WO2008061870A1

WO2008061870A1 - A bed with a lighting device

Info

Publication number: WO2008061870A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/061902
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto Furini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-11-23
Filing date: 2007-11-06
Publication date: 2008-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2009-05-23
Also published as: ITRE20060143A1

Abstract

An article of furniture dedicated to rest, such as a divan or a bed (1), provided with a lighting device comprising at least a substantially-vertical backrest or a headboard (4), provided with rest legs (3), comprises at least a presence sensor (5) for detecting presence of an individual within a delimited field of detection and a lighting device (6) connected to the sensor (5), which lighting device (6) is activated to light up on command of the sensor (5), the at least a sensor (5) being fixed to the backrest or headboard (4) in a position in which at least a portion of a body of a person using the divan or bed (1) falls within the field of detection only when the person passes from a lying position into a raised position, such as to automatically activate the lighting device.

Description

A BED WITH A LIGHTING DEVICE

Technical Field

The invention relates to an article of furniture dedicated to rest purposes, such as a bed or an armchair, equipped with a lighting device, and the lighting device itself.

In the following description reference will be made exclusively to a bed, though the contents are equally applicable to an article of furniture dedicated to rest purposes.

Background Art

It is known that during a period of sleep it may become necessary to get out of the bed in order to move into another room, such as the kitchen or bathroom. For some people, this need is particularly frequent.

As it is usual to sleep with the lights off, in the bedroom, the bedroom light has to be turned on each time someone gets out of bed to move into another room.

To this end, in proximity of the bed itself there is usually a light switch, which turns on a general bedroom light or a dedicated secondary light, usually located on a bedside table or incorporated in the bed itself.

Unfortunately it is not always easy to find this switch in the dark.

If there are objects of various nature on the bedside table near the bed, quite often these objects are unintentionally scattered due to the darkness in the room.

If the light is a room light, the general disturbance caused by the intense light and scope of illumination affects other people sleeping in the same room.

This also happens when the light is a bedside light and therefore weaker and dedicated to the actual occupant on that side of the bed. For example, in double beds, switching on a light dedicated to one of the occupants can disturb the other occupant, and therefore it is not used unless there is a strict need to do so. There is therefore a keenly felt need for a bed, or in any case an article of furniture dedicated to rest such as an armchair, divan or the like, which enables the dedicated lighting device to be operated without having to use any electrical switch, in a simple and rational constructional solution. A further need is that the switching-on of a light should be commanded only by the occupant requiring the light, and that the light should therefore be unreactive to the movement of other persons in the room the furniture dedicated to rest is situated in. Further, there is a need for a low-intensity light point, activated by the device. The aim of the present invention is to satisfy the above requirements while at the same time obviating the drawbacks outlined with reference to the prior art.

The prior art describes devices, illustrated in document WO 2005/088192 A1 , which cause a light commanded by a movement sensor to switch on. These devices are not suited to the aims of the present invention, as in a case in which a room contains two beds, or there is a double-bed, or there are two armchairs, the switching devices are activated by the movement of either of the occupants, without regard for the other occupant. If, for example, in a double bed provided with a light for each occupant, one of the occupants gets up, the light dedicated to the other occupant is switched on.

Disclosure of Invention

The aims of the invention are attained by a lighting device, applied to an article of furniture dedicated to rest, such as a bed or an armchair, the characteristics of which are defined in claim 1.

The dependent claims delineate particularly advantageous preferred embodiments of the bed with a lighting device of the invention.

Brief description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will better emerge from a reading of the following description, provided by way of non-limiting example, with the help of the appended figures of the drawings, in which: - figure 1 is a schematic view of a bed of the present invention; - figure 2 is a schematic view of a block diagram for the functioning of the lighting device of the bed of figure 1.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

With reference to the figures of the drawings, 1 denotes in its entirety a bed of the present invention.

Although the present invention makes direct reference to a bed, as mentioned herein above, reference is also made to any article of furniture destined for rest and/or sleep, such as, for example, a divan, an armchair and the like, The bed 1 comprises, in a totally general way, a support frame 2 formed by four rest legs 3 arranged at the four corners and a vertical headboard resting against a wall.

A normal mattress 100 is arranged on the frame 2, on which a person can lie during sleep. In the present invention, two presence sensors 5 are arranged on the headboard 4 of the bed, at a certain height distance from the upper surface of the mattress 100. The sensors 5 can, for example, be located at the opposite corners of the headboard 4.

The sensors 5, of which more herein below, detect the presence of a person within a limited detection range.

A lighting device is connected to the sensors 5, which lighting device in the present example can be a small spotlight 6, which is automatically switched on when the presence sensor 5 identifies the presence of a person internally of the detection range thereof. In order to prevent the light issued by the spotlight 6, when lit, from disturbing any other people present in the bedroom the bed 1 is located in, the spotlight

6 is mounted on one of the legs 3 so that the light cone produced by the lighting thereof is confined to the area close to the floor.

In the present invention, the range of the presence sensors 5 is directed above the mattress 100 starting from a certain height selected such that a person lying on the bed cannot be detected, while the same person's presence is detected, by falling within the range of detection, when the person passes from a lying position to a raised position, typically by getting up from the bed 1 in order to move into another room.

