Ergonomic motion chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ergonomic chairs fail to provide a wide range of movement while seated without requiring constant user effort, often compromising comfort and health benefits by limiting the user's ability to move their shoulder blades and restricting natural body angles.
Innovation Solution
A chair mechanism allowing the seat to pivot about a first axis above the seat plane with a side-to-side swinging motion and a second axis for forward-and-back movement, combined with a biasing structure to return to a neutral position, and an actuation system connected to a computer system for active control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the seat is allowed to tilt and toggle in all directions about a toggle point, then user movement capability is improved, but back support is compromised and user fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat movement is divided into two independent rotational degrees of freedom: rotation about a first horizontal axis (side-to-side tilting) and rotation about a second vertical axis (forward-backward reclining). This segmentation allows each axis to be controlled independently with dedicated biasing structures, providing comprehensive back support while maintaining versatile movement capability without requiring constant user effort to maintain balance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the seat is allowed to slide within the frame relative to a preset seatback position, then forward and backward movement is improved, but the user's position relative to the seatback changes, compromising comfort and back support
Solution Approach 1:
The seatback is dynamically coupled to the seat through a mechanism that maintains a constant relative position between the seatback and seat during forward-backward reclining motion. As the seat rotates about the second vertical axis, the seatback rotates synchronously to preserve the user's posture and contact points, ensuring continuous ergonomic support throughout the range of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a rotational degree of freedom to the seatback mechanism about the second vertical axis, allowing the seatback to rotate in sync with the seat. This dimensional transformation converts a static relative position problem into a dynamic synchronized rotation system, maintaining optimal back support across all recline angles.
3Ease of operation
If the user is required to use legs and arms to hold a seated position on a pivoting bucket, then slouching is reduced, but movement is limited to forward-and-back tilting and user effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
Biasing structures (springs or elastic elements) are integrated into the mechanism to automatically urge the seat toward a neutral upright position after reclining. This self-service feature eliminates the need for constant active user effort to maintain posture, while the passive mechanical design naturally provides ergonomic support throughout the movement range.
4Ease of operation
If a seatback engages the spinal column and shoulder blades simultaneously in the same plane, then back support is provided, but the user's ability to stretch shoulder blades independently is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The seatback is designed with differentiated engagement zones: an upper portion that contacts the spinal column and a lower portion that contacts the shoulder blades. These zones are positioned at different depths and angles, allowing independent movement of the shoulder blades relative to the spine while maintaining comprehensive back support. The seatback geometry accommodates scapular protraction and retraction motions.
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
Enables dynamic, infinite seating positions with minimal user effort, maintaining comfort and support, and integrating with computer systems for health monitoring and gaming applications.
Implementation Method 1
an improved biasing structure for biasing the seat to a neutral position
Data Source
AI summary
A chair that provides movement of a seat about an axis of rotation above the seat plane with the seat having a sensor in communication with a computer system that tracks movement. The seat may be simultaneously pivotable about a second axis of rotation defining a range of motion for the seat about the two axes. An actuation system in communication with the computer system can move the seat to desired positions and/or prevent the seat from being positioned at certain locations within the range of motion. The computer system may also include an application that can promote user movement within the seat and allow movement of the seat to be used for gaming, health monitoring and treatment, activity tracking, and the like. The chair may include a mechanism that has one or more glides operably received in curved structures to provide the movement about the axes.