A process and apparatus for hemming a spare tire cover for a trunk of an automobile

Abstract

Step A: Divide the quadrilateral spare tire cover into three rings from the center outwards: the main body of the spare tire cover, the edging section, and the remaining material. Step B: Heat the first boundary line between the edging section and the main body of the spare tire cover, softening the middle layer of plastic along this boundary line. Step C: Cut along the first boundary line the softened surface layer and the upper part of the middle layer of plastic on the spare tire cover, separating the upper parts of the edging section from the main body while maintaining connection at the lower parts. Step D: Remove the remaining material around the edging section. Step E: Flip the edging section 90° inwards around the uncut portion of the first boundary line to cover the cross-section of the main body of the spare tire cover. The middle layer of plastic on the cross-section of the main body of the spare tire cover softens upon heating and becomes adhesive, holding the edging section together. Step F: Allow the uncut middle layer of plastic on the spare tire cover to cool and solidify.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of manufacturing spare tire covers for automobile trunks, and in particular to the edge-wrapping process and equipment for spare tire covers for automobile trunks. Background Technology

[0002] The spare tire cover has three layers: an outer leather layer, a middle plastic layer, and a bottom leather layer, all bonded together. It's installed on the bottom wall of a car's trunk to hold the spare tire. Manufacturing the spare tire cover requires trimming off excess material from the outer edges. Then, the edges are heat-sealed to protect them and prevent them from rubbing off due to exposure. Specifically, the heat-sealing process involves heating the cross-section of the spare tire cover's edge until it softens, then pressing the edge thinner to complete the heat-sealing. Originally, the spare tire cover's edge was the same thickness as the main body, but after the heat-sealing process, it's thinned, making it easier to cut. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to provide an edge-sealing process for a spare tire cover for a car trunk, which can protect the edges of the upper and lower layers of the spare tire cover at the bonding point without the need for hot-pressing.

[0004] A process for edge-wrapping a spare tire cover for a car trunk, the spare tire cover comprising a surface leather layer, a middle plastic layer, and a bottom leather layer; comprising the following steps: Step A, dividing the quadrilateral spare tire cover into three rings from the center outwards, namely the main body of the spare tire cover, the edge-wrapping portion, and the remaining material; Step B, heating the first boundary line between the edge-wrapping portion and the main body of the spare tire cover, thereby softening the middle plastic layer of the first boundary line; Step C, cutting along the first boundary line the upper part of the softened surface leather layer and the middle plastic layer of the spare tire cover, thereby making the edge-wrapping portion... The upper parts of the car spare tire cover and the main body are separated from each other while the lower parts remain connected; Step D: Cut off the excess material around the edge; Step E: Flip the uncut part of the edge around the first boundary line inward by 90° to cover the cross-section of the car spare tire cover; The middle layer of plastic of the cross-section of the car spare tire cover softens when heated and becomes adhesive to stick to the edge; Step F: Allow the middle layer of plastic of the uncut part of the car spare tire cover to cool and solidify, and the lower part of the middle layer of plastic remains bent after cooling and solidification, so that the edge remains in the state of covering the cross-section of the car spare tire cover.

[0005] Further, step C includes: cutting the outer leather and the middle plastic layer on the main body of the car spare tire cover to form a fold crease; providing a bent portion at the end of the fold crease on the edge portion, and opening a clearance groove between the bent portion and the end of the fold crease to separate the two.

