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US 11,883,205 B2Granted
Support structure
AssigneeAbly Medical AS
InventorsJørn Refsnæs, Arve Voldsund, Cato Alexander Bjørkli, Leila Yousif Circhirillo, Kjell Are Furnes
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Abstract
There is provided an apparatus comprising one or more resilient members for supporting a human or other animal, wherein the one or more resilient members each comprise one or more sensor elements that are attached to and run at least partially along the length of the respective resilient member, and each of the one or more sensor elements is configured to provide an electrical response proportional to the amount of movement of the respective resilient member.
Claims18
A support structure comprising a plurality of elongate, resilient members configured to support a person,
- wherein each resilient member extends lengthwise in the direction of the longest side of the support structure, and from a first end at the top of the support structure to a second, opposite end at the bottom of the support structure, wherein elongate is defined in the lengthwise direction of the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members each have a central longitudinal axis and a length defined along the central longitudinal axis that is at least 20 times a width of the resilient member, wherein the width is defined as the largest lateral dimension of the resilient member that extends through its central longitudinal axis,
- wherein the resilient members are arranged parallel to each other in an array across the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members are separated from each other in a lateral, widthwise direction, and are each fixed against lateral (side-to-side) movement towards and away from each other in the lateral, widthwise direction,
- wherein the resilient members each comprise a sensor element in the form of a piezoelectric material that is attached to and runs along a length of the respective resilient member such that respective resilient members and sensor elements have parallel longitudinal axes, and each of the sensor elements is configured to provide an electrical response proportional to the amount of movement of the respective resilient member, and
- wherein the support structure is not configured as a pad.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- a support structure comprising:
- a plurality of elongate, resilient members configured to support a person,
- wherein each resilient member extends lengthwise in the direction of the longest side of the support structure, and from a first end at the top of the support structure to a second, opposite end at the bottom of the support structure, wherein elongate is defined in the lengthwise direction of the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members each have a central longitudinal axis and a length defined along the central longitudinal axis that is at least 20 times a width of the resilient member, wherein the width is defined as the largest lateral dimension of the resilient member that extends through its central longitudinal axis,
- wherein the resilient members are arranged parallel to each other in an array across the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members each comprise a sensor element in the form of a piezoelectric material that is attached to and runs along a length of the respective resilient member such that respective resilient members and sensor elements have parallel longitudinal axes, and each of the sensor elements is configured to provide an electrical response proportional to the amount of movement of the respective resilient member, and
- wherein the resilient members do not form part of a pad;
- and
- a computer operatively connected to each of the sensor elements and configured to measure an electrical response from each of the sensor elements, and output a signal including data concerning the movement of the resilient members based on the measured electrical response.
6 more elements
A support structure comprising:
- a plurality of elongate, resilient members configured to support a person, and
- a bracket that extends laterally across an end of the support structure,
- wherein each resilient member extends lengthwise in the direction of the longest side of the support structure, and from a first end at the top of the support structure to a second, opposite end at the bottom of the support structure, wherein elongate is defined in the lengthwise direction of the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members each have a central longitudinal axis and a length defined along the central longitudinal axis that is at least 20 times a width of the resilient member, wherein the width is defined as the largest lateral dimension of the resilient member that extends through its central longitudinal axis,
- wherein the resilient members are arranged parallel to each other in an array across the support structure,
- wherein the resilient members each comprise a sensor element in the form of a piezoelectric material that is attached to and runs along a length of the respective resilient member such that respective resilient members and sensor elements have parallel longitudinal axes, and each of the sensor elements is configured to provide an electrical response proportional to the amount of movement of the respective resilient member,
- wherein each of the resilient members are connected to the bracket,
- wherein the bracket comprises a plurality of connectors that are each electrically connected to a respective one of the sensor elements, and
- wherein the support structure is not configured as a pad.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.