Plastic headrest frame

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-274167, filed Oct. 5, 2006.

The invention relates to the field of headrests for automobiles, and more particularly, the invention relates to a plastic headrest frame that supports a headrest with respect to a seat in an automobile.

It is well known to support a headrest with respect to a seat in an automobile by using a frame, and such headrest frames typically provide for adjustment of the headrest with respect to the seat of the automobile. During an automotive collision, the headrest functions to stabilize the head of a vehicle occupant who is seated in the seat. Of course, if the headrest frame were to break during the automotive collision, the headrest would no longer be operative to stabilize the head of the vehicle occupant, and the protections intended to be provided to the vehicle occupant by the headrest would be lost. For this reason, headrest frames are constructed from materials that provide sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand the extreme forces exerted upon the headrest frame during an automotive collision. Thus, conventional headrest frames are made of iron and are typically either round or tubular in cross-section.

One difficulty in fabricating headrest frames from iron is that iron headrest frames must be plated, usually with zinc and chromium. The plating process makes fabrication of iron headrest frames complicated and leads to increased production costs. Furthermore, after the automobile is scrapped, the plating material on the headrest frame must be removed before the iron in the headrest frame can be recycled. This complicates the automobile disposal process and thus raises the cost of disposing of and recycling the automobile. Additionally, as the plating material may comprise elements that are potentially harmful to the environment, removal and disposal of the plating material is not favorable for the environment.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a headrest frame that eliminates the need for plating.

A headrest frame made of formed plastic lacks rigidity when compared with a headrest frame made of iron. Therefore, there is a concern for its inability to effectively protect the person in the car at the time of an accident, because the impact of the accident might break the headrest frame, and the headrest frame becomes unable to support the headrest properly. Thus, the invention provides an automotive headrest frame that can reduce the impact that might be applied to the person in the car at the time of an accident by devising a new shape in the cross-section of embedded core material to realize plastic rigidity that is equal to that of the iron headrest frame.

The headrest frame is adapted to support a headrest with respect to a seat, and includes a first plastic material having a substantially round cross-sectional shape and a core material embedded within the first plastic material such that the first plastic material completely covers the core material. A first elongate leg is formed from the first plastic material and the core material, and at least a portion of the core material in the first elongate leg has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. A second elongate leg formed integrally with the first elongate leg from the first plastic material and the core material, and at least a portion of the core material in the second elongate leg has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. A connecting bar is formed integrally with the first elongate leg and the second elongate leg from the first plastic material and the core material, wherein the connecting bar spaces the first elongate leg from the second elongate leg and the first elongate leg, the second elongate leg and the connecting bar cooperate to define a substantial u-shape. A plurality of recesses are formed in the first plastic material on the first elongate leg, and the core material has a substantially rectangular cross-section adjacent to the recesses, wherein the recesses are engageable with the seat for adjustably connecting the first elongate leg to the seat.

At least a portion of the core material may have a substantially round cross-sectional shape. Alternatively, the core material may have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape throughout, defined by a narrow front side of the core material spaced from a narrow rear side of the core material by a pair of wide sides of the core material, wherein the wide sides are wider than the narrow front side and the narrow rear side. Furthermore, the portions of the core material having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape may have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape.

The core material may be fabricated from metal. Alternatively, the core material may be fabricated from a second plastic material having a hardness higher than the hardness of the first plastic material. Also, the core material may be solid, or the core material may be substantially tubular.

The first elongate leg and the second elongate leg may each have a lower portion and a slanting portion, such that the lower portions meet the slanting portions at an angle opposite free ends of the lower portions, and the slanting portions meet the connecting bar opposite the lower portions. Furthermore, a bar may be formed integrally with the first elongate leg and the second elongate leg and having the core material embedded within the plastic material, and the bar meets each of the first elongate leg and the second elongate leg near the intersection of the lower portion and the slanting portion of each of the first elongate leg and the second elongate leg.

