Equipment component for a mounting of a vehicle and method for the production thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to an equipment part for mounting a cushion on a vehicle and to a method for the production thereof, comprising a base element (11) with a filling opening (15) and a cover layer (12); a filling device (18) is used, the filling device is provided with a connecting pipe (17), the connecting pipe is provided with an outlet opening (23), and the filling device is used for filling the foaming material (22); and utilizing a mold (20) having a mold cavity (14). Providing the base element and fastening the cover layer to the base element in such a way that a filling space (27) is formed delimited by the base element and the cover layer, which filling space is accessible through the filling opening; placing a structural assembly comprising a base element and a cover layer into a mold; positioning the connecting pipe on the side, facing away from the filling space, of the filling opening; filling the filling space with a foaming material; closing the filling opening by means of a closing element; hardening the foaming material into soft cushion foam; and taking the equipment part out of the mold. In this way, a faster filling can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention firstly relates to a method for producing a vehicle equipment component.

[0002] A vehicle within the meaning of the present invention may be a land vehicle, an aircraft or a watercraft. Background Art

[0003] Such a method is known from obvious previous use. The vehicle equipment component is manufactured in an on-site method, that is to say, for example, a cover layer is fixed to a base element so that a filling space is formed and the foam is filled into the filling space. The mixing head of the filling device has a filling nozzle, which is provided with an outlet opening, from which the foaming material is discharged to produce the foam. The filling nozzle has a diameter that ensures rapid charging. In order to prevent the material from escaping from the workpiece after the foaming, the filling opening in the base element is kept small. The material needs to be filled at a high pressure in order to be able to feed the material into the filling space economically and to avoid premature solidification of areas of liquid foaming material.

[0004] The difference between the diameter of the outlet opening of the nozzle and the diameter of the filling opening is adapted by a mouthpiece, which is placed on the nozzle and is inserted into the filling space through the filling opening. The mouthpiece is collected as waste after each filling process. This causes costs and damages the environment. In addition, a not insignificant amount of foam remains in the discarded nozzle, which also constitutes a loss. In addition, the tip of the nozzle forms a kind of mold core, so that after the nozzle is pulled out, the foam in the equipment part has a shrink-shaped cavity, which is undesirable.

[0005] When using a mouthpiece, there is a risk that some areas of the cushion will solidify prematurely due to the low flow rate, while in other areas the foaming material is still in a liquid state. This uneven solidification can lead to structural changes and inhomogeneities. In the solidified cushion foam, there may be boundary surfaces at which non-connected material sections abut one another.

[0006] US 6,068,338 relates to a headrest which is manufactured in an in-situ method. The opening for mounting the support rod bow is kept small.

[0007] EP1842648A2 describes a headrest having a base body, a cover layer and a filling material, which is filled into the filling space in an in-situ method. It is described that the cover layer is fixed and bonded to the base body by means of foam.

[0008] DE102014207577B4 describes a headrest that is produced in an on-site method. The cover layer is arranged around the base body so that the cover layer abuts on the side of the base body that faces away from the filling area. In this way, the foam is prevented from escaping in this area. Summary of the invention

[0009] According to a first aspect, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a vehicle equipment component, in which a faster filling of the foaming mass is possible and in which the method is improved with regard to quality, costs and ecology.

[0010] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 .

[0011] In the method according to the invention for producing an upholstered equipment part for a means of transport, a base element with a filling opening and, in addition, a covering layer are provided. In addition, a filling device is provided, which has a connection piece with an outlet opening and is intended for filling with a foaming material to produce a cushioning foam. A foaming material is a material which, by reaction of the components, forms a foam which solidifies so that the cushioning foam is formed. The foaming material is usually liquid when it is filled into the filling space. In addition, a mold is provided, which has a shaped mold cavity, by means of which the cushioning part can be produced in an in-situ method.

[0012] First, a base element is provided and the cover layer is fastened to the base element in such a way that a filling space is formed in a manner delimited by the base element and the cover layer, which filling space is accessible through a filling opening of the base element. The fastening is effected in such a way that no foaming material can escape between the cover layer and the base element. For example, the cover layer is clamped or adhesively bonded to the base element. In principle, however, all suitable fastening methods can be used.

[0013] The assembly comprising the base element and the covering layer is then arranged relative to the mold so that at least one region of the covering layer can rest against a mold wall of the mold cavity, so that after the foam hardens, the region of the equipment component acquires an outer shape that is reflected by the shape of the mold cavity.

