BODY SUPPORTING SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTABLE FIRMNESS AND RELATED METHOD AND FIRMNESS ADJUSTING DEVICE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS-WEB)

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

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Background of the Invention
Field of the Invention

The present disclosure in general relates to body supporting systems and devices such as mattress, chair, car seat, etc., and their operating methods, and in particular to body supporting systems and devices with adjustable firmness, and related operating methods and firmness adjusting devices.

Description of Related Art

Body supporting devices and systems such as mattress are employed to support at least part of a body e.g. a human body. As an example, a mattress is used for a user to sleep on and thus is configured to support the user's body when the user is sleeping on the mattress. In addition to mattress, there are numerous other types of body supporting devices and systems such as e.g. chairs, car seats, chair cushions, and etc. It is to be understood that the list of body supporting devices and systems identified above is not exhaustive and that these and other body supporting devices and systems can be used with the present disclosure and are within the scope of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that a reference in this specification to any one such device or system, such as a “mattress” is to be taken to be a reference to any and all other suitable body supporting devices and systems including chairs, car seats and the like.

By way of example, with a user lying or sitting on, a mattress provides a support to counteract the weight or part of the weight of the user. In particular, the mattress distributes the weight from the body of the user over a part of the surface of the mattress. Depending on how a mattress distributes the weight of the user and/or how much support a mattress provides, the mattress will be either soft or firm. The firmness of a mattress depends on e.g. the properties of the resilent or elastic elements in the mattress, such as the spring constant, and how the resilient or elastic elements are mounted in the mattress, such as the degree of clamping or pre-tensioning. Consequently, the firmness of a mattress is normally configured and/or set during its manufacturing. Similarly, the same applies to other body supporting devices and systems.

It is understood that, the perception and preference to firmness vary from one person to another. Also it is understood that different body parts of a user who is lying or sitting or leaning on a body supporting device or system may require different support from the body supporting device or system and thus require different firmness. It is further understood that body shape/outline varies from one person to another, which in turn requires different support and thus different firmness from different areas of the body supporting device or system. Further in consideration of the potential movement of a user on a body supporting device or system e.g. during sleep or sitting or leaning, it is desirable for an adjustable firmness of the body supporting device or system, in order for an optimal support and an optimal user experience,

Therefore, a need exists for body supporting devices and systems with adjustable firmness, and their operating methods and firmness adjusting devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments are presented herein of, inter alia, a body supporting system with adjustable firmness, and a firmness adjusting device.

This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various preferred embodiments of the present invention described herein can be better understood by those skilled in the art when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and any reference numeral identifying an element in one drawing will represent the same element throughout the drawings. The figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrate a perspective view of a mattress;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a side cross section view of a mattress, showing its layered construction;

FIG. 2A schematically illustrate a side cross section view of a mattress when a pressure is applied thereon;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a user lying on back on a mattress;

FIG. 3′ schematically depicts a user lying on side on a mattress, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3″ schematically illustrates several exemplary positions of a person lying on a mattress.

FIGS. 3A-1, and 3A-2 schematically illustrate an exemplary configuration of an adjusting device made of two leaves in a mattress, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 38-1, and 36-2 schematically illustrate an exemplary configuration of an adjusting device using motor in a mattress, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure

FIG. 3A schematically illustrates a top plan view of an upper part of a firmness adjusting device, FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a bottom plan view of a lower part of the firmness adjusting device, FIG. 3C schematically illustrates a side cross section view of the firmness adjusting device in its initial state, and FIG. 3D schematically illustrates a side cross section view of the firmness adjusting device in its adjusted state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a top plan view of a layer (one of the bottom layers) of a mattress in which a plurality of firmness adjusting devices are provided, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a cross section view of a portion of a layer in which the firmness adjusting devices are provided, in its initial state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

While the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As an example of a body supporting device, a mattress is filled with resilient or elastic material such as foam, rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs, and is used for the user to lie or sleep on. It is to be understood that a reference in this specification to a mattress is to be taken to be a reference to any and all possible appropriate types of body supporting devices or systems, and a reference in this specification to any type of mattress such as foam mattress is to be taken to be a reference to any and all possible appropriate types of mattress.

When a user sleeps or sits on a mattress, the weight of the user applies a pressure over a part (an area) of the surface of the mattress, and therefore requires a support from the mattress.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a mattress 100. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mattress 100 has a length L, a width W, and a height H.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a side cross section view of a prior art mattress, showing its layered construction, wherein the cross section is taken along line A-A as illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a conventional mattress 200 is primarily composed of three layers, e.g. three layers of foam, a support layer 220, a transition layer 240, and a comfort layer 260. These three layers are arranged one over another. In particular, the transition layer 240 is arranged over the support layer 220, while the comfort layer 260 is arranged over the transition layer 240. In general, the firmness/hardness of these three layers increases successively from top to bottom. That is, the comfort layer 260 is soft, the transition layer 240 is harder, and the support layer 220 is even harder. Thus the comfort layer 260 is capable to compress more, the transition layer 240 is capable to compress less, and the support layer 220 is capable to compress the least. It is appreciated that there might exists additional layer(s) in a mattress. While these three layers 220, 240, and 260 are illustrated in FIG. 2 as being of the same thickness, it is possible that they have different thickness. As an example, the thickness of these three layers 220, 240, and 260 may also increase successively from top to bottom, in which case the support layer 220 is of a first thickness T1, the transition layer 240 is of a second thickness T2 that is smaller than T1, while the comfort layer 260 is of a third thickness T3 that is smaller than T2.

