Vehicle seat pad and manufacturing method for the same

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat pad in which a first foam body side without undercut in a recessed groove is made to exert a locking function, and further each fastener can be inserted and locked in the recessed groove without difficulty even in the recessed groove provided in the first foam body of a die shrinkage base, and to provide a manufacturing method for the same.SOLUTION: Provided is a vehicle seat pad, including: a first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip in which an upholstery terminal locking clip 4 where a pair of standing piece parts 42 is separately set up from a substrate part 41, and hooks 43 protruding to a counterpart standing piece part are formed in the tip part of the standing piece part, respectively, is made an insert product, and the pair of standing piece parts 42 and the hooks 43 become an exposure state in a recessed groove 34 provided in the back side, and also a first foam body 3 where the terminal locking clip 4 is integrally embedded is foamed and molded; and a second foam body 6 where the first foam body 2 with the terminal locking clip is integrally embedded, and foamed and molded, while the pair of standing piece parts 42 and the hooks 43 are exposed in the back side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat pad that constitutes a vehicle seat and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicle seats such as automobiles, the seat pads of seat cushions and seat backs that constitute the seat part and the backrest are covered with a skin such as a fabric skin on their surfaces. A latching tool is attached to the skin, and the skin covers the surface of the seat pad and the latching tool is inserted into a groove provided along the peripheral edge of the back surface of the seat pad and locked, so that the skin is fixedly held on the seat pad. By the way, seat pads that have been exclusively made of soft polyurethane foam molded bodies are in progress of replacing the back surface side of the seat pad with a first foam such as foamed polypropylene or polystyrene foam in recent weight reduction measures and the like. And an invention has been proposed in which the groove portion is provided on the first foam side and the latching tool attached to the skin is locked in the groove portion so that the skin covers the surface of the seat pad (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, an undercut is formed in the groove portion (the concave groove of the present invention) of the second pad portion (the "first foam" of the present invention) made of a polypropylene foam or the like, making its production difficult. As described in Claim 4, "at least one of the outer inner wall and the inner inner wall in the expanded portion is provided with a protruding portion protruding inwardly of the groove portion", but the protruding portion becomes an undercut. The second pad portion made of a polypropylene foam or the like is hard and has shape retention unlike a soft polyurethane foam molded product with excellent cushioning properties. If there is an undercut, it is difficult to deform and demold, leading to a reduction in yield.

