GB2500938A - A care bed unit with air conditioned canopy, dual air conditioning system, and sliding bedclothes supporting cover - Google Patents

Abstract

A care bed comprises a canopy 42 with curtains 40 and a heating unit 39. The system is fitted with cooling fans 36, 37, and protected by a temperature sensor 28 and fire protection sensors 33, 34. The bed also comprises a head board 47, a footboard 41 and a user-supporting mattress 24. To allow for easy access to the bed, it is fitted with sliding cover 27 which supports the bedclothes 43. The dual air conditioning system describes a double bed with an air conditioning system in which the temperature of both sides of the bed can be independently controlled, to the satisfaction of both occupants.

Description

I

Integrated air conditioned canopy and dual air conditioned care bed unit

Prior Art Patent GB 2457702.

This device has industrial applicability and can be manufactured for all the usual sizes of bed.

The single size bed has single mode air conditioning.

This Integrated bed unit comprises a headboard canopy unit, and a care bed unit. The canopy unit confines a local air temperature under user thermostatic control. The care bed unit provides separate thermostatically controlled air conditioning to each half of the bed, and allows normal physical relations to occur.

The users own bedclothes are held by a sliding panel, which is customisable to suit different users size and shape. The bedclothes height is controlled by a height adjustment bar. The slide length is adjusted by an extension panel secured by hook and burr.

After installation and the personal physical comfort adjustments have been made, the users set a thermostat for their own half of the bed to provide constant heating/cooling/airing to that side of the bed. The canopy and care bed can be safely left unattended to operate automatically.

The bed unit has been designed to provide help and care in the following ways: Skin contact problems.

When bed linen is draped over a users' limbs, if they move or turn over, friction between sheet and body may cause bed or burn sores to weep, causing irritation and the covering bedclothes to be contaminated. This problem is helped by keeping all the upper bedclothes away from the users.

Bedclothes displacement problems.

An elderly or disabled user may have to untuck their side of the bed completely to get into bed and when in bed have to try to tuck themselves in to prevent linen displacement during the night.

Also incontinent users may have to exit the bed quickly, or may soil the bed requiring it to be completely remade with new upper and lower sheets.

The soiling problem is lessened by only requiring the bottom sheet or pad to be removed.

The tucking in problem is completely solved by allowing the bedclothes to loosely fall to both sides of the bed, the width of the bedclothes support slide is slightly less than the width of the bed mattress thereby forming a satisfactory gravity air seal.

Getting into and out of bed problems.

People who may be monoplegic, paraplegic, suffered loss of limbs, and other mobility problems may have to have the whole of their half of the bedclothes pulled back to enter or leave the bed.

By lightly pushing a slide toward and over the foot board, a large area of uncluttered mattress is exposed allowing the user to flop' onto the mattress, and by pulling the overhanging bedclothes towards themselves, keep covered up and warm or cooled all night.

People with joint pains.

People with arthritis or other joint pains may find that in a cold bedroom cold damp bedclothes that rest on sensitive joints will make those joints feel painful. This problem is remedied by holding the bedclothes away and above the occupants' limbs. Also if the bed has to be made' the next day, it means that during the night the bedclothes have become displaced, uncovering parts or all of the occupants' bodies, which in a cold bedroom may lead to more joint pains, or even hypothermia, This invention will now be explained solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1. Shows a perspective overview of the whole bed unit. The canopy unit comprises: A canopy with adjustable curtains; a thermostatically controlled radiator; cooling fans.

The bed unit shows a headboard; a bedclothes support slide, shown as extended and supported on and by a foot board compartment, and permeable foam mattress.

Figure 2. Shows a perspective view of the bed unit with bedclothes support slide fully retracted.

Figure 3. Shows a perspective view of the bed unit with bedding support slide as fully extended.

Figure 4. Shows a cutaway side view of the position of a user with the slide extension panel mounted on the bedding support slide, and raised in height by the height adjustment bar; air conditioning currents of air circulating above, below, and around the user.

FigureS. Shows a cutaway front view of the foot board air conditioning plant; the fresh air bleed under the radiator; the currents of air to below a mattress; currents of air circulating through and above the sleeping area; fan units; thermostats; radiator.

Figure 6. Shows the position of the two upper box fans; air flow passing in and out of two air ducts inside the bedclothes support slide; the height adjustment bar set to low height; the position of slide track wheels; length extension cover: track frame.

Figure 7. Shows the position of the two lower box fans; the passage of air currents through two air ducts inside the mattress support assembly.

Figure 8. Shows a theoretical electrical circuit diagram of the air conditioning components; the safety power off circuits; user thermostats; radiators; and fault light indicator.

The operation of this bed unit is explained with detailed references from the above in five parts: Part 1. The canopy.

