Crash-active headrest
First Claim
1. A headrest that is for a vehicle seat and operates advantageously in the event of a crash, the headrest comprising:
- at least a four-bar linkage including upper and lower linkages mounted for pivoting relative to a carrier, and an impact element that is operatively connected to the upper and lower linkages for moving away from the carrier in an at least generally forward direction, from an original position to a crash position, in response to pivoting of the upper and lower linkages relative to the carrier;
an energy storage device for driving the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position in response to the crash; and
a crash lock for restricting the impact element from moving from the crash position toward the original position, wherein the upper and lower linkages are unparallel with respect to one another.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a headrest (1) for a vehicle seat, having a carrier (5), at least one upper and lower linkage (11, 15) linked to the carrier (5), which can be pivoted around horizontal axles (7, 17), a impact element (13) linked to the linkages (11, 15) which forms at least one four-bar linkage (19) with the linkages (11, 15) and the carrier (5), and an energy storage device (25), the energy storage device (25) driving the four-bar linkage (19) in the event of a crash, so that the impact element (13) comes out forward from an original position into a crash position that is locked against a backward movement by a crash lock, the upper linkage (11) and the lower linkage (15) are unparallel with respect to one another.
49 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A headrest that is for a vehicle seat and operates advantageously in the event of a crash, the headrest comprising:
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at least a four-bar linkage including upper and lower linkages mounted for pivoting relative to a carrier, and an impact element that is operatively connected to the upper and lower linkages for moving away from the carrier in an at least generally forward direction, from an original position to a crash position, in response to pivoting of the upper and lower linkages relative to the carrier;
an energy storage device for driving the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position in response to the crash; and
a crash lock for restricting the impact element from moving from the crash position toward the original position, wherein the upper and lower linkages are unparallel with respect to one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A headrest that is for a vehicle seat and operates advantageously in the event of a crash, the headrest comprising:
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at least a four-bar linkage including upper and lower linkages mounted for pivoting relative to a carrier, and an impact element that is operatively connected to the upper and lower linkages for moving away from the carrier in an at least generally forward direction, from an original position to a crash position, in response to pivoting of the upper and lower linkages relative to the carrier;
an energy storage device for driving the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position in response to the crash; and
a crash lock for restricting the impact element from moving from the crash position toward the original position, wherein the crash lock is operative for being unlocked, in a predetermined manner, while the impact element is in the crash position, so that the impact element can be moved from the crash position to the original position, whereby the impact element is reset to the original position. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A headrest that is for a vehicle seat and operates advantageously in the event of a crash, the headrest comprising:
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at least a four-bar linkage including upper and lower linkages mounted for pivoting relative to a carrier, and an impact element that is operatively connected to the upper and lower linkages for moving away from the carrier in an at least generally forward direction, from an original position to a crash position, in response to pivoting of the upper and lower linkages relative to the carrier;
an energy storage device for driving the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position in response to the crash, wherein the energy storage device is a spring, the spring is in a first configuration while the impact element is in the original position, the spring is in a second configuration while the impact element is in the crash position;
a crash lock for restricting the impact element from moving from the crash position toward the original position; and
a pawl mounted for pivoting between first and second positions, wherein the pawl at least indirectly releasably holds the spring in the spring'"'"'s first configuration while the pawl is in the pawl'"'"'s first position. - View Dependent Claims (39)
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40. A headrest that is for a vehicle seat and operates advantageously in the event of a crash, the headrest comprising:
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at least a four-bar linkage including upper and lower linkages mounted for pivoting relative to a carrier, and an impact element that is operatively connected to the upper and lower linkages for moving away from the carrier in an at least generally forward direction, from an original position to a crash position, in response to pivoting of the upper and lower linkages relative to the carrier;
an energy storage device for driving the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position in response to the crash;
a crash lock for;
restricting the impact element from moving from the crash position toward the original position, and being selectively unlocked while the impact element is in the crash position, so that the impact element can be moved from the crash position to the original position; and
a pawl mounted for pivoting between first and second positions, wherein the pawl is at least substantially unloaded while the impact element is in the crash position, and the pawl is operative for;
holding a restraint element of the impact element and thereby maintaining the impact element in the original position, while the pawl is in the pawl'"'"'s first position and prior to the crash, releasing the restraint element in response to the crash, so that the energy storage device drives the linkage so that the impact element moves from the original position to the crash position, and receiving the restraint element and then releasably holding the restraint element so as to releasably maintain the impact element in the original position, in response to the impact element being moved from the crash position to the original position. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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Specification