GB2024615A

GB2024615A - Vehicle seat headrests

Info

Publication number: GB2024615A
Application number: GB7829336A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd
Current assignee: Peugeot Motor Co PLC
Priority date: 1978-07-10
Filing date: 1978-07-10
Publication date: 1980-01-16
Also published as: GB2024615B

Abstract

The drawing shows a vehicle seat headrest (14) which is mounted on a post (13) supported in a socket formed in a bracket (12) mounted at the upper end of the vehicle seat back. The socket has two plastic plugs (23) spaced vertically down one side of the socket to engage a side of the post and the other side of the socket has a spring loaded ball detent (20) mounted in the socket so that the ball engages the adjacent side of the post in which a series of holes (33) is provided and thereby hold the post in one of a plurality of positions of vertical adjustment. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to vehicle seats This invention relates to vehicle seats and in particular to the mounting of headrest posts for the vehicle seats.

The invention provides a vehicle seat having a support structure including an upper portion formed with an upwardly directed socket and a headrest having a post engaged in the socket and spring loaded detent means for holding the headrest post in any one of a plurality of vertically spaced positions in the socket to provide different positions of adjust ment for the headrest.

The following is a description of two specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional view in side elevation showing a vehicle rear seat headrest adjustable support, Figure2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view of part of Figure 1 in the direction of arrow A, and Figure 4 is a sectional view of a vehicle front seat headrest adjustable support.

Referring to Figures 1,2 and 3, a headrest adjustable support assembly for a vehicle rear seat comprises a rectangular plate 10 to oneface of which is welded the outwardly extending flanges 11 of an elongate U-section bracket 12 to define a socket for receiving a post 13 carrying a headrest 14.

A downwardly extending end wall 15 of an inverted U-section mounting bracket 16 is welded to the other face of the plate 10 such that the base of the mounting bracket extends normally to the plate 10 in the opposite direction to the bracket 12. There are two spaced apart holes in the base of the mounting bracket and two nuts 17 are welded to the base within the U-section and in register with the holes.

The base of the bracket 12 near the top end thereof is formed with an offset portion 18 to provide a recess to receive the flange 19 of a known form of a cylindrical ball-ended spring loaded plunger unit 20 engaged through a hole 21 such that the outer face of the flange 19 is below the normal inner face of the base of the bracket 12 and the ball end of the plunger extends into the socket. The plunger unit 20 is retained in position on the bracket 12 by any suitable known fastening device 22 of which one type comprising a dished resilient spring steel washer having a bore formed with inwardly extending radial teeth is illustrated.

The fastening washer is engaged over the cylindrical body of the plunger unit and is pressed against the outer face of the base of bracket 12 so as to partially flatten the washer such that the teeth thereof grip the unit body to retain it in position.

Two substantially mushroom section headed plugs 23 of moulded plastics e.g. nylon having split resilient shouldered shanks are located in spaced apart holes 24 along the vertical axis of plate 10 such that the plugs are retained in the hole by the shouldered shanks with the underside of the heads of the plugs abutting the surface of the plate 10 within the socket. A suitable sized hole 25 is provided in the end wall 15 to provide clearance for the protruding shank of the lower of the two plugs 23.

A vehicle body structural panel has a horizqntal portion 26 and the headrest support assembly is mounted thereon such that the upper part of the socket portion extends upwardly through an aperture 27 in portion 26 of the panel and the base of the mounting bracket 16 is against the underside of portion 26 of the panel. A stiffening plate 28 is located on the top surface of portion 26 and the plate and mounting bracket 16 are secured to portion 26 of the body panel by two screws 29 passing through suitable holes in the stiffening plate and panel portion with washers 30 located on the screws under the heads thereof. As well as a horizontal portion 26, the body panel has a front inclined portion 31 forming support means for the rear seat back cushion 32.

As indicated previously, the headrest assembly 14 is carried on a dependent post 13 which is of flattened tubular section as shown in Figure 2. The post passes through a suitable aperture in the seat back cushion and slidably engages in the socket formed by plate 10 and the bracket 12 such that the front flat face of the post is against the inner face of the base of bracket 12 and the rear flat face of the post is against the heads 23 of the two plastic plugs which act as bearing surfaces for the rear face of the post.

Retention of the headrest post in a particular selected position of vertical adjustment relative to the socket is provided by detent means comprising the ball end ofthespring-loaded plunger unit 20 engaging into one of a series of flanged holes 33 formed in the front flat face of the post 13 and spaced along the axis thereof.

Figure 4 illustrates a headrest support for a vertical front seat and the arrangement is identical to the embodiment for the rear seat described hereinbefore except there is no mounting bracket 16 and the rectangular plate 10 is longer with the lower portion bent rearwardly and upwardly to enable both ends of the plate to be welded to the transversely extending top portion of the seat back frame 34.

1. A vehicle seat having a support structure including an upper portion formed with an upwardly directed socket and a headrest having a post engaged in the socket and spring loaded detent means for holding the head rest post in any one of a plurality of vertically spaced positions in the socket to provide different positions of adjustment for the head rest.

2. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spring loaded detent means are mounted on the socket and the headrest post is provided with a plurality of recesses spaced apart along the length of the post with which the spring loaded detent means is engageable to hold the post in different positions in the socket.

3. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 2 wherein

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to vehicle seats This invention relates to vehicle seats and in particular to the mounting of headrest posts for the vehicle seats. The invention provides a vehicle seat having a support structure including an upper portion formed with an upwardly directed socket and a headrest having a post engaged in the socket and spring loaded detent means for holding the headrest post in any one of a plurality of vertically spaced positions in the socket to provide different positions of adjust ment for the headrest. The following is a description of two specific embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional view in side elevation showing a vehicle rear seat headrest adjustable support, Figure2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view of part of Figure 1 in the direction of arrow A, and Figure 4 is a sectional view of a vehicle front seat headrest adjustable support. Referring to Figures 1,2 and 3, a headrest adjustable support assembly for a vehicle rear seat comprises a rectangular plate 10 to oneface of which is welded the outwardly extending flanges 11 of an elongate U-section bracket 12 to define a socket for receiving a post 13 carrying a headrest 14. A downwardly extending end wall 15 of an inverted U-section mounting bracket 16 is welded to the other face of the plate 10 such that the base of the mounting bracket extends normally to the plate 10 in the opposite direction to the bracket 12. There are two spaced apart holes in the base of the mounting bracket and two nuts 17 are welded to the base within the U-section and in register with the holes. The base of the bracket 12 near the top end thereof is formed with an offset portion 18 to provide a recess to receive the flange 19 of a known form of a cylindrical ball-ended spring loaded plunger unit 20 engaged through a hole 21 such that the outer face of the flange 19 is below the normal inner face of the base of the bracket 12 and the ball end of the plunger extends into the socket. The plunger unit 20 is retained in position on the bracket 12 by any suitable known fastening device 22 of which one type comprising a dished resilient spring steel washer having a bore formed with inwardly extending radial teeth is illustrated. The fastening washer is engaged over the cylindrical body of the plunger unit and is pressed against the outer face of the base of bracket 12 so as to partially flatten the washer such that the teeth thereof grip the unit body to retain it in position. Two substantially mushroom section headed plugs 23 of moulded plastics e.g. nylon having split resilient shouldered shanks are located in spaced apart holes 24 along the vertical axis of plate 10 such that the plugs are retained in the hole by the shouldered shanks with the underside of the heads of the plugs abutting the surface of the plate 10 within the socket. A suitable sized hole 25 is provided in the end wall 15 to provide clearance for the protruding shank of the lower of the two plugs 23. A vehicle body structural panel has a horizqntal portion 26 and the headrest support assembly is mounted thereon such that the upper part of the socket portion extends upwardly through an aperture 27 in portion 26 of the panel and the base of the mounting bracket 16 is against the underside of portion 26 of the panel. A stiffening plate 28 is located on the top surface of portion 26 and the plate and mounting bracket 16 are secured to portion 26 of the body panel by two screws 29 passing through suitable holes in the stiffening plate and panel portion with washers 30 located on the screws under the heads thereof. As well as a horizontal portion 26, the body panel has a front inclined portion 31 forming support means for the rear seat back cushion 32. As indicated previously, the headrest assembly 14 is carried on a dependent post 13 which is of flattened tubular section as shown in Figure 2. The post passes through a suitable aperture in the seat back cushion and slidably engages in the socket formed by plate 10 and the bracket 12 such that the front flat face of the post is against the inner face of the base of bracket 12 and the rear flat face of the post is against the heads 23 of the two plastic plugs which act as bearing surfaces for the rear face of the post. Retention of the headrest post in a particular selected position of vertical adjustment relative to the socket is provided by detent means comprising the ball end ofthespring-loaded plunger unit 20 engaging into one of a series of flanged holes 33 formed in the front flat face of the post 13 and spaced along the axis thereof. Figure 4 illustrates a headrest support for a vertical front seat and the arrangement is identical to the embodiment for the rear seat described hereinbefore except there is no mounting bracket 16 and the rectangular plate 10 is longer with the lower portion bent rearwardly and upwardly to enable both ends of the plate to be welded to the transversely extending top portion of the seat back frame 34. CLAIMS

3. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 2 wherein the spring loaded detent means comprise a housing containing a ball, an opening in the housing through which a part of the ball may project and spring means biassing the ball to project from the housing, the ball being retractable into the housing when the force counter-acting the spring force is applied to the ball, the housing being mounted on the wall of the socket with the ball engaging the post of the headrest and the post being provided with openings spaced apart lengthwise of the post and in line with the ball to receive the projecting part of the ball and thereby hold the post in a number of positions of adjustment along the socket.

4. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 3 wherein the housing is generally cylindrical having an opening at one end from which a part of the ball projects and an encircling flange at that end, the housing being located in a hole in the wall of the socket with the flange of the housing engaging the wall around the opening on the inner side of the socket.

5. Avehicle seat as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein bearing elements are spaced apart along the socket on the opposite side thereof to the detent against which the post slides when moving up and down the socket.

6. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 5 wherein each bearing element is mounted on the wall of the socket and has a mushroom shaped head the dome shaped side of which is engaged by the headrest post.

7. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein two bearing elements are spaced apart along the socket.

8. A vehicle seat having a headrest with a post mounted on the vehicle seat substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.