Patent Publication Number: US-2015061341-A1

Title: Vehicle-headrest support

Description:
The invention relates to a mount assembly for mounting a headrest. 
     The headrest has a head contact part mounted on a vehicle seat by at least one support rod. The head contact part can, for example, comprise one support rod or two individual support rods or a support bracket with two support rod ends. Each support rod is retained in a guide tube of at least one frame of the mount assembly. The mount assembly is fixed to the structure of the vehicle seat. In particular, the mount assembly is fixed to the backrest of the vehicle seat. The guide tube forms at least one locating seat for locating and mounting the support rod. The support rod is movable in the locating seat and can be locked, for example in at least one position. 
     The vehicle seat is provided with a cushion. The support rods passes through a hole of the cushion. When the support rod is fitted in the mount assembly, the support rod is fed through the hole of the cushion and pushed into the locating seat. An escutcheon can be fixed to the guide tube in order to guide the support rod through the hole in the cushion to the locating seat, and in order to visually cover the hole in the cushion. 
     The escutcheon forms a guide passage through which the support rod is guided to the locating seat of the guide tube. The escutcheon also has a first centering formation that acts in conjunction with a second centering formation of the frame in order to center a central axis m 1  of the guide passage formed in the escutcheon with a central axis m 2  of the locating seat of the guide tube. 
     It is often difficult to install the escutcheon, as the mount assembly cannot be seen through the hole in the cushion. 
     It is an object of the invention to create a headrest mount assembly in which the escutcheon is easy to fit. 
     The object is achieved by a headrest mount assembly with the characteristics of claim  1 . 
     The escutcheon has at least one first positioning formation that acts in conjunction with at least one second positioning formation of the mount assembly. The first and the second positioning formations can act together in such a way, for example, that the escutcheon can only move into its seat and, if appropriate, be locked therein, when the first and the second positioning formation are engaged with each other. 
     The first centering formation is a plug-in projection, for example, that can be brought into engagement with a plug-in seat of the second centering formation. The plug-in projection is complementary to the plug-in seat for example. 
     The plug-in projection is formed coaxially, for example, with respect to a central axis of the guide passage. The plug-in projection is cylindrical, for example, in particular in the form of a cylindrical tube. The plug-in projection can be provided, for example, in the plug-in direction with a frustoconical outer wall, as a result of which it can be moved more easily into the complementary seat in the mount assembly. 
     The escutcheon has a stop, for example that limits the plug-in depth of the plug-in projection. The stop is formed, for example, as an annular ridge. It has a stop face that can be moved into contact with a mating face of the mount assembly. 
     According to an embodiment, the plug-in projection projects forward in the plug-in direction relative to the stop. In this way, during assembly, the plug-in projection comes into contact first with the plug-in seat of the mount assembly and centers the guide passage of the escutcheon with the locating seat of the mount assembly. 
     The first and second positioning formation are, for example, formed offset from the central axis. The first and second positioning formation are, for example, formed in such a way that they can only be fitted together in a certain relative angular position of the escutcheon relative to the mount assembly. When the first and second centering formations have been moved into engagement and the installer has also moved the first and second positioning formation into engagement by rotating them, the escutcheon can, for example, be moved in the plug-in direction until the stop comes into contact with a face of the mount assembly. This tells the fitter that the escutcheon is properly seated. 
     Since the first and second positioning formation are formed offset from the central axis of the escutcheon and of the locating seat, when they are engaged the positioning formations form a latch that prevents rotation of the escutcheon about its central axis. 
     The first positioning formation is a pin, for example that can be brought into engagement with the second positioning formation that is formed by a complementary recess. 
     The first and the second positioning formation are provided at the stop, for example. They can be formed on the stop, for example. 
     According to one embodiment, the mount assembly has a latch formed by a first latch formation of the escutcheon and a second latch formation of the mount assembly. The first and second latch formations can, for example, be formed by interacting latching elements. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a headrest device with a headrest mounted on the backrest of a vehicle seat by at least one support rod. 
     It was an object of the invention to create a headrest is device that is easy to assemble. 
     The object is achieved by a headrest device with the characteristics of claim  12 . 
     The headrest device has a mount assembly according to the first aspect of the invention. 
     With regard to the advantages and characteristics, reference is made to the comments relating to the first aspect of the invention. 
    
