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Articulating headrest assembly

a headrest and assembly technology, applied in the field of headrest assembly, can solve the problems of increasing the possibility of serious occupant injury during a vehicle crash, short-term muscle and ligament trauma or long-term nerve damage, and achieve the effect of reducing manufacturing cost and complexity

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-07-19
WINDSOR MACHINE & STAMPING
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The headrest assembly provides several advantages over the headrest assemblies of the prior art. The headrest assembly includes fewer parts, which reduces manufacturing cost and complexity. In addition, the actuator abutting the lever to rotate the locking portion of the lever about the pivot axis in a direction transverse to the horizontal axis is more durable than the headrest assemblies of the prior art.

Problems solved by technology

As both the number and speed of vehicles on the road increase, the potential for serious occupant injury during a vehicle crash also increases.
Whiplash injuries involve the soft tissues of the head, neck, and spine of an occupant, and may cause short-term muscle and ligament trauma or long-term nerve damage.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0017] Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a headrest assembly rotatable to a plurality of positions is shown generally at numeral 10. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the headrest assembly 10 includes a support 12 defining a horizontal axis 14. A shell 16 is rotatably mounted to the support 12 about the horizontal axis 14. The shell 16 may also include a cover (not shown) to hide the inside of the headrest assembly 10 and provide a cushioned surface. Preferably, the support 12 extends laterally through the shell 16 along the horizontal axis 14. However, those skilled in the art realize that the support 12 may be spaced from the horizontal axis 14. The support 12 defines a plurality of notches 18 and each notch is associated with one of the positions about the horizontal axis 14. The notches 18 are fixed relative to the support 12. In other words, the notches 18 do not rotate about the horizontal axis 14 as the h...

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PUM

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Abstract

A headrest assembly that is rotatable to various positions includes a support defining a horizontal axis. A shell is rotatably mounted to the support. Notches are disposed on the support, and each notch is associated with one of the positions. A lever is mounted to the shell and has a locking portion rotatable about the pivot axis and partially disposed in one of the notches to prevent movement of the shell. An actuator is mounted to the shell and rotates the locking portion of the lever about a pivot axis in a direction transverse to the horizontal axis. The actuator moves the locking portion out of one of the notches to allow the shell to rotate about the horizontal axis. Furthermore, the actuator moves the locking portion into one of the notches to prevent the shell from rotating about the horizontal axis.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 759,422 filed Jan. 17, 2006.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention generally relates to a headrest assembly rotatable to a plurality of positions. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] As both the number and speed of vehicles on the road increase, the potential for serious occupant injury during a vehicle crash also increases. Vehicles now offer standard occupant restraint and protection devices to mitigate the effects of a vehicle crash on an occupant. Such devices include seatbelts, airbags, and headrest assemblies for vehicle seats. A headrest assembly situated on the top of a vehicle seat offers safety protection from crash-related injuries and provides comfort for an occupant. Vehicle headrest assemblies are categorized as integral, active, or adjustable. An adjustable headrest assembly typic...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): A47C7/38
CPCB60N2/4847
Inventor BROCKMAN, MARK ANTHONY
Owner WINDSOR MACHINE & STAMPING
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