[0006] An edge-wrapping device specifically for implementing the above-mentioned edge-wrapping process includes an upper mold and a lower mold. The top wall of the lower mold is partially recessed to form a receiving groove. A movable support plate is provided in the receiving groove. The top wall of the movable support plate is flush with the top wall of the lower mold, for placing the main body of the spare tire cover and the first boundary line. A first edge on the top wall of the lower mold near the gap is for placing the edge-wrapping part. A gap is left between the side wall of the movable support plate and the side wall of the receiving groove. The movable support plate can be moved downward. The bottom wall of the upper mold is provided with a downward-moving pressure member. The pressure member moves downward to press the main body of the spare tire cover onto the movable support plate, and then together with the movable support plate, clamps the main body of the spare tire cover and moves it downward into the receiving groove. The first edge of the lower mold prevents the edge-wrapping part from moving downward with the main body of the spare tire cover, thereby causing the edge-wrapping part to rotate 90° inward around the uncut part at the first boundary line to wrap around the cross-section of the main body of the spare tire cover, and then move downward into the gap between the side wall of the movable support plate and the side wall of the receiving groove.

[0007] Furthermore, the non-pressing part on the bottom wall of the upper mold is provided with an outer ring cutter, an inner ring cutter, and a heating mechanism. The inner ring cutter is aligned with the first boundary line of the spare tire cover, and the outer ring cutter is aligned with the second boundary line, which is the junction of the remaining material and the edge of the spare tire cover. The outer ring cutter and the inner ring cutter are driven down by the upper mold until they contact the top wall of the spare tire cover. The heating mechanism heats the inner ring cutter, thereby softening the middle layer of plastic at the first boundary line of the spare tire cover. The outer ring cutter and the inner ring cutter are driven down further by the upper mold until the inner ring cutter and the outer ring cutter cut the upper part of the surface skin and the middle layer of plastic at the corresponding boundary line of the spare tire cover. In this state, the pressing part presses the main body of the spare tire cover onto the movable support plate as described above.

[0008] Furthermore, the upper mold includes a first drive cylinder. When the upper part of the surface leather and the middle plastic layer at the corresponding boundary line of the above-mentioned spare tire cover has been cut, the outer ring blade is driven by the cylinder to move downward and cut off the excess material on the outer edge of the edge.

[0009] Furthermore, the inner annular cutter is located directly above the inner side of the gap in the lower mold, and the outer annular cutter is located directly above the outer side of the gap in the lower mold.

[0010] Furthermore, a cutting straight blade is provided within the area surrounded by the inner annular blade on the bottom wall of the upper mold. The cutting straight blade cuts through the outer leather and middle plastic layers of the main body of the spare tire cover, thus forming the folded lines as described above. A section of both the inner and outer annular blades protrudes inward to form an inner convex section, which closely adheres to the end of the cutting straight blade. The bottom of the inner convex section protrudes beyond the bottom of the other parts of the inner and outer annular blades. When the inner and outer annular blades have been driven downward by the upper mold to cut through the upper part of the outer leather and middle plastic layers at the corresponding boundary lines of the spare tire cover, the bottom blade of the inner convex section has cut into the top wall of the spare tire cover, and the cut forms the top of the groove wall in the avoidance vertical groove as described above.

[0011] The beneficial effect is that the edges of the adhesive joint between the upper and lower layers of the spare tire cover body are covered by the edge banding and are not exposed, thus making them less prone to rubbing and delamination. Since the edges are protected by the edge banding, they do not require heat-sealing for protection. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a frontal, bottom-view perspective perspective view of the edge-sealing device of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the edge-wrapping device of the present invention. In the figure, the car spare tire cover (30) is placed on the movable support plate (21) of the lower mold (2) and waits for the upper mold (1) in the initial position to press down.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a partial enlarged view of the left side of the longitudinal section of the edge-binding device of the present invention. In the figure, the upper mold (1) has been moved down to the first position, which drives the inner annular blade (12) on the bottom wall to stick to the top wall of the car spare tire cover (30) on the lower mold (2).

