Patent ID: 7588115

Claim:
A motor vehicle including a passenger compartment, comprising: a seat on which an occupant sits; a movable headrest associated with said seat; and a system for positioning said headrest adjacent a head of the occupant in an impact involving the vehicle, said system comprising: an anticipatory crash sensor system arranged to produce an output signal when an external object is approaching a rear of the vehicle at a velocity above a predetermined velocity; a headrest movement system that moves said headrest in response to the production of the output signal by said crash sensor system; and a sensor system arranged to determine, after said headrest has started to move in response to the production of the output signal by said crash sensor system, when said headrest has been moved into contact with or proximate the occupant's head, said headrest movement system being controlled to stop moving said headrest after said sensor system determines that said headrest has been moved into contact with or proximate the occupant's head; whereby upon the determination of a pending rear impact between the external object and the vehicle, said output signal is produced by said crash sensor system and said headrest is then moved into a position in contact with or proximate the occupant's head, as determined by said sensor system, prior to the impact of the occupant's head with said headrest.