METHOD AND SYSTEM TO DETECT A FIRST GAS IN THE SURROUNDING OF A MATTRESS ASSEMBLY

Abstract

The invention relates to a system to detect a first gas, the system comprising: a mattress assembly defining a support surface including: o a first array of gas sensors, each gas sensor of the first array being adapted to measure an amount of a first gas in the surrounding of a portion of the support surface and adapted to output data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas, so that the amount of the first gas in a first array of surface portions of the support surface is sensed over time; and o a transmitter adapted to send a signal to an external device containing data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas. The invention relates also to a method to detect the first gas.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A system to detect a first gas, the system comprising: a mattress assembly defining a support surface including: a first array of gas sensors, each gas sensor of the first array being adapted to measure an amount of a first gas in the surrounding of a portion of the support surface and adapted to output data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas at a given frequency, so that the amount of the first gas in a first array of surface portions of the support surface is sensed over time; and a transmitter adapted to send a signal to an external device containing data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas.

17. The system of claim 16, comprising a control until adapted to receive and elaborate data coming from the first array of gas sensors and configured for generating a 2D concentration map or table of the concentration of the first gas at the support surface.

18. The system of claim 16, comprising one or more position sensors adapted to detect the position of a part of a body when located on the support surface.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the first array of gas sensor is adapted to measure an amount of the first gas in the surrounding of the position of the part of the body detected by the one or more position sensor.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first array of gas sensors is adapted to measure one or more of the following gasses: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methanethiol, hydrogen sulphide.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the matrass assembly includes: a cover layer defining the support surface; a sensor layer including the first array of gas sensors, the sensor layer being located below the cover layer.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first array of gas sensors includes a plurality of strips of electrically connected gas sensors.

23. The system according to claim 17, where the one or more position sensors comprises one or more of: temperature sensor; weight sensor; camera.

24. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first array of gas sensors comprises: a common substrate; a plurality of gas sensors attached to the common substrate.

25. A method to detect a first gas, the method comprising: providing a mattress assembly defining a support surface; identifying in the support surface a first array of surface portions; detecting an amount of a first gas present in a surrounding of each of the surface portion of the first array of surface portions; and sending to an external device a signal containing data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas; repeating the steps of detecting an amount of a first gas present in a surrounding of each of the surface portion of the first array of surface portions; and sending to an external device a signal containing data indicative of the measured amount of the first gas at a given frequency.

26. The method according to claim 25, comprising: positioning a body on the support surface.

27. The method according to claim 26, comprising: detecting the position of a part of the body positioned on the support surface.

28. The method according to claim 27 comprising: determining in which surface portion of the first array of surface portions the detected part of the body is located.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the step of detecting an amount of a first gas comprises: forming a first array of gas sensors integrated in the mattress assembly.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the step of forming a first array of gas sensors includes: ink printing, sputtering or depositing a suitable material to form the first array of gas sensors on a common substrate.

31. The method according to claim 25, comprising: forming a two-dimensional map of the concentration of the first gas in the surrounding of the support surface.

Description

[0125] FIG. 1 is a side view of a system to measure the amount of a first gas including mattress assembly realized according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0126] FIG. 2 is a top view of the system of FIG. 1 in use;

[0127] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of different embodiments of external devices in communication with the system of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0128] FIG. 4 is a top view of the mattress assembly of FIG. 1 in a disassembled configuration;

[0129] FIG. 5 is a top view of one of the layers of the mattress assembly of FIG. 4;

[0130] FIG. 6 is an enlarged top view of a detail of the layer of FIG. 5;

[0131] FIG. 7 is a top view of the detail of FIG. 6 in a disassembled configuration;

[0132] FIG. 8 is a side view of the layer of FIG. 5 in a different embodiment of the invention;

[0133] FIG. 9 is an enlarged top view of a detail of FIG. 6 or 7; and

[0134] FIG. 10 is a more detailed view of FIG. 2.

[0135] With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, with 1 a system to measure an amount of a first gas is globally indicated with 1.

[0136] The system 1 includes a mattress assembly 2. The mattress assembly 2 includes a mattress topper 3 and a mattress 4. The mattress topper 3 is attached to the mattress 4 by means of elastic retaining straps, all indicated with 5, an elastic restraining straps 5 on every corner of the mattress 4. The retaining straps hold the mattress topper 3 in position by their stretching forces.

[0137] Furthermore, the system 1 includes, located within the mattress topper 3, a wireless transmitter 6 (sketched as a rectangle in the drawings 1 and 2).

[0138] The system 1 includes also a control unit 7, in communication with the transmitter 6.

[0139] The mattress topper 3 comprises a three-layered structure comprising a cover layer 8, a gas permeable layer 9 and a sensor layer 10. The three layers are depicted in an assembled configuration in FIG. 1 and separated one from the others in FIG. 4.

