Seat assembly having a headrest and method of assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9731637-B2
Application number	US-201514827777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2015
Priority date	Aug 17, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A seat assembly having a headrest and a method of assembly. The headrest may be pivotally disposed on a support post and may have a support plate. The support plate may have first and second walls that have first and second holes, respectively, that may be disposed along the axis and that may receive the support post.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat assembly comprising:
a seat back;
a support post that extends from the seat back;
a headrest that is pivotally disposed on the support post and has a unitary support plate that includes:
an upper plate portion having an upper surface;
a first wall that extends from the upper surface and has a first hole disposed along an axis; and
a second wall that extends from the upper surface and has a second hole disposed along the axis, wherein the first wall is spaced apart from the second wall and is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the second wall;

wherein the support post extends through the first hole and the second hole and the headrest pivots about the support post and the axis.

2. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the first hole and the second hole are elliptical.

3. The seat assembly of claim 1 further comprising a connecting wall that extends from the upper surface and away from the seat back, wherein the first wall and the second wall extend from opposite ends of the connecting wall.

4. The seat assembly of claim 3 wherein the first wall and the second wall extend from the connecting wall such that the first wall and the second wall become further apart in a direction that extends away from the connecting wall and through the axis.

5. The seat assembly of claim 3 wherein the connecting wall at least partially defines a rear surface of the support plate.

6. The seat assembly of claim 5 wherein the support plate further comprises a first slot and a second slot that both extend through the support plate and that are both open at the rear surface, wherein the support post extends through the first slot and the second slot.

7. The seat assembly of claim 6 further comprising a biasing member that extends around the support post, wherein the biasing member has a first arm that is disposed proximate the support post and a second arm that is disposed opposite the first arm, wherein the second arm extends across the first slot and engages the support plate such that the second arm stops rotation of the support plate about the axis when the support post engages the second arm.

8. The seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the first wall and the second wall are spaced apart from each other and extend from the upper surface such that the first wall and the second wall become further apart in a direction that extends away from the upper surface and toward the axis.

9. The seat assembly of claim 8 wherein the first hole and the second hole are elliptical with respect to the axis.

10. The seat assembly of claim 8 wherein the support plate includes a first side wall and a second side wall disposed opposite the first side wall, wherein the first side wall has a first side wall slot and the second side wall has a second side wall slot that is disposed opposite the first side wall slot, wherein the axis extends through the first side wall slot and the second side wall slot.

11. The seat assembly of claim 10 wherein the upper plate portion has a first slot and a second slot that both extend through the upper plate portion such that the first slot extends to the first side wall slot and the second slot extends to the second side wall slot, wherein legs of the support post extend through the first slot and the second slot.

12. The seat assembly of claim 8 wherein the first wall is disposed in a first plane and the first hole is an ellipse in the first plane.

13. The seat assembly of claim 8 wherein the first wall has a first wall surface, a second wall surface disposed opposite the first wall surface, and a first hole surface, wherein the first hole surface extends from the first wall surface to the second wall surface and defines the first hole, wherein the first hole surface is disposed at a substantially constant radial distance from the axis and is disposed in a non-perpendicular relationship with the first wall surface and the second wall surface.

14. A head restraint assembly comprising:
a support post adapted for insertion into a seat back;
a headrest that is pivotally disposed on the support post and has a support plate that includes:
an upper plate portion having an upper surface;
a first wall that extends from the upper surface and has a first hole disposed along an axis; and
a second wall that extends from the upper surface and has a second hole disposed along the axis, wherein the first hole and the second hole are elliptical;

wherein the support post extends through the first hole and the second hole and the headrest pivots about the support post and the axis.

15. The head restraint assembly of claim 14 wherein the first wall is spaced apart from the second wall and is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the second wall.

16. A method of assembling a seat assembly comprising:
providing a headrest that has a support plate that has a first wall and a second wall that both extend from an upper surface of the support plate, wherein the first wall has a first hole disposed along an axis and the second wall has a second hole that is disposed along the axis;
inserting a first leg of a support post through the first hole and the second hole;
positioning the support post such that a bend of the support post that extends between the first leg and a connecting portion of the support post passes through the first hole and then the second hole; and
positioning the connecting portion along the axis.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the support post is inserted through the second hole after being inserted through the first hole and the bend is arranged such that the first leg is disposed substantially perpendicular to the connecting portion.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising installing a pivot stop on the support plate after positioning the connecting portion along the axis, wherein the support post engages the pivot stop to stop rotation of the support plate about the axis with respect to the support post.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising inserting the support post through a biasing member before inserting the first leg through the second hole.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the biasing member has a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first arm is disposed proximate the support post and the second arm stops rotation of the support plate about the axis when the support post engages the second arm.

Assignees

• Lear Corp

Inventors

• Humer Mladen
• Smith Ted

Classifications

• B60N2/4852 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/853 Primary

  characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors · CPC title

• B60N2/838

  Tiltable · CPC title