[0005] The present invention solves the above problems, enables the locking function to be exerted on the first foam side without an undercut in the concave groove, and even in the concave groove provided in the first foam with a large molding shrinkage, each hooking tool can be easily inserted into the concave groove and locked. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat pad and a manufacturing method thereof.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the gist of the invention according to claim 1 is a method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad, which comprises setting a first foam in a foam molding die, then injecting a foam raw material into the foam molding die and closing the die, and then foaming and molding a second foam in which the first foam is embedded and integrated. In this method, a terminal locking clip for the skin, having a pair of standing pieces standing apart from a substrate part and hooks projecting toward an opposing standing piece formed at the tip parts of both standing pieces, is used as an insert part. The pair of standing pieces and the hooks are exposed in a concave groove formed on the back surface of the first foam, and the first foam with the terminal locking clip integrally foam-molded is set on the upper die cavity surface of the foam molding die such that the terminal locking clip faces the upper die cavity surface. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to claim 2 is the method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first foams with the terminal locking clips are set at respective parts of the upper die cavity surface, and the plurality of the first foams with the terminal locking clips are embedded and integrated. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to claim 3 is the method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal locking clip with a gap between an outer standing piece related to the pair of standing pieces and an outer standing wall forming the concave groove being narrower than a gap between an inner standing piece related to the pair of standing pieces and an inner standing wall forming the concave groove is integrated, and the first foam is foam-molded. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to claim 4 is the method according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the second foam is a soft polyurethane foam-molded body, and the first foam is a foam-molded body lighter than the second foam.The manufacturing method of the vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 5 is as follows: In claims 1 to 4, a pair of upright portions stand upright with a gap from the base portion, and hook portions that project toward the opposing upright portion at the tip portion of each of the two upright portions are formed on the hanging groove clip of the skin as an insert part. On the top surface side of the first foam, the pair of upright portions and the hook portions are exposed, and the first foam with the hanging groove clip and the terminal locking clip integrally foam-molded is set on the upper mold cavity surface with the top surface side facing downward. Then, the pair of upright portions and the hook portions are exposed in the hanging groove provided on the surface of the second foam, and the second foam is foam-molded. The gist of the invention according to claim 6 is that a terminal locking clip of the skin, in which a pair of standing piece portions stand upright with a gap from a substrate portion and hook portions that project toward the opposing standing piece portion are respectively formed at the tip portions of the standing piece portions, is used as an insert part. In the concave groove provided on the back surface, the pair of standing piece portions and the hook portions are exposed, and a first foam in which the terminal locking clip is embedded and integrated is foam-molded. A vehicle seat pad is characterized by comprising a first foam with a terminal locking clip and a second foam that is foam-molded with the first foam with the terminal locking clip embedded and integrated on the back surface side with the pair of standing piece portions and the hook portions exposed. The vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 7 is as described in claim 6, wherein a plurality of first foams with terminal locking clips are provided, each standing piece portion and each hook portion are exposed on the back surface side, and the second foam in which the plurality of first foams with terminal locking clips are embedded and integrated is foam-molded. The vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 8 is as described in claim 6 or 7, wherein the first foam with a terminal locking clip narrows the gap between the outer standing piece portion engaging with the pair of standing piece portions and the outer side wall forming the concave groove more than the gap between the inner standing piece portion engaging with the pair of standing piece portions and the inner side wall forming the concave groove. The vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 9 is as described in claims 6 to 8, wherein the second foam is a soft polyurethane foam-molded body, and the first foam is composed of a foam-molded body that is lighter than the second foam.The vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 10 is characterized in that, in claims 6 to 9, the substrate portion includes an edge portion that bends and extends from the side edge of the flat main portion. The vehicle seat pad according to the invention of claim 11 is characterized in that, in claims 6 to 10, on the top surface side of the first foam with a terminal locking clip, a pair of upright portions are erected at a distance from the base, and at the tip portion of each of the two upright portions, a hook portion that protrudes toward the opposing upright portion is formed for the hanging groove clip of the skin, and the pair of upright portions and the hook portion are exposed, and the first foam integrated with the hanging groove clip with the terminal locking clip is foam-molded. As the first foam with the hanging groove clip with the terminal locking clip, the second foam is foam-molded with the pair of upright portions and the hook portion exposed in the hanging groove formed on its surface and the first foam with the hanging groove clip with the terminal locking clip embedded and integrated.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The vehicle seat pad and its manufacturing method of the present invention integrate a terminal locking clip with the first foam, thereby enhancing the holding force against the skin fastener and enabling reliable locking, and also demonstrating excellent effects such as being able to lock the skin fastener simply and smoothly.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle seat pad (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "seat pad") according to the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same will be described in detail. Figs. 1 to 12 show an embodiment of the seat pad of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same. Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the seat pad, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a terminal locking clip in another aspect, Fig. 6 is an explanatory view of molding a first foam with a terminal locking clip, Fig. 7 is a sectional view of setting the first foam molded body with a terminal locking clip on the upper mold, Fig. 8 is a sectional view of injecting foaming raw material, Fig. 9 is a sectional view of mold closing, Fig. 10 is a sectional view of foaming and molding the second foam, Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the seat pad when the mold is opened, and Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the seat pad in another aspect. Each figure emphasizes and illustrates the main part of the invention for easy understanding of the drawing, and the terminal locking clip 4 of the skin F, the suspension groove clip 5, and the seat pad P in Fig. 11(b) omit the hatching of the sectional view. Also, parts not directly related to the present invention are simplified or omitted.

[0010] (1) Vehicle seat pad The vehicle seat pad P (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "seat pad") includes a cushion pad and a back pad. Here, it is applied to the cushion pad of the rear seat of the vehicle that supports the lower body of the seated occupant (Figs. 1 to 4). If the skin F is covered on this to form the shape of a seat cushion, together with a seat back with the skin F covered on a known back pad, it becomes a rear seat with an auxiliary seat portion 6C in the vehicle width direction. The seat pad P includes a first foam 3, a terminal locking clip 4 of the skin F, and a second foam 6.

[0011] The first foam 3 is a foamed molded body for raising the height that occupies the lower layer of the sheet pad P (Fig. 3). It is lighter (specifically, smaller in apparent density) than the cushioning second foam 6, harder (greater in hardness), and has shape retention. For example, it is composed of a foamed molded body obtained by the so-called bead foaming method. It is a block-shaped bead foam that is formed by pre-foaming raw material beads and then in-mold foaming. The bead foam is preferably a molded body containing at least one of polystyrene foam, polypropylene foam, polyethylene foam, or these. The bead foam with air bubbles sealed inside has most of its volume filled with gas, making it lightweight and harder than the second foam 6, and having the hardness and shape retention as a height-raising member for the sheet pad P.

