WO2012160508A1

WO2012160508A1 - Body scanner for a personalised mattress

Info

Publication number: WO2012160508A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/052552
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Piccinini; Nilso Cruccas
Original assignee: New Wind S.R.L.
Priority date: 2011-05-23
Filing date: 2012-05-22
Publication date: 2012-11-29
Also published as: ITPD20110163A1

Abstract

Body scanner for a personalised mattress, the said personalised mattress being the customisation of a mattress according to the specific requirements of the user for a comfortable repose and meeting the anthropmetric requirements, and based on instrumentation reading the objective characteristics of the physiognomy of each body structure. The said body scanner comprises amongst others a device for acquiring images (9), a device for acquiring the weight (13) of a person set and a software capable of processing said images and said weight in order to attain the corporeal parameters of said person with the distribution of the weight along the body of the person, and capable of compiling a report (14) with instructions for making a mattress that is modular, with two or more zones with differentiated lift.

Description

BODY SCANNER FOR A PERSONALISED MATTRESS

Technical Field

This invention involves a body scanner and a mattress, and a way of making it, that is personalised to the build of the user and his desired ways of sleeping and/resting ).

Background Art

The need of a good mattress for sleeping is well known.

This issue is exploited above all for commercial purposes to claim mattress characteristics that, even if subjectively true, do not adapt well to the user's requirements.

Indeed, each mattress, with its own claimed characteristics, is offered to an undifferentiated public, where very often it is the user that makes a choice without any good reason, having been mainly convinced by advertising slogans.

The main shortcoming of this way of selecting a mattress, and therefore of the product that has been bought, lies in the fact that generally it does not reflect what the specific build of the person requires.

In fact the mattress is sold without any differentiation to a person with a large, medium and small frame.

It is therefore clear that the claimed characteristics, whatever they might be, will have a different effect for each type of build. In extreme cases these characteristics could become superfluous or even counterproductive.

Currently the market does not offer anything that meets specific requirements.

The mattress comes directly from the manufacturer, and is made for a person of average size with stated characteristics.

Even when, however, the size of the person is right for the mattress offered and selected, but not taking into account the user's personal preferences, for example of sleeping on his back rather than on his side etc., a normal mattress on the market will not be able to satisfy all users.

Another serious drawback of existing mattresses is a precise response to weight distribution.

Indeed, as is well known, the body of a normal person requires quite precise and well-defined zones that sustain and support concentrated weight, while it requires zones that respond in a softer manner to support parts of lesser weight.

All this should occur while respecting the anthropometric structure of the body's frame.

Current mattresses on the market, because they are a unicum, can only attempt to take into consideration the above-mentioned requirements, and clearly they can only respond in an approximate and mediocre manner.

Lastly, current mattresses are absolutely not designed to follow a person's growth, especially when a person is young.

Even if there were mattresses for a precise build and a precise age, the solution, the only one currently available for accompanying the growth of the user's body, is a simple, expensive and total replacement of the mattress.

There is also, then, an economic drawback to replacing mattresses that adjust from time to time to the size of the user's body.

Another important aspect that shows up, if there were a wide range of products from which to choose the ideal mattress, concerns the correct identification of said ideal mattress corresponding to the build of the person.

Indeed, this selection would necessarily include numerous and important physical parameters of the person.

It is clear that this job cannot be entrusted to sales staff even if well trained, since the number of parameters, the difficulty for many builds to get reliable results for sizes and anthropometric features would provide an inexact result for selecting the ideal mattress.

To avoid and overcome all the above-mentioned drawbacks, the mattress would have to be made as an ad hoc unique piece for each single person.

The costs of making such a mattress would be so high as to be unfeasible.

Technical- Problem

The purpose of the invention is to overcome all the drawbacks set out above and others that will become evident later in the description.

A principal purpose of this invention concerns being able to provide a mattress that precisely responds to the parameters of the physiognomy of the person.

Another purpose of this invention is to make available a mattress that can be personalised also on the basis of the user's preferences.

Another purpose of this invention is to make available a mattress that can adapt to the user's needs when his body is growing.

A further purpose of this invention is to make available a mattress that can provide the user not only with a valid response to his requirements, but also one that can prevent and/or treat incorrect sleeping postures.

A further purpose of this invention is to make available a mattress based on the taking and analysis of the various anthropometric parameters of the person.

