JP7771014B2 - Terminal device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal device, a program, etc.

Various methods for supporting users' sleep are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for calculating an index related to sleep quality based on objective and subjective evaluations, associating the index with sleep system settings, and adjusting the sleep system settings based on the index.

WO 2005/066868

However, sleep quality is not necessarily determined solely by sleep system settings. Therefore, there are limits to how much sleep quality can be improved by sleep system settings.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal device, program, etc. that supports improving the quality of a user's sleep.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a terminal device that includes a display unit that displays advice items related to sleep; an input unit that accepts input of action items that the user actually performed within a predetermined period of time among the advice items and the user's subjective evaluation of sleep during the predetermined period; a memory unit that stores the action items and the subjective evaluation in association with each other; and a control unit that selects the advice items to be displayed on the display unit based on the action items and the subjective evaluation stored in the memory unit.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a program that causes a terminal device to execute a process of displaying advice items related to sleep, accepting input of action items that the user actually performed within a predetermined period of time from among the advice items and the user's subjective evaluation of sleep during the predetermined period, storing the action items and the subjective evaluation in association with each other, and selecting the advice items to display based on the action items and the subjective evaluation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the detection device in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal device of FIG. 1. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by a terminal device in an advance preparation stage. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a preliminary information input screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an advice display screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation screen. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by a terminal device in a data acquisition stage. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the terminal device at a result display stage. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a post-event information input screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a program implementation result screen. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of advice item selection processing executed by a terminal device. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of advice item selection processing executed by the terminal device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an application example of a control system.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content of the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present disclosure.

1. System Configuration Example FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a control system 10. The control system 10 provides a user with a sleep improvement program for improving the quality of the user's sleep. In this embodiment, the control system 10 includes a terminal device 100, a detection device 200, and a bed 300. However, the control system 10 is not limited to the example of FIG. 1 , and modifications such as omitting some components or adding other components are possible as appropriate. For example, the detection device 200 may be omitted, or other devices may be added.

Bed 300 is an electric bed that includes a control unit 310 and a movable unit 70 that serves as a controlled unit controlled by control unit 310. The movable unit 70 includes a bottom 71. A mattress 76 (see Figure 2) is placed on top of the bottom 71. The user lies on the mattress 76 when sleeping. Here, the bottom 71 is a floor board on which the mattress 76 and the like are placed. The bottom 71 may include multiple plate-shaped members, for example, as shown in Figure 1.

As a bed in which the controlled unit is controlled, the technique described in PCT/JP2018/044703 (Invention title: Electric furniture, International filing date: December 5, 2018) can be used, for example. This patent application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The bottom 71 includes, for example, a back section 70a, a knee section 70b, a leg section 70c, and a height adjustment section 70h. The height adjustment section 70h is, for example, a bed elevator. As shown in the example of Figure 1, the movable section 70 may further include a head section 70d. The multiple sections included in the bottom 71 (the back section 70a, the knee section 70b, the leg section 70c, and the head section 70d) can be operated independently, allowing the angles relative to each other to be changed.

For example, the angle of the user's back can be changed by moving the back bottom 70a. The angle of the user's knees can be changed by moving the knee bottom 70b and leg bottom 70c. The angle or height of the user's head can be changed by moving the head bottom 70d. The angles of multiple parts included in the bottom 71 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "angle of the bottom 71" in this specification) may change in conjunction with each other. The angle of the bottom 71 is an angle based on the frame 75 of the bed. For example, the frame 75 is set substantially parallel to the floor surface. The angle of the bottom 71 may also be an angle based on the floor surface. In the example of Figure 1, casters 70g are provided below the frame 75. The casters 70g may be omitted and replaced with "legs".

The height change unit 70h can, for example, change the distance (height) between the floor surface and the bed surface. The height change unit 70h may be able to change the height of the head side of the bed 300 and the height of the foot side of the bed 300 independently. This allows the overall inclination of the bed surface to be changed.

The movable unit 70 uses, for example, an actuator. Operation of the movable unit 70 changes the angles of the back bottom 70a, knee bottom 70b, leg bottom 70c, head bottom 70d, and height adjustment unit 70h. This makes it possible to perform at least one of the following: "back lift," "knee lift," "height adjustment," and "tilt." Note that "tilt" includes at least one of rolling and tilting.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the bed 300 may include an illumination unit 73a and a temperature control unit 73b as controlled units.

The bed 300 of this embodiment is communicatively connected to a terminal device 100, and the controlled units, including the movable unit 70, are controlled based on signals from the terminal device 100. For example, the terminal device 100 transmits a control signal to the control unit 310 of the bed 300, and the control unit 310 operates the movable unit 70 based on the control signal.

For example, the terminal device 100 operates in accordance with the control application software to display an arbitrary operation screen on the display unit 140. A method for controlling a bed linked to a terminal device, etc., can be cited, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-228590 (Title of Invention: Bed Device, Filing Date: December 5, 2018). This patent application is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Note that the bed 300 does not necessarily have to be controlled based on signals from the terminal device 100, and may be controlled, for example, based on signals from an operation unit provided on the bed 300. The operation unit may include, for example, a touch panel and multiple operation buttons.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the placement of the detection device 200. In Figure 2, the bottom 71 and mattress 76 are depicted separately to make the illustration easier to understand. As shown in Figure 2, in the bed 300, the bottom 71 is provided on the bed leg portion 74 of the bed section 70B. The mattress 76 is placed on the bottom 71. The mattress 76 is configured so that its hardness can be changed, for example, by adjusting the amount of air inside. The user 81 lies on the mattress 76. The detection device 200 is provided, for example, between the bottom 71 and the mattress 76. The detection device 200 is, for example, a sheet-like or plate-like device.

The detection device 200 determines the state of the user 81. Specifically, when the user 81 goes to bed, the detection device 200 detects the body vibrations (body movement, vibrations) of the user 81 via the mattress 76. Based on the body vibrations detected by the detection device 200, biological information representing the state of biological activity of the user 81 is calculated. For example, the biological information includes information on breathing rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, awake/asleep, and whether the user is out of bed or in bed. Furthermore, the determination of sleep may include determining whether the user is in non-REM sleep or REM sleep, and the depth of sleep.

The biological information is calculated, for example, by the terminal device 100. In this case, the terminal device 100 and the detection device 200 are connected for communication, and the terminal device 100 can calculate the biological information based on information such as body vibrations received from the detection device 200. However, the calculation of the biological information may be performed by the detection device 200, or by another device (for example, the control unit 310 of the bed 300, or a server connected to the terminal device 100, etc.).

For example, the respiratory rate and heart rate from the biological information are calculated by analyzing the periodicity of body movement and detecting peak frequencies. The periodicity can be analyzed using, for example, a Fourier transform. The respiratory rate is the number of breaths per unit time. The heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit time. The unit time is, for example, one minute. Furthermore, the activity level from the biological information is calculated based on the number of detected body vibrations detected per sampling unit time.

Methods for detecting the user 81's presence, position, posture, etc., including the entry/exit detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327624 (Title of Invention: Bed Entry/Exit Detection Device, Filing Date: November 11, 2002), the detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327632 (Title of Invention: Bed Position Displacement Detection Device, Filing Date: November 11, 2002), and the detection method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-327633 (Title of Invention: Bed Position Detection Device, Filing Date: November 11, 2002). These patent applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In this embodiment, the detection device 200 is only required to be able to detect the biometric information of the user 81, and the method for detecting this information is not limited to using body vibrations. The biometric information may be calculated using, for example, an infrared sensor, a camera, an actuator with a strain gauge, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, or radar that detects displacement of the body surface or bedding.

The terminal device 100 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The terminal device 100 may also be another device such as a PC (Personal Computer). The sleep improvement program provided by the control system 10 is started, for example, by launching a specific application installed on the terminal device 100.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example configuration of a terminal device 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 100 includes a control unit 110, a microphone 120, a memory unit 130, a display unit 140, a communication unit 150, and an input unit 160.

The control unit 110 controls and manages the entire terminal device 100, including each functional unit of the terminal device 100. In this embodiment, the terminal device 100 provides the user with a sleep improvement program by executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 130.

The control unit 110 can include, as hardware, at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the control unit 110 can be configured with hardware such as one or more circuit devices mounted on a circuit board, or one or more circuit elements. The one or more circuit devices can be, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc. The one or more circuit elements can be, for example, a resistor, a capacitor, etc.