It is understood that when a force is applied on a mattress, the top surface of that mattress sags or is compressed/depressed at the area where the force is applied. It is also understood that the force applied on the top surface of the mattress does not only result in the compression/depression in the top layer (e.g. the comfort layer 260) of the mattress. Instead, under the force applied on the top surface of a mattress, all the layers (e.g. the support layer 220, the transition layer 240, and the comfort layer 260) of the mattress are compressed/depressed accordingly. In consideration of the different firmness of these layers, the compression/depression in each of these layers may be different. As an example, under a force applied on the top surface of a mattress, the comfort layer 260 of the mattress might be compressed to ⅓ of its height T3, the transition layer 240 of the mattress might be compressed to ½ of its height T2, while the support layer 220 might be compressed to ⅔ of its height T1, and thus the top surface of the mattress sags an amount of (⅔ of the comfort layer's height T3+% of the transition layer's height T2+⅓ of the support layer's height T1) in the corresponding area, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, since the firmness of the support layer is greater than that of the transition layer and the firmness of the transition layer is greater than that of the comfort layer. That is, under a force, the sag of the top surface of a mattress in the area where the force is applied corresponds to a respective depression/compression in each layer of the mattress in the corresponding area.

It is further appreciated that when a person is situated (e.g. lies or sits) on a mattress, her/his weight is applied onto the corresponding areas of the mattress, which results in the sag of the top surface of the mattress in those areas and also results in the respective compression/depression in each layer of the mattress in those areas.

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a user 350 lying on her/his back on a mattress 300, in which case it is believed that her/his spine/backbone and neck is straight or the user 350 is instructed to make her/his spine/backbone and neck straight. By using sensors such as pressure sensors e.g. those embedded in the mattress, a pressure or depression profile/map on the mattress 300 (in the top surface or in a specific layer of the mattress) can be obtained when the user 350 is lying on her/his back on the mattress 300 e.g. with her/his spine/backbone and neck being straight, based on which it is possible to determine or assess the user's body shape or outline, e.g. the location and/or the width of the user's hip, shoulder, neck, etc., and/or the weight of the person and/or of different parts of her/his body.

It is understood that some persons prefer to sleep on her/his side, rather than on her/his back. And even for a person who prefers to sleep on her/his back, it is possible for her/him to roll to side when sleeping. Similarly to when lying on her/his back, it is desired to keep a person's spine/backbone and neck straight when she/he is lying on her/his side on a mattress. However, it is impossible to achieve this by using a mattress with fixed firmness, because the size of head, the width of shoulder, and/or the width of hip, etc. as well as their locations on the mattress varies from one person to another.

By using a mattress with adjustable firmness e.g. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as that as described below (e.g. having the adjusting devices 300-1, 300-2, 300B-1, 300 as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-1, 3A-2, 3B-1, and 3C, or the layer 540 as illustrated in FIG. 5) and by adjusting the firmness/softness and/or the sag/height of the mattress in certain area(s) (e.g. head area, shoulder area, hip area, etc. of the person lying on the mattress) based on the information derived from the pressure/depression profile as obtained/detected when the person is lying on her/his back e.g. with her/his spine/backbone and neck being straight, it is possible to keep her/his spine/backbone and neck straight when she/he is in a position other than lying on her/his back, e.g. when she/he is lying on her/his side. FIG. 3′ schematically depicts a user 350′ lying on her/his side on a mattress 300′ according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an example e.g. as illustrated in FIG. 3′, it may be determined, from the pressure/depression profiles on the mattress e.g. obtained when the person is lying on her/his back and on her/his side on the mattress, how wide the person's hip and/or shoulder is and that a specific area e.g. 320′ of the mattress corresponds to the person's shoulder and a specific area e.g. 340′ of the mattress corresponds to her/his hip. Further, from the information (e.g. the width of hip, the width of shoulder, the weight of the person, etc.) derived from the pressure/depression profile e.g. obtained when the person is lying on her/his back on the mattress, it may be determined how soft these areas shall be and/or how much these areas shall sag, in order to keep the person's spine/backbone and neck straight when the person is lying on her/his side on that mattress. Therefore, by using a mattress according to an embodiment of the present disclosure such as that having the adjusting devices as described in the disclosure or the layer 540 as illustrated in FIG. 5, based on the pressure profile detected when the person is lying on her/his back on the mattress, the firmness of the top surface of the mattress may be adjusted accordingly when the person changes her/his lying position e.g. lying on her/his side, so as to keep her/his backbone/spine straight.

Similarly, a pressure/depression profile may be obtained when a user is lying on her/his side on a mattress with her/his backbone/spine and neck straight, from which it is possible to determine or assess the user's body shape or outline, e.g. the thickness of the user's body. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the pressure/depression profile obtained when a user is lying on her/his side on a mattress with her/his backbone/spine and neck straight, the firmness or sag of the mattress in certain area(s) may be adjusted when the user is lying on her/his back on the mattress, in order to accommodate the user's needs, e.g. in order to keep her/his backbone/spine and neck straight.

For both of the above-described adjustments, it is possible to further take into account the height of the pillow that the user is using. As an example, the height of the pillow may be input by the user.

In order to further improve the firmness adjustment of a mattress, pressure profiles on the mattress may be further detected when the person is lying on the mattress in positions other than her/his lying on back position, in an embodiment of the present disclosure. These pressure profiles as detected may be used as reference or baseline to assess or determine the actual position (e.g. tilt angle of the person, the location and position of her/his hip, shoulder, etc.) of the person on the mattress, based on which the firmness or sag of the mattress in certain area(s) is in turn adjusted accordingly so as to keep the person's backbone/spine straight.

