GB2631996A - Inflatable insert for a seat cushion - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle seat cushion inflatable insert 110, has one or more layers 801,802 each comprising a pair of flexible material sheets bonded together with join lines (103, fig 1) in a central plane (A, fig 1) between the sheets. One layer is a fluid supply layer having a wider bladder 812a, 812b, 812c joined by narrower conduits 810a, 810b, 810c to a fluid supply opening (107, fig 2) such that the bladders expand perpendicularly to the central plane to a greater degree than the conduits during inflation. A manifold 1004 can connect conduits, and a stacked auxiliary layer (806, 200, figs 3 & 7) connect to a bladder via apertures (205, fig 3).

Description

INFLATABLE INSERT FOR A SEAT CUSHION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an inflatable insert for a seat cushion. Aspects of the invention relate to an inflatable insert, a seat, and a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide a vehicle seat with a variety of ways of adjustment to enable occupant comfort. For example, a vehicle seat may be provided with a pneumatic bladder to give adjustable support. Most commonly such pneumatic bladders are found in the seat back to provide lower back (lumbar) support but they are known to have been used below a cushion of the seat to support the body of the seated occupant. Lumbar support is often both height and depth adjustable. Conventional pneumatic bladders used in seats have a single chamber and inflate uniformly; therefore exerting a force in all directions resulting in variations in the seat properties. Occupants may adjust the hardness/firmness of portions of the seat via inflation and deflation of the bladders for altering any of comfort, posture, or position whilst travelling in a vehicle. The incorporation of bladders below or behind the cushion of seats can lead to occupants being able to undesirably detect elements of any pneumatic bladder system.

It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide an insert for a seat cushion, a seat for a vehicle, and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided an inflatable insert for a seat cushion. The insert comprises one or more layers each comprising a pair of sheets of flexible material bonded together along one or more join lines to form a fluid chamber, the join lines being in a central plane between the sheets. At least one layer is a fluid supply layer. For each fluid supply layer, the fluid chamber comprises a bladder, an opening, and a conduit joining the bladder to the opening.

In an embodiment, a width of the bladder in the central plane is greater than a width of the conduit such that the bladder expands perpendicularly to the central plane to a greater degree than the conduit when the insert is inflated via the opening.

Advantageously, both of the conduit and the bladder are formed by the same pair of sheets of flexible material hence simplifying manufacture and providing for at least a substantial portion of the insert to be flexible. When the insert is inserted within a cushion, the flexible material forming both of the conduit and the bladder is freely deformable within the cushion when the insert is deflated. Both of the conduit and the bladder have minimal effect on the hardness (or softness) of the cushion when the insert is deflated. A user seated on the cushion when the insert is in a deflated state will not be able to (or will barely) sense components of the insert, particularly the conduit. When the insert is inflated, the resulting expansion of the bladder increases the hardness of the cushion, whilst the user remains unable to (or barely able to) sense the conduit of the insert.

The flexible material may be elastomeric material and/or fluid impermeable. The join lines may be fluid tight.

Optionally, the bladder is elongate along a longitudinal axis, and the width in the central plane of the bladder normal to the longitudinal axis is at least double the width of the conduit. Optionally, the width of the bladder is at least four times the width of the conduit.

Optionally, the one or more join lines of the fluid chamber is a single join line starting on one side of the opening and ending on an opposite side of the opening.

The use of a single join line provides for the conduit to be fully integral with the bladder and improves the ease of manufacture of the insert.

Optionally, the one or more layers is two or more layers comprises an auxiliary layer, wherein at least one layer is a fluid supply layer and an adjacent layer comprises an auxiliary bladder in fluid communication with the fluid chamber of said one layer.

The auxiliary bladder provides for an enhanced adjustment to the hardness of the cushion when the insert is inflated. The combination of expansion of the bladder and the auxiliary bladder in multiple layers provides for an increased overall expansion of the insert in the direction perpendicular to the central plane. Auxiliary bladders can be inflated via the conduit of a single fluid supply layer due to the fluid communication between the auxiliary bladders with other layers and therefore only one conduit and corresponding opening is necessitated for embodiments comprising multiple layers. The level of expansion of the insert under inflation can be easily configured by varying the number of layers. The one or more join lines of any auxiliary layer may be a single continuous join line.