The control unit 110 may also be implemented by a processor. The terminal device 100 of this embodiment includes a memory that stores information and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The information may be, for example, a computer program and various data. The processor includes hardware. Various types of processors can be used, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or flash memory; a register; a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD); or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive. For example, the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor executes these instructions to realize the functions of the control unit 110 as processing. The instructions may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a computer program, or instructions that instruct the processor's hardware circuitry to operate.

In this embodiment, the control unit 110 includes a snoring information acquisition unit 111, a biological information acquisition unit 112, and an angle adjustment unit 113. The control unit 110 controls the bottom 71 of the bed 300 used by the user while sleeping, as needed, during the course of the sleep improvement program, using the snoring information acquisition unit 111, the biological information acquisition unit 112, and the angle adjustment unit 113.

The snore information acquisition unit 111 acquires an audio signal from the microphone 120 and performs processing to obtain snore information representing the user's snoring based on the audio signal. For example, the snore information acquisition unit 111 extracts components corresponding to snoring from the audio signal and obtains information representing the duration of snoring as snore information. This allows the snore information acquisition unit 111 to determine whether snoring has been detected and, if so, the length of snoring duration. Note that the components corresponding to snoring may be, for example, components in a specified frequency band. Furthermore, a wide range of known audio signal processing methods can be applied to calculate the snore information.

The biometric information acquisition unit 112 calculates the user's biometric information based on information representing body vibrations from the detection device 200. Specifically, as described above, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 calculates information related to respiratory rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, awake/asleep, and getting out/being in bed as biometric information. Note that although the connection relationship is omitted in Figure 3, acquisition of body vibrations from the detection device 200 is performed via the communication unit 150.

The angle adjustment unit 113 transmits signals to the control unit 310 of the bed 300 to control the bottom 71 of the bed 300 as necessary. For example, the angle adjustment unit 113 transmits signals to the control unit 310 of the bed 300 to cause the bottom 71 to perform predetermined control in order to change the angle of the user's back (back angle), the angle of the user's knees (knee angle), or the angle or height of the user's head. Note that although the connections are omitted in Figure 3, control signals are transmitted to the bed 300 via the communication unit 150.

The microphone 120 is a microphone built into the terminal device 100 and is an element that converts sound into an electrical signal. Note that while an example in which the terminal device 100 includes the microphone 120 has been shown here, the snoring information acquisition unit 111 may also acquire an audio signal from a microphone provided outside the terminal device 100. For example, the microphone may be provided on the bed 300.

The memory unit 130 is a work area for the control unit 110 and is realized by various types of memory, such as SRAM, DRAM, and ROM (Read Only Memory). The memory unit 130 may store a computer program for executing a sleep improvement program. The memory unit 130 may also store snoring information and biological information.

The display unit 140 is an interface that displays various information and may be a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or another type of display. The display unit 140 displays the screens described below using Figures 5 to 7 and Figures 10 to 11.

The communication unit 150 is an interface for communicating over a network, and includes, for example, an antenna, an RF (radio frequency) circuit, and a baseband circuit. The communication unit 150 may operate under the control of the control unit 110, or may include a processor for communication control that is different from the control unit 110. For example, the communication unit 150 communicates with the detection device 200 and the bed 300 using Bluetooth (registered trademark). However, the communication unit 150 may also communicate using a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or may communicate using other methods. Furthermore, the communication method used for communication with the detection device 200 and the communication method used for communication with the bed 300 may be the same or different.

The input unit 160 performs processing to accept operational inputs from the user of the terminal device 100. The input unit 160 is configured, for example, with operation buttons. Alternatively, a touch sensor may be provided on the display unit 140, and the touch sensor provided on the display unit 140 may function as the input unit 160. In this embodiment, the description will be given assuming that a touch sensor is provided on the display unit 140, and the touch sensor functions as the input unit 160.

The program according to this embodiment can be stored in, for example, a non-transitory information storage device (information storage medium), which is a medium readable by a computer. The information storage device can be realized, for example, by an optical disc, memory card, HDD, or semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, ROM. The control unit 110 and the like perform various processes according to this embodiment based on the programs stored in the information storage device. In other words, the information storage device stores programs that cause a computer to function as the control unit 110 and the like. A computer is a device that includes an input device, a processing unit, a memory unit, and an output unit. Specifically, the program according to this embodiment is a program that causes a computer to execute the steps described below using Figures 4, 8, 9, 12, 13, etc.

2. Sleep Improvement Program Next, the sleep improvement program will be described, focusing on the processing executed by the terminal device 100. The sleep improvement program is carried out over a predetermined program period. The predetermined program period may be determined as appropriate. In this embodiment, the predetermined program period is divided into a plurality of segment periods (predetermined periods). In other words, the program period is configured to include a plurality of segment periods.

In this embodiment, the segment period is one week and the program period is four weeks. That is, the program period is made up of four segment periods. The four segment periods are consecutive. In other words, when the first segment period (first week) of the four segment periods ends, the second segment period (second week) starts immediately after. The same is true for the third and fourth segment periods. When the fourth segment period (fourth week) ends, the sleep improvement program ends. However, the lengths of the segment periods and program period do not have to be one week and four weeks, respectively. The lengths of the segment periods and program period may be determined as appropriate by the provider or user of the sleep improvement program, etc.

Each segment of the sleep improvement program is divided into three stages: the preparation stage, the data acquisition stage, and the results display stage. The preparation stage is the stage in the sleep improvement program where the input of information that is the basis for data acquisition is accepted and the specified information is displayed. The data acquisition stage is the stage where data is acquired while the user is sleeping. The results display stage is the stage where results are displayed based on the acquired data. Each stage is explained in detail below.

2.1 Pre-preparation Stage In each segment period of the sleep improvement program, processing in the pre-preparation stage is executed. For example, when the user starts the sleep improvement program by launching an application installed on the terminal device 100, the first segment period (first week) begins, and processing in the pre-preparation stage for the first segment period is executed.

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the terminal device 100 in the advance preparation stage.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 first accepts input of the user's sleep concerns (step S11). The control unit 110 displays a predetermined input screen (hereinafter also referred to as the "preliminary information input screen") on the display unit 140, and allows the user to input their sleep concerns on the preliminary information input screen, thereby accepting input of the concerns at the input unit 160.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a preliminary information input screen. As shown in Figure 5, the preliminary information input screen has a field for inputting sleep-related concerns. Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 5, candidate sleep-related concern items are displayed on the display unit 140, and sleep-related concerns are input by selecting the corresponding item in check box format. Candidate sleep-related concern items are stored in advance in the memory unit 130, for example. The control unit 110 reads out the candidate sleep-related concern items stored in the memory unit 130 and displays them on the display unit 140.

For example, as shown in Figure 5, the display unit 140 displays items such as "trouble falling asleep," "waking up in the middle of the night," "waking up earlier than the planned wake-up time and not being able to fall back asleep," "not feeling satisfied with the sleep," "trouble waking up in the morning," and "snoring bothers me" as potential sleep-related concerns. Also, as shown in Figure 5, "other" may be displayed as a potential sleep-related concern, and a free-text field may be provided for describing specific concerns.

In the example shown in Figure 5, sleep concerns are entered using check boxes, but the method for entering sleep concerns is not limited to this and other well-known methods can be used. For example, a pull-down menu or radio button format may be used to enter sleep concerns.

When the user inputs sleep-related concerns on the advance information input screen shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 110 accepts the input of sleep-related concerns. The control unit 110 stores the input sleep-related concern items in the memory unit 130. For example, the control unit 110 stores the input sleep-related concern items in the memory unit 130 by setting a flag for the input sleep-related concern items.

Next, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 accepts input of the user's subjective sleep assessment from the input unit 160 (step S12). The subjective assessment is a subjective assessment by the user of the quality of their current or recent sleep over a specified period. The subjective assessment is input, for example, as a score. In this specification, a score indicating the subjective assessment will also be referred to as a "subjective score." A field for accepting input of the subjective score is provided on the preliminary information input screen, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. In FIG. 5, the subjective score is expressed using the term "sleep sensation." However, the field for accepting input of the subjective score may be provided on a different screen (i.e., a different page) from the display screen on which the field for inputting sleep concerns is provided. The control unit 110 can accept input of the subjective score by having the user enter the subjective score on the preliminary information input screen.

