Patent ID: 11958395
Assignee: nan
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 9:
10. A method of operating a vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
providing a plurality of inflatable bladders embedded below a seating surface of a seat cushion portion of the vehicle seat assembly, the plurality of inflatable bladders comprising at least a first group of inflatable bladders and a second group of inflatable bladders, wherein the first group of inflatable bladders comprises at least one ischial bladder positioned to support an ischial region of a user's spine while the user is seated on the seat cushion portion, and wherein the second group of inflatable bladders comprises at least one central bladder positioned to support a central region of the user's spine while the user is seated on the seat cushion portion;
operating a bladder pump to inflate the first group of inflatable bladders to a target pressure using a control system, wherein the control system is contained within an enclosure, and wherein the enclosure is strapped to a structural frame of the vehicle seat assembly and located to the rear of the seat cushion portion of the vehicle seat assembly;
operating a valve coupled to the second group of inflatable bladders to deflate the second group of inflatable bladders using the control system; and
upon expiration of a dwell period of at least one minute during which both the first and second groups of inflatable bladders are neither inflating nor deflating, operating the bladder pump to inflate the second group of inflatable bladders to the target pressure and operating a valve coupled to the first group of inflatable bladders to deflate the first group of inflatable bladders using the control system.