Patent ID: 12257938

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific structural or functional descriptions given in connection with the embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed in the specification or the application are merely illustrative for the purpose of describing embodiments according to the present disclosure. Further, the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the specification or the application.

Since the embodiments according to the present disclosure may be variously modified and may have various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the specification or the application. However, it should be understood that the embodiments according to the concept of the present disclosure are not intended to be limited to the specific disclosed forms, and include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure.

Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, terms such as “first” and/or “second” may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present disclosure.

When one component is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “joined” to another component, the one component may be directly connected or joined to the other component, but it should be understood that other components may be present therebetween (e.g., indirectly connected). On the other hand, when the one component is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly in contact with” the other component, it should be understood that no other components are present therebetween. Other expressions for the description of relationships between components, such as “between” and “directly between” or “adjacent to” and “directly adjacent to”, should be interpreted in the same manner.

When a first component is referred to as “covering” a second component, the first component may cover at least partially or entirely cover the second component.

The terms used in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, an expression in a singular form also includes the plural sense, unless clearly specified otherwise in context. It should be understood that expressions such as “comprise” and “have” in this specification are intended to designate the presence of indicated features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the related technology. Further, unless explicitly defined in this specification, the terms should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail through preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in each drawing represent the same members.

FIG.1is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle headrest,FIG.2is a perspective view showing an assembled actuator300of the vehicle headrest,FIG.3is a perspective view showing operation of the vehicle headrest, andFIG.4is a side cross-sectional view ofFIG.3.

A preferred embodiment of a headrest device for a vehicle according to the present disclosure will be described with reference toFIGS.1to4.

A vehicle seat may include a seat cushion, a seatback, and a headrest, and an armrest may be additionally provided therein.

A headrest of the related art may be designed to be movable in the vertical direction depending on a height of the head of an occupant, and a device configured to manually change the vertical position of the headrest may be provided in the related art.

However, since a headrest device of the related art is provided to manually move the headrest in the vertical direction or to automatically move the same in the vertical direction, there is a problem in that the headrest may not be finely adjusted, and as such, the optimal position of the headrest may not be set for each occupant.

The headrest device for the vehicle according to the present disclosure proposes a headrest device capable of finely adjusting the position of a headrest in contact with the rear of the head of an occupant.

Specifically, the headrest device for the vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a stationary headrest portion (e.g., a fixed part)100connected to a seatback of the vehicle and formed to extend upwards, the stationary headrest portion100being located at a rear of a head of an occupant, a movable headrest portion (e.g., a moving part)200coupled to the stationary headrest portion100so as to be slidable in a vertical direction, the movable headrest portion200being located in front of the stationary headrest portion100, and an actuator300having one side thereof (e.g., a first side) coupled to the stationary headrest portion100and the other side thereof (e.g., a second side) connected to the movable headrest portion200. The actuator300may be configured to cause the movable headrest portion200to slide in the vertical direction.

The stationary headrest portion100may be coupled to the upper portion of the seatback to extend upwards, and may be fixed to the seatback. The movable headrest portion200may be provided in front of the stationary headrest portion100and may contact the rear of the head of the occupant. Further, the movable headrest portion200may be coupled to the stationary headrest portion100so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

In addition, the stationary headrest portion100supports the movable headrest portion200when the rear of the head of the occupant contacts the movable headrest portion200, thereby making it possible to protect the neck of the occupant by preventing the head of the occupant from moving rearwards in the event of vehicle collision.

Further, the actuator300connected to the stationary headrest portion100and the movable headrest portion200has one side thereof coupled and fixed to the stationary headrest portion100and the other side thereof connected to the movable headrest portion200. During operation of the actuator300, the actuator300may cause the movable headrest portion200along the stationary headrest portion100in the vertical direction, and during non-operation of the actuator300, the actuator300may hold the movable headrest portion200in a fixed position.

The actuator300may be formed of a motor or a hydraulic device operated by power input thereto, and may be controlled by a control device.

