Spring element, spring and mattress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mattress springs require large and expensive molds for production, limiting flexibility in adjusting softness or hardness, and individual spring replacement is necessary when one breaks, making it difficult to customize comfort levels.
Innovation Solution
A spring element comprising a pair of sleeves connected by a central band with wedge-shaped projections, allowing for adjustable hardness by varying the distance between spring elements on a central bar, enabling users to customize the mattress's softness or hardness post-purchase by adding or removing spring elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If large rod-shaped springs are produced as a whole unit, then structural integrity is maintained, but mold size and production cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is divided into multiple individual spring elements that can be produced separately using small molds and then assembled onto a central bar. This segmentation allows the use of cost-effective small molds while maintaining the overall structural integrity through the connecting central bar and positioning projections.
2Ease of manufacture
If springs are produced with fixed hardness, then manufacturing process is simplified, but user customization capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The spring system allows dynamic adjustment of hardness by enabling users to add or remove spring elements from the central bar. The number of active spring elements can be varied to achieve different firmness levels, providing adaptability while maintaining simple production of individual standardized elements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual spring elements are designed to be replaceable, then customization and repair flexibility improve, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring elements are designed to slide onto and nest along the central bar, with positioning projections that engage with corresponding features on the bar. This nested arrangement allows easy assembly and disassembly by simply sliding elements on and off, providing replaceability without significant assembly complexity.
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
This design allows for the use of smaller molds, adjustable spring hardness, and user-friendly customization of mattress comfort by sliding spring elements onto a central bar, ensuring gentle handling and preventing material damage, thus enhancing user flexibility and reducing replacement costs.
Implementation Method 1
each projection can be wedge-shaped. In this way, the receiving space has an approximately rectangular cross-section. The wedge-shaped formation of the projections makes it possible, during the sliding of the spring element onto a central bar, to uniformly open the receiving space by forcing the two projections apart.
Implementation Method 2
The approximately elliptic cross-section has proved to be advantageous concerning strength and elasticity.
Data Source
AI summary
A spring element (1) having a pair of sleeves formed of two sleeves (5, 7) is disclosed. Each sleeve (5, 7) of the pair of sleeves is formed of a closed band. The two oppositely disposed sleeves (5, 7) are connected to each other by a connecting piece (9) at one point of their circumference, respectively. On each sleeve (5, 7), a projection (11a, 11b) directed towards the opposite sleeve (7, 5) is provided, spaced apart from the connecting piece (9). In this way, a receiving space (13) defined by the connecting piece (9) and the projections (11a, 11b) is formed between the sleeves (5, 7). A spring comprises a rod-shaped central bar (21) and such a spring element (1). The spring element (1) is slid onto the central bar (21) such that a portion of the central bar (21) is held in the receiving space (13) of the spring element (1) and can be removed without damage from the receiving space (13) of the spring element (1). This spring is provided for a mattress for lying and/or seating means comprising a mattress body made of a material movable in itself, particularly foam or latex, having hollow spaces arranged transversely to a longitudinal axis or a lateral axis. A spring is provided in at least one hollow space.