Part 2. The bedclothes support.

Part 3. Dual air conditioning.

Part 4. Heat wave control.

Part 5. The electrical safety circuits.

Part 1. The canopy.

When electrical power has been switched on' to the foot board Figure 8. 55 the mains power passes to the Safety Circuit which examines all fans and radiators for an over temperature condition. If any sensor detects an over heated device, its internal switch will close causing the isolating relay at E F to remove all power. If no problem exists, then user switch 60 will supply mains power to the canopy. The canopy fans 36 and 37 are checked by sensors S7 and S8 33 and 34. The canopy radiator 38 is sensed by S2 28 and if thermostat TH C 35 senses that the canopy zone is too cold, then live mains power will pass 00 to PP causing radiator 38 to warm up causing air to rise up through convector housing Figure 1. 39 to wami the local air space inside the canopy. When the desired preset temperature is reached the thermostat Figure 8. 35 will switch from 00 to 00 applying power to fan 36 at IT. This power will then pass through fan 37 to VV then to the mains neutral. Fans 36 and 37 are run at half power for silent operation. The curtains Figure 1. 40 can be adjusted for more ventilation, or to reduce the light from an over sunny bedroom.

Part 2. The bedclothes support.

The bed is made such that the users' bedclothes Figure 4. 43 will overhang at the headboard end of the bed to cover the user 52, and to overhang to each side of the bed Figure 1. 43 to form an air seal with the mattress 24, and to overhang slide cover Figure 4. 27 foot board end.

The slide support tracks.

The slide support tracks comprises a rectangular frame Figure 6. 21 where both sides are formed to make a V shaped track Figure 5. 21. This track is supported and carried on two sets of two track wheels 20 and 26. The track slide movement is restrained by means of end stops Figure 6. 56 and 50. Figure 2. shows a perspective view of the bed when the track slide is carrying the support cover 27 in the fully retracted position. Figure 3. Shows the support cover 27 when in the fully extended position.

The slide cover height adjustment.

The slide cover Figure 5. 27 is formed by a wood or composite material and is covered by a burr textured fabric with rounded sides; overhung; and padded for track assembly protection.

The underside of support cover 27 is also burr fabric covered, and is held in place by hook fabric attached to the support slide 21. The support slide 27 is located on the track frame 21 by guide rails Figure 6. 54 attached to the under side of slide cover 27. The height adjustment bar Figure 6. 51 and 25 comprises a thin length of wood covered with burr fabric 51, and a thicker length of wood covered with burr fabric 25. The thin burr fabric covered bar 51 is held in place by hook fabric attached to the headboard end of the track frame 21 and forms a low height adjustment Figure 4. 51. The thicker bar 25 is also burr fabric covered and has a fabric hinge joining bar 51 to bar 25 such that bar 25 can be rotated as shown by dotted lines.

When bar 25 is rotated away, the slide cover 27 will rest on thin bar 51 for low height position.

When bar 25 is rotated to rest on bar 51 the slide cover 27 will be in a high height position.

The slide cover length adjustment.

Users with severe joint or bums pains may require that all cold bedding be held away from their whole body. Other users may like to feel more bedding contact. To remedy these requirements a burr fabric covered detachable panel Figure 4. 57 is held in place by hook fabric attached to the underside of length adjusting panel 57. Figure 6. shows the size and shape of the length adjusting panel 57. The protruding length of the length adjusting panel 57 is adjusted by pulling off panel 57 and replacing it to a different position.

Part 3. Dual air conditioning.

For this explanation it is to be assumed that the bedroom temperature is 100 Celsius, and user 1 would like his side of the bed to be 28° Celsius, and user 2 would like her side of the bed to be 30° Celsius. User 1 will turn his thermostat Figure 6. 8 to 28°, and user 2 will set her thermostat 4 to 300. Both thermostats Figure 8. 4 and 8 will be at 10° and so would be in demand mode. TEl A 4 will switch live mains power through contact K to L to MM the oil filled radiator 22. Likewise TH B 8 will switch live mains power through contact P to 0 to MM the radiator. The radiator will heat up causing the surrounding air to rise up pulling fresh air to pass through aperture Figure 5. 11. The air inside of the foot board 41 will heat up. Relay coil Figure 8. A and relay coil B will be de-energised allowing live mains power to pass to Al U to V to fan 1 at JJ through the fan to KK to fan 3 and LL to mains neutral. Likewise live mains power will pass B2 AA to BB through to fan 5 at GO to HH and fan 7 II to mains neutral. Fans I and 3 and 5 and 7 operate at half power for silent operation. Warm air from the foot board figureS. 41 is drawn into both air ducts 18 and 19 by wall apertures 44 and 45.

to blow upwards past thermostats 4 and 8 through air grilles 14 and 17 and through the gap between foot board 41 and slide frame 21 into the steeping space, and also up and through air ducts Figure 6. 15 and 16 as shown by arrows to indicate airflow, and into the headboard end of the sleeping space warming the upper body. The sleeping space air is then sucked back into the foot board air ducts by air intake grilles Figure 5. 2 and 6. Also at this time part of the air in air duct 18 and air duct 19 is blown out by apertures 9 and 13 into an air duct under the mattress 24 to circulate through air ducts Figure 7. 58 and 59 which are able to operate independently for dual air conditioning by an air separation wall 46.