[0012] The first foam 3 is formed by foam molding with the terminal locking clip 4 for the skin F embedded and integrated. On the back surface 3b of the first foam, a plurality of concave grooves 34 with a rectangular cross-section as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and having a substantially equal cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction are intermittently provided along its periphery. The first foam 3 integrated with the terminal locking clip 4 is foam molded with the standing piece portion 42 and the hook portion 43 exposed in the concave groove 34 formed on the back surface 3b.

[0013] The terminal locking clip 4 is an injection molded product in which a pair of standing pieces 42 stand upright at a distance from the substrate portion 41, and hook portions 43 that protrude toward the opposing mating standing piece 42 are formed at the tip portions of the standing pieces 42. It is a molded product made of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene resin. As shown in FIG. 4, a stem portion 45 protrudes from the flat main portion 411 of the substrate portion 41 disposed in the concave groove 34, and plate-shaped standing pieces 42 that branch into two from the stem portion 45 extend upward respectively, bend toward the opposing mating standing piece 42 at their tip portions, and the terminal locking clip 4 is such that plate-shaped hook portions 43 protrude. The direction of the standing pieces 42 changes while going obliquely outward and upward from the tip of the stem portion 45. They approach the mating standing piece 42 obliquely inward and upward, and the hook portions 43 that bend horizontally inward at the tip of this standing piece 42 approach the tip of the mating standing wall portion. In the concave groove 34, a gap W1 is secured between the inner standing piece portion 42a (specifically, the portion that protrudes most inward on its plate surface) and the inner standing wall 34a that forms the concave groove 34. A gap W2 is also secured between the outer standing piece portion 42b and the outer standing wall 34b. Here, "inward" refers to the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 4 and the direction toward the center of the back surface 3b of the first foam. The substrate portion 41 has an inclined portion 413 that extends obliquely outward to the side opposite to the side where the standing piece 42 is located from the side edge of the flat main portion 411 whose most part of the plate surface is exposed at the bottom of the concave groove 34, and further, an edge portion 414 bends and extends from the side edge of the inclined portion 413. By the inclined portion 413 and the edge portion 414 bending and entering into the first foam 3 around the concave groove 34, the anchor effect is enhanced. "Inward" here refers to the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 4 and the direction toward the center of the back surface 3b of the first foam. The substrate portion 41 has an inclined portion 413 that extends obliquely outward to the side opposite to the side where the standing piece 42 is located from the side edge of the flat main portion 411 whose most part of the plate surface is exposed at the bottom of the concave groove 34, and further, an edge portion 414 bends and extends from the side edge of the inclined portion 413. By the inclined portion 413 and the edge portion 414 bending and entering into the first foam 3 around the concave groove 34, the anchor effect is enhanced.

[0014] The substrate portion 41, the standing piece portion 42, and the hook portion 43 of the terminal locking clip 4 have an equal cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4), but at both end faces thereof, only the substrate portion 41 extends further outward than the longitudinal end faces related to the standing piece portion 42 and the hook portion 43, and a further surface portion 4110 (see FIG. 5) is formed. By providing the further surface portion 4110, gaps are secured between the standing piece portion 42 and the hook portion 43 and the end wall 34f (FIG. 1) that surrounds the concave groove 34 by connecting a pair of standing walls 34a, 34b, enabling elastic deformation from the solid line position to the chain line position in FIG. 4.

[0015] The terminal locking clip 4 may not have a stem portion 45, and for example, a terminal locking clip 4 in another aspect such as shown in FIG. 5 may be used. In a plan view, a pair of standing pieces 42 are spaced apart from a rectangular main portion 411 and stand upright with an arcuate bulge outward. From the tips of both standing pieces 42, respective hooked portions 43 slope downward toward the opposing standing piece 42. The substrate portion 41 has an edge portion 414 extending from its flat main portion 411 bent and extending toward the standing piece 42 side.

[0016] The first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip in which the terminal locking clip 4 is embedded and integrated with the first foam body 3 is manufactured using, for example, a bead foam molding die T as shown in FIG. 6 in a simplified illustration. The bead foam molding die T has a rectangular frame portion T2 for forming a concave groove 34 standing upright on a cavity surface T1, and a columnar holding body T3 standing upright within the frame portion T2. The hooked portion 43 and the standing piece 42 sandwich the top of the holding body T3 from both sides, and the frame opening of the frame portion T2 is covered with the substrate portion 41 to set the terminal locking clip 4. Thereafter, foam beads BD pre-expanded for the first foam body 3 are injected onto the cavity surface T1, and the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip is obtained by in-mold foam molding.

