Claims:We Claim:
1. An adjustable element assembly 200 or 201 for a vehicle seat 500, the adjustable element assembly 200 or 201 is having an operating mechanism 100 for a latching mechanism 400 of the adjustable element 200 or 201, the latching mechanism 400 engages and disengages the adjustable element 200 or 201 from a support member 310 or 312 arranged on a backrest 300 or a seat pan 301 of the vehicle seat 500 for adjusting the adjustable element 200 in different positions, wherein the operating mechanism 100 comprising:
an actuating member 10 slidably arranged on the adjustable element 200;
an operating member 20 arranged between the actuating member 10 and the latching mechanism 400,
wherein, upon sliding the actuating member 10 to a second actuation position 10b, the operating member 20 moves linearly to a second operating position 20b to unlock the latching mechanism 400 for disengaging the adjustable element 200 or 201 from the support member 310 or 312.

2. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the actuating member 10 is in a first actuation position 10a, the operating member 20 is at a first operating position 20a to lock the latching mechanism 400 for engaging the adjustable element 200 to the support member 310.

3. The adjustable element assembly 200 or 201 as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cam profile (12 or 14) is configured on the actuating member (10) and the operating member 20 is having a follower (22, 24) extending towards the cam profile (12, 14) of the actuating member 10, wherein upon sliding the actuating member 10 by applying external force thereon, the follower (22, 24) slides on the cam profile (12, 14) of the actuating member 10, thereby moving the operating member 20 linearly towards or away from the latching mechanism 400 for unlocking the adjustable element 200 from the support member 310 or 312.

4. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claims 1 & 2, wherein the second actuation position 10b can be achieved by sliding the actuating member10 away from the first actuation position 10a.

5. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating member 10 is a slidable knob arranged on the adjustable element 200 of the vehicle seat 500.

6. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating member 10 is a slidable side portion 220 of the adjustable element 200 of the vehicle seat 500.

7. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claims 1 & 2, wherein the operating member 20 is arranged in contact with a locking member 450 of the latching mechanism 400, the locking member 450 locks the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the first operating position 20a and the locking member 450 unlocks the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the second operating position 20b.

8. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claims 1, 2 ,3& 7, wherein the operating member 20 is arranged with a first biasing member 26, in the absence of the external force on the actuating member 10 , the first biasing member 26 biases the operating member 20 to the first operating position 20a.

9. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3 & 7, wherein the actuating member 10 is arranged with a second biasing member 18, in the absence of the external force on the actuating member 10 , the second biasing member 18 biases the actuating member 10 to the first actuation position 10a.

10. The adjustable element assembly 200 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustable element 200 is a headrest or an armrest or a leg rest or a backrest of the vehicle seat 500.
, Description:Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an adjustable element assembly for a vehicle seat such as a headrest or an armrest of the vehicle seat. More specifically, the present invention relates to an operating mechanism for operating a latching mechanism of an adjustable element assembly of a vehicle seat.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Generally, a seat of a vehicle is provided with an adjustable elements like a headrest or an armrest attached to the vehicle seat. These adjustable elements are generally configures as assemblies. Figure 1a shows a perspective view of a headrest 200 arranged on an existing backrest 300 of a vehicle seat 500 of the prior art. Generally, the backrest 300 includes at least one support member 310 extending from the backrest 300. In this prior art, two support members 310 and 320 are provided. The support members 310 and 320 are rods. The headrest 200 is slidably arranged on the support members 310 and 320.

[0003] The headrest 200 slides on the support members 310 and 320 away and towards the backrest 300 of the vehicle seat 500. Further, the headrest 200 is latched to the support members 310 and 320 at a position by a latching mechanism 400 of the headrest 200. In the shown embodiments, the latching mechanism 400 includes a plunger 410 (figure 1b). The plunger 410 is connected to an operating knob P. By operating the operating knob P, the latching mechanism 400 can be unlatched. Further, the headrest 200 can be adjusted along the support members 310 and 320 and further latched to the support members 310 and 320 at another position.

