Expandable crash-active neck rest

• US 7,284,793 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITW Automotive Products GmbH & Co. K.G. (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITW Automotive Products GmbH & Co. K.G. (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Fischer, Gerd, Albracht, Carsten, Klühspies, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham; Tania
• Application Number:
  US11/086,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20050225144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/391, 297/408
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/862 with means for maintaining a desired position when the seat-back is adjusted, e.g. parallelogram mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

A neck rest for a seat of an automobile has a neck rest body which includes a neck rest cushion and at least two neck rest rods connected with the neck rest body, the neck rest rods being accommodated in the back rest of the seat. Each of the neck rest rod has a support portion attached thereto. The neck rest body includes a housing which has a front wall and a rear wall, the cushion being attached to an outer side of the front wall and the rear wall, with the support portion being located in the housing between the front and the rear walls. The housing is moveable between a basic position and an extended position.

Claims

1. A neck rest for a seat of an automobile, said neck rest comprising:

a neck rest body which includes a neck rest cushion; and

at least two neck rest rods connected with the neck rest body, the neck rest rods adapted to be accommodated in a back rest of the seat and each of said neck rest rods having a support portion attached thereto, wherein

the neck rest body comprises

a housing which has a front wall and a rear wall, the cushion being attached to a front side of the front wall and the rear wall, the support portion being located in the housing between the front and rear walls, the housing being moveable between a basic position wherein the support portion is adjacent to an inner side of the front wall, and an extended position wherein the support portion is remote from the front wall,

a linkage adapted to link the support portion or the neck rest rods, respectively, and the front wall,

a spring arrangement biasing the linkage or the housing, respectively, towards the extended position,

a releasable locking element adapted to lock the housing or the linkage, respectively, in the basic position,

a releasing element which upon actuation releases the locking element whereby the housing is moved from the basic position to the extended position,

a releasable strut element which forms an abutment for the housing and the linkage in the extended position; and

the linkage comprises a pivoting lever and a strut lever which are linked to each other between their upper and lower ends, the pivoting lever is linked to the support portion or the neck rest rods, respectively, with its upper end and to the housing with its lower end, the strut lever with its upper end supports the housing vertically and with its lower end is supported on a supporting surface when the housing is in the extended position;

the pivoting lever at its lower end has a bearing rod, said bearing rod having ends protruding beyond the pivoting lever, the ends being accommodated by bearing openings of the housing; and

the bearing rod extends over a central recess of the pivoting lever, and a locking lever pivotally supported by the support portion cooperating with the bearing rod in the recess.

2. The neck rest of claim 1, wherein the support portion includes a support plate between the neck rest rods.

3. The neck rest of claim 1, wherein the pivoting lever is biased by a leaf spring towards the extended position.

4. The neck rest of claim 3, wherein the strut lever is biased towards the extended position by a crew spring on a pivoting axis of said strut lever.

5. The neck rest of claim 1, wherein the pivoting lever is linked to a guide rod of the neck rest rod.

6. The neck rest of claim 1, wherein the locking lever is maintained in the locking position by a pin of an electromagnet mounted to the support portion.

7. The neck rest of claim 1, wherein the upper end of the strut lever has a guide rod which cooperates with an elongated hole in an interior of the housing, and wherein a plurality of saw teeth in the elongated hole and a plurality of support steps are arranged relative to each other such that the strut lever engages one support step when the guide rod is in a space between adjacent saw teeth.

