Seat Pad Slit Structure for Appropriate Sagging and Posture Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional seat pads do not adequately enhance sitting comfort by allowing a stable posture through appropriate sagging when a person is seated.
Innovation Solution
The seat pad features lateral and longitudinal slit portions that deform to accommodate the user's weight, improving comfort by adjusting hardness and sagging, with the slits allowing for independent deformation and precise formation to prevent excessive load on specific areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the seat pad is made with uniform structure, then the manufacturing is simple, but the sitting comfort is insufficient and cannot allow stable posture through appropriate sagging
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pad is divided into multiple regions with different hardness levels. Specifically, the seat pad includes a first region with a first hardness and a second region with a second hardness that is softer than the first hardness. This segmentation allows different parts of the seat pad to provide different levels of support and comfort, enabling appropriate sagging while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized production processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the seat pad are assigned different local properties (hardness levels) to meet specific functional requirements. The softer second region provides enhanced comfort and sagging capability where needed, while the harder first region maintains structural integrity. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing comfort optimization without compromising overall manufacturing simplicity.
2Device complexity
If the seat pad uses a single hardness level, then the structure is simple, but the sitting comfort and posture stability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The seat pad structure is segmented into multiple hardness zones rather than using a uniform hardness throughout. This segmentation into a first region and a second region with different hardness levels provides the necessary structural complexity to improve sitting comfort and posture stability, while keeping the overall design relatively simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardness parameter is varied across different regions of the seat pad. By changing the hardness parameter from the first hardness in the first region to the second hardness in the second region, the seat pad achieves better sitting comfort and posture support. This parameter variation resolves the contradiction by introducing necessary complexity only where needed for comfort improvement.
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 enhances sitting comfort by allowing the seat pad to sag appropriately, improving the overall sitting experience and reducing unnatural sensations during use.
Implementation Method 1
a foam molded body... in which a lateral slit portion... is formed... A longitudinal slit portion is provided at an end portion of the lateral slit portion
Data Source
AI summary
A seat pad (10) having a loading surface (11). In the seat pad (10), a lateral slit portion (15), extending from the outside towards the inside of the seat pad (10) in a first lateral direction (B1) that is parallel to the loading surface (11), is formed. A longitudinal slit portion (15) is provided at an end portion of the lateral slit portion (15), in a second lateral direction (B2) that is orthogonal to the first lateral direction (B1) and that is parallel to the loading surface (11). The longitudinal slit portion (21) extends from the lateral slit portion (15) towards the loading surface (11) in a thickness direction (H) that is orthogonal to the loading surface (11).


