AU2016310408A1

AU2016310408A1 - Bed actuation modules and economical actuation systems for beds

Info

Publication number: AU2016310408A1
Application number: AU2016310408A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David MACNAUGHTON
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-08-21
Filing date: 2016-08-18
Publication date: 2018-03-08
Also published as: AU2016310408A2; GB2555352A; WO2017031531A1; GB201721900D0; US20180242751A1

Abstract

The invention is directed to modules for installation in beds to adjustably support targeted body zones of a user. Modularisation renders actively controlled bed technology available to a broad range of beds on the market including upgrading many users' existing beds. Bed actuation modules include one or more lift systems connected to a mechanical support which has bed mounting devices for enabling installation of the module in a broad range of bed frames. An adjustable height platform of each lift system can be raised or lowered without necessarily changing the angle of inclination thereof. Lift systems for variable support of two zones may be actuated by single actuator in a way that provides contra-acting movement of the respective mattress support surfaces. Optionally, inclusion of a sensing and inference system enables automatic control of a bed actuation module according to the inferred orientation of a user's body.

Description

Bed Actuation Modules and Economical Actuation Systems for Beds

Technical Field

Beds

Background WO 97/45040 offered an automatically adjusting bed which has inclining head end and feet end portions similar to a hospital bed with the addition of a static recess in the position located under the usual position of a sleeper’s shoulder.

Technical Problem

Existing electric adjustable beds and actively controlled automatically adjusting beds of prior art do not actively control the bed surface to relieve pressure under protruding points of a body whilst supporting other parts of the body - particularly for users who sleep both on their side and back. For example, conventional electric adjustable beds do not relieve pressure under the shoulder whilst adequately supporting the head and neck of a person who is laying on his side. In the zone of the support surface under the upper body, these designs are restricted in operation to merely changes in the angle of inclination thereof. These designs do not utilise separate degrees of freedom to control the height of the support surface under the shoulder (relative to the axis of support in the zone under the torso, inclined or otherwise) as compared to support surface under other parts of the torso. These inclining beds are intended to support someone in orientations suitable for watching television, eating and on-back sleeping but not orientations specifically for on-side sleeping. Neither do inclining beds relieve pressure under the buttocks whilst a user lays on his back. Further, prior automatically adjusting beds have motor and drive systems producing a level of noise which is unsatisfactory for automatic operation whilst a user sleeps.

Variable adjustment of localised zones in a bed involves many components thus a bed with such capabilities is expensive to manufacture. Generically finished electric adjustable inclining beds can benefit from economy of scale as many inclining beds are used hospitals and nursing homes. However, custom electric adjustable beds would have much reduced economy of scale owing to the many market segments created by a wide range of bed designs and aesthetically varied finishes that would be necessary to attract buyers. Market segmentation is compounded by varying user preferences for different combinations of on-side, on-back and on-front sleeping modes. A component-rich expensive bed customised for sleeping on-side in combination with any other orientation is likely to attract fewer buyers than people who would be satisfied with a less expensive bed customised for an on-back sleep arrangement alone. Thus, economy of scale then becomes a major issue for a non-generically finished, actively controlled bed which offer localised zone height control to suit users who need support for on-side sleeping in combination with another orientation. Most likely, it would be cost prohibitive to offer any model of such a product, let alone a wide selection of aesthetically varied models.

Some electric adjustable and automatically adjusting mattresses have been conceived; However, a mattress is subject to spills, damage and accumulation of contaminants. A bed owner may seek to renew a mattress well before any significant signs of wear appear on the supporting bed frame of the same vintage. Placing expensive components in the mattress may result in significant waste of viable electronic and mechanical equipment resulting in unnecessary cost for consumers. Further, such an equipment laden mattress would be unwieldy and ergonomically hazardous to handle.

Solution A quieter, more economical solution to the problem of supporting a user in a variety of sleeping orientations is desirable, particularly a solution which is adaptable to a high proportion of bed and mattress style preferences as demanded by the market. The solution offered herein is modularisation of a system to actively control a zone of a bed in a way that can be readily fitted into a wide variety of conventional bed frames. Further, an economic method of actively controlling two zones of a bed is offered by dependently driving two lift systems using a single actuator. This embodiment of the inventive matter is proposed for direct installation in beds, and in bed actuation modules.

Summary of the Invention

The invention is directed to bed actuation modules for adjustably supporting targeted body zones of a user who is lying on a mattress support surface and economical systems for actuating two-zones dependently. Modularisation renders actively controlled bed technology available to a broad range of beds on the market including upgrading many user’s existing beds. Bed actuation modules comprise a mechanical support, bed mounting devices, a lift system comprising an adjustable height platform, and an actuator all connected to the mechanical support. The actuator is also connected to the lift system such that operation of an actuator causes the height of the adjustable height platform to be adjusted. A bed actuation module may comprise a number of lift systems and each may be driven by a dedicated actuator. Critically, bed mounting devices have a form such that they enable a bed actuation module to be installed in a broad range of beds on the market.

