Patent ID: 9592011
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. A position-detecting device comprising: a body pressure distribution sensor including a plurality of pressure sensors that are capable of outputting pressure signals corresponding to pressure values respectively and are arranged in a matrix pattern having rows and columns, the body pressure distribution sensor being placed on bedclothes; a storage that stores a specific pattern in association with a sleeping posture and a body part, the specific pattern including a range occupied by at least two pressure sensors of the plurality of pressure sensors corresponding to the body part when a user takes the sleeping posture on the bedclothes, and a condition of the pressure values of the at least two pressure sensors within the range, the storage further storing instructions; and a processor, when executing instructions stored in the storage, that performs a process comprising: sequentially applying the specific pattern to body pressure distribution information, which is a set of the pressure values arranged in the matrix pattern, by sequentially moving a position of the specific pattern starting from a scan starting position to an adjacent position in a row direction or a column direction of the body pressure distribution information; sequentially determining whether the condition is satisfied at each position of the specific pattern in the body pressure distribution information, while the specific pattern is sequentially applied to the body pressure distribution information; and determining a position of the body part or a related body part in the corresponding sleeping posture on the basis of the position of the specific pattern in the body pressure distribution information where it is determined that the condition is satisfied.