1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to a headrest of a vehicle to increase the comfort of a user during prolonged use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seats of a vehicle such as an automobile are provided with a headrest for the safety and comfort of an occupant (user). The headrest provides protection to the occupant in the event of a crash by helping to prevent head, neck, or spinal injuries by limiting the rearward movement of the occupant's head. A headrest also provides comfort to a user by providing a place to rest one's head especially for a long drive.
Headrests may be provided in special arrangements to enhance the comfort of the user. For example, certain materials such as foam may be used to provide a soft cushion. Also, the shape of the headrest may be designed to enhance comfort. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,517 B2 describes a headrest that has side wings that pivot around fixed vertical shafts allowing the wings to rotate forward and backwards. However, U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,517 B2 has a drawback in that the side wings do not go all the way back, which does not give the appearance of a normal headrest when the side wings are not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,083 B2 describes a headrest including a center portion and two side members. There are membrane hinges that attach the side members to the center portion and allow side members to pivot about the center portion. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,698 B2 describes a headrest that includes left and right side wings. The side wings are wedged shaped and are attached to center portion through a pivot. The wings can be adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of distance between the two side wings.
However, both U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,083 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,698 B2 have a drawback in that the amount of area on the center portion where the head normally rests is greatly reduced when side members are rotated towards the user's head. Furthermore, creases in the headrest exist when the side members are flat and not rotated, which can cause discomfort to the user.
The present application is designed to address the above issues in the related art. In particular, a headrest according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application provides passengers with the convenience of a pillow like cushion that can be adjusted to a preferred angle providing extra comfort to passengers during long drives.
A vehicle headrest, including two side wings at opposite ends of the headrest that rotate around respective axes; and a locking mechanism that locks each of the side wings, and backwards movement is restricted by the locking mechanism when each side member is rotated around the respective axis.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Further, as used herein, the words “a,” “an” and the like generally carry a meaning of “one or more,” unless stated otherwise.
The resin plate 2 is a resilient structure provides the primary head support of the headrest 100 Shown in
The posts 4 also include a curved portion near the base 8 and a second extension that extends upward from the base 8 on the left and right side of the headrest 100. These portions of the posts 4 are provided generally parallel to and on each side of the resin plate 2. The posts 4 are also an axis of rotation of the wing structures 3. The wing structures 3 extend radially from the posts 4, and are attached to the posts 4 by attachments 5.
The side wing structures 3 rotate about the axis of the headrest posts 4. The side wing structure 3 is held in place by the force of a compression spring 7 provided between the top of the posts and one of the attachments 5. The wing structures 4 are also contained by locking mechanisms 6 provided at the base 8. The locking mechanism 6 lock the respective wing structures into one of several predefined positions.
To operate the side wings 1 the user has to clear the locking mechanism 6 height by lifting the wing structure 3 a predetermined height. This lifting motion overcomes a downward bias force exerted by the spring 7. The compression spring 7 keeps the side structure from moving up and down inadvertently. Once the wing structure has been lifted the predetermined height, the wing structure can rotate around the axis of the upper portion of post 4. The user can adjust the wing structure to be in one of several predefined positions such as the one shown in
Thus, a comfort headrest in accordance with the present disclosure can provide comfort without having the shape of the headrest altered when the side wings aren't being used. When the side wings are not in use the headrest has normal shape without undue creases. When the user wants to utilize the side wings, the user can rotate each side wing separately, and the side wings of the headrest act as a pillow for passengers during long drives. The side wings not only provide comfort, but also extra support for the passenger's neck and head.
At least one advantage of the comfort headrest compared to existing adjustable headrests is that the width of the center portion of the headrest is maximized to accommodate the width the of passenger's head even when the side wings are rotated towards the front; providing additional comfort.
A second embodiment is illustrated in
Similar to the first embodiment, the side wings 21 include side wing structures which rotate about axes of headrest posts 24. The side wings 21 are held in place by slide rail or rails that that extend and rotate the side wings 21. Specifically, side wings 21 slide forward after being released by the button 31 along the rails. Once the side wing 21 has cleared the front face of the headrest 200, side wings 21 are rotatable around the axes of the posts 24 to predetermined positions. Once the button 31 is no longer being operated, the side wing 21 will lock at the extended position beyond the front face of the headrest 200 and is rotatable. Operation of the button 31 allows the side wings 21 to be rotatable and slideable into the headrest 200.
A third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. The third embodiment includes two side wings that rotate towards the user's head and the backwards movement of the wings is restricted by a one way latch mechanism. The side wings can have fixed or infinite number of angle settings to which the side wings can be rotated to. To operate the side wings with the one way latch mechanism, the user just has to grab the side wing and rotate it around. To close the side wings the user has to pull side wings towards the head to a predetermined distance in order to disengage the latch mechanism. The benefit of the one way latch mechanism is the user does not have to lift side wing up to rotate around. Therefore, the movement is simpler for a user and possibly requires less effort.
A fourth embodiment includes two side wings that rotate towards the user's head by means of an electronic motor or actuator. The user can push a button to selectively open or close side wings to a desired angle.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61807979 | Apr 2013 | US |