Smart Body Support System

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/548,977, entitled “SMART BODY SUPPORT SYSTEM,” filed on Feb. 2, 2024. The content of this U.S. provisional patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

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The present disclosure generally relates to body supporting systems and devices such as mattress, chair, car seat, etc., and their operating methods, and in particular to body supporting systems and devices with adjustable firmness, and related operating methods and firmness adjusting devices.

Body supporting devices and systems such as mattress are employed to support at least part of a body e.g. a human body. As an example, a mattress is used for a user to sleep on and thus is configured to support the user's body when the user is sleeping on the mattress. In addition to mattress, there are numerous other types of body supporting devices and systems such as e.g. chairs, car seats, chair cushions, and etc. It is to be understood that the list of body supporting devices and systems identified above is not exhaustive and that these and other body supporting devices and systems can be used with the present disclosure and are within the scope of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that a reference in this specification to any one such device or system, such as a “mattress” is to be taken to be a reference to any and all other suitable body supporting devices and systems including chairs, car seats and the like.

By way of example, with a user lying or sitting on, a mattress provides a support to counteract the weight or part of the weight of the user. In particular, the mattress distributes the weight from the body of the user over a part of the surface of the mattress. Depending on how a mattress distributes the weight of the user and/or how much support a mattress provides, the mattress will be either soft or firm. The firmness of a mattress depends on e.g. the properties of the resilient or elastic elements in the mattress, such as the spring constant, and how the resilient or elastic elements are mounted in the mattress, such as the degree of clamping or pre-tensioning. Consequently, the firmness of a mattress is normally configured and/or set during its manufacturing. Similarly, the same applies to other body supporting devices and systems.

It is understood that, the perception and preference to firmness vary from one person to another. Additionally, it is understood that different body parts of a user who is lying or sitting or leaning on a body supporting device or system may require different support from the body supporting device or system and thus require different firmness. It is further understood that body shape/outline varies from one person to another, which in turn requires different support and thus different firmness from different areas of the body supporting device or system. Further, in consideration of the potential movement of a user on a body supporting device or system e.g. during sleep or sitting or leaning, it is desirable for an adjustable firmness of the body supporting device or system, in order for an optimal support and an optimal user experience.

Therefore, a need exists for body supporting devices and systems with adjustable firmness, and their operating methods and firmness adjusting devices.

The following summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In various implementations, there is described an intelligent mattress system that utilizes a computer program and pressure sensors to generate a detailed map of the user's body based on various resting and sleeping positions. The system can accurately determine key body parts' locations, such as hips and shoulders, and dynamically adjust the mattress to ensure optimal comfort and support. The program calculates hip width and utilizes pattern recognition technology to adapt to different body positions, maintaining a straight backbone. Furthermore, the system uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to learn from the pattern of the user's body on the mattress. The system can calibrate the mattress depth dynamically and can adjust actuators for optimal support during varying sleeping or resting postures.

This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

Although the features outlined in this document can be subject to different modifications and alternative configurations, the specific embodiments presented in the illustrations and detailed descriptions serve as examples. It's important to note that these drawings and detailed explanations are not meant to restrict the concept to the disclosed form. On the contrary, the goal is to encompass all variations, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter, as defined by the appended claims.

The subject disclosure is directed to a body supporting systems and devices such as mattress and their operating methods, and in particular to body supporting systems and devices with adjustable firmness, and related operating methods and firmness adjusting devices.

The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present examples can be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth functions of the examples and sequences of steps for constructing and operating the examples. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences can be accomplished by different examples.

Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments of the described subject matter. It is to be appreciated, however, that such embodiments can be practiced without these specific details.

Various features of the subject disclosure are now described in more detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like numerals generally refer to like or corresponding elements throughout. The drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the claimed subject matter to the particular form described. Rather, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter.

Now referring to the drawings and particularly toto, various features of the subject disclosure are now described in more detail with respect to automatically adjusting the mattress based on user's lying position to straighten the backbone.

