Pressure-Sensing Seat Feedback With Shared Posture Evaluation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing seat evaluation systems fail to motivate users to fully exploit their features by only presenting individual posture evaluation results, lacking an effective mechanism to enhance user motivation.

Innovation Solution

A seat system equipped with pressure sensors, a controller, and a communication interface that computes and presents evaluation values, including shared data from other occupants, to foster competition and improvement through easy-to-compare representations and motivational advice.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If only individual posture evaluation results are presented, then the system complexity is low, but user motivation to fully exploit features is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem complexityVSAvoiduser motivation
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by presenting users with their own posture evaluation results alongside comparison data from other users. This creates a feedback loop where users can see their performance relative to others, motivating them to improve their posture habits and fully engage with the system's features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of evaluation data by storing and retrieving posture evaluation results from multiple users. These copied data sets are then presented to individual users for comparison, enabling motivation through social comparison without requiring direct interaction with other users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If shared evaluation data from other occupants is added, then user motivation is enhanced, but data acquisition and management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser motivationVSAvoiddata acquisition complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The controller is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as an evaluation calculator for individual posture data and as a data management system for collecting, storing, and distributing comparative evaluation data from multiple users. This universal design handles diverse data acquisition needs through a single integrated system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The controller acts as an intermediary between multiple users and their evaluation data. It collects data from various sources, processes and stores it centrally, then distributes appropriate comparison data to individual users, simplifying the data acquisition complexity by centralizing management functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If performance levels and target values are introduced, then motivational effectiveness is improved, but computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotivational effectivenessVSAvoidcomputational requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system transforms raw posture evaluation data into derived parameters such as performance levels and target values. These parameter changes create more meaningful motivational metrics that are easier for users to understand and act upon, while the computational requirements remain manageable through efficient calculation methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 system enhances user motivation by allowing comparison with others, promoting improvement in physical state evaluation and performance levels, thereby increasing the utilization of seat features.

Implementation Method 1

a plurality of pressure sensors configured to acquire a measurement value specific to a physical state of an occupant seated on the seat body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure sensing: Pressure-sensitive Paint

Data Source

PatentEP3699026B1Physical state sharing seat
Publication Date: 2023.10.11 TS TECH CO LTD
  • EP3699026B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3699026B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3699026B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A seat having features of evaluating a physical state of a seated occupant, in which motivation to use the features is enhanced, is provided. A physical state sharable seat is proposed which includes: a seat body; a sensor (8) configured to acquire a measurement value specific to a physical state of an occupant seated on the seat body; and a controller (100) connected to the sensor and thereby allowed to acquire the measurement value from the sensor, and configured to be capable of communicating with other equipment. The controller (100) includes: an evaluation unit (121) configured to compute an evaluation value on the physical state, based on the measurement value; an evaluation value presentation unit (122) configured to present the evaluation value at a terminal to be used by the occupant; a shared data acquisition unit (161) configured to acquire an other-occupant evaluation value that is an evaluation value on a physical state of another person, acquired either by the evaluation unit or from another physical state sharable seat; and a shared data presentation unit (162) configured to present the other-occupant evaluation value at the terminal to be used by the occupant.