[0016] Figure 5 This is a partially enlarged view of the left side of the longitudinal section of the edge-sealing device of the present invention. Figure 4 Based on the state shown, the upper mold (1) has moved down to the second position, causing the outer annular cutter (11) and inner annular cutter (12) of the bottom wall to cut into the car spare tire cover (30) respectively;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a partially enlarged view of the left side of the longitudinal section of the edge-sealing device of the present invention. Figure 5 Based on the state shown, the upper mold (1) remains suspended, and the outer ring cutter (11) has moved down to cut off the remaining material (50) of the car spare tire cover (30);

[0018] Figure 7This is a partially enlarged view of the left side of the longitudinal section of the edge-sealing device of the present invention. Figure 6 Based on the state shown, the outer ring cutter (11) and the inner ring cutter (12) have been driven away from the car spare tire cover (30) by the upper mold (1), and the lower pressing part (6) of the upper mold (1) has moved down to press the car spare tire cover body (52) on the movable support plate (21) of the lower mold (2).

[0019] Figure 8 This is a partially enlarged view of the left side of the longitudinal section of the edge-sealing device of the present invention. Figure 7 Based on the state shown, the movable pallet (21) and the pressing part (6) have jointly driven the main body (52) of the spare tire cover and the edge part (51) to move down into the receiving groove (20) of the lower mold (2) (the three layers inside the edge part are not shown). During the downward movement, the edge part (51) is blocked by the first edge (22) on the top wall of the lower mold (2), thus it has been rotated 90 degrees inward and then covered the cross section (73) of the main body of the spare tire cover.

[0020] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 A top view of the spare tire cover (30) of a car in its current state;

[0021] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle;

[0022] Figure 11 This is a left view of the edged spare tire cover (30) of a car;

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Upper mold; 2. Lower mold; 4. Cutting straight blade; 5. Inner convex section; 6. Pressing part; 10. First drive blade cylinder; 11. Outer annular blade; 12. Inner annular blade; 13. Drive pressure cylinder; 20. Receiving groove; 21. Movable support plate; 22. First edge; 23. Vertical cylinder; 25. Gap; 30. Car spare tire cover; 40. Folding line; 50. Excess material; 51. Edge binding part; 52. Main body of car spare tire cover; 60. Avoidance vertical groove; 61. Bending part; 71. First boundary line; 72. Uncut part; 73. Cross-section; 74. Folding line end; 75. Vertical groove waste; 80. Intermediate layer plastic. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0025] When manufacturing a car spare tire cover, in addition to bonding the outer layer, middle layer plastic, and bottom layer leather, it is also necessary to protect the edges of the bonded areas of these three layers by edge binding. This invention provides an edge binding device for a car spare tire cover, which... Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the mold includes an upper mold 1 and a lower mold 2. The top wall of the lower mold 2 is partially recessed to form a receiving groove 20. A vertical cylinder 23 and a movable support plate 21 are provided within the receiving groove 20. The movable support plate 21 is mounted on the vertical cylinder 23. The top wall of the movable support plate 21 is flush with the top wall of the upper mold 1, and a gap 25 is left between the side wall of the movable support plate 21 and the inner side wall of the lower mold 2. Figure 3 As shown, the spare tire cover 30 is placed on the lower mold 2. The spare tire cover 30 is divided into three rings from the center outwards: the main body 52, the edging portion 51, and the excess material 50, which are placed at different positions on the lower mold 2. The main body 52 is placed on the movable support plate 21 of the lower mold 2, with a first boundary line 71 between it and the edging portion 51, which is also on the movable support plate 21. The outer side of the edging portion 51 is placed on the first edge 22 near the gap 25 on the top wall of the lower mold 2, while the inner side of the edging portion 51 extends beyond the gap 25. The excess material 50 is placed on the top wall of the lower mold 2 at a location other than the first edge 22. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the upper mold 1 is provided with a downwardly extending first drive blade cylinder 10. The bottom of the first drive blade cylinder 10 is equipped with an outer annular blade 11, which is aligned with the boundary (i.e., the second boundary line, not shown in the figure) between the edge portion 51 and the excess material 50. The bottom wall of the upper mold 1 is equipped with an inner annular blade 12, which is aligned with the first boundary line 71 of the spare tire cover plate 30.