Subjective scores are entered within a predetermined range, for example, between 0 and 100 points. If a subjective score is entered outside the predetermined range, a pop-up will be displayed on the display unit 140, prompting the user to re-enter the score or informing the user that the entered subjective score is out of range. The subjective score may be set to be input in predetermined score increments. For example, the subjective score may be set to be input in increments of 5 or 10 points. The subjective score may also be configured to be input using a pull-down menu or a drum roll method. The control unit 110 stores the input subjective score in the memory unit 130. Note that the subjective evaluation does not necessarily have to be input as a subjective score, and may be input using other methods. For example, the subjective evaluation may be input by selecting from five levels, such as "satisfied," "somewhat satisfied," "average," "somewhat dissatisfied," and "dissatisfied."

After the user enters sleep-related concerns and subjective scores, for example, on the preliminary information input screen, the user touches the "Next" button, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. This completes the input of sleep-related concerns and subjective scores. Therefore, when the "Next" button is touched, the control unit 110 may store the entered sleep-related concerns and subjective scores in the memory unit 130.

When the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 receives the input of the sleep-related concerns and subjective scores, it displays sleep-related advice on the display unit 140 (step S13). The advice is stored, for example, in the memory unit 130, as multiple sleep-related items (advice items). The advice items include, for example, advice for improving sleep quality. The control unit 110 selects all or some of the advice items stored in the memory unit 130 based on rules and displays them on the display unit 140. For example, the memory unit 130 stores a program that executes a process for selecting advice items to display on the display unit 140 based on information about the user's sleep. The control unit 110 uses the program to select advice items to display on the display unit 140 based on information about the user's past sleep, and displays the selected advice items on the display unit 140. Note that the sleep-related information may include at least one of biometric information, subjective scores, and the number of objective comments described below. In this embodiment, the sleep-related information will be described below as including biometric information, subjective scores, and the number of objective comments.

If there is no information about the user's past sleep, the control unit 110 may display all advice items on the display unit 140. For example, if the user is using the sleep improvement program for the first time, information about the user's past sleep is not stored in the memory unit 130. In this case, in the advance preparation stage of the first week, the control unit 110 may display all advice items that the terminal device 100 is capable of displaying on the display unit 140. Alternatively, in this case, the control unit 110 may display only a predetermined portion of the advice items on the display unit 140, rather than all of the advice items. When only a portion of the advice items are displayed, it is possible to avoid a situation where there are too many advice items displayed on the display unit 140, making the screen difficult to see.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an advice display screen. The advice display screen is a screen that displays advice selected by the control unit 110. As shown in Figure 6, all selected advice items are displayed on the advice display screen. For example, in the example shown in Figure 6, six advice items are displayed: "Adjust mattress hardness," "Adjust back angle for falling asleep," "Adjust knee angle for falling asleep," "Urinate before going to bed," "Go to bed only after feeling sufficiently sleepy," and "Avoid caffeine after dinner."

In this embodiment, the advice items include items related to lifestyle habits. Examples of lifestyle items include "urinate before going to bed," "go to bed only after you feel sufficiently sleepy," and "avoid caffeine after dinner." Items related to the user's lifestyle habits are implemented by the user's own actions.

The terminal device 100 accepts input of items that the user plans to implement (hereinafter also referred to as "planned implementation items") from the items displayed on the advice display screen via the input unit 160 (step S14). Specifically, the user performs an operational input to select a planned implementation item from the advice items displayed on the advice display screen. The terminal device 100 accepts input of the planned implementation item based on the operational input.

The input of planned implementation items may be configured to be executable from the advice display screen, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 6, planned implementation items are input by selecting the planned implementation items in checkbox format from among the advice items displayed on the advice display screen. However, planned implementation items do not necessarily have to be input in checkbox format and may be input in other formats. Furthermore, planned implementation items do not necessarily have to be input on the advice display screen. Planned implementation items may also be input from a different screen.

Scheduled items are items that the user plans to perform during the upcoming segment period. Therefore, for example, at the start of a sleep improvement program, the scheduled items are items that the user plans to perform during the first segment period (first week). Scheduled items do not necessarily have to be items that are scheduled to be performed during the entire segment period. Scheduled items may be items that are scheduled to be performed during at least a portion of the segment period, for example. For example, in this embodiment, if one segment period is one week (i.e., seven days), items that are scheduled to be performed three or more days may be selected as scheduled items. In this case, the advice display screen for inputting scheduled items displays, for example, "Please select items that can be performed three or more times a week," as shown in FIG. 6. This allows the user to understand that they only need to select items that are scheduled to be performed three or more days. The user is required to perform the scheduled items entered in step S14 as much as possible during the target segment period.

Note that, if the control unit 110 is able to implement a predetermined advice item for improving sleep quality by controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300, it may implement the advice item by automatically controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300 in step S13, without displaying the executable advice item. In other words, the control unit 110 can automatically implement advice items that can be implemented by the control system 10, even if the advice item is not selected by the user, and even if the user does not actively implement the advice item. Specifically, advice items other than those related to lifestyle habits can be implemented by the control system 10.

Furthermore, if the control unit 110 is capable of executing specific advice items to improve sleep quality by controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300, it may execute these controls based on user input. For example, the control unit 110 may display on the display unit 150 of the terminal device 100 a message prompting the user to select whether or not to execute these controls, and may execute or not execute the controls based on the user's input in response to the display. This allows only controls that are in line with the user's intentions to be executed.

For example, of the advice items displayed on the advice display screen in FIG. 6, two items, "Adjust back angle for falling asleep" and "Adjust knee angle for falling asleep," can be implemented by controlling the movable unit 70. Therefore, the control unit 110 does not need to display these two items on the advice display screen.

After the user inputs the planned activity items, for example, on the advice display screen, the user touches the "Next" button shown in FIG. 6. This completes the input of the planned activity items. Therefore, when the "Next" button is touched, the control unit 110 may store the input planned activity items in the storage unit 130.

When the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 receives input of the planned implementation items, it displays a confirmation screen on the display unit 140 to confirm the content of the input received during the advance preparation stage (step S15).

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation screen. As shown in Figure 7, the confirmation screen displays the sleep concerns entered in step S11, the subjective score entered in step S12, and the planned action items entered in step S14. If the content displayed on the confirmation screen does not match the content entered by the user, the user can return to the advance information input screen of Figure 5 or the advice display screen of Figure 6 and correct the entered content. On the other hand, if the content displayed on the confirmation screen matches the content entered by the user, the user can touch, for example, the "Set" button shown in Figure 7. When the "Set" button is touched, the control unit 110 confirms the entered content and completes the preparatory stage processing. The process then proceeds to the data acquisition stage processing.

2.2 Data Acquisition Phase After the preparation phase is completed, the data acquisition phase is executed. In the data acquisition phase, the planned activities selected by the user in the preparation phase are carried out as much as possible, and the user's biological information during sleep is calculated.

Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed by the terminal device 100 during the data acquisition stage.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 as necessary (step S21). For example, if the control unit 110 can implement an advice item to improve sleep quality by controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300, it sends a signal to control the movable unit 70 to implement the advice item. That is, in step S21, the control unit 110 can implement an advice item that can be implemented automatically by the control system 10. Alternatively, if the control unit 110 can implement an advice item to improve sleep quality by adjusting the firmness of the mattress 76 of the bed 300, it sends a signal to adjust the amount of air inside the mattress 76.

Alternatively, for example, if the control unit 110 can control the movable unit 70 of the bed 300 to carry out the scheduled implementation item input received in step S14, it sends a signal to control the movable unit 70 to carry out the scheduled implementation item. In other words, the control unit 110 can carry out in step S21 advice items that can be automatically carried out by the control system 10, among the scheduled implementation items selected by the user. Note that the control in step S21 may be performed only when the user has input permission to carry out the advice items.

Furthermore, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 displays the scheduled activity items input in step S14 on the display unit 140 as necessary (step S22). For example, the control unit 110 displays the scheduled activity items on the display unit 140 based on a predetermined operational input by the user. This allows the user to check the scheduled activity items as needed during the segmented period. For example, if the user forgets the content of a scheduled activity item, the user can check it as needed by having the scheduled activity item displayed on the display unit 140. Alternatively, the control unit 110 may periodically display the scheduled activity items during the segmented period. This allows the user to be periodically aware of the scheduled activity items.

