ACTUATOR FOR CRASH ACTIVATED HEAD RESTRAINT

• US 20090322127A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient US, LLC (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Lamframboise, Gregg R., Michalak, Eric B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,727,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42781 mechanical triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/865 providing a fore-and-aft movement with respect to the occupant's head
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

Vehicle-seat comprising a seat base, a seatback and a head restraint reduces the gap between the head of a seat occupant and the front side of the head restraint in case of a crash, the vehicle seat further comprising an actuator, which is located in the seat back, which comprises a deformable body, which deforms reversible under the force resulting from the rearward movement of body of the seat occupant during and/or after the rear crash, and which comprises a first and a second end, whereas at least one end, preferably both ends, is/are slideably supported in a basis, whereas the head restraint and the actuator are connected by a force transmitter, which transmits a force, resulting from the deformation of the deformable body from the actuator to the head restraint.

Claims

1. Vehicle-seat comprising a seat base, a seatback and a head restraint located at the upper end of the seatback, said head restraint being a crash activated head restraint, which reduces the gap between the head of a seat occupant and the front side of the head restraint in case of a rear crash, the vehicle seat further comprising an actuator, which is located in the seat back, which comprises a deformable body, which deforms reversible under the force resulting from the rearward movement of body of the seat occupant during and/or after the rear crash, and which comprises a first and a second end, whereas at least one end, preferably both ends, is/are slideably supported in a basis, whereas the head restraint and the actuator are connected by a force transmitter, which transmits a force, resulting from the deformation of the deformable body from the actuator to the head restraint.

2. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the deformable body is a plate.

3. Vehicle-seat according to claim 2, wherein the plate is a bended plate which is flattened during deformation.

4. Vehicle-seat according to claim 2, wherein the plate comprises at least one horizontally orientated attenuation.

5. Vehicle-seat according to claim 2, wherein the plate comprises a stiffener.

6. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second end of the deformable body are supported in slots in the basis.

7. Vehicle-seat according to claim 2, wherein the first and the second end of the deformable body are supported in slots in the basis.

8. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein, the actuator comprises springs, which pretension the deformable body into its initial shape prior to the rear crash.

9. Vehicle-seat according to claim 2, wherein, the actuator comprises springs, which pretension the deformable body into its initial shape prior to the rear crash.

10. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the force transmitter is a Bowden cable.

11. Vehicle-seat according to claim 10, wherein the inner cable is connected to the first end and the hollow outer cable housing is connected to the second end.

12. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the entire head restraint is moved in case of a rear crash.

13. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the head restraint comprise a basis and a front side and wherein only the front side is moved in case of a rear crash.

14. Vehicle-seat according to claim 13, wherein the movement of the front side is a translation.