One-Piece Self-Securing Headrest Guide Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reference bushings for vehicle seat headrest rods are multi-part designs, making them difficult to assemble and expensive to produce, and they cannot be installed on seat backs that are already covered.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece, self-fixing guide element with a circular recess on its underside allows for easy assembly by threading into existing holes in the seat cover, enabling flexible installation both before and after the seat cover is mounted, and can be made from materials like ASA/PA or other plastics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multi-part guide bushings are used, then they can be assembled into the seat structure, but they are difficult to assemble and expensive to produce
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate guide bushing components into a single integrated one-piece guide element. This merging of parts simplifies the overall structure, reduces the number of components that need to be assembled, and lowers production costs by eliminating the need for multiple precision-machined parts and their associated assembly operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional multi-part guide bushings are used, then they provide guidance for headrest rods, but they cannot be installed on seat backs that are already covered
Solution Approach 1:
The one-piece guide element is designed with a specific structural segmentation that allows it to be installed in two different sequences: either before the seat cover is mounted or after the seat cover is already in place. The guide element's structure includes features that enable it to interface with both the seat structure and the seat cover, providing installation flexibility that multi-part designs cannot achieve.
3Device complexity
If one-piece guide element is used, then assembly is simplified and production costs are reduced, but it must be designed to accommodate installation in different configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The one-piece guide element is designed as a universal component that can serve multiple installation configurations. It incorporates features such as a through-hole for tool access, an undercut for tool engagement, and a specifically shaped recess that allows the same component to be installed either before or after the seat cover is mounted. This multi-functionality is achieved within a single integrated structure.
Data Source
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Figure 4~5
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cover feed-through (B) for a head-restraint rod (5) of a head restraint for a vehicle seat, said feed-through being designed as a one-piece self-securing guide element (1), having a closed upper face (2) and a lower face (4) which is spaced from the upper face by a passage (3). The lower face (4) has at least one opening (4.1) substantially in the form of a segment of a circle. The invention also relates to a vehicle seat comprising a cover (8) and a head-restraint which can be arranged in a cover feed-through (B).invention