Inflatable air mattress with light and voice controls

• US 9,844,275 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• 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, Chen, Yi-ching, Young, Steven, Hewitt, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Sosnowski, David E
• Assistant Examiner(s): THROOP, MYLES A
• Application Number:
  US14/209,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20140259418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/003 Lighting, radio, telephone or the like connected to the bedstead
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/04 Devices for ventilating, cooling or heating
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/081 of pneumatic type
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

In one example, this disclosure describes a method including determining, at a central controller of an air mattress system, whether a user is present on a mattress of the air mattress system, initiating a timer in response to determining that the user is present on the mattress, enabling a light control feature of the air mattress system upon determining that the user is present on the mattress after expiration of the timer, and after enabling the light control feature, transmitting, from the central controller, at least one instruction to turn on at least one light of the air mattress system in response to determining that the user is no longer present on the mattress.

Claims

1. An air mattress system comprising:

an inflatable air mattress;

a pump; and

a central controller comprising;

a processor configured to;

determine whether a user is present on the inflatable air mattress of the air mattress system;

initiate a timer in response to determining that the user is present on the mattress;

enable a light control feature of the air mattress system upon determining that the user is present on the mattress after expiration of the timer; and

after enabling the light control feature, transmit, from the central controller, at least one instruction to turn on at least one light of the air mattress system in response to determining that the user is no longer present on the mattress.

2. A method of operating the air mattress system of claim 1, the method comprising:

determining, at the central controller of the air mattress system of claim 1, whether a user is present on the inflatable air mattress of the air mattress system;

initiating the timer in response to determining that the user is present on the mattress;

enabling the light control feature of the air mattress system upon determining that the user is present on the mattress after expiration of the timer; and

after enabling the light control feature, transmitting, from the central controller, at least one instruction to turn on at least one light of the air mattress system in response to determining that the user is no longer present on the mattress.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor configured to determine whether a user is present on a mattress of the air mattress system is configured to:

detect a gross pressure change via a pressure sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, the processor further configured to:

in response to determining that the user is no longer present on the mattress, initiating the timer a second time; and

disabling the light control feature of the air mattress system upon determining that the user is not present on the mattress after expiration of the timer the second time.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one light sensor,

wherein the processor is further configured to;

detect a level of light received by the at least one light sensor; and

adjust a brightness of the at least one light of the air mattress system in response to the detected level of light.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to determine which side of the system from which the user exited by detecting a gross pressure change via a pressure sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, and further comprising an adjustable foundation that supports the inflatable air mattress.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more lights are positioned underneath the adjustable foundation to project light outwardly from the adjustable foundation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises an adjustable foundation and one or more lights located under the adjustable foundation that can automatically illuminate in response to the at least one instruction transmitted from the central controller.

10. The system of claim 1, and further comprising a foundation that supports the inflatable air mattress and having a one or more lights attached to the foundation and configured to illuminate a portion of a room in response to the at least one instruction transmitted from the central controller.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more lights are positioned underneath the foundation to project light outwardly from the foundation.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more lights comprise a plurality of lights attached around the foundation, affixed to the foundation around a perimeter of the foundation.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more lights comprise a plurality of lights attached around the foundation, extending along at least two sides of the foundation.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a foundation and one or more lights located under the foundation that can automatically illuminate in response to the at least one instruction transmitted from the central controller, and wherein the central controller and the one or more lights are connected and configured to turn on the one or more lights in order to illuminate a room for a user, not as an alarm indicator.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the timer expires after a predetermined length of time that is at least ten minutes.

16. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising a pressure sensor configured to:

sense pressure of an air chamber of the inflatable air mattress; and

send pressure readings to the processor.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein presence is determined by the processor after allowing time for equalization of pressure of the air mattress.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor determines whether the user is present on the inflatable air mattress using the pressure readings from the pressure sensor and wherein the processor does not initiate the timer until after the processor has already determined that the user is present on the inflatable air mattress.

19. An air mattress system comprising:

an inflatable air mattress;

a pump; and

a central controller comprising;

a processor configured to;

determine whether a user is present on the inflatable air mattress of the air mattress system;

initiate a timer in response to determining that the user is present on the mattress;

enable a light control feature of the air mattress system upon determining that the user is present on the mattress after expiration of the timer; and

after enabling the light control feature, transmit, from the central controller, at least one instruction to turn on at least one light of the air mattress system in response to determining that the user is no longer present on the mattress,

wherein the processor configured to determine whether a user is present on a mattress of the air mattress system is further configured to;

determine which side of the system from which the user exited; and

transmit at least one instruction to turn on at least one light of the air mattress system associated with the determined side of the system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the system further comprises a foundation and one or more lights located under the foundation that can automatically illuminate in response to the at least one instruction transmitted from the central controller, and wherein the central controller and the one or more lights are connected and configured to turn on the one or more lights in order to illuminate a room for a user, not as an alarm indicator.