MOTOR VEHICLES BODIES

• US 3,838,870 A
• Filed: 02/05/1973
• Issued: 10/01/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karl Hug
• Original Assignee: Karl Hug
• Inventors: Hug, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Schonberg, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Forman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/329,588
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15B,15SB 296/65A 297/384,385,386,404 244/122R,122B
• US Class Current: 297/472
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/838 Tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

A motor vehicle body includes a seat, having a back-rest and a head-rest mounted on the back-rest, and means effective, upon engagement therewith by an occupant of the seat moving in response to the effect upon him of a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant'"'"''"'"'s body to the head-rest. The head-rest is thereby moved forward and energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the body resist the forward movement of the head-rest, and also resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant. The above arrangement is effective in the case of both frontal and rear impacts on the vehicle. Advantageously a seat belt arrangement is provided to transmit the loading from the occupant to the head-rest.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

means effective, upon engagement therewith by an occupant of the seat moving in response to the effect upon him of a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant.

2. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat, and including a belt secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant.

3. The motor vehicle body according to claim 2, wherein the energy absorber means is a deformable metal tube secured at one end to said head-rest and at the other end to said anchorage.

4. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat and including a belt secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle bOdy and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant;

said head-rest being mounted on the back-rest by an articulation, and said belt being a shoulder belt having an upper end secured to said head-rest.

5. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly;

said back-rest having an upward extension; and

energy absorber means secured to said head-rest and said back-rest and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant.

6. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

said back-rest having an upward extension;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat, and including a belt secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant;

said back-rest extension having a hollow portion open at one end, guide means on said hollow portion adjacent said open end, and said head-rest having a sheet metal plate extending therefrom through said guide means into said hollow portion, said guide means exerting a clamping action on said plate thereby deforming said plate upon movement of the plate relative to said guide means upon movement of said head-rest, said guide means and said plate consituting said energy absorber.

7. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest by means of a plastically deformable connexion, and movable by reason of said connexion forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant.

8. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

an upward exTension on said back-rest, a head-rest mounted on the back-rest by means of a connexion capable of acting as an articulation permitting movement of the head-rest forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front and rear end respectively;

a head-rest mounted on the back-rest and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat, and including a belt secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant;

said energy absorber comprising a pair of facing members at each side of said head-rest, one member of each pair forming part of the head-rest and the other member being secured to the upward extension;

one of said members of each pair having a slot formed therein and the other of said members having a pin mounted therein and engageable in said slot whereby upon movement of said head-rests one member of said pair is moved relative to the other and by reason of said movement said pin deforms said slot and by said distortion energy is absorbed.

9. A motor vehicle body including a roof and a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest pivotally mounted on the floor adjacent the rear end of the seat;

an upward extension on said back-rest;

a head-rest mounted on the extension and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat, and including a belt secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to move the head-rest forwardly; and

energy absorber means secured between the head-rest and an anchorage on the vehicle body and deformable by the movement of the head-rest so as to resist the forward movement of the head-rest and resist backward movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant;

said energy means comprising guide means mounted on the upper end of said extension adjacent said roof;

a metal plate secured to said roof and extending through said guide means whereby upon said movement of said head-rest and consequent movement of said back-rest and said extension said guide means travel along said plate and plastically deform said plate with consequent absorption of energy.

10. A motor vehicle body including a floor, a seat secured to the floor and having a front end and a rear end, and a back-rest secured to the rear end of the seat;

a head-pivotally mounted on the back-rest and tiltable forwardly and rearwardly of the back-rest towards the front end and rear end respectively of the seat;

a releasable seat belt arrangement arranged to encircle and restrain an occupant of the seat, and including two shoulder belts secured to the head-rest;

the seat belt when secured being arranged, upon a predetermined deceleration of the vehicle body, to transmit a loading developed by the mass inertia of the occupant to the head-rest thereby to tilt the head-rest forwardly and energy absorber means comprising a deformable metal tube secured at one end to the head-rest and at the other end to the back-rest, and upon said forward tilting of said heat-rest said tube is elongated and by reason of said elongation absorbs energY so as to resist the forward tilting of the head-rest and, upon backward tilting movement of the head-rest upon impact thereon of the backwardly moving head of the occupant, said tube is compressed and by reason of said compression absorbs energy and resists said backward tilting of said head-rest.