In practice, a user may lie on her/his back on a mattress at first, which may be referred to as a “lying on back” position. Keeping lying on the mattress e.g. 700, the user may roll her/his body to a side (e.g. to left) consecutively and slowly, resulting in tilt positions. The user may continue to roll her/his body to that side until to a “lying on belly” position, in which the user lies on her/his belly on the mattress with her/his face being downwards toward the mattress and her/his back facing upwards.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a user is lying on her/his back or her/his front or at other different positions, or when she/he is instructed to do so, a pressure or compression/decompression profile/map (e.g. the positions, and how much the mattress sags at different locations, etc.) is obtained and stored e.g.by a computer as baseline data or baseline for this specific user, so that in the future when the user lies in a certain position the baseline data for other different positions may be used to decide how much the mattress shall sag in certain location(s) in order to make sure her/his backbone and neck straight.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to instruct a user to lie at different positions and to obtain a complete baseline pressure or compression/decompression profile/map, the user is first instructed to lie on the mattress on her/his back, and a baseline for such position (“lying on back” baseline) is obtained e.g. by a computer by taking the readings (e.g. the sag of the mattress at different locations, or the pressure profile/map of the user's body) from e.g. sensors, and then this user is instructed to turn e.g. 30 degrees, another e.g. 30 degrees, turn to her/his side, . . . , up to turn to her/his “lying on belly” position, and a baseline data for each of these positions is obtained. From the baseline pressure or compression/depression profile/map, the baseline data for a position may be used to determine or estimate how much the mattress shall sag in certain locations in another position so as to keep the backbone and neck straight. As an example, when a user is lying on her/his back, e.g. the width of his hip can be derived from the baseline data for such position, based on which it can be determined or estimate how much the mattress shall sag in the hip area when the user is lying on her/his side so as to keep her/his backbone straight.

That is, initially a user is instructed to be in an initial position (e.g. to lie on her/his back), and then is instructed to gradually roll her/his body to different positions, the user being instructed to make her/his backbone/spine straight at each position, as an example. And for each position, a baseline is obtained (e.g. sensed) and recorded e.g. by a computer. From all these baselines, it can be determined how much the mattress shall sag for whatever position the user is. As an example, for the shoulders, when the user is lying on her/his back, it can be determined as baseline how wide her/his shoulders are, so when she/he is lying on her/his side, it can be determined from that baseline how much the mattress shall sag for her/his shoulders in order to keep her/his backbone straight.

FIG. 3″ schematically illustrates several exemplary positions of a person lying on a mattress. The position 310″ as illustrated in FIG. 3 represents a “lying on back” position of a person lying on a mattress 300″, in which the person lies on her/his back on the mattress 300″ and faces upward, wherein 362″ represents the person's head, 364″ represents the person's left shoulder, while 366″ represents the person's right shoulder.

FIG. 3″ also illustrates a tilt position 320″ of the person lying on the mattress 300″, in which the person rolls her/his body, from her/his “lying on back” position, to left at a tilt angle a1, resulting in at least her/his right half body (including her/his right shoulder) being at the tilt angle a1 from the plane of the top surface of the mattress 300″. As an example, the tilt angle a1 may be 30 degrees.

The person may roll her/his body, from the tilt position 320″, further to left to a tilt angle a2, resulting in at least her/his right half body (including her/his right shoulder) being at the tilt angle a2 from the plane of the top surface of the mattress 300″, which position is referred to as a tilt position 330″. As an example, the tilt angle a2 may be 60 degrees.

Furthermore, the person may continue to roll her/his body, from the tilt position 330″, further to left to a tilt angle a3 e.g. 90 degree (referred to as a tilt position 340″ in FIG. 3″), resulting in her/his body (including her/his left and right shoulders) being at the tilt angle a3 from (e.g. perpendicular to) the plane of the top surface of the mattress 300″.

Also, the person may roll her/his body, from the tilt position 340″, further to left to a tilt angle a4 (referred to as a tilt position 350″ in FIG. 3″), resulting in her/his body (including her/his left and right shoulders) being at the tilt angle a4 from the plane of the top surface of the mattress 300″, and the person facing downwards toward the mattress 300″ and having her/his back facing upwards. As an example, the tilt angle a4 may be 150 degrees.

The person may even roll her/his body, from the tilt position 350″, further to left to a tilt angle 180 degree, i.e. to a “lying on belly” position, in which the person lies on her/his belly on the mattress 300″ with her/his face being towards the mattress 300″ and her/his back facing upwards.

During the process when a person rolls on a mattress e.g. the mattress 300″ as illustrated in FIG. 3″ her/his body from a “lying on back” position (e.g. “lying on back” position 310″ as illustrated in FIG. 3″) to a “lying on belly” position, a plurality of pressure profiles may be detected or determined, e.g. by using pressure sensors, at the “lying on back” position e.g. 310″ as illustrated in FIG. 3″ and at several tilt positions e.g. the tilt positions 320″, 330″, 340″, and 350″ as illustrated in FIG. 3″.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to the pressure profile detected at “lying on back” position, the pressure profiles detected at several tilt positions may be used as reference or baseline in adjusting the firmness or the sag of at least a portion of the mattress in particular locations. In particular, when the user is lying on the mattress, her/his actual position may be assessed or determined by using the pressure profiles detected at tilt positions and detected at “lying on back” position as reference or baseline, and then the firmness or the sag of the mattress in particular locations in at least one of its layers may be adjusted accordingly based on the user's current actual position as assessed or determined, so as to keep her/his backbone/spine and all the way to the neck straight.