Through this configuration, an occupant may adjust the position of the headrest by moving the movable headrest portion200upwards or downwards through an electrically powered device or the like so that the headrest is positioned at the position of the head of the occupant. Compared to a headrest device for a vehicle of the related art configured to manually adjust the position of a headrest, the headrest device for the vehicle may finely adjust the position of the headrest, thereby improving operational convenience. Furthermore, in the headrest device of the related art operated by the actuator300, the actuator300requiring a large electric load is used because the entire headrest is moved in the vertical direction. On the other hand, since the actuator300slides only the movable headrest portion200, the present disclosure uses the actuator300requiring a small electric load compared to the headrest device of the related art, thereby having an effect of reducing cost and power consumption.

Since the position of the headrest may be finely adjusted by a headrest adjustment device for a vehicle, the headrest may be appropriately adjusted to the position of the head of an occupant. Accordingly, when the head of the occupant is moved rearwards due to a front collision accident or a rear collision accident of a vehicle, the headrest supports the head to reduce impact applied to the neck, thereby having an effect of reducing injuries of the occupant.

In addition, when failure of a driving motor310or a lead screw320of the actuator300occurs, the stationary headrest portion100and the movable headrest portion200may be separated from each other for maintenance. Accordingly, failure of the actuator300may be determined, and the driving motor310or the lead screw320may be easily replaced or maintained, thereby having an effect of improving maintenance performance.

Hereinafter, a description will be given as to the actuator300. The actuator300may include the driving motor310coupled to the stationary headrest portion100. The driving motor310may include a rotation shaft, and the actuator300may be operated to rotate the rotation shaft of the driving motor310. The actuator300may include the lead screw320coupled to the rotation shaft of the driving motor310and formed to extend in the vertical direction. The actuator300may include a carrier330having one side thereof (e.g., a first side) connected to the lead screw320and configured to move in the vertical direction according to rotation of the lead screw320and the other side thereof (e.g., a second side) connected to the movable headrest portion200.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the driving motor310provided in the actuator300may be operated by power input thereto and may be fixed to the lower portion of the stationary headrest portion100. The driving motor310is operated to rotate a driving shaft thereof, and the driving shaft may be disposed upwards.

The lead screw320is coupled to the rotation shaft of the driving motor310with the driving shaft disposed upwards and is formed to extend upwards. Further, the lead screw320may have a thread formed outwards.

The carrier330is provided with a female screw on one side thereof, wherein the female screw is fastened to the thread of the lead screw320so that the carrier330is moved in the vertical direction when the lead screw320rotates, and the other side thereof is coupled to the movable headrest portion200so that the carrier330is moved upwards or downwards when the driving motor310is operated to rotate the lead screw320. Accordingly, the movable headrest portion200coupled to the carrier330may slide upwards or downwards with respect to the stationary headrest portion100.

Through this configuration, it is possible to accurately position the movable headrest portion200at the height of the head of an occupant by finely adjusting sliding of the movable headrest portion200in the vertical direction. Here, such fine adjustment may be performed depending on the pitch of the thread formed in the lead screw320.

In addition, a sliding distance of the movable headrest portion200may be limited by a length of the thread or a length of the lead screw320.

As shown inFIG.4, the lead screw320extending in the longitudinal direction may be disposed to be inclined (e.g., in an inclined direction) toward the rear of the vehicle, and the movable headrest portion200may be moved along the inclination (e.g., the inclined direction) of the lead screw320.

The carrier330connected to the movable headrest portion200may be moved along the lead screw320, and the lead screw320is disposed to be inclined toward the rear of the vehicle. Accordingly, when the driving motor310rotates and the carrier330is moved (e.g., movable) along the lead screw320, the carrier330may be moved in the vertical direction, and/or may be moved in the forward-and-rearward direction of the vehicle, thereby having an effect of positioning the headrest at a position desired by an occupant.

The actuator300may further include a power supply part340connected to the driving motor310to receive power from the outside (e.g., an external power source) or a control signal for the driving motor310.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the driving motor310provided in the actuator300may be operated by receiving external power, and the power supply part340may be connected to a power supply device such as a battery provided in the vehicle to input power to the driving motor310.

