SMA Wire Massage Actuator for Silent, Portable Body Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing massage devices are bulky, noisy, and not easily portable due to their mechanical components, and often provide repetitive and forceful massage motions, which can be uncomfortable and costly.
Innovation Solution
A massage apparatus using shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that contract upon heating to provide a massage effect, integrated with a flexible frame and mesh cloth, allowing for programmable ohmic heating and sequential activation to mimic a peristaltic motion, thus offering a lightweight, silent, and customizable massage experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electrical motors and gear reduction systems are used to drive massage mechanisms, then massage function is achieved, but device weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional electrical motors and mechanical gear systems with shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that convert electrical energy directly into mechanical motion through thermal actuation. This eliminates bulky motors and reduction gears, significantly reducing device weight and complexity while maintaining the massage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the actuation mechanism from direct mechanical rotation to thermal-driven phase transformation. By controlling the temperature of SMA wires through electrical heating, the material undergoes phase change that directly produces linear motion, eliminating the need for complex mechanical transmission systems.
2Ease of operation
If electrical motors and gears are used in massage devices, then massage motion is produced, but noise generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces noisy mechanical components (motors, gears, cam mechanisms) with silent SMA wire actuators. The phase transformation of shape memory alloys produces motion without mechanical contact or vibration, eliminating the primary sources of noise in traditional massage devices.
3Weight of moving object
If mechanical massage mechanisms are made portable, then portability is improved, but device thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces thick mechanical assemblies with thin-film SMA wire actuators integrated directly into the massage surface. This substitution dramatically reduces the thickness requirement while maintaining portability, as SMA wires can be embedded within the cushion structure without adding substantial bulk.
4Ease of operation
If traditional massage devices are designed with extensive mechanical assemblies, then massage function is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive mechanical assemblies (motors, gears, controllers) with simpler SMA wire actuators that require minimal control infrastructure. The elimination of complex mechanical parts and their associated manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance costs significantly reduces overall device cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention integrates multiple functions into the SMA wire actuators themselves, which provide both the driving force for massage motion and the heating element for thermal therapy. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate heating components, further reducing part count and manufacturing cost.
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 SMA wire massage device provides a comfortable, customizable, and silent massage experience that can be used with various furniture and vehicles, offering a portable and cost-effective solution with adjustable force and heat distribution, suitable for both relaxation and circulation enhancement.
Implementation Method 1
As is known, the wires may be heated past their shape transition temperature, causing them to contract in length and to relax and extend when cooled.
Implementation Method 2
The SMA wire operates through the mechanism of ohmic heating, and the waste heat developed by the wires is a synergistic element of the massage effect.
Implementation Method 3
The compression is felt as a squeeze of the impinging flesh, and experienced as a massage stroke. At the same time, the heat required to activate the wire is conducted partially into the impinging flesh, providing warmth as well as a massage stroke.
Data Source
AI summary
A massage apparatus includes a frame defining a central opening, with a web of mesh cloth or fabric spanning the opening. A plurality of SMA wire segments span the central opening directly adjacent to the cloth or fabric. The wire segments are joined at opposed ends to a power circuit that provides ohmic heating for the wires. The wires may be actuated singly and sequentially, the contraction of each wire providing a compression of the body portion upon which it impinges. The apparatus may be a portable massage device for use with any chair, or built into a chair or bed or other furniture, or a slipcover.