Sunbed with Detachable Base for Social Distancing Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sunbeds fail to ensure social distancing, as they typically have a width of less than a meter, making it difficult for users to maintain the required 1.5-2 meters of physical distance from others, which is essential for preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Innovation Solution
A sunbed design featuring a reclining body with a base of at least 1.5 meters in diameter, equipped with radially arranged grooves and releasable wheels, ensuring a minimum 1.5-meter distance between users and allowing for independent storage and rotation without standing up, while the base can be adjusted to meet specific distancing needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the sunbed uses a conventional small base, then the sunbed is easy to move and store, but it cannot ensure social distancing between users
Solution Approach 1:
The sunbed is divided into two independent parts: a reclining body and a base. The base can be detached from the reclining body, allowing the base to remain stationary (providing social distancing) while the reclining body can be moved and stored separately. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by separating the social distancing function from the mobility function.
Solution Approach 2:
The base diameter is increased from conventional small dimensions to at least 1.5 meters, changing the spatial dimension of the sunbed's footprint. This dimensional change ensures that users maintain the required 1.5-2 meter distance from others, directly addressing the social distancing requirement while the detachable design maintains storage convenience.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the base diameter is increased to 1.5m or more, then social distancing is ensured, but the sunbed becomes harder to move and store
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sunbed into a detachable base and reclining body, the heavy large-diameter base remains stationary to provide social distancing, while only the lighter reclining body needs to be moved and stored. This eliminates the need to move the entire heavy base structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel-and-groove mechanism acts as an intermediary that enables easy positioning and locking of the reclining body relative to the base. The wheels can be engaged with or disengaged from the radial grooves, providing simple mechanical control for attachment and detachment without requiring heavy lifting or complex mechanisms.
3Ease of manufacture
If the base is made detachable, then storage and stacking are facilitated, but the locking mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel-and-groove locking mechanism is designed to be self-servicing through simple user actions. The elastomeric wheels naturally engage with the radial grooves when the reclining body is positioned on the base, and can be released by simple rotational movement. This eliminates the need for complex locking devices, screws, or motors.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric material of the wheels provides parametric flexibility - the material's elasticity allows the wheels to deform and engage with the grooves, then return to their original shape to maintain a secure lock. This material parameter change enables reliable locking without mechanical complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention relates to a social distancing sunbed (1) comprising a reclining body (2a, 2b) provided with a first portion (2a) and a second portion (2b) joined together by hinge means (3), characterized in that the sunbed (1) also comprises a base (4) having a diameter of at least 1,5 m and which is detachably joined to the reclining body (2a,2b), the reclining body (2a, 2b) being also preferably provided with wheels (8) and the perimeter of base being preferably provided with grooves (7) arranged to releasably lock the wheels (8) of the reclining body (2a, 2b).