Paired Flat Spring Cushion Design for Adjustable Firmness and Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spring-based mattresses suffer from disadvantages such as excessive firmness, difficulty in adjusting firmness, and poor air flow leading to trapped body heat, while foam core mattresses offer improvements but still have limitations in comfort and support.
Innovation Solution
A cushion design featuring a core chassis composed of a rigid or semi-rigid base sheet with paired flat springs arranged in rows and columns, providing vertical displacement and flexibility through a manufacturing process that integrates the springs with the base sheet using various attachment methods, allowing for customizable orientation and material selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal coil springs are used in cushion construction, then support and resilience are provided, but excessive firmness and difficulty in adjusting firmness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The metal coil spring system is segmented into multiple independent coils arranged in a grid pattern, allowing selective engagement and adjustment. Each coil can be independently modified or removed to adjust firmness levels, resolving the contradiction between providing support and enabling firmness adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring system incorporates adjustable components such as variable stiffness coils and reconfigurable connection mechanisms that allow the firmness to be dynamically changed. Users can adjust the engagement of individual coils or modify the connection points to achieve desired firmness levels, transforming a static support system into a dynamic one.
2Strength
If metal coil springs are used in cushion construction, then resilient support is provided, but poor air flow and trapped body heat occur
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion construction incorporates porous materials in the upholstery layers and spacing elements between springs. These porous structures create channels for air circulation throughout the cushion, allowing body heat to dissipate while maintaining the resilient support function of the spring system.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring arrangement is segmented with strategic spacing and gaps between coils and spring units, creating natural air flow pathways. This segmentation allows air to circulate through the cushion structure, preventing heat buildup while preserving support characteristics.
3Ease of operation
If foam core is used instead of metal springs, then body contour and pressure point elimination are improved, but excessive firmness and reduced air flow occur
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion combines foam core material with a metal spring system in a composite construction. The foam provides body contouring and pressure point elimination, while the spring system and associated air channels maintain breathability and prevent excessive firmness, achieving a synergistic effect that resolves the contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam core is designed with porous or breathable characteristics, and is integrated with air flow channels and spacing elements that maintain ventilation pathways. This allows the foam to provide contouring benefits while preventing the complete blockage of air flow that would lead to heat retention.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional foam mattress construction is used, then simplicity and manufacturing ease are achieved, but lack of adjustability and reduced comfort occur
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion is constructed with segmented, modular components including individual spring units, interchangeable upholstery sections, and modular foam layers. This segmentation maintains manufacturing efficiency through standardized assembly processes while enabling easy adjustment and reconfiguration of firmness characteristics by modifying or replacing specific modules.
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 design enhances comfort and support by reducing bridging and moment loading, eliminating upholstery pinching, and allowing for adjustable firmness, while improving airflow and reducing body heat retention compared to traditional coil spring and foam mattresses.
Implementation Method 1
Each paired flat springs includes a first flat spring including a first terminal end, a second terminal end, and a flexible arcuate member extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end
Data Source
AI summary
Cushions include a chassis core having a rigid or semi-rigid base sheet; and a plurality of paired flat springs coupled to the rigid or semi-rigid base sheet, wherein each paired flat spring comprises a lower flat spring including a first terminal end, a second terminal end, and a flexible arcuate member extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, and an upper flat spring including a first terminal end, a second terminal end, and a flexible arcuate member extending from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, wherein the first and second terminal ends of the upper flat spring are fixedly attached to respective first and second terminal ends of the lower flat spring such that the upper flat spring is inverted relative to the lower flat spring. Also disclosed are processes for manufacturing the core chassis.