Patent ID: 7967377
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A headrest comprising: a generally stationary support; a headrest body positioned such that a head of a user seated in front of the support is generally level with the body; a guide securing the body to the support for vertical movement relative to the support; drive means for vertically shifting the body relative to the support; a sensor assembly having at least three horizontally elongated and vertically spaced electrodes carried on the body, each of the electrodes extending over at least one quarter of a horizontal length of the headrest; and control means connected to the electrodes and to the drive means for generating an electric field forward of the electrodes, sensing the capacitance between adjacent electrodes, determining from changes in the sensed capacitance a vertical position of the user's head relative to the body from changes in the field and displacing the body so as to centrally align with the user's head.