Sleep Bed Thermoregulation Using Stage-Adaptive Heating and Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bed systems do not effectively regulate a sleeper's body temperature during different sleep stages, which can impact sleep quality.
Innovation Solution
A bed system with integrated temperature control elements, such as heating and cooling elements, that adjust skin temperature based on detected sleep states, applying different temperature settings for non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If temperature control elements are applied to regulate skin temperature during sleep, then sleep quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bed system is divided into multiple independent temperature control zones (head region, middle region, foot region) that can be controlled separately. Each zone has its own temperature control element, allowing targeted thermal regulation without requiring complex system-wide control, thus improving sleep quality while managing device complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature control elements dynamically adjust their operation based on detected sleep stages (NREM vs REM). The system transitions between different temperature regulation modes automatically, applying heating during NREM and cooling during REM stages. This dynamic adaptation improves sleep quality by matching thermal conditions to physiological needs without requiring permanent complex hardware.
2Temperature
If different temperature settings are applied for different sleep stages, then thermoregulation is optimized, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sleep stage detection that provides feedback to the temperature control elements. Based on the detected sleep stage (NREM or REM), the system automatically adjusts temperature settings. This feedback loop optimizes skin temperature regulation while managing control complexity through automated decision-making rather than manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (temperature settings) based on detected sleep stages. During NREM sleep, heating parameters are applied to increase skin temperature, while during REM sleep, cooling parameters are applied to decrease skin temperature. This parameter adaptation optimizes thermoregulation without requiring complex control mechanisms, as it relies on pre-defined temperature profiles for different sleep stages.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system improves sleep quality by optimizing skin temperature during various sleep stages, leading to enhanced comfort and duration of uninterrupted sleep.
Implementation Method 1
activate the heating element to increase a skin temperature of the user
Implementation Method 2
activate the cooling element is activated to decrease the skin temperature of the user
Data Source
AI summary
This document describes systems, methods, devices, and other techniques used for improving a sleeper's body thermoregulation during sleep. One aspect is a system, comprising a bed with a heating element and a cooling element and a controller configured to receive a current sleep state of a sleep stage sequence for a user in the bed, when the current sleep state is a non-rapid eye movement (NREM) state, activating the heating element to increase a skin temperature of the user, and when the current sleep state is a rapid eye movement (REM) state, activating the cooling element to decrease the skin temperature of the user.