Leg pillow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
People experience discomfort and pain due to misalignment of the spine during sleep, particularly when sleeping on their side, leading to pressure on nerves, lower back, and buttocks, which can cause long-term pain and swelling.
Innovation Solution
A leg pillow with a pillow main body designed to support between the legs, featuring recessed portions and a through hole that deforms under pressure to provide wrapping support, ensuring the legs are at the same height as the pelvis, aligning the spine and relieving pressure on the legs and lumbar vertebra.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a person sleeps on their side, then they can avoid some sleeping discomfort, but the upper leg hangs down or presses down on the lower leg due to gravity, causing soft tissue elongation, hip joint flexion, piriformis muscle pulling, and sciatic nerve compression
Solution Approach 1:
The leg pillow acts as an intermediary object placed between the upper and lower legs. It provides physical support to the upper leg, preventing it from hanging down or pressing on the lower leg, thereby eliminating soft tissue elongation, hip joint flexion, piriformis muscle pulling, and sciatic nerve compression while maintaining the side sleeping position
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow's height is specifically designed to match the distance from the greater trochanter to the medial malleolus, ensuring the upper leg is elevated to the correct angle. This parameter optimization transforms the harmful gravitational effect into a beneficial alignment effect, maintaining neutral hip and knee positions
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the upper leg is supported to prevent hanging down, then nerve compression is relieved, but the spine alignment may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow height is precisely controlled to match the distance from the greater trochanter to the medial malleolus, which geometrically ensures that supporting the upper leg at this specific height simultaneously maintains neutral spine alignment. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by making both nerve relief and spine alignment achievable together
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow elevates the upper leg to create a gravitational equipotential state where the upper and lower legs are at the same effective level, preventing the upper leg from sinking or pressing down, thereby relieving nerve compression while maintaining overall body alignment
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a leg pillow is introduced to support between the legs, then pressure on nerves and lower back is relieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pillow dimensions are optimized to specific ranges (height: 15-25cm, length: 30-50cm, width: 10-20cm) that allow it to provide effective support between the legs without requiring complex positioning or adjustment mechanisms. These parameter optimizations enable a simple yet effective solution that relieves pressure on nerves and lower back
Solution Approach 2:
The pillow is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: supporting the upper leg, maintaining hip alignment, relieving sciatic nerve compression, reducing lower back pressure, and potentially providing cervical support when combined with other pillows. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate devices
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 leg pillow aligns the spine, reduces pressure on nerves and the lower back, improves sleep quality, and relieves swelling by maintaining leg height and providing targeted support.
Implementation Method 1
the through hole is stressed and deformed under the pressure of the legs, so that a middle portion of the pillow main body collapses with the deformation of the through hole
Implementation Method 2
the through hole is stressed and deformed under the pressure of the legs, so that two ends of the pillow main body are also deformed and squeezed towards the middle portion
Data Source
AI summary
A leg pillow includes a pillow main body used for supporting between a first leg portion and a second leg portion of a user. The pillow main body includes an upper left side edge, an upper right side edge, a first contact surface, a lower left side edge, a lower right side edge, a second contact surface, an upper front side edge, a lower front side edge, a front end surface, an upper rear side edge, a lower rear side edge, a rear end surface, and a through hole. The first contact surface extends between the upper left side edge and the upper right side edge. The second contact surface extends between the lower left side edge and the lower right side edge. The second contact surface is opposite to the first contact surface. The rear end surface is opposite to the front end surface.