The biometric information acquisition unit 112 of the terminal device 100 then acquires information representing body vibrations from the detection device 200 (step S23). Specifically, the detection device 200 detects the user's body vibrations via the mattress 76 while the user is in bed. The detection device 200 transmits information representing the detected body vibrations to the terminal device 100 as appropriate. For example, the detection device 200 may transmit information representing the detected body vibrations to the terminal device 100 in real time, or may transmit information representing the detected body vibrations to the terminal device 100 periodically (for example, at a fixed time each day). The biometric information acquisition unit 112 acquires the information representing body vibrations transmitted from the detection device 200 in this manner.

The biometric information acquisition unit 112 of the terminal device 100 calculates the user's biometric information based on the information representing body vibrations acquired from the detection device 200 in step S23 (step S24). For example, the biometric information acquisition unit 112 calculates information on the respiratory rate, heart rate, activity level, posture, wakefulness/asleep, and getting out/being in bed as the biometric information.

The control unit 110 may acquire an audio signal from the microphone 120, and the snore information acquisition unit 111 may perform processing to obtain snore information representing the user's snoring based on the audio signal. The snore information obtained in this manner may be included in the biometric information. In other words, the control unit 110 may generate the snore information in step S24.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 then determines whether the division period has ended (step S25). That is, in this example, the control unit 110 determines whether one week has passed since the division period began. For example, if the first division period has begun, the control unit 110 determines in step S25 whether the first division period has ended. The same applies to the second to fourth division periods. The control unit 110 can determine whether the division period has ended, for example, using a clock function provided in the terminal device 100.

In step S25, the control unit 110 does not have to determine that the division period has ended exactly one week after the start of the division period. For example, the control unit 110 may determine that the division period has ended a predetermined time (e.g., several tens of minutes to several hours) before the time that marks one week after the start of the division period, and proceed to step S26. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 110 may determine that the division period has ended and proceed to step S26 if it detects that the user has woken up on the last day of the division period (i.e., the seventh day). This is because it is sufficient to have acquired biometric information from the user when they were in bed during the division period (one week).

If the control unit 110 determines that the division period has not ended (No in step S25), it proceeds to step S21. In this way, the control unit 110 collects biometric information from the user while they are in bed for the period until the division period has elapsed (here, one week).

On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the classification period has ended (Yes in step S25), it completes the processing in the data acquisition stage and moves on to processing in the result display stage.

2.3 Result Display Phase When the processing in the data acquisition phase is completed, the processing in the result display phase is executed. Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the terminal device 100 in the result display phase.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 calculates an objective evaluation of the user's sleep for the target segment period (step S31). The target segment period is the segment period determined to have ended in step S25. The objective evaluation is an objective evaluation of the user's sleep quality calculated from biometric information. The objective evaluation is input, for example, as a score. In this specification, the score indicating the objective evaluation is also referred to as the "objective score." The objective score is calculated from biometric information, for example, according to a predetermined calculation formula (algorithm). The calculation of the objective score may be performed using a known method capable of quantifying sleep quality. The calculation formula may be set so that the higher the user's sleep quality estimated from the biometric information, the higher the score. The calculation formula may be set so that the objective score falls within a predetermined range, for example, between 0 and 100 points. When the "Set" button is touched, the control unit 110 confirms the input content and completes the pre-preparation stage.

The control unit 110 can calculate a score for each specific indicator based on the biometric information, and use the scores calculated for each indicator to calculate an objective score as a comprehensive evaluation. The specific indicators are indicators that can be calculated from the biometric information. Specific indicators include, for example, the user's sleep time, the time it takes the user to fall asleep, whether or not they woke up during the night, the number of times they got out of bed during sleep, the time they spent in bed or asleep during the day, the time from falling asleep to waking up, the standard deviation of wake-up time, the standard deviation of bedtime, and the number or duration of snoring. However, the indicators listed here are merely examples. Therefore, the specific indicators may also include other indicators not listed here.

The control unit 110 may, for example, use the actual time or number of times calculated based on biometric information as the value indicating the index. As a specific example, in the case of an index related to the user's sleep time, the control unit 110 may use the user's actual sleep time as the value indicating the index. Alternatively, the control unit 110 may separately calculate a value indicating the index by performing a specific calculation based on the actual time or number of times. In the case of an index related to the user's sleep time, the control unit 110 may use a value derived by performing a specific calculation based on the actual sleep time as the value indicating the index. The same applies to other indexes. The control unit 110 may, for example, calculate a score for each of these indexes, and calculate an objective score as an overall evaluation based on the calculated scores.

The control unit 110 stores the calculated number of objectives, for example, in the storage unit 130. Once the control unit 110 has calculated the number of objectives, it completes the data acquisition stage and moves on to the result display stage.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 also accepts input of action items on the input unit 160 (step S32). The control unit 110 can accept input of action items by, for example, displaying a predetermined input screen (hereinafter also referred to as the "post-event information input screen") and having the user input the action items on the post-event information input screen. Here, the action items are, of the planned action items, items that the user actually performed during the target segmented period. In other words, the user enters, from the post-event information input screen, the action items that were actually performed during the segmented period, of the planned action items selected in the advance preparation stage.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a post-event information input screen. As shown in Figure 10, the post-event information input screen has a field for inputting action items. The field for inputting action items displays a list of planned action items selected in the advance preparation stage, as shown in Figure 10, for example. The user can input action items by selecting the items that were actually performed from the list of planned action items, for example, in the form of check boxes. As with inputting planned action items, the user may select as action items items that were performed three or more days in a week. Note that the input format is not limited to check boxes, as with inputting planned action items. For example, an input field for inputting content performed other than the planned action items may be provided, and the user may use this input field to input content performed other than the planned action items.

Note that the action items do not necessarily have to be input by the user. For example, for action items that can be recognized by the control unit 110, such as items performed through automatic control by the control unit 110 or items that the control unit 110 can detect as having been performed based on biometric information calculated from body vibrations, the control unit 110 may automatically input the action items without relying on user input. Specifically, for example, if the control unit 110 detects based on biometric information that the user has woken up at 8:00 a.m. for three or more days, it may automatically select (input) the item "Wake up at a fixed time every day" as an action item.

Furthermore, even if an item was not selected as a scheduled action item in the advance preparation stage, if the control unit 110 can recognize that the item has been performed, the control unit 110 may select it as an action item or display it on the display unit 150. Specifically, for example, if the control unit 110 detects based on biometric information that the user has woken up at 8:00 for three or more days, the control unit 110 may display the item "Wake up at a fixed time every day" as an item selectable by the user on the post-event information input screen, or may automatically select it as an action item, even if it was not selected as a scheduled action item in the advance preparation stage.

As shown in Figure 10, the post-event information input screen can include an option for "No items performed more than three times a week" to allow for cases where the user has not performed any of the scheduled activities. If the user has not performed any of the scheduled activities three or more times a week, the user selects the option for "No items performed more than three times a week."

Furthermore, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 receives input of the user's subjective evaluation regarding sleep for the target segment period via the input unit 160 (step S33). The subjective evaluation is input as a subjective score, for example, as in the pre-preparation stage. A field for receiving input of the subjective score is provided on the post-event information input screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 10. However, the field for receiving input of the subjective score may be provided on a different screen from the display screen on which the field for inputting the action items is provided. The control unit 110 can receive input of the subjective score by having the user input the subjective score on the post-event information input screen.

As in the pre-preparation stage, subjective scores may be entered within a predetermined range, or may be set to allow input within a predetermined score range.

The control unit 110 associates the action items input in step S32 with the subjective evaluation input in step S33 and stores them in the memory unit 130 (step S34). At this time, the control unit 110 may also associate the objective evaluation calculated in step S31 and store them in the memory unit 130.

For example, after the user inputs the implementation items and subjective scores on the post-event information input screen, the user touches the "Next" button shown in FIG. 10, for example. This completes the input of the implementation items and subjective scores. When the input of the implementation items and subjective scores is complete, the control unit 110 associates the implementation items, subjective scores, and objective scores, and stores them in the storage unit 130. That is, in this example, when the "Next" button is touched, the control unit 110 associates the implementation items, subjective scores, and objective scores, and stores them in the storage unit 130.

The terminal device 100 may also be configured to allow the user to input sleep-related concerns. In this case, the user inputs sleep-related concerns after the target segment period has passed.

Next, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 determines whether the program period has ended (step S35). In this example, the program period is described as consisting of four sub-periods, from the first sub-period to the fourth sub-period. Therefore, in step S35, the control unit 110 determines whether the fourth sub-period (fourth week) has ended.

