[0067] In one embodiment, the deformable mattress (140) may include a plurality of air cell regions or spring control modules, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and may include various configurations for region-specific height adjustment.

[0068] Additionally, according to one embodiment, the deformable mattress (140) may include air cells of different sizes and / or shapes in different areas.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) may control the deformable mattress (140) to adjust the height of at least one region among a plurality of regions so as to reduce the pressure on a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard based on the risk of developing pressure ulcers for each body part. For example, the control unit (130) may lower the height of at least one region among a plurality of regions corresponding to a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard, and may raise the height of at least one region among a plurality of regions corresponding to a predetermined region surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 5, the deformable mattress (140) may be composed of multiple regions, and each region may be individually height-adjustable. For example, the height of each region may be adjusted by controlling the position of the spring, controlling the air pressure, etc. For example, the deformable mattress (140) may be composed of multiple air cells, and each cell may be controlled. In order to offset the previously determined pressure vector value, the control unit (130) may select a specific cell and adjust its height. For example, the control unit (130) may determine multiple air cells according to the pressure applied to the buttocks, and may adjust each air cell according to the set vector value. Through this, the patient's weight distribution can be effectively managed, and the occurrence of bedsores can be prevented by alleviating the pressure concentration. Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit (130) may identify the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor when the patient lies down or sits on the deformable mattress (140). The control unit (130) can vectorize the pressure value applied to a predetermined area (600) of the deformable mattress (140) or the pressure sensor.

[0071] More specifically, the control unit (130) can determine a vector value to be applied to a given area (600) based on a pressure value measured at a local point within the given area (600) or a small area inside the same.

[0072] In one embodiment, the control unit (130) may determine a vector value (610) applied to a predetermined area (600) and then determine a corresponding offset vector value (620).

[0073] Accordingly, the control unit (130) can determine a control target among air cells corresponding to a predetermined area (600) based on the vector value (620).

[0074] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) may determine at least some of the air cells of the deformable mattress (140) as control targets for vector offset, based on the control of the patient or user terminal. For example, if a user desires slow vector offset or natural height changes, a plurality of air cells may be selected, and the magnitude of the offset vector value of each air cell may be varied within a predetermined range.

[0075] According to another embodiment, the control unit (130) may determine an air cell at a corresponding location as a control target based on the number and / or risk of local points or small areas within a given area (600).

[0076] In Fig. 6, an embodiment in which the control unit (130) determines air cell (121), air cell (122), air cell (123) and air cell (124) as control targets is illustrated as an example.

[0077] The control unit (130) can implement the offset vector value (620) by controlling the height from the air cell (121) to the air cell (124). At this time, the control unit (130) can generate a vector value within a preset error tolerance range from the offset vector value through the height change (621, 622, 623, 624) of each air cell.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the control unit (130) can change the height of one or more areas among a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part where a risk of developing a pressure ulcer exceeding a predetermined standard is expected at a predetermined time interval.

[0079] Referring to Fig. 5(a), the control unit (130) may determine that the user's head, back, and waist areas have a high risk of developing bedsores. In this case, the control unit (130) may increase the surrounding height of a predetermined area with a high risk of developing bedsores or decrease the height of the predetermined area with a high risk of developing bedsores to reduce the pressure. At this time, the control unit (130) may vary the areas of the changeable mattress that adjusts the height for each predetermined period of time for the same body part, as shown in Figs. 5(a) and 5(b). For example, the control unit (130) may increase the height of predetermined areas (511, 513, 515) indicated by hatching in Fig. 5(a) for a predetermined period of time, and after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, may control to increase the height of predetermined areas (521, 523, 525) indicated by hatching in Fig. 5(b). This not only reduces the risk of developing bedsores due to increased pressure in the elevated area, but also helps improve blood circulation by reducing pressure around areas of the body at high risk for bedsores.

[0080] Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a posture monitoring method according to one embodiment.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the posture monitoring device may be a computing device having one or more processors and a memory storing one or more programs executed by the one or more processors.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the posture monitoring device can receive sensor information from one or more pressure sensors (610), and can estimate at least one of the user's posture, the pressure for each body part of the user, and the pressure duration for each body part of the user based on the received sensor information (620).

[0083] Among the embodiments of Fig. 7, embodiments that overlap with the contents described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5 are omitted.

[0084] One aspect of the present invention can be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. Codes and code segments implementing the above program can be easily inferred by a computer programmer in the art. The computer-readable recording medium may include any type of recording device that stores data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical disk, etc. Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable code can be written and executed in a distributed manner.

[0085] The present invention has been described above, focusing on preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in modified forms without departing from its essential characteristics. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, but should be interpreted to encompass various embodiments within the scope equivalent to the claims.