[0026] The edge-binding process is described in detail below. The first step is the preparatory process, which involves dividing the spare tire cover 30 into three rings from the center outwards as described above: the main body 52, the edge-binding section 51, and the remaining material 50. The second step is the formal process. In the second step, Figure 3 The inner annular cutter 12 and the outer annular cutter 11 are driven downward by the upper mold 1 to move to Figure 4 The shown state is attached to the top wall of the spare tire cover 30. A heating mechanism (not shown in the figure) is provided inside the upper mold 1. In the third step, the heating mechanism heats the inner annular blade 12. It should be noted that the inner annular blade 12 is a blunt blade; it heats the surface leather and middle plastic layer 80 of the first boundary line 71 of the spare tire cover 30 until softened for cutting in the third step. The outer annular blade 11 is a sharp blade and can cut in the third step without heating. In the fourth step, the inner annular blade 12 and the outer annular blade 11 are driven downwards by the upper mold 1 to... Figure 5 In the indicated state, the inner annular cutter 12 and the outer annular cutter 11 cut both the first boundary line 71 and the second boundary line on the spare tire cover 30 in half, that is, they cut the upper part of the outer leather and the middle plastic layer 80, while keeping the lower part of the bottom leather and the middle plastic layer 80 connected. In the fifth step, the inner annular cutter 12 remains in place at the heated section 73 of the middle plastic layer 80 until it melts and becomes viscous, while the outer annular cutter 11 is driven downwards by the first drive cylinder 10 to... Figure 6 In this state, the uncut half of the second boundary line (i.e., the lower part of the bottom leather and the middle plastic layer 80) is also cut off, thereby removing the excess material 50 around the edge 51. This excess material 50 is left on the top wall of the lower mold 2, to be removed together after the finished car spare tire cover 30 is manufactured. The bottom of the upper mold 1 is also equipped with a pressing part 6 and a driving cylinder 13 (see... Figure 3 Step 6: The outer annular cutter 11 and the inner annular cutter 12 are driven upward by the upper mold 1 to... Figure 7 As shown, the spare tire cover 30 is removed; the pressure component 6 is driven by the pressure cylinder 13 to move downwards and press the main body 52 of the spare tire cover onto the movable support plate 21 of the lower mold 2. The main body 52 of the spare tire cover is driven by the pressure component 6 and the movable support plate 21 together to move into the receiving groove 20 of the lower mold 2. During this process, as... Figure 8 As shown, the edge portion 51 is blocked by the first edge 22 of the top wall of the lower mold 2, thus flipping inward by 90° to cover the cross-section 73 of the main body 52 of the car spare tire cover, and then moving down into the gap 25 between the side wall of the movable support plate 21 and the side wall of the receiving groove 20, where it is thus adhered and fixed by the upper part of the melted and adhesive intermediate layer plastic 80 on the end face. Step 7, as... Figure 8 As shown, wait for the middle layer plastic 80 of the spare tire cover 30 to cool. On the one hand, allow the edge portion 51 to be firmly bonded to the upper part of the melted and adhesive middle layer plastic 80. On the other hand, allow the middle layer plastic 80 on the uncut portion 72 in the first boundary line 71 to cool, so that the uncut portion 72 can remain in a bent state, thereby fixing the edge portion 51. The edge portion 51 can then maintain the state of covering the cross-section 73 of the main body 52 of the spare tire cover. Step 8: Remove and discard the excess material 50 that was cut off in step 5, and take out the edged spare tire cover 30 and place it properly.

[0027] The edge-binding equipment of this invention can also perform the cutting and folding 40 process (see folding 40) during the edge-binding process. Figure 9 ).like Figure 1 As shown, a straight cutting blade 4 is provided inside the area surrounded by the inner annular blade 12 on the bottom wall of the upper mold 1. The straight cutting blade 4 performs the cutting and folding crease 40 process starting from the second step mentioned above, that is, in the second step, it is driven down by the upper mold 1 to... Figure 4 As shown, it adheres to the top wall of the spare tire cover 30; it remains stationary in the third step described above; in the fourth step, it is driven downwards by the upper mold 1, thereby cutting the outer layer of leather and the middle layer of plastic 80 at the corresponding location on the spare tire cover 30, forming... Figure 9 The fold 40 is formed in the middle. Subsequently, the cutting straight knife 4 does not move in the fifth step above; in the sixth step above, it is driven by the upper mold 1 to move upward away from the car spare tire cover 30; and it does not move in the seventh and eighth steps above.

