Installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat

• US 4,645,233 A
• Filed: 08/17/1984
• Issued: 02/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kurt Bruse
• Original Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Company KG Hallstadt (Brose), Kurt Bruse
• Inventors: Bruse, Kurt, Becker, Herbert, Jurgens, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Love, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weaver, Ross
• Application Number:
  US06/641,857
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 280/808, 280/751, 280/753, 297/410, 297/391
• US Class Current: 280/801.2
• 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 2/829 characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/838 Tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/208 by automatic or remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/201 with the belt anchor connected to a slider movable in a vehicle-mounted track for passive restraint systems B60R22/06

Abstract

An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, especially of a motor vehicle seat, by means of a motor mounted in or at the vehicle seat, in which a sensor is provided that detects the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat in the normal position and controls the motor for the height adjustment of the headrest in accordance with the detection results.

Claims

1. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein the sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged in the vehicle in front of a person seated on the vehicle seat in the usual position, a reflecting surface in the upper area of the front side of the headrest, and a light-receiver means arranged in the vehicle in front of the person, on which light transmitted by the light-emitter onto the reflecting surface is able to impinge.

2. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein the sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged within the area of the front side of the headrest and a light-receiver means arranged within the area of the front side of the headrest, light emitted from the light-emitter means and reflected by the person seated on the vehicle seat being received by said light-receiver means.

3. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein said sensor means includes light-emitter means arranged in the upper area of the forward side of the headrest and a light-receiver means arranged in the upper area of the forward side of the headrest and operable to receive the light transmitted by said light-emitter means to the head of the person seated on the vehicle and reflected thereat.

4. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a saftety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein said sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged in the lower area of the front side of the headrest and a light receiver means arranged in the lower area of the front side of the headrest, said light-receiver means being operable to receive light transmitted from said light-emitter means to the shoulder of a person seated on the vehicle seat and reflected thereat.

5. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein said sensor means includes a distance measuring means arranged above the normal head or shoulder position of a person seated on the vehicle seat which detects the height of the head respectively shoulder of a person seated on the vehicle seat.

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein said distance measuring means is an ultrasonic distance measuring device.

7. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a saftety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein said sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged in the vehicle in front of a person seated in the usual position on the vehicle seat and a light-receiver means operable to receive light reflected from one eye of the person.

8. An installation according to claim 7, wherein said light-emitter means includes a rotating mirror operable to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis.

9. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, wherein said sensor means includes a pyroelectric detector means arranged in the upper area of the front side of the headrest.

10. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, including a safety belt adapted to be anchored and adjustable in height to the shoulder height of the person seated on the vehicle seat by means of a further motor means, the sensor means being additionally operable to control the further motor means for the height adjustment of the anchoring place of the safety belt, further comprising a switching circuit means including switch means for engaging the sensor means, said switch means being automatically actuated by a vehicle ready for a driving operation and a person seated on the vehicle seat ready for starting to drive.

11. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein the sensor means includes a light-emitter means aranged in the vehicle in front of a person seated on the vehicle seat in the usual positon, a reflecting surface in the upper area of the front side of the headrest, and a light-receiver means arranged in the vehicle in front of the person, on which light transmitted by the light-emitter onto the reflecting surface is able to impinge.

12. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein the sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged within the area of the front side of the headrest and a light-receiver means arranged within the area of the front side of the headrest, light emitted from the light-emitter means and reflected by the person seated on the vehicle seat being received by said light-receiver means.

13. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein said sensor means includes light-emitter means arranged in the upper area of the forward side of the headrest and a light-receiver means arranged in the upper area of the forward side of the headrest and operable to receive the light transmitted by said light-emitter means to the head of the person seated on the vehicle and reflected thereat.

14. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein said sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged in the lower area of the front side of the headrest and a light-receiver means arranged in the lower area of the front side of the headrest, said light-receiver means being operable to receive light transmitted from said light-emitter means to the shoulder of a person seated on the vehicle seat and reflected thereat.

15. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vechicle seat, comprising motor means mounted on the vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein said sensor means includes a distance measuring means arranged above the normal head or shoulder position of a person seated on the vehicle seat which detects the height of the head respectively shoulder of a person seated on the vehicle seat.

16. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein said sensor means includes a light-emitter means arranged in the vehicle in front of a person seated in the ususal position on the vehicle seat and a light-receiver means operable to receive light reflected from one eye of the person.

17. An installation according to claim 16, wherein said light-emitter means includes a rotating mirror operable to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis.

18. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, wherein said sensor means includes a pyroelectric detector means arranged in the upper area of the front side of the headrest.

19. An installation for the adjustment of the height of a headrest of a vehicle seat, sensor means operable to detect the seating height of a person seated on the vehicle seat and automatically controlling the motor means in accordance with the detection results, further comprising a switching circuit means including switch means for engaging the sensor means, said switch means being automatically actuated by a vehicle ready for a driving operation and a person seated on the vehicle seat ready for starting to drive.