Wakefulness inducing device and wakefulness inducing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318811-B2
Application number	US-201716465737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2017
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A wakefulness inducing device includes: a heat dissipation intensity obtainer obtaining a user's heat dissipation intensity from a heat dissipation intensity sensor; and a controller controlling an air conditioner to alternate the user's heat dissipation intensity between a first heat dissipation intensity and a second heat dissipation intensity lower than the first heat dissipation intensity. The controller alternates the user's heat dissipation intensity by controlling the air conditioner based on the user's heat dissipation intensity to set a first time period longer than a second time period. In the first time period, the user's heat dissipation intensity increases from the second heat dissipation intensity to the first heat dissipation intensity, or remains at the first heat dissipation intensity. In the second time period, the user's heat dissipation intensity decreases from the first heat dissipation intensity to the second heat dissipation intensity, or remains at the second heat dissipation intensity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wakefulness inducing device, comprising:
a heat dissipation intensity obtainer that obtains a thermal image of a person from a thermal image sensor; and
a controller that (i) determines a surface temperature of the person and a temperature around the person based on the thermal image, (ii) calculates a heat dissipation intensity of the person based on the difference between the determined surface temperature and the determined temperature around the person, and (iii) controls an air conditioner to alternate the person's heat dissipation intensity between a first heat dissipation intensity and a second heat dissipation intensity lower than the first heat dissipation intensity, wherein
the controller alternates the person's heat dissipation intensity by controlling the air conditioner based on the person's heat dissipation intensity to set a first time period longer than a second time period,
the first time period is a time period in which the person's heat dissipation intensity increases from the second heat dissipation intensity to the first heat dissipation intensity, and remains at the first heat dissipation intensity, and
the second time period is a time period in which the person's heat dissipation intensity decreases from the first heat dissipation intensity to the second heat dissipation intensity, and remains at the second heat dissipation intensity.

2. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first heat dissipation intensity is 45 W/m 2 or lower, and
the second heat dissipation intensity is 25 W/m 2 or higher.

3. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
to increase the person's heat dissipation intensity, the controller causes the air conditioner to blow, to the person, air with a temperature lower than or equal to the temperature around the person.

4. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
to decrease the person's heat dissipation intensity, the controller causes the air conditioner to blow, to the person, air with a temperature higher than the temperature around the person.

5. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller causes the air conditioner to selectively execute a plurality of operating modes, among which values of at least one of the first heat dissipation intensity, the second heat dissipation intensity, the first time period, or the second time period are different,
the wakefulness inducing device further comprises a receiver that receives, from the person, an instruction indicating one of the plurality of operating modes, and
the controller causes the air conditioner to execute the one of the plurality of operating modes indicated by the instruction received by the receiver from the person.

6. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an awakeness level obtainer that obtains a level of awakeness of the person,
wherein the controller
determines whether or not the person's level of awakeness obtained by the awakeness level obtainer meets a predetermined criterion, and
starts controlling the air conditioner, if the person's level of awakeness obtained by the awakeness level obtainer meets the predetermined criterion.

7. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a determiner that determines a level of ease of awakening of the person, wherein
the controller controls the air conditioner based on a result of determination by the determiner.

8. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
an identification information obtainer that obtains identification information for identifying the person; and
a memory that stores the person's level of ease of awakening in association with the person; wherein
the controller causes the memory to store the person's level of ease of awakening obtained by the awakeness level obtainer in association with the person indicated by the identification information obtained by the identification information obtainer.

9. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller further controls an environmental condition control device that controls an environmental condition around the person,
the environmental condition around the person is at least one of an illuminance of environmental light around the person, a color temperature of the environmental light, an oxygen concentration around the person, a carbon dioxide concentration around the person, music provided for the person, vibration applied to the person, an opening/closing state of a window located near the person, or an opening/closing state of a curtain located near the person, and
while controlling the air conditioner based on the person's heat dissipation intensity, the controller further controls the environmental condition control device to alternate the person's heat dissipation intensity.

10. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an environmental information obtainer that obtains environmental information indicating the environmental condition around the person from at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an illuminance sensor, a color temperature sensor, an air flow speed sensor, an oxygen concentration sensor, a carbon dioxide concentration sensor, a vibration sensor, or a microphone, wherein
the controller controls the environmental condition control device based on the environmental information obtained by the environmental information obtainer.

11. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a feeling information obtainer that obtains feeling information indicating a feeling of the person, wherein
the controller controls the air conditioner based on the feeling information obtained by the feeling information obtainer.

12. A wakefulness inducing system comprising:
the wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 ;
the thermal image sensor; and
the air conditioner.

13. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller causes the air conditioner to perform a rotation which changes, in turn, a body region of the person to which the air conditioner blows air.

14. The wakefulness inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller controls the air conditioner to cause the air conditioner to perform only control for decreasing a surface temperature of the person, to repeatedly alternate the person's heat dissipation intensity.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kusukame Koichi
• Shikii Shinichi

Classifications

• B60K28/066

  actuating a signalling device (B60K28/063 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F11/80

  for controlling the temperature of the supplied air · CPC title

• F24F11/30

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H3/00

  Other air-treating devices · CPC title