Foldable headrest for vehicle rear seat

• US 4,711,494 A
• Filed: 12/08/1986
• Issued: 12/08/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcoa Incorporated (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Duvenkamp, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): McCall, James T.
• Application Number:
  US06/939,176
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 297/403, 297/391, 297/408, 280/751, 296/63
• US Class Current: 297/403
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/874 movable to an inoperative or stowed position B60N2/832, B60N2/856 take precedence

Abstract

The headrest for a rear seat is fastened to two rods which are adapted for sliding movement in guide sleeves mounted in the backrest of a motor vehicle. The rods are comprised of an upper rod portion and a lower rod portion which are interconnected by a pivot joint. Upon actuation of a push button, the rods are urged by a lift mechanism out of the guide sleeve into a position where the pivot joints are unlocked and wherein the headrest together with the upper rod portion is folded down into a storage position so as to afford the drive of the vehicle an unobstructed view to the rear.

Claims

1. A foldable headrest arrangement for the backrest of a vehicle seat:

a rod supporting the headrest and having an upper rod portion connected to the rod by an unlockable pivot joint to permit the head rest and upper rod portion to be folded down,

a sleeve-like guide means provided at the upper portion of the seat backrest and receiving the rod,

a lift mechanism provided in the backrest including a preloaded spring contained within the sleeve-like guide means to permit manual slidable insertion of the rod into the sleeve-like guide means to lock the unlockable pivot joint and activate the lift mechanism, said spring acting to raise the rod to a position in which the pivot joint is unlocked,

a latching device adapted to retain the rod in the position of insertion within the sleeve-like guide means,

and a solenoid adapted to unlatch the latching device and being controlled by a circuit arranged in the vehicle.

2. A foldable headrest arrangement for the backrest of a vehicle seat:

a rod supporting the headrest and having an upper rod portion connected to the rod by an unlockable pivot joint to permit the head rest and upper rod portion to be folded down,

a sleeve-like guide means provided at the upper portion of the seat backrest and receiving the rod,

a lift mechanism provided in the backrest including a preloaded spring contained within the sleeve-like guide means to permit manual slidable insertion of the rod into the sleeve-like guide means to lock the unlockable pivot joint and activate the lift mechanism, said spring to raise the rod to a position in which the pivot joint is unlocked,

a latching device adapted to retain the rod in the position of insertion within the sleeve-like guide means,

and a thrust element mounted on the sleeve-like guide means in the region above the unlocked pivot joint acting upon the rod to urge the rod in the fold down direction when the latching device is released and the lift mechanism raises the rod out of the sleeve-like guide means.

3. Headrest according to claim 2, the improvement comprising:

the thrust element being a tappet-like element which is adapted to be urged against the force exerted by a compression spring into a transverse bore of the guide means.

4. Headrest according to claim 2, the improvement comprising:

the rod when being in the folded down position, being supported and partially embraced by an elastomeric member.

5. Headrest according to claim 4, the improvement comprising:

the elastomeric member being arranged in the recess formed in the head of the guide means.

6. Headrest according to claim 2, the improvement comprising:

the lower rod portion being a toothed rack provided with toothing into which engages the pinion gear of an electrically operated mechanism which is arranged in the backrest.

7. Headrest according to claim 2, the improvement comprising:

the lower end of the rod being fixedly connected with a gear for rotation therewith, said gear being mounted in the backrest and being adapted to be driven, both in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, by a self-locking screw which is driven by an electric motor.

8. Headrest according to claim 7, the improvement comprising:

the screw being mounted in the backrest in an upright position.