The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like referenced numerals refer to like parts throughout several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headrest having a headrest frame according to a first embodiment of the invention for supporting the headrest with respect to a car seat;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the headrest frame according to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along line E-E of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 6 is an alternative cross section taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 7 is an alternative cross section taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a headrest frame of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross section taken along line F-F of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is an alternative cross section taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 11 is an alternative cross section taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 ; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a headrest frame according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the invention will be seen to most generally comprise a headrest frame that is fabricated from a plastic material and reinforced by a one-piece core material that is embedded within the plastic material, as will now be described in detail with reference to the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a headrest frame 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. A headrest 10 is disposed on the headrest frame 1 , and the headrest frame 1 is adapted to be installed on a car seat 20 to support the headrest 10 with respect to the car seat 20 . Together, the car seat 20 , the headrest frame 1 , and the headrest 10 define a seating assembly for use in an automobile (not shown) having a front end toward the normal direction of travel, a rear end opposite the normal direction of travel, and opposed sides, wherein the seating assembly faces the front end of the automobile. The headrest frame 1 has a first leg 2 and a second leg 3 that are receivable within the car seat 20 for connecting the headrest frame 1 to the car seat 20 . A plurality of recesses 7 a , 7 b are formed on the headrest frame 1 for adjustably connecting the headrest frame 1 to the car seat 20 , as will be described in detail herein.

As best seen in FIG. 2 , the first leg 2 and the second leg 3 of the headrest frame 1 are connected by a substantially horizontal connecting bar 4 that extends substantially perpendicular to the legs 2 , 3 of the headrest frame 1 , and thus, the headrest frame 1 is substantially u-shaped when viewed from the front, with the open end of the u-shape pointing downward. In cross section, the first leg 2 , the second leg 3 , and the connecting bar 4 are substantially round and consistent in diameter throughout the headrest frame 1 , with the exception of the recesses 7 a , 7 b . As shown in FIG. 3 , the first leg 2 and the second leg 3 of the headrest frame 1 each have a substantially vertical lower portion 2 a , 3 a adjacent to the free end of each of the legs 2 , 3 , and a slanting portion 2 b , 3 b adjacent to the intersection between each leg 2 , 3 with the connecting bar 4 . The substantially vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 meet respective slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 at obtuse angles. When the headrest 10 is installed on the headrest frame 1 , the headrest 10 covers the top ends of the substantially vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 , as well as the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest frame 1 . Of course, the actual orientation of the substantially vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 will vary along with the position of the car seat 20 , and thus, the substantially vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a need not be positioned vertically when in use, but rather, the substantially vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 need only be substantially straight and in alignment with the connecting structure provided on the car seat 20 .

The plurality of recesses 7 a , 7 b are formed on the inner side of the first leg 2 at an intermediate point along the substantially vertical lower portion 2 a of the first leg 2 . The recesses 7 a , 7 b are engageable with a protrusion (not shown) on the car seat 20 for adjustment of the horizontal height of the headrest 10 with respect to the car seat 20 . The recesses 7 a , 7 b include a plurality of upper recesses 7 a that are fabricated as inclined grooves or notches formed in the first leg 2 , as well as a lower recess 7 b that is fabricated as a substantially rectangular groove or notch. However, the form of the recesses 7 a , 7 b is not limited to inclined grooves or rectangular grooves, but rather, the recesses 7 a , 7 b may be provided in any suitable geometric shape that is engageable with the protrusion on the car seat 20 to allow adjustment of the height of the headrest 10 . Also, although the recesses 7 a , 7 b are described herein as provided only on the first leg 2 , it should be understood that the recesses 7 a , 7 b may be provided on either or both of the legs 2 , 3 .

In order to eliminate the need for plating on the exterior surfaces of the headrest frame 1 , the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest frame 1 are fabricated from a plastic material. For example, the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest frame 1 may be formed integrally with one another from a plastic material, such as by injection molding or other suitable methods. The headrest frame 1 may be fabricated from any of a broad number of known plastic materials including, but not limited to, polyacetal, polyester, or ABS resin.

In order to enhance the strength and rigidity of the headrest frame 1 , a one-piece core material 30 is embedded within the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest frame 1 . When viewed from the front, the core material 30 is substantially u-shaped, with the open end of the u-shape facing downward, as the core material 30 follows the shape of the headrest frame 1 . The core material 30 is fabricated as a solid metal body, and may be fabricated from any suitable metal, such as iron or copper.

