Head rests

• US 20060175881A1
• Filed: 12/27/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikura Limited, Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujikura Limited, Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Seiya, Yajima, Fumio, Akaike, Fumitoshi, Misaki, Nobumasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,484,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.120
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/821 with continuous positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/85 with continuous positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/853 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors

Abstract

A head rest of a vehicle seat may include a head support portion for supporting a head of a passenger, and a drive unit for moving the head support portion. The drive unit has a moving mechanism that is arranged and constructed to move the head support portion vertically and back and forth relative to the vehicle seat, a head detecting device provided to the head support portion so as to detect a clearance between the passenger head and the head support portion and to generate a control signal representative of the detected clearance, and a controller that can control the moving mechanism. The controller controls the moving mechanism so as to move the head support portion to a first proximity position in which the head detecting device may have a predetermined sensitivity relative to passenger head if the head support portion does not reach the first proximity position. The controller further controls the moving mechanism based on the control signal from the head detecting device so as to move the head support portion to a second proximity position which corresponds to an optimal proximity position relative to the passenger head.

Claims

1. A head rest of a vehicle seat, comprising:

a head support portion for supporting a head of a passenger; and

a drive unit for moving the head support portion, the drive unit having a moving mechanism that is arranged and constructed to move the head support portion vertically and back and forth relative to the vehicle seat, a head detecting device provided to the head support portion so as to detect a clearance between the passenger head and the head support portion and to generate a control signal representative of the detected clearance, and a controller that can control the moving mechanism,

wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism so as to move the head support portion to a first proximity position in which the head detecting device may have a predetermined sensitivity relative to passenger head if the head support portion does not reach the first proximity position, and wherein the controller further controls the moving mechanism based on the control signal from the head detecting device so as to move the head support portion to a second proximity position which corresponds to an optimal proximity position relative to the passenger head.

2. The head rest as defined in claim 1, wherein the controller moves the moving mechanism so as to vertically move the bead support portion after the head support portion moves to the first proximity position, thereby scanning the passenger head so as to obtain passenger head data, and wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism based on the passenger head data so as to move the head support portion to the second proximity position.

3. The head rest as defined in claim 1, wherein the head detecting device comprises a capacitance type sensor.

4. The head rest as defined in claim 2, wherein the head detecting device comprises a capacitance type sensor.

5. The head rest as defined in claim 3, wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism such that the head support portion moves vertically and back and forth relative to the vehicle seat when the head support portion moves to the second proximity position.

6. The head rest as defined in claim 4, wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism such that the head support portion moves vertically and back and forth relative to the vehicle seat when the head support portion moves to the second proximity position.

7. A head rest of a vehicle seat, comprising:

a head support portion for supporting a head of a passenger; and

a drive unit for moving the head support portion, the drive unit having a moving mechanism that is arranged and constructed to move the head support portion vertically and back and forth relative to the vehicle seat, a head detecting device provided to the head support portion so as to detect a clearance between the passenger head and the head support portion and to generate a control signal representative of the detected clearance, and a controller that can control the moving mechanism, the controller comprising;

a means for moving the head support portion forwardly so as to be positioned at a first proximity position in which the head detecting device may have a predetermined sensitivity relative to passenger head,

a mean for scanning the passenger head so as to obtain passenger head data,

a means for processing the passenger head data and determining a second proximity position which corresponds to an optimal proximity position relative to the passenger head, and

a means for moving the head support portion vertically and back and forth so as to be positioned at the second proximity position.

8. The head rest as defined in claim 7, wherein the second proximity position is defined by an optimal vertical basis and an optimal horizontal basis with regard to the head support portion, and wherein the optimal vertical basis is defined as a horizontal plane that passes through a special point in the passenger head, the special point being determined as a point that satisfy the requirement that the vertical distance between the point and a top of the passenger head to the vertical distance between the point and a center of a passenger neck is substantially 2:

1.