Movable Seat Structure for Seated-to-Standing Leg Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing standing frames and seating devices lack the ability to effectively transition users from a seated to a standing posture while minimizing contact between the user's legs and the seat, limiting the range of motion and comfort in standing positions.
Innovation Solution
The development of movable seats that transition from a seating to a standing orientation, where at least a portion of the seat moves away from the user's legs, utilizing mechanisms such as motors, linear actuators, ratchet mechanisms, and linkages to facilitate this movement, allowing for manual or automatic adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat remains in fixed contact with the user's legs during transition to standing posture, then structural simplicity is maintained, but user comfort and range of motion are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is divided into two independent support portions: a rearward support portion that contacts the user's buttocks and a forward support portion that contacts the user's legs. These portions can move independently relative to each other, allowing the forward portion to move away from the user's legs during the transition to standing posture, thereby improving comfort and range of motion without requiring complete structural redesign
Solution Approach 2:
The seat transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one where the forward support portion is movable relative to the rearward support portion. This dynamic configuration allows the seat to adapt its shape and position during the transition from seated to standing posture, improving user comfort while maintaining structural feasibility through controlled movement
2Reliability
If the seat structure is simplified to maintain fixed contact with user's legs, then device complexity is reduced, but blood flow and muscle function are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the seat into separate rearward and forward support portions that can move independently, the design allows the forward portion to clear the user's legs during standing transition. This prevents restriction of blood flow and muscle function while avoiding the need for completely complex reconfigurable structures
Solution Approach 2:
The movable forward support portion acts as an intermediary element that facilitates the transition from seated to standing posture. It temporarily supports the user's legs during the transition and then moves away to allow proper leg positioning, ensuring blood flow and muscle function are maintained without requiring overly complex mechanisms
3Ease of operation
If the seat maintains constant contact with user's legs during posture transition, then structural simplicity is preserved, but comfort and well-being are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The seat employs dynamic movement of the forward support portion relative to the rearward support portion. During the transition to standing posture, the forward portion moves away from the user's legs to improve comfort, while the system remains structurally manageable through controlled, predictable motion patterns
Data Source
AI summary
Seats that are moveable from a seating orientation, which allows a user to sit on the seat, to a standing orientation, where the seat at least partially supports the user in a standing posture are disclosed. At least a portion of the seat is moveable away from the user's legs when the seat is in the standing position.