[0017] Here, for one sheet pad P, it may be the first foam body 2 with one terminal locking clip, but when the first foam body 3 is long in the vehicle width direction, it is more preferable to divide it into a plurality. This is because when the first foam body 3 is separated in the vehicle width direction and divided into a plurality, the dimensional error due to the molding shrinkage of the length between both ends related to the first foam body 3 becomes smaller. In this embodiment as well, the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip is divided into two in the vehicle width direction. In a plan view, it is divided into two with a line cutting in the vehicle front-rear direction as the center at the intermediate point in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of first foam bodies 2 with a terminal locking clip that are line-symmetric are formed (FIG. 2). Four concave grooves 34 are provided in each of the two first foam bodies 2 with a terminal locking clip. Such two (or more) first foam bodies 2 with a terminal locking clip are integrated with the second foam body 6 to form the sheet pad P.

[0018] The second foam body 6 is a foam molded body formed by embedding the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip while keeping the standing piece portions 42 and hook portions 43 in each concave groove 34 related to the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip exposed on the back surface 6b side. It has a seat portion layer 61 where the contact surface portion 611 on the side where the seated occupant abuts is a cushion body formed of a soft polyurethane foam molded body. The back surface 3b of the first foam body 3 is exposed to form a raised lower layer, and on top of that, the second foam body 6 is foam molded with the seat portion layer 61 laminated thereon. On the surface 6a of the second foam body, a suspension groove 69 for the skin F is formed at the boundary portion between the main portion 6A and the side portion 6B of the occupant seat. The seated occupant abuts against the contact surface portion 611 through the skin F covering the seat pad P.

[0019] In the seat pad P of the present invention, even when the second foam body 6 is integrally foam molded by embedding the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip, the concave grooves 34 formed on the back surface 3b of the first foam body are directly exposed on the back surface of the seat pad P, and the pair of standing piece portions 42 and hook portions 43 in each concave groove 34 are also kept exposed (FIG. 3). And in this embodiment, the gap W2 between the outer standing piece portion 42b related to the pair of standing piece portions 42 and the outer standing wall 34b forming the concave groove 34 is set to be narrower than the gap W1 between the inner standing piece portion 42a related to the pair of standing piece portions 42 and the inner standing wall 34a forming the concave groove 34 (FIG. 4). When the hooking tool K of the skin F is inserted between both hook portions 43, the hook portions 43 and the standing piece portions 42 are once expanded and then closed to sandwich the hooking tool K, and the seat pad P is covered with the skin F. After being covered, the hook portions 43 and the standing piece portions 42 that were closed are prevented from accidentally opening. After the hook portions 43 and the standing piece portions 42 sandwich and hold the hooking tool K, even if an external pulling force is applied to the skin F and the hooking tool K tries to come off, when the gap W2 with the outer standing wall 34b is narrow, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 4, the outer standing piece portion 42b hits the outer standing wall 34b and can suppress the hooking tool K from coming off. The first foam body 3 integrated with the terminal locking clip 4 embedded therein is foam molded, and the first foam body 2 with a terminal locking clip is used as an insert, and the second foam body 6 is integrally foam molded.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for the second foam body 6, the seat portion layer 61 covers the top surface 3a of the core pad, and the side peripheral layer 62 covers the side surface 3d of the first foam body 3. The upper surface of the seat portion layer 61 of the second foam body 6 becomes the design surface on the contact surface portion 611 side where the seated occupant abuts, and the outer surface of the side peripheral layer 62 becomes the side surface design surface of the second foam body 6. The second foam body 6 covers and integrates with the first foam body 3 except for the back surface 3b of the first foam body which also serves as the back surface of the seat pad P, and is finished into a desired seat pad P. Although not shown in the figure, vent holes disclosed in JP-A-2017-206077 that penetrate from the top surface 3a to the back surface 3b are provided in the first foam body 3, and further, a depression larger than the hole diameter of the vent holes is provided on the back surface 3b side. By the foam molding of the second foam body 6 described later, the second foam body 6 fills the vent holes and the depressions, thereby achieving integral strengthening with the first foam body 3. In the figure, reference numeral 3E indicates the joint portion with the backrest.

