Vehicle seat cushion with inflatable support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9278633-B2
Application number	US-201414456393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 2, 2009
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

A cushion is adapted to set on a seat pan included in a vehicle seat. The cushion includes an inflatable air bag in, for example, a lumbar-support device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An occupant-support base for a vehicle seat, the occupant-support base comprising:
a cushion including a deformable elastic bed made of an elastomeric material and adapted to support a portion of an occupant seated on the cushion and a first inflatable air bladder coupled to the deformable elastic bed and formed to include a first air chamber and a first air-intake port opening into the first air chamber,
wherein the first inflatable air bladder is made of the elastomeric material and configured to expand from a deflated state characterized by a first volume of air in the first air chamber to an inflated state characterized by a relatively greater second volume of air in the first air chamber in response to admission of pressurized air into the first air chamber through the first air-intake port,
the first inflatable air bladder includes inner and outer shells made of the elastomeric material and arranged to cooperate to define the first air chamber therebetween, the inner shell includes an inner plate and an outwardly projecting dome coupled to the inner plate and arranged to extend away from the inner plate and into the first air chamber to support the outer shell thereon in the deflated state of the first inflatable air bladder, the outer shell is arranged to separate from the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell in the inflated state of the first inflatable bladder, and the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell is configured to provide means for yieldably urging the outer shell away from the inner plate of the inner shell in the deflated state of the first inflatable air bladder to block bottoming-out mating contact of the outer shell on the inner plate of the inner shell during exposure of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion.

2. The occupant-support base of claim 1 , further comprising a seat pan arranged to lie alongside the cushion and wherein the inner shell of the first inflatable air bag is retained in a fixed position on the seat pan.

3. The occupant-support base of claim 1 , wherein the cushion comprises a monolithic first sheet made of the elastomeric material and configured to include the inner shell and inner portions of the deformable elastic bed and a monolithic second sheet made of the elastomeric material and configured to include the outer shell and outer portions of the deformable elastic bed and wherein the monolithic first sheet is arranged to mate with the monolithic second sheet to cause the inner and outer shells to mate in sealing relation to form the first air chamber therebetween.

4. The occupant-support base of claim 3 , wherein the inner and outer portions of the deformable elastic bed mate to form a bladder-receiving cavity containing the first inflatable air bladder.

5. The occupant-support base of claim 3 , further comprising a seat pan arranged to lie alongside the cushion and wherein the inner shell of the first inflatable air bladder and the inner portion of the deformable elastic bed is retained in a fixed position on the seat pan.

6. The occupant-support base of claim 3 , further comprising a seat pan arranged to lie alongside the cushion and wherein the monolithic second sheet is arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the seat pan to locate the monolithic first sheet therebetween.

7. The occupant-support base of claim 6 , wherein the inner shell is arranged to lie on the seat pan to cause the outwardly projecting domes of the inner shell to extend away from the seat pan toward the outer shell.

8. The occupant-support base of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell includes an outer plate and an inwardly projecting dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to extend away from the outer plate toward the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell, and the inwardly projecting dome of the outer shell is arranged to separate from the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell in the inflated state of the first inflatable bladder, and the inwardly and outwardly projecting domes cooperate to form a resilient deformable post inside the first inflatable air bladder to block bottoming-out mating contact of the outer plate of the outer shell on the inner plate of the inner shell during exposure of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion.

9. The occupant-support base of claim 8 , wherein the deformable elastic bed is formed to include a left-wing bed section along one side of the cushion, a right-wing bed section along an opposite side of the cushion, and a backrest bed section located between and in angled relation to each of the left-wing and right-wing bed sections, the left-wing and right-wing bed sections are arranged to diverge in a direction extending away from the backrest bed section, and the first inflatable air bladder is coupled to the backrest bed section and located in a bladder-receiving cavity formed in the backrest bed section to lie between the left-wing and right-wing bed sections.

10. The occupant-support base of claim 9 , further comprising a seat pan arranged to lie alongside the cushion and wherein the left-wing, right-wing, and backrest bed sections of the deformable elastic bed are retained in fixed positions on the seat pan and the inner shell of the first inflatable air bladder is retained in a fixed position on the seat pan.

11. The occupant-support base of claim 8 , wherein the deformable elastic bed is formed to include a left-wing bed section along one side of the cushion, a right-wing bed section along an opposite side of the cushion, and a backrest bed section located between and in angled relation to each of the left-wing and right-wing bed sections, the left-wing and right-wing bed sections are arranged to diverge in a direction extending away from the backrest bed section, the inwardly and outwardly projecting domes are arranged to lie in a central bladder-receiving cavity formed in the backrest bed section, the inner shell further includes an outwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the inner plate and arranged to lie in a left bladder-receiving cavity formed in the left-wing bed section and extend away from the inner plate and into the first air chamber to support thereon a companion left-side portion of the outer shell located in the left bladder-receiving cavity in the deflated state of the first inflatable bladder, the left-side portion of the outer shell is arranged to separate from the outwardly projecting left-side dome of the inner shell in the inflated state of the first air bladder, and the outwardly projecting left-side dome is configured to provide means for yieldably urging the left-side portion of the outer shell away from the inner plate of the inner shell to block bottoming-out mating contact of the left-side portion of the outer shell and the inner plate of the inner shell in the left bladder-receiving cavity during exposure of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion.

12. The occupant-support base of claim 11 , wherein the outer shell further includes an inwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to lie in the left bladder-receiving cavity and extend away from the outer plate toward the outwardly projecting left-side dome of the inner shell, the inwardly projecting left-side dome of the outer shell is arranged to separate from the outwardly projecting left-side dome of the inner shell in the inflated state of the first inflatable bladder, and the inwardly and outwardly projecting left-side domes cooperate to form a resilient deformable post inside a left-wing blad

Assignees

• Faurecia Automotive Seating Llc
• Faurecia Automotive Seating

Inventors

• Brncick Gregory
• Lowell Dana J
• Gomes Leonardo

Classifications

• B60N2/448

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/66

  Lumbar supports · CPC title

• B60N2/4415 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/64

  Back-rests {or cushions (B60N2/2222 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A61H9/00

  Pneumatic or hydraulic massage · CPC title