Head rest control systems

• US 7,963,598 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Seiya, Matsubayashi, Kiyoka, Akaike, Fumitoshi, Moriyama, Tomokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr.; Milton
• Application Number:
  US11/792,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/216.1, 297/391, 297/217.3, 297/217.2, 701/45, 701/49
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0028 of a body part, e.g. of an arm or a leg
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/865 providing a fore-and-aft movement with respect to the occupant's head
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/888 with arrangements for protecting against abnormal g-forces, e.g. by displacement of the head-rest
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/12 Capacitive; Electric field

Abstract

It is one object of the present invention to provide a control for moving a head rest in response to a signal from a sensor detecting a distance between the head rest and a head of a passenger, in which even if the head of the passenger moves within a predetermined range, the head rest can be prevented from moving depending on the motion of the head of the passenger so as to remove discomfort for the passenger.

Therefore, the present invention has a construction as follows.

A head rest control system in which a head rest of a seat of a vehicle is constructed to be moved back and forth by a head rest moving mechanism may include a sensor detecting a distance between the head rest and a head of a passenger, and a control device controllably actuating the head rest moving mechanism. The control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism when the distance between the head rest and the head detected by the sensor is outside of a proper range of clearance in which it is possible to deal with a back-side collision of the vehicle, thereby moving the head rest to a proper position in which it is possible to deal with the back-side collision of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A head rest control system in which a head rest of a seat of a vehicle is constructed to be moved back and forth by a head rest moving mechanism, comprising:

a sensor detecting a distance between the head rest and a head of a passenger;

a control device controllably actuating the head rest moving mechanism, and

a collision prediction sensor that can detect prediction of the collision,

wherein the control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism so as to move the head rest forwardly or backwardly when the distance between the head rest and the head detected by the sensor is outside of a predetermined proper range of clearance for a back-side collision of the vehicle, thereby moving the head rest to a proper position for the back-side collision of the vehicle,

wherein a period of time before the back-side collision of the vehicle is determined, and wherein the control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism only in the period of time, thereby moving the head rest to the proper position, and

wherein the control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism in response to a signal from the collision prediction sensor, thereby moving the head rest to an optimal position where the head rest is positioned closer to the head of the passenger than in the proper position for the back-side collision of the vehicle and where a clearance is left between the head rest and the head of the passenger.

2. The head rest control system as defined in claim 1, wherein the control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism when the distance between the head rest and the head detected by the sensor is continuously outside of the proper range for a predetermined time, thereby moving the head rest to the proper position.

3. The head rest control system as defined in claim 2, wherein the control device is constructed to actuate the head rest moving mechanism when data for actuating the head rest moving mechanism is obtained for predetermined number of times within a predetermined time by comparing a value detected by the sensor and a predetermined value.