JP2024104252A - Headrest and vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headrest and a vehicle seat which can suppress a weight increase while maintaining industrial design property in structure capable of alleviating crewman's car sickness.

SOLUTION: A headrest 10 comprises: a headrest body 16 having a base part 24 constituted to be able to support a head H of a crewman P from a seat rear side, and a support part 26 protruded from the bottom of the base part 24 into a seat front side and constituted to be able to support a part H1 corresponding to the occipital bone in the head H of the crewman P; and a step resolution part 18 provided in the headrest body 16 so as to cover a step 28 between the base part 24 and the support part 26 from the seat front side and being softer than the support part 26.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a headrest and a vehicle seat.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a headrest that has an upper pillow section that supports the occupant's head from the rear side of the seat, and a lower pillow section that constitutes the lower front side of the headrest and is located on the seat lower side of the upper pillow section. When not in use, the lower pillow section is stored so that its front surface is flush with the front surface of the upper pillow section. Meanwhile, when in use, the lower pillow section is adjustable in its front-to-rear position relative to the upper pillow section and the amount by which both side sections protrude toward the front of the seat relative to the middle section in the seat width direction in order to support the occupant's head over a wide area.

JP 2019-206229 A

It is known that in vehicle seats, the occupant's car sickness can be reduced by supporting the area corresponding to the occipital bone of the occupant and suppressing head shaking.

However, if the support part that supports the area corresponding to the occipital bone of the occupant is permanently attached to the front of the headrest, the step that occurs on the upper side of the support part will be noticeable, and there is a risk that the design will be impaired.

On the other hand, in a configuration in which the support part is moved and stored when not in use, such as the headrest described in Patent Document 1, a moving mechanism is required, which leads to an increase in the weight of the headrest. For this reason, there is room for improvement in suppressing weight increase while maintaining design in a headrest that can reduce car sickness in occupants.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a headrest and vehicle seat that can reduce weight gain while maintaining design in a structure that can reduce car sickness in occupants.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 1 has a headrest body including a base portion configured to support the head of an occupant from the rear side of the seat, a support portion that protrudes from the lower portion of the base portion toward the front side of the seat and is configured to support a portion of the occipital bone of the occupant's head, and a step-eliminating portion that is provided on the headrest body so as to cover the step between the base portion and the support portion from the front side of the seat and is softer than the support portion.

According to the present invention described in claim 1, the occupant's head is supported from the rear side of the seat by the base part of the headrest body. In addition, the part of the occipital bone of the occupant's head is supported by a support part that protrudes from the lower part of the base part of the headrest body toward the front side of the seat. This suppresses shaking of the occipital bone of the occupant, and reduces car sickness of the occupant.

Here, the headrest of the present invention has a simple configuration in which the support portion always protrudes from the base portion, so the weight increase can be suppressed compared to a headrest with a moving mechanism.

The headrest body is also provided with a step-eliminating section that covers the step between the base section and the support section from the front side of the seat. This makes the headrest's contour smoother and maintains its design. Since the step-eliminating section is softer than the support section, when an occupant sits down, the step-eliminating section elastically deforms due to the load received from the head. Therefore, even with the step-eliminating section, the support section can support the area of the occipital bone of the occupant's head.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, in which the step elimination section is configured to include a filling section in which a filling material is filled in the bag body and which fills the step.

According to the present invention described in claim 2, the step is filled by the filling section. When an occupant sits down, the filling section is deformed by the load applied by the head. Here, since the filling is filled in a bag body in the filling section, the filling moves within the range in which the bag body can deform. Therefore, even if the filling is easily dispersed, such as feathers or cotton, the shape of the filling section is maintained by the bag body.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 2, in which a recess is formed on the seat front side of the support part, recessed toward the seat rear side, and the filling part is arranged to fill the recess of the support part, and has a shape that bulges toward the seat front side from the upper end of the base part to the lower end of the support part in a side view.

According to the present invention described in claim 3, a recess is formed on the front side of the support portion, which is recessed toward the rear side of the seat. This allows the area of the occipital bone of the occupant's head to be supported from the rear side and the side of the seat. This suppresses the occipital bone of the occupant from shaking in the front-rear and left-right directions.

Here, if the step-eliminating portion does not cover the seat front side of the support portion, the recessed portion will be exposed, resulting in a loss of design. According to the present invention, the filling portion of the step-eliminating portion is arranged so as to fill the recessed portion of the support portion while filling the step between the base portion and the support portion. Furthermore, the filling portion has a shape that bulges out toward the front of the seat from the upper end of the base portion to the lower end of the support portion in a side view. Therefore, the front surface of the headrest becomes a curved surface that bulges out toward the front, improving design.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 2, in which the step elimination portion further has a stretchable covering portion that covers at least a portion of the headrest body and the filling portion from the front side of the seat.

