Sleep Bed Temperature Control Using Biological Signal Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sleep support technologies, such as electric blankets, lack automation and additional functionality beyond heating, requiring manual operation and failing to adapt to the user's sleep phase or environmental conditions, thereby not effectively promoting healthy sleep.
Innovation Solution
A system that gathers human biological signals like heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature, and environment properties to control home appliances, such as bed heating or cooling devices, to optimize sleep conditions and wake users during light sleep phases, ensuring they feel rested and alert.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electric blankets are used to provide heating functionality, then the bed can be warmed before use or kept warm during sleep, but the device requires manual operation and provides no additional functionality beyond heating
Solution Approach 1:
The bed device integrates multiple functions including heating, cooling, and biological signal monitoring into a single system. The controller can function as a thermostat to control heating and cooling appliances, while also analyzing sleep phases based on gathered biological signals, thereby providing universal functionality beyond simple heating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the heating blanket functionality with biological signal sensors and a control system into an integrated bed device. The sensors are embedded within the bed structure, and the controller merges temperature control with sleep phase analysis to create a unified system that performs multiple functions simultaneously
2Ease of operation
If manual operation of electric blankets is required, then the device structure remains simple, but the ease of operation deteriorates and no automation is provided
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically monitors biological signals and environmental conditions, then self-adjusts heating and cooling operations without user intervention. The controller autonomously determines when to activate heating or cooling based on gathered data, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining simple user interaction
Solution Approach 2:
The bed device continuously gathers biological signals from sensors and uses this feedback to automatically adjust heating and cooling operations. The controller monitors sleep phases and environmental temperature, then modulates appliance operation accordingly, creating a closed-loop automated system that responds to real-time conditions
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electric blanket is used to keep the occupant warm, then temperature comfort is improved, but it provides no adaptation to the user's sleep phase or environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The heating and cooling operations are dynamically adjusted based on real-time biological signals and sleep phase detection. The controller modifies temperature control parameters according to the user's current sleep stage and environmental conditions, enabling adaptive operation that responds to changing physiological states rather than maintaining static temperature settings
Solution Approach 2:
The system operates in periodic cycles corresponding to sleep phases, activating heating or cooling only when biological signals indicate appropriate conditions. The controller monitors continuously and intervenes periodically based on detected sleep stage transitions and environmental parameter changes, rather than operating continuously
Data Source
AI summary
Introduced are methods and systems for an adjustable bed device configured to: gather biological signals associated with multiple users, such as heart rate, breathing rate, or temperature; analyze the gathered human biological signals; and heat or cool a bed based on the analysis.