Optionally, a sheet of one layer and an adjacent sheet of another layer comprise one or more conjoined apertures for providing the fluid communication between the fluid chambers of the adjacent layers Optionally, any bladder and auxiliary bladder of fluid chambers that are fluidly connected have substantially the same or the same profile when viewed along a direction normal to the central plane.

The bladders and auxiliary bladders may be considered to be vertically corresponding. Vertically corresponding bladders and auxiliary bladders provide for maximal effect on the hardness of the cushion when the insert is inflated. As used herein, "vertically corresponding" may refer to the bladders and auxiliary bladders having a substantially similar or the same profile when viewed from a direction directly facing the central plane, and being stacked on top of one another such that the profiles of each chamber are aligned normal to the central plane.

Optionally, two adjacent layers are each a fluid supply layer and each is a multi-chamber layer, the fluid chambers of each multi-chamber layer comprising first fluid chambers which are each inflatable via the opening of the respective first fluid chamber, and wherein the join lines of each multi-chamber layer additionally form a second fluid chamber in each layer, which second fluid chamber is fluidly separated from the first fluid chamber of the same layer, and which second fluid chamber is inflatable via a fluid communication with the first fluid chamber in the adjacent fluid supply layer.

Optionally, the inflatable insert comprises a first stack and a second stack, the first stack comprising one auxiliary layer having a fluid chamber being inflatable via a fluid communication with the first fluid chamber of the multi-chamber layer, the second stack comprising one fluid supply layer having a fluid chamber in fluid communication with the second fluid chamber of the multi-chamber layer.

Multiple stacks provide for different locations of the insert to be independently inflated and deflated.

Furthermore, the use of multiple layers within each vertical stack enhances the effect of inflation of each stack.

In this manner, the hardness of multiple regions of a cushion within which the insert is incorporated can be independently controlled.

Optionally, the layers of the first stack and second stack are at the same level relative to the direction normal to the central plane of the multi-chamber layer.

Optionally, the first stack comprises a top auxiliary layer having a fluid chamber fluidly connected to the fluid chamber of the auxiliary layer of the first stack on an opposite side to the multi-chamber layer and/or the second stack comprises a top auxiliary layer having a fluid chamber fluidly connected to the fluid chamber of the fluid supply layer of the second stack on an opposite side to the multi-chamber layer. That is, the insert may have a third layer, wherein the chambers of the first and second stacks in said third layer are respectively fluidly connected to the fluid chamber of the first stack and the auxiliary bladder of the second stack in the layer adjacent to the third layer.

Optionally, the conduit of any fluid supply layer is two or more substantially parallel conduits and a manifold region, the manifold region being in fluid communication between the two or more parallel conduits and the opening of the fluid supply layer, and each of the two or more substantially parallel conduits are fluidly connected to a corresponding bladder, the parallel conduits and corresponding bladders being in the form of parallel elongate fingers.

Parallel elongate expandable chambers linked to one opening via the manifold region provides for multiple bladders to be controllably inflated via controlling the fluid entering from one opening. In this manner, the hardness across a significant proportion of a cushion within which the insert is incorporated can be controlled easily whilst limiting the total volume of the insert.

Optionally, each of the sheets is a thermoplastic polyurethane film. Optionally, the thermoplastic polyurethane film has a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.6 mm, or between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm.

Optionally, the flexible material sheets have been bonded together by ultrasonic welding.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a seat for a vehicle, the seat comprising a seat cushion, the seat cushion at least partially encapsulating an insert as described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle comprising a seat as described above.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination.

That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a frontal cross-sectional view of an insert comprising a single layer.

Figure 2 shows a top view of the insert of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 shows a frontal cross-sectional view of an insert comprising multiple layers.

Figure 4 shows a top view of the insert of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 shows a frontal cross-sectional view of an insert comprising a single layer and multiple fluid chambers.

Figure 6 shows a top view of the insert of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 shows a side cross-sectional view of an insert comprising multiple stacks of layers.

Figure 8 is a frontal cross-sectional view of the insert of Fig. 7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of an insert comprising multiple elongate fingers.

Figure 10 shows a representation of a seat in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 11 shows a representation of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An inflatable insert for a seat cushion in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying figures.