[0021] FIG. 12 shows a seat pad P in another aspect, which is obtained by adding a clip 5 for the suspension groove of the skin F to the seat pad P shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. A pair of upright portions 52 are spaced apart and erected via a neck portion 51 on the base portion 51, and hook portions 53 that project toward the opposing upright portion 52 are formed at the tip portions of both upright portions 52 of the clip 5 for the suspension groove of the skin F. On the back surface 3b side, a pair of standing piece portions 42 and hook portions 43 related to the terminal locking clip 4 are in an exposed state, and on the top surface 3a side, a pair of upright portions 52 and hook portions 53 are in an exposed state, and the first foam body 3 in which the clip 5 for the suspension groove and the terminal locking clip 4 are embedded and integrated is foam molded. Instead of the first foam body 2 with the terminal locking clip, a first foam body 1 with both a clip for the suspension groove and a terminal locking clip is used. Then, within the suspension groove 69 formed on the surface 6a of the second foam body 6, while maintaining the exposed state of the upright portions 52 and the hook portions 53, the second foam body 6 is foam molded by embedding and integrating the first foam body 1 with both a clip for the suspension groove and a terminal locking clip, and is completed into a desired seat pad P with the clip 5 for the suspension groove added. The configuration of other terminal locking clips 4 and the like is the same as that of the seat pad P shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0022] (2) Manufacturing method of vehicle seat pad The seat pad P is made as follows (Figs. 7 to 11), for example, by adopting the first foam body 2 with terminal locking clips as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Using a foam molding die 7, a second foam body 6 with a contact surface portion 611 on the side where the occupant contacts formed of a soft polyurethane foam molded body is foam molded, and in this foam molding, a vehicle seat pad P integrated with the first foam body 2 with terminal locking clips of an insert product is manufactured.

[0023] Prior to manufacturing the seat pad P, the first foam body 2 with terminal locking clips and the foam molding die 7 are prepared. The first foam body 2 with terminal locking clips is the same as that described for the seat pad in (1), and detailed description is omitted. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it is separated at the center in the vehicle width direction on the back surface of the seat pad P and divided into two parts, and a pair (plural) of first foam bodies 2 with terminal locking clips to be embedded in the second foam body 6 are used.

[0024] The foam molding die 7 is a split die as shown in Fig. 8, and the lower die 9 and the upper die 8 are connected so as to be openable and closable. When the die is closed, a seat pad P cavity is formed by a lower die cavity surface 91 that is recessed in a bowl shape as a whole to form the design surface of the contact surface portion 611 and an upper die cavity surface 81 that is substantially flat as a whole in accordance with the back surface of the first foam body 3 (Fig. 9). At the part of the upper die cavity surface 81 corresponding to the terminal locking clips 4 arranged near both ends in the vehicle width direction by setting a pair of first foam bodies 2 with terminal locking clips on the upper die 8, engaging protrusions 82 are formed. When the mouth between both hook portions 43 is elastically deformed to widen and the head of the engaging protrusion 82 enters between the standing piece portions 42, the terminal locking clip 4 sandwiches the head with an elastic restoring force and is held by the engaging protrusion 82. In the present embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 and 11, the engaging protrusions 82 are provided only at two parts of the upper die cavity surface 81 corresponding to the first foam bodies 2 with terminal locking clips near both ends in the vehicle width direction. If it is possible to set the first foam body 2 with terminal locking clips on the upper die 8, engaging protrusions 82 may of course be provided also at the corresponding parts of other terminal locking clips 4. Incidentally, the foam molding die 7 molds the seat pad P in Fig. 2 with the top and bottom reversed.

[0025] The manufacturing method of the seat pad is as follows: First, under the mold opening state, the first foam 2 with the two terminal locking clips is used and set in the foam molding die 7. Here, a pair (plural) of the first foams 2 with the terminal locking clips as shown in FIG. 7 are prepared. The first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip is set at each part of the upper mold cavity surface 81 so that the terminal locking clip 4 and the engaging protrusion 82 face each other.

[0026] Specifically, in FIG. 7, with the back surface 3b side of the first foam 3 facing upward, the terminal locking clip 4 is opposed to the engaging protrusion 82. By pressing against the engaging protrusion 82, the opening between the two hook portions 43 is elastically deformed and opened, and the head of the engaging protrusion 82 passes between the two hook portions 43 and enters between the two standing piece portions 42. Then, the opening of the two hook portions 43 is closed by the elastic restoring force. With the head of the engaging protrusion 82 being held by the terminal locking clip 4, the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip is locked and set on the upper mold cavity surface 81. The terminal locking clip 4 and the engaging protrusion 82 have a constant cross-sectional shape with a predetermined length in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 7. Therefore, if the terminal locking clip 4 sandwiches the head of the engaging protrusion 82, the position of the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip on the upper mold cavity surface 81 is uniquely determined and automatically set. By setting the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip on the upper mold 8, the groove opening of the concave groove 34 for accommodating the terminal locking clip 4 is blocked by the flat upper mold cavity surface 81 (FIG. 8). The pair of the first foams 2 with the terminal locking clips are set with a slight separation on the upper mold cavity surface 81 so as to create a vacant space S between them.

[0027] Next, the foaming raw material for the second foam 6 is injected onto the lower mold cavity surface 91 using an injection nozzle NL or the like. Subsequently, the upper mold 8 is operated to close the mold (FIG. 9). By closing the mold between the upper mold 8 and the lower mold 9, a cavity C for the seat pad P with the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip inserted is formed. In this embodiment, the mold is closed after injecting the foaming raw material, but it is also possible to inject the foaming raw material g after closing the mold.

