Rotatable Headrest Assembly with Flat Surface Mechanical Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle headrest assemblies for rear seats often lack a secure and comfortable mechanism for transitioning between lowered and raised positions, particularly in terms of occupant space management and safety, as they rely on biasing elements like springs or clips that may not provide reliable positional maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A headrest assembly featuring a rod with vertical and horizontal portions and a clip configuration that allows the head restraint to rotate between use and adjustment positions, utilizing flat surfaces and planes to maintain the head restraint in desired positions through mechanical engagement, preventing unintentional movement and providing a 'snap' sensation for user feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a biasing element like a spring is used to automatically rotate the head restraint away from the occupant space, then the head restraint rotates automatically from lowered to raised position, but the mechanism becomes more complex and may not provide reliable positional maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the biasing element (spring) from the mechanism, extracting the automatic rotation function while simplifying the overall structure. The head restraint rotation is achieved through direct mechanical engagement between the clip and rod surfaces without requiring additional biasing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat surfaces of the clip and rod are designed to automatically engage and disengage through their own geometry during rotation. The mechanical interaction between these surfaces provides self-contained positional maintenance without requiring external biasing forces or complex control mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If a clip compressed against the rod by a fastening element is used to allow rotation, then the head restraint can rotate relative to the rod, but the positional maintenance may not be reliable and continuous force may be required
Solution Approach 1:
The flat surfaces of the clip and rod are designed to create stable equilibrium positions during rotation. When the surfaces are engaged, they form a mechanical lock that maintains the head restraint position without requiring continuous force application, achieving reliable positional maintenance through geometric constraint.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the head restraint is allowed to rotate under the resilience of the clip, then rotation is enabled, but unintentional movement may occur and user feedback is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical engagement between the flat surfaces of the clip and rod provides tactile feedback to the user during rotation. The 'snap' sensation occurs when the surfaces engage at specific orientations, providing clear user feedback that confirms the head restraint has reached a stable position, preventing unintentional movement through user awareness.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a headrest assembly including, among other things, a rod configured to couple the headrest assembly to a seat back. The rod includes two vertical portions and a horizontal portion extending along a rotation axis between the two vertical portions. The horizontal portion includes a first flat surface and a second flat surface. The headrest assembly further includes a head restraint configured to rotate relative to the rod between a use position and an adjustment position. The headrest assembly further includes a clip having a first flat surface and a second flat surface. The clip is configured such that (1) when the head restraint is in the use position, the first flat surface of the clip is in direct contact with the first flat surface of the horizontal portion and the first flat surfaces of the clip and the horizontal portion lie in a first common plane. Further, the clip is configured such that (2) when the head restraint is in the adjustment position, the second flat surface of the clip is in direct contact with the second flat surface of the horizontal portion and the second flat surfaces of the clip and the horizontal portion lie in a second common plane.