Lift Chair Control Device

• US 20190091082A1
• Filed: 11/05/2018
• Published: 03/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pride Mobility Products Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pride Mobility Products Corporation
• Inventors: DAVIES, Robert Williames, SHOEMAKER, Brett Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,524,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/029 by changing the length or the inclination of the legs varying the height of a seat by inclining the legs A47C3/36
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/035 in combination with movably coupled seat and back-rest, i.e. the seat and back-rest being movably coupled in such a way that the extension mechanism of the foot-rest is actuated at least by the relative movements of seat and backrest
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/10 characterised by specific control means, e.g. for adjustment or steering
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/14 Standing-up or sitting-down aids

Abstract

A lift chair comprising: a lift that transitions the lift chair between a resting position and a standing position; a user interface that receives one or more user inputs indicating a request to transition the lift chair between the resting position and the standing position; a controller circuit communicatively coupled to the lift and to the user interface, the controller circuit configured to cause the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position, in response to a single user input, at a first speed over a first time period followed by a second speed over a second time period, the first speed being slower than the second speed.

Claims

1. A lift chair comprising:

a lift that transitions the lift chair between a resting position and a standing position;

a user interface that receives one or more user inputs indicating a request to transition the lift chair between the resting position and the standing position;

a controller circuit communicatively coupled to the lift and to the user interface, the controller circuit configured to cause the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position, in response to a single user input, at a first speed over a first time period followed by a second speed over a second time period, the first speed being slower than the second speed.

2. The lift chart of claim 1, wherein the lift transitions the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at the first speed over the first time period in response to a first voltage of the electrical signal received from the controller circuit and at a second speed over the second time period in response to a second voltage of the electrical signal received from the controller circuit.

3. The lift chair of claim 2, wherein the first electrical signal has a voltage between 29 Volts (DC) and 38 Volts (DC) and the second electrical signal has a voltage characteristic of greater than approximately 40 Volts (DC).

4. The lift chair of claim 2, wherein the lift further comprises an actuator coupled to the lift that i) receives one or more electrical signals from the controller circuit and ii) causes the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at variable speeds that are proportional to the voltages of the one or more electrical signals received from the controller circuit.

5. The lift chair of claim 4, wherein the lift further comprises a structural assembly coupled between the actuator and the seat.

6. The lift chair of claim 2, wherein the controller circuit causes the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at the first and second speeds when the lift chair receives power from a source other than a battery backup.

7. The lift chair of claim 2, wherein the first time period is between 0 seconds and approximately 2 seconds.

8. The lift chair of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit includes:

an enabling circuit configured to determine whether a first voltage of a first electrical signal received from the user interface is greater than a positive predetermined threshold;

a voltage boost circuit in electrical communication with the enabling circuit and configured to generate a second electrical signal having a second voltage when the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold, the second voltage being greater than the first voltage; and

a relay in electrical communication with the enabling circuit and the voltage boost circuit and configured to;

i) transmit the first electrical signal having the first voltage to the actuator of a chair to cause the lift to begin transitioning the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at the first speed during the first time period followed by the second electrical signal having the second voltage to the actuator to cause the lift to continuing transitioning the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at the second speed during the second time period when the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold, ii) transmit the first electrical signal having the first voltage to the actuator to cause the lift to begin transitioning the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position when the first voltage is positive but less than the positive predetermined threshold and iii) transmit the first electrical signal having the first voltage to the actuator to cause the lift to begin transitioning the lift chair from the standing position to the resting position when the first voltage is negative.

9. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the positive predetermined threshold is between 20 Volts (DC) and 38 Volts (DC).

10. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the first voltage is between 20 Volts (DC) and 38 Volts (DC).

11. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the first voltage is between 13 Volts (DC) and 20 Volts (DC).

12. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the second voltage is greater than approximately 40 Volts (DC).

13. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the first time period is between 0 seconds and approximately 2 seconds.

14. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold when the first electrical signal is derived from a power source greater than a battery backup power source.

15. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the first voltage is less than the positive predetermined threshold when the first electrical signal is derived from a battery backup power source.

16. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the user interface is in electrical communication with a power source device and receives a positive voltage electrical signal and a negative voltage electrical signal from the power source device.

17. The lift chair of claim 16, wherein the user interface has a first user input component associated with a first user selection type and a second user input component associated with a second user selection type, wherein the first user selection type indicates that a user intends to transition the chair from the resting position to the standing position and wherein the second user selection type indicates that a user intends to transition the chair from the standing position to the resting position.

18. The lift chair of claim 17, wherein the first electrical signal corresponds to the positive voltage electrical signal when the user interface device receives a first user selection type from the user and wherein the first electrical signal corresponds to the negative voltage electrical signal when the user interface device receives a second user selection type from the user.

19. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the relay is configured to transmit the first electrical signal from the user interface device to the actuator when the voltage boost circuit discontinues normal operation.

20. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the controller circuit includes a device protection component that absorbs a voltage of the first electrical signal when the first voltage is greater than a predefined safety threshold.

21. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the controller circuit includes a device protection component that absorbs a voltage of the second electrical signal when the second voltage is greater than a predefined safety threshold.

22. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the relay reduces a first current of the first electrical signal when the first current is greater than a predefined thermal safety threshold.

23. The lift chair of claim 8, wherein the relay reduces a first current of the first electrical signal when the first current is greater than a predefined safety threshold.

24. The lift chair of claim 8, further comprising:

a chair speed adjustment component in electrical communication with the relay and configured to adjust the second speed at which the actuator causes the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position or from the standing position to the resting position by adjusting the one or more voltages of the electrical signal transmitted from the transmitting component.

25. A method of operating a lift that transitions a lift chair between a resting position and a standing position, the method comprising:

receiving a first electrical signal having a first voltage from a user interface;

determining whether the first voltage is greater than a positive predetermined threshold;

generating a second electrical signal having a second voltage when the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold, the second voltage being greater than the first voltage;

transmitting the first electrical signal to an actuator of a chair to cause the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at a first speed during a first time period followed by the second electrical signal to the actuator to cause the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position at a second speed during the second time period when the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold; and

transmitting the first electrical signal to the actuator to cause the lift to transition the lift chair from the standing position to the resting position or from the resting position to the standing position when the first voltage is less than the positive predetermined threshold.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the positive predetermined threshold is between 20 Volts (DC) and 38 Volts (DC).

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the first voltage is between 29 Volts (DC) and 38 Volts (DC).

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the first voltage is between 13 Volts (DC) and 20 Volts (DC).

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the second voltage is greater than approximately 40 Volts (DC).

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the first time period is greater than approximately 2 seconds.

31. The method of any of claim 25 wherein the first voltage is greater than the positive predetermined threshold when the first electrical signal is derived from a power source greater than a battery backup power source.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the first voltage is less than the positive predetermined threshold when the first electrical signal is derived from a battery backup power source.

33. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving a positive voltage electrical signal and a negative voltage electrical signal from the power source device.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a first user selection type indicating that a user intends to transition the chair from the resting position to the standing position and corresponding the first electrical signal to the positive voltage electrical signal.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a second user selection type indicating that a user intends to transition the chair from a standing position to a resting position and corresponding the first electrical signal to the negative voltage electrical signal.

36. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

absorbing the voltage of the second electrical signal when the second voltage is greater than a predefined safety threshold.

37. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

adjusting the second speed at which the actuator of the chair causes the lift to transition the lift chair from the resting position to the standing position by adjusting the voltage of the second electrical signal.