Active mirroring capacitance monitoring system for furniture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10386206-B2
Application number	US-201715422472-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2017
Priority date	Feb 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for active-mirroring, capacitive monitoring of furniture are provided. More particularly, the invention relates to an active mirroring system for a furniture item that monitors a first sensor type over a first frequency, while applying an inverse first frequency to at least one other sensor type coupled to the same furniture item. As such, the additional sensor types receiving the inverse sampling frequency may be dampened and/or cancelled, thereby preventing interference during monitoring of the first sensor type. In further aspects, a monitoring and mirroring cycle is provided, for sequentially monitoring and mirroring capacitive sensing mechanisms on different portions of a common furniture item.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring, by a computing device having a processor and a memory, at least one capacitance change associated with a capacitive sensor of a plurality of capacitive sensors coupled to at least one furniture item, wherein the method comprises:
monitoring a capacitance change associated with at least one first sensor type at a first sampling frequency, and mirroring a capacitance change associated with at least one second sensor type at an inverse first sampling frequency;
monitoring a capacitance change associated with at least one second sensor type at a second sampling frequency and mirroring a capacitance charge associated with at least one first sensor type at an inverse second sampling frequency; and
continuing alternating between
(1) monitoring the at least one first sensor type at the first sampling frequency and mirroring the at least one second sensor type at the inverse first sampling frequency; and
(2) monitoring the at least one second sensor type at the second sampling frequency and mirroring the at least one first sensor type at the inverse second sampling frequency,
to provide a continuous monitoring of capacitance change with respect to the first sensor type and the second sensor type of the at least one furniture item.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one furniture item comprises a first furniture item coupled to a second furniture item.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second furniture items comprises a plurality of synchronized sensor types.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inverse first sampling frequency comprises a frequency value cancelled by an applied first sampling frequency of an opposite magnitude with respect to a baseline first monitored capacitance data,
and further wherein the inverse second sampling frequency comprises a frequency value cancelled by an applied second frequency of an opposite magnitude with respect to a baseline second monitored capacitance data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first sampling frequency corresponds to at least one of:
a location on the furniture item of the at least one first sensor type;
a proximity of the at least one first sensor type to another sensor type on the furniture item;
a signal strength of the first sensor type;
a signal strength of a sensor type other than the first sensor type;
an amount of baseline interference with a sampling of capacitance via the first sensor type; and
an amount of baseline interference with a mirroring of capacitance via another sensor type.

6. An active mirroring system for capacitance monitoring, comprising:
at least one first sensor type coupled to at least one furniture item, the at least one first sensor type comprising a first conductive component configured to monitor a change in capacitance with respect to at least a first portion of the furniture item;
at least one second sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item; the at least one second sensor type comprising a second conductive component configured to monitor a change in capacitance with respect to at least a second portion of the furniture item, said second portion separate from said first portion; and
a computing device having a processor and a memory that stores instructions, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to:
(1) apply a sampling frequency to the at least one first sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item;
(2) apply an inverse sampling frequency to the at least one second sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item;
(3) generate at least one capacitance monitoring indication from the at least one first sensor type; and
(4) provide the received at least one capacitance monitoring indication to be utilized to determine whether a capacitance threshold is satisfied for the at least one first sensor type.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein upon providing the received at least one capacitance indication associated with the at least one first sensor type, the execution of instructions further causes the processor to:
1) apply a second sampling frequency to the at least one second sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item;
2) apply an inverse second sampling frequency to the at least one first sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item;
3) generate at least one capacitance monitoring indication from the at least one second sensor type; and
4) provide the received at least one capacitance monitoring indication to be utilized to determine whether a capacitance threshold is satisfied for the at least one second sensor type.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes a repeated sample cycle of capacitance monitoring comprising the at least one first sensor type and the at least one second sensor type, wherein a sequence of the repeated sample cycle comprises alternating steps of:
1) monitoring the at least one first sensor type and mirroring the at least one second sensor type; and
2) monitoring the at least one second sensor type and mirroring the at least one first sensor type.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one first sensor type comprises one of a furniture frame sensor, a furniture surround sensor, and a furniture occupancy sensor.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one second sensor type comprises one of a furniture frame sensor, a furniture surround sensor, and a furniture occupancy sensor.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one furniture item comprises an automated bed having an articulating frame and a plurality of adjustable support platforms corresponding to the articulating frame.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one first sensor type comprises a frame sensor coupled to at least a portion of the articulating frame, and further wherein the at least one second sensor type comprises an occupancy sensor coupled to at least a portion of the plurality of adjustable support platforms,
wherein the at least one first sensor type is configured to monitor a change in presence with respect to the articulating frame based on an increase or decrease in a detected change in voltage via a first sensor type capacitive monitoring component,
and further wherein the at least one second sensor type is configured to monitor occupancy with respect to the plurality of adjustable support platforms based on an increase or decrease in a detected change in voltage via a second sensor type capacitive monitoring component.

13. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one furniture item comprises at least one third sensor type, said at least one third sensor type comprising one of a furniture frame sensor, a furniture surround sensor, and a furniture occupancy sensor,
wherein upon applying a sampling frequency to the at least one first sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item, an inverse sampling frequency is applied to the at least one third sensor type,
and further wherein upon applying a sampling frequency to the at least one second sensor type coupled to the at least one furniture item, an inverse sampling frequency is applied to the at least one third sensor type,
and upon applying an inverse sampling frequency to the at least one first sensor type and the at least one second sensor type, a sampling frequency is applied to the at least one third sensor type.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes a repeated sample cycle of capacitance monitoring comprising the at least one first sensor type, the at least one second sensor

Assignees

• L&P Property Man Co

Inventors

• Miller Eric D
• Berziel Braden
• Gopalakrishnan Vino
• Kaufmann Jonathan
• Conyers Douglas E

Classifications

• H03B1/00

  Details · CPC title

• G06F1/00

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title

• G01D5/24 Primary

  by varying capacitance · CPC title