Method for manufacturing a vehicle interior component

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a vehicle interior component (10) wherein the method comprises the following steps: Forming a through-hole in a panel base (31) of the vehicle interior component (10) in such a way that it extends through the panel base (31) in a direction from a first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) to a second surface (31B) of the panel base (31), and has openings in the first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) and the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31); Connecting a coating (35) to the first surface (31A) of the board base (31); Holding a crosshead (41) of a composite tool (40) against a section of the covering (35) covering the through hole of the panel base (31), wherein the composite tool (40) has a shaft (43) having a cross-section with a contour corresponding to a contour of a mounting hole of a component assembly section (34) to be formed, and the crosshead (41) has four wings projecting from an end face of the shaft (43); Moving the composite tool (40) in one direction from the first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) to the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31) until the crosshead (41) of the composite tool (40) penetrates the section of the coating (35) and the section is divided into folds (35A); and Moving the compound tool (40) until the shaft (43) is inserted into the through hole and the folds (35A) along the inner circumferential wall of the through hole are folded to the opening of the through hole in the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a vehicle interior component. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a vehicle, a component may be fixed to a synthetic plastic member via a hole. The synthetic plastic member with a design surface may have a notch at a center of a hole formed on a back surface side opposite to the design surface, and surrounding walls protruding from the back surface to surround at least a portion of the notch. The surrounding walls are curved to define a circular portion having a diameter larger than an outer diameter of a drill bit. The notch and the surrounding walls may function as a support for positioning the drill bit. An example of such a synthetic plastic member is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5 585 309 B2.

[0003] In recent years, the demands for improving the quality of the exterior appearance of vehicle interiors have increased. The surfaces of the base parts of vehicle interior components are covered with coatings. To create holes in the interior components, the holes must be formed not only in the base parts but also in the coatings.

[0004] To form a hole in an interior component, a mounting hole may be formed in a base part of the interior component, and an overlay is arranged over an inner side surface of the base part, and a communication hole may be formed in the overlay so as to communicate with the mounting hole. If the communication hole is formed in the overlay by cutting out a portion of the overlay covering the mounting hole, scrap pieces may be generated. The scrap pieces may unexpectedly enter a space between the interior component and a component to be fixed to the interior component. The scrap pieces may become an obstacle to fixing the component to the interior component. Moreover, if the communication hole is formed in a size that does not match the mounting hole, parts of the overlay may be caught between the interior component and the component to be fixed.captured, and thus the component may not be properly fixed to the internal component.

[0005] JP 2001-347836 A discloses an interior trim material. Fixing a cover to a core element is achieved by inserting a foot portion into a hole in the core element by pulling an edge of the cover into the hole of the core element through the foot portion.

[0006] JP H07-108877 A discloses a panel with a speaker frame used in a vehicle. A mounting hole through which a surface material protrudes into the opening of a core is formed by a door panel, and a speaker frame is provided with a rib. A speaker mesh is then mounted on the speaker frame.

[0007] US 2008 / 0 317 545 A1 discloses a component mounting assembly. A mounting member has a positioning hole that can be mounted on an outer peripheral side of a protrusion positioned on a vehicle interior part. An end face of the mounting member is formed as a flat surface. By sliding contact of the flat end face with a tip end of the protrusion for positional alignment, the positioning hole can be mounted on the protrusion. A tubular portion is arranged on a surface on a side opposite the opposite end face so as to fit the protrusion substantially over its entire length. SUMMARY

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances set forth above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a vehicle interior component.

[0009] This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] According to this method, the communication hole that mates with the mounting hole of the panel base is formed in the overlay without cutting out the portion of the overlay covering the mounting hole. Therefore, the overlay is unlikely to be caught between the panel base and the component when the component is mounted to the panel base. Furthermore, debris is unlikely to be generated during the formation of the communication hole in the overlay. Therefore, the installability of the vehicle interior component is improved.