Additionally, the power supply part340may be connected to a switch provided separately in the vehicle, wherein the switch inputs, to the driving motor310, a control signal of controlling forward rotation or reverse rotation of the driving motor310.

Through this configuration, when an occupant operates the headrest device for the vehicle, there is an effect of improving user convenience compared to the manually operated headrest device of the related art.

The actuator300may further include a guide pin (e.g., a guide part)350formed to extend in a direction in which the lead screw320extends and coupled to the stationary headrest portion100, wherein the guide pin350is connected to the carrier330to guide the movement direction of the carrier330.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the carrier330provided in the actuator300is moved in the vertical direction by the operation of the lead screw320, and the guide pin350formed to extend in the direction in which the lead screw320extends passes through the carrier330to be connected to the carrier330. Further, opposite ends of the guide pin350may be coupled to the stationary headrest portion100. The actuator may be affixed to the bracket. Additionally, a plurality of guide pins350may be provided to be spaced apart from each other in the left-and-right direction of the seat and may be connected to the carrier330.

Through this configuration, when the carrier330moves in the vertical direction, the same may be guided in the direction in which the guide pin350extends. Accordingly, the carrier330and the movable headrest portion200connected to the carrier330may be prevented from being moved in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle during movement of the vehicle or operation of the motor.

The actuator300may further include a motor cover360formed to cover the outside of the driving motor310and coupled to the stationary headrest portion100.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the driving motor310coupled to the stationary headrest portion100may not operate normally when foreign substances containing external dust or moisture enter the driving motor310. For this reason, in order to prevent such abnormal operation or operation stop, the actuator300may include the motor cover360formed to cover the motor.

The motor cover360may be detachably coupled to the stationary headrest portion100so as to be separated from the stationary headrest portion100during maintenance of the driving motor310.

The stationary headrest portion100may include a stay110formed to extend upwards from the seatback and a bracket120coupled to the upper end of the stay110, the bracket120having the actuator300fixed thereto.

As shown inFIGS.2to4, the stationary headrest portion100includes the stay110formed to extend upwards from the upper portion of the seatback, and the bracket120coupled to the upper end of the stay110and connected to the movable headrest portion200so that the movable headrest portion200is slidable.

The position of the stationary headrest portion100may be determined depending on the length of the stay110, and this position may be changed depending on the design of a designer.

One side of the actuator300is coupled to the bracket120, the other side of the actuator300is coupled to the movable headrest portion200, and the movable headrest portion200is coupled to the bracket120so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

Specifically, the driving motor310is fixed to the lower portion of the bracket120, and the other end of the lead screw320having one side thereof connected to the rotation shaft of the driving motor310is rotatably coupled to the upper portion of the bracket120, thereby stably performing rotation when the lead screw320rotates. In addition, the guide pin350is formed so that opposite ends thereof are respectively coupled to the upper and lower portions of the bracket120, thereby having an effect of stably operating the actuator300.

The bracket120has an upper flap (e.g., an upper end part)121and a lower flap (e.g., a lower end part)122respectively formed to extend forward from the upper end of the bracket120and the lower end thereof to cover the upper portion and the lower portion of the actuator300, and the upper portion and the lower portion of the actuator300may be coupled to the upper flap121and the lower flap122, respectively.

Specifically, the bracket120coupled to the upper end of the stay110has the upper flap121formed to extend forward from the upper end thereof and the lower flap122formed to extend forward from the lower end thereof, thereby protecting the upper portion and the lower portion of the actuator300fixed to the bracket120from the outside.

Further, the upper end of the lead screw320provided in the actuator300and formed to extend in the vertical direction is rotatably coupled to the upper flap121, and the driving motor is coupled to the lower flap122, whereby the carrier330may be moved in the vertical direction along the lead screw320when the driving motor310rotates.

In addition, the bracket120may include side flaps (e.g., side parts)123respectively formed to extend forward from opposite side ends of the bracket120.

