U.S. patent application number 12/777185 was filed with the patent office on 2011-11-10 for electric foldable bed capable of adjusting to a predetermined position by detecting the number of rotations of a motor.
This patent application is currently assigned to RUOEY LUNG ENTERPRISE CORP.. Invention is credited to Lung-Tan Shih.
Application Number | 20110271446 12/777185 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44900900 |
Filed Date | 2011-11-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110271446 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shih; Lung-Tan |
November 10, 2011 |
ELECTRIC FOLDABLE BED CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING TO A PREDETERMINED
POSITION BY DETECTING THE NUMBER OF ROTATIONS OF A MOTOR
Abstract
An electric foldable bed capable of being adjusted to a
memorized position has a fold bed having motors connected to a
headboard and a footboard. A microcomputer is installed on the bed
frame and used for controlling the motors. The microcomputer has a
computing section, a memory section, a register section and a
comparing section. The computing section detects a position of each
motor and computes elevation angle data provided by the memory
section, the register section and the comparing section. The memory
section is used to store predetermined elevation angle data, the
register section is used to receive control commands and store the
elevation angle data input by the computing section. The comparing
section is used for comparing the elevation angle data from both
the memory section and the register section. The sensor is
installed onto each motor and used for sensing a rotational number
count of the motor.
Inventors: |
Shih; Lung-Tan; (Lukang
Town, TW) |
Assignee: |
RUOEY LUNG ENTERPRISE CORP.
LUKANG TOWN
TW
|
Family ID: |
44900900 |
Appl. No.: |
12/777185 |
Filed: |
May 10, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 20/041 20130101;
A47C 20/042 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/174 |
International
Class: |
A47C 19/12 20060101
A47C019/12 |
Claims
1. An electric foldable bed capable of adjusting to a predetermined
position by detecting the number of rotations of a motor,
comprising: a folding bed having a bed frame pivoted with a
headboard and a footboard at opposite ends, and at least two motors
attached to an underside of the bed frame, the motors being
connected to the headboard and the footboard and generating
respective elevation angle changes; a microcomputer disposed on the
bed frame and used for controlling the motors, the microcomputer
comprising a computing section, a memory section, a register
section and a comparing section, the computing section detecting a
position of the motors and computing elevation angle data provided
by the memory section, the register section and the comparing
section, the memory section being used to predetermined elevation
angle data, the register section receiving control commands and
storing the elevation angle data input by the computing section,
the comparing section used for comparing the elevation angle data
from both the memory section and the register section; a sensor
installed onto each motor and used for sensing a rotating number
count of the motor and transmitting a serial pulse wave signal to
the computing section of the microcomputer; and a controller used
for inputting the control command and transmitting signals to the
register section of the microcomputer.
2. The electric foldable bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
folding bed further includes an extension board pivoted to a free
end of the footboard, which is capable of forming a triangle with
two elevation angles with the footboard.
3. The electric foldable bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
motor further comprises a limit switch, wherein when the headboard
or the footboard is lowered to effectively no elevation angle, the
respective limit switch is activated to stop the motor and sets
this position as a start position for the respective elevation
angle data.
4. An electric foldable bed capable of adjusting to a predetermined
position by detecting the number of rotations of a motor,
comprising: a folding bed having a bed frame pivoted with a
headboard and a footboard at opposite ends, and at least two motors
attached to an underside of the bed frame, the motors being
connected to the headboard and the footboard and generating
respective elevation angle changes; a microcomputer disposed on the
bed frame and used for controlling the motors, the microcomputer
comprising computing means, memory means, a register section and
comparing means, the computing means detecting a position of the
motors and computing elevation angle data provided by the memory
means, the register section and the comparing means, the memory
means being used to predetermined elevation angle data, the
register section receiving control commands and storing the
elevation angle data input by the computing means, the comparing
means comparing the elevation angle data from both the memory means
and the register section; a sensor installed onto each motor and
used for sensing a rotating number count of the motor and
transmitting a serial pulse wave signal to the computing means of
the microcomputer; and a controller used for inputting the control
command and transmitting signals to the register section of the
microcomputer.
5. The electric foldable bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
folding bed further includes an extension board pivoted to a free
end of the footboard, which is capable of forming a triangle with
two elevation angles with the footboard.
