Vehicle seat

A vehicle seat comprising:

• a support side for receiving a body portion of a seat occupant;
• a foam padding having a through-bore formed therein, said through-bore being open at a side corresponding to said support side;
• a surface cover element covering said surface of said foam padding and having an opening defined therein, said opening having an end portion which has a reverse side facing said surface of said foam padding;
• said surface cover element including a surface region defined at a side corresponding to said support side;
• said opening being defined in said surface region of said surface cover element;
• said end portion of said opening being folded over inwardly toward said reverse side of said particular end portion, thereby providing a folded edge portion to the opening;
• and
• a functional element formed from a soft material, said functional element comprising:
• a tubular body fitted in said through-bore of said foam padding:
• said tubular body having:
• a first open side, and a second side opposite to said first open side, said second side including a shielding portion and an opening element arranged in said shielding portion, and
• a flange provided integrally with said first open side of said tubular body,
• wherein an area of said flange of said functional element, adjacent to a peripheral end of the flange, is sewn with said folded over portion of said end portion of said opening defined in said surface cover element, so that a sewn portion created in and along said folded over portion underlies said end portion and is free of having a portion that projects outward from said support side of said vehicle seat,
• wherein said surface cover element with said flange thus sewn therewith covers said foam padding, with said tubular body being fitted in said through-bore of said foam padding, so that a surface of said flange of said functional element, surrounded by said folded over portion, is positioned below said surface region of said surface cover element, thereby avoiding or minimizing direct contact of the thus-surrounded surface of the flange and said first open side of the tubular body with said body portion of said seat occupant, and further, said surrounded surface as well as said first open side are exposed at said support side of said vehicle seat through said opening, and
• wherein said functional element is arranged on the support side of the vehicle seat at a location that avoids direct contact of the functional element with said body portion of said seat occupant.