According to the invention described in claim 4, at least a portion of the headrest body and the filling portion are covered by the covering portion from the front side of the seat. This covers at least a portion of the boundary between the headrest body and the filling portion and the filling portion.

In addition, because the covering portion is elastic, when it receives a load from the occupant's head, it deforms to fit the shape of the head. Therefore, even with the covering portion, the support portion can support the area of the occipital bone of the occupant's head.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4, in which the headrest body includes a foamed resin pad in which the base portion and the support portion are integrally molded, and a body-side skin that covers the pad, and the covering portion is fixed to the body-side skin at the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body.

According to the present invention described in claim 5, the base part and the support part are foam-molded as a single unit, which requires fewer steps than molding the base part and the support part separately, and reduces manufacturing costs. In addition, the support part does not shift relative to the base part, improving the stability of the support part.

Furthermore, since the covering portion is constructed separately from the body-side skin that covers the pad, suitable materials can be selected for both the covering portion and the body-side skin. As an example, since the rear surface of the body-side skin that covers the pad is exposed as the rear surface of the headrest, a material that emphasizes design can be selected, while a highly elastic material can be selected for the covering portion at the front surface of the headrest to emphasize fit to the head. Also, since the covering portion can be retrofitted to the headrest body covered by the body-side skin, it becomes easy to replace the covering portion.

The covering portion is fixed to the body skin at the top end, bottom end, and both side ends of the headrest body. In other words, the covering portion widely covers the front side of the headrest body from the top end to the bottom end and from the left end to the right end. This gives the front surface of the headrest a gentle curve.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 6 is the invention described in claim 4, in which the headrest body includes a foamed resin pad in which the base portion and the support portion are integrally molded, and the covering portion is formed by a part of an encompassing skin that integrally covers the pad and the filling portion.

According to the present invention described in claim 6, since the covering portion is formed of a part of the comprehensive skin that covers the pad and the filling portion as a whole, manufacturing costs can be reduced compared to a case in which the covering portion is provided separately from the main body skin that covers the pad. In addition, since the comprehensive skin covers the entire headrest, the design can be further improved.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 7 is the invention described in claim 1, in which the headrest body includes a foamed resin pad in which the base portion and the support portion are integrally molded, and a body-side skin that covers the pad, and the step-eliminating portion includes covering portions that are fixed to the body-side skin at the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body in a state in which the step-eliminating portion is stretched over the seat front surface of the headrest body via a space portion.

According to the present invention described in claim 7, the covering portion is fixed to the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body on the main body side skin that covers the pad. Here, the covering portion of the step elimination portion is stretched against the front surface of the headrest body via a space. In addition, since the covering portion has elasticity, when an occupant sits down, the load from the head causes the covering portion to deform so as to crush the space. Therefore, even with the covering portion and the space, the support portion can support the area of the occipital bone of the occupant's head.

In addition, the present invention has a simpler configuration than a headrest with a filling section, which allows for reduced manufacturing costs and weight reduction.

Furthermore, because the covering part is constructed separately from the body-side skin that covers the pad, it is possible to select suitable materials for the covering part and the body-side skin. Also, because the covering part can be retrofitted to the headrest body covered by the body-side skin, it becomes easy to replace the covering part.

Furthermore, the covering portion is fixed to the body skin at the top end, bottom end, and both side ends of the headrest body. In other words, the covering portion widely covers the front side of the headrest body from the top end to the bottom end and from the left end to the right end. This gives the front side of the headrest a gentle shape, further improving the design.

The vehicle seat according to the present invention described in claim 8 has a seat cushion capable of supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant, a seat back connected to the rear end of the seat cushion and capable of supporting the back of the occupant, and the headrest described in any one of claims 1 to 7 connected to the upper end of the seat back and capable of supporting the head of the occupant.

According to the present invention described in claim 8, the occupant's buttocks and thighs are supported by the seat cushion. Also, the occupant's back is supported by the seat back.

Furthermore, the occupant's head is supported from the rear side of the seat by the base of the headrest body. The part of the occipital bone of the occupant's head is supported by a support part that protrudes from the lower part of the base of the headrest body toward the front of the seat. This suppresses shaking of the occipital bone of the occupant, reducing car sickness of the occupant.

Here, the headrest of the present invention has a simple configuration in which the support portion always protrudes from the base portion, so the weight increase can be suppressed compared to a headrest with a moving mechanism.

The headrest body is also provided with a step-eliminating section that covers the step between the base section and the support section from the front side of the seat. This gives the headrest a gentler contour and maintains its design. The step-eliminating section is softer than the support section, so when an occupant sits down, the step-eliminating section elastically deforms due to the load received from the head. Therefore, even with the step-eliminating section, the support section can support the area of the occipital bone of the occupant's head, maintaining car sickness reduction performance.

As described above, the headrest according to the present invention described in claim 1 has the excellent effect of suppressing weight increase while maintaining design in a structure that can reduce car sickness in occupants.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 2 has the excellent effect of maintaining its design and functionality even after repeated use.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 3 has the excellent effect of further reducing car sickness while improving design.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 4 has the excellent effect of improving the design.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 5 has the excellent effect of improving both design freedom and aesthetics.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 6 has the excellent effect of reducing manufacturing costs while further improving design.

The headrest according to the present invention described in claim 7 has the excellent effect of further suppressing weight increase while maintaining design.

The vehicle seat according to the present invention described in claim 8 has the excellent effect of being able to maintain design while suppressing weight increase in a structure that can reduce car sickness in occupants.

1 is a front perspective view of a vehicle seat to which a headrest according to a first embodiment is attached; FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing a state in which a covering portion of the headrest shown in FIG. 1 is removed. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the filling section shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the covering portion shown in FIG. 2 . Fig. 5(A) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 1 when an occupant is seated in the vehicle seat shown in Fig. 1. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5(B). FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the second embodiment.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a headrest 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Note that the arrows FR, UP, LH, and RH shown as appropriate in each figure indicate the front side, upper side, left side in the seat width direction, and right side in the seat width direction of a vehicle seat 12 equipped with the headrest 10. Furthermore, when the directions of front-rear, up-down, and left-right are used in the following description unless otherwise specified, they respectively indicate front-rear in the front-rear direction of the seat, up-down in the up-down direction of the seat, and left-right in the left-right direction (width direction) of the seat.

Figure 1 shows a front perspective view of a vehicle seat 12 to which a headrest 10 is attached. The vehicle seat 12 includes a seat cushion (not shown) capable of supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant P (see Figure 5(B)), a seat back 14 connected to the rear end of the seat cushion and capable of supporting the back of the occupant P, and a headrest 10 connected to the upper end of the seat back 14 and capable of supporting the head H of the occupant P (see Figure 5(B)).

The headrest 10 includes a headrest body 16 connected to the seat back 14 via a headrest stay 30 (see FIG. 2), and a step-eliminating portion 18 provided on the seat front side of the headrest body 16. In this embodiment, the step-eliminating portion 18 includes a filling portion 20 disposed on the seat front side of the headrest body 16, and a covering portion 22 that covers the filling portion 20 from the seat front side.

2, the headrest body 16 includes a base portion 24 that extends in the up-down and width directions and has a thickness in the front-rear direction, and a support portion 26 that protrudes from the lower portion of the base portion 24 toward the front of the seat. The headrest body 16 is formed in a substantially L-shape in side view due to the inclusion of the base portion 24 and the support portion 26. In other words, a step 28 is formed on the front surface of the headrest body 16. The step-eliminating portion 18 (see FIG. 1), which includes the filling portion 20 and the covering portion 22 (see FIG. 1), is configured to eliminate the step 28 of the headrest body 16 by covering it from the front side of the seat.

The base portion 24 is formed in a generally triangular shape so that the thickness in the front-to-rear direction of the seat increases toward the lower side of the seat in a side view. The upper front surface 24A of the base portion 24 is capable of supporting the head H (see FIG. 5B) of the occupant P from the rear side of the seat.

The support part 26 is formed in a generally U-shape that is open toward the front of the seat in a plan view, and a recess 27 that is recessed toward the rear of the seat is formed on the front side of the support part 26. More specifically, the support part 26 includes a center support part 26A provided in the center of the seat width direction, and side support parts 26B provided on both the left and right sides of the center support part 26A and protruding toward the front side of the seat than the center support part 26A. As a result, the support part 26 is configured to be able to support a region H1 (see FIG. 5B) of the head H of the occipital bone of the occipital vertex ...

The headrest body 16 includes a metal headrest stay 30 formed in a substantially U-shape when viewed from the front-rear direction of the seat, a pad 32 (see FIG. 5(A)) made of foamed resin such as urethane foam that covers the headrest stay 30, and a body-side skin 34 that covers the pad 32. The body-side skin 34 is made of multiple skin pieces sewn together, such as fabric, knit material, synthetic leather, leather, etc. As an example, the body-side skin 34 is made of polyvinyl chloride resin (PVC).

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the pad 32 is formed by integrally foaming the base portion 24 and the support portion 26 using the foam-in-skin method with the headrest stay 30 embedded inside the body-side skin 34. Note that the foam-in-skin method is not limited to this method, and the body-side skin may be attached to the pad after it is molded.