When installed in a bed, a bed actuation module transforms the bed into an enhanced electric adjustable bed characterised by adjustable height zones which can be raised or lowered without necessarily changing the angle of inclination of the mattress support surface. Dimensioning the longitudinal dimension of an adjustable height platform to be much shorter than the length of a bed permits targeted parts of a user’s body to be variably supported.

All types of lift systems are embodied in the modularised systems of the inventive matter. For example, kinetic energy may be affected by a hydraulic, pneumatic or electromechanical source of force. Elevation of each adjustable height platform may be directed using any mechanism which may include any type of bearing system. Further, actuators of any type of may be selected, for example: a piston, bladder, or leadscrew may be used.

Besides modularisation, other inventive matter is contained herein to provide economical, robust and comfortable support of particular body parts. Economy is included in the inventive matter by offering a dual contra-acting lifts system which entails a system whereby two lift systems are dependently driven by a single actuator causing the adjustable height platforms to move in opposite directions. A dual contra-acting lifts system may be implemented in module form or integrated directly in a bed design. A number of formats for multiple zone modules are described herein including systems having two and three lift systems including under-head, under-shoulder and under-pelvis zones. However, any number and arrangement of lift systems is envisaged in these modules. Devices for connecting to a lift system located in underhead zone are also described for increasing the comfort provided and to secure or restrain adjacent cushions and pillows.

Optionally, a control system is envisioned in further embodiments of the inventive matter. A control system may include preset configurations saved in memory for the target position of each actuator in each of a number of bed actuation module configurations. The actuator of each lift system changes configuration until the actual position converges either to a variable target position or a selected preset configuration. Further, optional inclusion of a sensing and inference system enables automatic control of the bed actuation module configuration due to a user exerting a presence on the sensors. For example, pressure sensitive resistors may be used generating a signal according to the orientation or position of the user. Alternatively, a control signal may be generated using an infrared sensor coupled with supporting hardware and software.

Brief Description of the Drawing

Fig 1 shows an exploded view of a bed actuation module installed in a slat bed.

Fig 2 shows an example of a simple bed actuation module.

Fig 3 shows a bed actuation module suitable for installation in a box-frame (ensemble) bed base. This example has a pillow-stop and a shoulder-stop which make it suitable for use in the under-head zone of a bed.

Fig 4 shows a bed actuation module having two independently actuated lift systems suitable for placement in a bed servicing the under-head and under-shoulder zones of the mattress support surface.

Fig 5 shows a bed actuation module having two independently actuated lift systems suitable for servicing the under-head and under-pelvis zones of a mattress support surface.

Fig 6 shows a bed actuation module having three independently actuated lift systems suitable for servicing under-head, under-shoulder and under-pelvis zones of a bed.

Fig 7 shows a bed actuation module having two lift systems dependently driven by the same actuator.

Fig 8 shows a bed actuation module having three lift systems, two of which are dependently driven by one actuator.

Fig 9 shows a control system for a bed actuation module.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Fig 1 broadly demonstrates application of the present inventive matter showing a bed actuation module 1 embodied in a bed frame 2. The bed actuation module fits substantially within the lateral range of the bed frame 2 from one side rail 3 to the other and the longitudinal range of the bed between the bed-head 4 and the bed-end 5. Adjustable height platforms 70 of the lift system substitutes for some of the bed slats 6 of a typical bed. Together, the upper surfaces of the adjustable height platforms 70 and slats 6 comprise the entire mattress support surface 7. Guarding 8 may be included for safely and aesthetics. A main mattress 10 extending along the entire length (longitudinal range) of the mattress support surface between the bed head 4 and bed end 5 is an embodiment that is acceptable, but one that is not preferred. A human body has a well defined step increase from the width of their neck to that of their shoulders. A well defined step in the relative levels of the mattress support surface under a user's shoulder compared to that under their head when supporting him/her laying on their side is helpful to relieve pressure under the shoulder. Thus, preferred embodiments provide an under-head mattress 250 that is separate from a main mattress 10 which extends from the under-head sub-mattress 250 to the bed end 5. Separating these two sub mattress permits a shear step transition hence better pressure relief under the shoulder of a user laying on their side as compared to the pressure relief that would be offered by a gently sloping transition.

Fig. 2 shows a very simple embodiment of the inventive matter comprising a bed actuation module 1 for actuating a single zone within a greater mattress support surface 7. The bed actuation module includes a mechanical support 110, a lift system comprising a pair of scissors lift mechanisms, an actuator system 60 and bed mounting devices 120 for mounting the apparatus to a bed frame (a feature distinguishing bed actuation modules from a scissors lifts of prior art) wherein the mechanical support 110 is dimensioned to have a plan area that fits substantially within a typical bed frame and the bed mounting devices 120 align with suitable fixing points on a typical bed frame. The mechanical support 110 may be composed of any material or plurality of materials and any number of parts. For example, the mechanical support 110 may be composed of wood, metal or plastic. The mechanical support may comprise a single part such as a base plate or may comprise several pieces similar to an open box. Light weight embodiments of the mechanical support have a more open frame structure comprising mechanical support lateral members 111 and mechanical support longitudinal members 112. Such a design may be used for box base or slat beds, although for a slat bed, preferred embodiments of the mechanical support additionally comprise mechanical support vertical members 113 to suspend the module from the slat rails.