A further purpose of this invention is to provide a device that lets sales personnel find out the physiognomic parameters of the person in a simple, quick and objective manner, so as to find the ideal mattress.

A further purpose of this invention is to make available a mattress based on the client's requirements without using any adhesives.

This mattress is available immediately since its construction takes place without additional requirements in any place and at any moment.

This is made available in any shop with ease, since there are no fixed structured parts.

The benefits can be had at said shops, where the user can immediately test how good the product is and how it can meet his needs.

Technical- Solution

All the above-mentioned purposes can be met with the personalised mattress and a body scanner as defined in its essential characteristics in the claims.

Advantageous Effects

Advantageously the body scanner for a personalised mattress consists of a device equipped with a scanner, or a device for acquiring images capable of obtaining the image of the build of a person, where such images acquired by the special software are processed by an algorithm capable of attaining the body parameters of the personvwhose build has been acquired, succeeding in distributing the weight of said person, having been automatically obtained by said device, according to an anthropometric distribution, and compiles the instructions for making the mattress according to a map whose zones of resistance to the springiness are directly proportional to the above-mentioned distribution of the weights of the body structure of said person.

Conveniently, said personalised mattress is composed of a base to which is joined a series of strips with different widths and depths that each have their own physical-mechanical characteristics, and which can be made of different materials depending on the person.

Advantageously this joining together can also occur without the use of any adhesives.

These strips basically have a differentiated lift.

The base, with suitable couplings and/or restraints, holds said series of strips in the correct positions.

Advantageously, said restraints can be configured as either pins or as truncated cones that rise up from said base to engage corresponding holes in each strip element.

Conveniently said holes have an elliptical cross-section for improving the hold and for facilitating the production phase, for better countering any movements to which said strips are mainly subjected to.

Eventually above said series of strips there can be a topper with the function of averaging out the perceived lift without abrupt variations.

Also this topper can be made of a material with diverse thickness and/or lift.

Advantageously the base is made in various solutions with different physical characteristics, for example resistance to sagging or lift.

A further advantage of this system lies in the fact that it can be readily available, since it does not have any fixed parts, also in a small retail outlet, where the user can immediately test an example made on the spot, in order to test how good the system is and how it satisfies his requirements.

Description Of Drawings

The technical characteristics of the invention, in line with the above-mentioned objectives, can clearly be found in the contents of the claims above and the benefits of it are even more evident in the detailed description that follows, made with reference to the attached diagrams, which depict a form that is purely by way of example and non-binding, where:

figs. 1, 2 and 3 show an element constituting the object of the invention defined as a base according respectively to a side plane view, a plane view from above and a prospective view;

figs. 4, 5 and 6 show an element constituting the object of the invention defined as a strip to be positioned next to other strips above said base, according respectively to an enlarged side plane view, a plane view from above and a prospective view;

figs. 7, 8 and 9 show the all the base components and a series of strips according respectively to a side plane view, a plane view from above and a prospective view;

figs. 10, 11 and 12 show just the series of strips of figures 7, 8 and 9 in a corresponding view.

Figs. 13 and 14 show a topper layer according to a side plane view and a plane view from above;

figs. 15 and 16 show a side plane view and a prospective view of the object of the invention;

figs. 17 and 18 show an example of a body scanner capable of taking an image of the build of the person;

fig. 19 shows an example of a report with the instructions for making a personalised mattress.

Best Mode

With reference to the diagrams, we can see that the personalised mattress is composed of a base 1 from whose bottom surface 2 rises up a series of coupling and/or holding devices 3, advantageously configured as pegs or pins; at the side ends of the bottom surface 2 there are confinement elements 4.

On said base 1 are installed a series of strips 5 placed side by side, each one characterised by its own physical and mechanical properties, in particular with their own resistance to sagging.

These strips 5 can have a parallepiped structure, but also a more complex configuration, not only width and/or depth, but also perimetric taking on a C shape, and S shape or something else.

Advantageously one or more of the above-mentioned physical-chemical characteristics that distinguish each strip is highlighted with a different colour, in order to facilitate identification and also to be able to correspond to a diagram of the lifts.

This facilitates the job of forming the relative mattress using strips with the required lift, and put them on a suitable base that has the task of holding them in the correct position.

For this holding it is useful that each strip has an express device that facilitates the positioning and holding of the strip next to those beside it and/or to the base.

