Head rest device

• US 7,641,280 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sano, Koji, Uno, Koji, Terauchi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Edell; Joseph F
• Application Number:
  US11/148,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20060006709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/216.14
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/809 vertically slidable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest

Abstract

When a pressure receiving plate provided at a seat back moves to a rear side of a vehicle body when a vehicle is collided from behind, a Bowden cable transmits movement of the pressure receiving plate to a headrest ascending mechanism as a tensile load, thereby quickly ascending a headrest to reliably hold a head of an occupant. The Bowden cable transmits only the tensile load, and hence the Bowden cable is not buckled. Reduction in weight is made possible as compared with the case using a rod for transmitting a compression load. Since the Bowden cable is light, it is not required to unreasonably place the pressure receiving plate at a position near the headrest ascending mechanism for reduction in weight, and hence the pressure receiving plate can be placed at the optimal position where a sufficient driving force is obtained at the time of collision. Thus, a headrest is ascended with favorable responsiveness upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle while using a thin transmission member with low rigidity.

Claims

1. A method for raising a headrest upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a seat back assembly comprising;

a seat back, said seat back including a pressure receiving plate, a headrest ascending mechanism, a force transmitting device, and a headrest, said pressure receiving plate facing toward a back of an occupant and being adapted to move rearwardly upon by an inertia force during the rear-end collision of the vehicle, said headrest ascending mechanism ascendably supporting the headrest at an upper end of the seat back, said force transmitting device operably connecting the pressure receiving plate to the headrest ascending mechanism and being operable to cause the headrest ascending mechanism to raise the headrest when the pressure receiving plate moves to the rear side of the vehicle body;

upon experiencing the rear-end collision, moving the pressure receiving plate rearwardly;

transmitting said movement of the pressure receiving plate via the force transmitting device, to the headrest ascending mechanism as a tensile load;

raising the headrest by directly applying the tensile load in an upward direction on the headrest and thereby pulling the headrest into a raised position

wherein the force transmitting device is two Bowden cables, and wherein the Bowden cables extend upwardly from the pressure receiving plate through the seat back, and are then bent at a bend portion to extend downward to be connected to the headrest ascending mechanism, and

wherein the two Bowden cables intersect with one another at the bend portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Bowden cables extend upwardly from the receiving plate through a side frame of the seat back, and are then bent downward at a top portion of the seat back to be connected to the headrest ascending mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the two Bowden cables are connected to the headrest ascending mechanism with a lateral distance spaced therebetween.

4. A method for raising a headrest upon a rear-end collision of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing a seat back assembly comprising;

a seat back, said seat back including a pressure receiving plate, a headrest ascending mechanism, a force transmitting device, and a headrest, said pressure receiving plate facing toward a back of an occupant and being adapted to move rearwardly upon by an inertia force during the rear-end collision of the vehicle, said headrest ascending mechanism ascendably supporting the headrest at an upper end of the seat back, said force transmitting device operably connecting the pressure pressure receiving plate to the headrest ascending mechanism and being operable to cause the headrest ascending mechanism to raise the headrest when the pressure receiving plate moves to the rear side of the vehicle body;

upon experiencing the rear-end collision, moving the pressure receiving plate rearwardly;

transmitting said movement of the pressure receiving plate via the force transmitting device, to the headrest ascending mechanism as a tensile load;

raising the headrest by directly applying the tensile load in an upward direction on the headrest and thereby pulling the headrest into a raised position,

wherein the headrest ascending mechanism further includes a guide angled towards the front of the vehicle, such that when the headrest is raised, the headrest also moves in a horizontal direction toward the front of the vehicle.