[0011] The method further comprises forming a tubular portion protruding from the second surface of the panel base around the through-hole to form the component mounting portion having a mounting hole defined by an inner peripheral wall of the component mounting portion composed of the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole and an inner peripheral wall of the tubular portion; and moving the compound die until the shaft is inserted into the tubular portion and the folds along the inner peripheral wall of the component mounting portion are folded, to an opening of the tubular portion at a distal end surface of the tubular portion. According to this method, the component mounting portion is provided having the inner peripheral wall with a height greater than the height of the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole. Therefore, the folds are formed more accurately (more neatly).In addition, the component mounting portion provides a sufficient overlap tolerance for the component to be fixed to the panel base, and thus the portion of the component in the mounting hole is unlikely to be unexpectedly pulled out of the through hole.

[0012] The wings of the crosshead are chamfered toward their end portions and are connected together to form a crosshead end portion. The end portion of the composite tool is held against a center of the overlay portion covering the mounting hole of the component mounting portion. The folds are separated by slits extending radially from the center of the portion. The crosshead allows the overlay portion to be cleanly divided into four folds even when the overlay is a resilient member. Compared to a method in which the overlay portion is divided into three folds, folds of the folds can be formed more easily along the hole edge of the through-hole. Compared to a method in which the overlay portion is divided into five folds, dividing the portion into four folds requires less pressure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a side view of a door panel. Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an assembly of the door panel and a loudspeaker grille along a line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows an exploded view as a sectional view of the assembly from Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a compound tool. The Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B show schematic views of a panel base, a cover, and the composite tool prior to performing a cutting step. The Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B show schematic views of the cutting step. The Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B show schematic views of a folding forming step. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Below is an embodiment with reference to the Fig. 1 to 7. First, a door panel 10 is described, which is a vehicle interior component. The right side and the left side in Fig. 2 correspond to an outside and an inside of the vehicle respectively.

[0014] As this is Fig. 1, the door trim 10 has a trim panel 20 including an upper panel 21, a lower panel 23, and a center panel 30. The upper panel 21 forms an upper portion of the door trim 10. The lower panel 23 forms a lower portion, a front edge portion, and a rear edge portion of the door trim 10. The center panel 30 forms a center portion of the door trim 10 between the upper panel 21 and the lower panel 23. An armrest 14 is provided at a boundary between the center panel 30 and the lower panel 23. An ornament (decoration) 25 is arranged above the armrest 14. Further, the lower panel 23 has a door pocket 18. An inside door handle 16 and a speaker grille 12 are fixed to the center panel 30. The speaker grille 12 is an example of a component to be fixed to the panel base.

[0015] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the speaker grille 12, which has a quadrilateral shape, includes a base portion 12C, a grille portion 12B, and mounting bosses 12A. The grille portion 12B has pinholes. The mounting bosses 12A are respectively arranged at the four corners of the speaker grille 12. Each mounting boss 12A protrudes from the base portion 12C toward the outside of the vehicle and has a hollow space extending in the height direction of the mounting boss 12A.

[0016] As this is Fig. 2, the center panel 30 includes a panel base 31 and a cover 35. The panel base 31 has a first surface intended to be on the inside of the vehicle and a second surface intended to be on the outside of the vehicle when the door panel 10 is installed in the vehicle. The first surface and the second surface of the panel base 31 are referred to as a first base surface 31A and a second base surface 31B, respectively. The cover 35 has a first surface intended to be on the inside of the vehicle and a second surface intended to be on the outside of the vehicle when the door panel 10 is installed in the vehicle. The first surface and the second surface of the cover 35 are referred to as a first cover surface and a second cover surface, respectively. The second cover surface of the cover 35 is bonded to the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31 by an adhesive to cover the first base surface 31A.

