Vehicle bench seat with movable bolsters

A vehicle bench seat assembly, which may be a rear seat, 10 includes a seat bottom 14 including a first seat portion 16 having a seating surface 22, a second seat portion 18 having a seating surface 24, and a third seat portion 20 having a seating surface 26 interposed between the first and second portions. The seat assembly further includes a seat back 12 including first, second and third back portions 50 52, 54. The third seat portion 20 is movable between a first position, wherein the seating surface 26 of the third seat portion 20 is generally flush with the seating surfaces 22 and 24 of the first 16 and second 18 seat portions, and a second position, wherein the seating surface 26 of the third seat portion 20 extends in a non-flush position, see fig 2, relative to the seating surfaces 22 and 24 of the first 16 and second 18 seat portions. In an alternative embodiment first and second seating surfaces (136, 138 fig 5) are provided with bolster units (142, 144, 146, 148 fig 5), where the inner bolsters move, via the use of an actuator, from a position generally flush with the remainder of the seating surface see fig 5 to a second position where the inner bolsters are raised to a position non-flush with the remainder of the seating surface, see fig 6. In a third embodiment a movable seat pan and air bladders (230a, 230b fig 7) may be used to activate movement of said bolsters said movement may be triggered via the use of a controller not shown.