# US 7,407,231 B2 · Vehicle seat with a headrest and headrest adjustment assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,407,231 B2 - Document ID: US7407231B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/127,592 - Filed: 2005-05-12 - Published: 2006-04-27 - Granted: 2008-08-05 - Earliest claimed: 2004-05-14 - Assignees: Alfmeier Prazision AG Baugruppen und Systemlosungen - Inventors: Dieter Kraft; Jürgen Hofmockel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7407231B2 ## CPC - B60N 2/02246: {Electric motors therefor} - B60N 2/815: Release mechanisms, e.g. buttons - B60N 2/821: with continuous positioning - B60N 2/829: characterised by their adjusting mechanisms, e.g. electric motors - B60N 2/897: with sleeves located in the back-rest for guiding the rods of the head-rest - B60N 2205/20: Measures for elimination or compensation of play or backlash - B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A headrest adjustment assembly is disclosed for adjusting the position of a headrest relative to a seatback. The headrest adjustment assembly includes a guide disposed in the seat back, at least one holding bar disposed within the guide, the guide and holding bar being configured with sufficient clearance to allow selective relative longitudinal and transverse sliding, the holding bar being fixed to the headrest, and a clamping element mounted to the seat back for selectively applying a transverse force to the holding bar to thereby fix the position of the holding bar within the guide and prevent relative transverse or longitudinal sliding. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle seat comprising: a seat back; a headrest mounted to at least one first holding bar, adjustably placed in a guide part within a carrying structure affixed to the seat back, the guide part encompassing, with radial clearance, the holding bar; and a clamping element movable between an affixed position and a released position by a remotely controlled drive, the clamping element, when in its affixed position, exerts a clamping force upon the holding bar in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction thereof, whereby an outer section of a circumference of the holding bar is pressed against the guide part, the guide part configured so that the holding bar, when subjected to the clamping force, is positionally and form-fittingly fixed therewithin, transversely to the clamping force. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, wherein the guide part possesses a circumferential zone which creates a receiving means to accept the holding bar in a form-fit manner. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, wherein the guide part is configured with the holding bar about the circumference thereof in point or line contacting locations separated by predetermined distances. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, further including a hand operated restraining apparatus for the fixation of the head rest at different levels of elevation, which is motion-coupled with the clamping element so that the restraint of the holding bar is relieved in the released position of the clamping element, and so that in the affixed position of the clamping element, a release of the restraining apparatus and a manual elevation adjustment of the headrest is made possible. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, wherein the clamping element is subjected to a spring force acting in a fixation direction and, for a force in the opposite direction, the clamping element is activated by a servomotor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 5, wherein the spring force is generated by a leaf spring, one end of which is stationarily fixed and the other end thereof is bound to the clamping element, and the servomotor is on an air spring placed on a flat side of the leaf spring and which air spring has a controllable degree of filling, a curvature of the leaf spring being changeable by changing the degree of filling of the air spring. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 6, wherein the leaf spring and the servomotor are part of a pneumatic cylinder system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, further including a second holding bar which is directly or indirectly bound to the first holding bar, and one of the holding bars is subjected to a transversely directed force from the clamping element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 8, wherein one of the holding bars is subjected to force from the clamping element, so that both holding bars elastically distort themselves upon a change of their separating distance. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 8, wherein an effective form fit is created between the clamping element in the affixed position and the holding bar. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 10, wherein the clamping element has a concavely curved surface which respectively coacts with the outer section of the circumference of the holding bar. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 8, further including a second clamping element, wherein to each holding bar one of the clamping elements is assigned, whereby the holding bars when in the affixed position are subjected to respective clamping forces acting in opposite directions. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 12, wherein the clamping elements and a common servomotor assigned thereto are placed between the holding bars. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 13, wherein the clamping elements are mutually bound by means of a knee joint juncture to the common servomotor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 1, wherein the guide part includes an upper bearing and a lower bearing, and the clamping element is located beneath the lower bearing and exerts a clamping force on the holding bar in a direction of travel, whereby the holding bar engages a receiver located in a section of an inner circumference of the lower bearing facing in the direction of travel, and engages a receiver located in a section of an inner circumference of the upper bearing facing away from the direction of travel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 15, wherein the clamping element is constructed from a lever arm, which is pivotal about a transversely directed axle and which has a downwardly-directed free end that coacts with the holding bar. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 15, wherein the headrest possesses a second holding bar disposed in a second guide part, the second guide part enabling a clearance of the second holding bar in the transverse direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 17, wherein the second guide part includes a receiver having a flat surface extending in a transverse direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 17, wherein the clamping element includes a projection extending in the direction of travel, the projection being integral, molded on part of the clamping element and being pivotal downward via a servomotor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A vehicle seat in accord with claim 19, wherein each guide part includes one of the clamping elements with one of the projections, the projections being bound together by means of a bridge component, which is connected to the servomotor. ### Claim 21 A headrest adjustment assembly for adjusting a position of a headrest relative to a seat back, the headrest adjustment assembly comprising: a guide adapted to be disposed in the seat back; at least one holding bar disposed within the guide, the guide and holding bar being configured with sufficient clearance to allow selective relative longitudinal and transverse sliding, the holding bar being adapted to be fixed to the headrest; and a clamping element adapted to be mounted to the seat back for selectively applying a transverse force to the holding bar to thereby fix a position of the holding bar within the guide and prevent relative transverse or longitudinal sliding. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The assembly of claim 21, wherein the guide has an inner surface for discontinuously contacting the holding bar when the clamping element applies the transverse force. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The assembly of claim 22, wherein the discontinuous contact is applied in one of at least one point or line contact positions. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The assembly of claim 21, further including a controller for the clamping element for moving the clamping element between a holding position and a release position, the holding bar being slidable within the guide when the clamping element is in the release position, the holding bar being fixed within the guide when the clamping element is in the fixed position. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The assembly of claim 21, wherein the clamping element is urged toward the fixed position by a spring and is movable to the release position by a servomotor. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The assembly of claim 21, wherein the at least one holding bar includes two of the holding bars, and the assembly includes two of the clamping elements, each of the clamping elements acting on a respective holding bar and applying the respective transverse force in opposite directions. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The assembly of claim 21, wherein the guide is configured to allow a degree of pivoting of the holding bar therein.