Abstract:
A bed including a support frame, a foundation configured to support the support frame, means for displacing the support frame in a longitudinal direction with respect to the foundation, and means for displacing the support frame in a transverse direction with respect to the foundation. In addition, a method for inducing sleep by providing the proper stimulation to the vestibular organs is also provided. The method includes providing a support member configured to support an individual, controlling the displacement of the support member in a longitudinal direction of the support member, and controlling the displacement of the support member in a transverse direction of the support member. The combined motion of the support member in both the longitudinal direction and the transverse is configured to induce sleep.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/752,493, filed Dec. 22, 2005, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to beds and more specifically, to a bed configured to oscillate in both a longitudinal and transverse direction. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A large portion of people complain that they have to lie down on a bed for a long time before they fall asleep; that they can not fall asleep again after they wake up during the night; or that they wake up early and can not fall asleep again in the early morning. According to statistics, one-fourth of the population suffers from insomnia; in adults over 76 year old, 29% of men and 37% of women have sleep problem. In addition, many people suffer from simple insomnia or other sleep problems caused by physical or mental diseases. Drugs used for insomnia have a certain limitation because of their side effects, which inhibit the action of the central nervous system for a certain period of time and can therefore affect a person&#39;s quality of life. They may also cause drug-dependence. 
     No one doubts that sleep is vitally important for human physical and mental health and therefore the sleep mechanism is an issue that is worth exploring and continues to be explored. Experiments involving lack of sleep suggest that sleep allows the body to rest and repair itself. Therefore, the invention of a new and effective hypnotherapy technology would be highly desirable. 
     The effect of some of the so-called hypnotherapies is questionable. One example is music hypnotherapy that relies on an aural stimulus, which only acts on the cochlear nerves and locally stimulates the cerebral cortex of the brain. Some special beds have been used in hospitals that have a special mattress and bed skeleton. However, the function of the bed is not for the treatment of insomnia but mainly for the prevention of bedsores and pneumonia in patients who are unconscious or who have difficulty changing their posture. 
     Traditional understanding of sleep in humans assumes that the quietness of the environment is an important factor. In conjunction with this assumption, is the belief that a generally steady sleep surface is also beneficial. However, this is an issue that merits further consideration, in fact it can be shown that a proper form and quantity of movement is an effective stimulation for promoting sleep. One example, which I call the cradle effect, is a child being rocked in a cradle or rocked by a parent in the parent&#39;s arms. Another example, which I call the trip effect, is when people fall asleep while traveling by carriage, car, ship or train. The third example is that sleepiness, likely to be caused by the motion of the car, is a major cause of serious accidents proved by traffic accident surveys (Department of Human Science, Loughborough University Tel: +44-1509-223091). In addition, people change position a few times before they lie down and try to sleep. 
     Vestibular organs including the utricle, the saccule and the semicircular canals are traditionally understood as balance sense organs that assist humans and animals in evaluating the position of the head relative to gravity and maintaining balance while carrying out normal activities. However, the vestibular organs are also sleep organs. 
     Based on study of sleep history, exquisite observation of human&#39; life and continuously exploration of sleep mechanism, applicant thinks that sleep mechanism consists of two sub-mechanisms: the sleep initiation mechanism and the sleep maintenance mechanism. Sleep occurrence is a process of a consciousness state entering a sleep (we call none or very low level consciousness) state and is triggered by the sleep initiation mechanism. Sleep occurrence depends on conditions both from outside and inside of the body. That is, both the environment and some organs of the body control sleep initiation. As such, sleep occurrence is a conditioned reflex. Generally, the sleep maintenance mechanism is the natural, cerebral function program which is procedurally controlled by the brain although it is affected by conditions from inside and outside the body. 
     One aspect affecting sleep initiation is motion sensed by the body. The proper motion is a motion which simultaneously satisfies two conditions: (1) quality: causes continuous stimulation of vestibular organs, of which there are two forms: rhythmic motion and rhythm-less motion; (2) quantity: proper motion intensity which will not cause muscles, especially extremity muscles, to contract in an attempt to maintain body balance and excessive reaction of parasympathetic excitation. The proper motion gives appropriate stimulation to vestibular organs thereby promoting the occurrence of sleep. 
     Based the foregoing information, I have established a theory that the mechanism of sleep occurrence is a conditioned reflex controlled via the vestibular organs, which include the utricle, the saccule, and the semicircular canals, which are therefore sleep sense organs; and that the brainstem and basal forebrain form the sleep center. Proper motion causes the vestibular organs to send a sleep signal to the sleep center in the brainstem and the basal forebrain via the vestibular nerve; the neurons of the sleep center are activated and sleep onset is triggered. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a new bed that moves in such a manner to promote the sleep initiation mechanism and the sleep maintenance mechanism by proper stimulation of the vestibular organs. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes a foundation, a side-to-side assembly movably supported on the foundation, a support frame movably mounted on the side-to-side assembly, a first motion device connected to the side-to-side assembly, the first motion device configured to move the side-to-side assembly in a longitudinal direction with respect to the foundation, and a second motion device located on the side-to-side assembly, the second motion device being configured to move the support frame in a transverse direction with respect to the foundation. The combination of movement in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction provides reciprocal movement of the support frame. 