[0004] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an armrest 201 arranged on an existing seat pan 301 of the vehicle seat 500 of the prior art. Generally, the seat pan 301 includes at least one support member 312 extending from the seat pan 301. The support member 312 is a rod connected to the seat pan 301. The armrest 201 is slidably arranged on the support member 312 with a help of a push button P. The armrest 201 slides on the support member 312 away and towards the seat pan 301 of the vehicle seat 500.

[0005] The existing headrests 200 or armrest 201 assemblies are provided with different types of latching mechanisms having different constructive elements such as plungers, locking pins, locking wires, locking ramps, surface locks and the like for latching the adjustable elements (200 or 201) to the support members (310, 312).

[0006] Generally, these latching mechanisms are operated by different types of operating mechanisms. Some of the operating mechanism includes elements such as fulcrum levers, button arrangement, a rack and a pinion arrangement, lever arrangement and the like for e.g. as disclosed in FR3010951, DE102009053211. These operating mechanism are not intuitive for the users to adjust the adjustable elements (200 or 201) in different positions.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an operating mechanism for a latching mechanism of an adjustable element of a vehicle seat, which overcomes few or all of the drawbacks of the prior art.

Objects of the Invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an operating mechanism for a latching mechanism of an adjustable element of a vehicle seat.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating mechanism for a latching mechanism of an adjustable element of a vehicle seat, which unlocks the latching mechanism for disengaging the adjustable element from a support member of the vehicle seat, thereby enabling positional adjustments of the adjustable element with respect to the backrest or the seat pan of the vehicle seat.

[0010] Still another object of the present invention is to provide an operating mechanism for a latching mechanism of an adjustable element of a vehicle seat, which enhances user comfort.

[0011] Further, an object of the present invention is to provide an operating mechanism for a latching mechanism of an adjustable element of a vehicle seat, which is simple in construction, easy and intuitive in operation.

Summary of the invention

[0012] According to the present invention, there is provided an adjustable element assembly having an operating mechanism for operating a latching mechanism of the adjustable element of a vehicle seat. The adjustable element can be a headrests or an armrests or a leg rest or a backrest of the vehicle seat. The latching mechanism may engage and disengage the adjustable element from a support member arranged on a backrest or a seat pan of the vehicle seat for adjusting the adjustable element in different positions.

[0013] The operating mechanism may include an actuating member and an operating member. The actuating member may be slidably arranged on the adjustable element. In an embodiment, the actuating member can be a slidable knob arranged on the adjustable element. In an alternative embodiment, the actuating member may be a slidable side portion of the adjustable element of the vehicle seat.

[0014] Further, the operating member may be arranged between the actuating member and the latching mechanism. More specifically, when the actuating member is in a first actuation position, the operating member is at the first operating position to lock the latching mechanism for engaging the adjustable element to the support member. A second actuation position can be achieved by sliding the actuating member away from the first actuation position.

[0015] The support member may have a slot or detent to configure different positions of the adjustable element by engaging the adjustable element with the support member arranged on a backrest or a seat pan of the vehicle seat. The latching mechanism can be a plunger lock or a wire lock or a combination of wire lock with a rack-pinion system or a key lock or a pin lock or any obvious lock arrangement capable of locking the headrest within a slot of the support member.

[0016] Further, the operating member may be arranged in contact with a locking member of the latching mechanism. The locking member may lock the latching mechanism when the operating member is at the first operating position. Similarly, the locking member may unlock the latching mechanism when the operating member is at a second operating position.

[0017] Furthermore, a cam profile may be configured on the actuating member. Similarly, the operating member may be having a follower extending towards the cam profile of the actuating member. Upon sliding the actuating member by applying external force thereon, the follower slides on the cam profile of the actuating member, thereby moving the operating member linearly towards or away from the latching mechanism for unlocking the adjustable element from the support member. More specifically, the operating member may move linearly to the second operating position to unlock the latching mechanism for disengaging the adjustable element from the support member.

