Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7350859?dq=4182933
Timestamp: 2016-06-30 06:47:58
Document Index: 658858124

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 111', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 111', 'art 112', 'art 111']

Patent US7350859 - Headrest for vehicle seat and seat comprising such a headset - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsHeadrest (150) comprising a fixed part (111), a mobile part (112) opposite the fixed part, first (114) and second (115) connecting rods, each connecting rod comprising two branches, connecting the fixed part to the mobile part and two resilient devices acting on the first and second connecting rods to...http://www.google.com/patents/US7350859?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7350859 - Headrest for vehicle seat and seat comprising such a headsetAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7350859 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/538,556Publication dateApr 1, 2008Filing dateOct 4, 2006Priority dateOct 5, 2005Fee statusPaidAlso published asDE102006046975A1, DE102006046975B4, US20070075578Publication number11538556, 538556, US 7350859 B2, US 7350859B2, US-B2-7350859, US7350859 B2, US7350859B2InventorsSlawomir KlukowskiOriginal AssigneeFaurecia, Sieges D'automobileExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (11), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (41), Classifications (4), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetHeadrest for vehicle seat and seat comprising such a headset
US 7350859 B2Abstract
1. Headrest (150) for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a fixed part (111),
a mobile part (112) opposite said fixed part,
at least first and second connecting rods (114,115), each connecting rod comprising at least two branches (114 a, 114 b, 115 a, 115 b), connecting said fixed and mobile parts (111,112), said first and second connecting rods allowing the mobile part to be displaced from a normal position in the vicinity of said fixed part, to a protective position remote from said fixed part, the first connecting rod (114) being pivotably mounted, by a first pivoting connection (117), on a first element (111) selected from the fixed and mobile parts (111, 112), and slidably mounted relative to a second element (112) selected from said fixed and mobile parts (111, 112),
and a retaining device designed selectively to maintain the mobile part in the normal position or to release said mobile part,
characterized in that it said headrest further comprises a third connecting rod (113) which connects said first and second elements to one another,
in that the second connecting rod (115) is pivotably mounted on the second element (112) by a second pivoting connection (116) and slidably mounted relative to the first element (111),
and in that it said headrest further comprises first and second resilient devices (121, 122) acting respectively on the first and second connecting rods (115) to urge said mobile part (112) towards the protective position, said first and second resilient devices (121,122) being pretensioned when the mobile part (112) is in the normal position.
It relates more specifically to a headrest for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a fixed part, a mobile part opposite the fixed part, at least first and second connecting rods, each connecting rod comprising at least two branches, connecting said fixed and mobile parts, said first and second connecting rods allowing the mobile part to be displaced from a normal position in the vicinity of the fixed part, to a protective position remote from the fixed part, the first connecting rod being pivotably mounted, by a first pivoting connection, on a first element selected from the fixed and mobile parts, and slidably mounted relative to a second element selected from said fixed and mobile parts, and a retaining device designed selectively to maintain the mobile part in the normal position or to release said mobile part. This type of headrest is already known, in particular from document DE-A-103 48939. Headrests of this type allow the displacement of the mobile part of the headrest towards the head of the occupant of the seat in the event of rear impact on the vehicle, which allows injuries sustained to the head and neck of the passenger to be reduced.
To this end, according to the invention, a headrest of the type under consideration is characterized:
in that it further comprises a third connecting rod which connects said first and second elements to one another, in that the second connecting rod is pivotably mounted on the second element by a second pivoting connection and slidably mounted relative to the first element, and in that it further comprises first and second resilient devices acting respectively on the first and second connecting rods to urge said mobile part towards the protective position, said first and second resilient devices being pretensioned when the mobile part is in the normal position. Due to these arrangements and, in particular, due to the presence of the third connecting rod, the stability of the mobile part in the protective position is improved.
In various embodiments of the invention, it may be possible, moreover, to resort to one and/or other of the following arrangements:
the first and third connecting rods are connected to one another by the first pivoting connection, the first resilient device comprising at least one first helical spring mounted between said first and third connecting rods; the second and third connecting rods are connected to one another by the second pivoting connection, the second resilient device comprising at least one second helical spring mounted between said second and third connecting rods; each of the first and second elements has an upper part and a lower part, the first pivoting connection being provided in the upper part of the first element and the second pivoting connection being provided in the lower part of the second element; the first and second connecting rods comprise toothed sections; the third connecting rod carries at least one toothed pinion engaging with said toothed sections; the toothed pinion is freely rotatably mounted on a central part of the third connecting rod; the first connecting rod comprises a first pivot capable of sliding in a first slot provided on said second element, between a first position corresponding to the normal position of said mobile part, and a second position corresponding to the protective position; the second connecting rod comprises a second pivot capable of sliding in a second slot provided on the first element, between a first position corresponding to the normal position of said mobile part, and a second position corresponding to the protective position; the first slot comprises a first portion, in which the first pivot is located when it is in the first position and a second portion in which the first pivot is located when it is in the second position; the second slot comprises a first portion, in which the second pivot is located when it is in the first position, and a second portion in which the second pivot is located when it is in the second position, the second portion of each of the first and second slots extending in a different direction from the first portion of the same slot, said portion being arranged to facilitate a displacement of the mobile part from the normal position towards the protective position; the second portion of each of the first and second slots is substantially rectilinear and the first portion of the same slot is inclined relative to said second portion towards the other slot; the first portion of each of the first and second slots is curved inwards; the first element is the fixed part and the second element is the mobile part; the first and second connecting rods, as well as the first and second slots, are designed so that a thrust exerted on the mobile part does not allow said mobile part to leave the protective position; at least the second slot is provided so that the second pivot is in abutment when the second connecting rod is in the second position, and so that the second connecting rod passes, between its first and second positions, into an intermediate position where a direction defined by the second pivoting connection and the second pivot is substantially perpendicular to the second slot; the second slot has a substantially rectilinear shape. Furthermore, the subject of the invention is also a vehicle seat comprising a backrest carrying at least one headrest as defined above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the headrest 150 may comprise, for example, a rigid internal housing 106, made, for example, from plastic or the like, which contains the aforementioned fixed and mobile parts 111, 112. This housing 106 may comprise, for example, a rear shell 106 a attached to the fixed part 111 and a front shell 106 b attached to the mobile part 112.
The rear shell 106 a may be carried by two rods 103 extending substantially vertically. These rods 103 are slidably mounted, respectively, in two support sleeves 104, known per se, which are fixed to the framework of the backrest 101 of a vehicle seat.
The rear shell 106 a may, furthermore, be covered towards the rear by padding 105. Said rear shell 106 a, the fixed part 111 and the padding 105 thus form together a fixed base which remains attached to the backrest 101 of the seat when the deployment mechanism is actuated.
The front shell 106 b may, furthermore, be covered towards the front by padding 108 intended to serve as support for the head of a user seated on the seat. Said front shell 106 b, the mobile part 112 and the padding 108 thus form a mobile assembly which is displaced towards the front when the deployment mechanism is actuated.
Thus, the fixed part 111 may comprise, for example, a rear base 111 a and a peripheral edge 111 b which is open towards the front, whilst the mobile part 112 may comprise a front base 112 a and a peripheral edge 112 b which is open towards the rear and which is substantially connected to the peripheral edge 111 b in the normal position. Moreover, the headrest also comprises a retaining device designed to maintain the mobile part 112 in its normal position and to release this mobile part in the event of an emergency. This retaining device may comprise, for example, an electromagnet mechanism 119 connected, for example, to an external control circuit mounted inside the fixed part 111. This electromagnet mechanism 119 controls a hook 120 which, in the normal position, is engaged, for example, on a rigid rod 118 fixed to the inside of the mobile part 112.
The first connecting rod 114 may comprise two parallel and symmetrical branches 114 a, 114 b, each extending in the vicinity of one of the vertical sides of the aforementioned peripheral edges 111 b, 112 b between:
a first end pivotably mounted about a transverse horizontal axis Y1, on the upper part of the fixed part 111, by a first pivoting connection 117 such as a shaft passing through the two branches 114 a, 114 b of the connecting rod 114 and fixed in the two opposing vertical sides of the peripheral edge 111 b of the fixed part, and a second end comprising a first pivot 114.1, formed by a pin mounted both pivotably and slidably in a first rectilinear slot 112.1 made in the upper part of the vertical side corresponding to the peripheral edge 112 b of the mobile part 112, the first pivot able to turn about an axis Y2 parallel to Y1. The first pivot slides in the slot 112.1 between first and second extreme positions, corresponding respectively to the normal and protective positions of the mobile part 112. The two branches 114 a, 114 b of the first connecting rod 114 are able, for example, to be attached to one another by a material bridge 114 c in the region of their first ends (see FIGS. 5 and 6).
