Multimodal headrest for vehicle seat

• US 8,342,606 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Le Texier, Maxime, Leymat, Regis, Cecinas, Laurent, Duroch, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): WHITE, RODNEY BARNETT
• Application Number:
  US12/664,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 297/408
• US Class Current: 297/408
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/838 Tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0689 specially adapted for pilots
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A seat for a vehicle, that includes a headrest with a headstall for supporting the head of a passenger in the seat, wherein the occupant may or may not wear a protection helmet depending on the circumstances. The headstall can assume at least three stable positions: a first position for the cervical support of the head of the seat passenger in which the headrest provides a cervical support function with or without wearing a helmet; a second position for the occipital support of the head of the seat passenger in which the headrest provides an occipital support function without wearing a helmet; a third position for the occipital support of the head of the seat passenger in which the headrest provides an occipital support function while wearing a helmet.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, having a backrest on which a head restraint is fitted, said head restraint having a cushion for supporting the head of a seat occupant who may or may not be wearing a protective helmet,

wherein the cushion has at least three stable positions:

a first position for cervical support of the seat occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides cervical support whether or not a helmet is being worn,

a second position for occipital support of the seat occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides occipital support when a helmet is not being worn,

a third position for occipital support of the seat occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides occipital support when a helmet is being worn,

wherein the cushion is attached to a first, hollow rotary shaft, the axis of which coincides with a rotational axis of the cushion and which slides and revolves about a second, coaxial rotary shaft having ends fixed by two mutually parallel plates positioned laterally on an upper part of the seat backrest.

2. The seat according to claim 1, wherein the cushion has a first occipital support surface when the cushion is in the second or third position and a second cervical support surface when the cushion is in the first position.

3. The seat according to claim 2, wherein the position of the cushion is changed between the at least three stable positions by means of rotations about the rotational axis of the cushion, the positions of the support surfaces of the cushion in each of the at least three stable positions of said cushion being determined by:

positioning the rotational axis at a height with respect to the seat substantially between a hollow of the nape and an upper part of the nape of a pilot of generally average size,

positioning the first surface with respect to the rotational axis,

positioning the second surface with respect to the rotational axis.

4. The seat according to claim 3, wherein the cushion has two translational positions along the rotational axis:

a stable position in which the cushion is locked and an unstable position in which the cushion can rotate freely about the rotational axis.

5. The seat according to claim 1, wherein which the first rotary shaft has at one of its ends a first revolving component attached to said first rotary shaft and having at least one locking pin which engages in an aligned recess of a plurality of recesses made in at least one of the two mutually parallel plates, when the cushion is in a stable position.

6. The seat according to claim 1, further comprising spring means positioned around the second rotary shaft between an inner face of at least one of the two mutually parallel plates and an outer face of a second revolving component located at another end of the first rotary shaft, said spring means being compressed by pushing the cushion laterally in order to unlock said cushion.

7. A head restraint for a vehicle seat, having a cushion for supporting the head of a seat occupant, wherein the cushion has at least three stable positions:

a first position for cervical support of the occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides cervical support whether or not a helmet is being worn,

a second position for occipital support of the seat occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides occipital support when a helmet is not being worn,

a third position for occipital support of the seat occupant'"'"'s head, in which position the head restraint provides occipital support when a helmet is being worn,

wherein the cushion is attached to a first, hollow rotary shaft, the axis of which coincides with a rotational axis of the cushion and which slides and revolves about a second, coaxial rotary shaft having ends fixed by two mutually parallel plates arranged to be positioned laterally on an upper part of a backrest of the vehicle seat.