Inflatable pillow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inflatable neck pillows suffer from user discomfort due to internal welds that chafe and are costly to manufacture, as they require complex shaping to provide contoured support without symmetrical inflation interfering with the chin, jaw, and shoulder regions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating constriction structures within the inflatable pillow to form flexible hinges that allow the pillow to transition between deflated and inflated states, preventing welds from contacting the user's neck and enabling a non-planar profile that resists linear transition, thus providing contoured support without the need for complex shaping or high manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If internal welds are used to join airtight sheets together to form an inflatable neck pillow, then the pillow can be manufactured with a U-shaped profile, but the welds come into contact with the user's neck causing discomfort and chafing
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful welds are extracted from the user-contact surface and relocated to the internal structure of the pillow. The welds remain necessary for joining airtight sheets but are positioned away from the neck area, eliminating chafing while preserving manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The design transitions from a two-dimensional flat sheet configuration to a three-dimensional inflated structure where welds are positioned internally. This dimensional change allows the pillow to maintain structural integrity through welding while creating user-contact surfaces that are weld-free.
2Device complexity
If conventional welding methods are used to join sheets together, then the pillow structure is simple and cost-effective, but the vertical profile becomes substantially symmetrical which interferes with providing contoured support for chin, jaw and shoulder regions
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow design incorporates asymmetric vertical profiles by strategically positioning welds and shaping sheets to create different contours on the top and bottom halves. This asymmetry enables contoured support for anatomical regions like chin, jaw, and shoulders while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standard welding techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the pillow are given different local qualities through selective welding patterns and sheet shaping. The top half may have different contour characteristics than the bottom half, allowing optimized support for specific anatomical regions while using the same basic manufacturing process throughout.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If complex shaping solutions are implemented to achieve asymmetric contoured profiles, then user comfort and anatomical support are improved, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow structure utilizes the inflation process itself to create the desired contoured shape. The aerodynamic forces and internal pressure during inflation naturally form the asymmetric profile, eliminating the need for complex pre-shaping or post-forming operations. The structure essentially shapes itself through the inflation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The design achieves contoured profiles by controlling parameters such as sheet thickness distribution, weld positioning, and inflation pressure rather than through complex shaping operations. These parameter changes enable asymmetric profiles to emerge from simple manufacturing processes.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides an inflatable pillow or cushion that is configured to transition between a deflated state in which the pillow conforms to a substantially planar profile within at least one plane, and an inflated state in which the pillow conforms to a non-planar profile within the at least one plane.