Patent ID: 7685658
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: A47C,A61G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A sensor apparatus for a body support surface including an inflatable air chamber, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of pressure-sensitive taxels underlying an air chamber of a body support surface, each of the taxels providing an output indicative of a pressure exerted by the air chamber on a substrate underlying the air chamber at a location of the taxel; and a controller: that is connected to receive the outputs of the taxels; that comprises a state machine having a plurality of defined states and a plurality of transitions defined between the states; and that derives a plurality of bottoming out indicators from the taxel outputs, each of the bottoming out indicators indicating a degree of non-uniformity in the outputs of the taxels; wherein, for at least one of the states: the state machine undergoes a first transition if a first number of the plurality of bottoming out indicators indicates a trend toward bottoming out; and the state machine undergoes a second transition if a second number of the plurality of bottoming out indicators that is greater than the first number indicates a trend toward bottoming out.