    
     
       Further advantages can be seen with reference to an illustrated embodiment shown schematically in the figure. In the drawing: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a vehicle seat with a headrest mount assembly fixed to the vehicle seat, 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the vehicle seat according to  FIG. 1 , 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the mount assembly according to  FIG. 1 . the vehicle seat and the headrest not being shown, 
         FIG. 4  is a rear view of the mount assembly according to  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 5  shows the mount assembly according to  FIG. 3 , with the escutcheons installed, 
         FIG. 6  shows the mount assembly as in  FIG. 4  with the escutcheons installed, 
         FIG. 7  is a view in the direction of arrow VII in  FIG. 6 , 
         FIG. 8  is a section taken along line VIII-VIII in  FIG. 6 , 
         FIG. 9  is a view in the direction of arrow IX of  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 10  is a view in the direction of arrow X  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 11  is a section taken along line XI-XI in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     The same references in the different figures designate the same parts, even when lowercase letters are added or omitted. 
     A vehicle seat  11  with a headrest  12  is shown in  FIG. 1 . The vehicle seat  11  has a backrest provided with a face  17  for supporting the occupant of the seat. The headrest  12  has a head contact part  15  with a head face  16  and support rods  13   a  and  13   b,  the support rod  13   a  being mounted in a guide tube  14   a  and the support rod  13   b  in a guide tube  14   b  of a mount assembly  10 . Each guide tube  14   a  and  14   b  has a locating seat  29 . The support rods  13   a  and  13   b  can be retained in the mount assembly  10  in a lockable and releasable manner by a latch. The guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b  are securely connected to a frame A fixed to the vehicle seat  11 . 
       FIG. 2  is a rear view of the vehicle seat  11  and the mount assembly  10 . A button  18  is provided for unlocking the latch when the headrest is to be removed from the guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b  of the mount assembly  10 . 
     For clarity of view, upholster  33  of the vehicle seat  11  is only shown by a dashed line in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in purely schematic form. The mount assembly  10  has escutcheons  19  that can be fixed to the frame A. The support rods  13   a  and  13   b  are surrounded in the cushion  33  by the escutcheons  19 . In addition, the holes for the support rods  13   a  and  13   b  in the cushion  33  is covered by the escutcheons  19 . The covering has the purpose of reducing a risk of injury and to provide the user with a finished high-quality appearance. 
     According to  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9 , each escutcheon  19  has a cylindrical tube  20  with an annular stop  21 , a bezel  22  in the form of an annular collar, and a plug-in end  23 . The bezel  22  overlaps the edge of the hole  34  in the cushion  33  and rests on an outer surface of the cushion  33 . The plug-in end  23 , formed coaxially around a central axis m 1  of the guide passage  43  of the escutcheon  19 , sits in a seat  42  at the upper end of the locating seat  29  of the guide tube  14   [a  or  14   b].  The annular stop  21  rests on the end face  28 . 
     The tube  20  forms a guide passage  43  with a central axis m 1  extending through the escutcheon  19 . When the plug-in end  23  fits in the seat  42 , the central axes m 1  and m 2  of the guide passage and locating seat are coaxial. 
     Each escutcheon  19  has two locator pins  35  that are formed on the annular stop  21  and project in a plug-in direction z 1  from the annular stop  21 . The locator pins  35  engage in recesses  30  of the respective guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b.    
     A first catch  25  that engages releasably with a second catch  27  in order to fix the escutcheon  19  to a top end  26  of the respective guide tube  14   a  or  14   b,  is formed on an outer surface  24  of the tube  20 . The first catch  25  and the second catch  27  are part of another latch. 
     The first catch  25  has a hook  38  supported on the tube  20  by an elastically deformable web  31 . The hook  38  has end  40  and  41 . The web  31  is designed to be elastically deformable so that the first catch  25  can be pivoted in directions u 1  and u 2 . 
     The second catch  27  are fixed to the end faces  28  of the guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b.  It has a ridge  39  under which the hook  38  can engage. 
     The mount assembly is fitted to the vehicle seat as follows. First, the frame A is fixed to the vehicle seat  11 . When the mount assembly  10  of  FIGS. 3 and 4  is installed, the end faces  26  of the guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b  project out of holes  32  of the seat structure of the vehicle seat  11 . The vehicle seat  11  is then fitted with the cushion  33 . The cushion  33  has the holes  34  at the position of the guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b.    
     The escutcheons  19  can then be fed through the holes  34  and fitted to the guide tubes  14   a  and  14   b.  For this purpose, the plug-in end  23  is pushed into the seat  42  in a direction z 1  so that the central axis m 1  of the guide passage  43  is coaxial with a central axis m 2  of the locating seat  29 . The escutcheon  19  is then rotated about the central axis m 1  until the locator pins  35  are aligned the recesses  30 . The escutcheon  19  can then be moved further in the direction z 1 . 
     When the escutcheon  19  is moved in the direction z 1 , an angled surface  36  of the first catch that is inclined relative to the direction of movement z 1  comes into contact with a face  37  of the second catch, thereby pivoting the first catch  25  in the direction u 1 . As soon as the hook  38  of the first catch  25  has passed a radially projecting ridge  39  of the second catch  27 , the first catch  25  pivots back by its elastic restoring force in the direction u 2 , and the hook  38  engages beneath the ridge  39  in an interlocking manner (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ). The escutcheon  19  is thereby fixed to the respective guide tube  14   a  and  14   b.    
     The escutcheon  19  can be released from the guide tube  14   a  by exerting a force F on the upper end  40  of the first catch  25 . The first catch  25  then pivots in the direction u 1  and the engagement of the projection  38  with the ridge  39  is released. Thereupon, the escutcheon  19  can be removed in a direction z 2 .