Apparatus and method for customizing a vehicle seat
First Claim
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1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
- a group of first inflatable bladders, each first bladder having a respective first electromechanical valve coupled therewith;
a pump coupled with each of the first valves;
an occupancy sensor; and
a controller electrically connected with the pump, the occupancy sensor, and with each of the first valves and, upon initially receiving a first signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat is unoccupied, opening all of the first valves to allow air to flow between and among the first bladders and causing the pump to simultaneously inflate the group of first bladders to a predetermined collective pressure and, upon subsequently receiving a second signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat occupied, simultaneously closing all of the first valves to maintain an air distribution level of each of the first bladders according to a distribution of weight of an occupant over the first bladders resulting from the seat being occupied before the controller simultaneously closes all of the first valves.
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Abstract
A vehicle seat includes a group of first inflatable bladders, each first bladder having a respective first valve coupled therewith and a pump coupled with each of the first valves. The seat further includes a controller in communication with the pump and with the first valves to cause the pump to inflate the first group of bladders to a predetermined pressure and to close the valves to maintain a subsequent inflation level of each of the first bladders.
88 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
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a group of first inflatable bladders, each first bladder having a respective first electromechanical valve coupled therewith; a pump coupled with each of the first valves; an occupancy sensor; and a controller electrically connected with the pump, the occupancy sensor, and with each of the first valves and, upon initially receiving a first signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat is unoccupied, opening all of the first valves to allow air to flow between and among the first bladders and causing the pump to simultaneously inflate the group of first bladders to a predetermined collective pressure and, upon subsequently receiving a second signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat occupied, simultaneously closing all of the first valves to maintain an air distribution level of each of the first bladders according to a distribution of weight of an occupant over the first bladders resulting from the seat being occupied before the controller simultaneously closes all of the first valves. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A vehicle seat, comprising:
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a group of first inflatable bladders, each first bladder having a respective first electromechanical valve coupled therewith; a first manifold coupled with each of the first bladders and providing fluidic communication among the group of first bladders when the first valves are all in respective open positions; a pump coupled with the first manifold; a first check valve coupled between the pump and the first manifold; an occupancy sensor; and a controller electrically connected with the occupancy sensor, the pump, and with each of the first electromechanical valves and, upon initially receiving a first signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat is unoccupied, opening all of the first valves to allow air to flow between and among the first bladders and causing the pump to simultaneously inflate the first group of bladders to a predetermined collective pressure and, upon subsequently receiving a second signal from the occupancy sensor indicating that the seat occupied, to simultaneously close all of the first valves to maintain an air distribution level of each of the first bladders according to a distribution of weight of an occupant over the first bladders resulting from the seat being occupied before the controller simultaneously closes all of the first valves. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification