HEADREST ARRANGEMENT WITH INTEGRATED DISPLAY

Abstract

Headrest assembly comprising: a backrest (24) configured to be installed within a vehicle interior (18) to be connected to the vehicle's power source (20); a socket (30) mounted in the backrest (24) having an inner bore (46); a headrest cushion (10); a support (16) connected to the headrest cushion (10) and configured to support the headrest cushion (10), the headrest cushion (10) being arranged in the inner bore (46) of the socket (30); a non-conductive collar (32) connected to the support (16), the collar (32) comprising at least one region of conductive material (34); and an electronic plug-in component (38) configured to be wired via the support (16) to the region of conductive material (34) of the collar (32);characterized in that a conductive receiver (48) is mounted within the bore (46), wherein the receiver (48) has a C-shaped cross-section and is configured to be wired to the vehicle's power source (20) via the backrest (24), wherein the receiver (48) is made of metallic material and comprises at least one spring tongue connector (50) configured to establish an electrical connection between the area of ​​conductive material (34) and the vehicle's power source (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a headrest arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1, as is known essentially from JP 2008 - 049 820 A. Regarding the further state of the art, reference is made to the publications US 2013 / 0 264 851 A1 , US 2010 / 0 127 542 A1 , US 2016 / 0 200 232 A1 and US 2005 / 0 099 548 A1. INTRODUCTION Many modern vehicles are equipped with seatback-mounted monitors, installed during vehicle manufacturing. These entertainment systems conveniently provide rear passengers with the opportunity to watch video programs on long journeys, as they are typically mounted on the rear of a headrest assembly permanently attached to the seatback. However, these permanent mounting configurations unfortunately complicate display maintenance. Service technicians are often required to remove the entire seatback assembly to access the display. Furthermore, obtaining replacement components from distant suppliers / manufacturers on short notice can prove challenging, further complicating display maintenance.What is therefore desirable is a universal headrest assembly that can be removed from the seat to allow maintenance of the entertainment system without disassembling the seat, and that can be easily replaced to avoid the need for waiting on essential components. SUMMARY According to the invention, a headrest arrangement is presented which is characterized by the features of claim 1. The headrest assembly may also include a display with an electronic receiving component configured to receive the electronic plug-in component. Furthermore, electrical power may be supplied to the display after the electronic plug-in component has been operatively received by the electronic receiving component. The headrest assembly may also include a mounting element configured to be attached to the headrest cushion. This mounting element is further configured to house the display, allowing the display to rotate on the mounting element. The display may be a flat display panel, a flexible display panel, an LCD, an LED, or an OLED display. The electronic insertion component can be a pluggable USB interface or a pluggable micro-USB interface, and the electronic receiving component can be a receiving USB interface or a receiving micro-USB interface. The collar can be made of plastic. The conductive material area can consist of printed, embossed, molded, or bonded metallic material to the outer surface of the collar. Another headrest arrangement is presented herein. This arrangement includes a headrest cushion, a display, and a plurality of hollow supports. The hollow supports are connected to and configured to support the headrest cushion. A non-conductive collar is also connected to the distal end of each support, with each collar containing at least one area of ​​conductive material. The display is wired to the conductive material area of ​​each collar via the central cavity within each hollow support. A headrest assembly is further described herein. The system comprises a backrest, a plurality of tubular sockets, a headrest cushion, two supports, and a plastic collar. The backrest is installed within a vehicle interior and wired to the vehicle's power source. The sockets are mounted in the backrest, each socket having an internal bore. The headrest cushion has an attached electronic plug-in component. The supports are connected to the headrest cushion, each support being configured to be removable and inserted into the bore of a corresponding tubular socket to provide support for the headrest cushion. The collar is connected to the distal end of each support and includes at least one region of conductive material.After the supports have been removable and inserted into their respective sockets, a circuit is created between the electronic plug-in component and the vehicle's power supply to provide electrical current to the electronic plug-in component. Electrical current can also flow through each support, so that one support can maintain the positive flow of electrical current from the vehicle's power supply to the display, while the other support can act as a ground. The system may further include a display that has an electronic receiving component configured to receive the electronic plug-in component. Additionally, electrical power can be supplied to the display after the electronic plug-in component has been operationally received by the electronic receiving component. The above features and advantages, as well as further features and advantages of the present teachings, will easily become apparent from the following detailed description of the teachings when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 illustrates a vehicle seat and an embodiment of a headrest arrangement system, such as that which is typically installed in a vehicle environment; Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a headrest arrangement; Fig. 3 is a schematic view of one aspect of the headrest arrangement system; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another aspect of the headrest arrangement system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Fig. 1 illustrates a headrest cushion 10 for a vehicle seat located in the first row, with an integrated display 14 attached to the back of the headrest cushion 10. As illustrated, the headrest cushion 10 is connected to the seat and supported in an upright direction by two sturdy supports 16, thus enabling the headrest cushion 10 to be positioned upright and vertically. As can be seen, the display 14 is fixed within the main part of the headrest cushion 10, such that the front surface of the display is either flush with or set back from the outline of the headrest cushion 10. The illustrated embodiment of the display 14 also includes a generally rectangular shape with a flat front surface that can be viewed by a passenger located in the second row of the vehicle interior 18.The display can also receive video signals from a media player (not shown) or an infotainment system 13 designed for viewing, entertainment-related programs such as, but not limited to, television, films, and internet video sites. Experts will recognize that the display has a generally known LCD (liquid crystal display), LED (light-emitting diode display), or OLED (organic light-emitting diode display) composition. Other display-field-like devices, such as flat-panel or flexible-panel display devices, may also be used as a display 14. It is also understood that vehicle seats and the vehicle interior 18 may be of different types or models generally known and not shown herein. The vehicle seats are separately connected to the vehicle battery 20 power supply (otherwise known as the main power supply device) via flexible wiring 22, which is connected to a wiring harness (not shown) and is usually located internally within the backrest 24 or the cushion 26. As discussed below, the wiring 22 runs through the entire backrest 24 and is connected to the headrest assembly, which supplies power to the display 14. This allows one conductor 22 from the battery 20 to maintain a positive flow of electrical current from the positive terminal of the battery 20, and another to be connected to the vehicle ground or the negative terminal of the battery 20.It is understood that wiring configurations emerging from the seat cushion 26, with the exception of the configuration shown herein, may be implemented to connect the headrest arrangement system to the battery 20. Fig. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the headrest assembly system 28 as installed in the headrest assembly 10 and the backrest 24. System 28 comprises one aspect of the headrest assembly installed in the headrest cushion 10 and two conductive plastic bushings 30 mounted within the backrest 24. As can be seen, the aspect of the headrest assembly includes both supports 16, which have a circular and non-conductive plastic collar 32 slidably attached to their distal ends. The proximal end of each support, in contrast, is attached to the headrest 10 (e.g., sewn into the main body). Referring to Fig. 3, each collar 32 includes one or more conductive metal areas 34 (e.g., wires / strips) printed around the sides of the outer surface.Furthermore, at least a section of the metallic material 34 is printed onto the flat end of the collar 32 and connected to a wire lead 36 that runs through the central cavity located within the hollow center of the corresponding support 16 of the collar. In embodiments where the supports 16 are made of conductive material (e.g., metals), the metallic material 34 should not make contact with the corresponding support 16, so that there is a spatial non-conductive gap between the metallic material 34 and the support 16, which insulates the electric current from reaching the support 16. It should be noted that the metallic material 34 can also be embossed, formed, or adhesively attached around the sides of the outer surface of the collar 32, among other methods. Returning to Fig. 2, the flexible wire 36 located in both supports 16 is connected at the end opposite the corresponding collar 32 to an electronic plug-in component 38, which can be, but is not limited to, a generally known USB (Universal Serial Bus) plug-in connector or micro-USB plug-in connector. Accordingly, the display 14 includes an electronic receiving component 40 that can receive the electronic plug-in component 38 and which can be, but is not limited to, a generally known USB (Universal Serial Bus) socket connector or micro-USB socket connector (depending on the embodiment of the plug-in component 38). Furthermore, when the receiving component 40 receives the plug-in component 38 and both are thus connected to each other, electrical current from the battery 20 can be supplied to the display 14. The display 14 can be attached to the headrest cushion 10 via a support element 42. The support element 42 can also include pivot points 44 for the side mounting elements, which can be adjusted to provide an optimal viewing angle. The display 14 can also be attached to the support element 42 by means of fasteners or the like. The support element 42 can be made of plastic and attached to the headrest 10 by generally known methods. These include, among others, sewing it to the rear part of the headrest 10 or to the mounting elements. Each bushing 30 is tubular and recessed within and fitted into the backrest 24. The bushing 30 further includes a head section formed at its end, which engages with the outer surface of the backrest 24 when fitted. An internal bore 46 is located centrally within each bushing 30 and has a diameter larger than that of the corresponding support 16 for insertion purposes. A conductive metal receiver 48 is arranged towards the lower section of each bore 46 so that it can make contact with one or more areas of metallic material 34 on the corresponding collar 32. With further reference to Fig. 4, the receiver 48 has a C-shaped cross-section and includes at least one spring-loaded tongue connector 50. It is this connector 50 that, by means of the spring, can establish removable contact with the metal areas 34 on the collar 32. One or more of the positioning devices 52 are also included to ensure that the collar 32 remains statically within the bore 46 by the spring force. When a support 16 is properly inserted into and removed from a bore 46, the corresponding collar 32 can slide in and out of the receiver 48, thus establishing contact without dislodging the receiver 48. The wiring 22 is connected to the receiver 48 (e.g., by soldering). When the battery 20 (Fig. 1) supplies power, the electrical current flows through the flexible wiring 22 to the receiver 48. When the headrest assembly system 28 is complete (i.e., when the assembly is properly installed in the sockets), electrical current flows from the receiver 48 to the electronic plug-in component 38 via the spring-loaded connection between the connector 50 and the metal sections 34. Consequently, power can be supplied to the display 14 through the wiring 36 when it is connected to the plug-in component 38. Experts will therefore understand that a simple circuit is established between the display 14 and the battery 20 to supply power to the display 14.As mentioned above, those skilled in the art will understand that the wiring 36 in one of the supports 16 can maintain a positive current flow from the positive terminal of the battery 20, whereas the other wiring 36, located in the opposite support, can be connected to ground or the negative terminal of the battery 20. Those skilled in the art will also understand that other undisclosed electrical / electronic components can be connected to this circuit.

Claims

Headrest assembly comprising: a backrest (24) configured to be installed within a vehicle interior (18) to be connected to the vehicle's power source (20); a socket (30) mounted in the backrest (24) having an inner bore (46); a headrest cushion (10); a support (16) connected to the headrest cushion (10) and configured to support the headrest cushion (10), the headrest cushion (10) being arranged in the inner bore (46) of the socket (30); a non-conductive collar (32) connected to the support (16), the collar (32) comprising at least one region of conductive material (34); and an electronic plug-in component (38) configured to be wired via the support (16) to the region of conductive material (34) of the collar (32);characterized in that a conductive receiver (48) is mounted within the bore (46), wherein the receiver (48) has a C-shaped cross-section and is configured to be wired to the vehicle's power source (20) via the backrest (24), wherein the receiver (48) is made of metallic material and comprises at least one spring tongue connector (50) configured to establish an electrical connection between the area of ​​conductive material (34) and the vehicle's power source (20). Headrest arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising: a display (14) having an electronic receiving component (40) configured to receive the electronic plug-in component (38); and wherein electrical current can be supplied to the display (14) after the electronic plug-in component (38) has been operatively received by the electronic receiving component (40). Headrest arrangement according to claim 2, further comprising: a support element (42) configured to be mounted on the headrest cushion (10), wherein the support element (42) is further configured to accommodate the display (14) so ​​that the display (14) is rotatably mounted on the support element (42). Headrest arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​conductive material (34) consists of printed, embossed, shaped or metallic material (34) that adheres to the outer surface of the collar (32).

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