6. The electric foldable bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein each
motor further comprises a limit switch, wherein when the headboard
or the footboard is lowered to effectively no elevation angle, the
respective limit switch is activated to stop the motor and sets
this position as a start position for the respective elevation
angle data.
7. A method of adjusting a predetermined position of electric
foldable bed, comprising steps of: a) preparing an electric
foldable bed having a folding bed, a microcomputer, sensors, and a
controller, the folding bed having a bed frame, a headboard, a
footboard, and two motors attached to an underside of the bed
frame, the motors being connected to the headboard and the
footboard for generating respective elevation angle changes, each
of the motors having a plurality of limit switches corresponding to
the headboard and the footboard, the microcomputer having a
computing section, a memory section, a register section, and a
comparing section, the memory section being adapted for storing
predetermined elevation angle data, the sensors being adapted for
sending a rotating number count of the motor and transmitting a
serial pulse wave signal to the microcomputer; b) lowering the
headboard or the footboard to effectively no elevation angle to
activate the respective limit switch to stop the motor and set this
position as a start position for, the respective elevation angle
data; c) inputting preferred elevation angle data of the user's
preferred position into the microcomputer via the controller; next,
the microcomputer inputs it into the register section for storage,
the comparing section compares both the elevation angle data from
the memory section and the register section to obtain a relative
distance between the predetermined elevation angle data and the
preferred elevation angle data, and finally the microcomputer
inputs it into the computing section to calculate the number of
rotations of the motor; and d) controlling the respective motors to
lift up the headboard or the footboard according to the number of
rotations of the motor for reaching the user's customized elevation
angle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an electric foldable bed,
and more particularly to an electric foldable bed that is capable
of detecting the number of rotations of a motor using a
microcomputer to accurately control the elevation angle of the
folded bed and store preferred elevation angles for users.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Typical electric folding beds usually have elevation motors
on their bed frames. An output end of the elevation motor is
connected to a bed board, such that when the elevation motor is
turned on the bed board is pushed to lift or lower an elevation
angle of the bed board. Therefore, users can sit upright on the
electric folding bed or have their legs lifted. However, with
clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations of the elevation motor,
the bed board is lifted or lowered, but the electric folding bed
does not have any predetermined elevation angle and is not able to
store elevation angle values for the user, and so it is difficult
to repeat a previous elevation angle.
[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide an electric foldable
bed to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] An objective of the present invention is to provide an
electric foldable bed that is capable of detecting the number of
rotations of a motor using a microcomputer to accurately control
the elevation angle of the folded bed and store preferred elevation
angles for users.
[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, an
electric foldable bed comprises: a folding bed, a microcomputer,
sensors and a controller. The folding bed has a bed frame pivoted
with a headboard and a footboard at opposite ends, and two motors
attached to an underside of the bed frame. The motors are connected
to the headboard and the footboard and generate respective
elevation angle changes. Each motor further comprises a limit
switch, wherein when the headboard or the footboard is lowered to
effectively no elevation angle, the respective limit switch is
activated to stop the motor and sets this position as a start
position for the respective elevation angle data. The folding bed
further includes an extension board pivoted to a free end of the
footboard, which is capable of forming a triangle with two
elevation angles with the footboard. The microcomputer is disposed
on the bed frame and is used for controlling the motors, and the
microcomputer further comprises a computing section, a memory
section, a register section and a comparing section. The computing
section detects a position of the motors and computes elevation
angle data provided by the memory section, the register section and
the comparing section. The memory section is used to store
predetermined elevation angle data, the register section is used to
receive control commands and temporarily store the elevation angle
data input by the computing section. The comparing section is used
for comparing the elevation angle data from both the memory section
and the register section. The sensor is installed onto each motor
and used for sensing a rotating number count of the motor and
transmitting a serial pulse wave signal to the computing section of
the microcomputer. The controller is used for inputting the control
command and transmitting signals to the register section of the
microcomputer.
[0008] Compared to the prior art, the electric folding bed of the
present invention utilizes sensors to detect the number of
rotations of the motors and the microcomputer compares the current
elevation angle and the predetermined elevation angle to determined
a required number of rotations to control the elevation angles for
the folding bed. Furthermore, the user can set up preferred
elevation angles.
