Travel Cushion Ledge and Cradle Structure for Stable Head Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel pillows for vehicle seats, such as airplanes, often fail to provide adequate support for the head and neck, leading to discomfort and strain during long trips, as they do not effectively distribute weight and control twisting moments, resulting in inadequate lateral support and ventilation.
Innovation Solution
A travel cushion with an elastic design featuring a head indentation with a ledge for superior support, a neck positioning cradle, and side surfaces that obstruct lateral movement, providing balanced forces to maintain the head in a stable position and prevent lateral tilting, while also ensuring ventilation for the ears.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing travel pillows are used, then the device is simple and easy to manufacture, but they fail to provide adequate head and neck support, leading to discomfort and strain
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion is divided into distinct functional segments: a head support region with a concave surface and ledge, a neck support region with a cradle, and connecting side regions. Each segment is designed to address specific support needs, with the head region providing superior support through the ledge structure and the neck region providing lateral support through the cradle, thereby resolving the contradiction between support effectiveness and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cushion have different structural properties tailored to their specific functions. The head support region features a concave surface with a ledge for superior support, while the neck support region has a cradle structure for lateral support. This localized differentiation of structural quality allows each region to optimize its support effectiveness without requiring the entire cushion to be complex.
2Stability of the object's composition
If existing travel pillows are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but they do not effectively distribute weight and control twisting moments
Solution Approach 1:
The head support region incorporates a concave surface with a ledge that curves to match the contour of the head and occiput. This curved geometry naturally distributes weight across the head and controls twisting moments by providing a stable, anatomically-contoured support surface, achieving enhanced stability through geometric design rather than complex manufacturing processes.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If existing travel pillows are used, then the structure is simple, but they provide inadequate lateral support and ventilation
Solution Approach 1:
The neck support cradle is designed with an open structure that extracts and provides targeted lateral support where needed, while simultaneously creating open spaces for ventilation. The cradle structure selectively supports the neck laterally while leaving gaps that allow air circulation, thereby addressing both lateral support and ventilation needs without requiring a completely complex redesign.
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 cushion effectively supports the head and neck, distributing forces to reduce linear and rotational stresses, maintaining the head in a stable position and preventing lateral movement, thus enhancing comfort during long trips.
Implementation Method 1
a travel cushion comprising: an interface fitting to an airplane seat back to be supported thereon; an anterior surface having a preuse configuration including a head indentation
Data Source
AI summary
A cushion optionally includes an interface for support on a surface and a head supporting section and a neck positioning section. The head support may include a U-shaped outwardly bowed ledge for supporting an occipital bone and/or a temporal bone. The head support may include a wall for blocking lateral movement of a temple. For example the pillow may be ready to use without reshaping by a user, for example having a substantially fixed shaped. The pillow may supply superior support and/or anterior support to a head and/or support the head from rotating forward and/or laterally.