[0018] Further, the operating member may be arranged with a first biasing member. In the absence of the external force on the actuating member. The biasing member may bias the operating member to the first operating position. Further, the actuating member may be arranged with a second biasing member. In the absence of the external force on the actuating member, the second biasing member may bias the actuating member to the first actuation position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] The advantages and features of the present invention will be understood better with reference to the following detailed description of some embodiments of the impact energy absorber and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which;

[0020] Figure 1a shows a perspective view of a vehicle seat having an adjustable headrest arranged on a backrest of a vehicle seat of a prior art;

[0021] Figure 1b shows a schematic view of the vehicle seat of the figure 1a with a latching mechanism;

[0022] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an adjustable armrest arranged on a seat pan of a vehicle seat of a prior art;

[0023] Figure 3 shows a headrest arranged on a backrest of a seat with an operating mechanism in accordance with the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4a shows a schematic view of an operating mechanism for operating a latching mechanism of a headrest in accordance with the present invention and the latching mechanism is at a locked position;

[0025] Figure 4b shows a schematic view the operating mechanism shown in figure 4a with the latching mechanism at an unlocked position;

[0026] Figure 4c shows a schematic exploded view of the operating mechanism of the figures 4a & 4b;

[0027] Figure 4d shows a front view of support members of the latching mechanism shown in figures 4a & 4b;

[0028] Figure 5a shows a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of an operating mechanism with a latching mechanism at a locked position in accordance with the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5b shows a schematic view of the operating mechanism shown in figure 5a with the latching mechanism at an unlocked position; and

[0030] Figures 6a & 6b shows front views of a headrest with alternative embodiment of an actuating member of the operating mechanism shown in figures 4a, 4b, 5a & 5b.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] An embodiment of this invention, illustrating its features, will now be described in detail. The words "comprising, "having, "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0032] The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “an” and “a” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.

[0033] The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms.

[0034] Referring now to figures 3, 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d various views of an operating mechanism 100 for operating an adjustable element assembly for a vehicle seat 500 (figure 2) in accordance with the present invention are illustrated. The adjustable element 200 can be a headrest 200 or an armrest 201 or a leg rest or a backrest of the vehicle seat 500. The adjustable element 200 is configured an assembly or a single part. If the adjustable element 200 is configured as an assembly it can be referred as “adjustable element assembly”. A position of the adjustable element 200 can be adjusted with respect to an element of the vehicle seat 500. The element can be a backrest 300 or a seat pan 301 (figure 2) or any other functional elements of the vehicle seat 500.

[0035] For the brevity of the invention, the operating mechanism 100 is explained by considering the adjustable element 200 as the headrest 200. The latching mechanism 400 disengages (or engages) the adjustable element 200 from (or to) a support member 310 arranged of the seat 500 for adjusting the headrest 200 in different positions. The operating mechanism 100 includes an actuating member 10 and an operating member 20.

[0036] Further, the actuating member 10 is slidably arranged on the adjustable element 200 or 201. The actuating member 10 is a slidable knob arranged on the adjustable element 200 of the vehicle seat 500. In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the actuating member 10 can slide along a length 200a ("L") of the headrest 200. In an alternative embodiment, the actuating member 10 can be configured to slide along a width 200b ("W") or a depth 200c ("D") of the headrest 200 which is obvious to a person ordinarily skilled in the art. The actuating member 10 is accessible to a user seating on the seat 500. The user here refers to a passenger sitting on the seat 500 of the vehicle and resting his/her head on the headrest 200. The operating member 20 is arranged between the actuating member 10 and the latching mechanism 400.

