US 11,896,136 B2
Pneumatic haptic device having actuation cells for producing a haptic output over a bed mattress
Riley E. Brandt, Menlo Park, CA (US); Linda Benavente-Notaro, Cupertino, CA (US); Antonio Herrera, Woodside, CA (US); Denis Lin, Stanford, CA (US); Zijing Zeng, Santa Clara, CA (US); Erno H. Klaassen, Los Altos, CA (US); and Zhipeng Zhang, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 14, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/020,585.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/902,811, filed on Sep. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0085091 A1, Mar. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. A47C 27/08 (2006.01); G08B 6/00 (2006.01); A47C 27/14 (2006.01); A47C 27/10 (2006.01); A47C 27/18 (2006.01); G08B 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC A47C 27/083 (2013.01) [A47C 27/10 (2013.01); A47C 27/146 (2013.01); A47C 27/18 (2013.01); G08B 1/04 (2013.01); G08B 6/00 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An in-bed haptic device, comprising:
a top layer defining a top external surface;
a bottom layer defining a bottom external surface;
an array of actuation cells positioned between the top layer and the bottom layer, each actuation cell of the array of actuation cells formed from a respective sheet coupled to the bottom layer and configured to expand upward in response to fluid being introduced into a respective actuation cell; and
a channel layer positioned between the bottom layer and the array of actuation cells, the channel layer formed from a second sheet defining one or more passages configured to fluidly couple the array of actuation cells to a control system, the one or more passages each extend from an edge of the second sheet and to the respective actuation cell of the array of actuation cells; wherein:
the control system is configured to introduce pressurized air into individual cells of the array of actuation cells in a predetermined sequence to provide a haptic output.