[0028] After the mold is closed, the process moves on to the foam molding of the second foam 6. The second foam 6, which has a contact surface portion 611 on the design surface side and forms a seat layer 61 by bringing the inner surface 6b on the opposite side into contact with the top surface 3a of the first foam 3, is foam molded. The mold-closed state in Fig. 9 is maintained for a predetermined time, and within the concave groove 34 on the back surface side of the sheet pad P, the pair of standing piece portions 42 and the hook portion 43 remain exposed, and the second foam 6 of the flexible polyurethane foam molded body is foam molded. The contact surface portion 611 is formed on the lower mold cavity surface 91, and the second foam 6, in which the inner surface 6b on the side opposite to the contact surface portion 611 is brought into contact with the top surface 3a of the first foam 3, is foam molded (Fig. 10). The empty space S is filled with the second foam 6.

[0029] In this embodiment, the first foam 2 with a terminal locking clip, in which the gap W2 between the outer standing piece portion 42b and the outer standing wall 34b is narrower than the gap W1 between the inner standing piece portion 42a and the inner standing wall 34a, is used as an insert part, and the second foam 6 is integrally molded. Therefore, a sheet pad P is produced in which the gap W2 between the outer standing piece portion 42b and the outer standing wall 34b as shown in Figs. 4 and 10 is narrower than the gap W1. When the foam molding of the second foam 6 is completed and the mold is opened (Fig. 11), a sheet pad P having a terminal locking clip 4 and achieving weight reduction by incorporating the first foam 3 is obtained. Here, since the first foam 2 with a terminal locking clip is divided into two in the vehicle width direction, even if the shrinkage is large in the molding of the first foam 3, the second foam 6 can be molded with the terminal locking clip 4 held by the engaging projection 82 of the upper mold 8 (Fig. 11(b)). And the distance L from the peripheral edge of the sheet pad P to the terminal locking clip 4 is always kept constant. Even in the case of the first foam 3 with large molding shrinkage, the position of the terminal locking clip 4 in the sheet pad P is protected and the distance L does not fluctuate. The hooking tool K of the skin F can be smoothly inserted into the terminal locking clip 4, and a desired sheet pad P is obtained. In the figure, reference numeral 3G denotes a first foam with small molding shrinkage, reference numeral 3B denotes a first foam with large molding shrinkage, and reference numerals 89 and 99 denote the mold mating surfaces on the lower mold 9 side and the upper mold 8 side.

[0030]

[0031] ​Furthermore, the present invention can be further developed to manufacture the sheet pad P by setting the first foam 1 with a hanging groove clip and a terminal locking clip as shown in Fig. 12 instead of the first foam 2 with a terminal locking clip in the upper mold 8. On the back surface 3b side, the terminal locking clip 4 becomes an insert part and the first foam 3 is integrally foam-molded. Also, on the top surface 3a side thereof, the hanging groove clip 5 becomes an insert part and is integrally foam-molded to produce the first foam 1 with a hanging groove clip and a terminal locking clip. The hanging groove clip 5 having a pair of standing portions 52 spaced apart and standing upright via a neck portion 51 from a base portion 51 and a hook portion 53 projecting toward the opposing standing portion 52 at the tip portion of each of the two standing portions 52 is used as an insert part, and the first foam 3 is molded.

[0032] Thus, with the pair of standing portions 52 and the hook portion 53 exposed on the top surface 3a side of the first foam 3, the first foam 1 with a hanging groove clip and a terminal locking clip, which is integrally foam-molded, is set on the upper mold cavity surface 81 with the top surface 3a side of the first foam 3 facing downward. Thereafter, the second foam 6 is foam-molded with the pair of standing portions 52 and the hook portion 53 exposed in the hanging groove 69 provided on the surface 6a of the second foam 6. When demolded, a sheet pad P as shown in Fig. 12 is obtained. In the present embodiment, a hanging groove ridge portion 96 is provided on the lower mold 9 of the foam molding die 7 in Fig. 8. In the manufacture of the sheet pad P in Fig. 12, a frame wall portion (not shown) substantially the same shape as the rectangular frame portion T2 shown in Fig. 6 in plan view is incorporated at the location of the ridge portion 96 facing the hanging groove clip 5 when the mold is closed. When the mold is closed, the standing portions 52 and the hook portion 53 are housed within the frame of the frame wall portion, and the plate-like base portion 51 covers the upper surface opening of the frame wall portion. Other configurations are the same as those described in (1) for the sheet pad P, and the description thereof is omitted. The same reference numerals as those described in (1) indicate the same or corresponding portions.

