HEADREST AND HEADREST SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates inter alia to a headrest (12) for a vehicle seat (11) comprising a head contact part (21) that can be supported on the vehicle seat (11) by a mount or that is formed integrally with a part of the vehicle seat (11), the head contact part (21) has at least one projection system (26) that has at least one projector (19a, 19b) that can be connected to a power supply of the vehicle, and that can project a beam, such as light information, onto a projection surface (22, 24).

Claims

1. A headrest for a vehicle seat, the headrest comprising: a head contact part that can be supported on the vehicle seat by a mount or that is formed integrally with a part of the vehicle seat, a projection region in the vehicle offset from the head contact part, and a projection system on the head contact part having at least one projector that can be connected to a power supply of the vehicle, and that can project a beam onto the projection region.

2. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein the projector can be oriented on the head contact part such that the light information strikes a projection surface forming the projection region of the vehicle passenger compartment.

3. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein the projector transmits a beam that generates a self-luminous hologram at the projection region in the vehicle passenger compartment.

4. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein the projection system has a controller that controls a beam state.

5. The headrest according to claim 4, in that wherein the projection system has at least one sensor that is connected to the controller for transmitting a signal thereto.

6. The headrest according to claim 1, wherein the projection system is connected to a computer, and an image generated by the computer can be displayed by the projector in the projection region.

7. The headrest according to claim 4, wherein the controller is in addition manually actuatable.

8. A headrest system comprising the headrest according to claim 1, and a projection surface of the vehicle passenger compartment forms the projection region.

9. The headrest system according to claim 8, further comprising: a deploying device associated with the projection surface for moving the projection surface between a stowage position and a stretched position.

10. The headrest system according to either claim 8 wherein each projector is associated with a respective such projection surface.

11. The headrest system according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the projectors are associated with one projection surface.

Description

[0020] Further advantages can be seen from an exemplary embodiment shown in the figures. In said figures:

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat including a headrest system according to the invention,

[0022] FIG. 2 is a backward perspective view of the vehicle seat according to FIG. 1,

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment that differs from the first embodiment in that the projection system has two projection walls.

[0024] The headrest system according to the invention is denoted as a whole by reference sign 10. The same reference signs in different figures denote corresponding parts, even if lower-case letters are added or omitted.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle seat 11 comprising a seating region 16, a backrest 15 and a headrest 12, which seat is arranged in a vehicle passenger compartment 29. The headrest 12 comprises a head contact part 21 having a contact surface 14 for the head of the seat occupant. The backrest 15 has a contact surface 13. The vehicle seat 11 is fastened to the vehicle floor 18 (merely indicated in FIG. 1) by a fastening device 17, for example by an adjustable rail support.

[0026] The headrest 12 has a projection system 26 comprising projectors 19a and 19b that, in the present embodiment, each correspond to what is known as a beamer and transmit light beams. Alternatively, the projectors 19a and 19b can also emit other beams, such as laser beams.

[0027] As a result of projection openings 20a and 20b in the head contact part 21, which openings, in the present embodiment, are arranged in side regions on a lower end region 27 of the head contact part 21, the projectors 19a and 19b, which are arranged in an interior of the head contact part 21, can project light information toward the outside. Alternatively, the projection openings 20a and 20b could also be arranged at another region of the head contact part 21, e.g. higher on the side regions, or on an upper end region 28. Instead of the two projectors 20a and 20b, the projection system 26 could for example also comprise just one projector.

[0028] Light information can be projected onto a projection surface 22 of a projection wall 23 by each projector 19a and 19b. In the case of merely simple light information the projection wall can be formed for example by the vehicle window or by the dashboard. In the case of detailed light information, such as image representations, it is advantageous for the image information to be displayed on a surface that is provided especially therefor.

[0029] Alternatively, for example at least one of the projectors 19a and 19b generates a hologram, for example by a laser beam. In this case, a projection wall is not required. The image is then possible in two dimensions or three dimensions, at any desired position in space.

[0030] The projection surface can be formed so as to be stationary in the vehicle passenger compartment. Alternatively, the projection surface 22 can be provided by a projection wall 23 that, in the event of activation of the projector 19a and/or 19b, is shifted from a stowage position into a stretched position, and that then forms the projection surface 22.

[0031] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the two projectors 19a and 19b project the light information thereof onto the projection surface 22. According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the projector 19a projects the light information thereof onto a first projection surface 22, and the projector 19b projects light information, independently of the first projector 19a, onto a second projection surface 24 of a second projection wall 25 (see FIG. 3).