Capacitive wire sensing for furniture

• US 9,337,831 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: L&P Property Management Company (Leggett & Platt Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rohr, William Robert, Chacon, Ryan Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Amy
• Application Number:
  US13/346,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,583 Days
• Field of Search: 324/663, 324/686, 324/658
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6891 Furniture
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2405 by varying dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/221 by investigating the dielectric properties using microwaves G01N22/00; measuring loss factors or dielectric constants per se G01R27/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/00 Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96078 Sensor being a wire or a strip, e.g. used in automobile door handles or bumpers

Abstract

A system and method for incorporating presence-sensing technology into furniture is provided. More particularly, the invention relates to incorporating a conductive medium into the periphery of a furniture item, such as an adjustable bed, for detecting the presence of a user or other body. The bed includes a mattress with a covering material and a tape edge surrounding the perimeter of the mattress. A capacitive wire is coupled the tape edge, and is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the capacitive wire. The bed also includes a processor coupled to the capacitive wire. The processor receives information provided by the capacitive wire, determines when a change in voltage satisfies a threshold, and indicates whether presence is detected. Based on a determination of presence, or lack of presence, a variety of corresponding features of the adjustable bed may be activated.

Claims

1. An adjustable bed, comprising:

a mattress support that comprises a plurality of support panels, at least one of said support panels movable relative to the other ones of said support panels to thereby adjust the bed, wherein the adjustable bed comprises a head end, a foot end opposite and parallel to the head end, a first side perpendicular to the head end and the foot end, and a second side perpendicular to the head end and the foot end;

a mattress resting on top of the mattress support, said mattress separate from the mattress support that the mattress is resting on top of, said mattress having a covering material disposed over at least a top surface of the mattress;

at least one capacitive component coupled to the bed, said coupling to the bed comprising the at least one capacitive component on a perimeter of at least one of the plurality of support panels to provide a defined sensing area based on a position of the at least one capacitive component around the perimeter, said perimeter of at least one of the plurality of support panels comprising at least a portion of an outer edge of the first side, at least a portion of an outer edge of the second side, and at least a portion of an outer edge of one or more of the head end and the foot end, wherein the at least one capacitive component is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the at least one capacitive component, and further wherein the at least one capacitive component is configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress; and

a processor coupled to the at least one capacitive component, the processor adapted to receive information provided by the at least one capacitive component and to determine that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold.

2. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component is directly coupled to at least a portion of a perimeter of a top of at least one of the plurality of support panels.

3. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component is directly coupled to at least a portion of a perimeter of a bottom of at least one of the plurality of support panels.

4. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component is coupled to at least a portion of a tape edge surrounding a perimeter of the top surface of the mattress, the tape edge coupled to the covering material.

5. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component is interwoven with the covering material.

6. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component comprises a wire.

7. The bed of claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive component is coupled to at least one spring inside the mattress.

8. The bed of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a control enclosure coupled to a bottom of at least one of the plurality of support panels.

9. The bed of claim 1, wherein the processor receives information directly from the at least one capacitive component.

10. The bed of claim 1, wherein determining that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold comprises:

monitoring a change in voltage detected by the at least one capacitive component over a particular period of time; and

comparing the change in voltage over the period of time with the threshold.

11. A method for detecting presence with respect to an adjustable bed, the method comprising:

receiving information provided by at least one capacitive component coupled to an outer perimeter of the adjustable bed, wherein the at least one capacitive component is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the at least one capacitive component, wherein the adjustable bed comprises a mattress support that comprises a plurality of support panels, at least one of said support panels movable relative to the other ones of said support panels to thereby adjust the adjustable bed, and a mattress resting on a top surface of the mattress support, said mattress comprising a covering material disposed over at least a top surface of the mattress, wherein the at least one capacitive component comprises one or more of;

(1) at least one capacitive component on a perimeter of at least a portion of a top of at least one of the plurality of support panels to provide a first defined sensing area based on a position of the at least one capacitive component around the perimeter with respect to the top of the plurality of support panels, said at least one capacitive component of the first defined sensing area configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress;

(2) at least one capacitive component on a perimeter of a top tape edge surrounding a perimeter of the top surface of the mattress to provide a second defined sensing area based on a position of the at least one capacitive component around the perimeter with respect to the top of the mattress, said top tape edge directly coupled to the covering material, said at least one capacitive component of the second defined sensing area configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress; and

(3) at least one capacitive component on a perimeter of a bottom tape edge surrounding a perimeter of a bottom surface of the mattress to provide a third defined sensing area based on a position of the at least one capacitive component around the perimeter with respect to the bottom of the mattress, said bottom tape edge directly coupled to the covering material, said at least one capacitive component of the third defined sensing area configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress;

determining that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold amount; and

based on determining that the threshold amount is satisfied, initiating a corresponding response,

wherein the at least one capacitive component is configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold amount comprises comparing an average voltage detected over a particular amount of time with the threshold amount.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the threshold amount indicates that eitherpresence is detected in proximity to the bed, orpresence is no longer detected in proximity to the bed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating a corresponding response comprises:

activating at least one function associated with the bed based on a determination that presence is detected in proximity to the bed, or

activating at least one function associated with the bed based on a determination that presence is no longer detected in proximity to the bed.

15. A bed comprising:

a mattress having a covering material disposed over at least a top surface of the mattress;

a top tape edge surrounding an outer perimeter of the top surface of the mattress, the top tape edge coupled to the covering material;

at least one mattress top capacitive component coupled to at least a portion of the top tape edge to provide a defined sensing area based on a position of the mattress top capacitive component around an outer perimeter of the bed, wherein the at least one mattress top capacitive component is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the at least one mattress top capacitive component, wherein the at least one mattress top capacitive component is configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress;

a processor coupled to the at least one mattress top capacitive component, the processor adapted to receive information provided by the at least one mattress top capacitive component and to determine that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold;

a mattress support comprising a plurality of support panels, at least one of said support panels movable relative to the other ones of said support panels to thereby adjust the bed, wherein the mattress rests on top of the mattress support, wherein the bed comprises a head end, a foot end opposite and parallel to the head end, a first side perpendicular to the head end and the foot end, and a second side perpendicular to the head end and the foot end; and

at least one mattress support capacitive component on a perimeter of at least one of the plurality of support panels to provide a defined sensing area based on a position of the at least one mattress support capacitive component around the perimeter, said perimeter of at least one of the plurality of support panels comprising at least a portion of an outer edge of the first side, at least a portion of an outer edge of the second side, and at least a portion of an outer edge of one or more of the head end and the foot end, wherein the at least one mattress support capacitive component is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the at least one mattress support capacitive component, and further wherein the at least one mattress support capacitive component is configured to detect user occupancy with respect to the mattress.

16. The bed of claim 15, further comprising:

a bottom tape edge surrounding an outer perimeter of a bottom surface of the mattress, the bottom tape edge coupled to the covering material; and

at least one mattress bottom capacitive component coupled to at least a portion of the bottom tape edge to provide a defined sensing area based on a position of the mattress bottom capacitive component around the outer perimeter of the bed, wherein the at least one mattress bottom capacitive component is adapted to have a voltage based on proximity of an object to the at least one mattress bottom capacitive component,

wherein the processor is coupled to the at least one mattress bottom capacitive component and is adapted to receive information provided by the at least one mattress bottom capacitive component and to determine that a change in voltage satisfies a threshold.