The invention relates, among other things, to a head support (11) retained on the vehicle seat by at least one support rod (13) and movable, in particular pivotable, relative to the support rod (13) between at least two positions, wherein the head support (11) is lockable in at least one of the positions by a latch (18), the latch (18) has a bolt (19) and at least one abutment structure having at least one strike (23a, 23b), the bolt (19) is movable out of the one position engaging the strike (23a, 23b) and locking the head support (11), the bolt (19) is supported by at least one abutment of an abutment structure on the head support (11), and the abutment and the strike (23a, 23b) have at least one abutment face (26, 39, 41).The novelty is that the bolt (19) is held in contact with at least one of the abutment faces (26, 39, 41) by at least one wedge device (31, 32, 33) and/or by at least one spring unit (25a, 25b).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a headrest having a base and a head support, the base being mounted on a vehicle seat by at least one support rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle seat according to the invention can be a seat for a land vehicle, an aircraft or a watercraft. A base according to the invention can be an element that is detachably fastened to the support rod or an element that is non-detachably and fixedly connected to the support rod. Furthermore, the base can also be a section of the support rod. A support rod according to the invention can be a rod having two opposite ends, the head support being mounted on one end and the other end being anchored in the backrest of a vehicle seat. A support rod according to the invention can also be a support rod bracket.

The head support is movable, in particular pivotable, relative to the base between at least one use position and at least one out-of-use position. For example, the head support is movable relative to the base fixed on the support rod or, as an alternative, can be moved directly on the support rod. Use position according to the invention means that in this position, the head support can serve as a counter support for the head of the seat occupant. Out-of-use position according to the invention means that the head support is pivoted into a position in which it does not serve as a head support. In the out-of-use position, the driver's vision to the rear is not impaired because the head support of the headrest does not or only insignificantly obstructs the driver's view. Moreover, the backrest can be tilted more easily because the head support protrudes only slightly beyond the backrest and therefore does not collide with other interior components of the vehicle.

In the use position and/or in the out-of-use position, the head support can be locked by a latch. The latch can be moved between a latched position and a release position. When moving between the latched position and the release position, a bolt of the latch can move in a straight line, rotate or carry out a mixed straight-line and rotational movement.

The latch has a bolt and at least one strike. For example, the bolt is associated with the head support and the strike is associated with the support rod. According to an alternative embodiment, the bolt is associated with the support rod and the strike is associated with the head support. In the latched position, the bolt is engaged with the strike, and in a release position, the bolt is disengaged from the strike. When the bolt is engaged in the strike, a movement of the head support is prevented in at least one direction.

The bolt is mounted on the head support by at least one abutment having at least one abutment face. For example, the abutment has a pair of abutment faces having two opposing abutment faces.

The bolt interacts with at least one strike. For example, the headrest has two strikes and the bolt can be brought simultaneously into detachable engagement with both strikes. The strike has at least one abutment face. For example, the strike has at least one pair of opposing abutment faces. The bolt can be put in detachable contact with at least one abutment face of the strike.

The bolt is mounted in at least one abutment of a guide. The abutment has at least one abutment face. If for example the abutment is associated with the head support, the abutment face can be a section of the head support for example. For example, the abutment face is formed as a point support so as to minimize the forces during the movement of the bolt. The abutment is provided with opposing abutment faces for example. The degree of freedom of the bolt is limited by the abutment face.

Such a headrest is known from prior public use.

This headrest has the disadvantage that due to the necessary tolerances between the components of the latch, in particular between the bolt and the abutment faces of the abutment and the strike, there is undesirable play of the head support, even if the latch is in the latched position.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It was the object of the invention to create a headrest that has substantially no play, in particular with regard to a pivot movement of the head support.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object was achieved according to a first aspect of the invention by a headrest in which, when the bolt is engaged on one of the abutment faces, the bolt is biased by at least one wedge device and/or at least one spring unit. A wedge device according to the invention is a device having a wedge that is carried on a strike. The wedge has two faces, wherein at least one of the faces forms an acute angle with respect to the moving direction of the wedge. A first face of the wedge is supported on a strike and a second face of the wedge biases the bolt into contact with an abutment face. The wedge for example is associated with the bolt or an element for actuating the bolt.

A spring unit according to the invention is a device having at least one spring that can be any conceivable elastically deformable reset element. In case the spring acts on the bolt, the spring urges the bolt against the abutment face of the abutment structure and/or the abutment structure.