In brief, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a baseline pressure or compression/decompression profile of a mattress is created initially for a particular user which may be used at a later time to determine the sag of the mattress at particular location(s) when the user actually lies on the mattress in the future after the initial baseline reading. Therefore, in the future whichever position on the mattress the user is in, the baseline data (e.g. the sag data or the pressure point data) from the initial baseline profile (e.g. the initial baseline readings) can be used to adjust the sag or the firmness/hardness of mattress at certain location(s) so as to e.g. keep her/his backbone/spine straight. In particular, e.g. when the user is lying on her/his back, the width of her/his hips can be determine, so that when she/he lies on her/his side, the depression of the mattress in her/his hip area can be adjusted such that her/his backbone is straight when she/he lies on his side. It is beneficial to make adjustment for specific user, because different person has different weights of her/his body part e.g. hips, and thus requires different sag.

It is conceivable that in addition to the pressure and/or compression/decompression data, the baseline profile may comprise the data on the user's weight and/or the weight of her/his different body parts (e.g. the hip area, the shoulder area, the head, the legs, etc.), and/or the pressure points. As mentioned above, based on the data from the baseline profile, it can be determined how much the mattress shall sag in certain area(s) in order to accommodate the user's needs e.g. to keep her/his backbone straight. As an example, when a user is in a specific position on a mattress, the actual current pressure or compression/decompression profile can be obtained e.g. by sensors, then based on the baseline pressure or compression/decompression profiled as recorded and in combination with the actual current pressure or compression/decompression profile just obtained, it can be determined how much the mattress shall further sag in order to accommodate the user's needs e.g. to keep her/his backbone straight.

An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a body support device/mechanism which contains foam (e.g. mattress or chair), for which a baseline pressure or compression/decompression or sag profile is obtained and recorded at a first time t1 which is used at a later time t2 to adjust the firmness or sag of at least a portion of the support device/mechanism in order to increase comfort. Optionally, the baseline pressure or compression/decompression or sag profile may be used in order to make sure the user's backbone is straight.

In order to adjust the firmness or sag of at least a portion of a support device/mechanism e.g. mattress, an adjusting device may be used to compress or decompress one or more (e.g. the bottom layer of the second bottom layer) of the bottom layers of the support device/mechanism.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to provide a mattress with adjustable firmness, e.g. in order to adjust the firmness or height of a mattress, a plurality of adjusting device may be provided in one of the bottom layers (not in the top layer) of the mattress, such as the support layer or the transition layer, e.g. the support layer 220 or transition layer 240 in FIG. 2.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an adjusting device is primarily composed of a pair of leaves. A leaf is a plate (e.g. of rectangle or square shape) and is composed of a bimetal piece and a resistor placed adjacent to each other. As an example, in a leaf its resistor is wound around its bimetal piece. It is understood that a bimetal piece is made of two pieces of different metals that join to each other. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the two different metals in a bimetal piece are selected such that their expansion coefficients are a little bit different, which causes the bimetal piece to bend when being heated. In a leaf, the resistor that is placed adjacent to the bimetal piece, when being supplied with current, is configured to heat the bimetal piece, thereby bend the bimetal piece. In order to insulate the heat produced by the resistor from the mattress, an insulator may be provided around the leaf, e.g. a cover may cover or enclose and thermally insulates the leaf.

FIG. 3A-1 schematically illustrates an exemplary vertical configuration of an adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. At the left side, FIG. 3A-1 provides a magnified detailed view of an adjusting device 300-1, which is primarily composed of a pair of leaves 320-1 and 340-1 that face each other. The leaf 320-1 is composed of a bimetal piece 320M-1 and a resistor 320R-1 placed adjacent to each other and is enclosed in and thermally insulated by an insulator 3201-1. The resistor 320R-1, when being supplied with current, is configured to heat and thus bend the bimetal piece 320M-1 and consequently bend the leaf 320-1. Similarly, the leaf 340-1 is composed of a bimetal piece 340M-1 and a resistor 340R-1 placed adjacent to each other and is enclosed in and thermally insulated by an insulator 3401-1. The resistor 340R-1 is configured to heat and thus bend the bimetal piece 340M-1 and consequently bend the leaf 340-1 when being supplied with current.

At the right side, FIG. 3A-1 schematically illustrates the vertical configuration of an adjusting device 300-1′ in a mattress. As illustrated in FIG. 3A-1, the adjusting device 300-1′ is provided vertically in the bottom layer of a mattress. In particular, the leaves 320-1′ and 340-1′ are provided parallel to and facing each other at a distance. One end of each leaf 320-1′ or 340-1′ is fixed to the bottom of the bottom layer, and the leaves 320-1′ and 340-1′ are both provided or inserted vertically into the bottom layer of the mattress, so the other end (i.e. the free end) of each leaf 320-1′ or 340-1′ is located in the bottom layer.

In an adjusting device e.g. 300-1′, the two leaves e.g. 320-1′ and 340-1′ are controlled simultaneously, e.g. are supplied with current simultaneously, and are configured to bend oppositely when being supplied with current. At the right side, the dashed lines schematically illustrates an exemplary bend of the two leaves 320-1′ and 340-1′ when current is supplied to the resistors. As illustrated by the dashed line, the two leaves 320-1′ and 340-1′ bend towards each other when being supplied with current, which pushs the foam inbetween and makes the foam harder in between the two leaves, and potentially pushing the mattress a little bit up in that location, thereby adjusting the pressure and the height of the mattress in the corresponding area.

