Sleeper detection and configuration of sleep environments and learning methods to optimize sleep quality

Abstract

A bed includes environmental control components, which may be temperature control components and pressure adjustment components in some embodiments. The environmental control components may be configured to provide different sleep environments based on identity of sleepers using or expected to use the bed. A controller may determine a number of sleepers for the bed, identify the sleepers, and determine if there is an expectation of later arrival of sleeper in determining a configuration for the environmental control components in providing a sleep environment for the bed.

1 . A bed, comprising:
 a sleep surface;   sensors configured to sense sleepers on the sleep surface;   components for conditioning a sleep environment of the sleep surface; and   a controller configured to receive information from the sensors and to provide commands to the components for conditioning the sleep environment, the controller configured to determine a number of sleepers on the sleep surface and to provide at least some different commands to the components based on at least a number of sleepers on the sleep surface;   wherein the controller is further configured to determine identities of sleepers on the sleep surface based on information from the sensors and predetermined information regarding at least some of the sleepers, the predetermined information regarding at least some of the sleepers comprising at least information of times of day the sleepers previously entered the bed.   
     
     
         2 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors comprise pressure sensors. 
     
     
         3 . The bed of  claim 2 , wherein the pressure sensors provide an indication of weight of sleepers on the sleep surface to the controller. 
     
     
         4 . The bed of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to ignore the indication of weight of a one of the sleepers if the weight is sufficiently below a predetermined weight. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information regarding at least some of the sleepers further comprises, for each sleeper, at least one of a side of the sleep surface expected to be entered by the sleeper, a weight of the sleeper, and an expected sleep posture of the sleeper. 
     
     
         7 . The bed of  claim 1 , wherein the components for conditioning the sleep environment of the sleep surface comprise components for separately controlling temperatures of a right side and a left side of the sleep surface and components for separately controlling firmness of the right side and the left side of the sleep surface. 
     
     
         8 . The bed system of  claim 7 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine a side of the sleep surface for each sleeper on the sleep surface. 
     
     
         9 . A bed comprising:
 a sleep surface;   sensors configured to sense sleepers on the sleep surface;   components for conditioning a sleep environment of the sleep surface; and   a controller configured to receive information from the sensors and to provide commands to the components for conditioning the sleep environment, the controller configured to determine a number of sleepers on the sleep surface and to provide at least some different commands to the components based on at least a number of sleepers on the sleep surface;   wherein the controller is further configured to determine identities of sleepers on the sleep surface based on information from the sensors and predetermined information regarding at least some of the sleepers; and   wherein the controller is further configured to determine if there is an expected number and identities of sleepers on the sleep surface.   
     
     
         10 . The bed of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to provide commands to the components for conditioning the sleep environment of the sleep surface for both sides of the sleep surface using a single sleep environment profile if the expected number of sleepers on the sleep surface is one sleeper. 
     
     
         11 . The bed of  claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to utilize a double optimized sleeper environment profile if the pressure sensors indicate two people sleeping together. 
     
     
         12 . The bed of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine an expected number of sleepers on the sleep surface based on information of historical use of the bed. 
     
     
         13 . The bed of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to not condition the sleep environment if the expected number of sleepers is zero. 
     
     
         14 . The bed of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to condition the bed for a sleeper prior to the sleeper entering the bed if the expected number of sleepers is non-zero. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A method of conditioning a bed for sleeping, comprising:
 determining, by a controller, a number of sleepers in a bed;   determining identities, by the controller, of the sleepers in the bed; and   conditioning a sleep environment of the bed based on the number of sleepers and identities of the sleepers;   wherein the sleep environment of the bed is conditioned based on a sleep environment profile provided to the bed by a server;   wherein the sleep environment profile is associated with a sleeper, and the sleep environment profile is provided to the bed in response to a request from a smartphone associated with the sleeper; and   further comprising deleting the sleep environment profile provided to the bed in response to a request received from the smartphone associated with the sleeper.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the bed provides a sleep surface for two sleepers, and temperature and firmness of the sleep surface for a right side of the sleep surface and a left side of the sleep surface are separately controllable; and wherein the sleep environment of the bed is conditioned based on a sleep environment profile associated with each of the sleepers. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising determining whether there is an expectation that the number of sleepers in the bed will change, and conditioning both the right and left sides of the bed based on the sleep environment profile associated with a sleeper in the bed in response to determining that there is no expectation that the number of sleepers in the bed will change, and conditioning a side of the bed of the sleeper in the bed with the sleep environment profile associated with that sleeper and conditioning another side of the bed without the sleeper with the sleep environment profile associated with a sleeper expected to enter the bed. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the controller determines the identities of the sleepers in the bed based on information from pressure sensors in the bed. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the controller utilizes historical usage of the bed in determining identities of the sleepers. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the controller utilizes historical usage of the bed in determining whether there is an expectation that the number of sleepers in the bed will change. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising determining whether there is no expectation that the number of sleepers in the bed will change, and, in response to determining that there is no expectation that the number of the sleepers in the bed will change, conditioning both the right and left sides of the bed based on the sleep environment profile associated with a sleeper in the bed. 
     
     
         23 - 25 . (canceled)