The strike has at least one recess into which the bolt can be moved to be engaged therewith. The recess is V-shaped in the engagement direction of the bolt. According to the invention, this means that the recess is tapered in the engagement direction of the bolt. The recess can be, but does not necessarily have to be precisely V-shaped. Any conical tapering is covered by the term “V-shaped.” The recess has two V-shaped inner faces that oppose one another. In the latched position, the bolt is in contact with the inner faces. Contact of the bolt with a first inner face of the recess prevents movement of the head support in a first moving direction, and contact of the bolt with a second inner face of the recess prevents movement of the head support in a second moving direction. Due to the contact of the bolt with both inner faces, movement of the head support in the first direction as well as in the second direction is prevented. The bolt for example is biased by a spring so as to engage on opposing faces of the V-shaped recess. The bolt for example is substantially formed as a plate. Plate according to the invention means that the face area is large in relation to the thickness. Plate according to the invention does not necessarily means that the bolt is flat. However, according to an embodiment, the bolt can be formed by a flat plate.

One embodiment is characterized in that the head support is pivotable between the use position and the out-of-use position. The pivot pin is formed for example by the traverse of a support rod bracket.

The strike for example has a recess structure comprising at least one recess. The bolt can be moved so as detachably engage with the recess. If the bolt is engaged with the recess, movement of the head support is not possible. If the bolt is disengaged from the recess, movement of the head support is possible. For example, the recess is formed in such a manner that the bolt can be moved so as to engage with the recess in at least one pivot position. In particular, the recess structure of the strike has a plurality of recesses. In this case, the bolt can be moved so as to engage with one of the recesses in a plurality of pivot positions. When the bolt is moved to engage with the recess, a section of the bolt is situated for example between two abutment faces of the recess. For example, the recess is V-shaped, wherein the recess is tapered toward a bottom of the recess.

Another embodiment is characterized in that the head support is biased into the out-of-use position by a reset device. This has the advantage that the headrest moves automatically into the out-of-use position as soon as the latch has been moved into the release position. The reset device has for example a silicone spring that biases the head support into the out-of-use position.

The bolt can be moved in a straight line and/or rotated between the latched position and the release position for example by the guide. The bolt for example can be displaced in a straight line and, in addition, can be rotated about at least one spatial axis. For example, the bolt can be rotated about two axes that are arranged perpendicular to one another. One of these axes for example runs radially to a traverse of a support rod bracket, wherein the traverse forms the pivot pin for the head support.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the spring is formed by a silicone spring.

One embodiment is characterized in that the bolt is biased into the latched position by a reset device. For example, the bolt is biased into the latched position. The reset device has for example a reset element, in particular a silicone spring.

An abutment of the guide has for example a pin that is guided in a slot. For example, the pin is associated with the head support and the slot is associated with the bolt.

According to another embodiment, the latch has a slide. The slide can be actuated for example by a user by actuation on the outside of the head support.

One embodiment is characterized in that a movement converter is formed between the slide and the bolt. The movement converter converts the movement of the slide in a first direction into a movement of the slide in a second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction for example. The movement converter can be formed for example by interacting angular faces of the slide and the bolt.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The headrest according to the invention is designated is overall in the drawings at10. The same reference numerals in the different figures designate corresponding parts, even if the reference numerals are followed by lower-case letters.

FIGS. 1A and 1Billustrate two embodiments of the headrest. The headrest ofFIG. 1Ahas a head support11that is mounted on a traverse15of a support rod bracket13for pivoting about an axis a1. A bolt19is mounted on the head support11by a pivot abutment46to be pivotable about an axis a2. Furthermore, the bolt19is mounted with an abutment42having abutment faces26aand26b, and also with an abutment43that has abutment faces39aand39band that is spaced from the abutment42. The abutments42and43are part of the head support11.

A spring25effective in a direction x2urges the bolt19into contact with the abutment face26aof the abutment42. A spring44supported on the head support11urges to the bolt19in the direction x1toward contact with the abutment face39bof the abutment43.

A strike23formed with at least one recess24is fixed on the traverse15. The recess24has inner faces45aand45bthat prevent movement of the head support11in the directions u1and u2when the bolt19is engaged in the recess24, as inFIG. 1A. The bolt19is biased in the direction x1by a wedge40into contact with the inner face45b. The wedge40is supported on the inner face45a. Through this play-free mounting, play between the bolt19and the head support11and also between the bolt19and the strike23is prevented.

