An occupant support adapted for use in a vehicle includes a seat bottom coupled to a floor of the vehicle and a seat back configured to pivot about a seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom between an upright position and a folded-forward position. The occupant support further includes an upper-back support system configured to support an upper back of an occupant of the occupant support.

A motor vehicle seat having a backrest and a seat part, at least one flexible, fluid-fillable hollow body attached to the seat part or the backrest, and at least two chambers that are in fluid communication with one another. The chambers are arranged one on top of the other and have in their walls corresponding passages which enable a fluid exchange between the chambers. The chambers are firmly connected to one another in the region of the passages, wherein the volume of the lowermost chamber adjacent to the seat part or the backrest is the largest and the volume of each additional chamber is smaller compared with the volume of the chamber below it. The chambers are arranged one on top of the other such that the maximum lift of the fluid-fillable hollow body when it is being filled with fluid is outside the center of the lowermost chamber.

A seat back pad 70 has a groove 73 for tucking a skin material therein, formed at borders between a central portion 71 and side portions 72. A hole (slot hole 74) is formed in a bottom of the groove 73 along the groove 73. A tuck-in wire 76 for tucking the skin material in includes a plurality of tuck-in portions 76A provided along the groove 73, and a connecting portion (detour portion 76B) detouring around the hole and connecting the tuck-in portions 76A. With this configuration, when an upper body of an occupant P subsides into a seat back S2 in a rear-end collision of a vehicle, the central portion 71, defined by the groove 73 as a border, is easily and sufficiently moved rearward relative to the left and right side portions 72. Furthermore, the tuck-in wire 76 is not exposed through the hole, and thus adhesion between the seat back pad 70 and the tuck-in wire 76 can be improved.

The present invention relates to support apparatus for supporting at least a portion of a gluteal region of a user while the user is seated in a seating apparatus comprising a seating surface, a back support surface and a transition region at the intersection of the seating surface and the back support surface. The support apparatus a support member structured to support at least a portion of the gluteal region of the user. The support apparatus further comprises a support element structured to position the support member at the transition region of seating apparatus such that the support member extends between the seating surface and the back support surface of the seating apparatus.

A seat assembly may include a seat base and/or a seat back. The seat back may be connected to the seat base. The seat back may include a back panel having a plurality of external support members disposed in a grid configuration. The back panel may include a first portion, a second portion, and/or a third portion. The third portion may connect the second portion to the first portion. A method of assembling a seat assembly may include connecting the back panel with the seat back, and/or connecting the seat back to the seat base.

To provide a technique that enables the reduction of fatigue of a vehicle occupant at low cost and without an increase in the number of parts. Without preparing a sensor in addition to a posture changing mechanism, the position of a lumbar vertebra or thoracic vertebra of each vehicle occupant is estimated by controlling the operation of the posture changing mechanism. The posture changing mechanism includes: a back side support mechanism; a first motor capable of shifting a position of the back side support mechanism with respect to a vertical direction; and a second motor capable of shifting the position of the back side support member with respect to a front-back direction. A position of a lumbar vertebra of the vehicle occupant is estimated by: while changing the vertical position of the back side support mechanism by means of the first motor, changing a forward position of the back side support mechanism at each of the different vertical positions thereof by means of the second motor so as to obtain a turnover number value of the second motor achieving a desired resistance; and comparing the turnover number values of the second motor achieving the desired resistance. A position of the thoracic vertebra is determined by calculation based on the position of the lumbar vertebra. The position of the posture changing mechanism is set based on the results of estimation of the individual positions. Thus, a fatigue reduction effect is provided on the vehicle occupant by utilizing the posture changing mechanism.

A car seat includes an actuator capable of changing an orientation of a rest surface of a seat back laterally by turning and moving at least a side portion frame that is part of the car seat frontward and rearward, and a controller configured to exercise control over the actuator. The controller includes a run-time posture support unit configured to execute a run-time posture support control under which when a car makes a turn, the actuator is regulated to cause the rest surface of the seat back to be oriented in a direction of the turn. The run-time posture support unit is configured to regulate the actuator in accordance with a placement of the seat in the car, when the run-time posture support unit executes the run-time posture support control.

A back pad assembly for a material handling vehicle is provided that includes a back pad, a framework, and a mounting frame. The back pad includes a center portion, a first side portion, and a second side portion. The first side portion defines a first curved profile, and the second side portion defines a second curved profile. The first curved profile and the second curved profile are arranged on laterally-opposing sides of the center portion. The framework includes a first mounting bar and a second mounting bar. The framework is coupled to the back pad. The first and second mounting bars are adjustably supported by the mounting frame to enable the back pad to be selectively mounted at varying heights along the mounting frame.

A vehicle seat 10 comprising a seat base 11 and a backrest portion 13, wherein the backrest portion comprises a support structure 13. A user engagable cushioned section 14 is locatable on a user facing side 16 of the support structure 13 and the support structure 13 is shaped and dimensioned to receive at least a portion 21 of the cushioned section 14 such that the cushioned section comprises at least one localised area of increased thickness 15.

A passenger seat (10) with a sitting area (40), a side ottoman (42), an open space (44) that may be enclosed via use of a bed extension (50), and a backrest (14). The backrest may be divided into an upper portion and a lower portion. The seat may also be provided with one or more storage areas and/or a side console.