Chair and structure body thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chairs suffer from a deterioration in fine appearance due to overlapping members, loose seating boards made of elastomer, and discomfort from inadequate contact between the user's thighs and the seating board.
Innovation Solution
The chair design incorporates a composite portion with a thin outer periphery to reduce thickness, a recessed leg tip to minimize protrusion, and a rigid fixing portion to securely attach the seating board, along with an elastomeric front edge that deforms to support thighs, enhancing comfort and appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If multiple members are arranged to overlap in the outer peripheral of the support member, then structural strength is improved, but the chair's fine appearance deteriorates due to increased thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing the leg tip inside a recess formed in the leg member, so that the leg tip is partially or fully contained within the leg's outer periphery. This nesting arrangement maintains structural strength through the overlapping members while eliminating the visual thickness problem, as the leg tip no longer protrudes outward to create a stacked appearance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the leg tip widely protrudes downward from the pipe, then floor protection function is improved, but the chair's fine appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The leg tip is nested within a recess in the leg member, allowing it to extend downward for floor protection while being contained within the overall outer periphery of the leg. This prevents the leg tip from creating a protruding appearance that would deteriorate the chair's fine appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess is formed only in specific locations on the leg member where leg tips are attached, while other portions of the leg maintain their original cylindrical shape. This localized modification preserves the fine appearance of the overall leg structure while providing the necessary recesses for leg tip accommodation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the seating board is directly fastened by screws, then attachment simplicity is improved, but the seating board becomes loose and unintendedly disengaged due to high flexibility of elastomer
Solution Approach 1:
A fixing portion with higher rigidity than the elastomeric seating board is introduced as an intermediary between the seating board and the support body. This fixing portion acts as a mediator that provides reliable attachment points for screws while the flexible seating board can still be securely fastened, preventing loosening and unintended disengagement.
4Reliability
If the central portion of the seating board is elastically deformed, then contact with user's sciatic is enhanced, but comfortability deteriorates due to inadequate contact with user's thighs
Solution Approach 1:
The seating board is designed with different local qualities: the central portion has high elasticity to contact the user's sciatic, while the front edge portion has lower elasticity to provide comfortable contact with the user's thighs. This spatial differentiation of material properties or structural characteristics allows each region to fulfill its specific function optimally.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design improves the chair's fine appearance, ensures secure attachment of the seating board, and provides enhanced comfort by reducing looseness and improving contact between the user's thighs and the seating surface.
Implementation Method 1
a front edge portion configured such that a front end of the front edge portion is elastically deformed in a top-bottom direction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a chair including a support member that is at least a seat body and a backrest to support an occupant. The support member includes a composite portion at least a part of an outer periphery of the support member. The composite portion includes a first outer periphery that is a part of the first member and a second outer periphery that is a part of the second member. The first outer periphery and the second outer periphery are arranged to overlap each other in a thickness direction of the support member. In the composite portion, at least a part of the first outer periphery is formed into a thin portion thinner in the thickness direction than a part located on an outside of at least the part of the first outer periphery in the first member.