If the control unit 110 determines that the program period has not ended (No in step S35), it moves on to the next division period and executes the preparatory stage for that next division period. For example, if the first division period (first week) has ended, the control unit 110 determines that the program period has not ended. In this case, the control unit 110 moves on to the second division period (second week), which is the division period following the first division period (first week), and executes the preparatory stage for the second division period. Similarly, when the second division period (second week) and the third division period (third week) have ended, it moves on to the next division periods, the third division period (third week) and the fourth division period (fourth week), respectively.

The control unit 110 performs the processing described with reference to FIG. 4 during the preparation stage for the next segment period. At this time, information about the user's past sleep collected during previous segment periods can be used. For example, during the preparation stage for the next segment period, the control unit 110 can perform processing based on the user's biometric information, subjective score, and number of objective comments collected during previous segment periods. Specifically, during the preparation stage for the next segment period, the control unit 110 can determine the advice items to be displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13 of FIG. 4 based on the user's biometric information, subjective score, and number of objective comments. An example of the processing performed by the control unit 110 in this case will be described in detail in the explanation of FIGS. 12 and 13 below.

On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that the program period has ended (Yes in step S35), it displays the program implementation results on the display unit 140 (step S36). That is, in this example, if the control unit 110 determines that the fourth segment period has ended, it displays the program implementation results on the display unit 140. The program implementation results are the results of implementing the sleep improvement program.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a program implementation result screen. The program implementation result screen is a screen that shows the program implementation results, and is, for example, a screen that is displayed on the display unit 140 in step S36. The program implementation result screen displays the trends in the subjective score and the number of objective comments during the sleep improvement program, as shown in Figure 11, for example. The trends in the subjective score and the number of objective comments are shown, for example, by bar graphs or line graphs. The trends in the subjective score and the number of objective comments may be displayed, for example, for each segmented period.

The program implementation results screen also displays a radar chart of biological information, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The radar chart displays a graph in which indices calculated based on biological information, for example, are used as radar chart items. The radar chart may display data before and after the implementation of the sleep improvement program, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The data before the implementation of the sleep improvement program can use indices calculated based on biological information calculated in the first segment period, for example.

Furthermore, the program implementation results screen displays sleep-related concerns, as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The sleep-related concerns are input by the user while implementing the sleep improvement program. The program implementation results screen displays sleep-related concerns before and after implementing the sleep improvement program, for example.

Figure 11 is merely one example of a program implementation result screen. Therefore, the control unit 110 may include information not shown in Figure 11 on the program implementation result screen, and conversely, the control unit 110 may not include information shown in Figure 11 on the program implementation result screen. By displaying the program implementation result screen, the user can learn information about their own sleep before and after implementing the sleep improvement program.

2.4 Selection of Advice Items Next, a method for selecting advice items will be described in detail. As described in step S13 of FIG. 4, the control unit 110 selects advice for improving sleep quality and displays it on the display unit 140. At this time, the control unit 110 selects an advice item from the advice items stored in the storage unit 130 based on information about the user's past sleep, and displays the selected advice item. Here, an example of the advice item selection process executed by the control unit 110 at this time will be described.

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of advice item selection processing executed by the terminal device 100. Specifically, Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for selecting advice items based on the user's biometric information. The flow shown in Figure 12 is not executed, for example, in the advance preparation stage of the first division period in which biometric information has not yet been collected, but is executed in the advance preparation stages of the second division period through the fourth division period after biometric information has been collected.

First, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 determines whether the index calculated based on the biometric information is outside the reference range (step S41). The index calculated based on the biometric information is the specific index described above, and includes, for example, an index related to the user's sleep time, an index related to the time the user falls asleep, an index related to waking up during sleep, an index related to the number of times the user gets out of bed during sleep, an index related to the time spent in bed and sleeping during the day, an index related to the time from falling asleep to waking up, an index related to the standard deviation of wake-up time, an index related to the standard deviation of bedtime, and an index related to snoring. The control unit 110 calculates all or some of these indexes based on the biometric information.

Furthermore, the reference ranges for the indices are stored in advance, for example, in the storage unit 130. The reference ranges for the indices are determined for each individual indices. Therefore, in step S41, the control unit 110 refers to the reference ranges stored in the storage unit 130 for each calculated indices and determines whether the indices are outside the reference ranges.

If the control unit 110 determines that the index calculated based on the biometric information is within the reference range (No in step S41), it ends this flow. Therefore, in this case, advice items based on indexes determined to be within the reference range are not selected.

On the other hand, if the control unit 110 determines that an index calculated based on the biometric information is outside the reference range (Yes in step S41), it selects an advice item based on the index determined to be outside the reference range (step S42). The advice item to be selected is determined for each index and is stored in advance in the storage unit 130, for example. Therefore, if the control unit 110 determines that a specific index is outside the reference range, it selects an advice item stored in association with that specific index. The advice item selected in this manner is displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13 of Figure 4.

Here, we will explain specific examples of indices calculated based on biometric information, reference ranges, and advice items.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the user's sleep time as an index calculated based on biometric information. Sleep time can be calculated based on the time the user falls asleep and the time the user falls asleep. Furthermore, assume that the standard range for sleep time is set to, for example, between 6 hours and 9 hours. If the user's sleep time is less than 6 hours, the control unit 110 determines that the index is outside the standard range and selects the advice item "Keep sleep time at least 6 hours." Furthermore, if the user's sleep time is 9 hours or more, the control unit 110 determines that the index is outside the standard range and selects the advice item "Keep sleep time at least 9 hours." The selected advice item is displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the time it takes for the user to fall asleep as an index calculated based on biometric information. The time it takes to fall asleep can be calculated based on the time the user goes to bed and the time they fall asleep. Furthermore, a predetermined time (for example, several minutes to several tens of minutes) is set as a reference range for the time it takes to fall asleep. If the time it takes for the user to fall asleep exceeds the predetermined time, the control unit 110 selects the following advice items: "Adjust the mattress hardness to be comfortable and to make it easy to turn over in bed," "Finish dinner and drinking alcohol at least three hours before going to bed," "Avoid caffeine intake after dinner," and "Go to bed only after you are sufficiently sleepy." The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 as necessary to execute the selected advice item. For example, the control unit 110 can execute the advice item "Adjust the mattress hardness to be comfortable and easy to turn over in" by controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300. The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

Furthermore, if the angle of the bottom 71 is adjustable, the control unit 110 may further select advice items related to the angle of the bottom 71. For example, if the time it takes the user to fall asleep exceeds a predetermined time, the control unit 110 may select the advice items "Adjust the back angle when falling asleep to a comfortable angle" and "Adjust the knee angle when falling asleep to a comfortable angle." If the angle of the bottom 71 is adjustable by controlling the movable unit 70, the control unit 110 may automatically apply the advice items selected here without displaying them on the display unit 140. In other words, the control unit 110 may automatically adjust the angle of the bottom 71 in the next division period. The control unit 110 may control the angle of the bottom 71 only if the user has input permission to do so.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 as necessary to execute the selected advice item. For example, the control unit 110 can execute the advice items "Adjust the back angle when falling asleep to a comfortable angle" and "Adjust the knee angle when falling asleep to a comfortable angle" by controlling the bottom 71. The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

Furthermore, if automatic driving at sleep onset can be set, the control unit 110 may select an advice item based on whether automatic driving at sleep onset is set, in addition to the time it takes to fall asleep. Automatic driving at sleep onset is a driving function that automatically adjusts the back angle or knee angle to an angle that makes it easier to fall asleep when falling asleep. For example, if the time it takes the user to fall asleep exceeds a predetermined time and there is a day during the target segment period (one week) when automatic driving at sleep onset is not set (it is turned off), the control unit 110 will select the advice item "Turn on automatic driving at sleep on every day."