Embodiments of the inventive matter are contemplated in the form of: slat beds, box beds, and all other bed forms. The simplest form of the bed mounting devices 120 is perhaps in the case of the box bed, which is simply a modification to the mechanical support 110 having a penetration in each corner for inserting a screw 122 to attach the mechanical support on top of longitudinal rails of the box bed frame, as per Fig. 3. Additionally, Fig. 3 shows isolation pads 124 under each corner of the mechanical support 110 to attenuate noise and vibration transfer to the bed.

Fig. 2 shows bed mounting devices 120 for mounting and suspending the scissors lift system to the slat rails on the side rails of a slat bed. In embodiments of the inventive matter which suspend the bed actuation module from a slat rail, a mechanical support mounting device 120 consists of tabs 121 projecting horizontally from a vertical member 113 of the mechanical support 110. To prevent longitudinal movement of a scissors lift module, these tabs may simply sit in narrow depressions as provided in the slat rails some slat bed frames. In preferred embodiments, the tabs have screw holes and screws 122 are used to secure the bed actuation module to the side rails of the bed frame with an isolation device 124 placed in between the frame mounting device 120 and the bed to absorb vibration and attenuate transmission of sound.

Fig. 4 shows a bed mounting device 120 suitable for fixing the bed actuation module to vertical surfaces of a bed frame. Embodiment of the inventive matter which utilise a bed mounting device for mounting to a vertical surface require less material and would have a slight manufacturing cost advantage. However, the horizontal tabs 121 in embodiments of the bed mounting device such as that shown in Fig. 3 offer ergonomic advantage as the module’s load is self supported whilst a user installs the fixing screws.

All types of actuator systems and lift systems are embodied in the modularised systems of the inventive matter. It is noted that a bed actuation module is characterised by inclusion of bed mounting devices, not the type of lift system selected. Actuators comprising electric motors and concealed leadscrews, and scissor lift systems are depicted in the figures merely as examples.

Scissor lift systems of prior art are many and varied in arrangement. Embodiments of the inventive matter in which a scissors lift type system is selected for the lift system, any suitable scissors lift arrangement may be selected. The particular scissor lift arrangements depicted in the figures are merely an example to facilitate enablement. Ideally, the selected arrangement for a scissors lifts system 19 and the linear actuator 60 of a bed actuation module 1 functions smoothly and quietly. Fig. 2 shows a lift system 19 which conforms to a scissors lift type. The scissor lift system 19 comprises a pair of scissors mechanisms 20, a travelling cross member 50 and an adjustable height platform 70. Each scissors mechanism 20 comprises an anchored scissors leg 21, a floating scissors leg 22, an upper bearing system 30, and a lower bearing system 40. The floating scissors less is connected to the anchored scissors leg at their centre points by a pin 24. The floating scissors leg 22 uses a further pin 24 at the top for connecting to the adjustable height platform 70 and a pin 24 at the bottom for connecting to the travelling cross member. The anchored scissors leg 21 uses a pin 24 at the top to connect to the upper bearing system 30 and a pin 24 at the bottom to connect to the mechanical support 110. Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the inventive matter in which a scissors lift system has two pair of each of the scissors mechanisms arranged in parallel; however, any number of these components may be included in parallel.

The makeup of the upper 30 and lower bearing systems 40 embodied vary according to the various levels of quality required. Preferred embodiments of the inventive matter include upper bearing systems 30 and lower bearing systems 40 which consist of a guide and a bearing block which mates to the guide rail in a way to prevent rattling or derailing of the block and any significant movement in directions other than along the axis of the guide. For example: box-way, dovetail-way or a bearing blocks having recirculating ball bearing could be used. Fig 2 shows a scissors mechanism comprising two lower linear bearing systems 40, each comprising a lower guide rail 41 and a lower bearing block 42; and two upper bearing systems each including an upper guide rail 31 and an upper bearing block 32. However, alternative bearing systems utilising a block sliding through a c-channel section are also embodied, as is any other system to direct the movement of the pins 24.

Each scissors lift system in a module may be jogged up and down as little as several time per day to a dozen times per day, hence the application would be considered light duty. A plastic guide rail and mating plastic sliding block without any ball bearings or roller bearing is envisaged for economical embodiments. However, smooth, non-binding, reliable action is desired over a service life free of lubrication and maintenance; Hence, guide rails and blocks made from a durable material like steel are envisioned for preferred embodiments of the inventive matter.

