SACRAL AIR BLADDER ASSEMBLY

• US 20170164748A1
• Filed: 12/09/2015
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: ZOUZAL, Winsen C., PERENY, Michelle A., PATRICK, Gerald, CICHOCKI, Walter T., SMITH, Ted
• Granted Patent: US 10,085,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

at least one air bladder oriented in a sacral region of one of the seat bottom and the seat back, the air bladder having a support surface defined by an enlarged width portion and extending to an elongated tapered portion, whereby inflation of the air bladder inclines the support surface from the taper portion to the enlarged width portion relative to the seating surface.

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 at least one air bladder is positioned adjacent the bite line.

3. The seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one air bladder is oriented with the elongated tapered portion positioned closer to the bite line than the enlarged width portion.

4. The seat assembly of claim 2 wherein the at least one air bladder is 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 air bladder is oriented in the seat back so that during inflation the air bladder 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 at least one air bladder comprises:

a first air bladder disposed in the seat back; and

a second air bladder disposed in the seat bottom.

7. The seat assembly of claim 6 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.

8. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the air bladder is oriented in the seat bottom whereby inflation of the air bladder expands 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.

9. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least one air bladder is a generally hexagonal shape.

15. The seat assembly of claim 8 wherein there is no other air bladder between the first and second air bladders.

10. 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, wherein when the air bladders are inflated, the support surfaces 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.

11. The seat assembly of claim 10 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.

12. The seat assembly of claim 10 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 positioned adjacent the bite line.

13. The seat assembly of claim 12 wherein the first and second air bladders are oriented with the elongated tapered portion positioned closer to the bite line than the enlarged width portion.

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

16. An air bladder assembly for a seat comprising:

at least one air bladder with a support surface defined by a hexagonal shape with a wide portion extending to a tapered portion, whereby the tapered portion inflates to a height greater than a height of the wide portion so that the support surface is inclined relative to a seating surface of the seat.

17. The air bladder assembly of claim 16 wherein the elongated tapered portion defines an irregular trapezoid shape.

18. The air bladder assembly of claim 17 wherein the enlarged width portion is a rectangle shape;

and

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

19. The air bladder assembly of claim 16 further comprising upper and lower air bladders each having a support surface with a hexagonal shape with the enlarged width portion extending to the elongated tapered portion,

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

20. The air bladder assembly of claim 19 wherein there is no other air bladder between the upper and lower air bladders.