Active material actuated headrest assemblies

• US 7,594,697 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2008
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Browne, Alan L., Johnson, Nancy L., Ukpai, Ukpai I., Chernoff, Adrian B., Khoury, James Y., Glaser, Rainer A., Zavattieri, Pablo D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US12/210,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20090008973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 381 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/38 for the head adjustable coupled to reclining or easy chairs A47C1/036
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/806 movable or adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/865 providing a fore-and-aft movement with respect to the occupant's head
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/885 provided with side-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger

Abstract

A headrest assembly including active material drivenly coupled to a headrest component, such as for example, an interior frame member, bag, or gear device wherein the material is actuated upon receipt of an activation signal, and configured to morph, reposition, reduce the resistance of, change a modulus property of, or otherwise modify an engaging surface defined by the headrest when actuated, and autonomously restore the headrest upon the deactivation of the material.

Claims

1. A method of selectively reconfiguring a headrest extending from a seatback, the method comprising:

activating an active material with an activation signal, wherein the active material is in operative communication with a headrest surface located at a first position and defining a first modulus property, and the material is operable to undergo a reversible change in at least one physical or chemical property upon receipt of the activation signal; and

modifying the position or modulus property as a result of the change in the at least one property of the material,

autonomously restoring the surface or enabling the surface to be restored to the first position or the first modulus property by deactivating the material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the active material with the activation signal comprises continuously applying the activation signal to the active material and maintaining a change in at least one feature of the headrest surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the material property is selected from the group consisting essentially of shape, dimension, phase, shape orientation, stiffness, viscosity, shear strength and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the active material with the activation signal comprises applying a selected one of a thermal activation signal, an electric activation signal, a magnetic activation signal, a chemical activation signal, and a mechanical load.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising locking the headrest after changing said at least one property of the active material so as to hold the modification in position or modulus property, and unlocking the headrest so as to restore the position or modulus property after deactivating the active material.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the activation signal to change the at least one property in the active material in response to a sensor input, wherein the sensor input is a detected condition.