Mattress-Embedded Sleep Sensing for Accurate Nonintrusive Diagnostics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sleep quality measurement techniques are intrusive or inaccurate due to their placement on the body or distance from the individual, and fail to consider environmental and lifestyle factors that affect sleep.
Innovation Solution
A sleep diagnostic system integrated into a mattress assembly with sensors, data acquisition circuitry, a sleep processor, and a display device that measures various sleep parameters and environmental factors, providing personalized recommendations based on user input and data analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are mounted on the individual's body (headband or wristband), then sleep parameters can be measured, but the measurement becomes intrusive and uncomfortable for the user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the mattress as an intermediary medium between the sensors and the user. Sensors are embedded in the mattress to detect sleep parameters, eliminating the need for direct body mounting while maintaining measurement capability through the mattress's contact with the user's body
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses remotely-mounted sensors (cameras and microphones) that create copies or representations of sleep parameters from a distance, allowing measurement without direct contact with the user's body, thus maintaining comfort while gathering sleep data
2Ease of operation
If remotely-mounted sensors (cameras and microphones) are used, then user comfort is improved, but measurement accuracy decreases due to distance from the individual
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both approaches by combining embedded sensors in the mattress (for accurate measurement) with remotely-mounted sensors (for non-intrusive operation). This hybrid system achieves both measurement precision and user comfort by utilizing multiple sensing modalities
3Device complexity
If only sleep parameters are measured without considering environmental and lifestyle factors, then the measurement system remains simple, but the understanding of sleep quality is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the measurement system multi-functional by having it collect not only sleep parameters but also environmental factors (temperature, humidity, light) and lifestyle information (diet, exercise, medication). This universal approach ensures comprehensive sleep quality assessment without requiring separate systems for each type of data
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods described herein relate to a sleep diagnostic system including a mattress assembly, a plurality of sensors, data acquisition circuitry, an input device, a sleep processor, and a display device. The mattress assembly may have a sleeping surface, and the plurality of sensors may be disposed within the mattress assembly below the sleeping surface. The sensors are configured to measure at least one sleep condition and output data signals indicative of the sleep condition. The sleep processor receives signals from both the sensors and one or more other input devices, and determines a sleep characteristic based upon these received signals. The display device, which includes circuitry and a graphical user interface, receives the sleep characteristic from the sleep processor and displays it to the user.