Vehicle Seat Headrest with Integrated Motor and Worm Gear Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seat headrests are heavy, consume space, and are costly due to the need for separate tilting and height adjustment devices integrated into the headrest or backrest, limiting design flexibility and increasing material usage.
Innovation Solution
A headrest design that integrates a tilting device and height adjustment mechanism within the headrest itself, utilizing a motor and worm gear drive unit between the front and rear panels, allowing for compact, space-saving, and lightweight construction, with the option for self-locking to prevent high forces from being transmitted to the drive unit during crashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate tilting and height adjustment devices are integrated into the headrest or backrest, then the headrest achieves tilting and height adjustment functionality, but the vehicle seat becomes heavier and consumes more space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the tilting device and height adjustment device into a single integrated mechanism within the headrest structure. The drive unit with motor and worm gear serves both functions, eliminating the need for separate devices in the backrest, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining full adjustability functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate tilting and height adjustment devices are integrated into the headrest or backrest, then the headrest achieves tilting and height adjustment functionality, but the vehicle seat becomes more costly and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple adjustment functions into a single drive unit with integrated motor and worm gear mechanism. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components, simplifies the overall structure, and lowers manufacturing costs while preserving both tilting and height adjustment capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit is designed as a multi-functional mechanism that performs both tilting and height adjustment operations. The single motor and worm gear assembly can generate the necessary forces and motions for different adjustment directions, making the system more efficient and less complex than separate dedicated devices.
3Ease of operation
If the headrest is tilted, then the view when the vehicle seat is not occupied is improved, but the headrest may collide with the backrest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic adjustment mechanism where the headrest can be tilted to improve visibility when the seat is unoccupied. The integrated drive system allows controlled tilting motion while the compact design ensures sufficient clearance from the backrest, eliminating collision risks through optimized spatial arrangement and controlled movement ranges.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design results in a lighter, more economical, and space-efficient vehicle seat with enhanced design freedom for the headrest and backrest, while ensuring strength and load path requirements are met, and preventing overloading of the drive unit during crashes.
Implementation Method 1
the drive unit includes a motor and a worm gear
Implementation Method 2
the worm gear enables one-step worm gear transmission or three-step worm gear transmission. This provides or enables a high transmission ratio
Implementation Method 3
the tilting device and in particular also the height adjustment device can be driven, in particular electrically, with the aid of a drive unit. The drive unit includes a motor
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5c
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a headrest (1) of a vehicle seat, said headrest (1) having a first head support device (1') and a second head support device (1"), the first headrest comprising a tilting device (7) for tilting the first head support device (1') relative to the second head support device (1"), the headrest (1) comprises a height adjusting device (9) for adjusting the height of the first head support device (1') relative to the second head support device (1"). The invention also relates to a vehicle seat, an arm rest and a device.