The present invention relates to a self-adjusting chair that uses measurements of an occupant to automatically adjust at least one property of the chair. Professional and amateur gamers often sit in a gaming chair for long hours while playing video games. This extended duration of sitting may cause short-term fatigue and lead to long-term problems such as diabetes. However, the only current solution is to pause the game and take a break, which may cause the player to lose momentum or give up time-critical opportunities within the game.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for automatically adjusting a chair in response to measurements of the occupant. The measurements may include biometric measurements. Various sensors may be used to obtain the measurements. Some non-limiting examples of the sensors may include visible cameras, infrared cameras, skin conductance sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, lidar systems, accelerometers, and magnetometers. Some non-limiting examples of the biometric measurements may include the pressure of the occupant on different sections of the chair, the temperature of the occupant, the humidity of the occupant, the heart rate of the occupant, the skin conductance of the occupant, the posture of the occupant, and the facial expression of the occupant. Some non-limiting examples of other measurements may include the distance from the occupant to a component outside of the chair, such as a table or a monitor.
The measurements may be provided to a processor that uses the measurements to assess the condition of the occupant and provide instructions to actuators to adjust the chair. In some examples the processor may provide the data to a trained artificial intelligence model. The instructions may cause the actuators to adjust various properties of the chair, such as the position, orientation, height, hardness, motion, and/or climate of different sections of the chair. These adjustments may be selected to stimulate the blood circulation of the occupant, provide physical support to the occupant, and/or correct the posture of the occupant. These adjustments may be small and unnoticeable by the occupant; however, they may keep the occupant alert and reduce detrimental health effects due to poor posture and extended periods of sitting in the chair.
According to an aspect of the invention, a system including a self-adjusting chair is provided. The system includes a chair that is configured to be adjustable to an occupant. The system also includes a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to measure a characteristic of the occupant and to transmit a signal that indicates the characteristic of the occupant. In addition, the system includes a plurality of actuators, wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators is configured to adjust a property of the chair. Further, the system includes a controller that is configured to receive at least one signal from at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors and to instruct at least one actuator of the plurality of actuators to adjust at least one property of the chair based on at least one characteristic of the occupant.
The plurality of sensors may include a pressure sensor that is configured to measure a pressure that is applied by the occupant to a region of the chair. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of sensors may include a temperature sensor that is configured to measure a temperature of the occupant and/or a humidity sensor that is configured to measure a humidity of the occupant. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of sensors may include an accelerometer that is configured to measure a motion of the occupant.
Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of sensors may include a magnetometer that is configured to measure an orientation of the occupant. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of sensors may include a lidar system that is configured to measure a posture of the occupant. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of sensors may include a camera that is configured to measure a posture and/or a facial expression of the occupant.
The plurality of actuators may include a pneumatic pad that is configured to adjust at least one of a height, a hardness, or an elasticity profile of a region of the chair. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of actuators may include a motor that is configured to adjust a position of the chair. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of actuators may include a motor that is configured to adjust at least one of a position or an orientation of a section of the chair. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of actuators may include a regulator that is configured to provide cooling or heating to a region of the chair. The controller may be further configured to instruct the at least one actuator based on results of inputting the at least one characteristic of the occupant into a trained artificial intelligence model.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for automatically adjusting a chair is provided. The method includes measuring, by a sensor, a characteristic of an occupant of a chair; transmitting, by the sensor, a signal that indicates the characteristic of the occupant of the chair; receiving, by a controller, the signal; and instructing, by the controller, at least one actuator to adjust at least one property of the chair based on the characteristic of the occupant. The characteristic of the occupant may include a pressure applied by the occupant to the chair, a temperature of the occupant, a humidity of the occupant, a motion of the occupant, a skin conductance of the occupant, a posture of the occupant, an orientation of the occupant, or a facial expression of the occupant.
The method may also include measuring, by a plurality of sensors, a respective plurality of characteristics of the occupant of the chair; transmitting, by the plurality of sensors, a respective plurality of signals that indicate the respective plurality of characteristics of the occupant of the chair; receiving, by the controller, the plurality of signals; and instructing, by the controller, the at least one actuator to adjust the at least one property of the chair based on the plurality of characteristics of the occupant. Alternatively or in addition, the method may also include inputting the characteristic of the occupant into an artificial intelligence model in order to determine at least one adjustment of the at least one property of the chair.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a system including a self-adjusting chair, a table, and a monitor is provided. The chair is configured to be adjustable to an occupant. The table is configured to be reachable by the occupant. The monitor is configured to be viewable by the occupant. The system also includes a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to measure a characteristic of the occupant and to transmit a signal that indicates the characteristic of the occupant. In addition, the system includes a plurality of actuators, wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators is configured to adjust a property of the chair, the table, or the monitor. Further, the system includes a controller that is configured to receive at least one signal from at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors and to instruct at least one actuator of the plurality of actuators to adjust at least one property of the chair, the table, and/or the monitor based on at least one characteristic of the occupant.
