Head rests

• US 20060279114A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Moriyama, Tomokazu, Toda, Shigeyoshi, Aoki, Koji, Nishimura, Seiya, Matsubayashi, Kiyoka, Akaike, Fumitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.120
• 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 head rest of a vehicle seat may include a head support portion for supporting a head of a passenger, and a drive unit for moving the head support portion. The drive unit has a moving mechanism that is arranged and constructed to move the head support portion toward and away from the passenger head, an actuator for actuating the moving mechanism, a load detecting device that can detect a load applied to the actuator and generate a control signal representative of the detected load, and a controller that can control the actuator so as to control the moving mechanism The controller controls the moving mechanism so as to move the head support portion toward the passenger head. The controller controls the moving mechanism based on the control signal so as to stop the motion of the head support portion.

Claims

1. A bead rest of a vehicle seat, comprising:

a head support portion for supporting a head of a passenger; and

a drive unit for moving the head support portion, the drive unit having a moving mechanism that is arranged and constructed to move the head support portion toward and away from the passenger head, an actuator for actuating the moving mechanism, a load detecting device that can detect a load applied to the actuator and generate a control signal representative of the detected load, and a controller that can control the actuator so as to control the moving mechanism,

wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism so as to move the head support portion toward the passenger head, and wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism based on the control signal so as to stop the motion of the head support portion.

2. The head rest as defined in claim 1, wherein the controller controls the moving mechanism so as to move the head support portion away from the passenger head over a desired distance after the head support portion is stopped.

3. The head rest as defined in claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a drive motor, and wherein the control signal comprises a signal corresponding to a rotational speed of the drive motor.