[0028] 40 fold lines (see) Figure 9 If the end sticks to the edge 51, it will affect the folding of the spare tire cover 30 around the fold line 40. Figure 2 As shown, the inner annular blade 12 and the outer annular blade 11 are arranged side by side. To prevent the folded end 74 from sticking to the edge 51, a section on both the inner annular blade 12 and the outer annular blade 11 protrudes inward to form an inner convex section 5. The inner convex section 5 is used to tightly adhere to the end of the cutting straight blade 4. The inner convex section 5 participates in the edge-binding process starting from the second step mentioned above. The bottom of the inner convex section 5 protrudes from the bottom of the other parts of the inner annular blade 12 and the outer annular blade 11. Therefore, in the second step mentioned above, the inner convex section 5 is driven by the upper mold 1 to move down to initially cut into the top wall of the car spare tire cover 30, and an avoidance vertical groove 60 is formed at the cut (see Figure 10 The top of the groove wall. The inner convex section 5 does not move in the third step above; in the fourth step above, it is driven by the upper mold 1 to move down to completely cut open the bottom layer of material, thereby removing the vertical groove waste 75 (see Figure 11 ) forms a complete avoidance vertical groove 60 (see Figure 10 The inner convex section 5 does not move in step five above; in step six, it is driven upward by the upper mold 1 to move away from the spare tire cover 30, and does not move in step seven above. Figure 11 As shown, after the vertical groove waste 75 is cut open by the inner protruding section 5 in the fourth step above, it is only connected to the edge portion 51; the vertical groove waste 75 remains in its original state in the fifth step above; in the sixth step above, it follows the edge portion 51 and rotates inward by 90° to... Figure 11 The state shown indicates that the vehicle has left the clearance slot 60 (see...) Figure 10 ).like Figure 10 As shown, a bent portion 61 is provided on the edge portion 51 at the end 74 aligned with the fold crease. In the above state, the avoidance groove 60 separates the bent portion 61 from the end 74 of the fold crease, thereby preventing the fold crease 40 (see Figure 9 The end is glued to the edge 51, and the spare tire cover 30 can then be folded around the fold 40 and the bend 61. The vertical groove waste 75 is maintained in both steps seven and eight above. Figure 11 As shown in the figure; after step 8 above, the staff manually cut off the waste material 75 from the vertical groove with a knife to obtain the finished car spare tire cover 30.

[0029] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of patent protection. Any non-substantial changes or substitutions made by those skilled in the art based on the present invention will still fall within the scope of patent protection.

Claims

1. A process for covering the edges of a spare tire cover for a trunk of an automobile, the automobile spare tire cover comprising a top skin, a middle layer of plastic and a bottom skin; characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step A: Divide the quadrilateral car spare tire cover into three rings from the center to the outside, which are the main body of the car spare tire cover, the edge trim, and the remaining material. Step B: Heat the first boundary line between the edge and the main body of the car spare tire cover, thereby softening the middle layer of plastic of the first boundary line. Step C: Cut the softened outer leather and the upper part of the middle plastic layer of the car spare tire cover along the first boundary line, so that the upper part of the edge part and the main body of the car spare tire cover are separated from each other while the lower part remains connected to each other. Step D: Trim off any excess material around the edge of the binding. Step E: Flip the uncut portion of the edge wrapping around the first boundary line inward by 90° to wrap around the main cross section of the car spare tire cover; the middle layer of plastic of the main cross section of the car spare tire cover softens when heated and then becomes adhesive to stick to the edge wrapping. Step F: Allow the middle layer of plastic on the uncut portion of the car spare tire cover to cool and solidify. After the lower part of the middle layer of plastic cools and solidifies, it remains bent, so that the edge portion remains wrapped around the cross-section of the main body of the car spare tire cover. Step C includes: cutting the outer leather and the middle plastic layer on the main body of the car spare tire cover to create fold lines; A bend is provided at the end of the fold line on the edge, and a clearance groove is provided between the bend and the end of the fold line to separate the two.