Still considering Fig. 2, the adjustable height platform 70 includes a pair of adjustable height platform longitudinal frame members 71 each of which is fixed to an upper guide rail 31. Simple embodiments of the inventive matter include a single platform lateral frame member 72 which bridges connects the platform longitudinal frame members 71 and has a breadth similar to the length of the platform longitudinal frame members 71 forming a “deck”. Ideally, the deck material type and thickness is selected such that measurable flexing of the deck may be observed when subject to the partial weight of a user laying across the surface, yet does not break or show any significant permanent deformation when subject to the entire weight of a user standing on the adjustable height platform. For application in zones under protruding body parts such as the shoulder and hip, the “deck” ideally displaces approximately 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) at the centre point when subjected the load of a user laying on their side on the mattresses (10 and 250, Fig. 1) situated on the mattress supporting surface (7, directly over the lateral centre point of the adjustable height platform 70 of concern).

Fig 2 shows travelling cross member assembly 50 comprising: a travelling cross member 51 fixed to each of the lower bearing blocks 42 causing the lower bearing blocks to dependently move in the same direction on parallel axes, mounting points 53 for connection to each of the floating scissor legs 22 and an actuator dynamic end mounting point 54. Coupling points are provided at the dynamic end of the actuator and the static end. The linear actuator 60 is connected to the mechanical support 110 via an actuator static end mounting point 114 fixed to one of the mechanical support lateral members 111. In alternative embodiments of the inventive matter, the dynamic end of the actuator couples to a torsion cross member which is attached the inner scissor legs locking them in rotational dependence. For applications in which embodiment of a quiet linear actuator is desired, inclusion of a brushless direct current type motor and bevel or helical first stage gearing and rotational speeds which offer low noise are preferred. Alternative embodiments of the linear actuator motors include the following types: a direct current motor having a commutator and a plurality of brushes; a digital motor; a stepper motor; and an alternating current motor.

Besides modularisation, other inventive matter is contained herein to provide economical, robust and comfortable support of particular body parts: robustness of operation is facilitated by inclusion of a pillow-stop to prevent any mattress or user’s pillow from becoming displaced from the under-head zone; comfort is afforded for the shoulder by inclusion of a shoulder-stop below the edge of the adjustable height platform servicing the under-head zone, and further comfort is afforded by inclusion of a longitudinal suspension system, and finally economy is offered by using one actuator to actuate two zones dependently.

Support of a person’s body in the under-head and under-shoulder zones offers specific challenges for a bed actuator module invention. Fig. 3 shows features of enhanced embodiments of a scissors lift system servicing the under-head zone including a shoulder-stop 210. The shoulder-stop 210 is included and is connected to the adjustable height platform either by attachment to the platform longitudinal frame members 71 or to any other part of the adjustable height platform. The shoulder-stop 210 distributes the reaction force against the user's shoulder over a greater area as compared to that offered by the edge of the adjustable height platform lateral member 71 thus reducing pressure exerted on the shoulder of a user and improving comfort. The material selection for the shoulder-stop 210 is such that flexibility is provided. Ideally, the shoulder-stop displaces around 1Λ inch (6.35 mm) at the centre point when subjected a high load of a user laying on his side and firmly pressing his shoulder against the vertical face of the under-head mattress and does not break or suffer any significant permanent deformation when subject to an impulse caused by the person falling or otherwise colliding against the vertical face of the under-head mattress.

To help prevent rotation and displacement of the under-head mattress 250 (Fig. 1), a pillow-stop 211 is included. The pillow-stop 211 is a sheet of some stiff but durable material, such as wood or plastic, having a long side approximately equal to the length of the adjustable height platform 70. The pillow-stop is connected to the adjustable height platform 70 via fixing to any of the following: platform frame longitudinal members 71, platform frame lateral member 72, adjustable height platform decking 73, and directly to the pair of upper linear rails 31. The broad face of the pillow-stop 211 is aligned vertically with the long edge approximately aligned with the edge of the adjustable height platform 70 which is parallel to and on the opposite side of the adjustable height platform 70 as to the position of the shoulder-stop 210. When utilised and fitted in place, the vertical section of the under-head mattress 250 (Fig 1) sits against the shoulder-stop 210 and the horizontal section horizontal section of the under-head mattress 250 entirely covers the upper horizontal surface of the adjustable height platform with one edge touching the pillow-stop 211. Optionally, the under-head mattress 250 is detachably connected to any combination of adjustable height platform 70 (or components thereof), the pillow-stop 211 and the shoulder-stop 210.

