Seat back with headrest on vehicle seats

• US 6,135,561 A
• Filed: 08/18/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ewald Witte GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Ewald Witte GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Ruckert, Edvard, Kruger, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US09/135,640
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 297/408, 297/216.1, 297/216.12, 297/216.13, 297/480, 297/483, 297/484
• US Class Current: 297/408
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2222 the back-rest having two or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/838 Tiltable
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/185 with stopping means for acting directly upon the belt in an emergency, e.g. by clamping or friction B60R22/195 takes precedence; combined with the retractor B60R22/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

A seat back (35) with a headrest (40) on a vehicle seat (33). To reduce the whiplash effect during a front-end accident to a significant degree, the head rest (40) rests on a headrest support (38) that can be pivoted outward and forward around a horizontal axis (39), with the backward displacement of the support being restricted in terms of movement.

Claims

1. Seat back with a pivotal headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted with a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with a damping member located between a seat back body and the pivotally mounted headrest support restricting displacement of said headrest support.

11. Seat back according to claim 1, wherein the seat back is pivotably adjustable and the headrest is displaceable heightwise.

12. Seat back according to claim 1, wherein the-seat back is formed to receive the headrest support and the headrest support is pivotable around the horizontal axis of the seat back.

21. Seat back according to claim 1, wherein the displacement of the headrest support is release-actuated.

2. Seat back with a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with backward displacement of said support having its motion restricted, and further comprising a belt feed-through guide in the headrest support that is provided with a clamping device for a seat belt.

9. Seat back according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal axis is located approximately in the middle of the seat back at a lower end of the headrest support and the clamping device is located in an upper end of said headrest support opposite the horizontal axis.

3. Seat back with a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with backward displacement of said support having its motion restricted, and further comprising a clamping device controlled by inertia and/or friction.

4. Seat back with a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with backward displacement of said support having its motion restricted, and further comprising a clamping device having jaws that rest on clamping jaw supports arranged scissorwise.

5. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with displacement of said support having its motion restricted with a clamping device having clamping laws that rest on clamping jaw supports arranged scissorwise and wherein torsion springs maintain the clamping jaw supports in an open resting position abutting stops of the headrest support.

6. Seat back with a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with backward displacement of said support having its motion restricted, and further comprising a retractor located rearward of a seat cushion of the seat for winding up a seat belt guided through deflecting means to a clamping device.

7. Seat back according to claim 6, wherein said deflecting means are damping members.

8. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with displacement of said support having its motion restricted and wherein said seat further comprises a retractor located rearward of a seat cushion of the seat for winding up a seat belt guided through deflecting means to a clamping device wherein the deflecting means are deflecting rollers that are supported by springs and are guided in diagonal slots of a seat back body.

10. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with displacement of said support having its motion restricted and wherein the headrest support is located in a shaft of upholstery of the seat back.

13. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with displacement of said support having its motion restricted wherein the displacement of the headrest support is release-actuated and an energy release displaces the headrest forward when released-actuated with the energy generated pyrotechnically.

14. Seat back with a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with backward displacement of said support having its motion restricted, wherein the displacement of the headrest support is release-actuated, and wherein release actuation takes place when a certain seat belt load is exceeded.

15. Seat back according to claim 14, wherein an energy release displaces the headrest support forward when release-actuated.

16. Seat back according to claim 15, wherein the energy is stored in a spring.

17. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with a release-actuated displacement of said support having its motion restricted and wherein an energy release displaces the headrest support forward when released-actuated and upon release-actuation, a hook is moved into a release position, said hook being in an active connection through a rod drive with a fastening point of a seat belt.

18. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward around a horizontal axis of the seat back with a release-actuated displacement of said support having its motion restricted wherein an energy release displaces the headrest support forward when released-actuated and wherein upon release-actuation, a hook is moved into a release position, said hook being in an active connection through a rod drive with a fastening point of a seat belt wherein the fastening point of the seat belt is displaceable against a force of a pretensioned spring.

19. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward about a horizontal axis from a back of the seat in the event of a sudden rapid deceleration of the vehicle seat and which headrest support is restrained by a seat belt resting on the shoulder of a person occupying the seat and controlled by an inertia-controlled and/or friction-controlled seat belt clamping device located in a seat belt guide of the headrest support and which seat has a damping device for controlling a displacement movement of the headrest support.

20. A seat back having a headrest mounted on a headrest support pivotally mounted within a back of the seat and which headrest support is pivotable outward and forward about a horizontal axis from a back of the seat in the event of a sudden rapid deceleration of the vehicle seat and which displacement of the headrest support is restricted by a release of energy when a specific load of a seat belt resting on the shoulder of a person occupying the seat is exceeded in that a fastening point of the seat belt is displaced forwardly counter to the force of a prestressed spring located in the seat back.