[0140] The cover layer 8 includes an air-porous foam structure and preferably is formed by thermoplastic polyurethane. The cover layer 8 is the upmost layer of the mattress assembly and defines a support surface 11 where a body 12 may lie. The gas present in the air in the surrounding of the mattress topper 3 can enter the cover layer 8 due to high vapour permeability of the thermoplastic polyurethane. In FIG. 2, the support surface 11 has the same dimensions and shape of a standard mattress upper surface. The thickness of the cover layer 8 is preferably comprised between 6 millimetres and 10 millimetres.

[0141] The gas permeable layer 9 is located below the cover layer 8 and is the middle layer of the mattress topper 3. The gas permeable layer 9 preferably has a permeable mesh structure. Preferably, the mesh structure of the air gas permeable layer 9 includes polyethene yarns which create a resilient 3D structure with elastic properties. Preferably, the thickness of the gas permeable layer 9 is of 10 millimetres.

[0142] The sensor layer 10 is the lowermost layer of the mattress topper 3, and it is preferably in contact to the mattress 3. With now reference to FIGS. 5-9, the sensor layer 10 includes a first array of gas sensors 12 which are preferably divided in sensor strips 13. The first array of gas sensors is adapted to measure the concentration of a first gas. The first array 12 of gas sensors shown in FIG. 5 is better detailed in the enlarged view of FIG. 6, where a small portion of the sensor layer 10 is depicted. In FIG. 6, the sensor strips 13 are visible. Preferably, the sensor strips 13 run parallel to each other and diagonally with respect to the sides of the sensor layer 10. Each sensor strip 13 comprises a plurality of gas sensors 14 (visible in FIG. 9) adapted to measure the concentration of the first gas. In order to form the sensor strips 13, preferably each sensor strip 13 comprises various modular sensor elements, such as sensor tiles 15, which are linked to each other by at least one side of the tile 15. Thus, the sensor strip 13 is formed by at least two sensor tiles 15 which are linked together to build the sensor strip 13. Preferably, the sensor strip 13 is formed by a plurality of sensor tiles 15 all having the same geometrical shape. Each sensor tile 15 includes at least a gas sensor 14 as shown in FIG. 9. The sensor layer 10 may include not only sensor tiles 15, but also preferably spacer tiles 16. The spacer tiles 16 enforce a distance between sensor tiles 15 belonging to different sensor strips 13. Several sensor strips 13 are preferably combined with spacer tiles 16, which connects at least two sensor tiles 15 belonging to two different sensor strips 13. Preferably, the sensor layer 10 is formed by sensor tiles 15, each of the sensor tiles including a sensor 14, and spacer tiles 16 without sensors. The sensor layer 10 is thus divided in strips, parallel to each other, which can be either sensor strips 13 or strips without sensors formed by spacer tiles 16. This configuration is clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 9.

[0143] Preferably, sensor tiles 15 and spacer tiles 16 are identical in their geometrical shape and dimensions. Preferably, sensor tiles 15 and spacer tiles 16 have a honeycomb shape.

[0144] Preferably, the spacer tiles 16 and the sensor tiles 15 are made of a flexible plastic substrate and can comprise perforations (not visible in the drawings), to save material and to permit eventually entering liquids to pass through them.

[0145] As depicted in FIG. 7, the sensor layer 10 may comprise a first and second layer 100, 200, the first sensor layer 100 including the first array of sensors 12 to measure a concentration of the first gas, and the second sensor layer 200 comprising a second array of gas sensors (not shown) to measure the concentration of a second gas. The two layers 100, 200 may be combined one on top of each other. The first sensor layer 100 and the second sensor layer 200 both preferably include sensor tiles 15 and spacer tiles 16 as described above. Preferably, when the first sensor layer 100 and the second sensor layer 200 are one on top of the other, sensor tiles 15 of the second sensor layer 200 may be located above the spacer tiles 16 of the first sensor layer 100, and vice versa (see FIG. 7, where the two layers 100, 200 are slightly shifted to show the tiles structure of both of them that otherwise would coincide).

[0146] In a further embodiment depicted in FIG. 8, the sensor layer 10 can be arranged inside a sensor housing 18. The sensor housing 18 defines an inner chamber 19. As shown in FIG. 8, the sensor layer 10 is thereby attached to the upper part of the sensor housing 18, that is, at the ceiling of the inner chamber 19 in order to avoid that eventually entering liquids would accumulated on top of the sensor layer 10.

[0147] Preferably, the sensor housing 18 comprises polyethene walls having elastic properties and enough stiffness to create the inner chamber 19 to include and protect the sensor layer 10 adequately. Preferably, the thickness of the sensor housing 18 is comprised between 10 millimetres and 20 millimetres.

[0148] As illustrated in FIG. 9, each sensor tile 15 includes at least one gas sensor 14. Preferably, the gas sensor is flat and flexible. The gas sensor 14 is generally applied to the sensor tile 15 by ink printing, sputtering or vapour disposition. Several gas sensors 14, 17 measuring different gasses may be applied to the sensor tile 15 depending on the given amount of space on the sensor tile 15. For example, the tile sensor 15 may include a gas sensor 15 of the first array and a second gas sensor 17 of the second array, adapted to measure a first gas concentration and a second gas concentration, respectively. In a preferred embodiment, metal oxide sensors and carbon nanotube sensors are applied to the sensor tiles 15, whereby each sensor can be responsible for specific gas and a corresponding threshold level. In FIG. 9, each sensor tile 15 includes a single gas sensor, either a gas sensor 14 of the first array or a gas sensor 17 of a second array.