[0033] (3) Effect According to the vehicle seat pad and its manufacturing method configured as described above, by making the second foam 6 a soft polyurethane foam molded body and using the first foam 3 such as polypropylene foam that is lighter and harder than this, the seat pad P can be lightened. And when the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip in which the standing piece parts 42 and the hook parts 43 are exposed on the back surface 3b side in the concave groove 34 is integrally embedded while maintaining the state where the standing piece parts 42 and the hook parts 43 are exposed on the back surface 6b side and the second foam 6 is molded, the hooking tool K of the skin F can be locked using this terminal locking clip 4. As shown in FIG. 3, if the arrowhead-shaped head of the hooking tool K is widened and inserted between the hook parts 43 and the head is clamped by the pair of hook parts 43 and the standing piece part 42, it can be securely locked. The terminal locking clip 4 integrally embedded in the first foam 3 is a molded product made of synthetic resin, can be elastically deformed and elastically restored, and the expansion and clamping of the standing piece part 42 and the hook part 43 can proceed simply and smoothly. By integrating the terminal locking clip 4 with the first foam 3, it is not necessary to form an undercut protruding part in the groove as in Patent Document 1, and the yield is not reduced. Furthermore, since the terminal locking clip 4 is integrated with the first foam 3 that is harder and has shape retention than the cushioning second foam 6, the standing piece part 42 and the hook part 43 are stably held without wobbling, and it becomes easy to expand by the hooking tool K on the skin side.

[0034] Also, while Patent Document 1 has the role of accommodating the hooking tool K in the groove and the role of stopping the hooking tool K of the skin F at the protruding part provided on the inner wall of the groove, in the present invention, the terminal locking clip 4 for stopping the hooking tool K of the skin F is provided separately from the concave groove 34 formed in the first foam 3. Therefore, the concave groove 34 has a very simple shape with a rectangular cross-sectional view as shown in FIG. 4, and the periphery of the groove opening on the back surface 3b of the first foam can be made flat. Therefore, when the first foam 2 with the terminal locking clip is set on the upper mold 8, the groove opening of the concave groove 34 can be easily closed by the flat upper mold cavity surface 81 (FIG. 8). Without special measures, it is possible to prevent the foaming raw material from entering the concave groove 34 during the molding of the second foam 6.

[0035] In addition, when a plurality of first foams 2 with terminal locking clips are embedded and integrated in the second foam 6, since the total length of each first foam 3 becomes smaller, even in the first foam 3 with a large molding shrinkage, the dimensional error from the peripheral edge of the back surface of the seat pad P to each terminal locking clip 4 becomes smaller. To the extent that the dimensional error becomes smaller, the latching tool K attached to the skin F can be easily latched to the terminal locking clip 4 located in the concave groove 34.

[0036] Furthermore, if an engaging projection 82 is formed on the upper mold 8 and the terminal locking clip 4 is engaged with the engaging projection 82 to foam-mold the second foam 6, a seat pad P with no displacement in the terminal locking clip 4 can be produced. Since the second foam 6 is molded with the terminal locking clip 4 held by the engaging projection 82, the distance L from the peripheral edge of the seat pad P to the terminal locking clip 4 does not change (in Fig. 11(b)). The terminal locking clip 4 of the seat pad P is kept constant without the distance from the peripheral edge of the back surface of the seat pad P changing. The terminal locking clip 4, which is the mating side for latching the latching tool K of the skin F, completely solves the problem of displacement due to molding shrinkage when using the first foam 3, and is useful for improving the product yield and the workability of covering the seat pad P with the skin F.

[0037] Furthermore, as in the present embodiment, an engaging projection 82 is provided on the upper mold cavity surface 81 facing the terminal locking clip 4 in the substantially central region in the vehicle front-rear direction of the first foam 2 with terminal locking clips divided in the vehicle width direction. When the first foam 2 with terminal locking clips is set on the upper mold 8 with the engaging projection 82 sandwiching the terminal locking clip 4, the terminal locking clip 4 along the back surface of the seat pad P on the vehicle front side in Fig. 1 and the terminal locking clip 4 along the back surface of the seat pad P on the vehicle rear side do not move far apart, so the dimensional error due to the molding shrinkage of the first foam 3 does not increase. Therefore, even if a plurality of terminal locking clips 4 are provided on the first foam 3 with molding shrinkage, the latching tool K can be successfully latched to them, and the latching failure of the latching tool K to the terminal locking clip 4 can be reduced.

