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US 12,702,236 B2Granted
Using force sensors in bed systems
AssigneeSleep Number Corporation
InventorsRobert Dean Johnston, Gary N. Garcia Molina, Cory Lee Grabinger, Ajdin Mulaosmanovic, Megha Rajam Rao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bed system includes a support platform and a plurality of legs supporting the support platform. Each leg of the plurality of legs includes a force sensor that is configured to sense a force applied to the leg.
Claims19
A bed system comprising:
- a support platform;
- and
- a plurality of legs supporting the support platform, each leg of the plurality of legs comprising:
- a mount positioned in the leg and connected to an inside surface of the leg;
- a force sensor connected to the mount, the force sensor configured to sense a force applied to the leg;
- a foot that extends around the force sensor and the mount and contacts a floor, the foot having deformable portions along a bottom of the foot and a plate portion of the foot that receives a plate that aligns with the force sensor, wherein the deformable portions are configured to facilitate movement of the plate to compress and contact the force sensor in response to a force applied to the foot along a vertical axis;
- a preamplifier connected to the force sensor and positioned above the mount within the leg.
4 more elements
A bed system comprising:
- a foundation frame configured to support a mattress;
- and
- at least a first leg defining a vertical axis, the first leg comprising:
- a leg shaft mounted to the foundation frame and extending downward from the foundation frame for supporting the foundation frame;
- a leg foot connected to a distal end of the leg shaft, wherein the leg foot has a foot bottom configured to contact a floor;
- and
- a force sensor connected to the leg foot and positioned in a chamber between and defined by a bottom surface of the leg shaft and one or more protrusions of the leg foot, wherein the leg foot is configured to move with respect to the leg shaft to compress the force sensor when a force is applied to the first leg along the vertical axis.
4 more elements
A bed system comprising:
- a support platform configured for supporting a mattress;
- and
- a plurality of legs supporting the support platform, each of the plurality of legs comprising:
- a mount positioned in the leg and connected to an inside surface of the leg;
- a carrier positioned below the mount and connected to the mount, the carrier and the mount defining a chamber between a bottom surface of the mount an upper surface of the carrier and a chamber surface of the carrier;
- a force sensor positioned in the chamber and connected to the carrier at the chamber surface of the carrier, and the chamber constrains the force sensor to two degrees of freedom, the force sensor configured to sense a force applied along a vertical axis of the leg that compresses the force sensor in the chamber;
- a preamplifier connected to the force sensor and positioned above the mount within the leg.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.