Comfortably securing physiological sensors onto a person during sleep

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8983569-B2
Application number	US-201313924562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2013
Priority date	Jun 22, 2013
Publication date	Mar 17, 2015
Grant date	Mar 17, 2015

Abstract

A physiological sensor apparatus comprises a physiological sensor, a headband and an eye mask. In one example, the physiological sensor includes a plurality of electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes that are used to sense a signal indicative of a sleep stage (e.g., REM sleep or non-REM sleep) of a user. Each end of the headband attaches to respective ends of the sensor and eye mask such that when the sensor is disposed on the forehead of the user, the eye mask shields the eyes of the user from visible light. The diameter of the headband is adjustable by the user to secure the sensor to the forehead of the user. The sensor accurately determines the sleep stages of the user over a period of sleep of the user because the adjustable headband and eye mask prevent the electrodes from being displaced from the forehead of the user during the period of sleep.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a sensor that senses a signal indicative of a sleep stage of a user, wherein the sensor determines the sleep stage of the user from the sensed signal, and wherein the sensor has a first end and a second end;
a headband having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the headband attaches to the first end of the sensor, and wherein the second end of the headband attaches to the second end of the sensor;
an eye mask that comprises a first eye patch portion and a second eye patch portion, wherein the first eye patch portion forms a first lateral edge, and wherein the second eye patch portion forms a second lateral edge;
a first attachment mechanism, wherein the first attachment mechanism attaches the first lateral edge of the first eye patch portion to the first end of the headband; and
a second attachment mechanism, wherein the second attachment mechanism attaches the second lateral edge of the second eye patch portion to the second end of the headband.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first eye patch portion forms a first inner edge, wherein the second eye patch portion forms a second inner edge, and wherein the first inner edge is adjacent to the second inner edge.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first inner edge extends along a first axis and the second inner edge extends along the first axis, wherein the sensor extends from the first end of the headband to the second end of the headband along a second axis, and wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second eye patch portions is opaque such that no amount of visible light passes through the eye patch portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the eye mask is a single unitary structure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first eye patch portion and the second eye patch portion form a nasal edge, wherein the nasal edge is adapted to be disposed on a nose of the user when then the sensor is disposed on a forehead of the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a first clasp and a second clasp, wherein the first clasp is at the first end of the sensor and the second clasp is at the second end of the sensor, and wherein the first end of the headband attaches to the first clasp and the second end of the headband attaches to the second clasp such that a diameter of the headband is adjustable.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sleep stage of the user is determined during a period of time using only the sensor, wherein no other sensor is used to determine the sleep stage of the user during the period of time, and wherein the sleep stage of the user is selected from the group consisting of: a rapid eye movement (REM) stage, and a non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a base portion and an Electroencephalography (EEG) electrode, wherein the EEG electrode is disposed on the base portion, and wherein the signal indicative of the sleep stage of the user is an EEG signal detected using the EEG electrode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first eye patch portion is attached to the second eye patch portion via an elastic attachment portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the eye mask is infused with a scent.

12. A method comprising:
attaching a sensor that includes Electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to a forehead of a user using a headband with an attached eye mask, wherein the sensor is adapted to determine a sleep stage of the user from brain waves sensed by the EEG electrodes disposed on the forehead of the user, wherein the headband has a first end that attaches to a first end of the sensor and a second end that attaches to a second end of the sensor, and wherein the eye mask comprises a first eye patch portion that is attached to the first end of the headband via a first attachment mechanism and a second eye patch portion that is attached to the second end of the headband via a second attachment mechanism.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first eye patch portion and the second eye patch portion form a nasal edge, wherein the nasal edge is disposed on a nose of the user and the sensor is disposed on a forehead of the user as a result of the attaching.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
adjusting a diameter of the headband to fit securely on the forehead of the user, wherein the sensor includes a first clasp and a second clasp, wherein the first clasp is at the first end of the sensor and the second clasp is at the second end of the sensor, and wherein the first end of the headband attaches to the first clasp and the second end of the headband attaches to the second clasp such that the diameter of the headband is adjustable.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first eye patch portion forms a first lateral edge and a first inner edge, wherein the second eye patch portion forms a second lateral edge and a second inner edge, and wherein the first inner edge is adjacent to the second inner edge.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first inner edge extends along a first axis and the second inner edge extends along the first axis, wherein the sensor extends from the first end of the headband to the second end of the headband along a second axis, and wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first attachment mechanism attaches the first lateral edge of the first eye patch portion to the first end of the headband, and wherein the second attachment mechanism attaches the second lateral edge of the second eye patch portion to the second end of the headband.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sleep stage of the user is determined during a period of time during which the sensor is the only sensor used to determine the sleep stage of the user, and wherein the sleep stage of the user is taken from the group consisting of: a rapid eye movement (REM) stage and a non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a sensor that senses a signal indicative of a sleep stage of a user, wherein the sensor has a first end and a second end;
a headband having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the headband attaches to the first end of the sensor, and wherein the second end of the headband attaches to the second end of the sensor;
a first attachment mechanism;
a second attachment mechanism; and
an eye mask that comprises a first eye patch portion and a second eye patch portion, wherein the first eye patch portion is attached to the first end of the headband via the first attachment mechanism and the second eye patch portion is attached to the second end of the headband via the second attachment mechanism such that an open area is formed between a bottom edge of the sensor and an upper edge of the eye mask.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the first eye patch portion and the second eye patch portion form a nasal edge, wherein the nasal edge is adapted to be disposed on a nose of the user when then the sensor is disposed on a forehead of the user such that a portion of the forehead is exposed through the open area formed between the bottom edge of the sensor and the upper edge of the eye mask.

Assignees

• Zinus Inc

Inventors

• Lee Youn Jae

Classifications

• A61B5/0478

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/6803 Primary

  Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles · CPC title

• A61B5/4812

  Detecting sleep stages or cycles · CPC title

• A61B3/113

  for determining or recording eye movement · CPC title

• A61B5/291

  for electroencephalography [EEG] · CPC title