Seat cover with welded tie bars and method of securing seat cover to mesh seat structure

Abstract

A seat cover secured to a seat structure formed from a mesh-shaped body of polymer fibers welded together, a method of securing a seat cover having a seam to a novel mesh-shaped body seat structure, and an auxiliary device for use in the method. A mesh mat formed from welded polymer fibers is selected that is covered with a cover that includes tie bars. The tie strip is moved to a predetermined location within the mesh mat, and the mesh mat is heated at the predetermined location to melt a portion of the polymer fibers onto the tie strip, thereby holding the tie strip in the predetermined location.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 356,310 filed on June 28, 2022 and Danish Patent Application No. PA202370029 filed on January 19, 2023, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to assembling a seat cover to a polymer mesh seat body by heat welding a tie down strip to the polymer mesh seat structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 is a schematic front elevation view of a tie-bar seat structure showing the trim seam location and tie-bar location.

[0006] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of a tool for welding tie bars to a mesh seat structure.

[0007] Figure 3 is a schematic partial perspective view of a clamping tool extending toward a coupling strip having a plastic reinforcement strip.

[0008] Figure 4 is a schematic partial perspective view of a gripping tool grasping a hitch bar and moving into a recess in a mesh seat structure.

[0009] Figure 5 is a schematic fragmentary perspective view of a clamping tool holding a tie bar in a groove in a mesh seat structure while a heating tool welds the tie bar to the mesh seat structure.

[0010] Detailed Description

[0011] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the detailed description that follows, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments described. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various embodiments described may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments.

[0012] It should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, and that various and alternative forms are possible. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural details and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to implement the embodiments according to the present disclosure in various ways.

[0013] “One or more” includes a function performed by one element, a function performed by more than one element (eg, in a distributed manner), several functions performed by one element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the foregoing.

[0014] It should also be understood that, although in some cases, the terms first, second, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first contact may be referred to as a second contact, and similarly, a second contact may be referred to as a first contact without departing from the scope of the various embodiments described. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.

[0015] The terms used in the description of the various embodiments described herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that, as used herein, the term "and / or" refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more listed related items. It should be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "includes", "including", "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups thereof.

[0016] As used herein, the term "if" is optionally interpreted to mean "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," as appropriate to the context. Likewise, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if [the condition or event] is detected" are optionally interpreted to mean "upon determination" or "in response to determining" or "upon detecting [the condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [the condition or event]," as appropriate to the context.

[0017] refer to Figure 1 , shows a portion of a seat structure 10 formed as a mesh web of polyethylene fibers that are welded together and formed into the desired shape of a seat back, seat base, or other type of cushion trim component. For simplicity, such elements are generally referred to herein as mesh bodies 12. Figure 1 As shown, the mesh body 12 is shown having a trim seam location 14 and a tie strip location 16. The mesh body 12 or mesh pad defines a plurality of grooves 18 disposed at the trim seam location 14 and the tie strip location 16. The trim seam location 14 is defined by a seat cover 20.

[0018] refer to Figure 2 , an assembly fixture 22 including a base 24 is shown. As shown in the figure, the base 24 is a plate, but the base 24 can be a welded part, a casting or other types of structures. The assembly fixture 22 includes a clamping tool 26 and a welding tool 28.

[0019] refer to Figure 3 , the tie strip 38 is shown in a position where the gripping tool 24 grabs the tie strip 38. The tie strip 38 is a strip that includes a plastic reinforcement 42 on the inner edge. The gripping tool 24 includes a clamp 30 and a clamping rod 32. The clamp has a clamp 30 on the distal end of the clamping tool. The clamp may alternatively include a hook, a buckle, a pliers, or other grabbing device that can be used to grab the tie strip 38 and the seat cover seam 40 and pull the tie strip 38 and the seat cover seam 40 down into the groove 18, as described below.

[0020] refer to Figure 4 , the clamp 30 of the clamping tool 24 is shown to have grasped the connecting strip and, as shown, pulls the connecting strip downward as indicated by the arrow on its upper right side. The welding tool 26 is shown to include a welding head 34 and a welding rod 36. The welding head 34 is disposed adjacent to the clamping tool 24, wherein the welding head 34 is disposed in the groove 18. The welding tool 26 remains in the groove 18 and does not need to be extended and retracted like the clamping tool 24. The welding tool 26 is pushed through the mesh body 12, grabbing fibers along the way to be welded to the connecting device.

[0021] refer to Figure 5, the clamp 30 is shown having drawn the tie bar 38 and the seat seam 40 attached thereto into the groove 18 where the tie bar 38 and the reinforcement bar 42 are held in contact with the mesh body 12. While the tie bar 38 and the reinforcement bar 42 are held in the groove 18, the welding head 34 is heated to a temperature sufficient to melt the polyethylene fibers of the mesh body 12 and a portion of the tie bar 38 and a portion of the reinforcement bar 42. The heat may be provided by heating a rod with a resistive element or by high frequency vibration.

[0022] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method of securing a seat cover 20 having a seam 40 to a novel mesh body seat structure 12. According to the method, the first step is to select a mesh pad 12 formed of welded polymer fibers. Next, a cover 20 is selected that includes a tie bar 38. The tie bar 38 is moved to a predetermined position within the mesh pad 12, and the mesh pad 12 is heated at the predetermined position to melt a portion of the polymer fibers to the tie bar 38, thereby holding the tie bar 38 in the predetermined position.