[0037] Referring now to figure 4a, a schematic view of the operating mechanism 100 with the latching mechanism 400 at a locked position 400a is illustrated. In the locked position 400a, the actuating member 10 is in a first actuation position 10a and the operating member 20 is at a first operating position 20a to lock the latching mechanism 400 for engaging the headrest 200 to the support members 310, 320. The support members 310, 320 are provided with plurality of slot (S) (not shown) to engage the headrest 200 with the support members 310, 320 (refer figure 4d). The latching mechanism 400 has a pair of locking member 450 connected via a wire cable. In the locked position 400a, the locking member 450 is locked in the slots (S) of the support members 310, 320.

[0038] Referring now to figure 4b, a schematic view of the operating mechanism 100 with the latching mechanism 400 at an unlocked position 400b is illustrated. In the unlocked position 400b, the actuating member 10 is slide to a second actuation position 10b. The second actuation position 10b can be achieved by sliding the actuating member 10 away from the first actuation position 10a. For example, the second actuation position 10b can be achieved by sliding the actuating member 10 upwards or downwards or left or right from the first actuation position 10b.

[0039] In one of the embodiment, the second actuation position 10b can be achieved by sliding the actuating member 10 below the first action position 10a. The actuating member 10 is moved manually (by a user) from the first actuation position 10a to the second actuation position 10b. When the actuating member 10 is moved manually from the first actuation position 10a to the second actuation position 10b, the operating member 20 is pushed towards the latching mechanism 400 to configure a second operating position 20b of the operating member 20 such that the locking member 450 moves out from the slot S of the support members 310, 320 to free or to dis-engage the headrest 200 from the support members 310, 320 and thus, the user can adjust the headrest 200 in different positions. It may be obvious to persons skilled in the art to configure the actuating member 10 with sliding arrangement for enabling the sliding motion of the actuating member 10 between the first actuation position 10a and the second actuation position 10b.

[0040] Further, the operating member 20 is arranged in contact with the locking member 450 of the latching mechanism 400. In this embodiment, the operating member 20 is configured to slide along the width 200b of the headrest 200. In an alternative embodiment, the operating member 20 can be configured to slide along the length 200a or the depth 200c of the headrest 200, which is obvious to a person ordinarily skilled in the art. Further, in this embodiment, the operating member 20 transversely moves with respect to the movement of the actuating member 10. In an alternative embodiment, the actuating member 10 and the operating member 20 can be configured to move in any obvious directions for obtaining relative movement therebetween.

[0041] The locking member 450 locks the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the first operating position 20a. Similarly, the locking member 450 unlocks the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the second operating position 20b. In an alternative embodiment, the locking member 450 can be configured to unlock the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the first operating position 20a; and the locking member 450 lock the latching mechanism 400 when the operating member 20 is at the second operating position 20b which is obvious to a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

[0042] Further, a cam profile is configured on the actuating member 10. Similarly, the operating member 20 is having a follower extending towards the cam profile of the actuating member 10. Upon sliding the actuating member 10 by applying external force thereon, the follower slides on the cam profile of the actuating member 10, thereby moving the operating member 20 linearly towards or away from the latching mechanism 400 for unlocking the adjustable element (headrest) 200 from the support member 310.

[0043] In the first embodiments shown figures 4a, 4b & 4c, the cam profile 12 of the actuating member 10 is configured in a concave profile. The concave profile is projected towards the follower 22 of the operating member 20. Upon sliding the actuating member 10 by applying external force thereon, the follower 22 slides on the cam profile 12 of the actuating member 10, thereby pushing the operating member 20. The external force can be applied by the user manually or by any force applying device (not shown).

[0044] More specifically, upon sliding the actuating member 10 to the second actuation position 10b, the operating member 20 pushed to the second operating position 20b to unlock (400b) the latching mechanism 400 for disengaging the headrest 200 from the support member 310. In this embodiment, the operating member 20 is pushed linearly towards the latching mechanism 400 for operating the latching mechanism 400 to unlock the headrest from the support member 310.