The inflatable insert discussed herein is suitable for at least partial encapsulation or insertion within a cushion, typically a cushion for a vehicle seat. The inflatable insert is typically suitable for placement within a mould before being encapsulated with foam to form the cushion with the insert being encapsulated by the foam of the cushion. Occupants may be seated in vehicle seats for a significant period of time such as during journeys lasting several hours. It is desirable to maximise the comfort to the occupant by providing configurable cushion hardness. It is further desirable to provide a dynamic cushion hardness such as increasing and decreasing the hardness of the cushion over multiple oscillation cycles. Such oscillations can induce pelvic oscillations in the user in order to increase blood flow and spinal lubrication compared to a static posture, similar in effect to the motion of walking. In some examples, the hardness of specific regions of the cushion can be dynamically controlled to provide a rolling hip motion and/or a pitching hip motion. The embodiments discussed below provide an insert for a cushion that can be majorly or even completely manufactured from flexible materials thereby reducing the possibility that the occupant can sense the insert when seated on a cushion containing the insert. It is particularly advantageous that portions of the inflatable insert providing a conduit for fluid for inflating the insert can be manufactured from flexible materials.

With reference to Fig. 1, there is a frontal cross-sectional view of an inflatable insert 10. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the same inflatable insert. A lateral axis A in Figs. 1 and 2 is presented as a visual aid for comparing the perspective of Figs. 1 and 2. The inflatable insert 10 comprises a single layer 100. As will be discussed below, the inflatable insert 10 can comprise multiple layers. The single layer 100 comprises a pair of sheets of flexible material 101, 102 that are bonded together so that their planar surfaces are substantially aligned and adjacent one another. It would be appreciated that due to the flexibility of the material, the surfaces of the sheets 101, 102 may or may not be directly aligned and/or in contact with one another at any one time depending on any forces external to the sheets. The pair of sheets 101, 102 are bonded together along a join line 103 to form a fluid chamber 104. The join line may be a fluid tight join line capable of preventing gas from escaping out of the fluid chamber. The join line 103 can be considered to sit within a notional central plane between the sheets 101, 102 with the lateral axis A being embedded within the central plane. The join line 103 may be provided by ultrasonically welding the sheets 101, 102 together. The fluid chamber 104 is therefore bounded by the join line 103 and each of the pair of sheets 101, 102. The single layer 100 can be considered to be a fluid supply layer, with the boundary of the fluid chamber 104 being defined by the join line 103 to form a bladder 105 and a conduit 106. The conduit 106 leads to an opening 107 and therefore provides a fluid connection between the exterior of the insert 10 and the bladder 105. As can be observed particularly from Fig. 2, the bladder 105 has a minimum width represented by arrow 108 that is greater than a maximum width 109 of the conduit 106. The inflatable insert 10 is inflated by supplying a fluid, possibly air, into the fluid chamber 105 from a fluid source (not shown) attached to the opening 107. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the pair of sheets 101, 102 have portions 111 that are not bounding the fluid chamber 104, and such portions 111 may be reduced in size in some embodiments, for example so that the substantially the entirety of the pair of sheets 101, 102 are bounding the fluid chamber 104. The fluid source may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid pipe which is not necessarily a component part of the inflatable insert and that is external to the seat cushion within which the insert 10 is inserted when in use. Inflation of the insert 10 causes the flexible sheets to expand in the direction normal to the central plane as shown by arrow 110 in Fig. 1. The minimum width 108 of the bladder 105 is sufficiently greater than that of the conduit 106 such that the flexible material corresponding to the bladder 105 expands in the direction 110 to a greater degree than the flexible material corresponding to the conduit 106 when the insert is inflated. Typically, the direction 110 is opposite to the direction of force applied by the body of the user and therefore expansion of the bladder serves to increase the level of hardness that is sensed by the user in contact with any seat cushion within which the insert has been placed.

When the insert 10 is in a deflated state, the material forming the fluid chamber 105 can be considered to be limp or flaccid or under low tension. In the deflated state, the flexible material is easily deformable. A user seated on a cushion within which the insert is contained will therefore find it difficult (or even impossible) to sense the presence of any portion of the insert including the conduit 106. This is in contrast to inserts comprising a rigid fluid supply pipeline which can be sensed by a seated user. When the insert 100 of the present invention is inflated, the insert 100 enters an inflated state thereby compressing any surrounding foam of the cushion and causing the hardness of the cushion as sensed by a seated user to be increased. In particular, the effect of increasing the hardness of the cushion is primarily provided by the expansion of the bladder 105. The lesser maximum width of the conduit 109 provides for any expansion of the conduit 109 to be less detectable (if at all) by the user and also ensures that the fluid is directed to the bladder 105. The maximum width of the conduit 109 is optionally less than a quarter of the minimum width of the bladder 108, or further optionally a fifth of the minimum width of the bladder 108.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, the bladder 105 and the conduit 106 are elongate in a longitudinal direction parallel to a longitudinal axis B. The minimum width of the bladder 105 and/or the maximum width of the conduit 106 may be the width dimensions that are normal to the longitudinal axis B (or parallel to the lateral axis A).

