Seat Supporting Shell Contour Design for Thin Cushion Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seats fail to provide optimal seating comfort while minimizing installation space, as they often require thick cushion supports to accommodate varying user body forms and movements, leading to inefficiencies in design and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a flexible measuring mat that adapts to different users' body forms, with data collected and averaged to create a supporting shell with a thin cushion support, ensuring good fit and comfort for a range of users by superimposing surface contours from multiple measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If thick cushion supports are used to accommodate varying user body forms, then seating comfort is improved, but installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the supporting shell with an ergonomic contour that anticipates and accommodates various body forms before the user even sits down. The shell is manufactured with pre-calculated curvature and geometry based on statistical body data, eliminating the need for thick adaptive cushions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a digital or physical model of average human body contours through measurement and data collection, then replicating this optimized form in the supporting shell design. This allows the shell to inherently fit multiple body types without requiring bulky cushioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the supporting substructure has a three-dimensional contour to fit body form, then seating comfort is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single supporting shell geometry that serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, ergonomic contouring, and adaptation to various body types simultaneously. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple specialized components or complex assembly processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by systematically varying the geometric parameters of the supporting shell based on statistical analysis of body measurements. By optimizing key parameters like curvature radius, slope angles, and contour profiles, the design achieves complex ergonomic forms through controlled parameter adjustment rather than complex manufacturing processes.
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 process results in a seat with excellent seating comfort and reduced installation space, as the thin cushion support effectively compensates for minor deviations in user body forms, accommodating various users without compromising comfort.
Implementation Method 1
The measuring mat is flexible in space and it has less inherent rigidity so that it can adapt to the body form of a test subject without any significant resistance under the action of the body weight (particularly on the seating surface) and the contact pressure (particularly on the backrest) of the test subject.
Data Source
AI summary
A supporting shell for a seat is provided by carrying out in-seat measurements with a plurality of test subjects, wherein the test subjects sit down on a measuring mat placed on a neutral seat frame. The measuring mat has a readily displaceable filling and adapts to the contour of the body of the respective test subject. After the test subject has sat down on the measuring mat and before the test subject leaves the same, the filling inside the measuring mat is fixed in place by applying a negative pressure. The geometric data of the surface contour of the measuring mat are determined and stored for each test subject. The measured surface contours are then superimposed onto one another. This produces an average surface contour which can subsequently be further altered slightly for adaptation to large seat users, and therefore a modified surface contour is created as a basis for the production of the supporting shell of the seat.