Active head restraint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789794-B1
Application number	US-201615213436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 19, 2016
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

An active head restraint for a seating assembly of a motor vehicle comprises a structural support for a seatback of the seating assembly, a movable head restraint pad having a stowed position and a deployed position, and a linkage deployment mechanism. The linkage deployment mechanism comprises an upper and lower bar pivotally attached at a forward end to a rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to an outer tube fixed to an upper portion of the structural support. An inner tube reciprocates within the outer tube. A trigger mechanism is operatively connected with a lower end of the inner tube and urges the inner linkage and an actuating link to a raised deployed position in response to a rear impact event. The actuating link applies an upward force to the lower bar to deploy the movable head restraint pad.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An active head restraint for a seating assembly of a motor vehicle comprising:
a structural support for a seatback of the seating assembly;
a movable head restraint pad having a stowed position and a deployed position; a linkage deployment mechanism pivotably attached to the movable head restraint pad, the linkage deployment mechanism comprising an upper bar pivotally attached at a forward end to a rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to an outer tube fixed to an upper portion of the structural support and a lower bar pivotally attached at a forward end to the rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to the outer tube;
an inner linkage disposed within and adapted to reciprocate vertically within the outer tube between a lower stowed position and a raised deployed position;
a trigger mechanism operatively connected with a lower end of the inner linkage and urging the inner linkage to its raised deployed position in response to a rear impact event; and
an actuating link having a first end pivotally coupled with an upper end of the inner linkage and a second end pivotally and operatively connected with a mid-length position on the lower bar, wherein upon the rear impact event, the inner linkage is raised from its lower stowed position to its raised deployed position, and the first end of the link is raised upward and applies an upward force to the lower bar to deploy the movable head restraint pad of the active head restraint forward and upward from its stowed position to its deployed position.

2. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inner linkage is a vertically extending inner tube disposed within and adapted to reciprocate vertically within the outer tube between the lower stowed position and the raised deployed position.

3. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inner linkage is a rod disposed within and adapted to reciprocate vertically within the outer tube between the lower stowed position and the raised deployed position.

4. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the actuating link is operatively connected to the lower bar via a pivot pin extending through each of the second end of the actuating link and the mid-length position on the lower bar.

5. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second end of the actuating link is operatively connected to the lower bar via a roller attached to the second end of the actuating link, the roller disposed in juxtaposed relationship with a lower edge of the lower bar.

6. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the actuating link has an overall length and the second end of the actuating link is pivotally attached to the lower bar proximate a middle of the overall length of the lower bar.

7. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the active head restraint further comprises a pair of rods that extend laterally across the active head restraint, wherein a first rod of the pair of rods is coaxially aligned with a pivot that couples the rearward end of the upper bar to the outer tube and the second rod of the pair of rods is coaxially aligned with the mid-length position on the lower bar and a tension spring extends between and is mounted to each of the pair of rods.

8. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the active head restraint comprises a rear trim panel that encases a surface of the active head restraint mounted to the rear of the pair of outer tubes.

9. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 8 , wherein the movable head restraint pad comprises a recess in the rear surface thereof that corresponds with and receives the rear trim panel when the movable head restraint pad is in its stowed position.

10. The active head restraint for a seating assembly of claim 1 , wherein the linkage deployment mechanism comprises a four bar deployment mechanism and a pair each of the upper and lower bars, wherein the upper and lower bars of the four bar deployment mechanism are arranged in parallel orientation with the forward end of each of the upper and lower bars extending downwardly relative the outer tube when the movable head restraint pad is in the stowed position and the upper and lower bars are moved to a parallel orientation with the forward end of each of the upper and lower bars extending substantially forward and upward when the movable head restraint pad is in the deployed position.

11. A head restraint comprising a movable pad, a bar pivotally attached at a forward end to the movable pad and at a rearward end to an outer tube, an inner tube disposed within the outer tube, a link coupled with the bar and the inner tube, and a trigger operably connected with the inner tube, wherein, upon a rear impact, the inner tube urges the link to apply an upward force to the bar.

12. The head restraint of claim 11 , further comprising side extensions having a first stowed position relative the movable pad and a second deployed position relative the movable pad.

13. The head restraint of claim 12 , wherein the side extensions comprise a pair of side extensions each disposed proximate one of a pair of opposite side edges of the movable pad, the active head restraint further comprising a fixed head restraint base, a center roller brace disposed between the fixed head restraint base and the movable pad, a pair of symmetrically spaced roller brace connectors attached at a first end to the fixed head restraint base and at a second end to the center roller brace, wherein a roller is disposed at each end of the center roller brace, a pair of symmetrical side linkages each comprising a first portion fixedly mounted to a respective one of the pair of side extensions, a middle portion pivotably mounted to a respective side edge of the pair of opposite side edges of the movable pad, and a second portion operably connected with a respective roller of the rollers on the ends of the center roller brace,
wherein as the movable pad moves forwardly and upwardly, the second portion of the side linkages moves forward and thereby moves the center roller brace forward until the brace connectors prevent further forward motion of the center roller brace, the rollers on the ends of the center roller brace then acting against the middle portion of the side linkages to pivot the second portion of the side linkages outward relative the movable pad about the pivot, and to rotate the side rotating forward relative the movable pad, and wherein the side extensions, which are fixedly connected to the first portion of side linkages, are likewise rotated forward relative the movable pad.

14. The head restraint of claim 11 , wherein the movable pad further comprises a pair of side-by-side laterally disposed pads, wherein an inner edge of each of the side-by-side laterally disposed pads is arranged in abutting relationship with each other and an outer edge of each of the side-by-side laterally disposed pads extends laterally outwardly when in a stowed position, and
wherein when the movable pad is in a deployed position, the outer edges of the side-by-side laterally disposed pads are moved forward relative the inner edges of the side-by-side laterally disposed pads to form a generally concave enclosure.

15. The head restraint of claim 14 , further comprising a fixed head restraint base, a center roller brace disposed between the fixed head restraint base and the m

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Roychoudhury Raj S
• Medoro Michael

Classifications

• B60N2/4855

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/4864

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/4882

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/42781

  mechanical triggering · CPC title

• B60N2/42727 Primary

  involving substantially rigid displacement · CPC title