An enhanced embodiment of the adjustable height platform 70 includes a longitudinal suspension system to provide support without causing a user's body to roll to the centre of the deck. Fig. 4 shows a scissors lift system crowned with an adjustable height platform 70 enhanced with a longitudinal suspension system. A longitudinal suspension system is an arrangement for an adjustable height platform 70 comprising two platform lateral frame members 72 arranged in parallel and separated by a gap such that his outer-most long edges run from one end of a platform longitudinal member 71 to the end of the other platform longitudinal member 71, both being connected to the platform longitudinal frame member. The platform lateral frame members 72 have a gently sloping face descending toward the edges closest to the other platform lateral member 72. A flexible board 73 is connected to each platform lateral member 72 bridging the gap there between. The type of fixings used to connect the flexible board 73 to the platform lateral frame members 72 permits flexing of the flexible board by allowing movement of the surface in the longitudinal direction of the bed. In preferred embodiments, the platform lateral frame members 72 displaces approximately 0 to 1/8 inch (0.8 mm) and the flexible board 73 ideally displaces around 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) at the centre point when subjected the load of a user laying on his side on the mattress (10, Fig 1) directly over the lateral centre-point of the adjustable height platform 70 of concern yet does not break or suffer any substantial permanent deformation when subject to the entire weight of a person of above average weight standing on the flexible board. The longitudinal suspension system is particularly effective at relieving peak pressures under a user's body when the aligned (vertically below) protruding parts of the user's body in the zone of said body part, particularly for the shoulders (under-shoulder zone), and the hips and buttocks (under-pelvis zone). Wood, laminated wood, plywood, plastic or any other material displaying the above properties may is selected when a longitudinal suspension system is embodied.

Ideally, an adjustable bed is adjustable in multiple zones. Preferred embodiments of the inventive matter provide a plurality of scissors lift systems 19, especially those servicing combinations of zones including under-head, under-shoulder and underpelvis zones. In embodiments employing a plurality of scissors lift systems, the plurality of scissors lift systems are either independently driven by a plurality of actuators wherein each actuator has a one is to one correspondence with a scissors lift system or, in a special case, two of the plurality of scissors lift systems are dependently driven by one actuator. In either case, two or more different scissors lift systems may each have separate lower guides rails 41 (e.g. Fig 5) or they can share an extended length of lower guide rail (e.g. Fig 4). The longitudinal centre position of an adjustable height platform relative to the origin point for a mechanical support 110 is essentially determined by: the longitudinal position at which the bottom pivot point of the anchored scissors legs 21 connects to the mechanical support 110 (mounting point), and the longitudinal component of the distance between the centre of an adjustable height platform 70 and the point where the floating scissors leg 22 connects to the adjustable platform longitudinal frame member 71 (mount to centre). Using this formulaic approach, the bed actuation module is designed such that the distance between the centres of the adjustable height platforms corresponds to the zone intended to be serviced by the scissors lift, and the geometry of the intended user. Fig 4 shows a two-zone embodiment of the inventive matter having independently operating scissors lift systems intended to service the under-head zone (under-head lifter, 300) plus another scissors lift system relatively positioned to be aligned to the under-shoulder zone (under-shoulder lifter, 400). Fig 5 shows another two-zone bed actuation module comprising independently operating underhead lifter 300 plus another scissors lift system relatively positioned to be aligned to the under-pelvis zone (under-pelvis lifter, 500). Fig 6 shows an embodiment of the inventive matter comprising three independently operating scissors lift systems including an under-head lifter 300, under-shoulder lifter 400 and an under-pelvis lifter 500. However, the inventive matter herein embodies all combinations of geometry for placement of the adjustable height platforms 70 conditional only on the serviced zones being non-overlapping in space.

An economical embodiment of the inventive matter which includes scissors lift systems in the under-head and under-shoulder zones is a dual contra-acting scissors lifts system for simultaneously adjusting both zones using a single actuator. The two scissors lift systems are rigidly linked by a connecting member 80 which is fixed to both the travelling cross member for the under-head lifter 300 and the travelling cross member of the under-shoulder lifter 400. When driven in either direction by the actuator, the adjustable height platform servicing the under-head zone moves in the opposite direction to the adjustable height platform servicing the under-shoulder zone. The dual contra-acting scissors lift systems trade flexibility in zone height configuration for reduced components hence reduced manufacturing cost. The relationship between the height of the user’s pillow and the pressure under the shoulder can still be altered via use of shims between the decks of the adjustable height platforms 70 and the mattress components (10 and 250) but a significant economisation in component use is achieved by eliminating one actuator. Another advantage to this simplification is that a user has one variable to consider when configuring set points.

Fig7 shows a bed actuation module which comprises dual contra-acting scissors lifts system servicing the under-head and under-shoulder zones whilst Fig 8 show a bed actuation module which combines a dual contra-acting scissors lifts system servicing under-head and shoulder zones plus an under-pelvis lifter 400.

Anticipated benefits of an adjustable bed can only be realised when a system is in place to control the actuators. All of the previous embodiments described are further extended to embodiments which include a control box mount, a power supply, a control system and an electronics enclosure.

The control system may comprise: an interface for receiving signals from external equipment, bi-directional motor driver switching circuitry, power insulated conductors conductively connecting motor drivers outputs to the corresponding actuator motor, position feedback signal conductors, and logic processing circuitry (nonprogrammable logic gates or programmable circuitry). Position feedback signal conductors conductively connect the position sensing system of an actuator to the logic processing circuitry. The logic processing circuitry triggers the desired motor driver outputs to drive the actuators via feedback control to set point received via the interface. Once the measured position is within a predefined dead-band tolerance of the set point, the motors driver output changes such that the actuators stop until a new set point is received. The control system circuitry is mounted within an electronics enclosure 700 which is either connected to the mechanical support 110 thus securing the electronics enclosure to the mechanical support 110 as shown in Fig. 6, or mounted directly to the intended bed frame. In Fig 5 an electronics enclosure 700 is mounted to the mechanical support 110 via a control box mount 115 provided for the connection. Alternatively, the electronics enclosure may be fixed to the outward facing surface of the bed actuation module being fixing to the guarding (8, Fig 1). All possible positions for fixing the control box mount to the mechanical support 110 are embodied; however, locations which permits the user to easily connect a human machine interface to the control system, one which protects the electronics enclosure from clashing with the scissors mechanisms and accidental impacts and one which facilitates cable management free from clashes with the scissors mechanisms and accidental impacts are preferred.

Safety should be a concern for all products. Preferred embodiments of the inventive matter have guarding to keep parts of people, animals and objects away from pinch points and protect the same from hard, unrounded edges and points. Types of guarding embodied include rigid or semi-rigid guarding attached to static parts of the scissors lifts module, and flexible guarding connected between static and non-static parts of the scissors lifts module. Fig. 1 shows rigid guarding 8 in an exploded view which would usually be fixed to the mechanical support to prevent intrusion of any object into the space from beside. For embodiments in which the mechanical support is selected to be an open frame, inclusion of guarding on all faces of the mechanical support is preferred. Materials for the rigid guarding (including fixings for attaching the rigid guarding to the mechanical support 110) in preferred embodiments are able to withstand impact such as accidental collision with vacuum cleaners and other objects such as with a bowling ball and other typical under-bed stored items. Guarding includes penetrations required for any wired interfaces and push buttons as required by the installed control system. Whilst the appearance of most faces of the rigid guarding is relatively inconsequential, it is preferable that guarding on the face visible from beside the bed has an aesthetically pleasing finish. In preferred embodiments, guarding on the front panel has pleasing appearance such as brushed metal, polished metal, checker plate, plastic, natural wood, laminated wood, composite wood or any other finish considered attractive or fashionable whilst providing the required mechanical properties and rounded edges to avoid injury upon contact with a foot. In embodiments of the inventive matter in which a control box, one which provides an interface for wired connections, is mounted to the mechanical support, a penetration is provided in the front panel in alignment with the connection point on the control box. Where such a penetration exists, preferred embodiments include a thin metal or plastic plate with a fine tolerance penetration covers the penetration in the front panel and is attached thereto. In economical embodiments, the rigid guarding attached to the mechanical support 110 on the sides that are not nearest to the bed side may be of a different quality material as to the material used for the front panel, so long as the material selected provides the required mechanical properties.

Further, embodiments are envisaged in which the control system infers the orientation of a user's body and automatically adjusts the profile of a mattress supporting surface accordingly. Zone heights are adjusted to values preset by the user corresponding to the inferred orientation. A system to infer the orientation of a human body requires similar components to a control system, common components being: a power supply, electronics enclosure, logic processing circuitry and ideally memory. It is convenient and economical for an inference system to control share some or all of the common components in unified sensing, inference and control system. All previously described embodiments described are further extended to embodiments which include a sensing and inference system which may comprise: a circuit including programmable micro processor for processing logic, a memory for storing logic and data; and a pressure sensing strip 800 (Fig. 8) comprising a plurality of electronic pressure sensitive sensors in a flexible circuit which connects to the circuit.

Each electronic pressure sensitive sensor is covered by a plastic actuator 810 to concentrate the pressure. Whilst the sensors may be located anywhere under the user’s body, in preferred embodiments the pressure sensing strip 800 is mounted on the under-pelvis lifter 500, or in the absence of an under-pelvis lifter, the pressure sensing strip 8 is mounted on a slat or other material forming the mattress support surface 7 in the under-pelvis zone. This region is disturbed least by breathing, movement of the arms to interact with alarm clocks and movement of the legs to adjust bedding.

Finally, all of the previous embodiments are extended to embodiments which include a bed actuation module containing one or more scissors lift systems, a bed frame 2, slats 6 or an alternative mattress supporting surface, a main mattress 10, and underhead mattress 250. In the context of a two-person (side by side) bed, preferred embodiments of the inventive matter have two scissors lift systems 1 installed in parallel, either separated by an interior rail (parallel to the side rails) or joined at an interior point forming a contiguous apparatus. Alternatively, to reduce cost, a unit may be installed to service only a side of the bed assessed to have the highest priority. In embodiments for two-person side-by-side beds, preferred embodiments comprise an interior rail or interior meeting point that is centred in the middle of the lateral range of the bed. However, embodiments of the inventive matter are also envisaged in which the scissors lift modules are unsymmetrical in their lateral dimension and wherein the interior rail is placed non-centrally as demanded by the market/end user.

Claims

The following are claimed:

1. A bed actuation module for adjustably supporting targeted zones of a mattress support surface, comprising: - a mechanical support; - a plurality of bed mounting devices connected to the mechanical support; - a lift system which is connected to the mechanical support; - and an actuation system connected to the mechanical support and to the lift system wherein the lift system comprises an adjustable height platform which has a longitudinal dimension, a lateral dimension, and an angle of inclination and which can be raised or lowered by operation of the actuation system without necessarily changing the angle inclination, and wherein the bed actuation module is characterised by: - modularisation of the lifting system together with the actuator in combination with the plurality of bed mounting devices which are suitably dimensioned and arranged in their attachment to the mechanical support such that the plurality of bed mounting devices enable attachment of the bed actuation module to a bed frame; - the lift system is operable to raise or lower a portion of the a bed’s mattress supporting surface without necessarily changing the angle inclination thereof;
2. A bed actuation module for adjusting the height of a zone of the mattress support surface usually located under a sleeper's head, according to the bed actuation module of Claim 1 and further comprising a shoulder-stop connected to the adjustable height platform.
3. A bed actuation module enhanced to restrict displacement of cushion, mattresses or pillows located thereon including Claim 2, and further comprising a pillow-stop which is connected to the adjustable height platform.
4. A bed actuation module according to Claim 3 and further comprising an underhead mattress which comprises a vertical section and a horizontal section attached to the vertical such that, when fitted in place, the horizontal section resides on and substantially covers the upper surface of the adjustable height platform and the vertical section is in contact with the shoulder-stop and extends to approximately the bottom edge of the shoulder-stop.
5. A system including the bed actuation module of Claim 4 additionally provided with a main mattress having a width being approximately equal to the width of a bed, a length approximately the same as the length of said bed minus the longitudinal dimension of the adjustable height platform.
6. A bed actuation module according to Claim 3 and additionally comprising: a second lift system which comprises a second adjustable height platform and a second actuator which is connected to the second adjustable height platform and to the mechanical support.
7. A bed actuation module according to Claim 6 wherein the lift system and the second lift system are connected to the mechanical support in an arrangement such that when the bed actuation module is connected to a bed which has a bed-head, a bed-end, an under-head zone, an under-pelvis zone and an under-shoulder zone, and the bed actuation module is attached in a position such that the adjustable height platform is located close to the bed-head in the under-head zone, the second adjustable height platform is aligned to the under-shoulder zone.
8. A bed actuation module according to Claim 6 wherein the lift system and the second lift system are connected to the mechanical support in an arrangement such that when the bed actuation module is connected to a bed which has a bed-head, a bed-end, an under-head zone and an under-pelvis zone, and the module is attached in a position such that the adjustable height platform is located close to the bed-head in the under-head zone, the second adjustable height platform is aligned to the under-pelvis zone.
9. A bed actuation module for dependency adjusting two zones of a mattress support surface according to Claim 7 and additionally comprising a connecting member which connects the adjustable height platform to the second adjustable height platform, and wherein the actuator and the second actuator are the same actuator, such that when the actuator system is operated the second adjustable height platform dependently moves in the opposite direction to the movement of the adjustable height platform regardless of the direction in which the actuator is operated.
10. A bed actuation module according to Claim 9 and additionally comprising a third lift system, comprising a third actuator and a third adjustable height platform, connected to the mechanical support being is longitudinally offset from the adjustable height platform to cause the third adjustable height platform to be aligned to the under-pelvis zone when the adjustable height platform is aligned to the underhead zone.
11. A bed actuation module according to Claim 7 and additionally including a third lift system, comprising a third adjustable platform and a third actuator, connected to the mechanical support being is longitudinally offset from the adjustable height platform to cause the third adjustable height platform to be aligned to the under-pelvis zone when the adjustable height platform is aligned to the under-head zone.
12. Blank.
13. Blank.
14. Blank.
15. A bed actuation module according to Claim 1 wherein the actuator comprises an electric motor and a lead screw.
16. Blank.
17. A bed actuation module according to any of Claims 1 to 11, and additionally comprising a control system comprising data for a current target associated with the actuator, a current position associated with the actuator, a selected bed actuation module configuration, and a data structure including a plurality of predetermined target positions and a plurality of bed actuation module configurations, each predetermined target position corresponding to a bed actuation module configuration, wherein the selected bed actuation module configuration is selectable from one of the plurality of bed actuation module configurations, and wherein the control system affects the actuator until the current position approximately equals the predetermined target position corresponding to the selected bed actuation module configuration.
18. A bed actuation module according to Claim 17 and additionally comprising a human-machine interface.
19. A bed actuation module according to Claim 18 wherein the human-machine interface comprises a plurality of buttons, each button corresponding to one of the plurality of bed actuation module configurations, wherein upon a button click event the control system sets the value of the selected bed actuation module configuration equal to the bed actuation module configuration associated with the button involved in the click event.
20. A bed actuation module according to Claim 19 wherein the plurality of buttons includes a first button identified by a word or an image indicating that the first button is associated with a bed actuation module configuration which is allocated for use during a sexual activity.
21. Blank.
22. Blank.
23. Blank.
24. Blank.
25. A bed actuation module according to Claim 1 wherein the plurality of frame mounting devices conforms to a type that is selected from the group consisting of: - those arranged to connect to a vertical surface of a bed frame; - those arranged to connect to a horizontal surface of a bed frame; and - a combination of one which is arranged to connect to a horizontal and one which is arranged to connect to a vertical surface of a bed frame.
26. A bed actuation module according to Claim 15 wherein the electric motor is selected from the group consisting of: - a direct current motor having a commutator and a plurality of brushes; - a digital motor; - a stepper motor; and - an alternating current motor.
27. A bed actuation module according to Claim 15 wherein the electric motor comprises a brushless direct current electric motor.
28. A bed actuation module according to Claim 1 additionally comprising an isolation pad attached to one of the plurality of bed mounting devices.
29. A bed actuation module according to Claim 1 wherein the mechanical support is selected from the group comprising: - a casting; - a moulding; - a shaped piece of wood, laminated wood, plywood, any type of reconstituted wood or wood-composite; - a plurality of mechanical support lateral members and plurality of longitudinal members all connected together; and - a plurality of lateral members, a plurality of mechanical support longitudinal members and a plurality of mechanical support vertical frame members all connected together.
30. A bed actuation module according to Claim 19, and additionally comprising a sensing and inference system which comprises: a sensor which creates orientation data according to an orientation of a user’s body; a set of pre-programmed instructions; a data structure comprising a plurality of inference values, and an inference signal which is communicatively connected to the control system to convey one of the plurality of inference values, wherein the set of pre-programmed instructions determines the one of the plurality of inference values that is carried by the inference signal in dependence upon the orientation data, and wherein the control system has a second data structure associating each one of the plurality of inference values to one of the plurality of bed actuation module configurations, and wherein the control system has an automatic mode selectable to cause the selected bed actuation module configuration to be set equal to the bed actuation module configuration which is associated with the inference value according to the second data structure.
31. A bed actuation module according to Claim 1 wherein the type of lift system selected is a scissors lift system.
32. Blank.
33. A bed actuation module according to Claim 31 wherein the adjustable height platform is selected from the group consisting of: - a board connecting the first scissors mechanism and the second scissor mechanism; - a first platform longitudinal frame member connected to the first scissors mechanism, a second platform longitudinal frame member connected to the second scissors mechanism and a board which interconnects the first platform longitudinal frame member and the second platform longitudinal frame member; - and a first platform longitudinal frame member connected to the first scissors mechanism, a second platform longitudinal frame member connected to the second scissors mechanism and a plurality of slats each interconnecting the first platform longitudinal frame member and the second platform longitudinal frame member.
34. A bed actuation module according to Claim 31 wherein the adjustable height platform comprises a longitudinal suspension system.
35. A bed actuation module including Claim 31 and further comprising: an additional scissors lift system comprising an additional adjustable height platform, and an additional actuator connected to the mechanical support and to the additional scissors lift system, wherein operation of the additional actuator causes the height of the additional adjustable platform to change.
36. A bed actuation module including Claim 35 wherein the actuator and the additional actuator are the same actuator and the scissors lift system and the additional scissors lift system are connected such that when the actuator is operated so as to cause a change in elevation of the adjustable height platform the additional adjustable height platform tends toward the opposite direction.
37. A bed actuation module including Claim 36 shoulder-stop and further comprising a shoulder-stop connected to the adjustable height platform.
38. A bed actuation module including Claim 37 and further comprising a shoulder-stop connected to the adjustable height platform.
39. A bed actuation module including Claim 31 comprising an additional plurality of lift systems.
40. Blank.
41. Blank.
42. A bed comprising: a first scissors lift system comprising a first adjustable height platform, a second scissors lift system comprising a second adjustable height platform, and an actuator, wherein the first scissors lift system, the second scissors lift system and the actuator are all connected such that upon operation of the actuator, the first adjustable height platform moves in a direction which is opposite to the second adjustable height platform.
43. A bed according to Claim 42, additionally comprising a pillow-stop.
44. A bed according to Claim 42, additionally comprising a shoulder-stop.
45. A bed according to Claim 43, additionally comprising a shoulder-stop.
46. A bed according to Claim 45, comprising a third lift system and another actuator.
47. A bed according to Claim 46, comprising a longitudinal suspension system.