Smart Bed Sleeper Detection and Multi-User Environment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Arranging an appropriate sleep setting for individuals can be difficult, especially for multi-user beds, as different people have varying preferences for temperature, firmness, and sleep posture, and existing solutions do not effectively adapt to the changing needs of sleepers over time.
Innovation Solution
A bed system equipped with sensors (pressure and biometric) that determine the number and identity of sleepers, using user profiles to condition the sleep environment by controlling temperature and firmness, and anticipating changes in occupancy based on historical data and communication with smartphones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a multi-user bed provides a sleep setting for multiple people simultaneously, then the bed can accommodate different users with varying preferences, but it becomes difficult to arrange an appropriate sleep setting for each individual user
Solution Approach 1:
The bed is divided into multiple independently controllable zones, each with its own sensors and conditioning components. This allows each user to occupy a separate zone with personalized settings for temperature, firmness, and other parameters, resolving the conflict between multi-user accommodation and individualized comfort configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to automatically detect user presence, identity, and preferences, then autonomously configures the sleep environment without requiring manual intervention from users. This eliminates the operational difficulty of manually arranging appropriate settings for multiple users while maintaining adaptability to each individual's needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bed system uses sensors to determine sleeper identity and customize settings, then personalized sleep environments can be provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting user presence, identifying users, determining sleep posture, and tracking sleep patterns. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized sensors for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving personalized sleep environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user responses to sleep settings and automatically adjusts parameters based on detected feedback. This closed-loop control enables personalized adaptation without requiring complex manual configuration systems, as the automation learns and responds to user preferences over time.
3Reliability
If the bed continuously monitors and adjusts sleep settings based on real-time data, then sleep quality can be optimized, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs monitoring and adjustments at strategically determined intervals rather than continuously, reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective sleep quality optimization. Sensors are activated at key moments such as when users enter or exit the bed, when posture changes are detected, or at scheduled times during the sleep cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains sleep environment settings once optimized, keeping conditioning components active only as needed to sustain the configured environment rather than constantly adjusting. This preserves sleep quality through continuous maintenance of optimal conditions while minimizing energy-intensive active adjustment cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
A bed includes environmental control components, which may be temperature control components and pressure adjustment components in some embodiments. The environmental control components may be configured to provide different sleep environments based on identity of sleepers using or expected to use the bed. A controller may determine a number of sleepers for the bed, identify the sleepers, and determine if there is an expectation of later arrival of sleeper in determining a configuration for the environmental control components in providing a sleep environment for the bed.