Pet Bed Mat Hardness for Walking Stability

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pet beds with a mat enclosed in a frame body often use the same or softer materials, which can cause joint damage and instability for pets with weak joints, such as dogs, due to insufficient hardness and cushioning, leading to difficulties in walking and increased risk of bedsores.

Innovation Solution

A pet bed design where the mat is made of thermoplastic resin fibers with a higher average fiber diameter than the frame body, providing increased hardness and reduced sinking depth, thus enhancing walking stability and cushioning while preventing joint damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the mat is made of softer material than the frame body, then the cushioning property is improved, but the walking stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecushioning propertyVSAvoidwalking stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different hardness levels to different parts of the pet bed: the mat is made harder than the frame body. This local differentiation of material properties allows the mat to provide walking stability while the frame body provides cushioning, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If the mat is made of the same material as the frame body, then the manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the walking stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing complexityVSAvoidwalking stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent specifies that the mat be made of a harder material than the frame body, creating local quality differentiation. This resolves the contradiction by prioritizing walking stability in the mat area while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through the use of standard cushioning materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If the mat is softer, then the comfort for lying down is improved, but the risk of bedsores increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomfort for lying downVSAvoidrisk of bedsores
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the mat harder than the frame body to prevent bedsores while the frame body provides the cushioning comfort for lying down. This local differentiation of hardness levels resolves the contradiction between comfort and health safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 pet bed offers improved walking stability and reduced risk of joint damage for pets, as the harder mat material disperses body pressure more evenly, preventing bedsores and making it easier for pets to walk and lie down comfortably.

Implementation Method 1

when the frame body and the mat are compressed under the same pressure, the reduction in thickness of the mat when compressed is smaller than the reduction in thickness of the frame body when compressed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

the mat has a fiber structure composed of thermoplastic resin fibers having an average fiber diameter of 0.01 to 5 mm, the fiber structure is a web-like structure with the thermoplastic resin fibers tangled in a disordered manner and mutually joined

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal bonding:

Data Source

PatentEP3459348B1Pet bed
Publication Date: 2023.11.08 UNI CHARM CORP
  • EP3459348B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3459348B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3459348B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a pet bed (1) that exhibits comfortable cushioning properties as a bed for a pet such as a dog, is easy to walk upon, is unlikely to cause joint damage, and which imparts high walking stability. The pet bed (1) comprises a frame body (2) having cushioning properties and a mat (3) surrounded by the frame body (2) and having cushioning properties, wherein: the mat (3) has a top surface and a thickness; the frame body (2) has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the mat (3); the pet bed (1) has a height in the thickness direction of the mat (3); the height is greater than the mat (3) at the frame body (2); the mat (3) has a fiber structure formed of thermoplastic resin fibers having an average fiber diameter of 0.01-5 mm; and, when the frame body (2) and the mat (3) are compressed under the same pressure, the decrease in the thickness of the mat (3) due to the compression is smaller than the decrease in the thickness of the frame body (2) due to the compression.