US 9,789,794 B1Granted

Active head restraint

AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC

InventorsRaj S. Roychoudhury, Michael Medoro

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Abstract

An active head restraint for a seating assembly of a motor vehicle comprises a structural support for a seatback of the seating assembly, a movable head restraint pad having a stowed position and a deployed position, and a linkage deployment mechanism. The linkage deployment mechanism comprises an upper and lower bar pivotally attached at a forward end to a rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to an outer tube fixed to an upper portion of the structural support. An inner tube reciprocates within the outer tube. A trigger mechanism is operatively connected with a lower end of the inner tube and urges the inner linkage and an actuating link to a raised deployed position in response to a rear impact event. The actuating link applies an upward force to the lower bar to deploy the movable head restraint pad.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An active head restraint for a seating assembly of a motor vehicle comprising:

a structural support for a seatback of the seating assembly;
a movable head restraint pad having a stowed position and a deployed position;
a linkage deployment mechanism pivotably attached to the movable head restraint pad, the linkage deployment mechanism comprising an upper bar pivotally attached at a forward end to a rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to an outer tube fixed to an upper portion of the structural support and a lower bar pivotally attached at a forward end to the rear surface of the movable head restraint pad and pivotally attached at a rearward end to the outer tube;
an inner linkage disposed within and adapted to reciprocate vertically within the outer tube between a lower stowed position and a raised deployed position;
a trigger mechanism operatively connected with a lower end of the inner linkage and urging the inner linkage to its raised deployed position in response to a rear impact event;
and
an actuating link having a first end pivotally coupled with an upper end of the inner linkage and a second end pivotally and operatively connected with a mid-length position on the lower bar, wherein upon the rear impact event, the inner linkage is raised from its lower stowed position to its raised deployed position, and the first end of the link is raised upward and applies an upward force to the lower bar to deploy the movable head restraint pad of the active head restraint forward and upward from its stowed position to its deployed position.

4 more elements

A head restraint comprising a movable pad, a bar pivotally attached at a forward end to the movable pad and at a rearward end to an outer tube, an inner tube disposed within the outer tube, a link coupled with the bar and the inner tube, and a trigger operably connected with the inner tube, wherein, upon a rear impact, the inner tube urges the link to apply an upward force to the bar.

An active head restraint for a seating assembly comprising a movable head restraint pad, a linkage deployment mechanism comprising a four bar deployment mechanism having a pair of movable bars, wherein the movable bars are pivotally attached at a forward end to the movable head restraint pad and at a rearward end to an outer tube and the movable bars comprise an upper bar and a lower bar that are arranged in parallel orientation with a forward end of each of the upper and lower bars extending downwardly relative the outer tube when the movable head restraint pad is in the stowed position and the upper and lower bars are moved to a parallel orientation with the forward end of each of the upper and lower bars extending substantially forward and upward when the movable restraint pad is in a deployed position, an inner tube disposed within the outer tube, a link coupled with at least one of the lower bars and the inner tube, and a trigger mechanism coupled with the inner tube, wherein upon a rear impact, the inner tube urges the link to apply an upward force to the at least one lower bar.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.