The filling section 20 includes a bag body 36 formed by sewing together a plurality of skin pieces, and a filling material 38 filled in the bag body 36. The skin pieces constituting the bag body 36 are made of a highly elastic knit material such as tricot. The filling material 38 is made of a light and easily deformable material such as feathers. When the filling section 20 receives a load from a portion H1 (see FIG. 5B) corresponding to the occipital bone in the head H of the occupant P, the air contained between the filling material 38 escapes to the outside of the bag body 36, so that the filling section 20 is compressed. In particular, in the front side of the recess 27 (see FIG. 2) of the support section 26, the filling section 20 is sandwiched between the portion H1 of the head H and the support section 26 and compressed thinly. In addition, when the occupant P moves his/her head H away from the head rest 80, air again enters between the filling material 38 from the outside of the bag body 36, and the filling section 20 returns to its original shape. The material of the skin pieces constituting the bag body is not limited to a knit material. The filling is not limited to feathers, but can also be synthetic fiber batting such as polyester.

As shown in FIG. 2, an upper first hook-and-loop fastener 40 for fastening the filling section 20 and an upper second hook-and-loop fastener 42 for fastening the covering section 22 (see FIG. 1) are provided on the upper surface of the base section 24 of the headrest main body 16. The upper first hook-and-loop fastener 40 and the upper second hook-and-loop fastener 42 are each sewn to the main body skin 34 along the seat width direction. The upper second hook-and-loop fasteners 42 are arranged in parallel to the seat rear side of the upper first hook-and-loop fastener 40 with a gap therebetween.

In addition, a left first hook-and-loop fastener 44, a left second hook-and-loop fastener 46, and a left third hook-and-loop fastener 48 are provided at the front of the left side surface of the headrest main body 16 for fastening the covering portion 22 (see FIG. 1). The left first hook-and-loop fastener 44 and the left second hook-and-loop fastener 46 are sewn to the main body side skin 34 along the up-down direction at the front of the left side surface of the base portion 24. The left second hook-and-loop fastener 46 is arranged in series below the left first hook-and-loop fastener 44 with a gap therebelow. Meanwhile, the left third hook-and-loop fastener 48 is sewn to the main body side skin 34 along the front-to-rear direction at the lower part of the left side surface of the support portion 26.

The right side of the headrest body 16 is provided with a right first hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), a right second hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), and a right third hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) for fastening the covering portion 22, as is the left side. In addition, a lower side fastener (not shown) for fastening the covering portion 22 is provided at the front end of the lower surface of the headrest body 16. The right first hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), right second hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), right third hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), and lower side fastener (not shown) are each sewn to the body side skin 34.

Here, a filling section hook-and-loop fastener 50 is provided at the upper end of the rear surface of the filling section 20, which is removably fixed to the upper first hook-and-loop fastener 40 of the headrest main body 16. The filling section hook-and-loop fastener 50 is sewn to the bag body 36 along the seat width direction. Note that the fixing point between the headrest main body and the filling section is not limited to the upper end. In addition, the filling section may be fixed to the headrest main body at multiple points. Furthermore, the filling section is not limited to a detachable configuration, and may be fixed to the headrest main body by, for example, adhesion, etc.

The upper part 20A of the filling part 20 is arranged on the front side of the surface 24A of the upper part of the base part 24 so as to cover substantially the entirety of the surface 24A on the front side of the seat. The lower part 20B of the filling part 20 is arranged on the front side of the recess 27 of the support part 26. As a result, the step 28 is covered from the front side of the seat by the filling part 20. Here, the lower part 20B of the filling part 20 is not arranged on the front side of the side support part 26B, but is arranged on the front side of the center support part 26A so as to fill the recess 27.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the filling portion 20 bulges out toward the front of the seat from the upper end of the base portion 24 to the lower end of the support portion in a side view. The filling portion 20 bulges out toward the front of the seat from the left end to the right end of the front end of the base portion 24 in a plan cross-sectional view. In other words, the rear surface of the filling portion 20 is arranged along the shape of the front of the headrest main body 16, and the front surface has a gentle bulge toward the front of the seat.

Figure 3 shows a rear view of the filling section 20. The bag body 36 of the filling section 20 is constructed by sewing together multiple skin pieces so that the upper and lower sections 20A and 20B form a unified internal space. On the rear surface of the filling section 20, the shape of the lower end of the upper section 20A and the upper end of the lower section 20B correspond to the shape of the step 28 (see Figure 1) of the headrest body 16.

In addition, a metal fastener 52 is provided at the upper end of the lower portion 20B on the rear surface of the filling portion 20. The filling material 38 (see FIG. 5(A)) is filled inside the bag body 36 with the metal fastener 52 as an opening. The bag body 36 does not have to be formed so that the insides of the upper portion 20A and the lower portion 20B are integrated into a single space. For example, the upper and lower portions may be sewn together to form separate spaces, and the filling material may be filled into each space separately. The filling portion may not have a metal fastener. For example, the opening may be closed with another openable structure. For example, the opening may be filled with the filling material through an opening provided in the bag body, and then the opening may be closed by a method such as sewing.