Claims

1. A communication unit that performs communication with a user terminal; a sensor unit including one or more pressure sensors; and It includes a control unit connected to the above communication unit and the above sensor unit, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that estimates at least one of a user's posture, pressure for each body part of the user, and pressure duration for each body part of the user based on sensor information received through the one or more pressure sensors.

2. In paragraph 1, One or more of the above pressure sensors A posture monitoring device, which is a pressure sensor of the sensor array type having a conductive layer between electrode layers.

3. In paragraph 1, The above control unit Estimate the location of each body part based on sensor information received through one or more of the above pressure sensors, A posture monitoring device that estimates the user's posture as at least one of a supine posture, a left-sided posture, a right-sided posture, and a prone posture based on the positions of each body part estimated above.

4. In paragraph 3, The above control unit Estimate the body location area based on the location of each body part above, A posture monitoring device that determines sensor information measured at a location outside the above-mentioned estimated body position area as error information.

5. In paragraph 4, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that calculates the risk of developing bedsores for each body part based on the pressure applied to each body part and the duration of pressure applied to each body part of the user.

6. In paragraph 5, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that calculates the risk of developing pressure ulcers based on at least one of the user's medical history, age, and gender.

7. In paragraph 3, The above control unit Generate user identification information based on the location and pressure of each body part, A posture monitoring device that determines that a user has changed when at least one of the position and pressure of each body part is outside a predetermined range based on the above user identification information.

8. In paragraph 5, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that reduces the risk of developing bedsores in a specific body part based on the duration of pressure below a specific standard when the pressure in the specific body part is below a specific standard.

9. In paragraph 5, A posture monitoring device further comprising a deformable mattress whose height can be adjusted for each of multiple areas.

10. In paragraph 9, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that controls the deformable mattress to adjust the height of at least one area among a plurality of areas so as to reduce the pressure on a body part expected to have a risk of developing bedsores exceeding a predetermined standard based on the risk of developing bedsores for each body part.

11. In paragraph 10, The above control unit Lowering the height of at least one of the multiple areas corresponding to a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard; A posture monitoring device that increases the height of at least one of a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard.

12. In paragraph 11, The above control unit A posture monitoring device that changes the height of one or more areas among a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard at predetermined time intervals.

13. One or more processors, and A method performed in a computing device having a memory storing one or more programs executed by one or more processors, A step of receiving sensor information from one or more pressure sensors; and A posture monitoring method, comprising a step of estimating at least one of a user's posture, a pressure for each body part of the user, and a pressure duration for each body part of the user based on the received sensor information.

14. In paragraph 13, One or more of the above pressure sensors A method for monitoring posture, the pressure sensor being a sensor array type having a conductive layer between electrode layers.

15. In paragraph 13, The above estimating steps are Estimate the location of each body part based on sensor information received through one or more of the above pressure sensors, A posture monitoring method for estimating a user's posture as at least one of a supine posture, a left-sided posture, a right-sided posture, and a prone posture based on the positions of each body part estimated above.

16. In paragraph 15, The above estimating steps are Estimate the body location area based on the location of each body part above, A posture monitoring method that determines sensor information measured at a location outside the above-mentioned estimated body position area as error information.

17. In paragraph 16, The above estimating steps are A method for monitoring posture, which calculates the risk of developing bedsores for each body part based on the pressure applied to each body part and the duration of pressure applied to each body part of the user.

18. In paragraph 17, The above estimating steps are A method for monitoring posture, wherein the risk of developing pressure ulcers is calculated based on at least one of the user's medical history, age, and gender.

19. In paragraph 15, The above estimating steps are Generate user identification information based on the location and pressure of each body part, A posture monitoring method, wherein the user determines that a change has occurred when at least one of the position and pressure of each body part is outside a predetermined range based on the above user identification information.

20. In paragraph 17, The above estimating steps are A method for monitoring posture, wherein the risk of developing bedsores in a specific body part is reduced based on the duration of pressure below a specific standard when the pressure in the specific body part is below a specific standard.

21. In paragraph 17, A posture monitoring method further comprising a step of controlling a deformable mattress, the height of which is adjustable for each of a plurality of areas.

22. In paragraph 21, The step of controlling the above deformable mattress is A posture monitoring method for adjusting the height of at least one area among a plurality of areas so as to reduce the pressure in a body area expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard based on the risk of developing pressure ulcers by body area.

23. In paragraph 22, The step of controlling the above deformable mattress is Lowering the height of at least one of the multiple areas corresponding to a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard; A method for monitoring posture, wherein the height of at least one of a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard is increased.

24. In paragraph 13, The step of controlling the above deformable mattress is A posture monitoring method in which the height of one or more areas among a plurality of areas corresponding to a predetermined area surrounding a body part expected to have a risk of developing pressure ulcers exceeding a predetermined standard is changed at predetermined time intervals.

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