# US 2018/0022248 A1 · Armrest > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0022248 A1 - Document ID: US20180022248A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/653,880 - Filed: 2017-07-19 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-21 - Assignees: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC - Applicants: Faurecia Automotive Seating, LLC - Inventors: Cedric KETELS; Rod GOODRICH; Robert C FITZPATRICK - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180022248A1 ## CPC - B60N 2/777: {Transversal adjustment} - B60N 2/75: Arm-rests - B60N 2/753: {movable to an inoperative position} - B60N 2/763: {adjustable} - B60N 2/767: {Angle adjustment} - B60N 3/002: {of trays} - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An occupant support system includes a vehicle seat and an arm support. The vehicle seat supports an occupant in a vehicle while the vehicle is moving. The arm support supports the occupant's arm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An occupant support system for use in a vehicle, the occupant support system comprising a vehicle seat coupled to a floor of the vehicle to position an occupant to cause a horizontal reference plane defined by the occupant's eyes and a point along the horizon to be established when the occupant is looking at the point along the horizon and an arm support coupled to the vehicle seat and configured to provide means for supporting an arm of the occupant on the arm support while the occupant is holding an object and looking at the object to cause an object line of sight between the occupant's eyes and the object to be established and to cause the horizontal reference plane and the object line of sight to be within a field of view of the occupant so that motion sickness is mitigated and occupant comfort is maximized when the occupant is viewing the object and the vehicle is moving. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The occupant support system of claim 1, wherein the field of view of the occupant includes a peripheral view and the horizontal reference plane is less than about 25 degrees from the object line of sight. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The occupant support system of claim 2, wherein the field of view of the occupant includes a peripheral view and the horizontal reference plane is less than about 15 degrees from the object line of sight. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The occupant support system of claim 1, wherein the arm support includes a rigid frame having a first end and a second end, the first end of the rigid frame is coupled to the vehicle seat and includes an upper arm support, the second end of the rigid frame is arranged to extend away from the vehicle seat and includes a forearm support. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The occupant support system of claim 4, wherein the arm support further includes a comfort sling arranged to extend from the first end of the rigid frame toward the second end of the rigid frame. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The occupant support system of claim 5, wherein the comfort sling is movable between an un-deformed arrangement in which a top surface of the comfort sling is generally straight and a deformed arrangement in which the occupant's arm provides a load on the comfort sling to cause the top surface to move inward toward the occupant and have a curved shape. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The occupant support of claim 6, wherein the comfort sling includes an inner surface arranged to extend downwardly from the top surface toward the seat bottom and face the occupant and an outer surfaced arranged to extend downwardly from the top surface and face opposite the inner surface and the outer surface is configured to engage the occupant's arm when in the deformed arrangement. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The occupant support of claim 7, wherein the outer surface has a concave surface arranged to support and engage the occupant's arm when the comfort sling is in the deformed arrangement. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The occupant support system of claim 5, wherein the comfort sling is arranged to extend from the upper arm support to the forearm support and the comfort sling is configured to support the full arm of the occupant to cause the occupant's elbow to be spaced apart from the rigid frame. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The occupant support system of claim 9, wherein the comfort sling includes a soft cushion and a cushion support and the cushion support includes reinforcement rods that extend through the soft cushion in the longitudinal direction to rigidify the comfort sling. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The occupant support system of claim 1, wherein the occupant support system is configured provide means for positioning the occupant's body in a neutral body position to establish a first reference axis defined by the occupant's shoulders and the occupant's hips when the occupant is viewed from the side and to cause the occupant's head to pivot forward so that the occupant's eyes face directly toward the point on the horizon and are aligned with the horizontal reference plane and the horizontal reference plane is less than about 20 degrees from the object line of sight. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The occupant support system of claim 11, wherein the arm support positions the occupant's arm so that an angle between the occupant's upper arm and forearm is within a range of about 98 to about 146 degrees and an angle between the occupant's upper arm and the first reference axis is within a range of about 17 degrees to about 55 degrees. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The occupant support system of claim 12, wherein the arm support positions the occupant's arm so that the angle between the occupant's upper arm and the occupant's forearm is about 122 degrees and the angle between the occupant's upper arm and the first reference axis is at about 36 degrees. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The occupant support system of claim 11, wherein the arm support positions the occupant's upper arm to extend away from the occupant's body at an angle within a range of about 28 to about 50 degrees from a central axis defined by splitting the occupant when the occupant is viewed from above and the forearm support positions the occupant's forearm to extend inward from the occupant's upper arm toward the central axis at an angle within a range of about 29 to about 69 degrees. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The occupant support system of claim 14, wherein the arm support positions the occupant's upper arm to extend away from the occupant's body at an angle of about 39 degrees from the central axis and the forearm support positions the occupant's forearm to extend inward from the occupant's upper arm toward the central axis at an angle of about 49 degrees. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The occupant support system of claim 4, wherein the arm support is configured to move from an expanded configuration in which the upper arm support is arranged to extend away from the vehicle seat, the forearm support is arranged to extend away from the upper arm support, and a comfort sling is arranged to extend from the first end of the rigid frame to the second end of the rigid frame and is spaced apart from the rigid frame, to a partially-expanded configuration where the forearm support is pivoted inward toward the vehicle seat along a first hinge so that the forearm support rests on the upper arm support and the comfort sling is arranged between the upper arm support and the forearm support. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The occupant support system of claim 16, wherein the arm support is configured to move from the partially-expanded configuration to a stored configuration, where the upper arm support is pivoted downward toward a seat bottom of the vehicle seat along a second hinge so that the arm support is aligned with a seat back of the vehicle seat. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The occupant support system of claim 4, wherein the arm support further includes a comfort sling extending from the second end of the rigid frame to the vehicle seat and coupled to the vehicle seat in spaced apart relation to the first end of the rigid frame. ### Claim 19 (depends on 4) The occupant support system of claim 4, wherein the rigid frame is configured to pivot about the first end to adjust the arm support and the upper arm support is coupled to the forearm support to cause the rigid frame to establish a curved profile. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The occupant support system of claim 19, wherein the curved profile is arranged so that any plane tangent to the upper arm support has a slope relative to the horizontal reference plane that is less than the slope of any plane tangent to the forearm support when the upper arm support is parallel with the horizontal reference plane. ### Claim 21 (depends on 4) The occupant support system of claim 4, wherein the arm support further includes an armrest bridge extending from the second end of the rigid frame, the armrest bridge configured to provide means for supporting the object. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The occupant support system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is moving in a forward direction and the vehicle seat positions the occupant to face in the forward direction. ### Claim 23 A method of supporting an occupant on a vehicle seat, the method comprising the steps of positioning the occupant on the vehicle seat to face in a first direction, providing the occupant with an object in the occupant's hand, establishing a horizontal reference plane defined by the occupant's eyes and a point along the horizon in the first direction, establishing an object line of sight between the occupant's eyes and the object, and supporting the occupant's arms on an arm support to cause the horizontal reference plane and the object line of sight to be within a field of view of the occupant when the occupant is viewing the object. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the arm support includes a rigid frame having a first end and a second end, the first end of the rigid frame coupled to the vehicle seat and including an upper arm support, the second end of the rigid frame extending outward away from the vehicle seat and including a forearm support and the arm support further includes a comfort sling extending from the first end of the rigid frame to the second end of the rigid frame.