[0014] The nozzle of the filling device with a discharge opening for supplying the foaming material is positioned on the area of ​​the filling opening of the base element facing away from the filling space, so that the discharge opening of the nozzle and the filling opening of the base element are aligned. The nozzle can be positioned manually or by means of a drive device.

[0015] The liquid foaming material is filled into the filling space, and the foaming material causes foaming and hardening to form a cushion foam by a reaction after the filling. This occurs, for example, under high pressure, so that a certain amount of material is delivered per hour.

[0016] After a sufficient amount of foaming material has been filled into the filling space, the connecting piece of the filling device is removed from the filling opening.

[0017] The assembly component is held for a defined period of time in order to allow the material to harden in the mold to form the cushion foam.

[0018] The completed equipment component is then removed from the mold.

[0019] The method according to the invention offers the following advantages: Due to the larger filling opening, more material can be filled into the filling space per unit time. As a result, a larger component production is possible. Due to the larger delivery volume of foamed material and the improved flow dynamics, premature solidification of some areas of the filling space does not occur, so that there are no inhomogeneities in the produced components.

[0020] No mouthpiece is required to adapt the discharge opening to the filling opening, which results in cost savings and avoidance of plastic waste. Cost expenditures for providing the mouthpiece are avoided, as are material losses due to material residues in the mouthpiece. Furthermore, the produced equipment component has no cavity formed by the tip of the mouthpiece in the solidified cushioning foam of the equipment component. In other words, the quality and economy are improved by the invention. The method is also advantageous in terms of ecology due to the elimination of the mouthpiece and due to the improved material utilization.

[0021] For example, the filling space is filled through the filling opening with a material flow of 300 to 500 g / s of foaming material. The filling time is much better than the conventional filling time when using a filling nozzle. Therefore, the filling can be carried out more quickly and, due to the almost uniform solidification of the foaming material in the entire filling space, inhomogeneities in the cushion foam are avoided.

[0022] In order that foaming material does not escape from the filling opening, after the filling space has been filled with foaming material, the filling opening is closed by means of a closing element, so that no material escapes from the filling opening. The closing element can remain in the product or alternatively be reused after the cushioning foam has solidified. For example, the closing element can be fastened to the base element, for example by means of a clamping connection. After solidification, the cushioning foam no longer escapes from the filling opening.

[0023] The closure element is held on the filling opening, for example, by a device. The device can, for example, fix the closure element only in terms of its position. In addition, the device can, for example, press the closure element onto the base element so that the pressure acting from the filling space cannot remove the closure element from the filling opening.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the method, the closing element is removed from the base element after the cushioning foam has solidified and is reused. The closing element can be part of the mold or part of a separate device. This can save costs because it is not necessary to provide a closing element for each equipment part to be produced.

[0025] For example, the filling opening corresponds approximately to the outlet opening of the nozzle or is larger than it. These features ensure that no material gets onto the surface of the edge region adjacent to the filling opening and that no material fails to reach the filling space. Preferably, the filling opening is larger than the outlet opening, so that even with small positioning errors it is ensured that no material reaches the edge region adjacent to the filling opening. The filling opening has, for example, a diameter of 10 mm or more.

[0026] The connection piece is placed on the base element, for example, for filling. The contact can, for example, bring about centering. In addition, it can be prevented that material splashes onto the edge region of the filling opening.

[0027] For example, the edge region of the filling opening of the basic element has a centering structure, which cooperates with the filling nozzle during filling. The centering structure can be formed, for example, by a bulge or a conical depression. The centering contour is formed so that the discharge opening and the filling opening are aligned with each other.

[0028] The equipment parts are, for example, an armrest, an armrest for an armrest, a center console with an armrest or a headrest.

[0029] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to an equipment component of a vehicle, such as a headrest for a vehicle seat, a center console, or an armrest for a vehicle seat.

[0030] For the production of the equipment part, according to the obvious prior use, the in-situ method is used, which has already been described above for the first aspect of the invention. During production, a filling nozzle is used, which is connected with one end region to the nozzle of the filling device. The support of the nozzle is inserted into the nozzle. The nozzle forms an adapter, which reduces the large outlet opening of the nozzle for discharging the foaming material to a small outlet opening, which corresponds to the filling opening of the basic element.

