Deployable neck pillow for a vehicle and methods of use thereof

A deployable neck pillow for a seat of a vehicle, comprising:

• an inflatable body secured to a seatback of the seat and disposed within a recess of the seatback;
• an inlet configured to provide fluidic communication between an internal cavity of the inflatable body and a source of a pressurized fluid;
• and
• an outlet configured to provide fluidic communication between the internal cavity of the inflatable body and a source of a suction force,
• wherein the inflatable body is configured to, in response to receiving the pressurized fluid through the inlet, inflate and expand from the recess to an extent sufficient to at least partially support a neck of an occupant while the occupant is sitting on a seat cushion of the seat and configured to, in response to the suction force being applied to the outlet, deflate and contract to an extent sufficient to be disposed entirely within the recess of the seatback.

A vehicle, comprising:

• a seat having a seat cushion configured to support an occupant sitting thereon and a seatback configured to support a back of the occupant while the occupant is sitting on the seat cushion;
• a deployable neck pillow secured to the seatback and having an inflatable body disposed within a recess of the seatback;
• and
• a pneumatic actuator system fluidically coupled with the deployable neck pillow and configured to:
• direct a pressurized fluid into an internal cavity of the inflatable body via an inlet thereof to cause the inflatable body to inflate and expand from the recess to an extent sufficient to support a neck of the occupant while the occupant is sitting on the seat cushion of the seat;
• and
• produce a suction force on the internal cavity of the inflatable body via an outlet thereof to cause the inflatable body to deflate and contract to an extent sufficient to be disposed entirely within the recess of the seatback.