At the left side, FIG. 3A-2 schematically illustrates an exemplary angled configuration of an adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3A-2 at the left side, the adjusting device 300-2 is the same as the adjusting device 300-1 and 300-1′, except that its leaves 320-2 and 340-2 is provide in the bottom layer of a mattress at an angle, instead of vertically. That is, an end of each leaf 320-2 or 340-2 is fixed to the bottom of the bottom layer, and the leaves 320-2 and 340-2 are both provided or inserted at an angle into the bottom layer of the mattress, so the other end (i.e. the free end) of each leaf 320-2 or 340-2 is located in the bottom layer and leans towards each other. When current is supplied to the resistors 320R-2 and 340R-2 simultaneously, the two leaves 320-2 and 340-2 bend e.g. downward, compressing the foam underneath the respective leaf, thereby e.g. reducing the pressure and height of the mattress in the corresponding area, as illustrated by dashed line.

It is appreciated that the two leaves may be provided even horizontally in e.g. the bottom layer of a mattress. In particular, an end of each leaf is fixed to the bottom of the bottom layer, and the leaves 320-2′ and 340-2′ are both provided or inserted horizontally into the bottom layer of the mattress, so the other end (i.e. the free end) of each leaf points to each other. When current is supplied to the resistors simultaneously, the two leaves bend upwards, compressing the foam above the respective leaf, thereby e.g. increasing the pressure and height on the top surface of the mattress in the corresponding area, as illustrated by dashed line at the right side in FIG. 3A-2.

It is appreciated that in order to adjust the firmness or height of a mattress, the magnetic force may be used to bend the leaves, rather than heating a bimetal piece to bend. That is, the leaves may be made of magnetic pieces, and an electromagnet is provided underneath or above the leaves and is configured to bend the leaves with aid of attraction or repulsion force when being supplied with current.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, an adjusting device is primarily composed of a semi-stiff plate such as plastic pad and an actuator that is configured to pull the plate with aid of a string that is attached to the plate. Such adjusting device is provided to adjust the height or depression/compression of one of the bottom layers of a mattress, e.g. the bottom layer (the support layer) of the mattress, thereby adjusting the firmness or height or sag of the mattress in that location. It is conceivable that instead of a semi-stiff plate there may be a full layer of semi-stiff sheet e.g. of plastic.

In particular, the plate is provided on top of the mattress layer to be adjusted (i.e. one of the bottom layer of a mattress, e.g. the bottom layer), and is configured to pull (depress or compress) the foam underneath it in that mattress layer down with it. The plate is semi-stiff in order to spread the pulling force (depression or compression force) across a certain area, allowing pulling more than just one point. In another word, the reason for the plate being semi-stiff is because there is just a string attached to the plate at one point, and when the string is pulled e.g. by the actuator, a foam of a certain amount of area adjacent to the string's attaching point (rather than only the attaching point) needs to be pulled or compressed. That is, the semi-stiff plate will allow the actuator to pull not just one point (the string's attaching point), but a certain area around that point down.

It is understood that the semi-stiff plate may be a pad like a small pad or a circular plastic piece that is smaller than the distance between the two adjacent actuating mechanisms e.g. actuators, so it can pull a portion of the mattress down. Alternatively, instead of an individual semi-stiff plate for each actuator, a full layer which is a semi-stiff layer such as a rubber plastic layer may be provided on top of the mattress layer to be adjusted by the adjusting device, where the semi-stiff full layer, when being pulled down by a string pulls in its respective attaching point, is able to pull at least a portion of area around the attaching point of the string, compressing the foam down further. It is conceivable that a full layer of semi-stiff sheet e.g. a plastic sheet may be provided on top of that mattress layer and a plurality of actuators are each configured to pull a respective area of that sheet by aid of their respective string, rather than providing an individual plate for each actuator. Further, a stiff layer e.g. a foam rubber layer is provided underneath that mattress layer, in which multiple actuators are embedded or provided.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an actuator is primarily composed of a (electric) motor, a gear box (a reduction gear with e.g. 40:1 or 100:1 reduction) which is configured to reduce the turn number, and a pully to which a string is attached. As illustrated in FIG. 3B-1, an actuator 300B-1 is primarily composed of a motor 320B-1, a gear box 340B-1, and a pully 360B-1 to which a string 380B-1 is attached. The actuator 300B-1 is provided in an actuator layer 3706-1 that is provided underneath the mattress layer to be adjusted (i.e. one of bottom layer of the mattress, e.g. the bottom layer of the mattress). As mentioned above, the string e.g. 380B-1 passes through the mattress layer (e.g. the bottom layer of the mattress) to be adjusted by the adjusting device 300B-1, and is attached at the other end to the semi-stiff plate 350B-1 or the full layer of semi-stiff sheet provided on top of that mattress layer.

In operation, when the motor 320B-1 runs, the pully 360B-1 pulls the string 380B-1 down by rotating or wind the string 380B-1 around the pully 360B-1, and thus pulls e.g. the plate 350B-1 downwards, thereby adjusting the firmness and height of the top surface of that mattress layer and in turn adjusting the firmness and height of the mattress. In particular, the string pulls the plate downwards, thereby compressing the layer between the actuator and the plate, thereby adjusting the firmness at that location or the height of the top surface or the sag.

