Flexible Pelvic Support Seat Pan for Ergonomic Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Upholstered seating structures, such as mobile task chairs, face challenges in providing ergonomic support and breathability, as well as maintaining proper pelvic positioning during movement, with existing designs often lacking flexibility and consistent support.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a seat pan with resiliently deflectable fingers and a rigidifying member, combined with a compressible foam structure and a fixed angular support and positioning member in the seat back, allowing for hyper-localized support and breathability, ensuring ergonomic positioning and comfort during movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid seat bottom structure is used to provide stable support, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and comfort in supporting the pelvis deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seat bottom is divided into multiple resiliently deflectable fingers that can independently deflect and conform to the occupant's pelvis. These fingers are segmented from a central support structure, allowing each finger to provide localized adaptive support while maintaining overall structural stability through their connection to the rigidifying member.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the seat bottom have different structural properties. The central area contains resiliently deflectable fingers for flexibility and comfort, while a rigidifying member provides structural stability in specific locations. This local differentiation allows the seat to simultaneously achieve both stability and adaptability in different areas.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If ventilation openings are added to the seat bottom to improve breathability, then air flow is improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The resiliently deflectable fingers act as flexible structural elements that can deflect under load while maintaining structural integrity. These flexible fingers provide both the structural support needed to maintain strength and the openness required for breathability, eliminating the need for separate ventilation openings that would compromise structural strength.
3Ease of operation
If the seat back moves relative to the seat bottom during reclining, then reclining comfort is improved, but consistent pelvic positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The resiliently deflectable fingers serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable breathability, and maintain consistent pelvic positioning while allowing reclining movement. This multi-functionality allows the seat to accommodate reclining comfort while preserving stable pelvic positioning through the fingers' ability to deflect and adapt to movement.
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 configuration provides enhanced flexibility and comfort by conforming to the occupant's ergonomic needs, maintaining proper pelvic support and breathability, while allowing for consistent ergonomic positioning during movement, including forward and rearward pivoting.
Implementation Method 1
At least one resiliently deflectable pelvic support structure is retained relative to the seat pan... So constructed, the resiliently deflectable pelvic support structure provides resilient support to the seat occupant.
Data Source
AI summary
An upholstered seat with flexible pelvic support having a seat bottom with a seat pan, upholstery, and resiliently deflectable pelvic support structures retained at least partially within the central area of the seat pan. Plural resiliently deflectable fingers can project to within a left portion of the central area and plural resiliently deflectable fingers can project to within a right portion of the central area. The resiliently deflectable fingers can have different deflection resistances to permit hyper-localized control over the resilient support provided. A U-shaped rigidifying member secured to the seat pan establishes rigidified lateral and posterior portions of the seat pan. A resiliently compressible foam structure can have a U-shaped outer portion and a softer inner portion to facilitate a cradling of a seat occupant. A support and positioning member can be retained by a seat back in a fixed angular orientation relative to the seat bottom.