Patent Application
20090085383
This invention relates in general to electronic displays which are mounted in vehicles. It is becoming more common in vehicles to include electronic displays for the showing of movies and other forms of video entertainment. It is known to mount these displays on the roof or headliner of the passenger compartment in which the display is pivotally mounted such that it may swing downwardly from a storage position into a viewing position. Although these displays have functioned well in the past, the size of displays is limited to a generally small dimension such that the driver's rear view is not overly blocked. It is also known to mount electronic displays in vehicle seats. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0174498 discloses a display mounted in a rear portion of headrest. This configuration is also limited since the display cannot be larger than the headrest in which it is mounted. Additionally, it is sometimes difficult to accommodate a display screen in a headrest which has an active headrest system, in which the headrest is automatically moved in a forward direction upon detection of an impending impact to help reduce neck, back, and head injuries to the seat occupant.
This invention relates to electronic displays in vehicles and in particular to a vehicle seat assembly including a seat back defining a rear side and a display assembly mounted on the seat back. The display assembly includes a display and a housing mounted on the rear side of the seat back. The housing defines a pocket. The seat assembly further includes a lifting mechanism connected between the housing and the display, wherein the lifting mechanism moves the display between a storage position within the pocket, and an extended position such that display is disposed out from the pocket
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in
The trim panel 18 defines a housing in which the display assembly 16 is mounted. The trim panel 18 includes a pocket 24 having an opening 26 through which the display 20 extends or retracts. The display 20 is mounted within a mounting housing 17 which slides within the pocket 24. The display 20 (and housing 17) is movable between a storage position within the pocket 24, as shown in
The trim panel 18 can be made of any suitable material, such as a relatively rigid plastic material. The trim panel 18 can cover the entire rear surface of the seat back 12 (as shown in
The display assembly 16 is preferably mounted at upper portions of the seat back 12 such that when moved to the extended position the display 20 is relatively high in the vehicle passenger compartment. For example, in the extended position, the display 20 could be adjacent and behind a headrest portion 13 of the seat assembly 10 and a portion of the display 20 may be above an upper edge 15 of the seat back 12. It is generally desirable for occupants to view a display which is at about eye level or higher to help avoid discomfort while the vehicle is moving. An advantage of the display 20 over conventional displays mounted in an overhead console attached to the roof of the passenger compartment is that the driver's rear vision is less blocked. An advantage of the display 20 over conventional displays mounted in seat headrests is that a larger display size can be accommodated. Additionally, it is sometimes difficult to accommodate a display screen in a headrest which has an active headrest system, in which the headrest is automatically moved in a forward direction upon detection of an impending impact to help reduce neck, back, and head injuries to the seat occupant.
The display 20 may be an electronic display capable of electronically displaying visual images such as for passengers of the vehicle seated behind the seat assembly 10. The display 20 may be any suitable mechanism for displaying images such as but not limited to a cathode ray tube screen, plasma screen, and liquid crystal screen. The display 20 may be connected to any suitable component, indicated schematically at 36, which transmits a video signal, such as for example, a DVD player, video cassette recorder, a digital video player, an audio video satellite system, a computer, and/or computer gaming system. Thus, the display 20 may be used not only for video entertainment purposes but may also be used with a computer system. Additionally, the display 20 may be integrated into vehicle systems, such as for example a navigation system, HVAC controls, and the vehicle radio system. The component which sends a wired or wireless video signal to the display 20 may be mounted in the trim panel 18, such as for example in a lower portion 28 thereof. The display 20 may include other features such as touch screen systems, compression actuated buttons, a key pad, and speakers. The display housing 17 may include an upper portion 31 that is always exposed from outside of the pocket 24. Manually operated controls 34 for controlling the display 20 and any electrical component connected to the display 20 may be mounted on the upper portion 31 so that they are accessible regardless of the position of the display 20. The upper portion 31 may further house infrared remote control, headphone jacks, and/or other electrical jacks.
The display 20 may be manually moved between its storage and extended positions or may be connected to a motorized, hydraulic, pneumatic or other type of actuator for automatically moving the display 20 to at least one of the positions. The display 20 may also be spring biased towards any of the positions, and/or may include a damper mechanism which retards its movement. A latch may be included to secure the display 20 in its storage position, extended position, or any intermediate positions therebetween.
There is illustrated in
To operate the lifting mechanism 40, the motor 52 is actuated to rotate the threaded shaft 50. Rotation of the threaded shaft 50 causes the drive blocks 62 to move in a linear direction relative to the length of the threaded shaft 52. For example, to move the display 20 from its extended position, as shown in
There is illustrated in
To operate the lifting mechanism 70, the motor 76 is actuated to rotate the threaded shaft first pulley wheel 78. Rotation of the first pulley wheel 78 causes rotation of the second pulley wheel 80 via the cable 81. Rotation of the second pulley wheel 80 rotates the pair of rods 84 which further rotates the gears 86. Rotation of the gears 86 engages the toothed racks 72 causing the toothed racks 72 to move upwardly or downwardly. Since the display housing 17 is attached to the toothed racks 72 and the drive mechanism 74 is attached to the trim panel 18, the display housing 17 and display 20 are moved to move relative to the trim panel 18. The directional rotation of the motor 76 will correlate to the upward or downward movement of the display 20.
There is illustrated in
Although the displays 20 and 120 were described above as including motorized lifting mechanisms 40 and 70, it should also be understood that any suitable manually operated or motorized lifting mechanism may be used to move the displays from their storage to their extended positions. For example, a spring loaded mechanism may be used which when activated when the display is in its storage position biases the display upward into its extended position.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiments. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.