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 to execute the selected advice item as necessary. For example, the control unit 110 can control the bed 300 to execute the advice item "Turn on automatic operation when falling asleep every day." The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

For example, the control unit 110 detects whether or not the patient has woken up during the night as an index calculated based on biological information. The presence or absence of awakening during the night can be detected based on information related to wakefulness/sleep. For example, if the control unit 110 determines that the patient has woken up during the night, it determines that the condition is outside the reference range. If the control unit 110 detects that the patient has woken up during the night, it selects the following advice items: "Adjust the mattress hardness to be comfortable and to make it easy to turn over in sleep," "Finish dinner and drinking alcohol at least three hours before going to bed," "Avoid consuming caffeine after dinner," and "Go to bed only after you are sufficiently sleepy." The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 as necessary to execute the selected advice item. For example, the control unit 110 can execute the advice item "Adjust the mattress hardness to be comfortable and easy to turn over in" by controlling the movable unit 70 of the bed 300. The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

The control unit 110 may also select the above-mentioned advice item regarding the angle of the bottom 71 when the driver awakens during the night. Furthermore, as described above, when the driver awakens during the night, the control unit 110 may also select the advice item based on whether automatic driving is set when the driver falls asleep.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the number of times the patient gets out of bed during sleep as an index calculated based on biological information. The number of times the patient gets out of bed can be calculated based on information about getting out of bed/being in bed. Furthermore, a predetermined number of times (e.g., several times) is set as a reference range for the number of times the patient gets out of bed. If the number of times the patient gets out of bed exceeds the predetermined number of times, the control unit 110 selects the advice items "Eat dinner and drink alcohol at least three hours before going to bed," "Avoid consuming caffeine after dinner," and "Urinate before going to bed." The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates daytime bed and sleeping time as an index calculated based on biological information. Daytime bed and sleeping time can be calculated based on time information and information regarding waking/asleep or information regarding getting out of bed/being in bed. Furthermore, a predetermined sleeping time during the daytime (e.g., several tens of minutes) is set as a reference range for daytime bed and sleeping time. If the daytime sleeping time exceeds the predetermined sleeping time, the control unit 110 selects the following advice items: "If sleeping during the day, take a 15-minute nap between 12:00 and 15:00", "Spend the daytime somewhere other than bed", "Get sunlight during the day", "Stay active and move your body during the day", and "Enjoy hobbies during the day". The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the time from falling asleep to waking up as an index calculated based on biological information. The time from falling asleep to waking up can be calculated based on information about awakening and information about getting out of bed. Furthermore, a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes) is set as a reference range for the time from falling asleep to waking up. If the time from falling asleep to waking up exceeds the predetermined time and there is a day in the target segment period (one week) when automatic wake-up driving is not set (off), the control unit 110 selects the advice items "Turn on automatic wake-up driving every day" and "Wake up at a set time every day." Here, automatic wake-up driving is a driving function that adjusts the back angle or knee angle to wake the user up. The selected advice item is displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 to execute the selected advice item as necessary. For example, the control unit 110 can control the bed 300 to execute the advice item "Turn on automatic operation when falling asleep every day." The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

Furthermore, if the time from falling asleep to waking up exceeds a predetermined time and snooze is not set (off) for automatic driving when waking up, the control unit 110 selects the advice item "Turn on snooze for automatic driving when waking up."

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 to execute the selected advice item as necessary. For example, the control unit 110 can control the bed 300 to execute the advice item "Turn on snooze in automatic operation when waking up." The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the standard deviation of wake-up time as an index calculated based on biological information. The standard deviation of wake-up time can be calculated based on time information and information related to getting out of bed. Furthermore, it is assumed that a predetermined range of standard deviation is set as a reference range for the standard deviation of wake-up time. If the standard deviation of wake-up time is outside the predetermined range, the control unit 110 selects the advice items "Get some sunlight when you wake up in the morning (open the curtains)", "Eat breakfast", and "Wake up at roughly the same time every morning". The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

Furthermore, if automatic driving at wake-up can be set, the control unit 110 may select an advice item based on the setting for automatic driving at wake-up in addition to the standard deviation of the wake-up time. For example, if the standard deviation of the wake-up time is outside a specified range and there is a day in the target segment period on which automatic driving at wake-up is not set, the control unit 110 selects the advice item "Turn on snooze for automatic driving at wake-up every day." For example, if the standard deviation of the wake-up time is outside a specified range and snooze is not set for automatic driving at wake-up, the control unit 110 selects the advice item "Turn on snooze for automatic driving at wake-up."

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 to execute the selected advice item as necessary. For example, the control unit 110 can control the bed 300 to execute the advice items "Turn on automatic operation when waking up every day" and "Turn on snooze in automatic operation when waking up." The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice items.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the standard deviation of bedtime as an index calculated based on biological information. The standard deviation of bedtime can be calculated based on time information and information about being in bed. Furthermore, it is assumed that a predetermined range of standard deviation is set as a reference range for the standard deviation of bedtime. If the standard deviation of bedtime is outside the predetermined range, the control unit 110 selects the advice item "Go to bed only when you are sufficiently sleepy." The selected advice item is displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

For example, the control unit 110 calculates the number of snores or the duration of snores as an index calculated based on biological information. The number of snores or the duration of snores is calculated based on the snore information generated by the snore information acquisition unit 111. Furthermore, it is assumed that a predetermined number of times or a predetermined duration is set as a reference range for the number of snores or the duration of snores. If the number of snores exceeds the predetermined number of times or the duration of snores exceeds the predetermined duration, the control unit 110 selects the advice items "Sleep on your side" and "Avoid caffeine intake three hours before going to bed." The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13.

Furthermore, if the number of snores exceeds a predetermined number, or if the snoring duration exceeds a predetermined time, the control unit 110 may select an advice item to set the back angle at a predetermined angle when falling asleep. The predetermined angle is an angle that is less likely to induce snoring, such as 10 degrees or more.

The control unit 110 can select advice items using the indices calculated based on the user's biometric information in this way, and display the selected advice items on the display unit 140. In other words, the control unit 110 can select advice items on a rule-based basis using biometric information calculated based on body movements detected by the detection device 200. Note that the content described here is merely an example, and other advice items may be selected based on the user's biometric information.

In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 110 can also select and display advice regarding the settings of the movable unit 70 of the bed 300. For example, advice items such as "Turn on automatic operation every day when falling asleep" and "Turn on snooze for automatic operation when waking up" shown in the example above can be selected to set specific settings for the movable unit 70 to on or off.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 controls the bed 300 as necessary to execute the selected advice items. For example, the control unit 110 can control the bed 300 to execute the advice items "Turn on automatic operation when falling asleep every day" and "Turn on snooze in automatic operation when waking up." The control unit 110 may control the bed 300 only when the user has input permission to implement the advice items.

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the advice item selection process executed by the terminal device 100. Specifically, Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of selecting advice items using the subjective score and the number of objective points. The flow shown in Figure 13 is not executed, for example, in the advance preparation stage of the first division period when the number of objective points has not yet been collected, but is executed in the advance preparation stages of the second to fourth division periods after biometric information has been collected.

First, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 extracts segment periods in which the subjective evaluation and objective evaluation satisfy a predetermined evaluation criterion. The predetermined evaluation criterion is a criterion that can extract items that are highly effective in improving the user's sleep quality. Here, thresholds for the subjective score and the number of objective comments are set as the predetermined evaluation criterion. That is, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 extracts segment periods in which the subjective score and the number of objective comments are equal to or greater than the threshold (step S51). Specifically, the control unit 110 first extracts segment periods in which both the subjective score and the number of objective comments are equal to or greater than the threshold among the segment periods that have already been completed. The threshold can be set as appropriate, such as 70 points. In this case, the control unit 110 extracts segment periods in which the subjective score entered by the user during the result display stage (i.e., the subjective score entered in step S33 of FIG. 9) is equal to or greater than 70 points and the number of objective comments calculated at the end of the segment period (i.e., the number of objective comments calculated in step S26 of FIG. 8) is equal to or greater than 70 points.

Note that if there is no segmented period in which both the subjective score and the objective score are equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 110 may end the flow in FIG. 13 without selecting an advice item.

Next, the control unit 110 extracts the action items for the extracted segment period (here, the segment period for which the subjective score and the number of objective points are 70 or more) (step S52). The control unit 110 can extract the action items for the extracted segment period, for example, by referencing the action items stored in association with the subjective score and the number of objective points.

The control unit 110 then selects the action items extracted in step S52 (step S53). The action items extracted in step S52 are advice items that the user actually performed during the extracted segment period. That is, in step S53, the control unit 110 selects advice items that the user previously performed and for which the subjective score and objective score were equal to or greater than the threshold. The selected advice items are displayed on the display unit 140 in step S13, the pre-preparation stage for the next segment period. In this way, the control unit 110 can continue to present advice items that were previously performed and were highly effective to the user as advice thereafter. The action items selected in step S53 also include items related to lifestyle habits.

