Apparatus and method for the detection of the body position while sleeping

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the detection of the body position, especially while sleeping. More particularly, the invention relates to how the main body positions during sleep can be derived from the distribution of the reflection of a projected IR light from a subject's body under a blanket. Additionally, the breathing signals can be analyzed to determine the body posture.

1 . A method for detection of a posture of a body, the method comprising:
 providing a bedding;   wherein the bedding lies upon a body;   identifying a plurality of segments of the body;   projecting a pattern of electromagnetic radiation at least on a part of the bedding;   detecting a reflection pattern of the projected pattern caused by reflections from the bedding;   comparing the reflection pattern with a plurality of predefined reflection patterns representing a corresponding plurality of body postures; and   determining the posture of the body based on the comparison of the reflection pattern with the plurality of predefined reflection patterns; and   recording the posture of the body over time for subsequent diagnoses;   wherein the reflection pattern includes a plurality of reflection magnitudes;   wherein each of the plurality of reflection magnitudes correspond to reflections from corresponding segments of the body; and   wherein each of the predefined reflection patterns include a plurality of predefined reference magnitudes corresponding to each segment of the body at each corresponding body posture.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the segments of the body include at least two of: upper body part, middle body part, and bottom body part. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein a light source for the projection of the pattern of electromagnetic radiation comprises a laser device;   wherein the laser device is a solid state device; and   wherein the laser device emits light in the infrared spectrum.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the projecting of the pattern of electromagnetic radiation comprises projecting the pattern of electromagnetic radiation intermittently. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the reflection of the pattern of electromagnetic radiation is via a low-resolution sensor array. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, in addition to the reflections from the bedding, one or more additional information items are considered for the determining of the body posture. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more additional information items include breathing amplitude information. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the breathing amplitude information is based on images of the body from a video signal. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more additional information items include acoustical information that is retrieved via at least two microphones positioned on both sides of the bedding. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the determining of the posture of the body is based on heuristics;   wherein the heuristics include an orientation of one or more light sources that project the pattern of electromagnetic radiation; and   wherein the heuristics include an orientation of one or more sensors that detect the reflection of the projected pattern.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more information items include movement information. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus comprising:
 a projector that projects a pattern of electromagnetic waves on a bedding;   wherein the bedding lies upon a body;   a detector that detects a reflection pattern of the pattern of electromagnetic waves;   a data processor that:
 compares the reflection pattern to a plurality of predefined reflection patterns; 
 determines the posture of the body based on the comparison of the reflection pattern with the plurality of predefined reflection patterns; and 
 records the posture of the body over time for subsequent diagnoses; 
   wherein the reflection pattern includes a plurality of reflection magnitudes;   wherein each of the plurality of reflection magnitudes correspond to reflections from corresponding segments of the body; and   wherein each of the predefined reflection patterns include a plurality of predefined reference magnitudes corresponding to each segment of the body at each corresponding body posture.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising at least one microphone connected to the data processor. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 ,
 wherein the projector comprises a laser device;   wherein the laser device is a solid state device; and   wherein the laser device emits light in the infrared spectrum.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 ,
 wherein the upper body part comprises an upper left body part and an upper right body part;   wherein the middle body part comprises a middle left body part and a middle right body part; and   wherein the lower body part comprises a lower left body part and a lower right body part.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the projecting of the pattern of electromagnetic radiation includes modulating the electromagnetic radiation. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more additional information items include acoustical information. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each reflection magnitude and each reference reflection magnitude is a binary value. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising diagnosing a physical health condition based on the determined posture of the body. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising controlling an environmental situation of the body based on the determined posture of the body.