Chairs and seats – Headrest – Adjustable rectilinearly vertically
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2001-09-18
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Headrest
Adjustable rectilinearly vertically
C297S483000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290299
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application claims priority of DE 198 57 387.1-16, filed Dec. 12, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an arrangement for coupling the vertical position of a headrest assigned to a backrest of a motor vehicle seat with the withdrawal and retraction movement of a seat belt system with a belt retractor. More particularly, the present invention relates to an arrangement in which when the seat belt is put on by a vehicle occupant sitting in the vehicle seat, into a movement of the headrest from a lower inoperative position into an upwardly displaced operative position and, when the seat belt is taken off, into an opposite movement of the headrest back into the inoperative position, and the arrangement comprising a locking unit by means of which the headrest can be fixed in its operative position.
An arrangement is described in DE 38 07 928 C2, in which, when an occupant sitting in the motor vehicle seat puts on a seat belt, the withdrawal movement of a belt strap is transformed into a movement of the headrest from an inoperative position into an operative position displaced in the upward direction. Correspondingly, when the seat belt is taken off, the retraction movement of the belt strap is transformed into an opposite movement of the headrest back into the inoperative position. The arrangement is suitable particularly for vehicle seats in the rear of an occupant compartment because, when the seat in unoccupied, the headrest is in the bottom operating position and therefore allows the driver of the motor vehicle an unimpaired view to the rear over the unoccupied seats.
In the backrest of the known vehicle seat, a gearing is provided which transforms the rotating movement of a retractor during the withdrawal movement and the retraction movement of the belt strap into an adjusting movement of the headrest approximately in the longitudinal direction of the backrest. For this purpose, the rotating movement of the retractor is transmitted by way of an adjusting shaft to a driving pinion which, in the lower operating position of the headrest, engages with a serrated strip arranged on a guide rod of the headrest.
In addition, the adjusting shaft actuates a locking member by way of which the headrest can be locked in the operative position. For this purpose, the locking member comprises a locking bolt which interacts with a locking recess in the guide rod of the headrest. As soon as, in the course of the withdrawal movement of the seat belt, while the belt is approximately half pulled out, the headrest has reached its upper operative position, the locking bolt slides into the locking recess in the guide rod and slightly lifts the guide rod so that the serrated strip disengages from the driving pinion. As a result, the headrest is locked at the height pinion. As a result, the headrest is locked at the height predetermined by the locking recess. When the seat belt is taken off, the locking bolt interacts with the locking recess such that the serrated strip engages again with the driving pinion and the headrest can therefore be changed back into the inoperative position.
Another known arrangement is described in DE 30 20 558 C2, in which, when the seat belt is put on and taken off, the vehicle occupant sitting in the motor vehicle seat transforms the withdrawal or retraction movement of the belt strap into a swivelling movement of the headrest from a lower deposited position into an upper operative position. For this purpose, for example, by way of a buckle latch of the seat belt introduced at the end of buckling operation into a belt buckle, a circuit is closed, and the headrest is swivelled upward by an electric gearing connected to the circuit. In the operative position, the headrest is secured in a defined position a brake assigned to the geared motor. When the buckle latch is unlatched, a reversed control of the geared motor and a return of the headrest into the deposited position takes place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement which permits an improved adjustment of the headrest with respect to a vehicle occupant's individual requirements.
According to the present invention, this object has achieved by an arrangement in which starting from the operative position, the headrest can be displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the backrest and can be lockable in a desired adjusted position.
The arrangement according to the present invention allows the headrest which, after the seat belt was put on, to be displaced upward into the operative position and to be locked by the locking unit. The headrest is vertically slidable starting from its operative position, with respect to the backrest and can be locked in the respective adjusted position. The vertical position of the headrest can advantageously be adapted to the position of the head of the vehicle occupant who sat down in the seat and has buckled the seat belt. As the result of this measure, the fact can be taken into account that, in the event of an accident, the headrest adjusted to the correct height can enormously contribute to the victim's chance of surviving such an accident without serious injury to his neck region. Simultaneously, a headrest set to the correct height will protect the head from pieces of luggage which, in the event of an impact, may be thrown from the rear toward the front.
Thus, the translational movement of the headrest from the inoperative position into the operative position approximately in the longitudinal direction of the backrest has been found to be particularly advantageous because the headrest can be changed into the operative position along the shortest path and relatively little space is required during the sliding of the headrest.
By virtue of a lifting slide carriage coupled with the belt strap with respect to the movements, the headrest can be moved corresponding to the lower and upper position of the lifting slide carriage, between the inoperative and the operative position and can be locked therein. By way of the headrest receiving device, the headrest can be vertically slid in a simple manner with respect to its distance from the lifting slide carriage and can be locked in the adjusted position, whereby the lifting slide carriage in its upper position is releasably locked on the backrest.
As a further aspect of the invention, when the belt buckle is unlocked, the lifting slide carriage is simultaneously released again from its locked upper position and a simple possibility is therefore provided of moving the headrest, from the beginning of the retraction movement, when the seat belt is taken off, back into the inoperative position.
It has been found to be particularly advantageous for the distance between the lifting slide carriage and the headrest to be constant during its movement from the inoperative position into the operative position and back from the operative position. Thus, a vehicle occupant who sits down several times successively in the same seat does not have to newly adjust his optimal operative position of the headrest.
As a yet further development of the invention, a gear unit which couples the withdrawal or retraction movement of the belt strap with the movement of the lifting slide carriage and has a frictional wheel unit was found to require particularly little servicing and be reasonable in cost.
Finally, it has been found to be particularly advantageous to uncouple, when its inoperative position has been reached, the movement of the headrest from the retraction movement of the belt strap, via a free wheel, whereby less force must be applied by the automatic retractor for retracting the residual belt strap.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4285545 (1981-08-01), Protze
patent: 5330228 (1994-07-01), Krebs et al.
patent: 5390982 (1995-02-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5658048 (1997-08-01), Nemoto
patent: 3807928 (1991-07-01), None
patent: 3020558 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 197 04 571 (1998-06-01), None
patent: 19
Frisch Arnulf
Jacob Wolfgang
Janner Hans
Mack Gerhard
Crowell & Moring , L.L.P.
Daimler-Chrysler AG
Jr. Milton Nelson
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