[0149] Other sensors like biosensors or sensors responsive to temperature, liquid or sweat (not depicted in the drawings) may be incorporated to the tiles.

[0150] All gas sensors 14, 17 are electrically interconnected by, for example, an OR-circuit with a contact area 20. The signals coming from the gas sensors 14, 17 are directed to the transmitter 6, which may include a communication module (not visible in the drawings), for example a PAN, LAN or WAN interface. The transmitter 6 may be controlled by the control unit 7. The transmitter 6 is adapted to send a signal 21, schematically depicted with a wave in FIGS. 2 and 3, to a connected smart device 22. In FIG. 3, several different smart devices 22 are shown, such as a smartwatch, a tablet or a smartphone. A single smart device 22 is needed, however more than one smart device can be used.

[0151] The functioning of the system 1 of the invention is as follow.

[0152] As depicted in FIG. 10, the support surface 11 may be divided in a first array of surface portions 23. Each surface portion 23 may have the shape of a sensor tile 15 or spacer tile 16, for example they have a hexagonal shape. It may however have any shape. To each surface portion 23, a gas sensor 14, 17 is associated. Therefore, each gas sensor 14, 17 of the first array or second array takes measurements of the concentration of the first gas or of the second gas in the surrounding of each surface portion 23 forming the support surface 11.

[0153] The gas sensors 14, 17, as controlled by the control unit 7, send signals regarding the concentration of the first gas or second gas in the surrounding of each surface portion 23 to the transmitter 6 or control unit 7. This sending is repeated over time. This concentration of the first gas or second gas may differ depending on the surface portion 23 from which the measurements are coming from. Therefore, the position of certain body parts of a body 12 on the support surface 11, for example of the head 26, may be detected. This is due to the fact that the concentration of certain gases may change only in the neighbourhood of certain body parts. These variations in concentration are monitored over time. Thus the position and even the orientation of body parts can be detected.

[0154] If the gas concentration of the first gas or second gas as measured by gas sensors 14, 17, in its variation over time, exceeds or is a certain threshold below in one or more surface portions 23, for example in the portions 23 where the head 26 is located, the signal 21 would be sent by transmitter 6 to the smart device 22, for example warning that an infant located on the support surface 11 suffers a suffocation risk from blanket covering the infant's face. This detection may take place as follow. Initially, the infant (body 12) at first would normally be breathing; however, the amount of CO.sub.2 under the blanket would increase over time due to exhalation. The gas sensors 14, 17 in this situation may detect this continuous increase of CO.sub.2, in particular where the head 26 is located, and when the detected concentration in the location where the head is crosses a threshold concentration of CO.sub.2 (for example a concentration higher than 13.000 parts per million), the transmitter 6 sends an alerting signal 21 to a connected smart device 22 advising the parents for attention on the child. Also without a blanket covering the infant's face, already lower levels of CO.sub.2 (for example comprised between 12.000 parts per million and 13.000 parts per million), which lasts over a certain amount of time, might lead to sleep disorder or a chronic insomnia. Thereby a message 21 could be send to the smart device 22, warning of possible sleep disturbances of the child.

[0155] Other characteristic gases like carbon monoxide (CO) could also serve as an indicator of a suffocation incident or other health issues.

[0156] The second array of sensors 17 could be used to detect, for example, the gastral fluid mix including lactic acid which, when in contact with the atmosphere, gives the characteristic gaseous mixture, that is the mixture mercaptan/sulfides (RSH). If the concentration of this mixture, as detected by the second array of gas sensors 17, is above a threshold level, for example it is above 0.6 parts per million, a signal 21 may be sent to the smart device 22. Also lower levels of RSH (for example a concentration of RSH comprised between 0.1 parts per million and 0.5 parts per millions), over a certain amount of time, might indicate gastrointestinal problems. Thereby a signal 21 could be send to the smart device 22 signalling a possible upcoming health issues.

[0157] Additional physiological effects, like a bowel movement, could also be detected by monitoring the hydrogen sulfide (H.sub.2S) concentration in the ambient air. When detecting the occurrence of H.sub.2S (lower than 2 parts per millions), a signal would be sent to the smart device 22 of a user with the advice to change the diaper of the infant or of an elderly. Lower levels of H.sub.2S (for example comprised between 0.1 parts per million and 1.0 parts per millions) might indicate gastrointestinal problems.

[0158] The control unit 7 preferably includes a memory unit and a CPU (not shown in the drawings). Preferably the control unit 7 stores and analyses the data coming from the gas sensors 14, 17 and may monitor data of a specific user, for example different gas concentrations, temperature distributions or detected sweat on the mattress topper. Upon request of an user, the CPU could analyse the monitoring data and an evaluation report could be send to a user's smart device 22 by the communication module 6.

[0159] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A ±10 percent of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.