[0045] Further, the operating member 20 is arranged with a first biasing member 26. In the absence of the external force on the actuating member 10 (when the user removes force on the actuating member 10), the biasing member 26 biases the operating member 20 to the first operating position 20a. Further, due to the sliding movements at the cam profile 12, the actuating member 10 moves from the second actuation position 10b to the first actuation position 10a, thereby locking (400a) the latching mechanism 400 for engaging the headrest 200 with the support member 310.

[0046] Referring now to figures 5a & 5b, schematic views of an alternate embodiment of the operating mechanism 110 with the latching mechanism 400 at a lock position 400a and an unlock position 400b respectively are illustrated. In this embodiment, the cam profile 14 of the actuating member 10 is configured in a convex profile. More specifically, the convex profile is projected towards the operating member 20. Upon sliding the actuating member 10 by applying external force thereon, the follower 24 of the operating member slides on the cam profile 14 of the actuating member 10, thereby moving the operating member 20 towards the actuating member 10.

[0047] More specifically, upon sliding the actuating member 10 to the second actuation position 10b, the operating member 20 moves due to the cam profile 14 to the second operating position 20b to unlock (400b) the latching mechanism 400 for disengaging the headrest 200 from the support member 310. In this embodiment, the operating member 20 is pushed linearly away from the latching mechanism 400 for operating the latching mechanism 400 to unlock the headrest from the support member 310.

[0048] Further, the actuating member 10 is arranged with a second biasing member 18. In the absence of the external force on the actuating member 10, the second biasing member 18 biases the actuating member 10 to the first actuation position 10a. Further, due to the sliding movements at the cam profile 14, the operating member 20 moves from the second operating position 20b to the first operating position 20a, thereby locking (400a) the latching mechanism 400 for engaging the headrest 200 to the support member 310.

[0049] It may be obvious to a person skilled in the art to configure the actuating member 10, the operating member 20, the cam profile 12 or 14 , the follower 22 or 24 with various shapes and geometric dimensions for enabling relative movements between the actuating member 10 and the operating member 20 for locking and unlocking the latching mechanism 400.
[0050] By sliding the actuating member 10 of the operating mechanism 100 or 110 by the user to the second actuation position 10b, the headrest 200 can be disengaged from the support member 310. The user can adjust a position of the headrest 200 with respect to the backrest 300 by sliding the headrest 200 along the support member 310. When the user places the headrest 200 at a required position on the support member 310 and by removing external force on the actuating member 10, the actuating member 10 slides back to the first actuation position 10a. Further, the operating member 20 moves to the first operating position 20a. This engages the headrest 200 with the support member 310 due to the operation of the operating mechanism 100 and the latching mechanism 400 at the required position.

[0051] In one of the embodiment, the actuating member 10 can be a slidable side portion of the adjustable element 200 of the vehicle seat 500 as shown in figures 6a & 6b. In these embodiments, the adjustable element is a headrest 200 of the seat 500 and a slidable side portion 220 of the headrest 200 is the actuating member 10.

[0052] Similarly, by operating the actuation member 10 of the operating mechanism 100 or 110, an adjustable element 200 or 201 of the vehicle seat 500 can be unlatched from a support member 310 or 312 of the vehicle seat 500. In the shown embodiment, the support member 310 is a rod of a vehicle seat or the support member 312 of the armrest 201. In alternative embodiments, the support member 310 can be any arrangements capable to provide support to an adjustable element of the vehicle seat 500.

[0053] Therefore, the present invention has an advantage of providing the operating mechanism 100&110 for operating the latching mechanism 400 of the adjustable element 200 or 201 of the seat 500 of the vehicle. The operating mechanism 100 &110 unlocks the latching mechanism 400 for disengaging the adjustable element 200 or 201 from the backrest 300 or a seat pan 301 of the vehicle seat 500, thereby enabling positional adjustments of the adjustable element 200 or 201 with respect to the backrest 300 the seat pan 301. The operating mechanism 100 & 110 enhances user comfort. The operating mechanism 100 & 110 is simple in construction, easy and intuitive in operation.

[0054] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilise the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.