2. A cuffing apparatus dedicated to the cuffing process of claim 1, characterized in that: The system includes an upper mold and a lower mold. The top wall of the lower mold is partially recessed to form a receiving groove. A movable support plate is provided in the receiving groove. The top wall of the movable support plate is flush with the top wall of the lower mold, providing space for the main body of the spare tire cover and the first boundary line. The first edge of the top wall of the lower mold near the gap is used for the edging portion. A gap is left between the side wall of the movable support plate and the side wall of the receiving groove, allowing the movable support plate to move downwards. The bottom wall of the upper mold is provided with a downward-moving pressure member. The pressure member moves downwards to press the main body of the spare tire cover onto the movable support plate, and then together with the movable support plate, clamps the main body of the spare tire cover and moves it downwards into the receiving groove. The first edge of the lower mold prevents the edging portion from moving downwards along with the main body of the spare tire cover, causing the edging portion to rotate 90° inwards around the uncut portion at the first boundary line to cover the cross-section of the main body of the spare tire cover, and then moves downwards into the gap between the side wall of the movable support plate and the side wall of the receiving groove.

3. The turn-up apparatus of claim 2 wherein: The non-pressing part on the bottom wall of the upper mold is provided with an outer ring cutter, an inner ring cutter, and a heating mechanism. The inner ring cutter is aligned with the first boundary line of the spare tire cover, and the outer ring cutter is aligned with the second boundary line, which is the junction of the remaining material and the edge of the spare tire cover. The outer ring cutter and the inner ring cutter are driven down by the upper mold until they contact the top wall of the spare tire cover. The heating mechanism heats the inner ring cutter, thereby softening the middle layer of plastic at the first boundary line of the spare tire cover. The outer ring cutter and the inner ring cutter are driven down further by the upper mold until the inner ring cutter and the outer ring cutter cut the upper part of the surface skin and the middle layer of plastic at the corresponding boundary line of the spare tire cover. In this state, the pressing part presses the main body of the spare tire cover onto the movable support plate as described above.

4. The turn-up apparatus of claim 3 wherein: The upper mold includes a first drive cylinder. When the upper part of the surface leather and the middle plastic layer at the corresponding boundary line of the above-mentioned spare tire cover has been cut, the outer ring blade is driven by the cylinder to move down and cut off the excess material on the outer edge of the edge.

5. The taping apparatus of claim 3, wherein: The inner annular cutter is located directly above the inner side of the gap in the lower mold, and the outer annular cutter is located directly above the outer side of the gap in the lower mold.

6. The taping apparatus of claim 5, wherein: A cutting straight blade is provided on the bottom wall of the upper mold, surrounded by an inner annular blade. The cutting straight blade cuts through the surface leather and the middle plastic layer of the main body of the spare tire cover, thereby forming the folding crease as described in the edge-binding process of claim 2. A section of both the inner and outer annular blades protrudes inward to form an inner convex section, which closely adheres to the end of the cutting straight blade. The bottom of the inner convex section protrudes beyond the bottom of the other parts of the inner and outer annular blades. When the inner and outer annular blades have been driven down by the upper mold to cut through the upper part of the surface leather and the middle plastic layer at the corresponding boundary line of the spare tire cover, the bottom blade of the inner convex section has cut into the top wall of the spare tire cover, and the cut forms the top of the groove wall in the avoidance vertical groove as described in the edge-binding process of claim 2.

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