Head restraint arrangement for a vehicle seat and vehicle seat fitted with said head restraint arrangement, particularly spare seat

• US 7,070,240 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient US, LLC (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH (Adient plc)
• Inventors: Metz, Daniel, Schmitt, Daniel, Seel, Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US10/481,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 297/410, 297/408, 297/378.1, 297/336, 297/335, 297/340, 297/15, 296/65.09
• US Class Current: 297/410
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3013 the back-rest being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3075 stowed in recess B60N2/3079 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A headrest arrangement for a vehicle seat consisting of a back and a bottom seating part. Said arrangement comprises a headrest part that is connected to the back of the seat, with the connection configured in such a way that the headrest part can be moved between an in-use position arranged above the back of the seat and corresponding to its headrest function and a non-use position wherein the headrest part can be releasably locked in both positions. The headrest part in non-use position and relative to the in-use position is lowered in the direction of the seating part and is arranged horizontally in the area of the front part of the back of the seat. The invention also relates to a vehicle seat fitted with said headrest arrangement.

Claims

1. A head restraint arrangement (8) for a vehicle seat (2) having a backrest (4) and a lower seat surface part (6), the head restraint arrangement comprising:

a head-supporting part (12) coupled to the backrest (4) via a retainer (10), configured to provide the head-supporting part (12) an operative position (A) above the backrest (4), and an inoperative position (B) with the retainer locked releasably in both positions, wherein the head-supporting part (12), in the inoperative position (B), firstly being lowered relative to the operative position (A) in the direction of the seat surface part (6) and, secondly, positioned in a region of a backrest front side (14) in front of the backrest (4),

wherein the retainer (10) comprises a retaining-rod element (16) having two retaining rods (20, 22) which are parallel to each other and are guided in a longitudinally displaceable manner in guides (18) of the backrest (4) and configured to be locked in at least two different positions, the retaining rods (20, 22) being connected, in one piece via a transverse web (24), in their end region which is situated outside the guides (18),

wherein the head-supporting part (12) is guided via a bearing arrangement (28) on the transverse web (24) of the retaining-rod element (16) and configured to be pivoted about an axis of rotation (30) defined by the transverse web (24) and locked in at least two different positions; and

wherein the retaining rods (20, 22) are curved in their end region in such a manner that the transverse web (24) is arranged offset with respect to a guide plane (26), which is defined by the two parallel retaining rods (20, 22), in the direction of the backrest front side (14).

2. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head-supporting part (12) can be pivoted through approximately 180°

and can be locked alternatively in two positions, specifically in a supporting position (C) extending approximately as an elongation of the retaining rods (20, 22) or in a rest position (D) which, starting from the transverse web (24), extends in an inverted manner approximately parallel to the retaining rods (20, 22).

3. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the head-supporting part (12) is arranged with a central plane (34), which runs approximately parallel to a head-supporting surface (32), asymmetrically with respect to the axis of rotation (30) in such a manner that the pivoting between the supporting position (C) and the rest position (D) causes it to be offset in each case with respect to the axis of rotation (30).

4. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the head-supporting part (12) is acted upon with a rotational spring force (F2) in such a manner that the pivoting in the one direction of rotation takes place counter to the rotational spring force (F2) and takes place in the other direction of rotation automatically by means of the rotational spring force (F2).

5. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotational spring force (F2) is configured in such a manner that, starting from the rest position (D), the supporting position (C) is automatically reached after the head-supporting part (12) is unlocked.

6. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein in order to produce the rotational spring force (F2), a torsion spring (64) is provided which is configured as a coiled leg spring and is arranged supported between the head-supporting part (12) and one of the retaining-rod element (16) and the bearing part (36).

7. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bearing arrangement (28) has a bearing part (36) which sits in a rotationally fixed manner on the transverse web (24) of the retaining-rod element (16) and on which a supporting housing (38) of the head-supporting part (12) is guided rotatably, a locking device (48) which interacts with the bearing part (36) and configured for the supporting and rest positions being provided in the supporting housing (38).

8. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the locking device (48) has a bolt slide (50) which is guided displaceably in the supporting housing (38) and uses at least one bolt element (52) to engage, either in the supporting position (C) or in the rest position (D), in a respectively corresponding bolt opening (54) in the bearing part (36).

9. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bolt slide (50) is acted upon by a biasing member (58) with a spring force (F1).

10. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bolt slide (50) interacts with an actuating element (60) which is accessible from outside the head-supporting part (12) for manual actuation by pushing an actuating element in the manner of a push-button, the actuating element (60) positioned in a region of the head-supporting part (12) which, in the supporting position (C), points downward in the direction of the backrest (4) and, in the rest position (D), points upward in the opposite direction.

11. The head restraint arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the bolt slide (50) can be displaced in the direction of a displacement plane (62) which, in the supporting position (C), is arranged lying approximately parallel to the guide plane (26), in a region situated between the guide plane (26) of the retaining rods (20, 22) and the axis of rotation (30).

12. A vehicle seat (2) comprising a lower seat surface part (6);

a backrest (4); and

a head restraint arrangement (8) comprising;

a head-supporting part (12) coupled to the backrest (4) via a retainer (10), configured to provide the head-supporting part (12) an operative position (A) above the backrest (4), and an inoperative position (B) with the retainer locked releasably in both positions, wherein the head-supporting part (12), in the inoperative position (B), firstly being lowered relative to the operative position (A) in the direction of the seat surface part (6) and, secondly, positioned in a region of a backrest front side (14) in front of the backrest (4), and

wherein the vehicle seat (2) can be transferred between an operative position, which is suitable for sitting, and an inoperative position, and it being possible for the seat surface part (6) to be folded over through approximately 180°

about a transverse axis (66), which is arranged in its front region away from the backrest (4), in such a manner that it lies with its lower side (70), which then points upward, approximately in a plane (72) with an adjacent loading floor of the vehicle, and it being possible, in the locked inoperative position (B) of the head-supporting part (12), for the backrest (4) to be folded over through approximately 90°

about a lower transverse axis (74) in the direction of the seat surface part (6), and it then lying with its rear surface (78) likewise approximately in the plane (72) of the loading floor.

13. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the backrest (4) with the head-supporting part (12) situated locked in the inoperative position (B) is accommodated, in the folded-over position of the backrest, in a receptacle of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein in the inoperative position, the upwardly pointing surfaces (70, 78) of the seat surface part (6) and backrest (4) merge flush in the plane 72 of the loading floor, with a small gap, between each other and in an adjacent surface region of the loading floor.

15. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12 configured for use as a spare seat in the rear region of the vehicle, in which the seat is oriented rearward with respect to the actual direction of vehicle travel.