As an example of a body supporting device, a mattress is filled with resilient or elastic material such as foam, rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs, and is used for the user to lie or sleep on. It is to be understood that a reference in this specification to a mattress is to be taken to be a reference to any and all possible appropriate types of body supporting devices or systems, and a reference in this specification to any type of mattress such as foam mattress is to be taken to be a reference to any and all possible appropriate types of mattresses.

schematically illustrates a perspective view of a conventional mattress. As illustrated in, the mattresshas a length L, a width W, and a height H.

schematically illustrates a side cross section view of a prior art mattress, showing its layered construction, wherein the cross section is taken along line A-A as illustrated in. The conventional mattressmay be composed of multiple layers. For example, the mattressmay be composed of three layers, e.g. three layers of foam, a support layer, a transition layer, and a comfort layer. These layers can be arranged one over another. In particular, the transition layermay be arranged over the support layer, while the comfort layermay be arranged over the transition layer. In general, the firmness/hardness of these three layers increases successively from top to bottom. That is, the comfort layeris soft, the transition layeris harder, and the support layeris even harder. Thus, the comfort layeris capable of compressing more, the transition layeris capable of compressing less, and the support layeris capable of compressing the least. It is appreciated that there might exist additional layer(s)in a mattress. It is also appreciated that the layers,,and/ormay have same or different thicknesses. As an example, the thickness of the layers,, andmay increase successively from top to bottom, in which case the support layeris of a first thickness T, the transition layeris of a second thickness Tthat is smaller than T, while the comfort layeris of a third thickness Tthat is smaller than T.

When a user sleeps or sits on a mattress, the weight of the user applies a pressure over a part (an area) of the surface of the mattress, and therefore requires a support from the mattress. It is understood that when a force is applied on a mattress, the top surface of that mattress sags or is compressed/depressed at the area where the force is applied. It is also understood that the force applied on the top surface of the mattress does not only result in the compression/depression in the top layer (e.g. the comfort layer) of the mattress. Instead, under the force applied on the top surface of a mattress, successive bottom layers of the mattress are compressed/decompressed. For example, more than one layer of the mattress can be compressed/depressor and/or all the layers of the mattress can be compressed/depressed accordingly. In consideration of the different firmness of the layers, the compression/depression in each layer may be different. It is further appreciated that when a person is situated (e.g. lies or sits) on a mattress, her/his weight is applied onto the corresponding areas of the mattress, which results in the sag of the top surface of the mattress in those areas and also results in the respective compression/depression in each layer of the mattress in those areas. In a conventional mattress, it may be difficult to control the depression of the mattress at various locations when a user is resting. Therefore, a conventional mattress may fail to keep the spine of the user straight. In some cases, the mattress may be able to keep the spine straight when the user is lying or resting on the mattress in “lying on back” position. However, when the user is lying on the side at an angle from the mattress, the conventional mattress may depress non-uniformly. For example, the mattress in areas of hips and shoulders may depress more than torso and legs. Therefore, the goal of the invention is to provide an active mattress that can dynamically adjust the depression in different layers to straighten the spine of the user resting on the mattress. Additionally, invention provides a method to personalize the mattress depression settings for desired comfort by creating depression profiles and customized calibration.

The invention discloses an active mattresscomprising at least two layers. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the layers may be made of foam material similar to a conventional mattress. The primary purpose of the layers in the active mattressis to distribute force from the body of a person positioned on the mattress in a way such that the backbone/spine of the person is aligned in a natural form while the person is lying down on the mattress. In order to maintain the proper alignment of the backbone for an individual resting on the mattress, it is crucial to accurately identify the positions of the hips and shoulders of the person on the mattress surface. It is to be recognized that the description of key joints such as hips and shoulders is provided solely for illustrative purposes. Nevertheless, the multiple layers of the active mattressare designed to support the human body's joints in a natural alignment. In a primary embodiment, the invention enables the mattress to align all primary joints of the human body such as shoulders, hands, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, feet etc. in such a manner that no undue pressure is exerted on any of the bone structures due to unnatural alignment. In the primary embodiment, the natural alignment of the body should be considered as the skeletal alignment of the human body.