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, the join line 103 is a single line, which improves the ease of manufacture.

In other embodiments, the join line 103 may be formed of a plurality of join lines in parallel to improve security of the sealing of the chamber 105.

The embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 provides an insert comprising a single layer 100 being a fluid supply layer. In alternative embodiments, the insert may comprise multiple layers including a fluid supply layer of Figs. 1 and 2.

An embodiment comprising multiple layers is now described with respect to Figs. 3 and 4. With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, there is an insert 30 comprising a fluid supply layer 100 comprising the features discussed in relation to the insert of Fig. 1. The insert 30 further comprises an auxiliary layer 200. The auxiliary layer 200 is stacked atop (or alternatively below) the fluid supply layer 100 in a direction normal to the central plane as described above (alternatively referred to as a vertical direction) as indicated by the arrow 210. The auxiliary layer 200 may be joined to the fluid supply layer 100 via a joining means 206 that may comprise an additional join line or other adhesive means. The auxiliary layer 200 comprises an additional pair of sheets of flexible material 201, 202 bonded together along a join line 203 to form an additional fluid chamber 204. The entirety of the additional fluid chamber 204 is an auxiliary bladder, as can be observed particularly with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a top-view of the insert of Fig. 3 and only the auxiliary bladder 204 is visible. The auxiliary bladder 204 is in fluid communication with the bladder 105 via one or more apertures 205. Therefore, when the insert 200 is inflated, the bladder 105 and the auxiliary bladder 204 both expand together in a "concertina" effect when fluid enters the bladder 105 via the opening 107 in the fluid supply layer 100. As used herein, the term "fluid supply layer" generally refers to a layer which can be inflated by a fluid supply provided via a corresponding conduit of the same layer. The term auxiliary layer" generally refers to a layer which is inflatable via fluid supplied by an adjacent layer, such as via the apertures 205 in the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4.

The bladder 105 and the auxiliary bladder 204 may substantially vertically correspond to one another in the stack. By "vertically correspond", it is meant that at least some portions of the edges of the one of the chambers as defined by the fluid join lines 103, 203 have the same profile when viewed along a direction normal to the central plane described above. It can be observed in Fig. 3 that the auxiliary bladder 204 when viewed from above the insert in the vertical direction is completely covering the bladder 105. Therefore, the surface area of the sheets forming the auxiliary bladder 204 is maximised in order to maximise the volume increase of the auxiliary bladder 204, particularly in the vertical direction 210, when the insert is inflated.

Whilst the embodiment of the insert shown in Figs. 3 and 4 comprises two layers, in other embodiments the insert can comprise more than two layers, with different ones of the layers corresponding to fluid supply layers and auxiliary layers as discussed above. In one embodiment, a first layer is a fluid supply layer as discussed above, a second layer above the first layer is an auxiliary layer as discussed above, and a third layer above the second layer is an additional auxiliary layer as discussed above. In such an embodiment, the fluid supply layer receives fluid such as air, which is subsequently provided to the auxiliary layers via fluid connections between the layers. In another embodiment, a first layer is an auxiliary layer as discussed above, a second layer above the first layer is a fluid supply layer as discussed above, and a third layer above the second layer is an additional auxiliary layer as discussed above. Any of the bladders or auxiliary bladders in the stack may be fluidly connected to chambers in adjacent layers via apertures in one or both of the sheets of material making up the adjoining layers.

