OCCUPANT SUPPORT WITH TURN ASSIST MEMBERS

摘要

Part A: An occupant support comprises a support layer and a turn assist layer below the support layer. The turn assist layer includes a left side array of two or more longitudinally distributed turn assist members and a right side array of two or more longitudinally distributed turn assist members. The occupant support also includes a controller configured to inflate at least one turn assist member of a selected one of the left and right arrays and to subsequently deflate a subset of the more than one turn assist member, in response to at least one user command. A related method of providing access to a target region of an occupant of a mattress and/or of the mattress itself comprises inflating at least one turn assist member of a selected one of the left and right arrays and subsequently deflating a subset of the at least one turn assist member. Part B: An occupant support, for example a mattress, comprises a turn assist layer which includes a left side array of two or more longitudinally distributed turn assist members. Each member of the array comprises one or more longitudinally distributed turn assist bladders. At least two of the array members are longitudinally spaced from each other by a left intermember reach-in space having a left intermember dimension. The occupant support also comprises a similar right side array of turn assist members. A related method of providing access to a target region of the mattress or of an occupant of the mattress comprises inflating at least one turn assist zone so that the inflated zone exhibits a lateral variation in height which increases with increasing lateral distance from the centerline of the occupant support and maintaining inflation of the inflated turn assist zone for a user determined period of time. Part C: A mattress comprises a turn layer comprising left and right turn effectors, a support layer atop the turn effectors, and left and right bolsters bordering the left and right sides of the support layer. An associated method of relieving loading on an occupant of the mattress comprises turning the occupant laterally in a first turn direction and maintaining the occupant in an orientation resulting from the turning in the first turn direction for a predefined first interval of time while supporting the occupant against lateral translation in a first translational direction. Another method of relieving loading on the occupant comprises turning the occupant laterally in a first turn direction and maintaining the occupant in an orientation resulting from the turning in the first turn direction for a predefined first interval of time and relaxing interface pressure along at least a portion of the length of the occupant during at least part of the first interval. Yet another mattress comprises a turn layer comprising left and right turn effectors, a support layer atop the turn effectors, and a center tie adapted to apply a counterforce to the support layer laterally between the left and right turn effectors.