Actuator for crash activated head restraint

• US 8,727,437 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient US, LLC (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Michalak, Eric B., Laframboise, Gregg R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, PETER R
• Application Number:
  US12/492,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,789 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.12, 297/216.1, 297/284.11
• US Class Current: 297/216.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42781 mechanical triggering
• 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

Abstract

Vehicle-seat comprising a seat base, a seatback and a head restraint reduces the gap between the head of a seat occupant and the front side of the head restraint in case of a crash, the vehicle seat further comprising an actuator, which is located in the seat back, which comprises a deformable body, which deforms reversible under the force resulting from the rearward movement of body of the seat occupant during and/or after the rear crash, and which comprises a first and a second end, whereas at least one end, preferably both ends, is/are slideably supported in a basis, whereas the head restraint and the actuator are connected by a force transmitter, which transmits a force, resulting from the deformation of the deformable body from the actuator to the head restraint.

Claims

1. Vehicle-seat comprising a seat base, a seatback and a head restraint located at the upper end of the seatback, said head restraint being a crash activated head restraint, which reduces the gap between the head of a seat occupant and the front side of the head restraint in case of a rear crash, the vehicle seat further comprising an actuator, which is located in the seat back, which comprises a deformable body, which deforms elastically and reversibly under the force resulting from the rearward movement of a body of the seat occupant during and/or after the rear crash, and which comprises a first and a second end, wherein at least one end, is slideably supported in a basis, wherein the head restraint and the actuator are connected by a force transmitter, which transmits a force, resulting from the deformation of the deformable body from the actuator to the head restraint, wherein the deformable body is a plate, wherein plate has an initial shape that is generally convex from the first end to the second end, and wherein the plate is an elastically bended plate which is flattened during deformation and returns to the initial shape during or after the rear crash.

2. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second end of the deformable body are supported in slots in the basis.

3. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises springs, which pretension the deformable body into its initial shape prior to the rear crash.

4. Vehicle-seat according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second ends of the deformable body are slideably supported in the basis.

5. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the plate comprises at least one horizontally orientated attenuation.

6. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the plate comprises a stiffener.

7. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the first and the second end of the deformable body are supported in slots in the basis.

8. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the actuator comprises springs, which pretension the deformable body into its initial shape prior to the rear crash.

9. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the force transmitter is a Bowden cable.

10. Vehicle-seat according to claim 9, wherein an inner cable is connected to the first end and a hollow outer cable housing is connected to the second end.

11. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the entire head restraint is moved in case of a rear crash.

12. Vehicle-seat according to claim 4, wherein the head restraint comprise:

a support and a front side and wherein only the front side is moved in case of a rear crash.

13. Vehicle-seat according to claim 12, wherein the movement of the front side is a translation.

14. Vehicle-seat comprising:

a) a seat base;

b) a seat back; and

c) a head restraint located at the upper end of the seat back, said head restraint being a crash activated head restraint, which reduces the gap between the head of a seat occupant and the front side of the head restraint in case of a rear crash;

the vehicle seat further comprising;

an actuator, which is located in the seat back, which comprises a deformable body and one or more springs secured to at least one end of the deformable body,

wherein the deformable body deforms elastically and reversibly under a force resulting from a rearward movement of a body of the seat occupant during and/or after the rear crash, and which comprises a first and a second end,

wherein at least one end is slideably supported in a basis,

wherein the head restraint and the actuator are connected by a force transmitter, which transmits a force, resulting from the deformation of the deformable body from the actuator to the head restraint,

wherein the deformable body is a plate, and wherein the plate is a bended plate which is flattened during deformation.

15. Vehicle-seat according to claim 14, wherein the first and the second ends of the deformable body are slideably supported in the basis.

16. Vehicle-seat according to claim 15, wherein the one or more springs are separate tension springs secured to the first end of the deformable body and the second end of the deformable body.

17. Vehicle-seat according to claim 15, wherein the plate comprises least one horizontally orientated attenuation.

18. Vehicle-seat according to claim 15, wherein the plate comprises a stiffener.

19. Vehicle-seat according to claim 15, wherein the force transmitter is a Bowden cable.

20. Vehicle-seat according to claim 14, wherein the one or more springs pretension the deformable body into its initial shape prior to the rear crash.