In initial state of such adjusting device provided in a mattress where no pressure is applied to the mattress e.g. where nobody lies on the mattress, its string is in a straight but zero strain state in which there exists no tension in the string and the string is not loose. However, e.g. when a user is located on the mattress in which and whose firmness the adjusting device is provided and is configured to adjust, the top surface of that mattress and also the top surface of the specific mattress layer that is to be adjusted by the adjusting device sags or is compressed/depressed in the areas in which the user is located, which causes the strings of the adjusting devices located in those areas to become loose. Next, when one of those adjusting devices is actuated for firmness and height adjustment, its motor runs to pull its string until its string become tight or straight but with zero tension (at that point, the actuation of the adjusting device causes no compression/depression and thus no firmness and height adjustment), and then continues to pull its string further down (which produces the actual compression/depression and thus the firmness and height adjustment).

It is understood that a motor works or runs when being supplied with current. And it is further understood that when compared with no load on a motor, the motor requires more current to run or work when there is a load on it. Therefore, starting from the loose state of the string (caused by a user applying a pressure on the mattress) until to its straight or tight state without tension, the motor does not require much current. On the other hand, when the string is under tension (i.e. when the adjusting device starts to actually adjust or change the firmness and height of the top surface of the respective mattress layer and thus of the mattress), the motor requires more current to pull the string. Based on the above, it is possible to know or determine or estimate the depression/compression in that area caused by only the user situating on the mattress by determining how many turns the motor has turned before it is supplied with a significant current (i.e. before the string to be pulled becomes under tension). Therefore, such adjusting device can also obtain the pressure or compression/depression profile of a mattress when a user is situating on the mattress, and thus there is no need for separate sensors to be used for that compression/depression profile e.g. the baseline pressure or compression/decompression profile.

Further, based on the pressure or compression/depression profile obtained, some adjusting devices are actuated to adjust the firmness and height of the mattress, in order to accommodate the user's need. It is understood that there occurs one or multiple spikes in signal for each turn a motor runs due to the motor's internal magnetism. Therefore, by determining or counting such spikes in signal since the significant current, it is possible to determine how many turns a motor has turned since the significant current, and thus determine how much compression/depression has actually produced by the adjusting device. When the desired compression/depression or firmness is achieved, the motor of the corresponding adjusting device needs to stop running. However, the current shall not be cut off from the motor, because otherwise the foam compressed by the adjusting device will push back up. Instead, the motor is kept to be supplied with a current at a reduced level in order to hold the desired compression/depression or firmness. The supply of a current at a reduced level also saves electricity and increase the efficiency.

FIG. 3B-2 schematically illustrated the actuator layer in which multiple actuators of the adjusting devices are provided, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As mentioned above, this actuator layer is provided underneath the mattress layer to be adjusted, through which the strings of the adjusting devices pass and on top of which the semi-stiff plates of the adjusting devices or the full layer of plastic sheet is provided.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B-2, an actuator layer is composed primarily of two sub-layers, a semi-flexible sub-layer 370B-2′ e.g. a plastic sheet or metal sheet that is provided on the top, and a foam rubber sub-layer or sheet 370B-2 provided at bottom in which multiple actuators 300B-2 are provided or embedded. As described above and as illustrated in FIG. 3B-2, an actuator 300B-2 is primarily composed of a motor 320B-2, a gear 340B-2, and a pully 360B-2. A cover 330B-2 is provided to cover and enclosed the motor 320B-2, the gear 340B-2, and the pully 360B-2. On top of the cover 330B-2 there is a hole through which a string 380B-2 comes out. As mentioned above, the string 380B-2 passes through the top sheet 370B-2′ and the mattress layer to be adjusted, and is attached to the semi-stiff plate or the full layer of plastic sheet on top of that mattress layer.

As illustrated in FIG. 3B-2, the cover 330B-2 is configured to provide extra space around the pully 360b-2 in order to receive the string 380B-2 when the string 380B-2 is wound around the pully 360B-2.

Also as illustrated in FIG. 3B-2, the cover 330B-2 extends to both side of the hole through which the string 380B-2 exits, even though the motor 320B-2, the gear 340B-2, and the pully 360B-2 may be situated at one side (e.g. right side as illustrated) of the hole. That is, in the other side (e.g. left side) of the hole, there may be no component in the cover 3308-2. The purpose for such cover extension is to keep force balance. As illustrated in FIG. 38-2, in operation there exists a pulling force 12 on the string 380B-2, and the cover 330B-2 extends to both side of the hole such that a force 10 on the left side and a force 11 on the right side can counter the pulling force 12.

In brief, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an adjusting device for adjusting the firmness or height of a body support device, comprising a motor, a reduction gear, a pully, and a semi-stiff movable piece attached by a string, wherein the string is driven by the motor to be released from or wound on the pully in order to adjust the firmness or height of the body support device. Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for determining or estimating the sag of a body support device e.g. by the adjusting device as described above, comprising applying current to the motor, and counting the number of turns of the motor until a significant current, thereby determining or estimating the looseness of the string and in turn determining and estimating the pressure or sag of the body support device in the corresponding location. Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for determining the sag of a body support device caused by e.g. the adjusting device as described above, comprising applying current to the motor, and starting from a significant current, counting the number of spikes in the signal, thereby determining or estimating the sag of the body support device caused by e.g. the adjusting device.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an adjusting device/mechanism for compressing or decompressing one or multiple layers of a body support device such as mattress like a foam mattress, where the adjusting device/mechanism comprises multiple magnets and/or electromagnets attached to one or both sides of the one or multiple layers of the body support device in which one or more magnets and/or electromagnets overlap each other, and where as the magnetic force is used to compress the one or multiple layers, a larger number of the magnets or electromagnets overlap each other.