Here, in the upper portion 20A of the bag body 36, a stitching portion 54 is provided along the seat width direction below the filling portion hook-and-loop fastener 50, and the upholstery piece on the front side of the seat and the upholstery piece on the rear side of the seat in the bag body 36 are sewn together. As a result, in the upper portion 20A, the filling material 38 is not filled above the stitching portion 54, but is filled only below the stitching portion 54. Note that the stitching portion 54 is not limited to this position, and may be provided appropriately depending on the shape of the headrest body. Also, depending on the shape of the headrest body, the filling material may be filled throughout the entire bag body without providing a stitching portion.

Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the covering portion 22. The covering portion 22 is composed of a substantially rectangular center cover 22A and a pair of substantially triangular side covers 22B sewn to the left and right sides of the center cover 22A. The center cover 22A and the pair of left and right side covers 22B are made of a highly elastic knit material such as tricot. Note that the material of the covering portion 22 is not limited to the above.

A covering portion upper surface fastener 56 is sewn along the seat width direction to the upper end of the center cover 22A and is removably fixed to the upper second surface fastener 42 (see FIG. 2) of the headrest body 16. Also, a covering portion lower surface fastener 58 is sewn along the seat width direction to the lower end of the center cover 22A and is removably fixed to the lower surface fastener (not shown) of the headrest body 16 (see FIG. 2).

Furthermore, a first side hook-and-loop fastener 60 that is detachably fixed to the first left hook-and-loop fastener 44 (see FIG. 2) of the headrest body 16 and a second side hook-and-loop fastener 62 that is detachably fixed to the second left hook-and-loop fastener 46 (see FIG. 2) of the headrest body 16 are sewn to the rear end of the left side cover 22B, and are arranged in a direction along the seat vertical direction. Also, a third side hook-and-loop fastener 64 that is detachably fixed to the third left hook-and-loop fastener 48 (see FIG. 2) of the headrest body 16 is sewn to the lower end of the left side cover 22B, and is arranged in a direction along the seat longitudinal direction.

Similarly, the right side cover 22B has a side first hook-and-loop fastener 60, a side second hook-and-loop fastener 62, and a side third hook-and-loop fastener 64 sewn thereto, which are detachably fixed to the right first hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), the right second hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), and the right third hook-and-loop fastener (not shown), respectively, of the headrest body 16 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 1, the covering portion 22 is removably fixed to the body-side skin 34 at the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body 16. Here, the covering portion 22 is tensioned with a strength sufficient to deform to conform to the shape of the support portion 26 when a load is applied from a portion H1 (see FIG. 5(B)) of the head H of the occipital bone of the occipital bone of the occupant P. In addition, when the occupant P moves his/her head H away from the headrest 80, the covering portion 22 returns to its original shape due to its elasticity.

The center cover 22A (see FIG. 4) is arranged to cover the filling section 20 and the side support section 26B of the support section 26 from the front side, from the upper first surface fastener 42 (see FIG. 2) of the headrest body 16 to the lower surface fastener (not shown). On the other hand, the pair of left and right side covers 22B (see FIG. 4) are arranged to cover the front part of the headrest body 16 while covering the filling section 20 and the step 28 from the lateral side. In other words, the covering section 22 covers the entire filling section 20 and the boundary between the filling section 20 and the headrest body 16 when viewed from the front side of the seat, and also covers parts of the upper end, lower end and both side ends of the headrest body 16. Note that the fixing points between the headrest body and the covering section are not limited to the above. Also, the covering section is not limited to a detachable configuration, and may be fixed to the headrest body by, for example, adhesion or the like.

(Operation of the First Embodiment)
Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5(B), with the headrest 10 according to this embodiment, the head H of the occupant P is supported from the rear of the seat by the surface of the upper part of the base portion 24 of the headrest main body 16 facing forward in the seat. In addition, a portion H1 of the head H of the occipital bone of the occupant P is supported by a support portion 26 that protrudes from the lower part of the base portion 24 of the headrest main body 16 toward the front of the seat. This suppresses shaking of the occipital bone of the occupant P, and reduces car sickness of the occupant P.

Headrest 10 has a simple configuration in which support portion 26 always protrudes from base portion 24, and therefore weight increase can be suppressed compared to a headrest equipped with a moving mechanism. If the mass of the headrest is large, the impact on the head during sudden acceleration or rear-end collisions may be large, increasing the risk of whiplash. With headrest 10 according to this embodiment, weight increase can be suppressed, thereby reducing the risk of whiplash.

The headrest body 16 is also provided with a step elimination section 18 that covers the step 28 between the base section 24 and the support section 26 from the front side of the seat. This makes the external shape of the headrest 10 gentler, and maintains the design even with the support section 26 for reducing car sickness.