[0017] As this is Fig. 3, the panel base 31 has component mounting portions 34. Each component mounting portion 34 is composed of a base portion 32 and a tubular portion 33. The base portion 32 has a through hole extending through the panel base 31 in the thickness direction of the panel base 31, and openings in the first base surface 31A and the second base surface 31B. The tubular portion 33 projects from the base portion 32 to the outside of the vehicle, that is, it projects from the second base surface 31B of the panel base 31 around the opening in the second base surface 31B. The component mounting portion 34 has a mounting hole defined by an inner peripheral wall 34A composed of an inner peripheral wall of the base portion 32 and an inner peripheral wall 33A of the tubular portion 33.The panel base 31 has a speaker mounting hole 30A inside a rectangular area (rectangular area) defined by the component mounting portions 34. The speaker mounting hole 30A is provided for mounting a speaker.

[0018] To fix the speaker grille 12 to the center panel 30, the mounting bosses 12A are inserted into the component mounting portions 34 of the center panel 30 from the inside of the vehicle, and screws 13, which are an example of fixing members, are screwed into the mounting bosses 12A from the outside of the vehicle until shanks of the screws 13 engage with inner peripheral walls of the respective mounting bosses 12A. The base portion 12C is arranged parallel to the panel base 31 and faces the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31. In the following description, one of the mounting bosses 12A at the front upper corner is described in detail, and the remaining mounting bosses 12A are not described in detail.

[0019] The panel base 31 is described in more detail below. The panel base 31 is a panel-shaped member made of synthetic plastic such as polypropylene or a material having synthetic plastic and fibers (bast fibers such as hemp fibers such as kenaf fibers) blended together. The panel base 31 is prepared by injection molding. A method for preparing the panel base 31 is described below. The panel base 31 has suction holes for vacuum forming the cover 35.

[0020] As this is the case in the Fig. 5A and Fig. 5B, the inner peripheral wall 34A has a circular shape in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 3, the through hole in the base portion 32 has a depth in a thickness direction of the panel base 31, and the inner peripheral wall 34A has a height in the inward and outward direction of the vehicle. Each mounting boss 12A has an outer periphery smaller in size relative to an inner periphery of the component mounting portion 34. Namely, an inner diameter of the component mounting portion 34 is larger than an outer diameter of the mounting boss 12A by twice the thickness of the overlay 35 (approximately 1 to 2 mm). The mounting boss 12A is inserted into the component mounting portion 34, and thus, displacement of the mounting boss 12A in the radial direction of the component mounting portion 34 is limited.Furthermore, since the mounting boss 12A is fixed to the center panel 30 by the screw 13, a portion of the speaker grille 12 around the base of the mounting boss 12A is held at a hole edge of the mounting hole in the component mounting portion 34. Therefore, displacement of the mounting boss 12A in its height direction is limited.

[0021] The tubular portion 33 has a ring-like distal end surface parallel to the second base surface 31B of the panel base 31. The distal end surface of the tubular portion 33 can be referred to as a fastening surface, which is fastened to the lower panel 23 with the screw 13. The mounting boss 12A at the front upper corner of the speaker grille 12, the middle panel 30, and the lower panel 23 are fastened together by the screw 13. A hole edge of the mounting hole 23A of the lower panel 23 located on the lower panel side is interposed between the distal end surface of the tubular portion 33 and a head of the screw 13. The mounting bosses 12A at the other corners need not be fastened together with the lower panel 23, or they can be fastened together with another component.

[0022] The cover 35 is a sheet made of a synthetic resin such as olefin elastomer and polyvinyl chloride. The cover 35 has a cushioning layer. Namely, the cover 35 is thick and soft. The cover 35 is formed along the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31 by vacuum forming. A method for forming the cover 35 is described below.