In this way, the flow of FIG. 13 allows the terminal device 100 to select advice items based on the correspondence between past implementation items and subjective assessments, and display the selected advice items on the display unit 140. Specifically, the terminal device 100 extracts lifestyle habit-related items that are highly effective in improving sleep quality, and displays these as advice items on the display unit 140 in step S13 of the advance preparation stage for the next segment period. In other words, the terminal device 100 not only selects advice items using indices calculated based on biometric information, but can also extract effective advice items based on lifestyle habits that cannot be obtained from information detected by the detection device 200. As a result, the terminal device 100 can support the user in improving their sleep quality.

In addition, the terminal device 100 extracts action items for segmented periods where the subjective score and the number of objective comments are equal to or greater than a threshold, and therefore can extract advice items that can improve sleep quality. Actions that can improve sleep quality may differ depending on the user. However, by extracting advice items based on the subjective score and the number of objective comments, as in this embodiment, the terminal device 100 can extract advice items that can improve sleep quality for users corresponding to these subjective scores and number of objective comments. In this way, more appropriate advice can be extracted for each user to improve sleep quality. In other words, by extracting advice that is suited to the user, the terminal device 100 can improve the accuracy of the advice it presents. Conversely, advice items that are unlikely to improve sleep quality are not presented to the user, and therefore the user's sleep quality can be efficiently improved.

Here, it has been explained that the control unit 110 extracts a segmented period in which both the subjective score and the number of objective comments are above a threshold. In other words, it has been explained that it extracts a segmented period in which both the subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation meet a predetermined evaluation standard. However, the control unit 110 may also extract a segmented period in which either the subjective evaluation or the objective evaluation meets a predetermined evaluation standard. In other words, it may extract a segmented period in which either the subjective score or the number of objective comments is above a threshold. This is because even when either the subjective score or the number of objective comments is above a threshold, advice items with high objective values based on the user's subjective sensations or biometric information can be presented to the user.

For example, the control unit 110 may extract a segmented period in which the subjective score is equal to or greater than a threshold, and select the action items for the extracted segmented period as advice items. In this way, the control unit 110 can extract advice items based on the correspondence between past action items and subjective evaluations, and display them on the display unit 140.

As described above, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 repeats the display of advice items (step S13) and the reception of input of implementation items and subjective evaluations (steps S32 and S33) for each segment period. The control unit 110 repeats this process the number of segment periods until the end of the program period. This improves the accuracy of advice to improve the quality of sleep provided to the user.

3. Application Examples Next, several application examples using the control system 10 according to the above embodiment will be described.

3.1 Selection of Advice Items Based on the Operating Status of an External Device The terminal device 100 can select advice items based on, for example, the operating status of an external device. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an application example of a control system. As shown in Fig. 14, a control system 20 includes a terminal device 100, a detection device 200, and a bed 300. The specific configurations of the terminal device 100, the detection device 200, and the bed 300 are the same as those of the control system 10 according to the above embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

The control system 20 further includes multiple external devices. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the control system 20 includes a lighting fixture 401, a speaker 402, an air conditioning unit 403, and an aroma diffuser 404 as external devices. However, the external devices are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 14 and may include other devices. The external devices, namely the lighting fixture 401, the speaker 402, the air conditioning unit 403, and the aroma diffuser 404, are each connected to the terminal device 100 so that they can communicate with each other. In other words, the terminal device 100 can communicate with the external devices via the communication unit 150.

Each external device operates, for example, based on user operation. For example, lighting fixture 401 turns on or off the light (light-emitting unit) based on user operation. For example, speaker 402 outputs sound based on user operation. Air conditioning equipment 403 is, for example, an air conditioner, heater, cooler, humidifier, dehumidifier, fan, air purifier, etc., and performs operations such as cooling, heating, or fan operation based on user operation. Aroma diffuser 404 is, for example, a heating, spray, or ultrasonic aroma diffuser, and diffuses aroma by being driven based on user operation.

A user can operate an external device by performing operation input on an operation unit (e.g., a switch or operation button) of the external device. Also, a user can operate the external device by performing operation input on, for example, the terminal device 100, which sends an operation signal to the external device from the terminal device 100.

The multiple external devices each transmit information about their operating status to the terminal device 100. For example, a lighting fixture 401 transmits information about whether the light is on or off to the terminal device 100. For example, a speaker 402 transmits information about whether it is outputting sound to the terminal device 100. For example, an air conditioning device 403 transmits information about its operating status, such as cooling, heating, or fan operation, to the terminal device 100. For example, an aroma diffuser 404 transmits information about whether it is operating to the terminal device 100.

During the advance preparation stage of the segmented period, the terminal device 100 may select advice items using information about the operating status acquired from the external device. For example, if an index calculated based on the user's biometric information is likely to be caused by the operating status of the external device, the terminal device 100 may select advice items related to the operation of the external device and display them on the display unit 140.

Specifically, suppose that the nighttime temperature is above a predetermined temperature, the user's awakening time is longer than a predetermined time, and the air conditioning equipment 403 is not operating. Here, the terminal device 100 can acquire temperature information from, for example, a thermometer connected to the terminal device 100 so that information can be communicated. In this case, the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 selects an advice item to operate the cooling function of the air conditioning equipment 403 at night, and displays this on the display unit 140.

For lighting fixture 401, speaker 402, and aroma diffuser 404, advice items can be similarly selected based on their operating status. For example, control unit 110 selects an advice item to darken the room based on the relationship between the illuminance of the room when the user is sleeping and an index calculated based on biometric information, and displays this on display unit 140. Also, for example, control unit 110 selects an advice item to play specific music (e.g., specific music with a relaxing effect) while sleeping based on the relationship between the type of music being output from speaker 402 and an index calculated based on biometric information, and displays this on display unit 140. Also, for example, control unit 110 selects an advice item to operate aroma diffuser 404 while sleeping based on the relationship between whether aroma diffuser 404 is operating and an index calculated based on biometric information, and displays this on display unit 140.

When one of these advice items is selected, the control unit 110 may operate the external device by automatically sending an operation signal to the external device without displaying it on the display unit 140. The control unit 110 may send an operation signal to the external device only when the user has input permission to perform the operation.

3.2 Selection of Advice Items According to Sleeping Environment The terminal device 100 can select advice items according to, for example, the user's sleeping environment. Here, the sleeping environment refers to the environment in which the user sleeps, and more specifically, the devices the user uses while sleeping. For example, when the user normally sleeps at home, the user uses an air conditioner and an aroma diffuser as external devices, whereas when the user sleeps at a hotel while traveling, the user uses only an air conditioner as external devices. In this case, the sleeping environments at home and at the hotel are different. When the sleeping environments differ in this way, the terminal device 100 can select advice items according to the difference in the sleeping environment.

In this case, the terminal device 100 may select different advice items depending on differences in the sleeping environment. For example, the terminal device 100 stores groups of advice items associated with the sleeping environment. An advice group is a group of advice items made up of a plurality of advice items. For example, the terminal device 100 may store in the storage unit 130 a first group of advice items for when an air conditioner and an aroma diffuser are used as external devices, and a second group of advice items for when only an air conditioner is used as external devices. For example, the first group of advice items includes advice items related to the operation of the air conditioner and the operation of the aroma diffuser. On the other hand, the second group of advice items includes advice items related to the operation of the air conditioner, but does not include advice items related to the operation of the aroma diffuser.

The control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 detects external devices that are connected to the terminal device 100. If the external devices connected to the terminal device 100 are an air conditioner and an aroma diffuser, the control unit 110 determines to use the first group of advice items. On the other hand, if the only external device connected to the terminal device 100 is an air conditioner, the control unit 110 determines to use the second group of advice items. The control unit 110 selects advice items from the determined group of advice items.

Therefore, when the external device is an air conditioner and an aroma diffuser, the control unit 110 selects advice items from the first group of advice items and displays the selected advice items on the display unit 140. Similarly, when the external device is only an air conditioner, the control unit 110 selects advice items from the second group of advice items and displays the selected advice items on the display unit 140. In this way, the terminal device 100 can display advice items that suit the sleeping environment. Therefore, for example, in a sleeping environment where an aroma diffuser cannot be used, an advice item that cannot be implemented, such as using an aroma diffuser, is not displayed. In other words, advice items that the user can implement are displayed according to the sleeping environment.

