Seat Coupling Structure With Elastic Support for Back Muscle Relief

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing seating furniture designs require constant engagement of the user's back muscles to maintain posture, leading to muscle fatigue, tension, and pain, especially during prolonged use, due to inadequate support between the seating element and the base element.

Innovation Solution

The seating furniture features a coupling element with adjustable elastic elements, including elliptical and conically designed components, which provide varying restoring forces to optimize support, reducing muscle strain by differing in volume and density along the longitudinal and transverse axes, and interacting with a spring element for synchronized support of the seat and backrest.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the coupling element provides strong restoring forces to support the seat element, then the seating stability is improved, but the back muscles experience excessive strain leading to fatigue and pain

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseating stabilityVSAvoidback muscle strain
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic element is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional area, being thicker in the central region and thinner at the lateral edges. This creates different stiffness characteristics in different regions, allowing the central area to provide strong support while the lateral areas provide softer support, thereby stabilizing the seat without excessive strain on the back muscles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The elastic element exhibits asymmetric stiffness distribution with respect to the longitudinal axis, with the central region having higher stiffness and the lateral regions having lower stiffness. This asymmetric design allows differentiated support characteristics that stabilize the seating while reducing harmful strain on the user's back muscles.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Ease of manufacture

If the elastic element has uniform thickness to simplify manufacturing, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to provide differentiated support forces is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoiddifferentiated support capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic element features variable thickness with the central region being thicker and the lateral edges being thinner. This local quality variation enables the element to provide differentiated support forces - stronger support in the center and softer support laterally - while still being manufacturable using standard molding or machining processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If the elastic element is designed with varying thickness to optimize support characteristics, then the seating comfort is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements are increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseating comfortVSAvoidthickness variation control
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic element is designed with controlled thickness variation, being thicker in the central region and thinner at the lateral edges. This local quality differentiation optimizes seating comfort by providing appropriate support characteristics in different regions while maintaining manufacturability through standard precision molding or machining techniques.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Stability of the object's composition

If the restoring forces are increased to improve seat support, then the seating stability is improved, but the wear and noise during operation are increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseat supportVSAvoidwear and noise
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic element provides strong restoring forces through its thicker central region while the thinner lateral regions reduce overall stiffness. This allows the seat to receive adequate support from the central area without excessive forces that would cause wear and noise, thereby improving seat support while minimizing harmful operational effects.

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

This design effectively relieves back muscles by distributing forces more evenly, reducing strain and discomfort during use, while minimizing wear and noise through optimized force distribution and absorption.

Implementation Method 1

the coupling element having elastic elements which ensure that the seat element can be pivoted relative to the base element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

the coupling element comprises a spring element which interacts with the seat element and is preferably designed as a conical spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpring: Spring

Data Source

PatentEP2486826B1Seating
Publication Date: 2013.10.16 VOLKLE BUROSTUHLE
  • EP2486826B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2486826B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2486826B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a seating furniture (1) with a base element (3), a seat element (11) having a longitudinal (L) and a transverse axis (Q), a backrest element (13), a coupling element (7) having a longitudinal (L) and a transverse axis (Q), which comprises the following elements: a first counter bearing (23), a first elastic element (25), a second elastic element (27), a support element (31) connected to the seat element (11), a second counter bearing (29), a support element (33) connected to the base element (3), wherein the support element (33) has a fastening element extending through the coupling element (7), by means of which the seat element (11) is supported against the base element (3) in a tilt-proof manner, and wherein the first elastic element (25) has a larger volume than the second elastic element (27).The seating furniture (1) is characterized by the fact that the first elastic element (25) is arranged above the supporting element (31) and the second elastic element (27) is arranged below the supporting element (31).