[0023] The disclosed method can be practiced in many different alternative ways and using different materials and steps. For example, the step of forming the mesh pad 12 into the shape of a seat pad. The multiple sections of flexible material are multiple parts of the seat cover 20 that are sewn together and sewn to the connecting strip 38. The connecting strip 38 is grasped by a clamping tool, and the clamping tool moves the connecting strip 38 to the vicinity of the predetermined position. The heating tool or welding tool 28 is moved adjacent to the clamping tool to the predetermined position in the mesh pad to melt the polymer fibers to the connecting strip.

[0024] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an apparatus that includes a mesh mat 12 formed of polymer fibers (e.g., polyethylene) that are bonded together by molten portions of the polymer fibers, the mesh mat 12 being formed into a seat pad. A seat cover 20 including tie strips 38 attached to the seat cover 20 is secured to the mesh mat 38 by welds 44 that secure the tie strips 38 to the polymer fibers. Seams 40 formed between adjacent sections of the flexible cover 20 material are attached to the tie strips 38. The mesh mat 12 of polymer fibers defines a plurality of grooves 18 recessed into the mesh mat 12. The tie strips 38 each include a plastic reinforcement strip 42 and a flexible flange 46.

[0025] The disclosed device can be practiced in many different alternative ways and with different elements. The mesh pad 12 defines a groove 18, and the seat cover 20 includes a tie strip 38, which includes a flange 46 of flexible sheets sewn together. The tie strip 38 is received in the groove 18, and the weld 44 secures the tie strip 38 in the groove 18. The weld 44 is a molten polymer fiber that is held in contact with the tie strip 38 and cooled to weld the tie strip 38 to the polymer fiber.

[0026] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a machine 22 or assembly aid for assembling a seat cover 20 to a seat structure 10 is disclosed. The machine 22 includes an aid that receives a mesh pad 12 in the form of a seat pad formed of polymer fibers bonded together. The machine 22 includes a gripping tool 26 that is inserted into the aid 22 and the mesh pad 12, the gripping tool 26 gripping a tie strip 38 attached to the seat cover 20 and pulling the tie strip 38 to a predetermined position in the mesh pad 12. A thermal actuator or welding head 34 of a welding tool melts a portion of the mesh pad onto the tie strip to hold the tie strip in a predetermined position. The thermal actuator may be a resistance welding tool or a high frequency ultrasonic welding tool.

[0027] The disclosed assembly aid 22 can be practiced in many different alternative ways and with different elements. The aid 22 includes a plurality of gripping tools 26 and a plurality of thermal actuators or welding heads 34. In one embodiment, the gripping tools 26 are hooks that grip the tie strip. The thermal actuators are pins that are heated by a resistive heating element inside the pin. The tie strip 34 includes a plastic reinforcement strip 42 and a flexible flange 46 that are sewn to the edge of the seat cover 20.

[0028] In one embodiment, the polymer fibers are thermoplastic polymer fibers.

[0029] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, this does not mean that these embodiments describe all possible forms according to the present disclosure. In this regard, the words used in the specification are descriptive rather than restrictive, and it should be understood that multiple changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the features of the various embodiments of implementation can be combined to form other embodiments according to the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Selecting a mesh mat formed from welded polymer fibers; Choose a hood that includes tie bars; moving the connecting strip to a predetermined position within the mesh pad; as well as The mesh mat is heated at a predetermined location to melt a portion of the polymer fibers to the tie strips to hold the tie strips at the predetermined location.

2. The method according to the preceding claim, further comprising: The mesh pad is formed into the shape of a seat pad.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: Sections of flexible material are sewn together and to the tie strips, wherein the cover is a seat cover.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: The coupling bar is grasped by a gripping tool, which moves the coupling bar to the vicinity of the predetermined position.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: A heating tool is inserted into the mesh mat to the predetermined location adjacent the clamping tool to melt the polymer fibers to the tie bars.

6. A vehicle seat manufactured according to the method of any preceding claim.

7. A device comprising: a mesh pad formed of polymer fibers bonded together by molten portions of the polymer fibers, wherein the mesh pad is formed into a seat pad; a seat cover, the seat cover including a tie strip attached to the seat cover; as well as A weld secures the tie strap to the polymer fiber.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: A seam is formed between adjacent sections of flexible material attached to the tie strip.

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The mesh mat formed of polymer fibers defines a plurality of grooves recessed into the mesh mat.

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The coupling device is a coupling strip.

11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The coupling devices are coupling strips each comprising a plastic reinforcement strip sewn to the edge of the seat cover and a flexible flange.

12. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The mesh pad defines a recess, the seat cover includes a flexible sheet section sewn together with a coupling device, the coupling device being a tie strip, wherein the tie strip is received in the recess, and the weld secures the tie strip in the recess.

13. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The weld is a molten polymer fiber that is held in contact with the tie bar and cooled to weld the tie bar to the polymer fiber.

14. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The polymer fibers are polyethylene.

15. A machine comprising: an auxiliary device that receives a mesh pad formed of polymer fibers bonded together to be in the form of a seat pad; a grabbing tool inserted into the auxiliary device and the mesh pad, the grabbing tool grabbing a connecting strip attached to the seat cover and pulling the connecting strip to a predetermined position in the mesh pad; as well as A thermal actuator melts a portion of the mesh pad to the tie bar to hold the tie bar in the predetermined position.

16. Machine according to claim 15, wherein: The auxiliary device includes a plurality of the gripping tools and a plurality of the thermal actuators.

17. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims 15 to 16, wherein: The gripping tool comprises a hook, which grips the coupling strip.

18. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims 15 to 17, wherein: The thermal actuator is a pin that is heated by a resistive heating element inside the pin.

19. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims 15 to 18, wherein: The tie strip is a tie strip comprising a plastic reinforcement strip sewn to the edge of the seat cover and a flexible flange.

20. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims 15 to 19, wherein: The polymer fibers are thermoplastic polymer fibers.

Images