A pair of side flaps123formed to extend forward from the opposite side ends of the bracket120may be formed to protect the side surfaces of the actuator300coupled to the bracket120, and the side flaps123may protect the opposite sides of the actuator300, respectively.

In addition, the side flaps123, the upper flap121, and the lower flap122may have the same length, and the side flaps123, the upper flap121, and the lower end par122formed in the bracket120are formed in a box shape so that the actuator300may be inserted thereinto and fixed therein.

The stationary headrest portion100may further include a back cover130configured to cover the bracket120and the rear surface of the actuator300coupled to the bracket120.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the back cover130formed to cover the rear surface of the bracket120is coupled to the bracket120, thereby preventing the actuator300and the bracket120disposed inside from being exposed to the outside.

Through this configuration, it is possible to prevent foreign substances from entering the actuator300. Further, the bracket120is not exposed to the outside and the back cover130covers the bracket120, thereby having an effect of improving marketability of a vehicle.

The movable headrest portion200may include a front frame210configured to cover the front of the stationary headrest portion100and the actuator300, wherein the front frame210is connected to the actuator300to move in the vertical direction, and a front cover220surrounding the outside of the front frame210.

As shown inFIGS.1to3, the movable headrest portion200includes the front frame210slidably coupled to the stationary headrest portion100in the vertical direction, and the front cover220may be coupled to the front frame210to cover the outside of the front frame210.

The front frame210may be moved in the vertical direction by sliding diagonally with respect to the stationary headrest portion100, and may set the area in contact with the occupant's head to the maximum.

Additionally, a pad may be formed on a portion of the front cover220, the portion being in contact with the occupant's head, and the remaining portions may be formed of a fabric material or a leather material to cover the front frame210, thereby improving marketability of a vehicle.

Specifically, the front frame210may cover the front side and the upper side of the stationary headrest portion100, and may slide in the upward-and-reward direction and the forward-and-rearward direction of the vehicle while covering a part of the side of the stationary headrest portion100.

The front frame210includes an inner cavity (e.g., an inner space) above the stationary headrest portion100, and when the front frame210slides downwards by the actuator300, the stationary headrest portion100is inserted into the inner cavity.

As shown inFIG.4, the inner cavity into which the stationary headrest portion100is insertable may be provided inside the front frame210, and when the front frame210slides downwards by the carrier330, the stationary headrest portion100may be inserted into the inner cavity and the front frame210may slide downwards.

In this manner, there is an effect of reducing the space occupied by a headrest in the interior space of a vehicle.

In addition, the stationary headrest portion100is inserted into the inner cavity or separated from the inserted state according to the sliding of the movable headrest portion200, thereby having an effect of maximally securing the sliding distance of the movable headrest portion200.

As is apparent from the above description, the present disclosure provides a headrest device for a vehicle, the headrest device including a stationary headrest portion, a movable headrest portion that is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the stationary headrest portion, and an actuator operated by receiving power and configured to allow the movable headrest portion to move in the vertical direction. In this manner, an occupant may adjust the position of a headrest by moving the movable headrest portion upwards or downwards through an electric device so that the headrest is positioned at the position of the occupant's head. Further, compared to a headrest device for a vehicle of the related art configured to manually adjust the position of the headrest, the headrest device may perform fine adjustment, thereby improving operational convenience. Additionally, in the headrest device of the related art operated by an actuator, the actuator requiring a large electric load is used because the entire headrest is moved in the vertical direction. On the other hand, since the actuator slides only the movable headrest portion, the headrest device uses the actuator requiring a small electric load compared to the headrest device of the related art, thereby having an effect of reducing cost and power consumption.

Furthermore, a lead screw is disposed to be inclined toward the rear of the vehicle. Accordingly, when a driving motor rotates and a carrier is moved along the lead screw, the carrier may be moved in the vertical direction, and simultaneously, may be moved in the forward-and-rearward direction of the vehicle, thereby having an effect of positioning the headrest at a position desired by an occupant.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure as disclosed in the accompanying claims.