Insert molding component

Abstract

To provide an insert molding component capable of preventing a component embedded in a pad from coming off and making positioning operation of the component embedded in the pad easier.SOLUTION: The insert molding component of the present disclosure is embedded in a pad used for a seat, wherein the insert molding component comprises a body having a plurality of through-holes that allow penetration of a material constituting the pad, and a locked portion provided on the body for engagement of another component embedded in the pad.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to insert molded parts. [Background technology]

[0002] In a seat, for example, a pad constituting a vehicle seat, various components may be embedded, such as wires and clips as upholstery fixing members for fixing the upholstery to the surface, supporters for supporting the pad, etc. These components can be embedded in the pad by insert molding (specifically, foam insert molding) during production of the pad, for example.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a seat cushion in which a skin fixing member for fixing a skin is embedded inside the cushion body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-223972 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The position of the seat fixing member embedded in the pad can vary depending on the design of the seat cushion. Therefore, depending on the selected design, it may be necessary to use a short seat fixing member. Such a short seat fixing member has a small contact area with the pad, and therefore is more likely to come off the pad (in other words, requires a lower removal force) than, for example, a relatively long seat fixing member. Therefore, if tensile stress acts on the seat fixing member during seat repair work, for example, there is a risk that it may inadvertently come off the pad and fall off.

[0006] Furthermore, components embedded in the pad by insert molding include not only the skin fixing member such as the wire described above, but also components that function as cushioning agents, fastener hooks, felt, etc. When molding the pad, these components are positioned at specific locations within a molding die, and then the pad material is filled into the die and foamed to form the pad with the embedded components. For this reason, if multiple components are to be embedded in the pad, the positioning work for the components within the molding die can be complicated.

[0007] In view of the above, the present disclosure aims to provide an insert-molded part that prevents parts embedded in a pad from coming loose and facilitates the positioning of parts embedded in a pad. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the insert-molded part according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is an insert-molded part to be embedded in a pad used in a seat, and includes a main body having a plurality of through holes formed therein through which the material constituting the pad can penetrate, and an engaging portion provided on the main body to engage with another part to be embedded in the pad.

[0009] In such an insert-molded part, the other part is locked by the locked portion when it is inserted into the pad, so that even if there are multiple other parts, the embedded position of the other parts within the pad can be adjusted relatively easily. Also, because the other parts are locked by the insert-molded part, it is possible to prevent the other parts from falling out of the pad.

[0010] An insert-molded part according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the insert-molded part according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the main body is made of a frame-shaped member, and the plurality of through holes extend along the thickness direction of the frame-shaped member.

[0011] In such an insert-molded part, the insert-molded part is firmly supported within the pad, so that other parts can be more effectively prevented from coming off the pad.

[0012] An insert-molded part according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the insert-molded part according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the other part includes a skin fixing member for fixing a skin attached to the surface of the pad.

[0013] In such insert-molded parts, the skin fixing member is often long or the member itself is small, making it prone to slipping out of the pad, but using an insert-molded part can effectively prevent this from happening.

[0014] An insert-molded part according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an insert-molded part according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the other parts include at least one of a cushioning part, a felt molded product, and a fastener locking part.

[0015] In such an insert-molded part, various parts can be locked, which makes it easy to position the parts when molding the pad. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The insert-molded part of the present disclosure can prevent components embedded in the pad from coming loose and can facilitate the positioning of the components embedded in the pad. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a cushion pad including an insert-molded part according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the internal structure of the cushion pad shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a modified example of the locked portion. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a molding process for the cushion pad shown in FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, each embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope necessary for the explanation to achieve the object of the present disclosure will be schematically shown below, and the scope necessary for explaining the relevant parts of the present disclosure will be mainly explained, and the parts for which explanation is omitted will be referred to as publicly known technologies. Furthermore, identical or similar reference numerals will be used for identical or corresponding components in the drawings, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, when a plurality of identical or corresponding components are included in the drawings, only some of them may be referenced to make the drawings easier to understand.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a cushion pad including an insert-molded part according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates the cushion pad before a cover is attached. In this embodiment, an insert-molded part 10 embedded in a seat, for example, a cushion pad 1 constituting a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, will be described as an example. Note that the pad including the insert-molded part is not limited to the cushion pad 1 described above, and may be, for example, a back pad constituting a seat back. Also, arrows FR and UP in FIG. 1 indicate the front and top of the cushion pad 1, respectively, and arrow W indicates the width direction (or left-right direction) of the cushion pad 1.

[0020] The cushion pad 1 in which the insert-molded part 10 according to this embodiment is embedded is attached to a cushion frame (not shown) and elastically supports the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant. This cushion pad 1 may include a cushion pad main body 2 made of a flexible material, such as a urethane-based resin, and a skin (not shown) attached so as to cover the surface of the cushion pad main body 2. Of these, the skin forms the design surface of the seat cushion and may be made of cloth, leather, or the like.

