Flexible Chair Seating Element Without Sync Mechanisms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chairs with synchronized seat and backrest movements for enhanced comfort often require complex mechanisms, increasing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A chair design featuring a flexible seating element with an L-shaped structure made of injection-molded plastic, incorporating a rigid fixing element and an arcuate connecting portion with varying bending rigidities to allow elastic deformation, eliminating the need for synchronization mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If synchronized mechanisms are used to coordinate seat and backrest movements, then comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex synchronized mechanism from the chair design. Instead of using mechanical linkages, motors, or control systems to coordinate seat and backrest movements, the invention uses a flexible seating element that naturally deforms elastically under user weight, providing synchronized-like comfort without any active synchronization mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible seating element serves itself by automatically adapting to user weight and posture through elastic deformation. The material inherently provides the necessary compliance and movement coordination without requiring external control systems, sensors, or power sources, thereby eliminating mechanism complexity while maintaining comfort.
2Ease of operation
If flexible materials are used for the seating element, then comfort is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a seating element with spatially varying bending rigidity. The flexible polymer structure has different stiffness characteristics in different regions, allowing certain areas to be more compliant while others provide structural support. This localized variation in material properties enables comfortable elastic deformation without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances across the entire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The seating element is made from a flexible polymer material that combines properties of both flexibility and structural integrity. This composite-like material structure allows the seat to exhibit controlled elastic deformation under load while maintaining sufficient rigidity for structural support, balancing comfort requirements with manufacturability.
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 chair provides comfort comparable to traditional synchronized models without the complexity, using the seating element's elastic deformation to adjust to user weight, ensuring ergonomic support and ease of production.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible seating element capable of deforming elastically backwards under the user's weight
Data Source
AI summary
A chair comprising: a support structure including a rigid front fixing element, and an essentially L-shaped seating element, including a seat portion and a backrest portion connected to each other via an arcuate connecting portion, wherein the seat portion comprises a front fixing section fixed to said rigid front fixing element, a main seat section having a concave cross-section and a planar bending section located between said front fixing section and said main seat section and having a flat cross-section.