The head rest according to the second embodiment shown inFIG. 1Bhas a head support11mounted on a traverse15of a support rod bracket13and pivotable about an axis a1. A bolt19is mounted on the head support11to be movable in the directions z1and z2. The bolt19is also mounted in an abutment42having an abutment face26and in an abutment43having an abutment face39. The abutments42and43are part of the head support11. A spring25effective in the direction x2urges to the bolt19into contact with the abutment face26of the abutment42. A wedge40supported on the head support part11urges the bolt19in the direction x1into contact with the abutment face39of the abutment43.

A strike23formed with at least one recess24is fixed on the traverse15. The recess24has inner faces41aand41bthat prevent movement of the head support11in the directions u1and u2when the bolt19is engaged with the recess24, as shown inFIG. 1B. The bolt19is biased in the direction z2by the spring25or, alternatively, by a separate spring, which is not shown, and is in contact with the two inner faces41aand41b. Thus, when the bolt is engaged with the recess24, the bolt is also in contact with both inner faces41aand41b. The play-free mounting prevents play between the bolt19and the head support11and also between the bolt19and the strike23.

FIGS. 2A to 13show in more detail an embodiment of the head rest10that corresponds to the schematic diagram ofFIG. 1B. A head support11of the headrest10is in a first use position. According toFIGS. 1A and 1B, the head support11is provided with a cushion16that has a cover B and a foam part S (not visible inFIGS. 1A and 1B). The head support11forms a head support face12on which the head of the seat occupant can be supported in one of the use positions.

The head support11is mounted on a support rod bracket13. The support rod bracket13has legs14aand14band a traverse15(not shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B). The legs14aand14bslide in abutments that are not shown and that are secured on a vehicle seat that is likewise not shown. The traverse15forms the axis a1for pivoting of the head support11.

The head support11is biased into the out-of-use position by a reset element17(seeFIGS. 2A and 2B) that is configured as a silicone spring in this embodiment. The head support11can be displaced in the directions u1and u2into different use positions and also into an out-of-use position. InFIG. 3for example the head support11is shown in a first use position. From the first use position, it can be displaced in the direction u1into other use positions as well as into an out-of-use position. A second use position is shown for example inFIGS. 9A and 9B, and the out-of-use position is shown inFIG. 13. From the use position ofFIGS. 9A and 9B, the head support11can be pivoted in the directions u1and u2.

The head support11can be locked in different use positions by a latch18. When the latch18is in the latched position, as shown for example inFIGS. 3, 9A and 9B, the head support11cannot be pivoted. When the latch18is displaced into the release position, the head support11can be pivoted.

The latch18has a bolt19that can be moved in the directions z1and z2(see for exampleFIGS. 2A and 2B). The bolt19is carried during such movement by a guide20formed by a slot21formed on the bolt19and also a pin22fixed to the head support11. The guide allows movement not only in the directions z1and z2, but also a slight pivoting of the bolt19about the axis a2in the directions w1, w2, the pin22forming the axis a2. Moreover, the mount also enables pivoting of the bolt19about an axis a3in the direction v1, v2(seeFIG. 12). Furthermore, the guide20has an abutment face26and an abutment face39. The abutment faces26and39are on the head support11.

The strike has faces23aand23bthat extend radially of the axis a and are fixed on the traverse15(see for exampleFIG. 3). Recesses24form the strike faces23aand23b. The recesses24are arrayed on a circular arc whose center axis is the axis a. When the latching regions37of the bolt19engage with one of the recesses24(see for exampleFIGS. 3, 9A and 9B), the latch18is in the latched position and the head support11cannot be pivoted in the direction u1or u2. If the bolt19is disengaged from the recesses24(see for exampleFIGS. 6 and 8), the latch18is in the release position and the head support11can be pivoted.

In the latched position, the bolt19is engaged with a recess24of the strike face23aand with a recess of the strike face23. Each of the recesses24has two opposing V-shaped inner faces41aand41b. The bolt19is in contact with the inner faces41aand41bwhen the latch18is in the latched position. The inner face41aprevents movement in the direction u1, and the inner face41bprevents movement in the direction u2. In this manner, there is no play of the bolt19in the recess24.

The contact of the bolt19with the inner faces41aand41bof the recesses of both strike faces23aand23bis possible because the bolt19can be pivoted about the axis a2and about the axis a3and can be displaced in the directions z1and z2. If the bolt19according to an alternative embodiment worked with only a single strike face, the guide20could be formed in such a manner that the bolt would be movable only in the directions z1and z2. The movability in the directions w1, w2as well as v1, v2could be omitted.