With reference to Figs. 5 and 6 a multi-chamber layer 500 that may be incorporated into inserts of this disclosure will now be described. The multi-chamber layer comprises a pair of sheets of flexible material 501, 502 that are bonded together along join lines 509, 510. 511. The join lines 509, 510, 511 may be component parts of a single join line. The join lines 509, 510, 511 form one chamber comprising an auxiliary bladder 504. The join lines 509, 510, 511 additionally form another chamber comprising a bladder 506 joined to an opening 512 via a conduit 505. The chamber formed by the bladder 506 and conduit 505 is fluidly sealed from the auxiliary bladder 504. The sheet 501 may further comprise one or more apertures 507 for fluidly connecting the auxiliary bladder 507 with another bladder or auxiliary bladder in another layer. Either of the pair of sheets 501, 502 may further comprise one or more apertures 508 for fluidly connecting the bladder 506 with another bladder or auxiliary bladder in another layer. Optionally, the layer 500 is elongate along a longitudinal axis E and comprises a forward portion 514 and a rearward portion 513, the auxiliary bladder 504 being longitudinally disposed between the opening 512 and the bladder 506. Each of the bladder 506 and the auxiliary bladder 504 can be independently inflated in order to vary the hardness of different portions of a cushion within which the insert is encapsulated. For example, oscillating inflation of the longitudinally separated bladders 504, 506 can cause backward and forward pelvic tilt in a user who is seated on any cushion within which the insert is encapsulated when in use. In summary, the multi-chamber layer 500 provides a layer that incorporates both of the types of chambers found in fluid supply layers and auxiliary layers as described herein. In particular, the multi-chamber layer 500 comprises two fluidly separated fluid chambers, one which is supplied via an opening and another which is supplied via a fluid connection with an adjacent layer.

With reference to Fig. 7, there is an insert 80 according to a further embodiment of the invention. The insert comprises a multi-chamber layer 801. The multi-chamber layer 801 is in accordance with the multi-chamber layer as discussed above in relation to Figs. 5 and 6. The multi-chamber layer 801 comprises a pair of sheets of flexible material as described above, although for ease of representation the individual sheets are not visible in Fig. 7. The sheets of the multi-chamber layer 801 are joined together via join lines to form fluid chambers as discussed above.

The multi-chamber layer 801 comprises a first fluid chamber 805 comprising a bladder and a conduit 808. The first fluid chamber 805 is inflatable via an opening 807 of the first fluid chamber 805. The multi-chamber layer 801 further comprises a second fluid chamber 806 fluidly separated from the first chamber 805 and which is inflatable via a fluid communication with an adjacent layer via one or more apertures 819. Therefore, the first fluid chamber 805 and the second fluid chamber 806 are independently inflatable. The first fluid chamber 805 may be located towards the front of a cushion within which the insert is incorporated in-use, which corresponds to the front of a vehicle seat upon which a forward portion of the thighs of a user will typically rest. The second fluid chamber 806 may be located towards the rear of the cushion, corresponding to the rear of the vehicle seat upon which a rearward portion of the thighs of a user will typically rest. Independent inflation of the first and second chambers provides for hardness levels to be varied across different portions of the user's body.

The inflatable insert 80 comprises a first stack 804 and a second stack 803. The first stack 804 comprises one auxiliary layer having a fluid chamber 814 inflatable via a fluid communication with the first fluid chamber 805 of the multi-chamber layer 80. The fluid communication between the first fluid chamber 805 and the fluid chamber 814 is provided by one or more apertures 816. The second stack 803 comprises one fluid supply layer 802 having a fluid chamber 812 in fluid communication with the second fluid chamber 806 of the multi-chamber layer 801. The fluid chamber 812 comprises a conduit 810 leading to an opening 809. Therefore, the first fluid chamber 805 and the fluid chamber 814 of the auxiliary layer of the first stack are both inflatable via the conduit 808. Furthermore, the second fluid chamber 806 and the fluid chamber 812 of the fluid supply layer of the second stack 803 are both inflatable via the conduit 810. Fluid can be supplied to either of the conduits 808 and 810 from corresponding openings for independently inflating the first and second stacks.

As represented in Fig. 7, the auxiliary layer of the first stack may be at a same vertical level with respect to the axis F as the fluid supply layer of the second stack. Therefore, when both stacks are inflated, the resultant hardness variation is substantially uniformly distributed along portions of the seat corresponding to both stacks.

The stacks of the inflatable insert may each comprise a top auxiliary layer, each top auxiliary layer comprising a fluid chamber 815, 813 having auxiliary bladders that are inflated via apertures 811, 817 that provide a fluid communication with the fluid chambers 814, 812 in the adjacent layer. The top auxiliary layer provides for additional expansion in the vertical direction (along axis F) when inflating the fluid chambers of the insert.

With continued reference to Fig. 7, the insert 80 may further comprise a sheath 816. The sheath provides an attachment point for a support arm (not shown) to support the insert within a mould cavity (not shown) for a cushion. During manufacturing, the cushion can be moulded around the insert 80 within the mould cavity, before the support arm is withdrawn leaving the insert 80 in position within the cushion. The sheath may form a pocket extending longitudinally along the insert 80 (i.e. from one of a front 817 and a rear of 818 the insert 80 to the other).

With reference to Fig. 8, there is a cross sectional view through the rear stack 803 of the insert 80 of Fig. 8 having a common axis F. A pair of sheets of material 907a, 907b are joined together by a join line 901 to form the multi-chamber layer 801 and providing the second fluid chamber 806 and conduit 808. A pair of sheets of material 908a, 908b are joined together by a join line 902 to form the auxiliary chamber of the first stack 803 providing the fluid chamber 812, as well as the conduit 809 supplying chamber 812. A pair of sheets of material 909a, 909b are joined together by a join line 903 to form the top auxiliary layer providing the fluid chamber 813. The optional sheath 816 is joined to the sheet of material 907a via a join line 906. The different layers are also joined by join lines 904 and 905, each of which provide the apertures 811, 819 for fluid communication between the fluid chambers of different layers. It is to be noted that the order of assembly may be important.

That is, join lines 904 and 905 are typically completed first before join lines 901, 902 and 903 for the reason that join lines 904 and 905 are within the bounds of join lines 901, 902, 903 and access to them by join tools is restricted once join lines 901, 902 and 903 are completed.

With reference to Fig. 9 an insert 110 according to an embodiment of the invention comprises three elongate fingers 1001, 1002, and 1003. Each of the elongate fingers is structured according to the insert of Figs. 7 and 8. That is, there are two fluid supply layers 801, 802 for each finger stacked one upon the other. The top fluid supply layer 802 has first chambers 812a, 812b, 812c supplied by conduits 810a, 810b, 810c and these chambers overly auxiliary bladders 806 (not visible) of the layer 801 below. The auxiliary bladders are supplied by connected apertures 816 shown (in dashed lines) from the respective first chambers 812a, 812b, 812c.

The auxiliary bladders 806 are joined to conduits 1008a, 1008b, 1008c supplying first chambers 805 (but not visible) of the layer 801. On top of the first chambers 805 are auxiliary bladders 813a, 813b, 813c of the top layer 802 and which are supplied by interconnecting apertures by the first chamber 805 below.

The conduits 810a, 810b, 810c are joined at a manifold 1004 to be inflated simultaneously by controlling a fluid supply 1005. That supply also connects separately and independently to a second manifold (not visible) supplying the conduits 1008a, 1008b, 1008c.

This arrangement provides for all of the bladders 812a, 812b, 812c and those which are fluidly connected below to be inflated simultaneously by controlling the fluid supply 1005. Similarly, all of the bladders 813a, 813b, 813c of the layer 802, and those which are fluidly connected below, can be inflated simultaneously by controlling the base fluid supply 1005. Therefore, the hardness of a rear region and a front region of a cushion within which the insert is encapsulated can be independently controlled. It is envisaged that two or more inserts according to Fig. 9 may be encapsulated within a cushion for providing more independent regions of hardness control.

The embodiment of Fig. 9 comprises three elongate fingers and two layers. However, in alternative embodiments the insert comprises two elongate fingers or more than three elongate fingers, with two or more layers.

The insert discussed in relation to Fig. 9 provides for bladders in different regions of a cushion to be independently controlled by an insert only incorporating flexible sheets of material within the cushion. Any elements that are required to be stiffer such as the fluid supply 1005 can be outside of the cushion and therefore do not hinder the comfort of a user seated on the cushion.

The sheets of flexible material discussed above may be Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) foil having a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.6 mm, or between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm. In some embodiments, the TPU foil has a thickness of 0.31 mm.

Any of the join lines discussed above may be formed by ultrasonic welding.

With reference to Fig. 10, there is a seat 1101 comprising a seat back cushion 1102 and a base cushion 1103.