[0009] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a functional block drawing of an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing a headboard being
lifted and a footboard that has no the elevation angle according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing movement of a motor
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 5 is a movement schematic drawing showing the increase
of an elevation angle according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 6 is a graph of elevation angle and rotation number
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. An electric foldable bed
comprises: a folding bed 10, a microcomputer 20, sensors 30 and a
controller 40. The folding bed 10 has a bed frame 11 pivoted to a
headboard 12 and a footboard 13 at opposite ends, and two motors
attached to an underside of the bed frame 11. The motors 14 are
connected to the headboard 12 and the footboard 13 and generate
respective elevation angle changes. Each motor 14 further comprises
a limit switch 15, wherein when the headboard 12 or the footboard
13 is lowered to effectively no elevation angle, the respective
limit switch 15 is activated to stop the motor 14 and sets this
position as a start position for the respective elevation angle
data. The folding bed 10 further includes an extension board 16
pivoted to a free end of the footboard 13, which is capable of
forming a triangle with two elevation angles with the footboard 13.
The microcomputer 20 is disposed on the bed frame 10 and is used
for controlling the motors 14, and the microcomputer further
comprises a computing section 21, a memory section 22, a register
section 23 and a comparing section 24. The computing section 21
detects a position of the motors 14 and computes elevation angle
data provided by the memory section 22, the register section 23 and
the comparing section 24. The memory section 22 is used to store
predetermined elevation angle data, and the register section 23 is
used to receive control commands and temporarily store the
elevation angle data input by the computing section 21. The
comparing section 24 is used for comparing the elevation angle data
from both the memory section 22 and the register section 23. The
sensor is installed onto each motor 14 and used for sensing a
rotating number count of the motor 14 and transmitting a serial
pulse wave signal to the computing section 22 of the microcomputer
20. The controller 40 is used for inputting the control command and
transmitting signals to the register section 23 of the
microcomputer 20.
[0017] The headboard 12 and the footboard 13 are capable of the
same movement type of movements; therefore, the following discusses
only movement of the footboard 13. Please refer to FIGS. 2, 3, 4.
First, a start position for the elevation angle data is set up;
when the motor 14 drives the footboard 13 to a horizontal position,
the motor 14 retracts and activates the limit switch 15; the limit
switch 15 stops the motor 14, and the sensor 30 outputs a signal to
the computing section 21 of the microcomputer 20. Meanwhile, the
microcomputer 20 determines and orders the computing section 21 to
force a start from 0, which defines the footboard 13 as being at
the start position. When the user wants to increase the elevation
angle of the footboard 13, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the user
inputs a command into the controller 40 which requests the
microcomputer 20 to cause the motor 14 to operate according to the
predetermined elevation angle data stored in the memory section 22.
The computing section 21 calculates a distance between the position
of the footboard 13 and the elevation angle data in order to
control the motor 14 to rotate to lift up the footboard 13 by using
an accumulating method, and during rotations of the motor 14, the
sensor 30 detects the number of rotations of the motor 14, and then
the sensor 30 sends out serial pulse wave signals to the computing
section 21 of the microcomputer 20 to cause the motor 14 to rotate
for a pre-stored number to push and lift the footboard 13 to a
predetermined elevation angle required by the controller 40. On the
other hand, when the user wants to reduce the elevation angle of
the footboard 13, the microcomputer 20 determines a current
elevation angle based on the previous number of rotations of the
motor 14 and calculates a number of counter-clockwise rotations of
the motor 14 by using a decrementing method, to control the motor
to rotate counter-clockwise to lower the footboard 13 to reduce the
predetermined elevation angle.
[0018] For further operations please refer to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and
FIG. 2. The user can select and store more than one elevation angle
for the preferred positions. The controller 40 first sends a
command for setting a preferred elevation angle to the
microcomputer 20, and then the computing section 21 inputs the
setting into the register section 23 for storage into the elevation
angle data. When the user wants to adjust the footboard 13 to a
preferred elevation angle, the comparing section 24 compares both
the elevation angle data from the memory section 22 and the
register section 23, to obtain a relative distance between the
predetermined elevation angle data and the preferred elevation
angle data and inputs it into the computing section 21 to calculate
the number of rotations of the motor 14. Therefore, the
microcomputer 20 controls the motor 14 to push and lift the
footboard 13 to the preferred elevation angle stored by the user.
With the above-mentioned movement, the various elevation angles of
the folding bed 10 can be accurately controlled, and the user can
set up his or her preferred elevation angles.
[0019] Although the present invention has been explained in
relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that
many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as
hereinafter claimed.
* * * * *