Tilting/lifting chair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chair designs for assisting users to stand from a seated position often require users to transfer weight suddenly from the seat to their feet, lacking mechanisms to straighten legs or transfer weight gradually, and may pose safety risks due to unstable transitions from sitting to standing.
Innovation Solution
A tilting or lifting chair with a central hinge, actuated components, and a movable footboard that supports users by touching their feet before lifting, allowing for gradual weight transfer and providing handles for stability, enabling users to stand safely and comfortably from various positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing chair designs are used for assisting users to stand, then the chair structure is simple, but the user safety is compromised due to sudden weight transfer and unstable transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is divided into multiple independently controllable components: a base component, a seat component connected by a central hinge, a back-rest component connected by a back hinge, and a leg-rest component connected by a leg-rest hinge. This segmentation allows each component to be actuated separately, enabling gradual weight transfer and controlled transitions from sitting to standing position, thereby improving user safety while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The chair employs dynamic actuation mechanisms including a seat tilt actuator for changing the angle between the seat component and the base component, a back-rest actuator for changing the angle between the back-rest and seat, and a leg-rest actuator for changing the angle between the leg-rest and seat. These dynamic components enable controlled, gradual transitions rather than sudden movements, significantly improving user safety during position changes
2Ease of operation
If existing chair designs are used, then the device complexity is low, but the ease of operation is reduced due to inability to straighten legs or transfer weight gradually
Solution Approach 1:
The leg-rest component is connected to the seat component by a leg-rest hinge and actuated by a leg-rest actuator, enabling the leg-rest to be adjusted to different angles including a substantially parallel position to the seat. This allows users to straighten their legs during the transition to standing position, improving ease of operation. The dynamic actuation enables gradual weight transfer control, allowing users to progress from seated to standing at a comfortable pace
Solution Approach 2:
The footboard component is introduced as an intermediary element that can be moved toward and away from the user's feet, providing additional support during the transition. The footboard actuator enables the footboard to contact the user's feet before lifting begins, creating a stable intermediary support point that facilitates controlled weight transfer and improves ease of operation
3Reliability
If existing chair designs are used, then the manufacturing cost is lower, but the reliability is compromised due to unstable transitions from sitting to standing
Solution Approach 1:
The chair structure is segmented into distinct components (base, seat, back-rest, leg-rest) connected by hinges, with each component having its own actuator. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing of individual modules that can be assembled together, managing manufacturing complexity while achieving reliable, stable transitions through coordinated actuation of each segment
Solution Approach 2:
The chair includes a controller for controlling at least one actuator, with a processor for programming the controller. This feedback control system monitors the positions and movements of chair components, adjusting actuation forces and speeds to maintain stability during transitions from sitting to standing, thereby improving reliability while using automated control to manage manufacturing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure there is provided a chair including a base component, a seat component connected to the base component by a central hinge, and a back-rest component connected to the seat component by a back hinge, wherein when the chair is in a sitting position, the seat component is lower than the central hinge. Related apparatus and methods are also described.