Tiltable Stool with Annular Elastic Base for Weight-Adaptive Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tiltable stools with fixed rounded bases are prone to noise, require large and heavy bases, can slide or roll, and provide insufficient support, especially for elderly users, and existing alternatives like inflatable or foam bases fail to adjust to user weight and maintain stability.
Innovation Solution
A tiltable stool with an annular elastic base that deforms to provide a stabilizing force increasing with user weight and tilt angle, using a base structure connected to an annular elastic member with a convex outer and concave inner surface, made of materials like thermoplastic polyurethane, which adjusts contact area and lever arms to maintain stability and support users of varying weights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed rounded base is used, then the stool can be tilted, but it causes noise and requires a large and heavy base
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed as an elastic member that can dynamically deform during tilting operations. The elastic base member bends and deforms as the stool tilts, providing a lightweight yet functional tilting mechanism without requiring a heavy fixed base structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The base transitions from a rigid fixed structure to an elastic deformable structure. By changing the physical parameter of the base material from rigid to elastic, the stool achieves tilting capability with significantly reduced weight and without causing noise.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed rounded base is used, then the stool can be tilted, but it slides or rolls away due to small contact surface
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic base member dynamically adapts its contact surface with the floor during tilting. As the stool tilts, the elastic base deforms to maintain optimal contact with the floor, preventing sliding and rolling while enabling smooth tilting motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact surface area and shape of the base changes dynamically in response to tilting angles. The elastic material allows the base to conform to the floor surface, increasing friction and preventing sliding while maintaining tilting functionality.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed rounded base is used, then the stool can be tilted, but it provides insufficient support for users
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic base member provides dynamic support that adapts to user weight and tilting angle. The base deforms under load to provide appropriate resistance and support, ensuring stability for users of various weights while maintaining full tilting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffness and support force of the base change dynamically with deformation. As the elastic base member bends during tilting or under user weight, it generates restoring forces that provide stable support, with the support characteristics automatically adjusting to the applied load.
4Reliability
If an inflatable base is used, then support can be provided, but it requires occasional reinflation and may cause odor
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic base member is designed as a solid, non-inflatable component that requires no maintenance, reinflation, or replacement. It provides durable support capability as a permanent fixture, eliminating the maintenance issues associated with inflatable bases.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic base member is self-supporting and requires no external systems for inflation or maintenance. It automatically provides support through its elastic properties, with no user intervention needed for reinflation or odor management.
5Ease of operation
If a foam base is used, then comfort can be provided, but it does not adjust to user weight
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic base member's deformation characteristics automatically change in response to user weight. Lighter users experience greater deformation and softer support, while heavier users experience less deformation and firmer support, providing automatic weight adaptation without requiring adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The base provides dynamic comfort that adapts to each user's weight through elastic deformation. The comfort characteristics are not fixed but dynamically adjust based on the applied load, allowing the same base to comfortably support users of varying weights.
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 stool offers soft and comfortable dynamic seating with increased stability, allowing users of all weights to tilt easily while maintaining a stable position, eliminating the instability of exercise balls and preventing accidents, with a self-adjusting mechanism that returns to upright position when unoccupied.
Implementation Method 1
an annular elastic base member having a downwardly convex outer surface and a downwardly concave inner surface... Deformation of the annular elastic base causes a stabilizing force which pushes the tiltable stool towards a normal position
Implementation Method 2
When the stool is upright a contact area between the annular elastic base member and the floor is substantially ring-shaped, and grows outwardly with an increasing weight placed on the seat
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
An improved tiltable stool comprises a seat, a body structure, and a base. The base comprises an annular elastic base member having a downwardly convex outer surface and a downwardly concave inner surface.. Deformation of the annular elastic base causes a stabilizing force which pushes the tiltable stool towards a normal position when the tiltable stool or chair is tilted out of the normal position. The stabilizing force increases with the weight of a user and provides a consistent dynamic seating experience for users of different weights. An upper section of the annular elastic base is substantially cylindrical and firmly connected to the base structure. The downwardly convex outer surface of a lower section of the annular elastic base member rests on the floor. A contact area between the annular elastic base member and the floor is substantially ring- shaped, and grows outwardly with an increasing weight placed on the seat.