In a crowded, yet growing, market space, bus and coach manufacturers alike must find new and innovative ways to improve the customer experience and, to this end, many have found increased passenger comfort to be a source of competitive advantage.
Until recently, the headrests in buses and coaches have typically consisted of little more than a rigid frame covered with a thick piece of foam. This did not give passengers the level of comfort desired, making it difficult to properly rest, and somewhat diminishing the appeal of bus and coach travel against other forms of transport. From a maintenance perspective, traditional headrests typically require regular overhaul, often at great expense and inconvenience.
In response to these issues, EvoBus, a leading German bus manufacturer and wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, began exploring ways to differentiate its premium bus seat offering. EvoBus was seeking a solution that would allow the passenger to position the headrest to meet their own individual preferences and for it to remain in place during use. This led the company to Southco whose experience in applying its hinge technology to headrest design in the automotive and aerospace industries allowed EvoBus to implement a solution using Southco’s ST Torque Cartridge Embedded Hinge Series, which features an embedded constant torque hinge within a plastic overmoulded headrest.
Southco’s headrest solutions feature standard integrated positioning technology, which provide reliable and flexible constant torque capabilities in a small package, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into the bus manufacturer’s moulded headrest assembly. Asymmetric torque allows the design engineer to specify various operating efforts in different directions of motion, enabling the passenger to easily pull the headrest wings forward for adjustment, yet still be supported when resting the full weight of their head against it.
Also, the hinge stays fully encapsulated and hidden, enhancing the aesthetic value of the seat design. The simple assembly is complemented by convenient, maintenance-free constant torque technology, which provides constant resistance to the headrest through the entire range of motion, with zero-drift and backlash.
With its international manufacturing and engineering presence, Southco offered a key design advantage in that it was able to complete the design in Germany and also support production in India, where its team of experts was able to work in close collaboration with representatives from Daimler group and its subcontractor. “Southco’s ability to collaborate on all fronts gave us the confidence that we would be given the level of support necessary to deliver the project, from start to finish,” says Martin Gaub, project manager at EvoBus.
Working in close collaboration with EvoBus, Southco played an instrumental part in delivering a unique headrest design that will maximise comfort for passengers across the bus and coach segments. Furthermore, Southco’s unique approach to hinge manufacturing means that the headrests will require zero maintenance or readjustment throughout their lifecycle, saving time and money associated with routine maintenance.
EvoBus showcased the results at the 2015 Bus World Exhibition in Kortrijk, Belgium, the world’s foremost bus exhibition, where an overwhelmingly positive response was received to the pioneering use of hinge technology.