The second connecting rod 115 may comprise two parallel symmetrical branches 115 a, 115 b which each extend in the vicinity of one of the vertical sides of the aforementioned peripheral edges 111 b, 112 b between:
a first end pivotably mounted about an axis Y3 parallel to Y1 on the lower part of the mobile part 112, by a second pivoting connection 116 such as a shaft passing through the two branches 115 a, 115 b of the connecting rod 115 and fixed in the two opposing vertical sides of the peripheral edge 112 b of the mobile part, and a second end comprising a second pivot 115.1 formed by a pin mounted both pivotably and slidably in a second rectilinear slot 111.1 made in the lower part of the vertical side corresponding to the peripheral edge 111 b of the fixed part 111, the second pivot able to turn about an axis Y4 parallel to Y3. The second pivot slides in the slot 111.1 between first and second extreme positions, corresponding respectively to the normal and protective positions of the mobile part 112. The two branches 115 a, 115 b of the second connecting rod 115 are able, for example, to be attached to one another by a material bridge 115 c in the region of their first ends (see FIGS. 4 and 6).
The third connecting rod 113 is, moreover, pivotably mounted at its two ends on the aforementioned pivoting connections 117, 116. This third connecting rod 113 may advantageously comprise two symmetrical branches, each arranged in the vicinity of one of the branches of the first and second connecting rods 114, 115 and in the vicinity of one of the vertical sides of the peripheral edges 111 a, 112 a. The two branches of the third connecting rod 113 may be connected to one another by a material bridge in the vicinity of the shaft 116 (see FIG. 4).
In the deployed position, or the protective position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the assembly of the connecting rods and the fixed part and mobile part forms two substantially right-angled triangles with a common side constituted by the third connecting rod 113. The first triangle has the first connecting rod 114, the mobile part 112 and the third connecting rod 113, as sides. The second triangle has the second connecting rod 115, the fixed part 111 and the third connecting rod 113, as sides. The angles 116-114.1-117 and 116-115.1-117 have a value close to 90� or less, due in particular to the length of the slots 111.1 and 112.1, in addition to the first and second connecting rods 114 and 115 of substantially identical length. These two connecting rods are substantially parallel to one another in the protective position. In this position, the mobile part 112 is substantially parallel to the fixed part 111.
The return of the connecting rods towards the rear, when a force is exerted on the front face of the headrest, is prevented in particular due to the second slot 111.1 which is provided so that:
the second pivot 115.1 is in abutment when it is in its second position, and the second connecting rod 115 passes, between its first and second positions, into an intermediate position where a direction defined by the second pivoting connection 116 and the second pivot 115.1 is substantially perpendicular to the second slot 111.1 as may be seen in FIG. 3. The same arrangements may be adopted for the first slot 112.1 and the first connecting rod 114.
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head restraint assemblyUS20080252113 *Mar 27, 2008Oct 16, 2008Gm Global Technology Operations, Inc.Active material head restraint assemblyUS20100117410 *Apr 4, 2008May 13, 2010Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki KaishaVehicle seatUS20100117432 *Nov 13, 2008May 13, 2010Bae Industries, Inc.Pivoting headrest assembly with cam releaseUS20100127548 *Nov 6, 2009May 27, 2010Gerd TruckenbrodtHeadrest for a vehicleUS20100133889 *Nov 3, 2009Jun 3, 2010Bae Industries, Inc.Pivoting headrest with cable operated release catchUS20100253124 *Jun 23, 2010Oct 7, 2010Gm Global Technology Operations, Inc.Active material head restraint assemblyUS20110057495 *May 22, 2009Mar 10, 2011Johnson Controls Technology CompanySeat HeadrestUS20110101762 *May 5, 2011Bae Industries, Inc.Combination pivotal and displaceable headrest assembly incorporated into a vehicle seatUS20130249268 *Sep 20, 2011Sep 26, 2013Johnson Controls Technology Company GmbHHeadrest which can be adjusted in the x directionUS20140265507 *Mar 14, 2014Sep 18, 2014Windsor Machine And Stamping 2009 Ltd.Vehicle head restraint with electromagnetic latch releaseUS20150258924 *Sep 26, 2012Sep 17, 2015Ts Tech Co., Ltd.Head rest* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification297/216.12International ClassificationA47C7/36Cooperative ClassificationB60N2/4885European ClassificationB60N2/48WLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionOct 17, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: FAURENCIA, SIEGES D AUTOMOBILE, FRANCEFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:KLUKOWSKI, SLAWOMIR;REEL/FRAME:018402/0255Effective date: 20060922Dec 6, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: FAURECIA, SIEGES D AUTOMOBILE, FRANCEFree format text: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE AND TITLE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 018402 FRAME 0255;ASSIGNOR:KLUKOWSKI, SLAWOMIR;REEL/FRAME:018591/0845Effective date: 20060922Sep 23, 2011FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Sep 29, 2015FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk 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