Tilting Chair Column Coupling for Stable 360° Seating Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chair designs with tiltable bases can cause users to risk falling when adjusting their position, and may damage underlying surfaces due to uneven weight distribution and tilting, especially when trying to increase distance from a work surface like a drawing board.
Innovation Solution
The chair features an elastically resilient coupling system with an outer and inner tubular body and a tilt shaft mechanism that allows the supporting column to tilt relative to the base, enabling the seat to tilt correspondingly without changing its position relative to a horizontal plane, allowing for 360° tilting and reducing the risk of falling or surface damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the base is made tiltable relative to the underlying surface, then the user can reduce the distance to the drawing board and improve breathing angle, but the user risks falling backwards when attempting backward tilting and the surface may suffer damage from point loads
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed with dynamic tilting capability through a hinge connection, allowing it to rotate between approximately 10-20 degrees forward and 10 degrees backward relative to the underlying surface. This dynamic adjustment enables users to optimize their working position and breathing angle while maintaining safety through controlled movement ranges that prevent excessive backward tilting
Solution Approach 2:
The base is segmented into multiple functional components: a flat central portion for stability, a sloping peripheral portion for tilting movement, and a separate movable element that can be positioned under the user's feet. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's function while distributing loads to prevent surface damage
2Device complexity
If the seat is fixedly secured to the supporting column, then the structure is simplified, but the user cannot adjust their position relative to the column when the base tilts
Solution Approach 1:
The seat device is connected to the supporting column through a tilt mechanism that allows relative angular adjustment. The seat can tilt independently relative to the column, providing users with the ability to adjust their seating position and maintain proper ergonomics even when the base is tilted, while keeping the overall structure relatively simple
3Ease of operation
If the base is made movable relative to the underlying surface, then user mobility is improved, but the chair may cause scratches or dents in the floor surface
Solution Approach 1:
A protective film or coating is applied to the underside of the base that contacts the underlying surface. This flexible protective layer allows the base to tilt and move relative to the surface while preventing direct contact between the rigid base material and the floor, thereby preventing scratches and dents
Solution Approach 2:
The base is designed with controlled tilting movement through hinge connections that limit the range of motion to approximately 10-20 degrees forward and 10 degrees backward. This dynamic control ensures mobility for user positioning while preventing excessive movement that could cause surface damage
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
This design enhances user mobility and comfort by allowing forward, backward, and sideways tilting without the need to move the chair base, maintaining seat position relative to a horizontal plane and minimizing the risk of falling or surface damage.
Implementation Method 1
an elastically resilient material disposed in a gap between an inner surface of the outer body and an outer surface of the inner body
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3a~4d
AI summary
A chair device (2), wherein the chair has a base (3), an upright, length-adjustable supporting column (5) which at the bottom is connected to the base, and a seat device (6) which is tiltably or non-tiltably connected to an upper region of the supporting column (5). A lower, elastically resilient coupling (12) forms a tiltable connection between the base (3) and a lower portion (5') of the supporting column (5). The lower coupling (12) is designed to permit tilting of the supporting column (5) relative to the base (3) in any one of 360° of tilting direction or only in one tilting direction.