In order to strengthen the headrest frame 1 against forces that may be applied to the headrest 10 during an automotive collision, the core material 30 includes one or more rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 , while the remainder of the core material 30 is provided as a round cross-section portion 32 of the core material 30 . In particular, at least one rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 is provided in the each of the first and second legs 2 , 3 of the headrest frame 1 . In the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 , as shown in FIG. 4 , the core material 30 has a rectangular cross section defined by a pair of narrow sides 31 a , 31 c and a pair of wide sides 31 b , 31 d . In the round cross-section portions 32 of the core material 30 , as shown in FIG. 5 , the core material 30 has a round cross section. During automotive collisions, significant forces are experienced in the headrest frame 1 along the length of the automobile, that is, from the front of the automobile to the back of the automobile, or vice versa. Accordingly, in order to strengthen the headrest frame 1 against the forces that may be applied to the headrest 10 during an automotive collision, the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 are embedded in the headrest frame 1 in such a way that the narrow sides 31 a , 31 c of the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 are aligned to face the front and the back of the automobile, respectively, when the headrest frame 1 is installed on the car seat 20 . Furthermore, since the wide sides 31 b , 31 d of the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 extend substantially perpendicular to the narrow sides 31 a , 31 c , one wide side 31 b of each rectangular cross-section portion 31 faces the left side of the automobile while the other wide side 31 d of the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 faces the right side of the automobile.

Although at least one rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 is provided in the each of the first and second legs 2 , 3 of the headrest frame 1 , the remainder of the core material 30 may be provided as the round cross-section portion 32 of the core material 30 . At the free end of the vertical lower portion 2 a , 3 a of each of the legs 2 , 3 , a round cross-section portion 32 of the core material 30 which extends from the free ends of the legs 2 , 3 and terminates prior to the recesses 7 a , 7 b on the headrest frame 1 . At that point, the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 begins, and extends past the recesses 7 a , 7 b , and may extend into the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 of the headrest frame 1 . At this upper terminus of the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 , the round cross-section portion 32 resumes on each leg 2 , 3 and continues across the entire length of the connecting bar 4 .

The plastic headrest frame 10 may be fabricated by first forming the core material 30 by bending a round bar of metal to form a substantial u-shape that matches the final shape intended for the headrest frame 1 . In particular, as shown in FIG. 2 , the core material 30 is bent at two locations at the top to form a roughly inverted U shape, which provides the two legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 . Then, as shown in FIG. 3 , to make the top of the headrest frame tilt toward the front of the car, the legs 2 , 3 are bent, thus forming the vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 below the bending point and the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 tilting toward the front of the car above the bending point.

In order to form the square cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 , the core material 30 is flattened using a press from a point below the recesses 7 a , 7 b on the vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a on the legs 2 , 3 to an intermediate point on the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b on the legs 2 , 3 . The direction of press is parallel to the connecting bar 4 . By pressing the core material 30 in this direction, the narrow side 31 a and the narrow side 31 c are oriented toward the front and rear of the car, respectively, when installed. For example, if a seven mm straight round bar is pressed partially, the narrow sides 31 a , 31 c are 3.84 mm in width, and the wide sides 31 b , 31 d are 10 mm in width. Of course, since this method contemplates a round bar of metal as a starting material, all of the portions of the core material 30 that are not pressed to form the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 will thus form round cross-section portions 32 of the core material 30 .

After core material 30 has been pressed, the core material 30 is placed in a die (not shown) and the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest 1 are formed by plastic injection molding so that plastic material completely covers the core material 30 to form the finished headrest frame 1 . The plastic material of the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 covers the core material 30 in such a way that the diameter M of the headrest frame is 12 mm. The recesses 7 a , 7 b are formed during the plastic injection molding step at pre-determined locations provided on the die. The depth T of the recesses 7 a , 7 b is 2 mm.

When installed on the car seat 20 , the narrow side 31 a and the narrow side 31 c of the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 face the front and the back of the car, respectively.

As described above, the step of pressing the core material was performed after the step of bending the core material. However, it should be understood that the bending step can be performed after the pressing step.

In the foregoing description of the first embodiment of the invention, the core material 30 is shown and described as being solid. It should be appreciated, however, that a tubular cross-section could be provided for the core material 30 . For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , a tubular cross-section may be provided for the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 . As another example, as shown in FIG. 7 , a tubular cross-section may also be provided for the round cross-section portion 32 of the core material 30 .

In the second embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 8-9 , the plastic headrest frame 10 may be provided wherein the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 extends the entire length of the core material 30 to provide a rectangular cross-section throughout the core material 30 . Thus, the plastic headrest frame 1 according to the second embodiment has a single-piece core material 30 embedded throughout the two legs 2 , 3 and throughout the connecting bar 4 that connects the first and second legs 2 , 3 . The rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 is aligned such that the narrow sides 31 a and 31 c face the front and the back of the car when the headrest flame 1 is installed on the car seat 20 . Accordingly, the C-C line enlarged cross section and D-D line enlarged cross section in FIG. 8 both correspond to the cross section shown in FIG. 4 . Furthermore, as explained with regard to the first embodiment, the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 may be solid, as shown in FIG. 4 , or tubular, as shown in FIG. 6 .

