IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,728,783
Granted Patent B2
US 12,728,783 · App. 18/798,259 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Headrest having a speaker

Inventors: Byeong Seon Son (Seoul, KR); Tae Hoon Lee (Suwon-si, KR); Young Sun Choi (Suwon-si, KR); Ji Hwan Kim (Seoul, KR); Seon Chae Na (Yongin-si, KR); Sang Ho Kim (Incheon, KR); Sang Hoon Park (Incheon, KR); Jae Ho Song (Seoul, KR); Won Kee Kim (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY; KIA CORPORATION; HYUNDAI TRANSYS INC.
B60N2/879
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,728,783
App. No.
18/798,259
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is a headrest having a speaker, the headrest including: a headrest frame having a rear surface to which a driving module is coupled so that the headrest frame is movable forwards, rearwards, or vertically in response to operation of the driving module, the headrest frame having a front surface formed with a speaker mounting space recessed rearwards; a speaker, inserted and fastened into the speaker mounting space in the headrest frame, provided with an output portion facing forwards and configured to output sound; a foam pad mounted on the front surface of the headrest frame so as to cover both the headrest frame and the speaker; a covering configured to cover a front surface of the foam pad and forming a front exterior of the headrest; and a headrest stay configured to connect the headrest frame to a seat.

Claims (19)

1 . A headrest having a speaker, the headrest comprising:

a headrest frame having a rear surface to which a driving module is coupled so that the headrest frame is movable forwards, rearwards, or vertically in response to operation of the driving module, the headrest frame having a front surface formed with a speaker mounting space recessed rearwards;

a speaker, inserted and fastened into the speaker mounting space in the headrest frame, provided with an output portion facing forwards and configured to output sound, the speaker having a rear side closed by the front surface of the headrest frame;

a foam pad mounted on the front surface of the headrest frame so as to cover both the headrest frame and the speaker, the foam pad having formed therein a first through hole configured to output sound forwards at a position corresponding to the output portion;

a covering configured to cover a front surface of the foam pad and forming a front exterior of the headrest; and

a headrest stay configured to connect the headrest frame to a seat, wherein the speaker mounting space is provided as a pair of speaker mounting spaces spaced apart in a leftward-and-rightward direction in the headrest frame, and is recessed further rearwards than the speaker so as to serve as a sound box of the speaker,

wherein the driving module is provided in a driving module mounting space formed in a rear surface of the headrest frame between the pair of speaker mounting spaces, and interconnects the headrest frame with the headrest stay so as to move the headrest forwards, rearwards, or vertically.

2 . The headrest according to claim 1 , wherein: the foam pad has a front side formed with an indent indented inwards, and

the headrest further comprises a slab pad seated in the indent of the foam pad so as to be coupled to the foam pad, the slab pad having formed therein a plurality of second through holes arranged radially at a position corresponding to the first through hole, wherein each second through hole has a smaller diameter than the first through hole.

3 . The headrest according to claim 2 , wherein the covering has a front side formed with cover holes, each having a smaller diameter than the second through holes and arranged in a predetermined pattern including a gradation pattern or a radial pattern.

4 . The headrest according to claim 1 , further comprising a sound absorption pad acting as a shield between the speaker and the headrest frame so as to prevent sound leakage.

5 . The headrest according to claim 1 , wherein the output portion of the speaker is provided as a pair of output portions spaced apart in a leftward-and-rightward direction in the headrest frame, and the first through hole is provided as a pair of first through holes so as to correspond to the pair of output portions.

6 . The headrest according to claim 5 , wherein the pair of output portions is integrated in the speaker, and the speaker is mounted in the headrest frame in a form extending in vertical and horizontal directions.

7 . The headrest according to claim 1 , wherein the speaker is provided with a speaker connector penetrating the headrest frame and extending rearwards so as to allow electrical signals and power to be applied thereto.

8 . The headrest according to claim 1 , wherein the speaker is mounted in a lower portion of the headrest frame and has the output portion positioned in a lower front portion of the headrest frame.

9 . The headrest according to claim 1 , further comprising a headrest connector having a terminal, the terminal being coupled into the headrest connector and connected to an electric wire inserted into the headrest stay, such that the electric wire is coupled to an end of the headrest stay via the terminal so as to be connectable from outside the headrest stay.

10 . The headrest according to claim 1 , further comprising a headrest cover coupled to a rear surface of the headrest frame so as to enclose the driving module and configured to block rearward output of sound from the speaker.

11 . The headrest according to claim 1 , wherein the front surface of the headrest frame is spaced apart from the rear side of the speaker to form a free space at the rear of the speaker.

12 . The headrest according to claim 11 , wherein the free space is configured to serve as a resonator for the speaker.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 12, 2024
From: SON, BYEONG SEON; LEE, TAE HOON; CHOI, YOUNG SUN; KIM, JI HWAN; NA, SEON CHAE; KIM, SANG HO; PARK, SANG HOO; SONG, JAE HO; KIM, WON KEE
To: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY; KIA CORPORATION; HYUNDAI TRANSYS INC.
Reel/Frame 068253/0329 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2021-0180802 · Dec 16, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Division 17950855 · Sep 22, 2022
Related Publication 20240391371A1 · Nov 28, 2024
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