Headrest folding mechanism

A headrest folding apparatus for a vehicular seat assembly having a seat cushion, a fold-down seatback supported for movement between an upright position and a folded position, and a headrest supported for movement on the seatback between a use position and a dumped position, said headrest folding apparatus comprising:

• a headrest latch mechanism operable in a locked mode for releasably latching the headrest in its use position and in a released mode for permitting movement of the headrest from its use position toward its dumped position;
• a latch release mechanism for permitting said headrest latch mechanism to be selectively shifted from said locked mode into said released mode;
• a spring biasing mechanism operable for normally biasing the headrest towards its use position;
• and
• a movement coordinating mechanism operable for causing movement of the headrest from its use position to its dumped position in response to movement of the seatback from its upright position to its folded position.

A seat assembly comprising:

• a seat cushion;
• a seatback supported for movement between an upright position and a folded position;
• a headrest supported on said seatback for movement between a use position and a dumped position;
• a headrest latch mechanism operable in a locked mode for releasably latching said headrest in said use position and in a released mode for permitting movement of said headrest from said use position towards said dumped position;
• a seatback latch mechanism operable in a latched mode for releasably latching said seatback in said upright position and in an unlatched mode for permitting movement of said seatback from said upright position towards said folded position;
• a latch release mechanism interconnecting said headrest latch mechanism to said seatback latch mechanism such that said headrest latch mechanism is shifted from its locked mode into its released mode in response to said seatback latch mechanism being shifted from its latched mode into its unlatched mode;
• a spring biasing mechanism acting on said headrest for normally biasing said headrest toward said use position;
• a stop mechanism for releasably retaining said headrest in said dumped position in opposition to the biasing exerted by said spring biasing mechanism;
• and
• a movement coordinating mechanism interconnecting said headrest to a fixed anchor point, said movement coordinating mechanism operable for causing said headrest to move from said use position to said dumped position in response to movement of said seatback from said upright position to said folded position.

A seat assembly comprising:

• a seat cushion;
• a seatback supported for movement between an upright position and a folded position;
• a headrest supported on said seatback for movement between a use position and a dumped position;
• a headrest latch mechanism operable in a locked mode for releasably latching said headrest in said use position and in a released mode for permitting movement of said headrest from said use position toward said dumped position;
• a latch release mechanism for permitting said headrest latch mechanism to be selectively shifted from said locked mode into said released mode;
• and
• a seatback latch mechanism operable in a latched mode for releasably latching said seatback in said upright position and in an unlatched mode for permitting movement of said seatback from said upright position toward said folded position, and wherein said latch release mechanism interconnects said headrest latch mechanism to said seatback latch mechanism such that said headrest latch mechanism is shifted from its locked mode into its released mode in response to said seatback latch mechanism being shifted from said latched mode into said unlatched mode due to actuation of said latch release mechanism.