[0023] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 3, the overlay 35 has folds (tabs) 35A and communication holes 36 that communicate with the mounting holes of the component mounting portions 34, respectively. Each set of folds 35A is formed such that a portion of the overlay 35 covering the opening of the base portion 32 of the corresponding component mounting portion 34 is divided by slits 37 extending from the center of the portion in the radial direction. The folds 35 are folded along the inner peripheral wall 34A of the corresponding component mounting portion 34. Each communication hole 36 is defined by folding the folds 35A so as to communicate with the mounting hole of the component mounting portion 34. The communication hole 36 is made smaller relative to the mounting hole by the thickness of the overlay 35. A method of forming the communication hole 36 will be described below.

[0024] As this is the case in the Fig. 3, Fig. 6A and Fig. As shown in Fig. 6B, each of the folds 35A is a circular sector with an arc of the inner peripheral wall 34A and a central angle of 90 degrees. Each portion of the cover 35 that overlaps with the opening of the base portion 32 has four folds 35A. Each fold 35A is erected (extending straight forward) along the inner peripheral wall 34A in the height direction of the inner peripheral wall 34A. Each fold 35A is curved along the inner peripheral wall 34A in the circumferential direction of the component mounting portion 34. The folds 35A are partially or entirely bonded to the inner peripheral wall 34A by adhesive.

[0025] As this is Fig. As shown in Fig. 3, the base portion 32 has a height T1, and the component mounting portion 34 has a height T2. The height T1 is approximately 2 to 2.5 mm, and the height T2 is approximately 4.5 to 7 mm (T2 > T1). The inner diameter of the component mounting portion 34 is approximately 8 to 9 mm. The dimension L1 of each fold 35A between the bottom of the component mounting portion 34 and the end portion of the fold 35A, which is approximately equal to a radius of the through hole of the component mounting portion 34, is approximately 4 to 4.5 mm. The above-described dimensions can be appropriately changed.

[0026] When the panel base 31 does not have the tubular portion 33, the depth of a mounting hole formed in the panel base 31 is equal to the height T1. The dimension L1 of each fold 35A is greater than the height T1 (L1>T1), and thus the folds 35A bent toward the outside protrude from the mounting hole. Since the protruding portions of the folds 35A are not supported by the inner peripheral wall of the mounting hole, the folds 35A are unlikely to be held in the appropriate positions and to be properly shaped. The shaping of the folds 35 will be described in detail below. Each fold 35A of this embodiment has the dimension L1 smaller than the height T2 of the component mounting portion 34 (L1<T2). When the folds 35A are bent toward the outside of the vehicle, the folds 35A remain within the component mounting portion 34.Therefore, the folds 35A are properly supported and held in the appropriate positions by the inner peripheral wall 34A. Furthermore, the folds 35A are properly and neatly formed.

[0027] The mounting boss 12A is inserted into the mounting hole of the component mounting portion 34 via the communication hole 36 and then into the mounting hole 23A on the side of the lower panel until the distal end surface of the mounting boss 12A is flush with the surface of the lower panel on the outside of the vehicle or slightly recessed from the surface (see FIG. Fig. 2). An overlap tolerance dimension (allowable tolerance) of the mounting hub 12A relative to the panel base 31 is approximately equal to the sum of the height T2 and the thickness of the lower panel 23. When the lower panel 23 is not secured to the speaker grille 12 and the middle panel 30, the distal end of the mounting hub 12A may be on the same plane as the second base surface 31B of the panel base 31, or slightly recessed from the plane. The overlap tolerance dimension of the mounting hub 12A relative to the panel base 31 may be approximately equal to the height T2.

[0028] A method for manufacturing the door trim 10 is described below. The method includes a base preparation process, a cover molding process, a hole formation process, and a fixing process. The base preparation process prepares the panel base 31. The cover molding process forms the cover 35 along the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31. The hole formation process forms the communication hole 36 in the cover 35. The fixing process fixes the speaker grille 12 to the center panel 30.

