Heated Athletic Seating Assembly for Venous Blood Flow Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seating arrangements for athletes, such as chairs and benches, often restrict venous blood flow in the lower limbs, hindering athletic performance, particularly for taller individuals like basketball players.
Innovation Solution
A seating assembly with adjustable height and heating elements that allow for a reclined position between 110 and 120 degrees, providing heat to the torso and lower limbs to maintain optimal muscle temperature and improve blood flow, featuring heating pads within cushions and a controller for temperature adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional chairs or benches are used for athlete seating, then the seating structure is simple and stable, but venous blood flow in lower limbs is restricted, hindering athletic performance
Solution Approach 1:
The seat back angle is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the seating configuration to be dynamically changed to optimize blood flow and athletic performance. The adjustable mechanism enables transition between different recline angles to accommodate various athletic needs and body types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the seat back angle from a fixed value to an adjustable range, specifically optimizing it to between 90-110 degrees to facilitate venous blood flow while maintaining structural stability and athletic performance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the seat back angle is increased to facilitate venous blood flow, then blood flow improvement is achieved, but the seating structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The seating assembly is divided into separable components including the base, adjustable support member, and seat portion. This segmentation allows the angle-adjustment function to be isolated to a specific mechanism rather than requiring complex integration throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
A telescoping adjustable support member with pin-and-hole mechanism provides dynamic angle adjustment capability. This relatively simple mechanical design enables the seat back angle to be changed between 90-110 degrees without requiring complex hydraulic or electronic systems.
3Productivity
If heating elements are added to maintain muscle temperature, then athletic performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating elements are integrated within the existing seat cushion and backrest structures, merging the thermal function with the mechanical support function. This combination approach adds heating capability while minimizing overall structural complexity by utilizing the existing framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller unit serves multiple functions: it independently regulates temperature for both the seat portion and backrest portion, and can coordinate with the adjustable support member to optimize both thermal comfort and blood flow facilitation in a single integrated system.
4Productivity
If the seat height is increased to accommodate taller athletes, then athletic performance is improved, but the seating structure becomes less stable
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable support member provides dynamic height adjustment capability, allowing the seat to be raised or lowered based on athlete height requirements. The telescoping design with pin-and-hole mechanism enables stable positioning at various heights while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optimal seat back angle between 90-110 degrees is pre-configured in the adjustable mechanism design, ensuring that when the seat is adjusted to appropriate heights for taller athletes, the blood flow-facilitating angle is already optimized, eliminating the need for separate angle adjustments.
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 seating assembly enhances venous blood flow, leading to improved athletic performance by maintaining optimal muscle temperature and facilitating better metabolic homeostasis, as demonstrated by increased shuttle run times, vertical jump heights, and skin temperatures compared to standard seating.
Implementation Method 1
The back heating member and the lower limb heating member are configured to transfer heat to a torso and lower limbs of a user
Data Source
AI summary
A seating assembly for athletes includes seats having a back and seat portion, a base, an adjustable element, a user interface device, and a controller. The back portion includes a back heating member that provides heat to a user's torso. The seat portion includes a lower limb heating member that provides heat to the user's lower limbs. The base supports each seat. The adjustable element is coupled to the base and one of the seats and adjusts height of the seat. The user interface device receives an input regarding a desired temperature of the back heating member and the lower limb heating member. The controller receives the input and adjusts an operation of the back heating member and the lower limb heating member to achieve the desired temperature. The user interface device receives a second input to adjust the a height of the seat relative to the floor surface.