The plurality of actuators may include a motor that is configured to adjust a position of the table. Alternatively or in addition, the plurality of actuators may include a motor that is configured to adjust a position and/or an orientation of the monitor.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Various portions of the self-adjusting chair 100 may also be moved in order to adjust their position and/or orientation. The angle of the seat may be changed by rotating around an axis 3, the angle of the footrest may be changed by rotating around an axis 4, and the angle of the backrest may be changed by rotating around an axis 5. In addition, the height of the backrest lumbar may be changed by moving the backrest lumbar along a vertical direction 6, and the height of the headrest may be changed by moving the headrest along a vertical direction 7. The vertical direction 6 may be parallel to the vertical direction 7.
The position and/or orientation of the table 215 and the monitor 220 may also be adjusted. For example, the height of the table 215 may be modified by moving the table 215 along a vertical direction 11. In addition, the table 215 may move forwards and backwards along a longitudinal direction 12. Further, the height of the monitor 220 may be modified by moving the monitor 220 along a vertical direction 21, and the angle of the monitor 220 may be changed by rotating around an axis 22.
In addition, accelerometers A may be used to measure the motion of the occupant. The accelerometers A may be provided for the table 215 and for the seat of the self-adjusting chair 100. Further, magnetometers M may be used to measure the orientation of the occupant. The magnetometers M may be provided for the headrest of the self-adjusting chair 100. A lidar system L may also be used to measure the distance from the occupant to the table 215 and/or the posture of the occupant. The lidar system L may be provided for the table 215. In addition, cameras (not shown) may be used to measure the posture and/or the facial expression of the occupant. The cameras may use visible and/or infrared (IR) light.
The master control server 715 may provide a control and communications hub for the system architecture 700. The master control server 715 may include various components such as a Modbus Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a MySQL database, a media player, a Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) broker, a virtual network computing (VNC) system, and an application programming interface (API). Third parties may access the master control server 715 via the API, which may be shielded by a firewall 730. The cloud services 725 may include a spectator cloud API and a service API. The application 720 may be hosted on a device such as a smartphone or a tablet, and may provide an interface to the master control server 715 for the occupant or a presenter.
The controller 710 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC), and may include a processor that receives signals from the sensors that indicate the various characteristics of the occupant discussed above. The processor may analyze the data within the signals to determine the condition of the occupant and/or to determine instructions to send to the actuators to adjust at least one property of the self-adjusting chair 100. The condition of the occupant may include the occupant's blood circulation, body temperature, posture, muscle strain, electrical conductivity, and/or sweating. In some examples, the processor may input the data into a trained artificial intelligence model. Various training methods may be used, such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Further, various models may be trained, such as artificial neural networks, decision trees, support-vector machines, Bayesian networks, and genetic algorithms. In other examples, the processor may refer to pre-programmed modes for the occupant that indicate how to adjust the self-adjusting chair 100 based on at least one characteristic of the occupant. The processor may then send the instructions to at least one of the actuators to implement the adjustment or adjustments. In one example, if the temperature, humidity, and/or skin conductance of the occupant exceeds a threshold, the processor may instruct a valve that is assigned to at least one of the air nozzles HN, BN, or SN to provide cooled air to the occupant. In another example, if the distance of the occupant from the edge of the table 215 exceeds a threshold, the processor may instruct a motor that is assigned to the self-adjusting chair 100 to move the self-adjusting chair 100 closer to the table 215 along the longitudinal direction 1. Alternatively, the processor may instruct a motor that is assigned to the table 215 to move the table 215 closer to the self-adjusting chair 100 along the longitudinal direction 12. The controller 710 may also include an Ethernet client and an MQTT client.
The sensor then transmits a signal that indicates the characteristic of the occupant at block 1015. The signal may indicate the characteristic of the occupant at a single point in time or over a period of time. Alternatively, the sensor may transmit a plurality of signals over time that indicate the characteristic of the occupant over time. If the sensor measures more than one characteristic of the occupant, the signal may indicate some or all of the characteristics that were measured by the sensor.
The controller then receives the signal from the sensor at block 1020. The controller may receive a plurality of signals from one sensor. Alternatively or in addition, the controller may receive one signal or a plurality of signals from a plurality of sensors. Each signal may indicate one characteristic of the occupant or a plurality of characteristics of the occupant that were measured by the sensor.
The controller then instructs at least one actuator to adjust at least one property of the chair based on the characteristic of the occupant at block 1025. The controller may analyze the measured characteristic or characteristics of the occupant to assess the condition of the occupant and determine instructions to send to at least one actuator based on the condition of the occupant. Alternatively or in addition, the controller may refer to the measured characteristic or characteristics of the occupant and determine instructions to send to at least one actuator by using a look-up table or another reference method. Further, the controller may determine the instructions by providing the measured characteristic or characteristics of the occupant to a trained artificial intelligence model and receiving the instructions from the trained artificial intelligence model. The controller may then send the instructions to at least one of the actuators to implement the adjustment or adjustments to the chair. The controller may also send instructions to other components, such as a table or monitor within the system, to adjust a property or properties of the other components based on the measured characteristic or characteristics of the occupant.
The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.