The presence detectors 5 are fixed and specially oriented such as to activate the spotlight 6, only and exclusively when the person passes from the lying position on the mattress 100 to the raised position to leave the mattress 100.

By raised position, a position is meant in which the person's back is at least partially in an erect position above the mattress 100, for example, when the person is seated on the mattress 100.

The presence detectors 5 of the present invention can be of any type, as long as they are activated only internally of a narrow and controllable range of detection.

In particular, presence detectors of the photocell type are preferred, which are in themselves insensitive to movement and are activated only when the subject is present within the scope of the photocell. It is also possible to use ultrasound sensors, known in the sectorial art and for that reason not described in detail herein.

The above-mentioned ultrasound sensors are sensitive to variations in the sound waves reflected in the environment by a moving object.

Thus, when the individual moves within the detection range of one of the sensors 5, an electrical circuit is closed and the spotlight 6 is switched on.

Naturally these sensors have to be calibrated and screened in order to be sensitive only and exclusively to the movement of the occupant of the bed when said occupant begins to rise.

Obviously, any other type of presence sensor can be used alternatively to the ones mentioned herein above, as long as the sensor exhibits the same requisites.

In the example, the detection field is constituted by a segment of circular sector, substantially extended in a horizontal plane above the mattress 100, the angle of which is comprised between 180° and 30° at a distance from each sensor 5 which is comprised between a few centimetres and two metres. Alternatively to the use of two presence sensors 5, a single presence sensor can be used for each bed, as long as the detection field thereof is able to intercept an individual rising from the bed from any position. To render the use of the presence sensor 5 more flexible, a sensor can be used that is ohentable according to need in order to vary the orientation of the detection field thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 5 can be set such as to keep the electric circuit closed for a limited time, enabling lighting-up of the spotlight 6 for a limited time too, at the end of which the electrical contact is re-opened and automatically turns off the spotlight 6.

Alternatively, the sensor 5 can be set such as to maintain the electrical circuit closed, enabling the spotlight 6 to be lighted for a non-predefined duration. In this case, the turning-off of the spotlight 6 can be done manually. The turning-off (opening the electrical circuit) re-activates the presence-detecting function, which enables the light to be re-activated when the presence of a person internally of the detection field is detected.

The manual switching-off can be done by directly intervening on a special manual switch, or preferably via a wireless remote device, typically a radio remote control 51 which communicates with the sensor 5 by means of a receiver 50 (figure 2).

To this end, the presence detector 5 is provided with a programmable control system 60, preferably already incorporated, via which the functioning mode of the spotlight 6 can be controlled, or the functioning mode of any other lighting device connected thereto. Naturally the remote radio control is able not only to turn off the spotlight 6 but also to turn it on in the absence of an activation signal from the sensor 5. With the aim of rendering installation of the bed 1 of the present invention simpler, a single electric cable is used, to be connected to the domestic electric supply for supplying the sensors 5 and the spotlight 6. Alternatively, or in addition to the domestic electrical supply, the sensors 5 and/or the spotlight 6 can be powered by batteries. As can be appreciated from the above description, the bed provided with the lighting device of the present invention satisfies the needs and obviates the drawbacks mentioned in the introductory part of the present description, made with reference to the prior art. The spotlight 6 automatically switches on when a person rises from the bed, without there being any need to search for the electric switch in the dark. Further, the lighting of the spotlight can be freely programmed for a predetermined duration, or can be turned off manually by operating a switch or, more easily, by using a remote radio control. Obviously an expert in the field, with the aim of satisfying contingent needs and specifications, might make numerous modifications and variations to the bed with a lighting device as described above, all falling within the sought ambit of protection for the invention, as it is defined in the following claims.

Claims

1 ). An article of furniture dedicated to rest, such as a divan or a bed (1 ), provided with a lighting device comprising at least a substantially-vertical backrest or a headboard (4), provided with legs (3), characterised in that it comprises at least a presence sensor (5) for detecting presence of an individual within a delimited field of detection and a lighting device (6) connected to the sensor (5), which lighting device (6) is activated to light up on command of the sensor (5), the at least a sensor (5) being fixed to the backrest or headboard (4) in a position in which at least a portion of a body of a person using the divan or bed (1 ) falls within the field of detection only when the person passes from a lying position into a raised position, such as to automatically activate the lighting device (6).

2). The article of furniture of claim 1 , wherein the presence detector (5) is a photocell sensor and is associated to a control system (60). 3). The article of furniture of claim 1 , wherein the sensor (5) is an ultrasound sensor and is associated to a control system (60).

4). The article of furniture of claim 1 , wherein the lighting device (6) is mounted on a leg (3) of the article of furniture, in proximity of a floor of a room.

5). The article of furniture of claim 1 , comprising a single supply cable for being connected to an electrical network such as to provide energy both to the lighting device (6) and to the sensor (5) and the control system (60). 6). The article of furniture of claim 2 or 3, wherein the control system (60) comprises an integrated receiver (50) for receiving commands in order to switch on and switch off the lighting device (6), via a wireless remote device (51 ).

7). The article of furniture of claim^"! , wherein the sensor (5) is spatially orientable and screenable such as to vary a portion of space that is intercepted by the field of detection thereof.