Here, the step-eliminating part 18, which is composed of the filling part 20 in which a highly elastic bag body 36 is filled with filling material 38 such as feathers, and the highly elastic covering part 22, is softer than the support part 26 in which a pad 32 such as urethane foam is covered with a PVC body-side skin 34. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5(B) and 6, when an occupant P sits on the vehicle seat 12, the step-eliminating part 18 is elastically deformed by the load received from the head H of the occupant P. Therefore, even with the step-eliminating part 18, the support part 26 can support the part H1 corresponding to the occipital bone in the head H of the occupant P. In addition, because the step-eliminating part 18 elastically deforms, the outer shape of the headrest 10 becomes a continuous curve whether the occupant is seated or not, and therefore the deterioration of the design is suppressed compared to a headrest with an exposed step or a headrest with a moving mechanism.

In addition, according to the headrest 10 of this embodiment, in the filling section 20, the filling material 38 is filled in the bag body 36, so the bag body 36 moves within a range in which it can deform. Therefore, even if the filling material 38 is easily dispersible, such as feathers or cotton, the shape of the filling section 20 is maintained by the bag body 36.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the headrest 10 according to this embodiment, a recess 27 recessed toward the rear of the seat is formed on the seat front side of the support portion 26. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5(B) and FIG. 6, the portion H1 of the head H of the occipital bone of the occipital bone of the occupant P is supported from the rear side and the side of the seat. Therefore, the shaking of the occipital bone of the occupant P in the front-rear and left-right directions is suppressed.

Here, if the step-eliminating portion 18 does not cover the seat front side of the support portion 26, the recess 27 shown in FIG. 2 will be exposed, resulting in a loss of design. According to the headrest 10 of this embodiment, the filling portion 20 of the step-eliminating portion 18 is arranged so that the upper portion 20A fills the step 28 between the base portion 24 and the support portion 26, while the lower portion 20B fills the recess 27 of the support portion 26. Furthermore, the surface of the filling portion 20 on the seat front side is shaped to bulge toward the seat front side from the upper end of the base portion 24 to the lower end of the support portion 26 in a side view. Therefore, the front surface of the headrest 10 becomes a curved surface that bulges forward, improving design.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the headrest 10 according to this embodiment, a part of the headrest body 16 and the filling portion 20 are covered by a covering portion 22 from the front side of the seat. This covers the boundary between the headrest body 16 and the filling portion 20 and the filling portion 20, further improving the design.

In addition, since the covering portion 22 has high elasticity, as shown in FIG. 6, when a load is applied from the head H of the occupant P, it deforms to fit the shape of the head H. Therefore, even with the covering portion 22, the support portion 26 can support the area H1 of the head H of the occipital bone of the occipital bone of the occupant P.

Furthermore, according to the headrest 10 of this embodiment, the base portion 24 and the support portion 26 are foam-molded as a single unit, which requires fewer steps than molding the base portion 24 and the support portion 26 separately, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. In addition, the support portion 26 does not shift relative to the base portion 24, improving the stability of the support portion 26.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the covering portion 22 is fixed to the body-side skin 34 at the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body 16. In other words, the covering portion 22 widely covers the front side of the headrest body 16 and the filling portion 20 from the upper end to the lower end and from the left end to the right end of the headrest body 16. This gives the front surface of the headrest 10 a gentle shape, further improving the design.

In addition, since the covering part 22 is constructed separately from the main body side skin 34 that covers the pad 32 (see FIG. 5(A)), suitable materials can be selected for the covering part 22 and the main body side skin 34. Furthermore, since the covering part 22 can be attached to the headrest main body 16 covered by the main body side skin 34, replacement of the covering part 22 becomes easy. Therefore, if the elasticity of the covering part 22 decreases or if the covering part 22 is damaged, the covering part 22 can be replaced with a new one or repaired. Also, the covering part 22 can be removed and washed.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the headrest 10 according to this embodiment, the filling section 20 is removably fixed to the upper first hook-and-loop fastener 40 of the headrest body 16 by the filling section hook-and-loop fastener 50. Therefore, the filling section 20 can be retrofitted to the headrest body 16, making it easy to replace the filling section 20. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the filling section 20, the filling material 38 is filled into the bag body 36 through the metal fastener 52. Therefore, when the filling material 38 becomes old and the shape of the filling section 20 changes, the filling material 38 can be replenished or replaced through the metal fastener 52.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
In the above-described first embodiment, the filling material 38 is filled in the bag body 36 in the filling section 20, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the filling material may be filled directly between the covering portion and the headrest main body.

In the above embodiment, the filling portion 20 is arranged to fill the recess 27 of the support portion 26, and has a shape that bulges out toward the front of the seat from the upper end of the base portion 24 to the lower end of the support portion 26 in a side view, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the filling portion may be arranged to cover the front surface of the base portion and the upper surface of the support portion from the vertical middle of the front surface of the base portion to the upper end of the support portion, so as to cover the step between the base portion and the support portion from the front side of the seat.

In addition, in the above first embodiment, the headrest 10 has been described as having a highly elastic covering portion 22 that covers a portion of the headrest body 16 and the filling portion 20 from the front side of the seat, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the headrest may not have a covering portion, and the filling portion may be exposed. Even in this case, the step between the base portion and the support portion is covered by the filling portion, and therefore the design is improved compared to when the step is exposed.