When thermostat Figure 5. 8 senses a temperature above 28° fan 7 and fan 5 will turn oft by thermostat Figure 8. 8 TH B contacts changing to P to R. Contact R energises relay B causing contacts B2 to change from AA BB to AA CC. User I will now find that the warm air on his side of the bed stops circulating thereby stabilising his temperature at 28 C. The user 2 fans Figure 8. 1 and 3 will continue to draw and circulate warm air from radiator 22 to her side of the bed until her thermostat TH A 4 senses a temperature above 3Q0 C, at which time TH A 4 will switch from K L to K M removing all power from the radiator 22, also energising relay A causes contacts Al to switch from U V to U W. Because both user thermostats 4 and 8 have switched to heat wave mode the temperature of the sleeping area will quickly reduce back down below 300. It should be noted that if the temperature on either side of the bed dropped below its set temperature, the radiator 22 would start to heat up; heat wave mode would be cancelled; and only fans on that side of the bed would operate.

thereby drawing warm air to increase the temperature to that side of the bed.

Part 4. Heat wave control.

For this device, the term heat wave' refers to a bedroom temperature that is higher than the temperature setting of thermostats Figure 8. 4 and 8. Assuming a bedroom temperature of 35° Celsius. thermostats 4 and 8 would switch off power to radiator 22; energise relays A and B. The contacts in these energised relays would switch from normally closed to normally open.

Fans 1 and 3 would be supplied with power from contacts Al U to W then to 81 X to Z. Fans 5 and 7 would be supplied with power from contacts B2 AA to CC then to P.2 DD to FF.

All the foot board fans will now be drawing unheated air and fresh air Figure 4. 11 to cool the whole bed unit. The canopy thermostat Figure 1. 35 will have turned off radiator 38 by contacts in thermostat TH C Figure 8. 35 switching from 00 to PP to 00 to QQ supplying power to fan 36 at Yr to UU then to fan 37 UU to VV to mains neutral. All fans are now silently cooling by evaporation, the users bodies.

Part 5. The electrical safety circuits.

Sensors attached to or near all fans and radiators, will operate when exposed to a temperature above 60° Celsius. Sensors Figure. 8. 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 are miniature fixed sealed thermostats that will close normally open contacts applying live mains power to the fault relay at Ito J lighting fault light. When this fault relay is energised, its contacts E to F will turn off power to all circuits. The fault condition is maintained by contacts G to H holding the fault relay energised. Contacts G to H act as a latch' to stop power being reapplied when a sensor cools down below 600, If the bed unit was unattended, a faulty device would allow the power to be applied multiple times. If the user had caused the problem by blocking an air grille or other means, by turning the mains switch 55 off and then on again, and if all sensors are sensing all systems are working properly, the power would then be restored.

Claims (9)

1. * cLAIMs. 5 1. Integrated air conditioned canopy and dual air conditioned care bed unit comprising an air conditioned canopy and a dual air conditioned care bed unit to allow users with or without special needs to enter or exit an air conditioned bed such that the whole top bedclothes move to open an area of uncluttered mattress, operated by means of a sliding bedclothes support construction which allows the users bedclothes to move relative to a fixed mattress such that the users bedclothes are carried towards and over a foot board compartment when pushed by the users hand without deforrning the bedclothes when getting into or out of bed.
2. 2. Integrated bed unit according to claim 1 in which the said air conditioned canopy is a fabricated construction having a perimeter defined by four sides such that a bedroom wall side is posterior to two side partitions, with an outwardly facing surface forming anterior side supporting a user thermostat interior to said canopy and central to and above two side curtains to limit heat loss and darken an over bright bedroom and said side partitions are formed of a fabric or other suitable material extending to the apex of the said four sides of said canopy supporting a roof unit containing a plurality ot electrical fan units that act with a heating device controlled by said user thermostat to draw both ambient bedroom air and air derived from any suitable heating radiator device and this radiator and said electrical fan units are controlled by circuits contained in a compartment that is used in place of a foot board and located at the foot board end of a bed and internal to said foot board compartment are safety circuits to monitor the operating temperature of the said radiator and electrical fan units in said canopy.
3. 3. integrated bed unit according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the said dual air conditioned care bed unit comprises a sleeping support surface bounded by a container shaped to receive a permeable foam or soft composite material mattress that is supported on and by two air circulation air ducts that are of equal size and capacity to provide separate under mattress air conditioning.
4. 4. Integrated bed unit according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the said foot board compartment is a fabricated box rectangular in shape with a horizontal width slightly less than the width of the bed with a suitable height and depth to contain two vertical air ducts that each contain two electrical fan units thermal sensor protected positioned symmetrically to either side of a heating device similar to a miniature oil filled radiator thermal sensor protected and controlled by two user thermostats so positioned in the said air ducts to sample currents of air drawn from the right and left halves of the sleeping area such that if air drawn from the left half of the sleeping area is below the set temperature, the thermostat in that air duct will apply power to heat the radiator causing air in the foot board compartment to expand upwards drawing in fresh air from a suitable aperture beneath the said radiator and both fans in the said air duct will now be in operation drawing in warm air from a side aperture sighted in the said vertical air duct, at a point midway between said air fans and adjacent to the radiator in the said foot board compartment and currents of air are also drawn from the left hand side of the sleeping area of the bed by an air intake grille exterior to the foot board compartment and facing inside the sleeping area this air is divided into two air streams such that one air stream is drawn through the upper fan unit to move upwards to flow partly onto the users feet end of the said sleeping bed area then upward through a sliding frame air duct such that these air currents from the air upper air fan will blow conditioned air up and over the neck and shoulders of a user on that side of the bed; the lower air fan will operate in the same way as the upper air fan but will blow the conditioned air through the left hand side of said under mattress support to circulate under that left half of the bed then through a suitable aperture into the said foot board compartment further assisted by rising warm air around the said radiator; the right hand side area of the bed is air conditioned in exactly the same way.

   CLAIMS. 6
5. 5. integrated bed unit according to claim 1 or claim 4 in which the said sliding frame comprises an assembly bounded by four sides; two sides are formed to make a V shaped track that is supported on and by a plurality of track rollers to allow the said sliding frame assembly to be pushed by a user's hand in a direction towards and over the said foot board compartment this sliding frame construction has a plurality of suitable air apertures and air ducts to transfer conditioned air through the sliding frame construction towards and around the upper body of users.
6. 6. Integrated bed unit according to claim I or claim 4 in which the said dual air conditioned care bed comprises of a users own bedclothes supported on and by a fabric covered composite rigid sheet material having a perimeter defined by four sides such that two sides are edge curved and form a width horizontally across the bed slightly less than said mattress in width to allow bedclothes to fail against the mattress to make an effective air seal, and a side directly above a foot board compartment extending toward the said headboard by half the length of the bed.
7. 7. Integrated bed unit according to claim 1 or claim 6 in which the said fabric covered composite rigid sheet structure is seated at the headboard end of the bed to rest against two pieces of burr textured fabric covered composite material; the vertical height of one or both pieces to act as a height adjustment; and are of an equal length; both pieces are joined by a fabric hinge to allow the thicker side to be rotated into a gap between the two bedclothes support air ducts; this position is for a low height; when the thicker piece is rotated to rest on top of the thin piece, both pieces add in height to make the maximum height; these two hinged joined bars are fixed by hook and burr to a lower sliding frame assembly so as to make it possible to replace a smaller bar with a larger bar to allow extra height room for larger users and users that may require that all cold bedclothes be held away from any body contact in the case for users with for example severe joint or bums problems the said fabric covered composite rigid sheet structure may be extended to a suitable length by the use of a similar width but shorter in length extra add-on extension said fabric covered composite rigid sheet cover fixed by hook and burr fabric.
8. 8. Integrated bed unit according to claim 1 or claim 4 in which the said user thermostats in the aforesaid foot board compartment both sense a bed temperature greater than the temperature set by both user thermostats as for example during a heat wave, electrical relays inside said foot board compartment will supply power to all said four foot board fans to draw in fresh air and circulate currents of air to both halves of the bed and under these heat wave conditions the user thermostat in the said headboard canopy operates to remove mains power from the said headboard canopy radiator and supplies power to headboard fans.
9. 9. Integrated bed unit according to claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or claim 8 in which an electrical safety circuit located in the foot board compartment use remote sealed thermal sensors attached to or near all fans and radiators located in the said headboard canopy and said foot board compartment, these sensors are factory set to switch on at or above 600 Celsius to supply power to an electrical relay to illuminate a fault light and other relay contacts act to to disconnect all electrical power both from the said headboard canopy and said care bed unit, other relay contacts act to hold the fault condition until such time when the fault has been rectified, the user clears the fault condition by turning the mains switch off and then on again.