     In a further aspect, the apparatus may include a control device configured to control both the first motion device and the second motion device to provide the reciprocal movement. The control device may control frequency of the reciprocal movement, amplitude of the reciprocal movement, and/or time period of the reciprocal movement. The control device may include control panel for users to set parameters of the reciprocal movement. 
     In another aspect, the first motion device may include an electric motor having a rotating shaft and a power transmission component connected between the rotating shaft and the side-to-side assembly. The power transmission component converts rotational movement of the rotating shaft into longitudinal displacement of the side-to-side assembly. 
     In yet another aspect, the second motion device may include an electric motor having a rotating shaft and a power transmission component connected between the rotating shaft and the support frame. The power transmission component converts rotational movement of the rotating shaft into transverse displacement of the support frame. The power transmission component may further include a driving wheel driven by the electric motor that contacts a lower surface of the support frame. 
     In a further aspect, the support frame may be pivotally mounted on the side-to-side assembly or may be linearly slidably mounted on the side-to-side assembly. 
     In another aspect, the apparatus may include at least one rail located on one of the side-to-side assembly and the support frame and at least one track assembly including a plurality of wheels located on the other of the side-to-side assembly and the support frame with the plurality of wheels being movable within the at least one rail. The at least one rail may be formed as an arcuate shape and/or the at least one track may be formed as an arcuate shape. 
     In a further aspect, the apparatus may include a pivot pin on one of the side-to-side assembly and support frame and a hole on the other of the side-to-side assembly and support frame where the hole is configured to receive the pivot pin. The support frame is configured to pivot with respect to the side-to-side assembly. 
     In a different aspect, the at least one rail includes a first rail and a second rail, the at least one track assembly includes a first track assembly and a second track assembly, and the first and second rails are generally straight. 
     In another aspect, the apparatus may include a mattress supported by the support frame. 
     In yet another aspect, the apparatus may include a longitudinal motion assembly supporting the side-to-side assembly on the foundation and the longitudinal motion assembly is configured to provide the longitudinal displacement of the side-to-side assembly. 
     In a further aspect, the apparatus may include a pair of rails located on one of the side-to-side assembly and the longitudinal motion assembly and a pair of track assemblies corresponding to the pair of rails located on the other of the side-to-side assembly and the longitudinal motion assembly. Each of the pair of track assemblies includes a plurality of wheels being movable within the corresponding rail. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, a bed includes a support frame, a foundation configured to support the support frame, means for displacing the support frame in a longitudinal direction with respect to the foundation, and means for displacing the support frame in a transverse direction with respect to the foundation. 
     In another aspect, the bed may include a mattress supported by the support frame. 
     In a different aspect, the means for displacing the support frame in a longitudinal direction and the means for displacing the support frame in the transverse direction may cooperate to displace the support frame in a plane generally parallel to an upper surface of the base. 
     In yet another aspect, the means for displacing the support in a longitudinal direction and the means for displacing in the transverse direction may cooperate to displace the support frame in the longitudinal direction and transverse direction at the same time. 
     According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for inducing sleep by providing the proper stimulation to the vestibular organs includes providing a support member configured to support an individual, controlling the displacement of the support member in a longitudinal direction of the support member, and controlling the displacement of the support member in a transverse direction of the support member. The combined motion of the support member in both the longitudinal direction and the transverse is configured to induce sleep. 
     In another aspect, the combined motion may be generally in a single plane. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present application will become more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of the bed; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a support frame for the bed of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are perspective views of a first embodiment of a means for providing side-to-side motion for the bed of  FIG. 1  looking from above and below; respectively; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a means for providing longitudinal motion for the bed of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a foundation for the bed of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic representation of the motive force of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a support frame for the bed of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are perspective views of a second embodiment of a means for providing side-to-side motion for the bed of  FIG. 1  looking from above and below; respectively; 
         FIG. 9A  is a schematic representing an exemplary control scheme for the motion of the bed of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 9B  shows exemplary motions of a mattress based on parameters of the control scheme. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A first exemplary embodiment of a bed  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . As seen in  FIG. 1 , the bed  10  includes a mattress  100 , a support frame  200 , a side-to-side motion assembly  300  that supports frame  200 , a longitudinal motion assembly  400  that supports the side-to-side motion assembly  300 , and a pedestal or foundation  500 . As shown, the bed  10  is designed to allow the mattress to be moved in a longitudinal direction L and/or a side-to-side direction T with respect to the foundation  500  and will be described in further detail below. Proper control of the motion of the mattress will stimulate the vestibular organs and assist in the sleep initiative and sleep maintenance mechanisms. 