[0021] The cushion pad main body 2 can be made of a urethane resin, more specifically, polyurethane foam. In this regard, the cushion pad main body 2 can be molded into a desired shape by foam molding using a mold. Furthermore, the cushion pad main body 2 may have a plurality of hanging grooves 3 formed on its surface, specifically, on its upper surface which functions as a seating surface.

[0022] The hanging grooves 3 are formed mainly to fix the edges of the upholstery, and are generally configured as bottomed grooves with a width that allows the upholstery to be inserted. The arrangement of these hanging grooves 3 can be set as desired. Fig. 1 shows an example in which two hanging grooves 3 that extend substantially in the front-rear direction are provided near both widthwise ends of the cushion pad main body 2, and two hanging grooves 3 that extend substantially in the front-rear direction are provided in the center and rear of the cushion pad main body 2 in the front-rear direction.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the internal structure of the cushion pad shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, an insert-molded part 10 according to this embodiment is embedded in cushion pad main body 2. This insert-molded part 10 includes at least an insert-molded part main body 11 having a plurality of through-holes 12 formed therein through which the material constituting cushion pad main body 2, such as polyurethane foam, can penetrate, and a locked portion 13 that is provided in insert-molded part main body 11 and to which another part to be embedded in cushion pad main body 2 is locked.

[0024] The insert-molded component body 11 can be manufactured by molding a resin that has a predetermined strength after molding, such as an olefin-based resin, more specifically, a polypropylene resin, into any desired shape. The insert-molded component body 11 of this embodiment can be configured as a rectangular frame-shaped member having a predetermined thickness. The size of the insert-molded component body 11 may be adjusted so that, when embedded in the insert-molded component body 11, each side overlaps the hanging groove 3 in a plan view. Such a rectangular frame-shaped insert-molded component body 11 has through-holes 12 formed therethrough along the thickness direction.

[0025] The through holes 12 should be large enough to allow the pad material constituting the cushion pad main body 2 to enter the through holes 12 when insert-molding the cushion pad main body 2. In this embodiment, rectangular through holes 12 of the same size are aligned in the front-rear and width directions with a small gap between adjacent through holes 12. This makes the insert-molded part main body 11 a lattice-like frame member in a plan view. The insert-molded part 10 of this embodiment is molded with the pad material entering the through holes 12, thereby achieving a high removal force from the cushion pad main body 2. There are no particular limitations on the size, arrangement, or number of the through holes 12.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a rectangular frame-shaped member is exemplified as insert-molded component body 11, but the specific shape of insert-molded component body 11 is not limited to this. For example, it may be a plate-shaped member, or a member formed by combining multiple frame-shaped members or plate-shaped members. Furthermore, the shape of the frame-shaped member or plate-shaped member in a plan view may be polygonal, circular, geometric, or the like.

[0027] The locked portions 13 may be members for locking another component embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 to the insert-molded component 10. Examples of other components embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 include the skin, and more specifically, a skin fixing member for fixing the end of the skin inserted into the hanging groove 3. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a wire 21 is illustrated as an example of the skin fixing member. Note that while FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which only two locked portions 13 are provided at the rear of the insert-molded component main body 11, it is more preferable to provide a plurality of locked portions 13 on each side of the insert-molded component main body 11, as this allows for more stable support of the wire 21.

[0028] The wire 21 is an example of a skin fixing member that is embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 to fix the skin, and can be disposed, for example, at the bottom of the hanging groove 3 formed in the cushion pad 1, over the entire length of the hanging groove 3. In connection with this, a hanging member (not shown) such as a hog ring or clip that is engaged with the wire 21 is attached to an appropriate position on the end of the skin that is inserted into the hanging groove 3. Then, by fixing the hanging member to the wire 21 inside the cushion pad main body 2, the skin can be attached to the surface of the cushion pad main body 2.

[0029] 3 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the locked portion 13 in this embodiment can be formed of a member that protrudes from one surface of the insert-molded component main body 11 and has a locking piece 14 at its tip that can lock the wire 21. As the locking piece 14, one that can lock the wire 21 by pushing the wire 21 in from above is shown as an example, but the specific locking structure is not particularly limited as long as it can firmly lock the wire 21 and the insert-molded component 10. For example, the locking structure may be such that the locking piece 14 is formed of a member with a through hole that penetrates the width direction, and the wire 21 is locked by inserting the wire 21 into the through hole.

[0030] When the insert-molded part 10 according to this embodiment is used to embed the wire 21 in the cushion pad main body 2, the wire 21 is firmly locked to the insert-molded part 10, which has a high removal force, and therefore is unlikely to come off from the cushion pad main body 2. In particular, even if the wire 21 has a simple shape, such as being short and straight, and a large tensile stress is applied during repair work on the seat cushion, for example, the wire 21 can be prevented from coming off from the cushion pad main body 2. In connection with this, there is no need to devise a shape for the wire 21 in order to obtain a predetermined removal force.

[0031] In the above example, the insert molded component body 11 is provided with the locked portion 13 for locking the wire 21, but a skin fixing member other than the wire 21 may also be locked.