[0031] The tip of the mouthpiece is therefore designed with a smaller diameter than the outlet opening of the nozzle. The tip is inserted into the filling opening of the base part. The opening is kept small in order to prevent plastic from escaping after or during filling. In other words, the mouthpiece serves to adapt between the diameter of the outlet opening of the nozzle and a smaller diameter of the filling opening on the base part or the cover layer compared to the outlet opening.

[0032] The tip of the nozzle is inserted, for example, about 3 to 5 cm into the filling space for filling with foamed material. The nozzle tip forms a core-like spacer on which a cavity is formed in the foam of the equipment part after the foam has hardened and the nozzle has been removed. In addition, due to the relatively low amount of material supplied per second into the filling space, inhomogeneities can occur in the cushioning foam, since areas that have already been filled with foamed material solidify faster than areas that are filled later. Foam partitions that are not connected to one another can result in the cushioning part.

[0033] The cavity and the unevenness caused by the tip of the mouthpiece are quality defects of the cushion part. The consumption of the mouthpiece and the foamed material contained in the mouthpiece during recycling constitute an economic loss and are worth improving in terms of ecology.

[0034] The object of the present invention is to realize a cushioning part which allows a faster filling of the foam material. In addition, the finished equipment part should be improved in terms of cost and quality as well as in terms of ecology compared to the prior art.

[0035] This object is achieved by a device component having the features of claim 8 .

[0036] The vehicle equipment component comprises a base element having a filling opening through which a foam material can be filled by means of a connecting piece of a filling device, and a cover layer fixed to the base element. The cover layer is fixed to the base element so that a filling space is formed, in which a filling material in the form of a cushioning foam is arranged.

[0037] The diameter of the filling opening is at least 10 mm, so that the foam can be filled into the filling space without the diameter of the outlet opening of the nozzle of the filling device being reduced.

[0038] This diameter is, for example, equal to the diameter of the outlet opening of the nozzle of the filling device or is larger than the diameter of the outlet opening. Through the outlet opening, the liquid foaming material can be filled into the filling opening. The diameter of the outlet opening of the nozzle of the filling device commonly used in the business is, for example, 10 mm or more, in particular 12 mm. In the case where the diameter of the outlet opening corresponds to the filling opening, the positioning needs to be precise. If the filling opening is larger than the outlet opening, the foaming material does not appear on the edge area adjacent to the filling opening even in the case of slight positioning errors.

[0039] The basic element is provided, for example, with a centering structure which is designed to cooperate with the filler neck in a centering manner during filling. These features prevent the aligned orientation of the outlet opening and the filling opening from being lost due to inaccurate positioning of the neck or due to movements of the basic element during filling, so that the foam material flows onto the basic element and past the filling opening.

[0040] The openings are designed, for example, in such a way that a material flow rate of 300 to 500 g / s is permitted. A high material input per second avoids uneven solidification and the resulting inhomogeneities.

[0041] The fitting part has no cavities in the region of the cushion foam due to the core effect of the mouthpiece, thereby providing a fitting part of higher quality.

[0042] The foam in the filling space of the equipment component is, for example, homogeneous. That is, no boundary regions are formed within the foam, at which non-connected foam subregions adjoin one another. This avoids quality losses of the foam component formed in situ, which could manifest themselves, for example, in an imperfect dimensional stability of the equipment component.

[0043] The equipment part is in particular an armrest, a center console or a headrest, each comprising a base element, a covering layer and a cushioning foam.

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention are also described by way of example in the subsequent description of the drawings with reference to the drawings. Here, for the sake of overview, also as long as different embodiments are involved, identical or comparable components or elements or regions are also represented by the same reference numerals, with lowercase letters added in some cases.

[0045] Features described only with respect to one embodiment may also be specified within the scope of the invention in any other embodiment of the invention. Such modified embodiments are also encompassed by the invention, even when they are not depicted in the drawings.