As illustrated in, in a preferred embodiment, the mattressmay comprise three or more layers. In an embodiment, a pressure sensor layer comprising an array of pressure sensors may be positioned between the top two layers of the mattress. In an example embodiment, the pressure sensor layer may be inserted between the transition layer, and the comfort layerof the mattress. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pressure sensor layer houses an array of approximately 1000 pressure sensors that collectively generate a body map when the user is lying on the mattress. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pressure sensors are arranged in a X-Y matrix format. The pressure sensors are specifically designed to be thin and flexible, adapting seamlessly to the contours of the individual's body. In some embodiments of the invention, the pressure sensors may be covered with a lightweight fabric like nylon taffeta and may incorporate buckles, straps, or other attachment methods to secure the pressure sensor layer to the active mattress. In one or more embodiments of the invention, various types of pressure sensors employed in the pressure sensor layer may include, but not limited to, resistive pressure sensors, fiber-optic pressure sensors, or capacitive pressure sensors. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom layer (support layer) of the active mattress comprises actuators to adjust the height of the mattress. In some embodiments, the actuators may be evenly distributed at every 2-4 inches for example, throughout the mattress.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a computer program can control the actuators to adjust the mattress height for a particular user to straighten the backbone. In some embodiments, the computer program can control the actuators to adjust the height of the bottom layer of the mattress. In another embodiment of the invention, the computer program can adjust the hardness of the mattress or the height of the bottom layer at a plurality of locations or areas on the mattress. Furthermore, the computer program can adjust the hardness of the mattress at certain areas in such a way that the mattress can let the user's body parts sink in to keep the spine aligned. For example, the active mattress can be imagined as a plurality of (e.g. thousands) of actuators arranged in a matrix format at multiple points, each representing a specific area of the mattress. The active mattress can finely control the hardness at multiple locations across the mattress through thousands of actuators arranged in a matrix format at one or more bottom layers. In the primary embodiment of the invention, the computer program can dynamically adjust either the hardness or the height, or both for one or more bottom layers on thousands of different points, ensuring proper alignment of the user's body while resting on the mattress. The computer program may adjust the height and/or hardness in such a way that may cause certain parts of the body to sag or not sag enough into the mattress and provide proper alignment.

According to one or more embodiments of the invention, height adjusting actuators may be provided in the bottom support layer. The height adjusting actuators may be implemented with various techniques known in the art. In some embodiments of the invention, one or more actuators may enable a change in the firmness of the mattress at one or more areas of the mattress. In an example embodiment, a method to push or pull the bottom layers of the mattress using actuators can be provided. It should be understood that any suitable method can be used to adjust the firmness of the mattress using actuators.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a pressure or depression profile of a user can be created when the user is lying or resting on the mattress in various positions. The pressure or depression profile can be generated based on the pressure applied to the pressure sensors in the pressure sensor layer. The pressure profile may further enable to determine shape and outline of the user's body, location and/or position of various body parts such as hips, shoulders, legs, arms, etc. and/or height and weight of the user. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in, a pressure or depression profile on the mattress can be obtained when the useris lying on her/his back on the mattresse.g. with her/his spine/backbone and neck being straight and stretched. Similarly, as shown in, a pressure/depression profile may be created when a user is lying on her/his side on a mattress with her/his backbone/spine and neck straight and stretched, from which it is possible to determine or assess the user's body shape or outline, e.g. the width of the user's body and width of various body parts. In an example embodiment, the width of the hips, the width of the shoulders, the size and length of the legs and arms, etc. can be determined. In certain embodiments, other methods known in the art including but not limited to optical, thermal, or vision can be used to identify and determine the shape/size of different body parts of the user on the mattress. In some embodiments of the inventions, a thermal, optical or vision system can be used to determine the width of the user's body while lying in certain positions. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the pressure/depression profile obtained when a user is lying on her/his side on a mattress with her/his backbone/spine and neck straight and stretched, the firmness or sag of the mattress may be adjusted. According to another embodiment of the invention, the identified pressure profiles can be stored in a database with one or more physical attributes of the user. The stored pressure profiles may be used to identify the user and his/her preferred and recommended height settings to straighten the spine and provide a comfortable sleep.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to further improve the firmness adjustment of a mattress, pressure profiles on the mattress may be further detected when the person is lying on the mattress in positions other than her/his lying on back position. The pressure profiles detected at standard positions may be used as a reference or baseline to assess or determine the actual position (e.g. tilt angle of the person, the location and position of her/his hip, shoulder, etc.) of the person on the mattress, based on which the firmness of the top surface of the mattress in certain area(s) is in turn adjusted accordingly so as to straighten the person's backbone. In some embodiments, a pattern recognition algorithm may be used to create pressure profiles of the user at various sleeping positions based on the collected data at standard lying positions of the user.

In practice, a user may lie on her/his back on a mattress at first, which may be referred to as a “lying on back” position. While lying on the mattressor, the user may roll her/his body to a side (e.g. to left) consecutively and slowly, resulting in tilt positions. The user may continue to roll her/his body to that side until the user reaches a “lying on belly” position, in which the user lies on her/his belly on the mattress with her/his face being downwards toward the mattress and her/his back facing upwards.

schematically illustrates several exemplary positions of a person lying on a mattress. The positionas illustrated inrepresents a “lying on back” position of a person lying on a mattress, in which the person lies on her/his back on the mattressand faces upward, whereinrepresents the person's head,represents the person's left shoulder, whilerepresents the person's right shoulder.

also illustrates a tilt positionof the person lying on the mattress, in which the person rolls her/his body, from her/his “lying on back” position, to left at a tilt angle a, resulting in at least her/his right half body (including her/his right shoulder) being at the tilt angle afrom the plane of the top surface of the mattress. As an example, the tilt angle amay be 30 degrees.

The person may roll her/his body, from the tilt position, further to left to a tilt angle a, resulting in at least her/his right half body (including her/his right shoulder) being at the tilt angle afrom the plane of the top surface of the mattress, which position is referred to as a tilt position. As an example, the tilt angle amay be 60 degrees.

Furthermore, the person may continue to roll her/his body, from the tilt position, further to left to a tilt angle ae.g. 90 degree (referred to as a tilt positionin), resulting in her/his body (including her/his left and right shoulders) being at the tilt angle afrom (e.g. perpendicular to) the plane of the top surface of the mattress.

Also, the person may roll her/his body, from the tilt position, further to left to a tilt angle a(referred to as a tilt positionin), resulting in her/his body (including her/his left and right shoulders) being at the tilt angle afrom the plane of the top surface of the mattress, and the person facing downwards toward the mattressand having her/his back facing upwards. As an example, the tilt angle amay be 150 degrees.

The person may even roll her/his body, from the tilt position, further to left to a tilt angle 180 degree, i.e. to a “lying on belly” position, in which the person lies on her/his belly on the mattresswith her/his face being towards the mattressand her/his back facing upwards.

During the process when a person rolls on a mattress e.g. the mattressas illustrated inher/his body from a “lying on back” position (e.g. “lying on back” positionas illustrated in) to a “lying on belly” position, a plurality of pressure profiles may be detected or determined, e.g. by using pressure sensors, at the “lying on back” position e.g.as illustrated inand at several tilt positions e.g. the tilt positions,,, andas illustrated in.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a user is instructed to lie down in different tilt positions on the mattress in order to create a baseline. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to the pressure profile detected at “lying on back” position, the pressure profiles detected at several tilt positions may be used as reference or baseline in adjusting the firmness of the top surface of the mattress. In particular, when the user is lying on the mattress, her/his actual position may be assessed or determined by using the pressure profiles detected at tilt positions and detected at “lying on back” position as reference or baseline, and then the firmness of the one or more layers of the mattress can be adjusted by actuating the different parts of the mattress based on the user's actual position as assessed or determined, so as to straighten her/his backbone/spine. It should be understood that the actuation means can be used to adjust the height and/or hardness of the mattress, which includes a change in the depth of the bottom layer, a change in the firmness of the mattress or any layer in a localized position across the mattress.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to provide a mattress with adjustable firmness, e.g. in order to adjust the firmness or height of the top surface of a mattress, a plurality of adjusting devices may be provided in one of the bottom layers (not in the top layer) of the mattress, such as the support layer or the transition layer, e.g. the support layeror transition layerin.

schematically depicts a userlying on her/his back on a mattress, in which case it is believed that her/his spine/backbone and neck is straight and stretched or the useris instructed to stretch her/his spine/backbone and neck. By using sensors such as pressure sensors e.g. those embedded in the mattress, a pressure or depression profile/map on the mattress(in the top surface or in a specific layer of the mattress) can be obtained when the useris lying on her/his back on the mattresse.g. with her/his spine/backbone and neck being straight and stretched, based on which it is possible to determine or assess the user's body shape or outline, e.g. the location and/or the width of the user's hip, shoulder, neck, etc., and/or the weight of the person.