[0032] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view corresponding to Fig. 3, showing a modified example of the locked portion. In this modified example, as shown in Fig. 4, one side extending in a lattice pattern of the insert-molded component main body 11 serves as the locked portion 13A. A ring-shaped fastener 22 capable of fixing an edge of the skin is attached to the locked portion 13A.

[0033] Fastener 22 as shown in this modified example is smaller than wire 21 and tends to have a low removal force, but even in such a case, fastener 22 can be prevented from coming off by firmly engaging fastener 22 with insert-molded component 10, which has a high removal force. Note that, although fastener 22 is exemplified in this modified example as a separate member from insert-molded component main body 11, it may also be formed integrally as part of insert-molded component main body 11.

[0034] In the above example, a cover fixing member is illustrated as another component embedded in the cushion pad main body 2. However, the other component embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 is not limited to this. Specifically, the cushioning component may include at least one of a cushioning component, a felt molded product, and a fastener locking component. The cushioning component is embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 to reduce the seat weight and prevent occupant movement during a vehicle collision. The cushioning component may be made of foamed polypropylene or other materials molded into a desired shape. The felt molded product is used to prevent a metal seat frame, such as a cushion frame, from directly contacting the occupant or as a cover to prevent the occupant's fingers from getting into gaps in the seat cushion. The fastener locking component is used to fix the cover and may include a fastener hook or other component. The arrangement and specific structure of the locking portion relative to the insert-molded component main body 11 for locking these components can be appropriately designed taking into account the shape of the components, and therefore, detailed explanations of each component will be omitted.

[0035] Use of the insert-molded part 10 according to the present embodiment not only prevents the above-described parts from coming off, but also improves workability when molding the cushion pad main body 2. Therefore, an example of a molding process for the cushion pad main body 2 using the insert-molded part 10 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to FIG.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a molding process for the cushion pad shown in FIG. 1. Before molding the cushion pad main body 2, a mold for defining the shape of the cushion pad 1 is prepared as a preliminary step. Also prepared are other components to be embedded in the cushion pad 1 to be molded (for example, the above-described skin fixing members such as the wire 21 and fastener 22, cushioning components, molded felt products, and fastener locking components), and an insert-molded part 10 having locking portions 13 disposed in appropriate locations so that the other components can be locked in predetermined positions. After these preparations are completed, all other components to be embedded in the cushion pad main body 2 are first locked to the locking portions 13 of the insert-molded part 10 (step S01). At this time, the locking portions 13 formed in the insert-molded part 10 are provided in consideration of the placement of the other components to be locked.

[0037] Once all of the other parts have been locked to the insert-molded part 10, the insert-molded part 10 including the other parts is then placed in the mold (step S02). The insert-molded part 10 can be positioned in a specific position using a magnet, a pin installed in the mold, or the like. By accurately positioning the insert-molded part 10, the other parts locked to the insert-molded part 10 can also be positioned all at once.

[0038] After the arrangement of the insert-molded part 10 and other parts is completed, a pad material made of urethane resin or the like, which will be the material for the cushion pad main body 2, is injected into the mold (step S03). At this time, the pad material fills the mold while penetrating into the through-hole 12 of the insert-molded part 10.

[0039] Next, the mold is heated or the like to foam the pad material in the mold and mold it into the desired shape (step S04). At this time, it is preferable to use a material with a relatively high melting point, such as polypropylene resin (around 130°C), for the insert-molded part 10 so that the material does not soften or melt at the heating temperature (e.g., 60 to 80°C) used when foaming the pad material. Once molding of the cushion pad main body 2 is complete, the cushion pad main body 2 with the insert-molded part 10 and other parts embedded therein is released from the mold (step S05), completing the molding of the cushion pad main body 2. The molded cushion pad main body 2 is then transported to another manufacturing device, for example, for attachment of a skin or the like.

[0040] As described above, by employing the insert-molded part 10 according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to collectively position other parts during molding of the cushion pad, regardless of the number of other parts. This simplifies the manufacture of the cushion pad 1. In addition, it is expected to have the effect of preventing other parts from being misplaced or forgotten to be placed.

[0041] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. All of these modifications are included in the technical concept of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, each component may be present in only one form or in two or more forms, provided that no contradiction occurs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 cushion pad 2 Cushion pad body 3 Hanging groove 10 Insert molding parts 11 Insert molding part body (example of body) 12 through holes 13, 13A Locked part 14 Locking piece 21 Wire (an example of a skin fixing member) 22 Fastener (an example of a skin fixing member)

Claims

1. An insert-molded part to be embedded in a pad used in a seat, a main body having a plurality of through holes formed therein through which the material constituting the pad can penetrate; a locking portion provided on the main body to which another component embedded in the pad is locked, Insert molded parts.

2. The main body is formed of a frame-shaped member, and the plurality of through holes extend along a thickness direction of the frame-shaped member. The insert molded part of claim 1 .

3. The other components include a surface fixing member for fixing a surface to be attached to the surface of the pad. The insert molded part of claim 1 .

4. The other components include at least one of a cushioning component, a felt molding, and a fastener locking component. The insert molded part of claim 1 .

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