The present invention provides a supporting means, in particular pillows which can automatically adjust height and shape responsive to the contact pressure recorded from time to time through a flexible pressure sensor mat, and method for fabricating the same.
Sleeping is one of the most essential activities and plays a vital role in good health and well-being in human lives. Comfortable bedding, especially pillow, is important for health and quality of life. It is estimated that neck pain or discomfort occurs in nearly a quarter of the population, and poor pillow design is apparently the main cause of this extremely high incidence. Many researchers tried to evaluate comfortableness of pillows with those factors such as stiffness, shape and thermal properties. Both shape and stiffness of pillows will affect the support of neck and head during sleeping. Improper pillow support has adverse effects on the cervical spine, leading to neck pain and cervicogenic headache. Current pillow products in the market usually have fixed shape and stiffness, which cannot be adjusted after purchase. However, side sleepers, back sleepers and stomach sleepers may need a pillow with different stiffness and height to keep head and neck in alignment with spine. Meanwhile, pillow selection also depends on mattress firmness. A comfortable pillow requires shape transformation to fit the appropriate sleeping posture for each user. Even though there is mattress product that can monitor pressure distribution during sleeping, active adjustment based on the signal from sensor is rare in the market. There is no pillow product that can address the supporting issue specific to the user and the sleeping posture.
The comfortableness of a pillow can be characterized by the pressure at the contact area where the user sleeps on it, therefore it requires a matrix of pressure sensors to detect the pressure at each contact area and monitor the pressure distribution across the whole pillow surface. Traditionally, pressure sensors were individual gauges made from metal or semiconductors. These gauges are usually rigid and required to be attached to beams to convert load to strain. They can monitor small area with high accuracy but the integration will be complicated and expensive. These sensors are not suitable for applying in the pillow due to the rigid form. Flexible pressure sensors include unique advantages of flexibility and low cost. They are emerging as promising candidate for many applications, including but not limited to touching sensing, large area pressure monitoring and mapping, gait analysis and sports scoring. Thin and flexible sensors printed on plastic foil can monitor pressure over a wide range, and it requires a smooth surface (flat or curved) to support the sensors during their operation. However, as for pillow application, the contact surface is usually non-flat with random 3D shape. Creases formed on sensors will result in reliability issue since the printed material cannot withstand repeated shear force during contact. Furthermore, the plastic foil substrate is not breathable and may let user feel uncomfortable.
In view of the disadvantages of the existing adjustable pillow product, there is a need for providing a reactive pillow system which is not only able to adjust height and adapt the shape of the pillow according to the contact pressure applied by the user.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a reactive pillow. The reactive pillow comprises a pressure sensor mat, an actuator and a controller. The pressure sensor mat comprises a first electrode fabric layer, a second electrode fabric layer and a piezoresistive fabric layer. The first electrode fabric layer includes a plurality of first conductive portions and a plurality of first non-conductive portions where the first conductive portions are interlaced with the first non-conductive portions. The second electrode fabric layer includes a plurality of second conductive portions and a plurality of second non-conductive portions where the second conductive portions are interlaced with the second non-conductive portions. The piezoresistive fabric layer has a sheet resistance of at least 50K ohm/square and is configured to engage with the first electrode fabric layer and the second electrode fabric to form the pressure sensor mat. In addition, the actuator comprises a plurality of first airbags and a second airbag. The first airbags are positioned on the second airbag and each of the airbags has an inflated configuration corresponding to an increase in the volume of the airbags and a deflated configuration corresponding to a decrease in the volume of the airbags. The controller communicates with the pressure sensor mat and the actuator communicates with the controller to actuate the controller to convert the airbags between the inflated configuration and the deflated configuration thereof.
In one embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the first conductive portions and the second conductive portions are aligned perpendicularly.
