Rotatable Bathing Chair Seat for Easier Tub Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bathing chairs for assisting elderly and handicapped individuals to enter and leave a bathtub do not allow for seat rotation, making sitting down and getting up inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A bathing chair design featuring a rotatable seat with a fixed base and a rotatable base that can turn around a central axis, equipped with a bearing assembly for gliding along horizontal rods and a handle for support, along with a turning device that includes a carrier plate and a holding device with an elastic element to facilitate easy rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the seat is fixed in position, then the structure is simple and stable, but sitting down and getting up becomes inconvenient for elderly and handicapped persons
Solution Approach 1:
The seat is transformed from a fixed structure to a rotatable one by introducing a rotation mechanism with an axis mounted on the fixed base. The rotatable base can rotate around the axis, allowing the seat to turn dynamically to facilitate easier sitting down and getting up for elderly and handicapped persons, while maintaining structural simplicity through the use of a straightforward rotational joint design.
2Ease of operation
If the seat is made rotatable, then sitting down and getting up becomes convenient, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The seat structure is divided into two independent parts: a fixed base and a rotatable base. The fixed base provides stable support and attaches to the frame, while the rotatable base carries the seating surface and can rotate around an axis. This segmentation allows the rotational function to be added without complicating the entire structure, as each part has a clear and simple function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If no turning mechanism is provided, then the device is simple, but user accessibility is poor
Solution Approach 1:
A turning mechanism is introduced consisting of an axis mounted on the fixed base in a central position and a rotatable base that can rotate around the axis. This dynamic element enables the seat to turn toward the bathtub, significantly improving user accessibility for elderly and handicapped persons, while the mechanism remains relatively simple in design and implementation.
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
Enables convenient and safe seating by allowing the seat to turn, improving user accessibility and ease of use when entering and leaving the bathtub.
Implementation Method 1
a holding device with an elastic element to facilitate easy rotation
Implementation Method 2
a bearing assembly, comprising several gliding blocks connected with the seat and allowing the seat to glide along the horizontal rods
Data Source
AI summary
A bathing chair with a fixing device comprises a front frame and a rear frame, shaped like the inverted letter U, reaching across a bathtub and having horizontal rods which pass over an edge of the bathtub at a distance, the front and rear frames being connected by right and left connecting rods, a seat, having a fixed base mounted on the horizontal rods, an axis mounted on the fixed base in a central position thereof, and a rotatable base, which is rotatable around the axis, a bearing assembly, comprising several gliding blocks connected with the seat and allowing the seat to glide along the horizontal rods, and a handle.