Vehicle seat cushion with inflatable support

摘要

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.

主权项

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.