An inflatable insert according to this disclosure can be incorporated into the seat back cushion 1102 within a region 1104 and/or the seat back cushion 1103 within the region 1105. In some embodiments, inflation of the inflatable insert can be controlled by a controller 1106, the controller 1106 comprising one or more processors collectively configured to control inflation and deflation of the fluid chambers of the insert by actuation of corresponding valves and/or pumps (not shown). It is particularly advantageous for the inflatable insert to be located in one of the regions 1104, 1105 that are situated close to the body of a user seated in the seat 1101 in order that inflation of the insert has a significant impact on the seat hardness/softness as felt by the user. The construction of the insert from flexible material ensures that the user does not sense any components of the insert, especially when the bladders are in deflated mode.

With reference to Fig. 11, there is a top-view of a vehicle 1201 comprising a seat 1101 suitable for incorporating an inflatable insert according to this disclosure.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS1. An inflatable insert for a seat cushion, the insert comprising: one or more layers each comprising a pair of sheets of flexible material bonded together along one or more join lines to form a fluid chamber, the join lines being in a central plane between the sheets; wherein at least one layer is a fluid supply layer; for each fluid supply layer, the fluid chamber comprises a bladder, an opening, and a conduit joining the bladder to the opening for connection to a fluid supply; and a width of the bladder in the central plane is greater than a width of the conduit such that the bladder expands perpendicularly to the central plane to a greater degree than the conduit when the insert is inflated via the opening.
2. 2. An inflatable insert according to claim 1 wherein the bladder is elongate defining a longitudinal axis, and the width in the central plane of the bladder normal to the longitudinal axis is at least double the width of the conduit in the central plane of the bladder normal to the longitudinal axis, and optionally wherein the width of the bladder is at least four times the width of the conduit.
3. 3. An inflatable insert according to any of claims 1 or 2 wherein the one or more join lines of the fluid chamber is a single join line starting on one side of the opening and ending on an opposite side of the opening.
4. 4. An inflatable insert according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the one or more layers is two or more layers, wherein at least one layer is a fluid supply layer and an adjacent layer comprises an auxiliary bladder in fluid communication with the fluid chamber of said one layer.
5. 5. An inflatable insert according to claim 4 wherein a sheet of one layer and an adjacent sheet of another layer comprise one or more conjoined apertures for providing the fluid communication between the fluid chambers of the adjacent layers.
6. 6. An inflatable insert according to claim 5 wherein a bladder and an auxiliary bladder of fluid chambers that are adjacent and fluidly connected by said conjoined apertures have the same profile when viewed along a direction normal to the central plane.
7. 7. An inflatable insert according to any of claims 4 to 6 wherein two adjacent layers are each a fluid supply layer and each is a multi-chamber layer, the fluid chambers of each multi-chamber layer comprising first fluid chambers which are each inflatable via the opening of the respective first fluid chamber from separate and independently controllable fluid supplies, and wherein the join lines of each multi-chamber layer additionally form a second fluid chamber in each layer, which second fluid chamber is fluidly separated from the first fluid chamber of the same layer, and which second fluid chamber is inflatable via a fluid communication with the first fluid chamber in the adjacent fluid supply layer.
8. 8. An inflatable insert according to claim 7 comprising a third layer, wherein the chambers of the first and second stacks in said third layer are respectively fluidly connected to the fluid chamber of the first stack and the auxiliary bladder of the second stack in the layer adjacent to the third layer.
9. 9. An inflatable insert comprising two or more fingers, each finger being an insert according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the conduits of each finger are in fluid communication at a manifold region supplied by a common fluid supply.
10. 10. An inflatable insert according to claim 9 when dependent on claim 7, wherein the conduits of each layer are parallel and said manifold is a first manifold connected to the conduits of one layer and the conduits of the other layer are connected to a second manifold, each manifold being connected to separate and independently controllable fluid supplies.
11. 11. An inflatable insert according to any preceding claim wherein each of the sheets is a thermoplastic polyurethane film, optionally the thermoplastic polyurethane film has a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.6 mm, or between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm.
12. 12. An inflatable insert according to any preceding claim wherein the flexible material sheets have been bonded together by ultrasonic welding.
13. 13. An inflatable insert according to any preceding claim wherein the fluid supply is an air supply.
14. 14. A seat for a vehicle, the seat comprising a seat cushion, the seat cushion at least partially encapsulating an insert according to any of claims 1 to 13.
15. 15. A vehicle comprising a seat according to claim 14 or an insert according to any of claims 1 to 13.