[0029] In the base preparation process, the panel base 31 is prepared by injection molding using a set of molds. The molds (hereinafter referred to as molds) are closed, and a molten resin is injected into a molding cavity inside the molds. The molds include mold surfaces corresponding to the inner peripheral walls 34A of the component mounting portions 34. After the molten resin in the mold cavity has cooled and solidified, the molds are opened, and the panel base 31 is removed from the molds. The panel base 31 prepared as described above has the component mounting portions 34 including the base portions 32 and the tubular portions 33. Suction holes are drilled in the panel base 31 after injection molding.

[0030] In the overlay forming process, the overlay is formed by vacuum forming using a vacuum forming die. The panel base 31 is placed in the vacuum forming die, and an adhesive is sprayed onto the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31. The adhesive is also applied to at least portions of the inner peripheral wall 34A of the component mounting portions 34. The overlay 35 is heated and softened. The heated and softened overlay 35 is placed on the panel base 31, and negative pressure is applied to the overlay 35 via the suction holes to adhere the overlay 35 to the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31. Through this process, the overlay 35 is formed along the first base surface 31A of the panel base 31.

[0031] The hole forming process includes a cutting step and a fold forming step, which are performed using a composite tool 40. The composite tool 40 is used for both cutting the cover 35 and forming the folds 35A. The term "forming" means that the shape of the folds 35A is permanently changed from their original shape in the natural state so that the shape does not return to the original shape.

[0032] As this is Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the composite tool 40 has a shaft 43 and a crosshead 41. The shaft 43 can be inserted into the mounting holes of the component mounting sections 34. The crosshead 41 protrudes from an end surface of a first end 43A of the shaft 43. The crosshead 41 has four wings arranged around the axis of the shaft 43 to form a cross shape in a cross-sectional view, and they are chamfered toward their end portions. The end portions of the wings are coupled to form an end portion 41A of the composite tool 40. Fig. 4, the axis is shown by a dashed line. A cross-section of the shaft 43 perpendicular to the axis has a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the communication hole 36, that is, slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the component mounting portion 34. Therefore, the folds 35A can be sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 43B of the shaft 43 and the inner peripheral wall 34A of the component mounting portion 34.

[0033] The shaft 43 and the crosshead 41 are integrally formed and provided as a single element formed from a metal rod. A second end of the shaft 43 is held in a holder. The composite tool 40 is held at a position where the axis is perpendicular to the first coating surface and is moved in a direction from the first coating surface to the second coating surface or from the second coating surface to the first coating surface to penetrate the coating 35.

[0034] As this is Fig. 6A, in the cutting step, the end portion 41A of the crosshead 41 is held against the first coating surface of the coating 35 at the center of a portion of the coating covering the mounting hole of the component mounting portion 34. The crosshead 41 is pressed in the direction from the first coating surface to the second coating surface and inserted into the tubular portion 33. Through the wings, the crosshead 41 penetrates the portion of the coating 35 to form a cross cut having four slits 37 in the portion of the coating 35 around the center of the portion, with the ends of the cross cut being closer to the hole edge of the base portion 32. That is, the portion of the coating 35 is divided into four folds 35A. This is the end of the cutting step.

[0035] As this is the case in the Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B, in the fold forming step, the composite die 40 is moved in the direction from the first cover surface to the second cover surface to insert the shaft 43 into the tubular portion 33 until the folds 35A along the inner peripheral surface 34A are folded and formed. More specifically, the composite die 40 is further moved from the position at the cutting step to press the folds 35A toward the tubular portion 33 with the end surface of the first end 43A until the folds 35A are located on the inside of the component mounting portion 34 and pressed against the inner peripheral wall 34A with the outer peripheral wall of the shaft 43. The shaft 43 forms the folds 35A along the inner peripheral wall 34A. Since the compound tool 40 is moved in the direction corresponding to the folding directions of the folds 35A, the cover 35 is less likely to be wrinkled or twisted due to the forming of the folds 35A.The folds 35A are bonded to the portions of the inner peripheral wall 34A to which the adhesive is applied. When the first end 43A of the shaft 43 passes through the tubular portion 33, the forming of the folds 35A is completed. This is the end of the fold forming step.