Springs25each have one end fastened to the bolt19and another end fastened to the head support11. In the present embodiment, the springs25are silicone springs. However, as an alternative, other reset element can also be used for example. The springs25are oriented such that they bias the bolt19in the direction z2into the latched position, and in the direction x1into engagement on an abutment face26of the head support11. The abutment face26forms an upper abutment for the bolt19. However, according to an alternative embodiment, separate springs can also be provided for biasing in the direction x1and biasing in the direction z2.

The attachment of the springs25aand25bis in each case in upper end regions38aand38bof the bolt19. For this reason, the upper region of the bolt19is held on the abutment face26and does not move away from contact with the abutment face26.

The latch18has a slide30. The slide30is provided with ramps27that interact with pins28fixed to the bolt19. The bolt19can be moved from the position shown inFIGS. 2A and 2Bin the direction y1by actuating a button29. With decreasing force acting on the button29, the bolt19is moved back in the direction y2by a spring34having one end attached to the slide30and another end attached to the head support11. The spring34is tensioned when the slide30is moved in the direction y1.

During movement of the slide30in the direction y1, the pins28move along the ramps27from a lower region35to an upper region36. Due to the guiding of the slot21and the pin22, the bolt19is moved so to disengage from the recesses24.

The latch18is in the release position when the bolt19is disengaged from one of the recesses24of both of the strike faces23aand23b(seeFIG. 6andFIG. 8). In the latched position18ofFIGS. 2 to 3, 9A, 9B, and 10, the pins28are situated at lower regions35of the ramps27, and the bolt19is engaged with the recesses24of the strike faces23aand23b.

According to theFIGS. 10 and 11, the slide30has a wedge40with a support face31and a pressing face33, the support face31extending at an acute angle to the pressing face33and to the moving directions y1and y2of the slide30. The support face interacts with a abutment face32of the head support11. When the slide30is moved in the direction y2, the wedge40moves between the abutment face32and the abutment face39. When the pins28of the bolt19are situated at the lower region35of the ramp27, the springs25aand25bmove the bolt19into engagement with the recesses24of the strike faces23aand23b.

While the slide30is moved by the spring34in the direction y2, a force deflection takes place by the support face31in such a manner that a portion of the force of the spring34acting in the direction y2is deflected so as to form a force acting in the direction x1. In this manner, the slide30applies a load to the bolt19by the pressing face33so that the bolt comes into contact with the abutment face39. In this manner, the bolt19is held without play between the pressing face33and the abutment face39.

The function of the headrest10is described below. According to theFIGS. 1 to 5, the head support11is in the first use position. The latch18is in the latched position. If the head support11is to be displaced into a different use position, the user actuates the button29. The slide30is moved by the button29in the direction y1. The bolt19is moved by the ramps27and the pins28against the force of the springs25aand25bin the direction z1so as to disengage from the strike faces23. The latch18is then in the release position ofFIG. 6. The head support11can now be pivoted about the axis a1in the direction u1. According toFIG. 8, the head support11is in an intermediate position.

As soon as the button29is no longer actuated, the spring34pulls the slide30in the direction y2. The bolt19is moved by the springs25aand25bin the direction z2. While this takes place, the pins28move to the lower end of the ramp27, and the bolt19moves into engagement with another recess24of the strike23(seeFIGS. 9A, 9B, and 10). According toFIGS. 9A and 9B, the latch18is in the latched position. The head support11is locked in a second use position.

During the entire movement between the latched position and the release position, the springs25aand25bhold the bolt19on the guide face26of the first abutment. In the latched position, the bolt19is also held by the wedge40on the abutment face39of the second abutment. Because the springs25aand25bhold the bolt19in the latched position so as to keep the contact with the opposing faces23aand23bof the V-shaped recess24, there is no play of the bolt19within the recess24.

If the head support11is to be pivoted into the out-of-use position, the latch18is moved into the release position, as described above. The head support11can then be pivoted in the direction u1into the out-of-use position. In the present embodiment, the head support11is not locked in the out-of-use position. However, according to an alternative embodiment, which is not shown, the head support11could also be engaged with the strike faces23aand23bin the out-of-use position and could be locked in this manner.

From the out-of-use position, the head support11can be pivoted in the direction u2. The latch18is moved into the release position. When the desired use position is reached, the latch18is moved into the latched position by releasing the button29. Then, the head support11is locked in the corresponding use position.