In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the first and second conductive portions are woven or knitted fabrics made of or comprising conductive yarns.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the first and second non-conductive portions are woven or knitted fabrics made of or comprising non-conductive yarns.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where each of the first and second conductive portions has a width of approximately 3 mm to 10 mm.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where each of the first and second non-conductive has a width of approximately 5 mm to 50 mm.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the piezoresistive fabric layer is woven or knitted fabric made of or comprising semi-conductive yarn.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the piezoresistive fabric layer further comprises a non-conductive fabric and a plurality of filling portions with a piezoresistive ink.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the piezoresistive ink comprises a polymer, a conductive material and a solvent.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the polymer has a concentration approximately from 1% to 10% by weight, the conductive material has a concentration approximately from 0.1% to 2% by weight and the solvent has a concentration approximately from 90% to 95% by weight.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the sheet resistance of the filling portions is at least 50K ohm/square.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the filling portions have one or more shapes being selected from circle, square, and rectangle, with a width of approximately 5 mm to 15 mm and a space approximately from 3 mm to 50 mm.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the actuator further comprises at least one micro pump, at least one tube and at least one valve, and are configured to convert the airbags between the inflated configuration and the deflated configuration.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the first airbags are configured to convert between inflated configuration and the deflated configuration such that the relative volume corresponding to the left, right, top bottom of the pillow can be adapted.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the first airbags comprise at least three airbags.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the second airbag is configured to convert between inflated configuration and the deflated configuration such that relative volume corresponding to the height of the pillow can be adapted.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a reactive pillow where the reactive pillow further comprises a Bluetooth module configured to communicate with a user terminal.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for fabricating a reactive pillow, which includes (1) providing a pressure sensor mat comprising a first electrode fabric layer having a plurality of first conductive portions and a plurality of first non-conductive portions where the first conductive portions are interlaced with the first non-conductive portions, a second electrode fabric layer having a plurality of second conductive portions and a plurality of second non-conductive portions where the second conductive portions are interlaced with the second non-conductive portions and a piezoresistive fabric layer having a sheet resistance of at least 50K ohm/square, the piezoresistive fabric layer being configured to engage with the first electrode fabric layer and the second electrode fabric; (2) providing an actuator comprising a plurality of first airbags and a second airbag, the first airbags being positioned on the second airbag, each of the airbags having an inflated configuration corresponding to an increase in the volume of the airbags and a deflated configuration corresponding to a decrease in the volume of the airbags; (3) providing a controller communicating with the pressure sensor mat and the actuator communicating with the controller to actuate the controller to convert the airbags between the inflated configuration and the deflated configuration. More specifically, the first conductive portions and the second conductive portions are aligned perpendicularly.
In one embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a reactive pillow where the first and second conductive portions have a width of approximately 3 mm to 10 mm, and each of the first and second non-conductive has a width of approximately 5 mm to 50 mm.
In another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a reactive pillow where the piezoresistive ink comprises a polymer with a concentration approximately from 1% to 10% by weight, a conductive material with a concentration approximately from 0.1% to 2% by weight and a solvent with a concentration approximately from 90% to 95% by weight.
The appended drawings, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements, contain figures of certain embodiments to further illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantages and features of the present invention. It will be appreciated that these drawings depict embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been depicted to scale.
References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
The terms “a” or “an” are used to include one or more than one and the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein, and not otherwise defined, is for the purpose of description only and not of limitation. Furthermore, all publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.
Value in a range format should be interpreted in a flexible manner to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. For example, a concentration range of “about 0.1% to about 5%” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited concentration of about 0.1 wt. % to about 5 wt. %, but also the individual concentrations (e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and the sub-ranges (e.g., 0.1% to 0.5%, 1.1% to 2.2%, and 3.3% to 4.4%) within the indicated range.
In the methods of preparation described herein, the steps can be carried out in any order without departing from the principles of the invention, except when a temporal or operational sequence is explicitly recited. Recitation in a claim to the effect that first a step is performed, and then several other steps are subsequently performed, shall be taken to mean that the first step is performed before any of the other steps, but the other steps can be performed in any suitable sequence, unless a sequence is further recited within the other steps. For example, claim elements that recite “Step A, Step B, Step C, Step D, and Step E” shall be construed to mean step A is carried out first, step E is carried out last, and steps B, C, and D can be carried out in any sequence between steps A and E, and that the sequence still falls within the literal scope of the claimed process. A given step or sub-set of steps can also be repeated.
In the following description, the present reactive pillows are set forth as preferred examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications, including additions and/or substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention. Specific details may be omitted so as not to obscure the invention; however, the disclosure is written to enable one skilled in the art to practice the teachings herein without undue experimentation.