An advantageous implementation of this retention and positioning consists of providing one or more holes 6 that fully or just partially go through the strip 5, capable of joining to the respective pins 3 that have a complementary shape and that come out of the bottom surface 2 of the base 1.

The solution of the truncated cone shape of these pins 3 provides easy positioning and retention with eventual interference with respect to the hole 6 on the respective strip 5.

Eventually the above-mentioned holes 6 could advantageously be elliptical in shape, better able to withstand the thrusts to which they are mainly subjected.

On top of everything, the base 1 and the series of strips 5, there is a topper 7, which has the purpose of making everything solid, and also of averaging out the lift perceived by the user near the space at the edges between two adjacent strips 5.

To make it easier to identify the sequence of strips 5 needed to make the mattress in this invention it is necessary to identify the position and the characteristics of each strip 5, on the basis of the anthropometric configuration, using special software that is provided.

This software receives the relative data from a scanner directly on the body of the user.

Said scanner or body scanner 8 is composed of a station equipped with a scanner or another device for acquiring images 9 (for example a webcam) of a person's body structure.

Since it is particularly important to know the distribution of the weight along the body of the person, it is preferable to get two images, one front and one from the side, which makes it easy to assess the volume of the body mass.

The body scanner device 8, positioned at the base of the base of the board 12 supporting the person, has a device for evaluating the weight 13, preferably a weighcell or scales, which allows the software to obtain the weight of the person.

Based on one or more images and on the base of the weight, the software uses anthropometric calculations to calculate the distribution of the weight along the body of the person.

To facilitate the operator's hob, depending on the number of strips needed to make the mattress, the software works out the best distribution of the various resistances of the springing in a table or graphic form.

Any optional indications regarding preferences of the sleeping position can help provide greater precision in the decision about the best possible distribution.

In particular the example of software for the body scanner 8 includes the following steps:

A) Software starts to get images from the image acquisition device 9 and the weight from the weight acquisition device 13;

B) Positioning of the subject in the first position and the acquisition of the first frontal image;

C) Eventual positioning of the subject in a second position and acquisition of an eventual second side image;

D) The images are processed using an algorithm to identify the corporeal parameters of the subject;

E) The preferred parameters used for assessing the anthropometric distribution of the weights are two or more of the following: Weight, Height, Neck width, Shoulder breadth, Belly width, Buttocks width;

F) Based on the parameters obtained, the software distributes the weight in two or more homogeneous zones (head, shoulders, chest, pelvis and legs) in order to create a personalised mattress with two or more differentiated lift zones;

G) Based on the weight of each zone, the software selects the resistance of the springing for that zone. It also creates a summary report 14.

This report 14 also indicates the thickness of the topper (upper part of the mattress) and the height of the pillow for the correct posture of the person while sleeping.

It should be pointed out that since the profile of each picture is very important (especially in the case where two 90° images of the person are taken), said images should preferably be taken against the light.

The body scanner device 8 is therefore fitted with one or more lighting elements 11, preferably led panels arranged on the background wall 10, which will be the background of the subject whose profile has to be taken, thereby facilitating a backlit picture using overexposure.

Eventually also the support board 12 can be fitted with said led panels, thereby improving the quality of the picture taken.

Then the measurements of the main anthropometric features, taken in an objective, simple and quick manner by the instrumentation, provide the mattress maker with all the information needed for constructing the personalised mattress.

Indeed, from these measurements you can see those parts of the body that have the greatest pressure and that should be fully supported or with a limited yielding of the respective strip on which those parts need to be supported.

These indications, also in the form of a diagram of the pressures in a different colour, allow you to reproduce, also visually with coloured strips, where a different colour corresponds to a different lift, a mattress corresponding to said diagram supplied by the software.

This production procedure starts with an analysis of the build of the user by means of a body scanner, acquiring among other parameters, the weight, the height and the main aspects of the physiognomy and/or anthropometric features of the user.

Special software provides the parameters of greater compression and their position on the mattress that is to be made; eventually it reproduces with different colours the areas corresponding to the pressure of the body to be supported in a graphic form.

On the basis of these results it is possible to make a personalised mattress.

Choosing a base 1, with the right lift and resistance, fitted with pins 3 that rise out of the bottom 2, which act as a support and restraint for the strips 5 that it will be fitted with, based on the graphic and/or colour indications of the report supplied by the software, the user or the personnel in charge identifies the right strip 5 and places it in the precise position, matching up the holding systems on the base 1.

This step is repeated for all the strips 5 until the space available on the bottom 2 of the base 1 for installing said strips 5 is completely full.

Eventually a topper 7 can be put on this mattress with the desired lift/thickness.

Following the above-mentioned procedure you obtain a personalised mattress according to the object of the invention.

Claims

1. Body scanner for a personalised mattress, characterised by the fact that it comprises a device for acquiring images (9), set in the front part of said body scanner (8), capable of acquiring images of the body structure of the person for whom the mattress is to be made, and a device for acquiring the weight (13) of said person set at the base of the body scanner (8), in the support platform (12), as well as software capable of processing said images and said weight in order to attain the corporeal parameters of said person with the distribution of the weight along the body of the person, and capable of compiling a report (14) with instructions for making a mattress that is modular, with two or more zones with differentiated lift.

Body scanner for a personalised according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the image acquired is just the profile of the person

Body scanner for a personalised according to claim 1 or 2, characterised by the fact that it has a back wall (10) and/or a support platform (12), where this back wall (10) and/or support platform (12) have one or more lighting elements (11) for acquiring back-lit images or said profile of the person by the device for acquiring images (9).

Body scanner for a personalised mattress according to the previous claim, characterised by the fact that the weight acquisition device (13) is a weighing scale or a weighcell.

Body scanner for a personalised mattress according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that said software uses the following steps:

A) it starts to get images from the image acquisition device (9) and the weight from the weight acquisition device (13);

B) positioning of the subject in the first frontal position and the acquisition of the first frontal image;

G) based on the weight worked out for each differentiated lift zone, the software selects the resistance of the modular elements with differentiated lift and creates a summary report showing in a graphical and/or numeric manner the arrangement of said differentiated lift modular elements for making the personalised mattress, with eventual indications about the type of base and/or topper to be used respectively below and above the sequence of said modular elements that are positioned next to one another.

Body scanner for a personalised mattress according to the pervious claim, characterised by the fact that said personalised mattress comprises:

a) a base (1) that on the bottom surface (2) has devices for positioning and retaining/fixing (3):

b) a series of modular elements made as strips (5) positioned next to each other, with suitable lift or other physical characteristics (colour, breathability, viscoelasticity, etc.) fitted with devices (6) capable of joining with said devices for positioning and holding and/or fixing (3) that are on the bottom surface (2) of the base (1), and in a number that is suitable for the space available of the base.

Body scanner for a personalised mattress according to the previous claim, characterised by the fact that said devices for positioning and holding and/or fixing are configured as pins, and said devices capable of joining, present in said strips (6), have been configured as holes.

Personalised mattress according to claim 6 or 7, characterised by the fact that said devices for positioning and holding and/or fixing (3) are configured as truncated cones that rise up from said bottom surface (2) of the base (1) to engage with said devices (6) capable of joining, present in said strips (5) configured as truncated conical holes.

Personalised mattress in accordance with the previous claim, characterised by the fact that said truncated cone elements and said truncated conical holes have an elliptical cross-section.

Personalised mattress in accordance with one or more of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that the construction of one or more of the construction elements (1, 5, 7) of said personalised mattress uses no adhesives.

Personalised mattress in accordance with one or more of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that as a modular element it is present for each construction to be made and to be tested by the user directly in the shop.

Procedure for making a personalised mattress making use of the body scanner (8), according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised by the fact that it includes the following steps:

a. At least a stage for acquiring one or more images of the user and one or more physical and/or anthropometric parameters of the physical build of the user, by using a body scanner (8).

b. At least a stage for inserting and/or transferring said physical and/or anthropometric parameters to said software for providing results and/or indications, graphic and/or coloured, of the characteristics (lift, breathability, viscoelasticity, etc.) of the constituent elements of the personalised mattress to be made.

c. At least a stage for identifying and adopting a base (1) fitted with positioning and holding/fixing devices (3) in accordance with the results and/or indications of the software;

d. At least a stage for identifying and adopting one or more series of strips (5) to be joined to said base (1), in accordance with the results and/or indications of the software;

e. At least a stage for positioning said one or more series of strips (5) to said base (1);

An eventual stage for identifying and positioning a topper layer (7), in accordance with the results and/or indications of the software, above the series of strips (5) arranged above said base (1)