Seat Pad with Lateral Slit Portions for Controlled Bending and Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seat pads do not adequately provide a comfortable feeling by allowing appropriate bending when an occupant sits, which can lead to instability.
Innovation Solution
A seat pad design featuring lateral slit portions that extend from the outer side to the inner side, gradually increasing in thickness, allowing for deformation and improved comfort by accommodating the occupant's load and shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the seat pad is made with a uniform structure, then the manufacturing is simple, but the comfortable feeling and bending performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating lateral slit portions with varying cross-sectional areas at different positions within the seat pad. The slit portions have different cross-sectional areas at different depth positions, allowing specific regions to have different flexibility characteristics. This enables the seat pad to provide enhanced comfortable feeling and bending performance in specific areas while maintaining overall structural simplicity and ease of manufacture.
2Ease of operation
If the seat pad structure is made complex to improve comfortable feeling, then the bending performance improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the cross-sectional area of the lateral slit portions at different positions and depths within the seat pad. By controlling the cross-sectional area parameters of the slit portions, the patent achieves different flexibility and bending characteristics in various regions without requiring complex multi-component structures. This allows the seat pad to provide improved comfortable feeling while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.
3Ease of operation
If the seat pad is designed to bend appropriately under load, then the comfortable feeling improves, but the structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the seat pad structure into multiple regions through lateral slit portions that extend in the lateral direction. These slit portions create segmented zones within the foam material, allowing controlled bending and deformation in specific areas while maintaining overall structural integrity. The segmentation enables the seat pad to bend appropriately under occupant load while preserving structural stability through the distributed nature of the slit portions.
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 seat pad effectively improves comfort by allowing appropriate bending and deformation, enhancing the feeling of stability and fit, even when adjusting size is not possible.
Implementation Method 1
at least a portion of the lateral slit portion gradually becomes larger from the outer side of the seat pad toward the inner side thereof in a thickness direction orthogonal to the placement surface
Implementation Method 2
allowing the seat pad to be appropriately bent when an occupant sits on a seat such that a stable posture of the occupant is maintained
Data Source
AI summary
A seat pad (10) of the present invention includes a placement surface (11). A lateral slit portion (15) which extends from an outer side of the seat pad (10) toward an inner side thereof is formed in a first lateral direction (B1) along the placement surface (11), and at least a portion of the lateral slit portion (15) gradually becomes larger from the outer side of the seat pad (10) toward the inner side thereof in a thickness direction (H) orthogonal to the placement surface (11) along the first lateral direction (B1).