Inflatable air mattress snoring detection and response and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11160683-B2
Application number	US-201615159194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

A method can be provided that includes measuring sound waves using a sound measuring device, determining, at a central controller of an air mattress system, one or more parameter values of the sound waves, comparing the one or more parameter values with values, ranges, or patterns indicative of snoring, identifying a snoring state of a user, and initiating, with the central controller, a change to one or more adjustable features of the air mattress system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a bed system, the method comprising:
receiving, by a control system, pressure signals obtained from pressure sensors for sensing internal pressure of an air mattress;
Determining, by the control system, pressure change values for the air mattress using the received pressure signals;
analyzing the pressure change values to determine one or more of a heart rate, a respiration rate, or positional movement for a user on the air mattress;
submitting one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to a comparison in which the submitted one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement are tested for being indicative of snoring;
determining that the user on the air mattress is snoring based on the comparison in which the one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement are tested; and
transmitting, in response to determining that the user is snoring, at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress is transmitted to a position controller for an adjustable foundation that supports the air mattress.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting a position of at least a portion of the air mattress includes changing a position of at least a portion of an adjustable foundation that supports the air mattress.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress is an instruction to adjust a head position of the air mattress without adjusting a foot position of the air mattress.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress is an instruction to adjust a head position of an adjustable foundation that supports the air mattress.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress is an instruction to adjust an internal pressure of the air mattress.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, in response to determining that the user is snoring, at least one instruction to adjust a temperature of the user's sleep environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, in response to determining that the user is snoring, at least one instruction to adjust a sound volume of an audio device located in the user's sleep environment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress is an instruction to adjust a vibration of the air mattress.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the air mattress is supported by an adjustable foundation;
the air mattress is operatively connected to a pump; and
the pressure sensors are positioned within the pump.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, additional pressure signals obtained from the pressure sensors for sensing internal pressure of the air mattress;
determining additional pressure change values for the air mattress using the received additional pressure signals;
analyzing the additional pressure change values to determine one or more biometric parameters for an additional user on the air mattress;
comparing the one or more biometric parameters for the additional user with predetermined values, the predetermined values being indicative of snoring;
determining that the additional user on the air mattress is not snoring based on comparing the one or more biometric parameters for the additional user with the predetermined values; and
transmitting, in response to determining that the user is snoring and that the additional user is not snoring, at least one instruction to adjust a position of at least a portion of the air mattress supporting the user.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to submitting the one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to the comparison in which the submitted one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement are tested for being indicative of snoring:
receiving, by the control system, other pressure signals obtained from the pressure sensors;
determining, by the control system, other pressure change values for the air mattress using the other received pressure signals;
analyzing the other pressure change values to determine one or more biometric parameters for the user on the air mattress; and
determining that the user has reached a predetermined sleep state based on the one or more biometric parameters for the user on the air mattress;

wherein submitting the one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to the comparison is performed in response to determining that the user has reached the predetermined sleep state.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining that the user has reached the predetermined sleep state includes:
comparing the one or more biometric parameters for the user to one or more predetermined values indicative of the predetermined sleep state.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving additional pressure signals obtained from the pressure sensors for sensing internal pressure of the air mattress;
determining additional pressure change values for the air mattress using the received additional pressure signals;
analyzing the additional pressure change values to determine one or more biometric parameters for the user on the air mattress;
comparing the one or more biometric parameters with predetermined values, the predetermined values being indicative of snoring;
determining that the user on the air mattress is no longer snoring based on comparing the one or more biometric parameters with the predetermined values; and
transmitting, in response to determining that the user is no longer snoring and after a predetermined amount of time has passed since determining that the user is no longer snoring, at least one instruction to adjust the position of at least the portion of the air mattress supporting the user to a previous position.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein submitting one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to the comparison comprises comparing the determined heart rate to one or more predetermined values.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein submitting one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to the comparison comprises comparing the determined respiration rate to one or more predetermined values.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein submitting one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate, or positional movement to the comparison comprises comparing the determined positional movement to one or more predetermined values.

18. A method of operating a bed system, the method comprising:
receiving, by a control system, pressure signals obtained from pressure sensors for sensing internal pressure of an air mattress;
determining, by the control system, pressure change values for the air mattress using the received pressure signals;
analyzing the pressure change values to determine one or more of a heart rate, a respiration rate, or positional movement for a user on the air mattress;
comparing one or more of the determined heart rate, respiration rate,

Assignees

• Sleep Number Corp
• Select Comfort Retail Corp

Inventors

• Nunn Rob
• Palashewski Wade Daniel
• Tilstra Matthew Wayne
• Stusynski Stacy
• Young Steven Jay
• Hewitt Carl

Classifications

• A61B5/4818

  Sleep apnoea · CPC title

• A47C31/00

  Details or accessories for chairs, beds, or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass, e.g. upholstery fasteners, mattress protectors, stretching devices for mattress nets · CPC title

• A61B5/4836

  Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods (A61B5/0036 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/6892

  Mats · CPC title

• A61F5/56 Primary

  Devices for preventing snoring · CPC title