초록

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.

대표청구항 ▼

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, a first inflatable air bladder coupled to the deformable elastic be

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, 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, and a bladder support coupled to the deformable elastic bed and arranged to underlie the first inflatable air bladder, whereinthe bladder support is defined by an inner shell including an inner plate and an outwardly projecting dome coupled to the inner plate and arranged to extend away from the inner plate toward the first inflatable air bladder,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 an outer shell and an auxiliary sheet made of elastomeric material and arranged to cooperate to define the first air chamber therebetween, 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 and the auxiliary sheet, the outer plate is arranged to support the auxiliary sheet thereon in the deflated state of the first inflatable air bladder, the auxiliary sheet is arranged to separate from the outer plate in the inflated state of the first inflatable bladder, and the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell and the inwardly projecting dome of the outer shell cooperate to form a resilient deformable post 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 seat 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 bladder is retained in a fixed position on the seat pan. 3. The occupant-support base of claim 2, 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 portions of the deformable elastic bed and wherein the outer shell of the monolithic second sheet is arranged to mate in sealing relation with the auxiliary sheet to form the first air chamber therebetween. 4. The occupant-support base of claim 3, wherein the outer portions of the deformable elastic bed included in the monolithic second sheet cooperate to form a bladder-receiving cavity receiving at least a portion of the first inflatable air bladder therein. 5. The occupant-support base of claim 3, further comprising a seat pan arranged to lie alongside the cushion and wherein the inner shell 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 1, 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, and the first inflatable air bladder is coupled to the backrest bed section and arranged to extend into the left-wing and right-wing bed sections are arranged to diverge in a direction extending away from the backrest bed section, a bladder-receiving cavity formed in the backrest bed section to lie between the left-wing and right-wing bed sections. 8. The occupant-support base of claim 7, 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 bladder support is retained in a fixed position on the seat pan. 9. The occupant-support base of claim 1, 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 inner shell further includes an outwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the inner plate, the outer shell further includes an inwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to lie in a left bladder-receiving cavity formed in the left-wing bed section and extend away from the outer plate toward the outwardly projecting left-side dome of the inner shell, the inwardly and outwardly projecting left-side domes cooperate to form a resilient deformable post associated with the left-wing bed section of the deformable elastic bed 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 left-wing bladder section of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion, and the auxiliary sheet and a left-side portion of the outer shell including the inwardly projecting left-side dome cooperate to form therebetween a left-side subchamber of the first air chamber. 10. The occupant-support base of claim 1, 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, wherein the inner shell further includes an outwardly projecting right-side dome coupled to the inner plate, the outer shell further includes an inwardly projecting right-side dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to lie in a right bladder-receiving cavity formed in the right-wing bed section and extend away from the outer plate toward the outwardly projecting right-side dome of the inner shell, the inwardly and outwardly projecting right-side domes cooperate to form a resilient deformable post associated with the right-wing section of the deformable elastic bed 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 right-wing bladder section of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion, and the auxiliary sheet and a right-side portion of the outer shell including the inwardly projecting right-side dome cooperate to form therebetween a right-side subchamber of the first air chamber associated with the right-wing bed section of the deformable elastic bed. 11. The occupant-support base of claim 10, wherein the inner shell further includes an outwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the inner plate, the outer shell further includes an inwardly projecting left-side dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to lie in a left bladder-receiving cavity formed in the left-wing bed section and extend away from the outer plate toward the outwardly projecting left-side dome of the inner shell, the inwardly and outwardly projecting left-side domes cooperate to form a resilient deformable post associated with the left-wing bed section of the deformable elastic bed 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 left-wing bladder section of the first inflatable air bladder to an exterior load caused by an occupant seated on the cushion, the auxiliary sheet and a left-side portion of the outer shell including the inwardly projecting left-side dome cooperate to form therebetween a left-side subchamber of the first air chamber associated with the left-wing section of the deformable elastic bed, the auxiliary sheet and a central portion of the outer shell including the inwardly projecting dome cooperate to form therebetween a central subchamber of the first air chamber associated with the central backrest bed section and arranged to interconnect and provide fluid communication between the left-side and right-side subchambers of the first air chamber.