Movable Headrest Assembly with Pivotable Side Impact Portions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional vehicle seat headrest assemblies lack side impact protection for users beyond a specific size and age threshold, requiring separate seats or costly replacements when users grow or exceed the designed height and age range, especially in multiple occupancy car seats.
Innovation Solution
A seat with a movable headrest assembly featuring pivotable side impact portions that can be easily stowed, providing side impact protection for occupants of varying sizes and accommodating different statures, while allowing easy access across the seat by rotating between stable positions using an over-center mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the head rest assembly is provided with side impact protection barriers for children, then side impact protection is improved, but the head rest assembly obstructs movement across the seat when the user exceeds the threshold height
Solution Approach 1:
The head rest assembly is made movable relative to the seat back, allowing it to be positioned in different locations along the seat back. This enables the assembly to be moved out of the way when not needed for side impact protection, eliminating the obstruction problem while maintaining protection capability when required.
2Reliability
If the head rest assembly is designed to accommodate children up to a threshold height, then side impact protection is provided, but replacement is required when the user grows beyond this threshold
Solution Approach 1:
The head rest assembly is designed to serve multiple functions and accommodate multiple user types. By making the assembly movable and positionable at different locations along the seat back, it can adapt to both children requiring side impact protection and taller users who do not require the barriers in the same position, eliminating the need for replacement.
3Reliability
If the peripheral elongate portions are fixed in position to provide side impact protection, then protection reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to replacement requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The head rest assembly is made movable relative to the seat back, allowing it to be positioned in different locations along the seat back. This enables the assembly to be moved out of the way when not needed for side impact protection, eliminating the obstruction problem while maintaining protection capability when required.
Data Source
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Figure 4a~5c
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AI summary
A seat (S) comprises a seat portion (SP) having an occupant supporting surface (SPU) and a back portion (BP) having an occupant supporting surface (BPU) and head rest assembly (1), the head rest assembly (1) having a head rest portion (2) and a side impact portion (3), the head rest assembly (1) being secured or securable to the seat (S), and being movable towards and away from a seat portion (SP) of the seat (S), the side impact portion (3) comprising a pair of peripheral elongate portions (3a) which are pivotable together about a common pivot axis (P) and relative to the head rest portion (2) between a first position wherein each peripheral elongate portion (3a) extends along the occupant supporting surface (BPU) of the back portion (BP) of the seat (S) toward the seat portion (SP) and a second or stowed position.