In particular, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a linear motor type adjusting device/mechanism is used to compress or decompress at least one layer of a body support device e.g. a mattress, where one portion of the linear motor type adjusting device/mechanism is attached to the top of the at least one layer, and the other portion of the linear motor type adjusting device/mechanism is attached to the bottom of the at least one layer. Similar to the linear motor, in operation of the linear motor type adjusting device/mechanism, the magnetic force is used to compress the at least one layer. That is, when the at least one layer is compressed, a larger number of magnets or electromagnets from the bottom of the at least one layer overlap the magnets or electromagnets from the top of the at least one layer, thereby producing a greater magnetic force to compress.

According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the firmness adjusting device is primarily composed of two parts, an upper part and a lower part.

FIG. 3A schematically illustrates a top plan view of an upper part of a firmness adjusting device, FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a bottom plan view of a lower part of the firmness adjusting device, and FIG. 3C schematically illustrates a side cross section view of the firmness adjusting device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 3C, the cross section is taken along line B-B as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C, a firmness adjusting device 300 is composed of two parts, an upper part 320 and a lower part 340. The upper part 320 is primarily composed of an upper disc 322 and an upper hollow pipe 324, where the upper hollow pipe 324 is secured to the upper disc 322, e.g. at its center. At least the lower end of the upper hollow pipe 324 is open. Similarly, the lower part 340 is also primarily composed of a lower disc 342 and a lower hollow pipe 344, where the lower hollow pipe 344 is secured to the lower disc 342, e.g. at its center. It is to be noted that, the pipes (upper pipe and lower pipe) may have a cross section of another shape, e.g. of a square or rectangle, instead of a round or circle as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3C.

As mentioned above, the firmness adjusting device 300 is provided in one of the bottom layers of a mattress, such as the support layer e.g. 220 or the transition layer e.g. 240 of a mattress e.g. 200. In particular, its upper part 320 is secured to the top surface of one of the bottom layers such as the support layer or transition layer by placing or connecting the upper disc 322 on or to the top surface of the one of the bottom layers and inserting the upper pipe 324 into the one of the bottom layers. Correspondingly, its lower part 340 is secured to the bottom surface of the one of the bottom layers by placing or connecting the lower disc 342 on or to the bottom surface of the one of the bottom layers and inserting the lower pipe 344 into the one of the bottom layers.

In a firmness adjusting device, its upper pipe has a greater diameter than its lower pipe, and its upper and lower parts are arranged with their respective pipes facing towards and aligned to each other, such that the lower pipe can move into the upper pipe when being compressed, in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As an example, in the exemplary firmness adjusting device 300, the diameter of its lower pipe 344 is smaller than that of its upper pipe 324, and its upper and lower parts 320 and 340 are arranged with their respective pipes 324 and 344 facing towards and aligned to each other, as illustrated in FIG. 3C.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a firmness adjusting device e.g. 300 as illustrated in FIG. 3, multiple (e.g. 4) sets of magnet are secured or attached to (e.g. glued to) the external surface of the upper pipe along the axis of the upper pipe (which may also be the axis of the firmness adjusting device), and multiple (e.g. 3) electromagnets are provided in and secured or attached to the lower pipe along the axis of the lower pipe (which may also be the axis of the firmness adjusting device). It is note that the configuration of the upper and lower parts may be reversed. That is, rather than the diameter of the upper pipe is greater than that of the lower pipe as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the diameter of the lower pipe may be set to be greater than that of the upper pipe, in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Also, the electromagnets may be associated with the upper part while the sets of magnets may be associated with the lower part, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multiple electromagnets are configured to be fed with electric current so as to cause the relative movement between the upper and lower parts part along the axis of the firmness adjusting device (which may also be the axis of the upper part and of the lower part), thereby adjusting the height of the firmness adjusting device. In consideration of the weight of the mattress layer in which the firmness adjusting device is provided, the upper part (rather than the lower part) of the firmness adjusting device is caused to move downwards when the electromagnets are fed with electric current, which in turn adjusts the firmness on the top surface of the mattress at the corresponding area. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lower part of a firmness adjusting device is secured to a rigid component such as a wood panel, in order to further avoid its potential upward movement.

Referring back to FIG. 3C, four sets of magnets 326A, 326B, 326C, and 326D are secured to the external surface of the upper pipe 324 along the axis of the upper pipe 324, and three electromagnets 346A, 346B, and 346C are provided in and secured to the lower pipe 344 along the axis of the axis of the lower pipe 344, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

A set of magnets is composed of two magnets that are secured with different polarity to the external surface of the upper pipe in radial alignment. As an example, a set of magnets 326 is composed of two magnets 326-1 and 326-2 that are arranged in radial alignment, as illustrated in FIG. 3A. In the cross section view as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the magnet 326A-1 is secured to the left external surface of the upper pipe at its polarity N, while the magnet 326A-2 is secured to the right external surface of the upper pipe at its polarity S.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multiple sets of magnets are arranged along the axis of the upper pipe with their polarities alternating. In the example as illustrated in FIG. 3C, from the set of magnets 326A to the set of magnets 326D, their polarities alternate, that is, the polarities of any two axially adjacent sets are different from each other. In an example as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the polarity arrangement of the set 326A is different from (i.e. opposite to) that of the set 326B, i.e. the polarity arrangement of the magnet 326A-1 and 326A-2 is S-N from left to right, while the polarity arrangement of the magnet 326B-1 and 326B-2 is N-S from left to right.