Furthermore, if the sleeping environment is different from usual, the control unit 110 may select advice items in a different way than usual. For example, when the user normally sleeps at home, the user may use an air conditioner and an aroma diffuser as external devices, whereas when the user sleeps at a hotel while away from home, the user may only use an air conditioner as external devices. In this way, if the sleeping environment is different from usual, the control unit 110 may select advice items in a different way than usual.

As an example, the control unit 110 normally selects advice items based on the subjective score and the number of objective comments, as described with reference to FIG. 13. However, when the sleeping environment is different from usual, the control unit 110 can select advice items based only on the subjective score. Because the number of objective comments can depend on the sleeping environment, when the sleeping environment is different from usual, it may be difficult to make an appropriate judgment using the same criteria as usual. Therefore, when the sleeping environment is different from usual, the control unit 110 may select advice items based only on at least the sleep quality perceived by the user himself/herself, that is, the subjective score. This makes it easier to maintain a high level of sleep quality perceived by the user even when the sleeping environment is different from usual.

3.3 Presentation of Products That Can Improve Sleep Quality While the sleep improvement program is running, the terminal device 100 can display information about products that can improve sleep quality on the display unit 140. For example, the terminal device 100 can display information about products that can improve sleep quality along with sleep advice items using a pop-up or other method. Products that can improve sleep quality may be any product used in connection with sleep, such as a bed, mattress, pillow, or pajamas. Products that can improve sleep quality may also be lighting fixtures, air conditioners, or aroma diffusers. The terminal device 100 can present product information to the user by, for example, displaying the manufacturer name and product name of the product. The presented product information may be stored in advance in the storage unit 130 or may be obtained from an external source via information communication. The terminal device 100 may select products to present based on, for example, the user's biometric information, subjective evaluation, and objective evaluation. The user may improve their sleep quality by using the presented products.

3.4 Presentation of Advice to Other Users The terminal device 100 may present advice items to users other than the user sleeping in the bed 300. Specifically, in step S13 of FIG. 4 , the control unit 110 of the terminal device 100 may display the advice items on the display unit of a terminal device used by a user other than the user sleeping in the bed 300.

In this case, the control unit 110 displays advice items that other users can implement to improve the user's sleep quality. The other users input items that they plan to implement (planned implementation items) from the displayed advice items. In step S14, the control unit 110 accepts the input of planned implementation items entered by other users.

In this way, presenting advice items to other users is effective, for example, when the user is a care recipient who requires help from other users in their daily lives. For example, even if an advice item such as "Get some sunlight when you wake up in the morning (open the curtains)" is presented to a care recipient who has difficulty walking due to old age or injury, the user himself has difficulty walking and therefore finds it difficult to follow the advice. In such a case, by presenting the advice item "Get some sunlight when you wake up in the morning (open the curtains)" to the other user who is providing care, the caregiver can be encouraged to open the curtains in the room where the person being assisted is. In this way, by presenting advice items to other users, the other users can follow the advice items that the user himself is unable to follow, thereby improving the user's quality of sleep.

3.5 Method for Determining and Presenting Days with a High Sense of Sleep The terminal device 100 can determine days with a high sense of sleep and display them on the display unit 140. Here, a day with a high sense of sleep is a day on which the user feels they slept well, and can be determined based on, for example, subjective evaluation and/or objective evaluation. For example, the terminal device 100 calculates an average value of the subjective scores and/or the number of objective comments for each segment period based on the subjective scores and/or the number of objective comments. For example, if the program period is four weeks, an average value is calculated for each of the four segment periods. Next, the terminal device 100 selects the segment period with the highest calculated average value. Then, the terminal device 100 determines the day with the highest subjective score and/or the highest number of objective comments among the selected segment periods as the day with the highest sense of sleep. The terminal device 100 displays the determined day with the highest sense of sleep on the display unit 140. This allows the user to know the day with the highest sense of sleep.

3.6 Presentation of Implementation Rate and Effects of Advice Items The terminal device 100 can present the implementation rate and effects of advice items to the user based on data from multiple users of the sleep improvement program. For example, the terminal device 100 transmits information about the user's implementation status of the sleep improvement program to an external server. The external server also acquires information about the implementation status of the sleep improvement program by other users. As a result, information about the implementation status of the sleep improvement program by multiple users is accumulated in the external server. The external server calculates, for example, the implementation rate of each advice item based on the accumulated information. Specifically, the external server calculates the percentage of people who implemented each advice item. Furthermore, the external server may calculate the effect of implementing each advice item for each advice item. The effect can be calculated based on, for example, the increase/decrease or rate of change in subjective evaluation and/or objective evaluation. Specifically, the external server can treat the increase or increase rate of the subjective evaluation and/or objective evaluation as a numerical value indicating the effect of the advice item.

The external server transmits information on the implementation rate and effectiveness of the advice items to the terminal device 100, and the terminal device 100 displays the received information on the implementation rate and effectiveness of the advice items on the display unit 140. This allows the user to know the implementation rate and effectiveness of the advice items, and can use this information as a reference when selecting advice items for the user to implement. For example, if information is displayed indicating that the implementation rate of the advice item "urinate before going to bed" is 80% and that its effectiveness is above a predetermined value (for example, the number of objectives increases by 10 points), the user can decide to implement "urinate before going to bed" as an advice item that is easy for many people to implement and is effective. Alternatively, if the implementation rate of a particular advice item is low but its effectiveness is high, the user can decide to implement that advice item.

While the present embodiment has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications are possible that do not substantially depart from the novel features and effects of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term that appears at least once in the specification or drawings together with a different term with a broader or equivalent meaning may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations and operations of the terminal device, detection device, bed, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

10...Control system, 70...Moving unit, 70B...Bed unit, 70a...Back bottom, 70b...Knee bottom, 70c...Leg bottom, 70d...Head bottom, 70g...Caster, 70h...Height adjustment unit, 71...Bottom, 73a...Lighting unit, 73b...Temperature control unit, 74...Bed legs, 75...Frame, 76...Mattress, 81...User, 100...Terminal device, 110...Control unit, 111...Snoring information acquisition unit, 112...Biometric information acquisition unit, 113...Angle adjustment unit, 120...Microphone, 130...Memory unit, 140...Display unit, 150...Communication unit, 160...Input unit, 200...Detection device, 300...Bed, 310...Control unit, 401...Lighting fixture, 402...Speaker, 403...Air conditioning unit, 404...Aroma diffuser

Claims (7)

a display unit that displays advice items related to sleep;
an input unit that receives input of an implementation item that the user actually implemented within a predetermined period of time among the advice items and a subjective evaluation of the user regarding sleep within the predetermined period of time;
a storage unit that stores the action items and the subjective evaluations in association with each other, and further stores the action items and the subjective evaluations in association with each other, the subjective evaluations being an objective evaluation of the user's sleep quality based on biological information during sleep in the predetermined period ;
a control unit that extracts the action items corresponding to the predetermined period for which at least one of the subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation stored in the storage unit satisfies a predetermined evaluation criterion , and selects the advice items to be displayed on the display unit; and
A terminal device comprising: The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the advice items include items related to the user's lifestyle habits. 3. The terminal device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit extracts the predetermined period during which at least one of the subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation is equal to or greater than a set threshold, extracts lifestyle habits that are highly effective in improving sleep quality from the implementation items corresponding to the extracted predetermined period, and displays the extracted items as the advice items on the display unit. the input unit receives input of a planned implementation item that the user plans to implement within the predetermined period from among the advice items;
the control unit causes the display unit to display the scheduled activity items during the predetermined period.
The terminal device according to claim 1 . The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the control unit repeats displaying the advice items and accepting input of the action items and the subjective evaluation for each predetermined period over a program period that includes multiple predetermined periods. the storage unit stores a plurality of types of advice item groups each composed of a plurality of advice items in association with a sleeping environment;
the control unit selects one advice item group based on the sleeping environment of the user, extracts the implementation items corresponding to the predetermined period that satisfy the predetermined evaluation criterion from the advice items included in the selected advice item group, and displays them on the display unit.
The terminal device according to claim 1 . To the terminal device,
Display sleep advice items,
receiving input of the implementation items that the user actually implemented within a predetermined period of time among the advice items and the user's subjective evaluation of sleep within the predetermined period of time;
The program stores the action items and the subjective evaluations in association with each other, and also stores the objective evaluation of the user that evaluates the quality of sleep based on biological information during sleep in the specified period in association with each other, extracts the action items corresponding to the specified period for which at least one of the subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation satisfies a specified evaluation criterion , and executes a process of selecting the advice items to be displayed.