In the above first embodiment, the covering portion 22 is configured by sewing together a substantially rectangular center cover 22A and a pair of substantially triangular left and right side covers 22B, and is described as being fixed to the body-side skin 34 at the upper end, lower end, and both side ends of the headrest body 16, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a bag-shaped covering portion having an opening may be placed over the filling portion and the headrest body from above so as to integrally cover the filling portion and the headrest body covered by the body-side skin. In this case, the covering portion covers substantially the entire filling portion and the headrest body as a whole while allowing replacement of the covering portion, thereby further improving the design.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the headrest body 16 is provided with a body-side skin 34 that covers the pad 32, and the covering portion 22 is configured as a separate body from the body-side skin 34, but this is not limited to the above. For example, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 7, the covering portion may be configured by a front portion 76A of an umbrella skin 76 that integrally covers the pad 32 and the filling portion 20. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
Hereinafter, a vehicle seat 71 including a headrest 70 according to a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The headrest 70 according to this modified example comprises a headrest body 72 having a headrest stay 30 and a pad 32, a filling section 20 disposed on the seat front side of the headrest body 72, and an overall covering 76 made of a highly elastic knit material such as tricot that integrally covers the headrest body 72 and the filling section 20.

In this modified example, the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 corresponds to the covering portion in the present invention. In addition, in this modified example, the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 and the filling portion 20 correspond to the step elimination portion in the present invention.

(Function of the Modification of the First Embodiment)
According to this modification, the step 28 is covered by the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 that integrally covers the pad 32 and the filling portion 20. This reduces manufacturing costs compared to the first embodiment in which the main body side skin 34 (see FIG. 5A) that covers the pad 32 is provided separately. In addition, the comprehensive skin 76 integrally covers substantially the entire filling portion 20 and the headrest main body 72, which further improves the design.

Second Embodiment
A vehicle seat 81 including a headrest 80 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 8. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The headrest 80 according to the second embodiment includes a headrest body 16 and a covering portion 22 that covers a step 28 provided on the front side of the headrest body 16 from the front side of the seat.

Here, the covering portion 22 is stretched over the seat front surface of the headrest main body 16 via the space portion 82. The covering portion 22 is stretched with a strength sufficient to deform so as to fit closely to the recess 27 of the support portion 26 when a load is applied from a portion H1 (see FIG. 5B) of the head H of the occipital bone of the occipital bone of the occupant P. Also, when the occupant P moves his/her head H away from the headrest 80, the covering portion 22 returns to its original shape due to its elasticity. In this embodiment, the covering portion 22 and the space portion 82 correspond to the step elimination portion in the present invention.

(Function of the Second Embodiment)
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

According to the headrest 80 of this embodiment, the highly elastic covering portion 22 is deformed by the load applied by the head H. At this time, the air in the space 82 escapes to the outside from at least one of the gap between the peripheral portion of the covering portion 22 and the headrest body 16 and the stitches of the covering portion 22. The covering portion 22 then adheres closely to the recess 27 of the support portion 26. In other words, since only the covering portion 22 is sandwiched between the recess 27 of the support portion 26 and the part H1 corresponding to the occipital bone in the head H of the occipital bone of the occupant P, the support portion 26 can support the part H1 well. As a result, the performance of reducing car sickness is maintained. In addition, compared to the first embodiment in which the filling portion 20 is disposed between the covering portion 22 and the support portion 26, the cushioning properties of the pad 32 are maintained.

In addition, according to the headrest 80 of this embodiment, as in the headrest 10 of the first embodiment described above (see FIG. 1), the covering portion 22 is configured separately from the body-side skin 34 that covers the pad 32, so that suitable materials can be selected for the covering portion 22 and the body-side skin 34. In addition, since the covering portion 22 can be attached to the headrest body 16 covered by the body-side skin 34, replacement of the covering portion 22 becomes easy. Furthermore, as in the headrest 10 of the first embodiment described above, the covering portion 22 widely covers the front side of the headrest body 16 from the upper end to the lower end and from the left end to the right end of the headrest body 16. As a result, the front of the headrest 80 has a gentle shape, and the design is maintained. Furthermore, compared to the headrest 10 of the first embodiment having the filling portion 20, the headrest 80 has a simpler configuration, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the weight can be reduced.

(Modification of the second embodiment)
A vehicle seat 91 including a headrest 90 according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment, the modified example of the first embodiment, and the second embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The headrest 90 according to this modification includes a headrest body 72 having a headrest stay 30 and a pad 32, and a comprehensive skin 76 that covers substantially the entire headrest body 72. The comprehensive skin 76 is stretched over the front surface of the headrest body 16 via a space 82. The comprehensive skin 76 is stretched with a strength sufficient to deform so as to fit closely to the recess 27 of the support portion 26 when a load is applied from a portion H1 (see FIG. 5B) corresponding to the occipital bone of the head H of the occupant P. When the occupant P moves his/her head H away from the headrest 90, the comprehensive skin 76 returns to its original shape due to its elasticity. In this modification, the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 corresponds to the covering portion of the present invention. In this modification, the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 and the space 82 correspond to the step elimination portion of the present invention.

