Adjustable office-type ergonomic chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional office chairs fail to provide ergonomic support at elevated positions, leading to stability and ergonomic issues such as restricted blood flow and increased musculoskeletal stress due to static postures, which can result in fatigue and discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An office chair design that adjusts between a standard upright and an ergonomic elevated position, featuring a rear seat part with a forward tilt and a downward-angle front seat part, along with a concave ischial tuberosity pocket and interlacing finger-like projections for stability and comfort, allowing for dynamic movement and promoting a neutral posture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the chair is elevated to provide ergonomic support, then the ergonomic position is improved, but the stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is divided into a rear seat part and a front seat part that can move independently. The rear seat part remains stationary to provide stability, while the front seat part moves to enable transition between elevated and lowered positions, resolving the contradiction between ergonomic adaptability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The front seat part is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between elevated and lowered positions. This dynamic design enables the chair to adapt to different ergonomic needs while maintaining overall stability through the stationary rear seat part.
2Device complexity
If the chair maintains a fixed upright posture, then the structural simplicity is improved, but the musculoskeletal stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front seat part is designed to rock or pivot within a predetermined range, introducing dynamic movement capability to an otherwise simple fixed structure. This allows users to transition between postures to reduce musculoskeletal stress while maintaining the overall simplicity of the chair design.
3Ease of manufacture
If the front seat part is fixed horizontally, then the manufacturing simplicity is improved, but the ergonomic comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The front seat part is designed with movable capability allowing it to rock or pivot, providing ergonomic benefits by enabling posture transitions. This adds minimal manufacturing complexity while significantly improving ease of operation and user comfort.
4Stability of the object's composition
If locking casters are added to ensure stability at elevated position, then the stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is segmented into stationary rear and movable front parts. This segmentation provides stability through the fixed rear seat part without requiring complex locking mechanisms, as the rear seat part inherently anchors the chair during elevated position use.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex locking caster mechanisms are removed entirely. Instead, stability is achieved through the structural design of the rear seat part that remains stationary while the front seat part moves, eliminating the need for additional locking components.
Data Source
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AI summary
An office-type chair (10) includes a base (12), a height-adjustable pedestal (14) extending upward from the base (12), a seat assembly (16) including a rear seat part (36) and a front seat part (34), and a linkage system (20) connecting the pedestal (14) to the seat assembly (16). The linkage system (20) is adapted to pivot the seat assembly (16) between a lowered position to serve as a task chair and an elevated position to serve as an elevated sitting support. A backrest arrangement (18) may extend from the seat assembly (16). In the lowered position, the front and rear seat parts (34,36) are both generally horizontally oriented. In the elevated position, the rear seat part (36) may have a slight forward tilt and be positioned higher than in the lowered position, and the front seat part (34) may extend at a downward angle relative to the rear seat part (36).