[0046] All disclosed features are inventive in themselves. The disclosures of the cited patent documents and the disclosed prior art devices described are hereby also included in their entirety in the disclosure of the present application, also for the purpose of incorporating individual features or multiple features of these documents into one or more claims of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] The attached pictures are as follows:

[0048] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view showing a mold during the in-situ manufacturing of a headrest according to the prior art, including a filling device and a filling mouthpiece;

[0049] Figure 2 Display Press Figure 1 A prior art mold in which the nozzle and the mouthpiece of the filling device have been removed;

[0050] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view showing a base element of the equipment component together with a covering layer fastened to the base element;

[0051] Figure 4 To display a cross-sectional view of the mold, press Figure 3 The base part together with the covering layer has been placed into the mold;

[0052] Figure 5 Display Press Figure 4 A sectional view of a filling device in which the nozzle of the filling device is already positioned on the filling opening of the base element;

[0053] Figure 6 Display Press Figure 4 A sectional view of a base element, wherein the closure element is already arranged on the filling opening of the base element;

[0054] Figure 7 Display Press Figure 4 sectional view in which the closing element has been removed and the equipment part with the hardened foam is removed from the mold. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The invention relates to a known equipment part 10' which is manufactured in an in-situ method. In this method, a base element 11, in the present case a base element of an armrest of an armrest of a vehicle seat, is provided with a covering layer 12 in such a way that the covering layer 12 is fixed to the base element 11 by means of a fixing part 13, so that a filling space 27 is formed (see Figure 1 ).

[0056] In the case of a headrest as an equipment part, the base element 11 is provided with a plurality of retaining rods or a retaining rod bracket, for example. The base element 11 is then positioned relative to the mold 20 so that the cover layer 12 can be placed against the inner wall 28 of the mold cavity 14 of the mold 20 to form the outer shape of at least one area of ​​the equipment part.

[0057] The connecting piece 17 of the filling device 18 has an outlet opening 23 for discharging the foaming material 22 and is provided with a filling nozzle 16 at an end region 29. The pin-shaped region 32 of the filling nozzle 16 has a channel 31 with a diameter d'. The filling nozzle 16 forms a nozzle which reduces the diameter D' of the outlet opening 23 to the diameter d'.

[0058] The channel 31 extends from the support 24 to at least one outlet 19 in the pin-shaped region 32. The outlet 19 of the channel 31 is located at the end region 33 of the filling spout 16. The outer diameter d of the pin-shaped region 32 is therefore also reduced relative to the outer diameter of the connecting piece 17. This has the following reasons: a small filling opening 15' is formed in the base element 11.

[0059] A section of the pin-shaped region 32 is inserted into the filling space 27 , for example, through the opening 15 ′ of the basic element 11 , and the foaming material 22 is filled from the outlet opening 23 of the connecting piece 17 via the channel 31 into the filling space 27 .

[0060] The diameter D' of the discharge opening is reduced to the diameter d' of the channel 31 of the pin-shaped region 32 in order to keep the opening 15' small, with the aim that a small amount of foaming material 22 can be discharged from the opening 15' again after filling. The end region 33 of the filling mouthpiece 16 is retained until the foaming material 22 solidifies into a foam 26' in the filling space 27 and is then removed.

[0061] The foaming material 22 also solidifies in the filling nozzle 16, so that the filling nozzle needs to be replaced and recycled after each foaming process. In many foaming processes, the foaming material 22 solidified in the filling nozzle 16 forms a considerable loss. This is worth improving for economic and ecological reasons. The filling nozzle 16 itself also forms a considerable material loss and cost loss when a large number of products are produced.

[0062] Furthermore, the filling nozzle 16 leaves an undesirable cavity 25 in the fitting part 10 ′ after the foam 26 has solidified and has been removed from the filling space 27 (see Figure 2 ), which results in quality defects.

[0063] The reduced diameter of the channel 31 relative to the outlet opening 23 allows only a limited material throughput of the foaming material 22. This can lead to multiple zones of differently solidified foam 26 within the filling space 27, so that there are material inhomogeneities. Boundary surfaces 34 are formed, to which unconnected foaming areas adjoin. These disadvantages are worth improving from the aspects of quality and cost as well as from an ecological perspective.

[0064] exist Figures 3 to 7 The method according to the invention described in remedies these disadvantages. The method is described below.

[0065] according to Figure 3 , a base element 11 and a cover layer 12 are provided. The cover layer 12 is fixed to the base element 11 by means of a fixing part 13, so that a filling space 27 is formed. The base element 11 has a filling opening 15, which is slightly larger than the outlet opening 23 of the connecting pipe 17 for filling the foaming material 22. The connecting pipe 17 is a component of a filling device 18, which is not described in more detail here. For example, the outlet opening 23 has a diameter of about 12 mm, and the filling opening 15 has a diameter of about 14 mm.

