US 11,883,205 B2
Support structure
Jørn Refsnæs, Ålesund (NO); Arve Voldsund, Leinøy (NO); Cato Alexander Bjørkli, Hvalstad (NO); Leila Yousif Circhirillo, Oslo (NO); and Kjell Are Furnes, Nesoddtangen (NO)
Assigned to Ably Medical AS, Alesund (NO)
Appl. No. 17/050,500
Filed by ABLY MEDICAL AS, Ålesund (NO)
PCT Filed Apr. 29, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/060985
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 26, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/207169, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 31, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1806938 (GB), filed on Apr. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0128065 A1, May 6, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/11 (2006.01); G01L 1/16 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/6891 (2013.01) [A61B 5/1116 (2013.01); G01L 1/16 (2013.01); A61B 5/6894 (2013.01); A61B 5/746 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0219 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0247 (2013.01); A61B 2562/0261 (2013.01); A61B 2562/043 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A support structure comprising a plurality of elongate, resilient members configured to support a person,
wherein each resilient member extends lengthwise in the direction of the longest side of the support structure, and from a first end at the top of the support structure to a second, opposite end at the bottom of the support structure, wherein elongate is defined in the lengthwise direction of the support structure,
wherein the resilient members each have a central longitudinal axis and a length defined along the central longitudinal axis that is at least 20 times a width of the resilient member, wherein the width is defined as the largest lateral dimension of the resilient member that extends through its central longitudinal axis,
wherein the resilient members are arranged parallel to each other in an array across the support structure,
wherein the resilient members are separated from each other in a lateral, widthwise direction, and are each fixed against lateral (side-to-side) movement towards and away from each other in the lateral, widthwise direction,
wherein the resilient members each comprise a sensor element in the form of a piezoelectric material that is attached to and runs along a length of the respective resilient member such that respective resilient members and sensor elements have parallel longitudinal axes, and each of the sensor elements is configured to provide an electrical response proportional to the amount of movement of the respective resilient member, and
wherein the support structure is not configured as a pad.