The present invention provides a reactive pillow which is able to detect the pressure at multiple locations simultaneously and adjust the shape and stiffness of the pillow accordingly so as to alleviate neck discomfort and chronic fatigue during sleeping. When a human sleep on a pillow, it was estimated that the contact pressure is roughly in the range of several kilo Pascal to a few dozens of kilo Pascal, depending on user and sleeping posture. In order to detect the contact pressure, a sensor array consisting of spaced sensor across the required surface can be fabricated as a pressure sensor mat to be positioned on top of or beneath the pillow. However, if the pressure sensor mat is placed beneath the pillow, the detected pressure is usually lower than that placed on top of pillow, mainly due to the dissipation of pressure by the increased contact area through the soft and deformable pillow. To acquire more accurate pressure measurement in the range that matches the sensitivity of piezoresistive sensors, the pressure sensor mat in the present invention is positioned onto the top surface of the pillow. After the collection of pressure data through the pressure sensor mat on the pillow, the change of the pillow shape and stiffness will rely on a flexible actuator to communicate with the pressure sensor mat for real-time adjustment. More specifically, the actuator is configured to adjust height and softness of the pillow based on the pressure detected. A flexible actuator with multi-actuation zones each comprising a plurality of airbags will allow users to adjust a tilt angle between neck and head, which could align the neck with the spine better and alleviate the discomfort caused by improper neck support. It is also applicable to check the breathing of a person sleeping on a pillow by monitoring the subtle difference of pressure during inhaling and exhaling. In addition, with a snore sensor integrated in the reactive pillow, the pillow is able to adjust the sleeping posture to control snoring and improve sleeping quality.
The piezoresistive layer 24 is a textile made of piezoresistive yarns. The piezoresistive yarns have high resistivity and can be woven or knitted into blank fabric without pattern. The resistivity of the piezoresistive layer will limit the sensitivity and sensing range of sensors, and the piezoresistive fabric could be, for example, but not limited to cotton fabric, blended fabric or synthetic fabric such as polyester or LYCRA for elasticity required in the present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention, the piezoresistive layer 24 includes non-conductive fabric 30 and piezoresistive ink coated in the pre-defined sensing area 31 (corresponding to the intersects of the conductive columns 13 and the conductive rows 14) to achieve piezoresistance as shown in
With a continuous pressure data collected over time through the pressure sensor mat 11, an actuator 40 is provided to adjust the support through a real-time change of pillow shape in response to any significant change in pressure from a preceding time to a present time. The actuator 40 in the present invention comprises one or more airbags made of, for example, but not limited to rubber, forming multiple actuation zones of the pillow.
As shown in
All data process and control are handled by the software program installed on the 16-bit/32-bit MCU IC. Furthermore, user data will be recorded and sent to a portable device where there is a user interface to show and/or even change the setting or preference of the present pillow such as a program or an application on a smartphone, and the MCU IC and the portable device can be communicated wirelessly such as via Bluetooth in the presence of a Bluetooth module. User may therefore change the setting or preference of the pillow by the portable device through the corresponding program or application wirelessly. The program may include at least three parts. A first part is a data acquisition module acquiring data from different sensing mechanisms including the sensor array, inner pressure sensor of corresponding airbags and the temperature sensor thereof. Sampling rate of data acquisition from these sensing mechanisms may be limited by corresponding sensor array size and/or response time of the sensor(s) in the array. A second part is an output module including drivers of the micro pump 50 and relay valves 51 with a speed control. A third part is a feedback control system module with a pillow deformation algorithm, as shown in
Therefore, the reactive pillow in the present invention mainly has the following features and advantages: (1) The sensor array for pressure detection is flexible and conforms to 3-dimensional surface for simultaneous pressure sensing and monitoring over large area. The fabric pressure sensor mat is positioned on top surface of pillow for accurate pressure monitoring yet with improved comfortableness. The electrodes and piezoresistive layer fabricated by or including conductive and semi-conductive yarns provide high reliability. (2) The actuator system can transform pillow shape according to the signal from the pressure sensor mat in real time. (3) Control electronics and software establish communication between the reactive pillow and the mobile device, which enables continuous data recording wirelessly.
Although the invention has been described in terms of certain embodiments, other embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to be defined only by the claims which follow.
The present application claims priority from a U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/198,436 filed Oct. 19, 2020, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2021/122537 | 10/8/2021 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63198436 | Oct 2020 | US |