[0066] The base element 11 together with the cover layer 12 is positioned in the seat 24 relative to the mold 20 so that the cover layer can be placed against the inner wall 28 of the mold cavity 14 of the mold 20 (see Figure 4 The connection piece 17 is movable and can be positioned by a drive device (not shown) so that the outlet opening 23 of the connection piece 17 is aligned with the filling opening 15 (see Figure 5 ).

[0067] The optional centering structure 21 is in the form of an annular protrusion, which here, for example, constitutes a positioning aid. In the case of a high positioning accuracy of the positioning device for the connection piece 17, the centering structure 21 can be omitted. The filling space 27 is then filled with the foaming material 22 directly from the outlet opening 23 through the filling opening 15, the cover layer 12 is placed against the inner wall 28, and the outer shape of the area of ​​the equipment part 10 is copied from the mold cavity 14.

[0068] If the filling space 27 is sufficiently filled, the nozzle 17 is removed from the base element 11 and the closing element 35 is positioned sealingly on the filling opening 15 so that no foaming material 22 can escape from the filling space 27. The closing element 35 is held on the filling opening 15, for example, by means 36 or alternatively by conventional fixing means.

[0069] In the present example, the closing element 35 is part of the mould and is reused. It is then not necessary to provide a closing element 35 for each equipment part 10 to be produced.

[0070] Alternatively, a closure element is used which remains on the base element. The closure element can be clamped on the base element 11 or fixed on the base element 11 in another way, for example.

[0071] This is followed by a hardening time, during which the foaming material 22 reacts to form a solid foam 26. After the foam 26 has hardened, the closing element 35 is removed. The closing element can then be reused without restriction. The equipment component 10 is then removed from the mold.

[0072] According to an alternative, a closure element can be used which is fastened to the base element and remains on the fitting part.

Claims

1. A method for producing an upholstered equipment part (10) for a means of transport, using a base element (11) with a filling opening (15) and a covering layer (12); and using a filling device (18) having a nozzle (17) with a discharge opening (23), the filling device being used to fill a foaming material (22) to produce an upholstered foam (22); and using a mold (20) having a mold cavity (14), characterized in that The following method steps: - providing the base element (11) and fixing the cover layer (12) on the base element (11) so that a filling space (27) is formed in a manner delimited by the base element (11) and the cover layer (12), which filling space is accessible through the filling opening (15); - placing the structural assembly comprising the base element (11) and the cover layer (12) into the mold (20); - positioning the nozzle (17) of the filling device (18) on the side of the filling opening (15) of the base element (11) facing away from the filling space (27); - Filling the foaming material (22) into the filling space (27); - closing the filling opening (15) by means of a sealing closure element (35); - hardening the foaming material (22) into a cushion foam (26); - Removing the equipment component (10) from the mold (20).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The filling space (27) is filled through the filling opening (15) with a material flow of 300-500 g / s.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The closure element (35) is held on the filling opening (15) by means (36).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The closure element (35) is removed from the base element (11) after the filling process and is reused.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The filling opening (15) corresponds approximately to the outlet opening (23) of the connecting piece (17) or is larger than the outlet opening of the connecting piece.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that For filling, the connecting piece ( 17 ) is placed onto the base element ( 11 ).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The base element (11) is provided with a centering structure (21) which cooperates with the connecting piece (17) in a centering manner during filling.

8. An equipment component of a transportation tool, the equipment component comprising: a basic element (11) having a filling opening (15) through which the foaming material (22) can be filled by means of a connecting piece (17) of a filling device (18); and a covering layer (12) fixed to a base element (11), the covering layer (12) being fixed to the base element (11) so that a filling space (27) is formed, in which a filling material in the form of a cushioning foam (26) is arranged, characterized in that the diameter of the filling opening (15) is at least 10 mm, so that the foaming material (22) can be filled into the filling space (27) without reducing the diameter of the outlet opening (23) of the connecting pipe (17), and the hardened cushioning foam (26) does not form a cavity (25) formed by the core action of the filling tool.

9. The equipment component according to claim 8, characterized in that: The basic element (11) is provided with a centering structure (21) which is designed to cooperate with the nozzle (17) in a centering manner during filling.

10. An equipment component, characterized in that: The cushioning foam (26) of the equipment component (10) is uniform.

11. An equipment component, characterized in that: The filling opening (15) is designed such that it allows a material flow rate of 300 to 500 g / s. 12 . The equipment component according to claim 1 , which is designed as an armrest, a center console or a headrest.

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