Since the core material 30 is provided only as the rectangular cross-section portion 31 , the manufacturing process of the headrest frame 1 is further simplified. Also, since the narrow sides 31 a and 31 c of the rectangular cross-section portion 31 are aligned to face the front and the back of the car when installed on the car seat 20 , the rigidity of the headrest frame 1 is sufficiently increased against the stress applied to the headrest frame 1 during a crash.

In both the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the core material 30 is described as being fabricated from metal; however, it should be understood that the core material 30 may be fabricated from a sturdy plastic material that is harder than the plastic material used for the legs 2 , 3 , and the connecting bar 4 .

As previously described with respect to the first and second embodiments, the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 has a rectangular cross section. However, as shown in FIGS. 10-11 , the rectangular cross-section portions 31 of the core material 30 need not be perfectly rectangular in cross section, but rather, could be substantially trapezoidal, wherein the trapezoidal shape of the rectangular cross-section portions 31 are symmetrical with respect to the center line S. In such a case, FIGS. 10-11 correspond to the A-A line enlarged cross section of FIG. 2 , and the center line S extends substantially perpendicular to the connecting bar 4 . In particular, FIG. 10 shows a cross section having narrow sides 41 a , 41 a and wide sides 41 b , 41 d , wherein the narrow side 41 a faces toward the rear of the car. As an alternative, as shown in FIG. 11 , the narrow side 41 a may face toward the front of the car.

As a further alternative in either the first or second embodiment, rigidity of the headrest frame may be improved by providing a horizontal bar 5 . The horizontal bar 5 interconnects the legs 2 , 3 near the intersection of the vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a and the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 .

From the foregoing embodiments, it will be appreciated that by providing the headrest frame 1 of the invention with the one-piece core material 30 embedded throughout the two legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 , and by providing at least a portion of the core material 30 with a rectangular cross-section portion 31 in each of the legs 2 , 3 , wherein the rectangular cross-section portion 31 is aligned with the narrow sides 31 a , 31 c thereof aligned to face the front and the back of the car when installed on the car seat 20 , the rigidity of the headrest frame 1 can be sufficiently increased against the stress applied to the headrest frame 1 during a crash. Therefore, even though the headrest frame 1 of the invention is fabricated from a plastic material, it can sturdily support the headrest 10 .

It will be further appreciated from the foregoing that since the exterior surfaces of the headrest frame are plastic, the need for plating is eliminated, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, during disposal of the automobile, there is no need to remove plating material from the headrest frame, thus reducing the cost of recycling the headrest frame 1 and avoiding environmental contamination.

In the first embodiment, the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 is formed from a round bar by a pressing process, so its manufacturing process is simple. According to the second embodiment, the manufacturing process of the headrest frame 1 may be further simplified by forming the core material 30 from a rectangular bar to provide the rectangular cross-section portion 31 throughout the core material 30 , thereby omitting the pressing process.

Also, by forming the recesses 7 a , 7 b on the legs 2 , 3 adjacent to the rectangular cross-section portion 31 of the core material 30 , the depth T of the recesses 7 a , 7 b may be increased as compared to the depth that would be possible if the round cross-section portion 32 of the core material 30 were provided adjacent to the recesses 7 a , 7 b . In this manner, the headrest frame 1 is not weakened in those areas where the recesses 7 a , 7 b are provided, regardless of the fact that the legs 2 , 3 of the headrest frame 1 are fabricated from plastic.

Also, in either of the first or second embodiments, the core material 30 can be either solid or hollow. If the core material 30 is fabricated as a solid bar, the strength of the headrest frame 1 may be increased.

Furthermore, since the core material 30 may be fabricated from a plastic material that has a higher hardness than the plastic material from which the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 are fabricated, the manufacturing process may be further simplified, because both the core material 30 and the legs 2 , 3 and the connecting bar 4 of the headrest frame 1 itself are all fabricated from plastic materials.

It has also been taught therein that by providing a horizontal bar 5 that connects the two legs 2 , 3 at or near the point where the vertical lower portions 2 a , 3 a of the legs 2 , 3 and the slanting portions 2 b , 3 b of the legs 2 , 3 meet so that the rigidity of the headrest frame can be improved in this area.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but to the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications or equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.