8. A neck rest for a seat of an automobile, said neck rest comprising:

a neck rest body having a neck rest cushion; and

at least two neck rest rods, said neck rest rods adapted to be connected to the neck rest body and said each neck rest rod comprising a support portion, wherein

the neck rest body comprises a housing having a front wall and a rear wall, the cushion being attached to an outer side of the front wall and the rear wall;

said support portions being located in the housing between the front and the rear walls;

the housing being moveable between a basic position wherein the support portion is adjacent to an inner side of the front wall, and an extended position wherein the support portion is remote from the front wall;

a linkage linking the support portion or the neck rest rods and the front wall, respectively;

a spring arrangement biasing the linkage or the housing, respectively, towards the extended position;

a releasable locking element adapted to lock the housing or the linkage, respectively, in the basic position,

a releasing element which upon actuation is adapted to release the locking element thereby moving the housing from the basic position to the extended position;

a releasable strut element adapted to form an abutment for the housing and the linkage in the extended position,

wherein the linkage comprises a pivoting lever and a strut lever, said pivoting lever and strut lever linked to each other between their upper and lower ends, the pivoting lever is linked to the support portion or the neck rest rods, respectively, with its upper end and linked to the housing with its lower end, the strut lever with its upper end supports the housing vertically and its lower end is supported on a supporting surface when the housing is in the extended position; and

the upper end of the strut lever has a guide rod which cooperates with an elongated hole in an interior of the housing.

9. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the housing is open at a lower end thereof and is moveable around the support portion and the upper ends of the rods.

10. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the linkage is formed such that the housing upon its movement to the extended position is also moved upwardly.

11. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the strut lever is biased towards the extended position by a crew spring on a pivoting axis of said strut lever.

12. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the pivoting lever at the lower end has a horizontal bearing rod, the ends thereof protruding beyond the pivoting lever and, being accommodated by bearing openings of the housing.

13. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the support portion has a plurality of vertically arranged stop steps adapted to support the lower end of the strut lever in an intermediate position between the basic and the extended positions.

14. The neck rest of claim 13, wherein a wall of the elongated hole facing the front wall is shaped as saw teeth.

15. The neck rest of claim 14, wherein the saw teeth in the elongated hole and the stop steps are arranged relative to each other such that the strut lever engages one stop step when the guide rod is in a space between adjacent saw teeth.

16. The neck rest of claim 15, wherein the guide rod is manually adjustable to engage a desired one of the saw teeth according to a user'"'"'s requirement.

17. The neck rest of claim 8, wherein the support portion includes a support plate between the neck rest rods.

18. A neck rest for a seat of an automobile, said neck rest comprising:

a neck rest body having a neck rest cushion; and

at least two neck rest rods, said neck rest rods adapted to be connected to the neck rest body and said each neck rest rod comprising a support portion, wherein

the neck rest body comprises a housing having a front wall and a rear wall, the cushion being attached to an outer side of the front wall and the rear wall;

said support portions being located in the housing between the front and the rear walls;

the housing being moveable between a basic position wherein the support portion is adjacent to an inner side of the front wall, and an extended position wherein the support portion is remote from the front wall;

a linkage linking the support portion or the neck rest rods and the front wall, respectively;

a spring arrangement biasing the linkage or the housing, respectively, towards the extended position;

a releasable locking element adapted to lock the housing or the linkage, respectively, in the basic position,

a releasing element which upon actuation is adapted to release the locking element thereby moving the housing from the basic position to the extended position;

a releasable strut element adapted to form an abutment for the housing and the linkage in the extended position,

wherein the linkage comprises a pivoting lever and a strut lever, said pivoting lever and strut lever linked to each other between their upper and lower ends, the pivoting lever is linked to the support portion or the neck rest rods, respectively, with its upper end and linked to the housing with its lower end, the strut lever with its upper end supports the housing vertically and its lower end is supported on a supporting surface when the housing is in the extended position; and

said pivoting lever is directly, pivotally coupled to the strut lever at a pivot point located between the upper and lower ends of each of said pivoting and strut levers.

19. The neck rest of claim 18, wherein the upper end of the strut lever has a guide rod which cooperates with an elongated hole in an interior of the housing, and wherein a plurality of saw teeth in the elongated hole and a plurality of support steps are arranged relative to each other such that the strut lever engages one support step when the guide rod is in a space between adjacent saw teeth.