(Function of the Modification of the Second Embodiment)
According to the headrest 90 of this modification, the highly elastic comprehensive skin 76 is deformed by the load applied from the head H. At this time, the air in the space 82 escapes to the outside of the comprehensive skin 76. The comprehensive skin 76 then comes into close contact with the recess 27 of the support part 26. That is, since only the comprehensive skin 76 is sandwiched between the recess 27 of the support part 26 and the part H1 corresponding to the occipital bone of the head H of the occupant P, the support part 26 can favorably support the part H1. As a result, the performance of reducing car sickness is maintained. Also, compared to the first embodiment in which the filling part 20 is disposed between the covering part 22 and the support part 26, the cushioning property of the pad 32 is maintained.

In addition, according to this modified example, the step 28 is covered by the front portion 76A of the comprehensive skin 76 that integrally covers the pad 32, so that the configuration is even simpler than that of the second embodiment. Therefore, compared to the headrest 10 of the first embodiment and the headrest 80 of the second embodiment in which the main body side skin 34 is provided separately, and compared to the headrest 10 of the first embodiment and the headrest 70 of the modified example of the first embodiment in which the filling portion 20 is provided, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the comprehensive skin 76 covers almost the entire headrest main body 72, the design can be further improved compared to the headrest 10 of the first embodiment and the headrest 80 of the second embodiment.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
In the above first and second embodiments, the recess 27 recessed toward the rear side of the seat is formed on the seat front side of the support portion 26, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the support portion does not need to have a recess.

In the above first and second embodiments, the headrest body 16 and the headrest body 72 are described as having a foamed resin pad 32 in which the base portion 24 and the support portion 26 are integrally molded, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the base portion and the support portion may be molded separately, and the support portion may be fixed to the base portion.

In addition, in the above first and second embodiments, the covering portion 22 is described as being configured by sewing together a substantially rectangular center cover 22A and a pair of substantially triangular left and right side covers 22B, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the covering portion may be configured from a single piece of fabric material.

10, 70, 80, 90 Headrest 12, 71, 81, 91 Vehicle seat 14 Seat back 16, 72 Headrest body 18 Step elimination portion 20 Filling portion 22 Covering portion 24 Base portion 26 Support portion 27 Recess 28 Step 32 Pad 34 Body side skin 36 Bag body 38 Filler 76 Comprehensive skin 76A Front portion (part of comprehensive skin)
82 Space H Head H1 Area corresponding to the occipital bone P Occupant

Claims (8)

a headrest body including a base portion configured to be able to support the head of an occupant from the rear side of the seat, and a support portion that protrudes from a lower portion of the base portion toward the front side of the seat and is configured to be able to support a portion of the occipital bone of the occupant's head;
a step elimination portion that is provided on the headrest body so as to cover a step between the base portion and the support portion from a seat front side and that is softer than the support portion;
A headrest having The step elimination section is configured to include a filling section in which a filler is filled in the bag body and which fills the step.
The headrest of claim 1. A recess is formed on the seat front side of the support portion, the recess being recessed toward the seat rear side,
The filling portion is arranged to fill the recess of the support portion, and has a shape that bulges out toward the front side of the seat from an upper end of the base portion to a lower end of the support portion in a side view.
The headrest according to claim 2. The step elimination portion further includes a stretchable covering portion that covers at least a portion of the headrest body and the filling portion from the seat front side.
The headrest according to claim 2. The headrest body includes a foamed resin pad formed by integrally molding the base portion and the support portion, and a body side skin that covers the pad,
The covering portion is fixed to the main body side skin at an upper end portion, a lower end portion and both side end portions of the headrest main body,
5. The headrest according to claim 4. The headrest body includes a foamed resin pad in which the base portion and the support portion are integrally molded,
The covering portion is constituted by a part of an encompassing skin that integrally covers the pad and the filling portion.
5. The headrest according to claim 4. The headrest body includes a foamed resin pad formed by integrally molding the base portion and the support portion, and a body side skin that covers the pad,
The step elimination portion is stretched across a space on the seat front surface of the headrest body, and includes elastic covering portions fixed to the body side skin at the upper end, the lower end, and both side end portions of the headrest body.
The headrest of claim 1. A seat cushion capable of supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant;
a seat back connected to a rear end of the seat cushion and capable of supporting a back of an occupant;
The headrest according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is connected to an upper end portion of the seat back and capable of supporting a head of an occupant;
A vehicle seat having: