Patent ID: 8827371
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: A61H,B60N

Abstract:
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, 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, and a bladder support coupled to the deformable elastic bed and arranged to underlie the first inflatable air bladder, wherein the bladder support is defined by an inner shell including an inner plate and an outwardly projecting dome coupled to the inner plate and arranged to extend away from the inner plate toward the first inflatable air bladder, 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 an outer shell and an auxiliary sheet made of elastomeric material and arranged to cooperate to define the first air chamber therebetween, the outer shell includes an outer plate and an inwardly projecting dome coupled to the outer plate and arranged to extend away from the outer plate and the auxiliary sheet, the outer plate is arranged to support the auxiliary sheet thereon in the deflated state of the first inflatable air bladder, the auxiliary sheet is arranged to separate from the outer plate in the inflated state of the first inflatable bladder, and the outwardly projecting dome of the inner shell and the inwardly projecting dome of the outer shell cooperate to form a resilient deformable post to block bottoming-out mating contact of the outer plate 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 seat cushion.