System and methods for detecting mattress defects

A mattress defect detection system for analyzing a mattress for potential defects in the nature of an at least one depression in a top surface of the mattress, namely, a sunken area in the top surface of the mattress at a location where no physical object is actively present nor positioned directly in contact with the top surface of the mattress, the system comprising:

• an at least one mattress defect detection device comprising:
• an elongate guide rail sized and configured for being oriented laterally or longitudinally relative to the mattress, in a substantially horizontal orientation and parallel with the top surface of the mattress;
• a pair of support legs configured for engagement with the guide rail in order to elevate the guide rail a substantially uniform distance above the top surface of the mattress, thereby vertically spacing apart the guide rail and the top surface of the mattress;
• each of the support legs providing a support foot configured for being placed on a substantially horizontal surface;
• and
• a control housing slidably engaged with the guide rail, so as to be vertically spaced apart from the top surface of the mattress, and capable of selectively traversing a rail length of the guide rail between a first terminal end and an opposing second terminal end of the guide rail, the control housing providing:
• an at least one measurement laser positioned and configured for measuring a depression depth of the at least one depression in the top surface of the mattress—namely, a distance between the at least one measurement laser and the top surface of the mattress—at an at least one measurement site, the at least one measurement laser oriented so as to emit a laser beam toward the top surface of the mattress in a direction that is perpendicular to the top surface of the mattress;
• and
• an at least one microcontroller in electrical communication with the at least one measurement laser for controlling the at least one measurement laser and receiving from the at least one measurement laser the depression depth associated with each of the at least one measurement site;
• and
• a user application residing in memory on an at least one computing device, the at least one computing device in selective communication with the at least one mattress defect detection device and configured for receiving and processing the depression depth associated with each of the at least one measurement site, obtained by the at least one mattress defect detection device;
• whereby, during use of the system, with the guide rail positioned over the top surface of the mattress, the control housing is moved along the guide rail between the first and second terminal ends, while the at least one measurement laser measures the depression depth of the at least one depression in the top surface of the mattress at each of the at least one measurement site, with each said depression depth measurement being subsequently transmitted to the at least one computing device, where the user application determines whether one or more of the at least one depression has a depression depth that exceeds a pre-defined threshold, in which case the user application determines that the mattress is defective;
• and
• whereby, during use of the system, the guide rail is positioned proximal to a first terminal edge of the mattress and incrementally moved toward an opposing second terminal edge of the mattress, with the control housing slidably moved along the guide rail from the first terminal end to the opposing second terminal end each time the guide rail is incrementally moved closer to the second terminal edge of the mattress.