HEADREST AND VEHICLE SEAT PROVIDED WITH THE SAME

• US 20100072803A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: TS Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Sayama, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,864,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/408
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/844 Release mechanisms, e.g. buttons
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/847 with stepwise positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/859 specially adapted for rear seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2205/20 Measures for elimination or compensation of play or backlash

Abstract

Provided are a versatile and thin headrest, and seat for same, that can be operated smoothly by reducing an operation load at the time when the headrest is tilted from a head support state to a storage state, and is capable of preventing noise caused by the headrest. The headrest includes a pillar having a transverse shaft part and mounted to the upper part of the seat back, a headrest frame rotatably engaged with the transverse shaft part of the pillar, a headrest urging element that urges the headrest frame to one side, a locking element that hinders turning the headrest frame and pillar, a ratchet lever operating the locking element and sliding in the transverse direction, and a ratchet lever urging element, that urges the ratchet lever in the direction at a predetermined angle to the ratchet lever sliding in the transverse direction.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A headrest having a head support state in which the headrest is raised with respect to a seat back and a storage state tilted from the head support state, comprising:

a supporting member mounted on the upper part of the seat back;

a headrest frame rotatably engaged with the supporting member;

a frame urging element or elements that urge the headrest frame to one side;

a locking element or elements that hinder the rotating of the headrest frame and the supporting member; and

an operation lever that operates the locking element or elements, wherein

the operation lever having a concave part formed toward the supporting member side is formed so as to be movable in the direction different from the rotating direction of the headrest frame, and is urged in the predetermined direction by an operation lever urging element or elements.

8. The headrest according to claim 7, wherein the operation lever urging element or elements urges the operation lever in the direction at a predetermined angle to the movement direction of the operation lever.

9. A headrest capable of being made in a head support state in which the headrest is raised with respect to a seat back and in a storage state tilted from the head support state, comprising:

a pillar having a transverse shaft part and mounted to the upper part of the seat back;

a headrest frame rotatably engaged with the transverse shaft part of the pillar;

a headrest urging element or elements that urge the headrest frame to one side;

a locking element or elements that hinder the rotating of the headrest frame and the pillar;

a ratchet lever that operates the locking element or elements and slides in the transverse direction; and

a ratchet lever urging element or elements that urge the ratchet lever, wherein

the ratchet lever urging element or elements urges the ratchet lever in the direction at a predetermined angle to the ratchet lever sliding in the transverse direction.

10. The headrest according to claim 9, further comprising:

a cover material that is disposed on an outer periphery side of the headrest frame;

a hole that is formed at an arrangement position of the ratchet lever of the cover material, so that an end part of the ratchet lever is extendable;

a garnish that is disposed in the hole;

an operation knob that is disposed in the end part of the ratchet lever extending from the garnish, the operation knob coming closest to the garnish in the urging direction of the ratchet lever urging element or elements.

11. The headrest according to claim 9, wherein the headrest frame is formed with at least a tongue piece, which is bent to the inside toward the ratchet lever, on an opposite side to the arrangement position of the ratchet lever urging element or elements so as to hold the ratchet lever, and the tongue piece serves as a guide for the ratchet lever.

20. A vehicle seat provided with a headrest having a head supporting state in which the headrest is erected with respect to a seat back and in a storage state tilted from the head supporting state, wherein:

the headrest comprises;

a supporting member mounted in the upper part of the seat back;

a headrest frame rotatably engaged with the supporting member;

a frame urging element or elements that urge the headrest frame to one side;

a locking element or elements that hinder the turning of the headrest frame and the supporting member; and

an operation lever that operates the locking element or elements, and

the operation lever having a concave part formed toward the supporting member side is formed so as to be movable in the direction different from the turning direction of the headrest frame, and is urged in the predetermined direction by an operation lever urging element or elements.