Contoured Cushion Insert for Pelvic Load Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheelchair seat cushions often fail to adequately distribute weight, leading to excessive pressure on bony prominences, particularly in users confined to wheelchairs, due to insufficient support and difficulty in inserting cushion inserts without overlapping or folding.
Innovation Solution
A contoured support base with a pelvic loading area and a fluid-filled cushion insert featuring non-uniformly sized and oriented cells, with notches and angled regions to accommodate the sloped walls of the base, ensuring proper alignment and distribution of weight without causing wrinkles or damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pelvic loading area with sloped walls is used to improve support and load distribution, then weight distribution between ischial tuberosities and trochanters is improved, but insertion of the cushion insert becomes difficult causing overlapping or folding
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion insert is divided into multiple cells (first plurality and second plurality) with different orientations. The first cells are oriented perpendicular to the bottom surface while the second cells are oriented at an angle, allowing the insert to conform to sloped walls without overlapping or folding during insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cushion insert have different cell orientations and configurations. The first cells provide support in one orientation while the second cells, oriented at an angle, provide support adapted to sloped surfaces, allowing local adaptation to different geometric requirements within the same insert.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If resilient seat cushions are used to increase supporting surface area, then pressure on bony prominences is reduced, but the cushions lack sufficient support causing excessive compression or bottoming out
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion insert is segmented into multiple cells arranged in different orientations. This segmentation allows different portions of the user's body to be supported by cells oriented optimally for their location, providing both pressure distribution and structural support to prevent bottoming out.
Solution Approach 2:
The cushion assembly combines the fluid-filled or foam cushion insert with a contoured support base having sloped walls. This composite structure provides both the compliance needed for pressure distribution and the geometric support needed to prevent excessive compression.
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 solution provides enhanced support and load distribution, reducing pressure on bony prominences by conforming to the shape of the user's body and preventing excessive deformation of skin tissue, thus improving comfort and reducing the risk of injury.
Implementation Method 1
the cells are deformed to conform to the shape of the pelvic loading area
Implementation Method 2
Each cell is filled with a fluid and the cells are deformed to conform to the shape of the pelvic loading area
Data Source
AI summary
An air insert is designed for a proper fit into a cushion pelvic loading area that has sloped walls for positioning and properly supporting the human pelvis. The air insert may be segmented, or pre-contoured by the manufacturer, so as to be designed for a proper fit into the PLA. The seat cushion and the insert will provide comfort and support to the users.