On the other hand, in the lower part e.g. 340 of the firmness adjusting device e.g. 300, multiple (e.g. 3) electromagnets of same configuration are provided in and secured to the lower pipe e.g. 344 along the axis of the lower pipe, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As an example, three electromagnets 346A, 346B, and 346C of same configuration are provided in and secured to the lower pipe 344 along its axis. As mentioned above, the multiple electromagnets are configured to be fed with electric current so as to cause the relative movement between the upper and lower parts along the axis of the firmness adjusting device (which may also be the axis of the upper part and of the lower part), thereby adjusting the height of the firmness adjusting device, which in turn adjusts the firmness on the top surface of the mattress at the corresponding area when the firmness adjusting device is provided in the mattress, e.g. in one of its bottom layers. It is to be noted that, term “electromagnets of same configuration” therein means that the electric current is fed to the electromagnets in the same direction, e.g. as illustrated in 346A, 346B, and 346C in FIG. 3C.

In FIG. 3C, the firmness adjusting device 300 is illustrated in its initial state when being provided in one of bottom layers of a mattress, in which only the top one (346A) of the multiple electromagnets partially or very little overlaps the bottom one (326D) of the multiple magnets. In the initial state of the firmness adjusting device 300, the mattress and the layer in which the firmness adjusting device 300 is provided are not compressed, and the electromagnets in the firmness adjusting device 300 are not fed with electric current and thus the height of the firmness adjusting device has not been adjusted.

In order to adjust the firmness of the top surface of the mattress at the corresponding area, electric current is fed to the electromagnets 346. Like in a linear motor, the upper part 320 moves downwards under the interaction between the magnets 326 and the electromagnets 346. FIG. 3D illustrates an exemplary adjusted state of the firmness adjusting device 300 of FIG. 3C, in which the electromagnet 346A is moved to be substantially flush with the set 326B of magnets and is hold there, the electromagnet 346B is moved to be substantially flush with the set 326C of magnets and is hold there, and the electromagnet 346C is moved to be substantially flush with the set 326D of magnets and is hold there. The downward movement of the upper part 320 compresses the top surface of the layer in which the firmness adjusting device is provided, thereby decrease the firmness of the top surface of the mattress at the corresponding area.

It is understood that when more electromagnets and magnets overlap or are engaged with each other, a higher force is produced. On the other hand, when more electromagnets and magnets overlap or are engaged with each other, the mattress layer is compressed/depressed more, which in turn requires more force to hold the compression/depression or to further compress/depress. Therefore, the adjusting device according to this embodiment of the present disclosure is beneficial and appropriate for the firmness and height adjustment of a mattress.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper disc of the upper part of a firmness adjusting device is made of non-stretchable or less stretchable fabric that is connected (e.g. stitched) with the upper pipe, in order to facilitate the firmness adjustment by the downward movement of the upper part. As an example, the non-stretchable fabric may be made of strong plastic or another material that does not stretch. Alternatively, the upper disc may be rigid piece of plastic that is flexible but more rigid than fabric. The upper disc is connected to the upper pipe, e.g. by means of hinged type connection.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of adjusting devices e.g. those as described above are provided in a mattress, in particular in one of its bottom layers such as its support layer or its transition layer, e.g. in matrix arrangement. FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a top plan view of a layer (one of the bottom layers) 420 of a mattress in which a plurality of adjusting devices 422 are provided.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a cross section view of a portion of a layer in which the adjusting devices as described and illustrated in FIG. 3C are provided, in its initial state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5, the cross section is taken along e.g. line C-C as illustrated in FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the firmness adjusting devices 520A, 520B, 520C, 520D, 520E, and 520F (collectively referred to as 520) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are provided in a layer 540 (one of bottom layers) of a mattress. In the example as illustrated in FIG. 5, a rigid component 560 e.g. a wood panel or a non-bendable material is provided under the layer 540. As can be seen from FIG. 5, all the firmness adjusting devices 520 are in their initial state, that is, no electric current is fed to the firmness adjusting devices 520, and thus no compression occurs in the layer 540.

FIGS. 6A and 6B schematically illustrate a cross section view of the portion of the layer 540 as illustrated in FIG. 5, in its adjusted state, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the cross section is also taken along e.g. line C-C as illustrated in FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, in all the firmness adjusting devices 520, a firmness adjusting device 520D is fed with electric current and thus its upper part 520D-U is caused to move downward under the interaction between the electromagnets (e.g. 346 in FIG. 3D) and the sets of magnets (e.g. 326 in FIG. 3D) in the firmness adjusting device 520D, which in turn compresses the corresponding area of the layer 540. It is appreciated that the compression of the corresponding area of the layer 540 will cause the firmness reduction and depression (height reduction) of the corresponding area of the top surface of the mattress. As can be seen from FIG. 6A, in the firmness adjusting devices 520 e.g. 520D, its upper disc is rigidly secured to its respective upper pipe.

Like FIG. 6A, FIG. 6B schematically illustrates a cross section view of the portion of the layer 540 as illustrated in FIG. 5, in its adjusted state. However, as can be seen from FIG. 68, in the firmness adjusting devices 520 e.g. 520D, its upper disc is hinged secured to its respective upper pipe.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

BODY SUPPORTING SYSTEM WITH ADJUSTABLE FIRMNESS AND RELATED METHOD AND FIRMNESS ADJUSTING DEVICE

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CPC

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