[0036] The composite tool 40 is moved in the direction from the first coating surface to the second coating surface until the crosshead 41 is removed from the component mounting portion 34. The folds 35A remain in shape even when no force is applied to the folds 35A by the composite tool 40. The communication hole 36, which has a size that matches the mounting hole of the component mounting portion 34, is formed in the coating 35.

[0037] In the fixing process, the mounting bosses 12A of the speaker grille 12 are inserted into the component mounting section 24 via the communication holes 36 (see the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). Even if the speaker grille 12 is unexpectedly tilted (skewed) relative to the center panel 30, the mounting bosses 12A are gripped by the tubular portions 33 and are unlikely to come out of the base portion 32. Further, the mounting bosses 12A are inserted into the mounting holes 23A located on the lower panel side. The screws 13 are respectively screwed into the mounting bosses 12A from the lower panel 23 side. This completes the fixing of the speaker grille 12 to the panel base 31. The center panel 30 with the speaker grille 12 fixed thereto is prepared. Other components of the trim panel 20 can be fixed, and the preparation of the door trim panel 10 is completed.

[0038] According to the folding forming step in the method for manufacturing the door trim 10, the communication holes 36 having the shape that matches the mounting holes of the component mounting portions 34 are formed without cutting out portions of the overlay 35 along the hole edges in the component mounting portions 34. Therefore, the overlay 35 is unlikely to interfere with the mounting bosses 12A for mounting the speaker grille 12 to the center panel 30, and there is little likelihood of generating scrap pieces that may be generated when cutting out the portions of the overlay 35. This improves the reliability of fixing the speaker grille 12 to the door trim 10.

[0039] According to the fold forming step, the folds 35A are formed along the inner peripheral wall 34A of the component mounting portion 34 with the shaft 43. Since the inner peripheral wall 34A has a sufficient height, the folds 35A can be formed cleanly in the fold forming step. Moreover, the mounting bosses 12A have a sufficient overlap tolerance relative to the panel base 31, and thus, the mounting bosses 12A are less likely to come out of the base portions 32.

[0040] According to the overlay cutting process, each portion of the overlay 35 covering the mounting hole of the corresponding component mounting portion 34 is divided into four folds 35A with the four wings of the composite die 40, even when the overlay 35 is tough. Compared with a method in which each portion of the overlay 35 is divided into three folds, the folds of the folds 35A can be more easily formed along the hole edge in the base portion 32. Compared with a structure in which each portion of the overlay 35 is divided into five folds, dividing the portion into four folds 35A requires less pressure.

[0041] Although the overlay 35 does not have cutouts along the hole edges in the component mounting portions 34, the overlay 35 is less likely to interfere with the mounting bosses 12A during assembly of the speaker grille 12 to the center panel 30 because the mounting bosses 12A are inserted into the component mounting portions 34 via the communication holes 36 defined by the folds of the folds 35A. Since the communication holes 36 are not formed by cutting out portions of the overlay 35, there is less likelihood of creating offcuts, thus improving reliability in fixing the speaker grille 12 to the door trim 10. Furthermore, the mounting bosses 12A have a sufficient overlap allowance relative to the panel base 31, and thus there is less likelihood of the mounting bosses 12A being unexpectedly removed from the base portions 32.

[0042] The folds 35A are bent at larger angles compared to a structure in which the tubular portions 33 protrude from the first base surface of the base and the folds are bent along the inner peripheral wall 33A of the tubular portions 33. Therefore, the folds 35A can be formed even more easily. Further examples

