Chairs and seats – Headrest – Adjustable rectilinearly vertically
Patent
1998-11-23
2000-05-16
Brown, Peter R.
Chairs and seats
Headrest
Adjustable rectilinearly vertically
A47C 738, B60N 248
Patent
active
060626445
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to seat headrests and particularly such headrests which are adjustable so as to alter the position of elevation relative to the seat base. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with particular reference to vehicle seats, but it is to be understood that the invention has wider application.
Variation in the elevation of an adjustable headrest may be achieved manually or by drive means connected to an appropriate power source. Vehicle manufacturers sometimes offer power driven headrests as an option, in which event the seat assembly must be able to accept either a manually adjustable headrest or a power driven headrest, or it must be adaptable to permit adoption of either of those forms of headrest.
In the case of power driven headrests it is quite common to locate the drive system within the seat backrest. It is therefore necessary for the vehicle manufacturer to provide different seat backrests for the manually adjustable headrest and the power driven headrest options respectively, and that naturally adds to the cost of vehicle manufacture. There is also the difficulty of hiding unsightly power leads in the power driven headrest option, and that generally requires the provision of cosmetic covers which again add to the manufacturing cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved power driven headrest system which is of relatively simple form and which overcomes or minimises the problems referred to above. It is a further object of the invention to provide a power driven headrest which can be associated with the same seat backrest as that used for a manually adjustable headrest system. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a relatively simple electrically powered headrest adjustment system.
Adjustable headrests are commonly connected to the seat backrest through at least one support post. A headrest adjusting system according to the invention is characterised in that the support post, or at least part of that post, forms or carries an electrical conductor through which power from a battery or other power source is connected to the drive mechanism for the headrest. It will usually be the case that the drive mechanism includes a motor which must be connected to the power source in order to energise the drive mechanism. In such an arrangement the headrest support post will form part of the electrical circuit between the power source and the motor. In a preferred arrangement the headrest is supported by two posts and each forms a respective part of the electrical circuit.
The drive mechanism of the adjustment system may be contained within the headrest rather than the backrest as in some of the prior arrangements. Containment of the drive mechanism in the headrest maximises the possibility of using the same seat backrest with either a manually adjustable headrest or a power driven headrest. In addition it avoids difficulties which can be encountered in attempting to locate the drive mechanism in the limited space available in some backrests. One of the most convenient locations for the mechanism within the backrest needs to be resilient for user comfort, but manufacturers are sometimes driven to place the mechanism in that location and thereby reduce resilience and user comfort because a more acceptable option is not available.
It is preferred that the drive mechanism includes a rotatable screw threaded spindle which is drivably connected to the electric motor. Both the motor and the spindle may be mounted on a base of the headrest, and the spindle is preferably arranged to extend generally in the axial direction of the support post. The drive connection between the spindle and the motor is preferably formed by a worm drive which is also mounted on the headrest base. With such an arrangement adjustment of the headrest elevation is achieved by rotation of the spindle within a cooperative screw threaded nut which is secured to the support post against movement relative thereto.
According to a further aspect of the invention there is
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patent: 5110185 (1992-05-01), Schmutz et al.
patent: 5131720 (1992-07-01), Nemoto
patent: 5222784 (1993-06-01), Hamelin
patent: 5330228 (1994-07-01), Krebs et al.
patent: 5433508 (1995-07-01), Akima et al.
patent: 5836651 (1998-11-01), Szerdahelyi et al.
Brown Peter R.
Henderson's Industries Pty. Ltd.
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