HEADREST FOR VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20090200843A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tachi-S Company Limited
• Inventors: KOIKE, Atsushi, YOKOTA, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,954,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.120
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

A headrest for vehicle seat includes: a generally inverted-U-shaped frame having a pair of headrest stays defined therein; and an impact absorption bar fixedly connected between those two headrest stays. The impact absorption bar is located in a predetermined spaced relation with an upper horizontal frame portion of the generally inverted-U-shaped frame. When a rear-end collision or the like occurs, a head of seat occupant is stably received by those impact absorption bar and upper horizontal frame portion, while the impact absorption bar being readily deformed by backward excessive great load applied thereto from the seat occupant'"'"'s head to thereby absorb and reduce a corresponding impact energy to be imparted to the head.

Claims

1. A headrest adapted to be mounted on a vehicle seat, comprising:

a generally inverted-U-shaped frame having, defined therein, a horizontal frame portion and a pair of spaced-apart vertical frame portions extending vertically and continuous from said horizontal frame portion;

a pair of spaced-apart headrest stays defined integrally in two lower portions respectively of said pair of spaced-apart vertical frame portions, said pair of spaced-apart headrest stays being adapted to be mounted in said vehicle seat;

an impact absorption bar element fixedly connected between said pair of spaced-apart vertical frame portions in such a manner as to extend transversely of said pair of spaced-apart vertical frame portions, while being spaced a predetermined distance from said horizontal frame portion;

said impact absorption bar element being of a property prone to deformation only by an excessive great load applied thereto in case of a rear-end collision or a factor for causing said excessive great load; and

a headrest body including a foam padding filled therein;

wherein said horizontal frame portion, said pair of spaced-apart vertical frame portions, and said impact absorption bar element are embedded integrally in said foam padding of said headrest body, while said pair of spaced-apart headrest stays extend outwardly from said headrest body.

2. The headrest as claimed in claim 1, wherein a substantially midway point of said impact absorption bar element is made small in the cross-sectional area thereof, thereby defining a readily deform able region in said substantially midway point.

3. The headrest as claimed in claim 2, wherein said readily deformable region is a recessed or cut-away region formed in said substantially midway point of said impact absorption bar element.