     Although the mattress  100 , support frame  200 , side-to-side motion assembly  300 , the longitudinal motion assembly  400 , and foundation  500  are shown as separate components, it is understood that one or more of these components can be combined into a single component. For example, mattress  100  and support frame  200  could be provided as a single reinforced mattress. 
     For purposes of this invention, the mattress  100  can be any conventional mattress, such as, for example, a foam mattress, an air mattress, a spring mattress, a water-filled mattress, or any other mattress that is designed to support a body in a supine position. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the mattress  100  is supported on a support frame  200 . 
     Support frame  200  is formed from any suitable planar material  210  that is strong enough to support the weight of a body or bodies plus the weight of mattress  100 . The planar material  210  has an upper surface (not shown) that contacts mattress  100  and a lower surface  220 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , a hole  230  is formed in the lower surface  220  near one end of the planar material  210 . Preferably, the hole  230  does not extend completely through the planar material  210 . A first rail  240  is attached to the lower surface  220  proximal the hole  230  and a second rail  250  is attached to the lower surface  220  distal the hole  230 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , each of the rails  240 ,  250  are arcuate and the radius of curvature of the first rail  240  is less than the radius of curvature of the second rail  250 . In this arrangement, the support frame  200  is configured to provide a side-to-side displacement with respect to the foundation  500  via an interaction between the support frame  200  and the side-to-side motion assembly  300 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the side-to-side motion assembly  300  includes a frame  310  that is generally rectilinear in shape. A pivot pin  320  is formed at one end of the frame  310  and is configured to cooperate with the hole  230  of the support frame  200 . First and second track assemblies  330 ,  340  are provide inside frame  310  and the first track assembly  330  is proximal the pivot pin  320  and the second track assembly  340  is distal the pivot pin  320 . First and second track assemblies  330 ,  340  are configured to correspond with first and second rails  240 ,  250 , respectively. 
     The first track assembly  330  includes a plurality of wheels  332  supported by a rail  334 . In the embodiment shown, the wheels  332  are free to rotate. The second track assembly  340  includes a plurality of wheels  342 , which are supported by a rail  344 . In addition to wheels  342 , the second track assembly  340  also includes a drive wheel  346 . Drive wheel  346  includes a pin  348  that extends through rail  344 . A driven gear  349  is supported on the end of the pin  348  opposite the drive wheel  346 . The driven gear  349  may be driven by an electric motor  350 . 
     The electric motor  350  includes a drive shaft  352 . A drive gear  354  is supported on the end of the drive shaft  352  and cooperates with the driven gear  349  to rotate the drive wheel  346 . The electric motor  350  may be any suitable motor that allows the drive shaft to be rotated in both a forward and reverse direction. The electric motor  350  is attached to the frame  310  by a support means  360 . 
     Frame  310  also includes a cross-member  370  that supports a linkage arm  380  and stabilizes the first track  330  that extends below frame  310 . As most clearly shown in  FIG. 3B , the linkage arm  380  includes a linkage pin  382 . Rails  390 ,  395  are mounted to a lower surface  315  of the frame  310 . Rails  390 ,  395  and linkage pin  382  cooperate with the longitudinal motion assembly  400  so that frame  310  can be displaced in a longitudinal direction with respect to foundation  500 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the longitudinal motion assembly  400  includes a frame  410 , a first row of wheels  420 , and a second row of wheels  430  formed on an upper surface  415  of the frame  410 . First and second row of wheels  420 ,  430  cooperate with the pair of rails  390 ,  395 , respectively, to allow frame  310  to be displaced in a longitudinal direction relative to frame  410 . A support frame  440  is attached to frame  410  and supports a drive mechanism  450 . 
     Drive mechanism  450  includes a linkage arm  452  having a first and second end  454 ,  456  and an electric motor  460 . The first end  454  of the linkage arm  452  is connected to the linkage pin  382  of the side-to-side motion assembly  300 . The second end  456  of the linkage arm  452  is connected to a disc-shaped member  462  supported on a drive shaft  464  of the electric motor  460 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , the drive shaft  464  is preferably oriented normal to the upper surface  415  of the frame  410 . In operation, as shown in  FIG. 6 , as the disc-shaped member  462  rotates, the linkage arm  452  is drawn in a path such that the linkage pin  382  and the frame  310  is pushed/pulled in a longitudinal direction. 
     The frame  410  may be fixedly attached to foundation  500 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , the foundation  500  may be an open box  510 . The box  510  conceals the drive mechanism  450  of the longitudinal motion assembly  400  and the electric motor  350  of the side-to-side motion assembly  300 . Therefore, when fully assembled, the bed  10  may appear similar to any other bed arrangement. 