[0038] In addition, when the second foam 6 is formed by foam molding with the first foam 1 having a clip for a suspension groove and a clip for terminal locking embedded and integrated, since the clip 5 for a suspension groove is integrated with the first foam 3 having shape retention, it is stable without wobbling, and a hooking tool K for the suspension groove 69 can be easily locked to the clip 5 for a suspension groove. Furthermore, since the clip 5 for a suspension groove, the clip 4 for terminal locking, and the first foam 3 are integrated into one part, the manufacturing of the seat pad P is easy, and the parts management is excellent.

[0039] In the present invention, the present invention is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention according to the purpose and application. The shapes, sizes, numbers, materials, etc. of the first foam 3, the clip 4 for terminal locking of the skin F, the clip 5 for suspension groove of the skin F, the second foam 6, the foam molding die 7, the seat pad P, etc. can be appropriately selected according to the application. Although the embodiment is applied to a cushion pad, it can also be applied to a back pad.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0040] 1 First foam with clip for suspension groove and clip for terminal locking 2 First foam with clip for terminal locking 3 First foam 3b Back surface 34 Concave groove 4 Clip for terminal locking (clip for terminal locking of skin) 41 Substrate part 42 Standing piece part 43 Hook part 5 Clip for suspension groove (clip for suspension groove of skin) 6 Second foam 7 Foam molding die 81 Upper die cavity surface C Cavity F Skin P Seat pad

Claims

1. In a method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad, the first foam is set in a foam molding die, then a foam raw material is injected into the foam molding die and the die is closed. After that, a second foam in which the first foam is embedded and integrated is foam molded. An end locking clip for the skin, in which a pair of standing pieces stand apart from a substrate part and hooks projecting toward an opposing standing piece are formed at the tip parts of both standing pieces, is used as an insert. The pair of standing pieces and the hooks are exposed in a concave groove formed on the back surface of the first foam, and the first foam with the end locking clip integrally foam molded is set on the upper die cavity surface such that the end locking clip faces the upper die cavity surface. A method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad, characterized by the above.

2. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first foams with the end locking clips are set at respective parts of the upper die cavity surface, and the second foam in which the plurality of the first foams with the end locking clips are embedded and integrated is foam molded.

3. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the end locking clip in which the gap between the outer standing piece related to the pair of standing pieces and the outer standing wall forming the concave groove is narrower than the gap between the inner standing piece related to the pair of standing pieces and the inner standing wall forming the concave groove is integrated, and the first foam is foam molded.

4. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second foam is a soft polyurethane foam molded body, and the first foam is a foam molded body lighter than the second foam.

5. An insert for a hanging groove clip of the skin, in which a pair of standing parts stand apart from a base part and hook parts projecting toward an opposing standing part are formed at the tip parts of both standing parts, is used. The pair of standing parts and the hook parts are exposed on the top surface side of the first foam, and the first foam with the hanging groove clip and the end locking clip integrally foam molded is set on the upper die cavity surface with the top surface side facing downward. After that, the pair of standing parts and the hook parts are exposed in a hanging groove provided on the surface of the second foam, and the second foam is foam molded. The method for manufacturing a vehicle seat pad according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An end terminal locking clip for a vehicle seat pad, comprising: a first foam body in which an end terminal locking clip, having a pair of standing pieces erected at a distance from a substrate portion and hooks projecting toward an opposing standing piece formed at the tip of each standing piece, is inserted and integrated by being embedded in a concave groove provided on the back surface with the pair of standing pieces and the hooks exposed; and a second foam body in which the first foam body with the end terminal locking clip is integrated by being embedded with the pair of standing pieces and the hooks exposed on the back surface side and is foam-molded.

7. The vehicle seat pad according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the first foam bodies with the end terminal locking clips are provided, and the second foam body in which the plurality of first foam bodies with the end terminal locking clips are integrated by exposing each standing piece and each hook on the back surface side is foam-molded.

8. The vehicle seat pad according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first foam body with the end terminal locking clip narrows a gap between an outer standing piece engaging with the pair of standing pieces and an outer side wall forming the concave groove more than a gap between an inner standing piece engaging with the pair of standing pieces and an inner side wall forming the concave groove.

9. The vehicle seat pad according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second foam body is a soft polyurethane foam-molded body, and the first foam body is a foam-molded body lighter than the second foam body.

10. The vehicle seat pad according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the substrate portion includes an edge portion that bends and extends from a side edge of a flat main portion.

11. The vehicle seat pad according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein, on the top surface side of the first foam body with the end terminal locking clip, a clip for a suspension groove of the skin, having a pair of standing portions erected at a distance from a base portion and hooks projecting toward an opposing standing portion formed at the tip of each standing portion, is formed, and the second foam body is foam-molded with the pair of standing portions and the hooks exposed in a suspension groove formed on its surface by integrating and embedding the first foam body with the clip for the suspension groove and the end terminal locking clip.

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