Inflatable air mattress autofill and off bed pressure adjustment

• US 9,635,953 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sleep Number Corporation
• Original Assignee: Select Comfort Corporation, SleepIQ Labs Inc. (Sleep Number Corporation)
• Inventors: Nunn, Rob, Palashewski, Wade Daniel, Young, Steven Jay, Hewitt, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasenge, Charles
• Application Number:
  US14/209,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/04 Devices for ventilating, cooling or heating
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/082 with non-manual inflation, e.g. with electric pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/083 with pressure control, e.g. with pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/084 self inflating
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/10 with two or more independently-fillable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/00 Details or accessories for chairs, beds, or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass, e.g. upholstery fasteners, mattress protectors, stretching devices for mattress nets
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/008 Use of remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system may include transmitting a signal to a pump of an air mattress to set the pressure of the air mattress to an initial pressure; receiving, at a central controller, a user preference condition for an automatic adjustment of the pressure in the air mattress; receiving, at the central controller, an indication that the air mattress is empty; and based on determining that the user preference condition has been met and receiving the indication: detecting a change in the pressure of the air mattress beyond a threshold value; and based on the detection, adjusting the pressure of the air mattress to the initial pressure.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a signal to a pump of an air mattress to set the pressure of the air mattress to an initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied;

receiving, at a central controller, an input that activates a user preference condition for an automatic adjustment feature of the pressure in the air mattress, wherein the user preference condition has a delay preference identifying a threshold time period to pass after receiving the indication that the air mattress is unoccupied before engaging the automatic adjustment feature;

detecting that a difference between the initial pressure value and a sensed pressure of the air mattress is greater than a threshold;

receiving, at the central controller, an indication that the air mattress is unoccupied;

determining that the user preference condition has been met after receiving the indication; and

based on the detection and the determining, adjusting the pressure of the air mattress to an unoccupied pressure value that is different than the initial pressure value, wherein the unoccupied pressure value corresponds to the initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied; and

maintaining the air mattress at the unoccupied pressure value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preference condition is a time preference identifying a time period when the automatic adjustment feature can be engaged.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the air mattress is unoccupied based on gross pressure changes in the air pressure of the air mattress.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the air mattress is unoccupied based on temperature changes in the air mattress.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a signal to a pump of an air mattress to set the pressure of the air mattress to an initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied;

receiving, at a central controller, an input that activates a user preference condition for an automatic adjustment feature of the pressure in the air mattress, wherein the user preference condition has a time preference identifying a time period when the automatic adjustment feature is to be engaged;

detecting that a difference between the initial pressure value and a sensed pressure of the air mattress is greater than a threshold;

receiving, at the central controller, an indication that the air mattress is unoccupied;

determining that the user preference condition has been met after receiving the indication; and

based on the detection and the determining, adjusting the pressure of the air mattress to an unoccupied pressure value that is different than the initial pressure value, wherein the unoccupied pressure value corresponds to the initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the user preference is a delay preference identifying a threshold time period to pass after receiving the indication that the air mattress is unoccupied before engaging the automatic adjustment feature.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

detecting the air mattress is unoccupied based on gross pressure changes in the air pressure of the air mattress.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

detecting the air mattress is unoccupied based on temperature changes in the air mattress.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, the instructions further comprising maintaining the air mattress at the unoccupied pressure value.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a storage device including instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to;

transmit a signal to a pump of an air mattress to set the pressure of the air mattress to an initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied;

receive, at a central controller, an input that activates a user preference condition for an automatic adjustment feature of the pressure in the air mattress, wherein the user preference condition has a time preference identifying a time period when the automatic adjustment feature is to be engaged;

detect that a difference between the initial pressure value and a sensed pressure of the air mattress is greater than a threshold;

receive, at the central controller, an indication that the air mattress is unoccupied;

determine that the user preference condition has been met after receiving the indication; and

based on the detection and the determining, adjusting the pressure of the air mattress to an unoccupied pressure value that is different than the initial pressure value, wherein the unoccupied pressure value corresponds to the initial pressure value for when the air mattress is occupied.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user preference is a delay preference identifying a threshold time period to pass after receiving the indication that the air mattress is unoccupied before engaging the automatic adjustment feature.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect the air mattress is unoccupied based on gross pressure changes in the air pressure of the air mattress.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect the air mattress is unoccupied based on temperature changes in the air mattress.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the storage device includes instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to further:

maintain the air mattress at the unoccupied pressure value.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, at a central controller, an input that activates a user preference condition for an automatic fill feature of an air mattress, wherein the user preference condition has a time preference identifying a time period when the automatic fill feature can be engaged;

receiving, at the central controller, an indication that the air mattress is unoccupied; and

based on determining that the user preference condition has been met and receiving the indication;

transmitting a signal to a pump to drive the pump to increase the pressure of the air mattress from an occupied pressure value in which the at least one air chamber is configured for supporting a user on the air mattress to an empty bed pressure value that is different than and greater than the occupied pressure value; and

maintaining the empty bed pressure value in the air chamber of the air mattress until another pressure value is received at the pump.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user pressure preference identifying the empty bed pressure value.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting the air mattress is unoccupied based on gross pressure changes in the air pressure of the air mattress.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the user preference is a delay preference identifying a threshold time period to pass after receiving the indication that the air mattress is unoccupied before engaging the automatic fill feature.