Headrest height adjustment device

• US 7,226,124 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Mori, Masatoshi, Hattori, Takemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US11/101,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 297/61, 297/410, 297/344.1, 297/391, 745/35, 745/022, 744/89
• US Class Current: 297/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/821 with continuous positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors

Abstract

A headrest height adjustment device includes a base member fixed on a seatback of a seat body, a pulley rotatably supported by the base member, the pulley being rotatable in a first direction by unwinding a first end of a rope member wound around the pulley and winding a second end of the rope member in conjunction with sliding movement of the seat body, and the pulley being rotatable in a second direction by winding the first end of a rope member and unwinding the second end of the rope member in conjunction with sliding movement, a rotational arm rotatably supported by the base member and rotated by the pulley by a rotation transmission member, and a conversion member engaged with the rotational arm for operating a headrest in an upward or downward direction by converting rotational movement of the rotational arm into linear movement.

Claims

1. A headrest height adjustment device, comprising:

a base member;

a pulley rotatably supported by the base member, the pulley being rotatable in a first direction by unwinding a first end of a rope member wound around the pulley and by winding a second end of the rope member in conjunction with sliding movement of a seat body either in a forward or rearward direction, and the pulley being rotatable in a second direction by winding the first end of the rope member wound around the pulley and unwinding the second end of the rope member in conjunction with sliding movement of the seat body;

a rotational arm rotatably supported by the base member and rotated by the pulley through a rotation transmission member; and

a conversion member engaged with the rotational arm for operating a headrest in an upward or downward direction by converting rotational movement of the rotational arm into linear movement.

2. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation transmission member includes a driving gear serving as a rotational shaft of the pulley;

and

a driven gear fixed on the rotational arm and engaged by being geared with the driving gear.

3. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a lever including a cam bore into which the driving gear is inserted, the lever for holding engagement between the driving gear and the driven gear by guiding the driving gear by the cam bore, and for moving the driving gear into a state where the engagement between the driving gear and the driven gear is disengaged by guiding the driving gear by the cam bore by means of external force;

wherein

the driving gear is supported by the base member at a long bore at which the driving gear is allowed to move between a state where the driving gear is engaged with the driven gear and a state where the driving gear is disengaged from the driven gear.

4. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a biasing means for generating biasing force for holding the engagement between the driving gear and the driven gear by guiding the driving gear by the cam bore relative to the lever.

5. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 2, wherein the driven gear includes a fan shaped gear;

and further comprises

a switching member for idly operating the driving gear when the driving gear further rotates beyond a very end portion of a gear portion of the fan shaped gear, and for establishing engagement between the driving gear and the fan shaped gear when the driving gear rotates in a reverse direction.

6. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 3, wherein the driven gear includes a fan shaped gear;

and further comprises

a switching member for idly operating the driving gear when the driving gear further rotates beyond a very end portion of a gear portion of the fan shaped gear, and for establishing engagement between the driving gear and the fan shaped gear when the driving gear rotates in a reverse direction.

7. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 4, wherein the driven gear includes a fan shaped gear;

and further comprises

a switching member for idly operating the driving gear when the driving gear further rotates beyond a very end portion of a gear portion of the fan shaped gear, and for establishing engagement between the driving gear and the fan shaped gear when the driving gear rotates in a reverse direction.

8. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the rope member is a double piped cable for operating the headrest in an upward direction and a double piped cable for operating the headrest in a downward direction.

9. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 8, wherein the double piped cable for operating the headrest in the upward direction and the double piped cable for operating the headrest in the downward direction respectively extend from a first side and a second side of a headrest operating mechanism.

10. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 8, wherein the headrest adjustment device is mounted on a seatback of a seat body, with the seat body being supported on a first upper rail that is slidably supported on a first lower rail;

wherein a cable end of the cable for operating the headrest in the upward direction is fixed on an exterior surface of the first upper rail and an end of an inner wire protruding from a tip of the cable end is fixed on an exterior surface of the first lower rail.

11. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 10, wherein the end of the inner wire is positioned closer to a front of the vehicle than to the cable end.

12. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 11, wherein the cable for operating the headrest in the upward direction extends from the first upper rail to a second lower arm in a longitudinal direction of a connection rod, and further extends in the longitudinal direction of a second side frame.

13. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 12, wherein the cable end of the cable for operating the headrest in the upward direction is connected to a headrest operating mechanism.

14. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 8, wherein the seat body is also supported on a second upper rail that is slidably supported on a second lower rail;

wherein a cable end of the cable for operating the headrest in the downward direction is fixed on an exterior surface of the second upper rail and an end of an inner wire protruding from an end of the cable end is fixed on an exterior surface of the second lower rail.

15. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 14, wherein the end of the inner wire is positioned so as to be further to the rear of the vehicle than the cable end.

16. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 15, wherein the cable for operating the headrest in the downward direction extends from the second upper rail to a first lower arm, and further extends in a longitudinal direction of a first side frame.

17. The headrest height adjustment device according to claim 16, wherein the cable end of the cable for operating the headrest in the downward direction is connected to a headrest operating mechanism.

18. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat body comprising a seatback frame and a seat cushion frame; and

a headrest adjustment device mounted on the seat body, the headrest adjustment device comprising;

a base member fixed at the seatback frame;

a pulley rotatably supported by the base member, the pulley being rotatable in a first direction by unwinding a first end of a rope member wound around the pulley and winding a second end of the rope member around the pulley in conjunction with sliding movement of the seat body either in a forward or rearward direction, and the pulley being rotatable in a second direction by winding the first end of the rope member around the pulley and unwinding the second end of the rope member from the pulley in conjunction with sliding movement of the seat body;

a rotational arm rotatably supported by the base member and rotated by the pulley through a rotation transmission member; and

a conversion member engaged with the rotational arm for operating a headrest in an upward or downward direction by converting rotational movement of the rotational arm into linear movement.

19. The vehicle seat according to claim 18, wherein the seat body is supported on a first upper rail slidably supported on a first lower rail and a second upper rail slidably supported on a second lower rail, the rope member comprising a first cable for operating the headrest in an upward direction with an inner wire having an end protruding outwardly beyond an end of the first cable, and a second cable for operating the headrest in a downward direction with an inner wire protruding outwardly beyond an end of the second cable.

20. The vehicle seat according to claim 19, wherein the end of the first cable is fixed on an exterior surface of the first upper rail and the end of the inner wire protruding outwardly beyond the end of the first cable is fixed on an exterior surface of the first lower rail, and wherein the end of the second cable is fixed on an exterior surface of the second upper rail and the end of the inner wire protruding outwardly beyond the end of the second cable is fixed on an exterior surface of the second lower rail.