Seat Cushion Bladder Control to Prevent Cover Sagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic bladders in vehicle seats inflate uniformly, causing variations in seat properties and leading to sagging of seat covers due to deformation, affecting appearance and comfort.
Innovation Solution
A seat cushion with inflatable bladders encapsulated within a compressible member, allowing controlled adjustment of firmness and hardness by varying inflation pressure, and featuring multiple bladders arranged to inflate predominantly in a single axis or multi-cell arrangements to enhance comfort and reduce sagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional pneumatic bladders are used to provide adjustable support, then seat comfort can be improved, but seat covers become prone to sag due to uniform inflation causing deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single conventional bladder into multiple separate bladders (first and second bladders) positioned at different locations within the seat cushion. Each bladder can be independently inflated or deflated, allowing selective support in different regions without causing uniform deformation that leads to sagging.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different inflation states for different regions of the seat cushion by controlling each bladder independently. This allows localized adjustment of support properties, providing firmness where needed while maintaining tautness in other areas, thereby preventing sagging while preserving comfort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If single chamber pneumatic bladders inflate uniformly, then adjustable support is provided, but variations in seat properties occur resulting in sagging
Solution Approach 1:
The seat cushion is segmented into multiple independent bladder chambers instead of a single chamber. This segmentation allows each bladder to be controlled independently, maintaining consistent seat properties across different regions while still providing adaptable support through selective inflation.
3Ease of operation
If inflatable bladders are added to adjust firmness, then seat comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple bladders within a single seat cushion structure, integrating them into the existing compressible member. This merging approach provides enhanced comfort through multiple independent support zones while maintaining a unified seat assembly design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides adaptive seat support with improved comfort and reduced sagging by controlling bladder inflation, maintaining effective foam depth and enhancing spinal lubrication and blood flow through rhythmic motions.
Implementation Method 1
When inflated the one or more inflatable bladders expand and may compress the surrounding region of the compressible member which at least partially encapsulates the inflatable bladder. This compression may reduce compliance of the compressible member and creates a harder (firmer) condition for the seat occupant.
Implementation Method 2
a pneumatic bladder to give adjustable support
Data Source
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AI summary
Aspects of the invention relate to a control system for controlling inflation of a seat cushion in a seat assembly, wherein the seat cushion comprises one or more inflatable bladders and a seat cushion cover; the control system comprising one or more controllers, the control system being configured to: determine an occupancy status of the seat assembly, the occupancy status indicating one of a seat occupied state and a seat unoccupied state; monitor the occupancy status to identify a first change from the seat unoccupied state to the seat occupied state; and in dependence on identification of the first change in the determined occupancy status, generate a decrease pressure signal to decrease the inflation pressure of the one or more inflatable bladders.