Adjustable pillow and methods of making and using same
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ergonomic pillows, such as those made of visco-elastic foam, fail to provide adequate neck support for all users due to varying body sizes and sleeping positions, and often lack sufficient firmness in the neck region, leading to discomfort and strain.
Innovation Solution
A pillow design featuring a cover with multiple adjacent compartments that can be adjusted by internal and external fasteners, allowing the distribution of filler material between compartments to customize the height and support, ensuring optimal alignment and comfort for different users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pre-formed visco-elastic pillow is used, then the pillow provides a fixed level of neck support, but it cannot adapt to different user body sizes and sleeping positions
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is divided into multiple compartments that can be independently adjusted. Each compartment can be separated or combined to create different pillow heights and firmness levels, allowing the pillow to adapt to various user needs without requiring a completely different pillow for each sleeping position or body type.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow incorporates adjustable elements that allow users to dynamically change the pillow's configuration. The compartments can be repositioned and reconfigured based on the user's current sleeping position and comfort requirements, transforming the static pillow into a dynamic, adaptable support system.
2Ease of operation
If visco-elastic foam is used, then the pillow molds to the individual, but the support in the neck region may not be sufficiently firm
Solution Approach 1:
Different compartments of the pillow can be filled with different materials or densities to provide varying levels of support in different regions. The neck region can be equipped with firmer, more supportive filling while other areas remain softer and more conforming, allowing localized optimization of both firmness and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow combines visco-elastic foam with other supporting materials in a composite structure. This allows the pillow to maintain the pressure-relieving, body-molding properties of visco-elastic foam while incorporating firmer materials in the neck region to provide adequate structural support.
3Adaptability or versatility
If an adjustable pillow mechanism is added, then the pillow can be customized to various heights, but the pillow becomes more complex to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is constructed from separate, modular compartments that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process for each individual component while enabling versatile final assembly configurations, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the adjustable functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A pillow allowing adjustment of the height, thereby minimizing neck muscles' strain and improving efficiency and quality of sleep is disclosed. The disclosed pillow contains a number of various compartments that are in communication with each other to allow adjustment of the height by the user.