Inflatable mattress and control methods
First Claim
1. A patient support comprising:
- an inflatable bladder;
a depth sensor adapted to generate a depth signal indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into said inflatable bladder;
an air pressure sensor adapted to generate an air pressure signal indicative of a level of air pressure inside of said inflatable bladder; and
a controller adapted to determine a suitable inflation level of said bladder by monitoring a rate of change of the depth signal with respect to the air pressure signal as the air pressure inside the bladder is changed.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A patient support, such as a mattress, includes a plurality of inflatable bladders. Depth sensors are included in the support that measure the degree of penetration of a patient into the mattress. An air pressure sensor is also included that measures the pressure inside at least one bladder. A suitable inflation level of the mattress is determined by monitoring the rate of change of the depth with respect to air pressure as the bladder is either inflated or deflated. By detecting an inflection point in the graphical relationship of the depth and pressure outputs, a suitable inflation point for the bladders is determined that reduces interface pressures experienced by the patient, yet does not overly sink the patient into the mattress to a degree of discomfort. Analyzing the outputs of the depth and pressure sensors can also be used to detect a patient'"'"'s heart rate and respiration rate.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A patient support comprising:
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an inflatable bladder; a depth sensor adapted to generate a depth signal indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into said inflatable bladder; an air pressure sensor adapted to generate an air pressure signal indicative of a level of air pressure inside of said inflatable bladder; and a controller adapted to determine a suitable inflation level of said bladder by monitoring a rate of change of the depth signal with respect to the air pressure signal as the air pressure inside the bladder is changed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A patient support comprising:
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a first inflatable bladder; a second inflatable bladder; a depth sensor adapted to generate a depth signal indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into said first inflatable bladder; an air pressure sensor adapted to generate an air pressure signal indicative of a level of air pressure inside of said first inflatable bladder; and a controller adapted to determine a suitable inflation level of said first inflatable bladder based upon readings from said depth sensor, said controller further adapted to control an air pressure inside of said second bladder so as to be equal to a fixed ratio with respect to, or to have a non-zero fixed offset from, the air pressure inside of said first inflatable bladder, said fixed ratio having a value other than one.
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12. A patient support comprising:
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an inflatable bladder; a first depth sensor adapted to generate a first depth signal indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into a first portion of said inflatable bladder; a second depth sensor adapted to generate a second depth signal indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into a second portion of said inflatable bladder; an air pressure sensor adapted to generate an air pressure signal indicative of a level of air pressure inside of said inflatable bladder; and a controller adapted to determine a suitable inflation level of said bladder by monitoring a rate of change of the first depth signal with respect to the air pressure signal and by monitoring a rate of change of the second depth signal with respect to the air pressure signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A patient support comprising:
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a first section having a first inflatable bladder, a second section having a second inflatable bladder, said second section being positioned in an area adapted to support a sacral region of a patient when the patient lies on the patient support; a depth sensor adapted to generate depth signals indicative of how deeply a patient positioned on said patient support sinks into said second inflatable bladder; an air pressure sensor adapted to generate air pressure signals indicative of a level of air pressure inside of said second inflatable bladder; and a controller adapted to determine a suitable inflation level of said second bladder based upon said depth signals and said air pressure signals, and to determine a suitable inflation level of said first bladder based upon the suitable inflation level of said second bladder. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification