Functional pillow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pillows impede lateral movement of the head and cervical spine, leading to stress and potential tissue damage due to their linear support structure, which can cause the cervical spine to form an unnatural shape.
Innovation Solution
A functional pillow with a concave support part and parallel side parts, featuring a first groove for the cervical spine and a second groove for the head, allowing for free lateral movement and proper alignment, with the first groove having a convex center and wider width than the second groove, accommodating the natural C-shape of the cervical spine and head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a U-shaped base is adopted in the cervical spine support pillow to support the user's cervical spine, then the cervical spine can form a C-shape, but lateral movement of the head and cervical spine is impeded
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow is divided into multiple functional regions: a first groove for the cervical spine, a second groove for the head, and side parts. This segmentation allows each region to independently support different parts of the body while permitting lateral movement between regions, resolving the contradiction between stability and movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds lateral dimensionality to the pillow structure by creating side parts that extend beyond the central support area. This allows the pillow to provide cervical spine support in the vertical dimension while simultaneously enabling lateral movement in the horizontal dimension, thus resolving the contradiction.
2Device complexity
If typical pillows are configured to support only the user's head, then the structure is simple, but the cervical spine forms a linear shape or inverted C-shape imparting stress
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: a first groove specifically shaped to support the cervical spine in its natural C-position, and a second groove for head support. This segmentation eliminates cervical spine stress by providing dedicated support geometry without requiring complex additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the pillow are given different local qualities: the first groove has a curvature matching the cervical spine's C-shape, while the second groove accommodates the head's shape. This localized adaptation of pillow geometry to body contours eliminates harmful stress on the cervical spine while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the support part is configured to maintain fixed posture, then cervical spine alignment is improved, but sustained pressure in one area leads to tissue damage and bedsores
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is segmented into multiple grooves and side parts that contact different body regions. This segmentation distributes pressure across multiple points rather than concentrating it in one area, allowing posture maintenance without causing tissue damage or bedsores.
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow provides localized support quality through differently shaped grooves: the first groove supports the cervical spine while the second groove supports the head, and side parts provide additional contact points. This distributed localized support maintains proper posture while preventing sustained pressure on any single tissue area.
Data Source
AI summary
A functional pillow according to an aspect of the present invention includes a support part which has a center formed in a concave shape and supports user's head and cervical spine; and side parts which are connected to both edges of the support part, are formed to be parallel to a ground, and are higher than the support part, in which the support part includes a concave first groove extending in one direction parallel to the user's cervical spine, and a concave second groove which is connected to an edge of the first groove and extends along the one direction or another direction, and the first groove may have a lowest point that is higher than a lowest point of the second groove.