1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air-controlled support for a vehicle seat and, more particularly, to an air-controlled lumbar support apparatus for use in a vehicle seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional air-controlled lumbar support apparatus is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 4,190,286 to Bentley. An example of the conventional apparatus is shown generally in FIG. 1 and includes a vehicle seat 10 with a backrest 12 having a series of inflatable chambers 14. Each of the inflatable chambers 14 is connected to a valve mechanism 16 by individual tubes 18. The valve mechanism 16 controls the intake and exhaust of the air within the inflatable chambers 14. Additional air is supplied to the inflatable chambers 14 by means of an air pump 20, which delivers the air supply through the valve mechanism 16.
Since several inflatable chambers 14 are installed within the backrest 12 of the seat 10, the valve mechanism 16 requires a series of valves (not shown) for controlling the intake and exhaust of air to the inflatable chambers 14. As a result, the valve mechanism 16 typically is oversized and unduly complicated. Furthermore, the valve mechanism 16 and the air pump 20 must be independently mounted on the seat 10. Therefore, considerable space is required to position the tubes 18, the valve mechanism 16, the inflatable chambers 14 and the air pump 19 in reasonable proximity to each other.