       FIGS. 7 ,  8 A, and  8 B show a second exemplary embodiment of the bed of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the support frame  200 ′ and the side-to-side motion assembly  300 ′ have been modified so that the entire support frame  200 ′ translates in the transverse direction rather than pivots about a single point. 
     Support frame  200 ′ is formed from any suitable planar material  210 ′ that is strong enough to support the weight of a body or bodies plus the mattress  100 . The planar material  210 ′ has an upper surface (not shown) that contacts mattress  100  and a lower surface  220 ′. First and second rails  240 ′,  250 ′ are attached to the lower surface  220 ′ of the planar material  210 ′. In this arrangement, the support frame  200 ′ is configured to provide a side-to-side displacement with respect to the foundation  500  via an interaction between the support frame  200 ′ and the side-to-side motion assembly  300 ′. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the side-to-side motion assembly  300 ′ includes a frame  310 ′ that is generally rectilinear in shape. First and second track assemblies  330 ′,  340 ′ are provide inside frame  310 ′. First and second track assemblies  330 ′,  340 ′ are configured to correspond with first and second rails  240 ′,  250 ′, respectively. 
     The first track assembly  330 ′ includes a plurality of wheels  332 ′ supported by a rail  334 ′. A drive wheel  336 ′ is also supported in rail  334 ′. The second track assembly  340 ′ includes a plurality of wheels  342 ′, which are supported by a rail  344 ′. In addition to wheels  342 ′, the second track assembly  340 ′ also includes a drive wheel  346 ′. Drive wheels  336 ′,  346 ′ is supported on a shaft&#39;  348  that extends through rails  330 ′,  340 ′. A driven gear  349 ′ is supported on the shaft  348 ′ between the first and second track assemblies  330 ′,  340 ′. The driven gear  349 ′ may be driven by an electric motor  350 ′. 
     The electric motor  350 ′ includes a drive shaft  352 ′. A drive gear  354 ′ is supported on the end of the drive shaft  352 ′ and cooperates with the driven gear  349 ′ to rotate the drive wheels  336 ′,  346 ′. The electric motor  350 ′ may be any suitable motor that allows the drive shaft to be rotated in both a forward and reverse direction. The electric motor  350 ′ is attached to the frame  310 ′ by a support means  360 ′. 
     The support means  360 ′ supports a linkage arm  380 ′ that extends below frame  310 ′. As most clearly shown in  FIG. 8B , the linkage arm  380 ′ includes a linkage pin  382 ′. A pair of rails  390 ′,  395 ′ is mounted to a lower surface  315 ′ of the frame  310 ′. The pair of rails  390 ′,  395 ′ and linkage pin  382 ′ cooperate with the longitudinal motion assembly  400  so that frame  310 ′ can be displaced in a longitudinal direction with respect to foundation  500  in a similar manner as frame  310 . 
     In operation either exemplary embodiment of the bed  10 , a user may vary the motion of the bed  10  by input parameters into a control module.  FIG. 9A  shows an exemplary arrangement where a user inputs control parameters into a control module  920  via user input device  910 . The control module  920  sends control signals to electric motor  350  or  350 ′ and electric motor  460 . For purposes of this invention, the user may be the individual lying on the mattress  100  or an operator controlling the bed  10  for the benefit of the individual lying on the mattress  100 . 
     Exemplary parameters include amplitude of oscillation of the support frame  200  and/or side-to-side motion assembly  300 , frequency of oscillation of the support frame  200  and/or side-to-side motion assembly  300 , and duration of oscillation of the support frame  200  and/or side-to-side motion assembly  300 . User input device  910  may be either a control panel configured to receive user inputs or a remote device configured to transmit user inputs to control module  920 . The control module  920 , in turn, converts the user inputs into control signals to the appropriate electric motor(s)  350  or  350 ′ and  460 . 
       FIG. 9B  shows various oscillating motions that the bed  10  may perform based on input parameters from a user. The motion may be as simple as moving back and forth in only one direction (i.e., side-to-side or in the longitudinal direction) or in a complicated path involving many elliptical oscillations. The user may adjust the parameters to find the motion most conducive to sleep (i.e., most conducive to the sleep initiative and sleep maintenance mechanisms). 
     The invention thus being described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. For example, electric motor  460  may be replaced with a linear actuator or any other device that is configured to move frame  310 ,  310 ′ in a longitudinal direction. Similarly, electric motor  350 ,  350 ′ may be replaced with a linear actuator that is oriented perpendicular to the drive shaft  464  of the electric motor  460 /linear actuator. In addition, the arrangement of the side-to-side motion assembly  300  and the longitudinal motion assembly  400  can be reversed such that support frame  200  is supported by the longitudinal motion assembly  400 . Such variations and other deviations involved in the ideology of the invention are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.