[0043] The technology described herein is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings. The technology described herein may include the following embodiments. (1) The technology described here can be applied to instrument panels (dashboards) and side panels of vehicles and interior components of ships and aircraft. (2) The technology described herein can be applied to other types of interior components, such as design panels for decorative interior parts of vehicles and panels for forming other sections of trim panels. The arrangements, shapes, and sizes of the holes are not limited to those described above. (3) The technology described herein can be applied to mounting bosses that are fixed to the base portions of mounting holes by thermoplastic heat caulking or ultrasonic heat caulking. Except for the mounting bosses 12A, the technology described herein can be applied to a structure in which shafts of fixing members for fixing another component to a vehicle interior component are inserted into a component mounting portion of the vehicle interior component. (4) The technology described herein can be applied to component mounting portions having base portions with a sufficient depth for forming the folds but not having tube-like portions 33, or it can be applied to a base having tube-like portions 33 projecting from a surface of the base so as to be on the inside of a vehicle. (5) The technology described herein can be applied to a method not according to the invention, which comprises forming communication holes in a coating with a composite tool having a Y-shaped head with three blades or a composite tool having five or more blades. The technology described herein can be applied to a method which comprises forming communication holes in a coating with a composite tool having a shaft having a cross section corresponding to a hole edge of a component mounting portion (for example, a D-shaped cross section). (6) The technology described herein can be applied to a method for manufacturing a vehicle interior component that involves manually bonding a genuine leather cover to a base instead of vacuum forming. The technology described herein can be applied to a structure in which folds of a cover are not bonded to an inner peripheral wall of a component mounting portion.

[0044] The invention solves the problem that the reliability of fixing a component to a vehicle interior component covered with a coating must be improved.

[0045] In the solution, the vehicle interior component has the panel base and the cover. The panel base has a first surface that is on an inside of a vehicle and a second surface that is on an outside of the vehicle when the vehicle interior component is installed in the vehicle. The panel base has a component mounting portion with a through-hole extending through the panel base and having openings on the first surface and the second surface. The cover covers the first surface of the panel base and has folds and a communication hole. The folds are folded along an inner peripheral wall of the component mounting portion. The communication hole is defined by folding the folds and has a size smaller than the mounting hole by a thickness of the cover.

Claims

[1] Method for producing a vehicle interior component (10), the method comprising the following steps: Forming a through-hole in a panel base (31) of the vehicle interior component (10) in such a manner that it extends through the panel base (31) in a direction from a first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) to a second surface (31B) of the panel base (31), and has openings in the first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) and the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31); Bonding a cover (35) to the first surface (31A) of the panel base (31); Holding a crosshead (41) of a composite tool (40) against a portion of the overlay (35) covering the through-hole of the panel base (31), the composite tool (40) having a shaft (43) with a cross section having a contour corresponding to a contour of a mounting hole of a component mounting portion (34) to be formed, and the crosshead (41) having four wings projecting from an end surface of the shaft (43); Moving the composite tool (40) in a direction from the first surface (31A) of the panel base (31) to the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31) until the crosshead (41) of the composite tool (40) penetrates the portion of the cover (35) and the portion is divided into folds (35A); and Moving the compound tool (40) until the shaft (43) is inserted into the through-hole and the folds (35A) along the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole are folded to the opening of the through-hole in the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31). [2] The method of claim 1, further comprising: Forming a tubular portion (33) projecting from the second surface (31B) of the panel base (31) around the through-hole to form the component mounting portion (34) having a mounting hole defined by an inner peripheral wall (34A) of the component mounting portion (34) composed of the inner peripheral wall of the through-hole and an inner peripheral wall (33A) of the tubular portion (33); and Moving the compound tool (40) until the shaft (43) is inserted into the tubular portion (33) and the folds (35A) along the inner peripheral wall (34A) of the component mounting portion (34) are folded, to an opening of the tubular portion (33) at a distal end surface of the tubular portion (33). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wings of the crosshead (41) are bevelled towards their end pieces and are connected to each other to form an end piece (41A) of the crosshead (41), the end piece of the composite tool (40) is held against a center of the portion of the coating (35) covering the mounting hole of the component mounting portion (34), and the folds (35A) are separated by slits extending radially from the center of the section.

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