Wearable device for sleep assistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10478589-B2
Application number	US-201615559448-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 25, 2015
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A wearable device ( 105 ) for sleep assistance includes at least one sensor ( 115 ) to detect one or several vital signs of a user of the wearable device, a memory ( 155 ) to store a set of sleep aid techniques, and an interface to receive a selection of a sleep aid technique from the set of sleep aid techniques. Each aid sleep technique includes instructions facilitating the user to fall asleep and is associated with a doze-off time estimated for the sleep aid technique to affect the user following the instructions. The wearable device also includes a processor to update the doze-off time based on the vital signs of the user, to determine, based on the updated doze-off time, a schedule for executing at least one predetermined action, and to execute the predetermined action according to the schedule.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wearable device for sleep assistance, comprising:
at least one sensor to detect one or several vital signs of a user of the wearable device;
a memory to store a set of sleep aid techniques,

each sleep aid technique includes instructions facilitating the user to fall asleep and is associated with a doze-off time estimated for the sleep aid technique to affect the user following the instructions;
an interface to receive a selection of a sleep aid technique from the set of sleep aid techniques and to render the instructions of the selected sleep aid technique to the user; and
a processor to update the doze-off time based on the vital signs of the user, to determine, based on the updated doze-off time, a schedule for executing at least one predetermined action, and to execute the predetermined action according to the schedule.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the processor adds the updated doze-off time into a historical sleep data of the selected sleep aid technique and determines the doze-off time for a subsequent invocation of the selected sleep aid technique using the historical sleep data.

3. The wearable device of claim 2 , wherein the processor determines the doze-off time by averaging multiple updated doze-off times added to the historical sleep data.

4. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the processor selects the sensor from a set of sensors of the wearable device configured to track actions of the user following the instructions and extends the doze-off time when the user, after the selection of the sleep aid technique, is not following the instructions.

5. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the processor updates the doze-off time based on a correlation between at least some values of the vital signs of the user with fractions of the doze-off time.

6. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the memory stores a set of sleep aid techniques including a first sleep aid technique associated with first vital signs, first instructions and a first doze-off time and a second sleep aid technique associated with second vital signs, second instructions and a second doze-off time, wherein the first vital signs are different from the second vital signs, the first instructions are different from the second instructions, and wherein the first doze-off time is different from the second doze-off time.

7. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the interface includes one or combination of a display device to display the instructions of the sleep aid technique and a speaker to pronounce the instructions of the sleep aid technique.

8. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein at least one predetermined action include one or combination of locking or unlocking a door, increasing or decreasing an amount of emitted light, turning an appliance OFF or ON, and increasing or decreasing a volume of an audio emission at an audio device.

9. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the memory stores a set of tipping points defining doze-off stages of the user and stores a set of predetermined actions associated with different doze-off stages, wherein the processor determines a current doze-off stage of the user based on current values of the vital signs and executes the predetermined action associated with the current doze-off stage.

10. A method for sleep assistance to a user of a wearable device, comprising:
detecting one or several vital signs of the user of the wearable device;
selecting a sleep aid technique associated with one or more instructions facilitating the user to fall asleep and a doze-off time estimated for the sleep aid technique to affect the user following the instructions;
updating the doze-off time based on the vital signs of the user;
determining, based on the updated doze-off time, a schedule for executing at least one predetermined action; and
executing the predetermined action according to the schedule, wherein at least some steps of the method are performed by a processor of the wearable device.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
adding the updated doze-off time into a historical sleep data of the sleep aid technique; and
determining the doze-off time for a subsequent selection of the sleep aid technique using the historical sleep data.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the selecting comprises:
acquiring a set of sleep aid techniques including a first sleep aid technique associated with first instructions and a first doze-off time and a second sleep aid technique associated with second instructions and a second doze-off time, wherein the first instructions are different from the second instructions, and wherein the first doze-off time is different from the second doze-off time;
rendering the set of sleep aid techniques on a graphic user interface (GUI) of the wearable device;
receiving a selection of the first sleep aid technique in response to the rendering.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
tracking actions of the user following the instructions of the sleep aid technique;
and extending the doze-off time when the user, after the selection of the sleep aid technique, is not following the instructions.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one predetermined action include one or combination of locking or unlocking a door, increasing or decreasing an amount of emitted light, turning an appliance off or on, and increasing or decreasing a volume of an audio emission at an audio device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including a program embodied thereon executable by a processor for performing a method, the method comprising:
detecting one or several vital signs of a user of a wearable device;
selecting a sleep aid technique associated with one or more instructions facilitating the user to fall asleep and a doze-off time estimated for the sleep aid technique to affect the user following the instructions;
updating the doze-off time based on the vital signs of the user;
determining, based on the updated doze-off time, a schedule for executing at least one predetermined action; and
executing the predetermined action according to the schedule.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Cronin John
• Huffines Christopher

Classifications

• A61M2205/3546

  Range · CPC title

• A61B5/4812

  Detecting sleep stages or cycles · CPC title

• A61B5/6801

  specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface · CPC title

• A61B5/4806

  Sleep evaluation (A61B5/4821 takes precedence; devices for inducing sleep A61M21/02) · CPC title

• A61M2205/52

  with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient · CPC title