It is understood that a person may prefer to sleep on her/his side, rather than on her/his back. And even for a person who prefers to sleep on her/his back, it is possible for her/him to roll to the side when sleeping.

Similar to when lying on her/his back, it is desired to keep the person's spine/backbone and neck straight and stretched when she/he is lying on her/his side on a mattress. However, it is impossible to achieve this by using a mattress with fixed firmness, because the size of head, the width of shoulder, and/or the width of hip, etc. as well as their locations on the mattress varies from one person to another.

According to a primary embodiment of the invention, when a user is resting on the mattress,on his back, the mattress system can determine data such as the width of the hips and shoulders of the user at a first instance. At a second instance, when the user is resting on the mattress at a side sleeping position (either left or right), the mattress system can determine how much to depress the mattress to straighten the backbone of the user. The mattress system forms a baseline for the user when the user is lying on his/her back on the mattress at the first instance. Further, the mattress system can use this baseline to adjust the height of the one or more layers of the mattress in subsequent instances. Additionally, the mattress system can use this baseline to adjust the hardness or softness of the mattress. Therefore, the mattress system uses body measurement data from a first body position on the mattress to determine the depth of the mattress for a second body position, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Similarly, actuators can adjust the height of the mattress using the data from the original body position, or baseline data, and the current body position of the user on the mattress.

In the context of the hip region, if the mattress exhibits excessive firmness, the hips may not be adequately depressed into the mattress, resulting in an undue bending of the spine. Conversely, a mattress that is overly soft may cause excessive depression of the hips into the mattress, contributing to an undesirable bending of the spine. The mattress system can selectively soften the mattress at the hip location using actuators to depress the one or more bottom layers. This ensures that the hips are depressed into the mattress more such that a straight spine alignment is provided. Similarly, for the shoulder region, the mattress system should be able to depress the mattress at the location of the shoulder such that the neck and spine are in straighter alignment during the side-sleeping position. The width of the user's shoulder is determined when the user is lying on his/her back. Once the user rolls to the side-sleeping position, the mattress system can precisely adjust the mattress and depress the shoulder so the neck and spine are aligned straight.

Furthermore, the mattress system can adjust the height of the mattress at the location of the other body joints to keep the spine and other body joints aligned. For example, the lower part of the legs is not as heavy as the upper parts of the leg. Therefore, the mattress at the location of the lower part of the legs may not be as depressed as the location of the upper part of the legs. For the purpose of simplicity, the portion of the leg below the knee can be considered as the lower part and the portion of the leg above the knee can be considered as upper part. The weight distribution disparity between upper and lower leg segments may contemplate potential unnatural bending of the user's knees. In some situations, knees or ankles of the user may hurt due to the hardness of the mattress at some areas on the mattress. Therefore, the mattress system can be adjusted based on baseline data and current body position data (e.g. roll of body parts) to align body parts and mitigate discomfort and potential knee pain. Additionally, in certain embodiments, the mattress system may use the body measurement data to adjust the height of the bottom layer of the mattress. Further, the firmness of specific mattress sections can be adjusted based on the positions of the different leg segments on the mattress. For example, the softness of the mattress may vary at the lower part of the leg compared to the upper part through the utilization of actuators. The actuators on the mattress should be actuated differently for the leg positions above the knee and lower the knee. Generally, the mattress at the below knee position is depressed more than the mattress at the above knee position to provide a more natural alignment to the user's legs on the mattress. Similarly, the mattress firmness can also be adjusted differently around the user's ankles to provide support and more natural alignment. In a specific embodiment, for side sleepers, the mattress system can independently adjust the mattress height at various locations based on the positions of different parts of the user's legs-above and below the knee and around the ankles.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a smart mattress system comprises, a mattress, a plurality of actuators integrated with the mattress, and a controller configured to determine the dimensions of one or more body parts of a user resting on the mattress. The actuators can be adjusted to straighten the backbone of the user. The controller can determine the roll of one or more body parts of the user at different locations on the mattress and can adjust the actuators based on initial measurements of one or more body parts, user profile and body roll. In an example embodiment, the mattress system can determine the width of the hips or shoulders of the user on the mattress in at a first time instance, and can use the determined width at the first time instance and body roll to adjust the mattress depth at the hips or shoulder location to straighten the backbone at a second time instance. It should be understood that the body roll can interchangeably be used to represent shifting and/or changing the position of the body on the mattress. In some embodiments, the user can preset the depth of the mattress at one or more locations of certain body parts on the mattress. The mattress system can determine the depth of the mattress at certain locations of the mattress based on left or right sides of the side sleeping positions.

