Sacral air bladder assembly

• US 10,085,565 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Zouzal, Winsen C., Patrick, Gerald, Cichocki, Walter T., Smith, Ted, Pereny, Michelle A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Joshua J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walraed-Sullivan, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US14/964,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/14 of adjustable shape; elastically mounted ; adaptable to a user contour or ergonomic seating positions movably-coupled seat and backrests with elastic adjustment means A47C1/03261; elastically-mounted back-rests or backrest-seat units in the base frame A47C7/44
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/142 by fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/467 adjustable by fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/665 using inflatable bladders
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/914 Hydro-pneumatic adjustments of the shape

Abstract

A seat assembly is provided with a seat bottom and a seat back mounted adjacent the bottom. The seat back and seat bottom are provided with an occupant seating surface. At least one air bladder is oriented in a sacral region the seat bottom or the seat back. The air bladder has a support surface defined by a enlarged width portion and extends to an elongated tapered portion. When the air bladder is inflated, the support surface is inclined from the taper portion to the enlarged width portion relative to the seating surface.

Claims

1. A seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom;

a seat back mounted adjacent the seat bottom and extending generally in an upright direction, wherein the seat back and seat bottom are provided with an occupant seating surface; and

first and second air bladders each having a generally hexagonal support surface defined by an enlarged width portion and extending to an elongated tapered portion having a width less than the enlarged width portion, wherein the first air bladder is disposed in the seat back and the second air bladder is disposed in the seat bottom,

whereby inflation of the first and second air bladders inclines the support surfaces from the tapered portion to the enlarged width portion relative to the seating surface,

wherein the first and second air bladders are oriented with the elongated tapered portions oriented toward each other and the enlarged width portions oriented away from each other.

2. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the seating surface of the seat back and the seat bottom are joined at a bite line;

and

wherein the first and second air bladders are positioned adjacent the bite line.

3. The seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the first and second air bladders are oriented with the elongated tapered portions positioned closer to the bite line than the enlarged width portions.

4. The seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the first and second air bladders are oriented with the elongated tapered portion positioned between the bite line and the enlarged width portion.

5. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the first air bladder oriented in the seat back inflates in an downward and forward direction relative to the seat back so that the support surface inclines relative to the seating surface.

6. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the tapered portion of the hexagonal shaped support surface of each of the first and second bladders is defined an irregular trapezoid shape.

7. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the second air bladder oriented in the seat bottom inflates in rearward and upward directions relative to the seat bottom so that the support surface is inclined relative to the seating surface of the seat bottom.

8. The seat assembly of claim 6 wherein the wide portion of the hexagonal shaped support surface of each of the first and second bladder is a rectangle shape,

wherein a long edge of the rectangular shapes and a short edge of the trapezoid shapes are generally parallel.

17. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the tapered portion of each of the first and second air bladders is configured to inflate to a first height being greater than a second height of the width portion.

9. A seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom;

a seat back mounted adjacent the seat bottom and extending generally in an upright direction, wherein the seat back and seat bottom are provided with an occupant seating surface; and

first and second air bladders each having a support surface defined by a wide portion extending to a tapered portion having a width less than the wide portion, wherein when the first and second air bladders are inflated, the support surfaces of the first and second air bladders are inclined relative to the seating surface,

wherein the first air bladder is disposed in the seat bottom and the second air bladder is disposed in the seat back, and

wherein the first and second air bladders are positioned with the elongated tapered portions oriented toward each other and the enlarged width portions oriented away from each other.

10. The seat assembly of claim 9 wherein the tapered portion of each of the first and second air bladders is configured to inflate to a first height being greater than a second height of the wide portion.

11. The seat assembly of claim 9 wherein the seating surface of the seat back and the seat bottom are joined at a bite line, wherein the first and second air bladders are oriented with the tapered portion positioned closer to the bite line than the enlarged width portion.

12. The seat assembly of claim 11 wherein both of the first and second air bladders are oriented with the tapered portion positioned between the bite line and the enlarged width portion.

13. The seat assembly of claim 9 wherein there is no other air bladder between the first and second air bladders.

14. The seat assembly of claim 9 wherein the support surface of at least one of the first and second air bladders is defined by a hexagonal shape.

15. The seat assembly of claim 14 wherein the tapered portion of the hexagonal shape defines an irregular trapezoid shape.

16. The seat assembly of claim 15 wherein the wide portion of the hexagonal shape is a rectangle shape, wherein a long edge of the rectangular shape and a short edge of the trapezoid shape are generally parallel.