In an example as illustrated in, it may be determined, from the pressure/depression profiles on the mattress e.g. obtained when the person is lying on her/his back and on her/his side on the mattress, how wide the person's hip and/or shoulder is and that a specific area e.g.on the top surface of the mattress corresponds to the person's shoulder and a specific area e.g.on the top surface of the mattress corresponds to her/his hip. Further, from the information (e.g. the width of hip, the width of shoulder, the weight of the person, etc.) derived from the pressure/depression profile e.g. obtained when the person is lying on her/his back on the mattress, it may be determined how soft these areas shall be and/or how much these areas shall sag, in order to straighten the person's spine/backbone and neck when the person is lying on her/his side on that mattress. Therefore, by using a mattress according to an embodiment of the present disclosure such as having the adjusting devices as described in the disclosure, based on the pressure profile detected when the person is lying on her/his back on the mattress, the firmness of each layer of the mattress may be adjusted dynamically when the person changes her/his lying position on the mattress e.g. lying on her/his side, so as to straighten her/his backbone/spine. In another preferred embodiment of the invention, based on the pressure profile detected when the person is lying on her/his back on the mattress, the roll of the user's body or different parts of the user's body can be determined and the firmness of each layer of the mattress may be adjusted dynamically when the person changes her/his lying position on the mattress. Again, body roll extends beyond the simple rolling of the body, it encompasses the shifting or changing the position of the user's body on the mattress.

As illustrated in, the active mattress systemmay comprise one or more computer software programs, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The software programcan generate a pressure map of the user's body on the mattress based on data received from the pressure sensors. The software programcan create various different pressure maps of the user's body based on different resting and sleeping positions. Additionally, the software can accurately determine the locations of the various body parts like hips and shoulders on the mattress. The software can also determine the width and/or proportions of the hips, shoulders and other body parts of the user while the user is in a ‘lying on back’ position. The software programcan keep track of the position of key body parts, such as the hips, legs, arms and shoulder, when the user transitions to side sleeping or any other position. In certain embodiments, the mattress systemmay utilize pattern recognition technology or other suitable technology known in the art to determine the hip points and shoulder points on the mattress. According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the softwaremay use the baseline pressure profile of the user on the mattress and utilize a machine learning algorithm to determine the position, location, rotation and alignment of various body parts of the user. After determining the position and angle of the body from the mattress, the softwaremay instruct the actuatorsto adjust the height of the various layers of the mattress to straighten the spine of the user. For example, when a user changes his/her position from 90 degrees (a side sleeping position) to a non-standard angle such as 70 degrees, the height of the various layers of the mattress is adjusted. In this example, the mattress is depressed less at the location of the hips so the spine of the user is still straight.

A pattern recognition algorithm can recognize patterns of the user's body on the mattress based on data collected from the pressure sensors. When a person lies on the mattress and then rolls to the side, the system can determine the angle of the roll by tracking the positions of different body parts like hands, legs, and knees of the user on the mattress. The mattress system can also use the pressure data at the point of contact of different body parts of the user to accurately determine the roll angle. The roll angle of the upper body portion, like shoulders, can be determined separately from the roll of the lower body portion, like hips.

In an example embodiment, when a user is resting on the mattress in a side-sleeping position, the mattress may notice only one leg on the mattress due to the upper leg being positioned atop the lower leg. Utilizing the pressure exerted by the combined weight of both legs at a specific location on the mattress, the system can determine the position of the legs on the mattress. Consequently, the mattress can determine whether the user has rotated to a 90-degree angle on the mattress. When the user's second leg extends over and makes contact with the mattress, the body's position exceeds 90 degrees from a lying down on the back position. Conversely, if the second leg is straight and touches the opposite side of the mattress, the angle is less than 90 degrees. Additionally, the position of the lower leg and the alignment of the user's knees such as whether they press into the mattress or remain elevated, can provide the rotation of the hip. Therefore, based on the position of one leg over the other and the pressure on the mattress, the roll angle of the user's body on the mattress can be determined accurately.