Interior materials

Abstract

To provide an interior material allowing a base material and a skin material to be appropriately separated when disposed.SOLUTION: An interior material 1 has a planar skin material 2 and a base material 3 covered with the skin material 2. The interior material 1 further has an interlayer 4 made of photodegradable resin, which is welded or adhered to the skin material 2 and the base material 3 and disposed between the base material 3 and the skin material 2, and a hole part 3A passing through the base material 3 so as to allow the interlayer 4 to be exposed only on the rear side of the base material. Thereby, the interior material 1 has a structure allowing the interlayer 4 to be hardly exposed to an environment with light in a vehicle or the like under service conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an interior material, and more particularly to an interior material having a planar skin material and a base material covered with the skin material. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an interior trim material that constitutes an interior trim such as an automobile door trim. This interior trim material is constructed by attaching a skin material made of fabric or synthetic leather to the surface of a resin base material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-069651 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the skin material is bonded to the base material using an adhesive. Therefore, when disposing of the interior material, it is difficult to peel off the skin material from the base material, separate them, and recycle them. Therefore, the present invention provides an interior material that allows the base material and the skin material to be properly separated when disposed of. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problems, the interior material of the present invention takes the following measures. That is, the first aspect of the present invention is an interior material having a planar skin material and a substrate covered by the skin material, an intermediate layer made of a degradable resin provided between the substrate and the skin material by welding or bonding thereto, and holes formed through the substrate so that the intermediate layer is exposed only on the back side of the substrate. "Degradable resin" includes photodegradable resins that are decomposed by light such as ultraviolet light, and biodegradable resins that are decomposed by the action of microorganisms present in nature.

[0006] According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the interior material is disposed of, the intermediate layer, which is made of a degradable resin, can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by allowing microorganisms or light such as ultraviolet light to penetrate into the intermediate layer through the holes in the substrate. This allows the substrate and the skin material to be properly separated. Under the usage environment, the intermediate layer is exposed only to the back side of the substrate through the holes in the substrate, and is therefore less likely to be exposed to an environment where light hits, such as the inside of a vehicle. Therefore, the intermediate layer can be configured so that decomposition is not promoted under the usage environment.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is the interior material according to the first aspect, wherein the intermediate layer is welded to the base material by two-color molding, and the skin material is bonded to the intermediate layer with an adhesive.

[0008] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the intermediate layer can be easily and appropriately formed integrally on the base material along the shape of the base material. Furthermore, even if the skin material is bonded to the intermediate layer with an adhesive, when the interior material is disposed of, the adhesion between the skin material and the base material via the intermediate layer can be easily removed by disassembling the intermediate layer.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is the interior material according to the first or second aspect, wherein the decomposable resin constituting the intermediate layer is a photodecomposable resin.

[0010] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the intermediate layer can be decomposed industrially and efficiently using an apparatus such as an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an interior material according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an interior material. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the interior material after the intermediate layer has been disassembled. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] First Embodiment (Schematic configuration of interior material 1) First, the configuration of an interior trim 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. As shown in Figure 1, the interior trim 1 according to this embodiment is configured as an interior trim that forms part of an automobile's instrument panel T1 or door trim T2. When the interior trim 1 is installed in the interior of the automobile, its surface is exposed to the interior and forms a design surface.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the interior material 1 has a planar skin material 2 that forms its design surface, a plate-shaped base material 3 covered by the skin material 2, and an intermediate layer 4 laminated between them. The interior material 1 is configured so that only the skin material 2 is exposed inside the vehicle cabin. In other words, the interior material 1 is configured so that the base material 3 and intermediate layer 4 are covered by the skin material 2 and hidden between a body panel (not shown). More specifically, the peripheral edges of the base material 3 and intermediate layer 4 are also wrapped from the front side by the skin material 2, so that they are not exposed at all inside the vehicle cabin.

[0015] The base material 3 is a molded part made by injection molding a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene (PP) or ABS resin. The base material 3 may also be a composite molded part made by injection molding a material in which bast fibers such as kenaf are mixed with the above-mentioned synthetic resin material.

[0016] The skin material 2 is made of a sheet-like material formed from a synthetic resin material such as olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPO) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into a flat surface. The skin material 2 may be made of a single layer of the sheet-like material. Alternatively, the skin material 2 may have a multi-layer structure in which a foamed synthetic resin layer such as polypropylene foam (PPF) serving as a cushion layer or other layer is further provided on the back side of the skin layer made of the sheet-like material.

[0017] The intermediate layer 4 is made of a molded part made by injection molding a photodegradable resin, i.e., a photodegradable resin material that decomposes when exposed to light such as ultraviolet light. Photodegradable resin is made, for example, of a copolymer made by copolymerizing carbon monoxide with ethylene, and introducing carbonyl groups that decompose when exposed to light to photodecompose polyethylene.

[0018] Photodegradable resins are oxidatively decomposed into low molecular weight compounds when exposed to light such as ultraviolet light, and are ultimately completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by the action of microorganisms present in nature. In addition to the above, the photodegradable resin may be made of a resin formed by adding an oxidation promoter to polypropylene as the main chain.

[0019] The intermediate layer 4 is molded in a state where it is integrally welded onto the base material 3 along the shape of the base material 3 by two-color molding, in which the molded base material 3 is set in the same mold and integrally molded. The intermediate layer 4 is molded in a laminated state over the entire front surface (upper surface in the figure) of the base material 3. The base material 3 is configured so that a plurality of round hole-shaped holes 3A are formed in various places thereon, penetrating through the thickness direction.

[0020] The intermediate layer 4 is molded by two-color molding with the base material 3 having the above-mentioned plurality of holes 3A, so as to fill the plurality of holes 3A in the base material 3. As a result, after two-color molding with the base material 3, the intermediate layer 4 is molded so as to be exposed from the back side of the base material 3 (back side of the base material) through the plurality of holes 3A in the base material 3. After the above molding, the front side of the intermediate layer 4 is covered with the skin material 2 to which adhesive A is applied, and the intermediate layer 4 is vacuum-sucked from the back side of the base material, so that the skin material 2 is stretched and integrally attached over the entire front side.

[0021] The covering material 2, with adhesive A applied to the entire back surface (lower surface in the figure), is placed over the front surface of the intermediate layer 4 and stretched by vacuum suction so that it is in close contact with the front surface of the intermediate layer 4. The intermediate layer 4 and the base material 3 each have a plurality of through-holes (not shown) formed therethrough to allow vacuum suction of the covering material 2 from the back side of the base material. The covering material 2 is affixed to the front surface of the intermediate layer 4 through these through-holes in a wide area by vacuum suction so that it is in close contact with the front surface of the intermediate layer 4.

[0022] After the skin material 2 is attached to the front surface of the intermediate layer 4, the peripheral edge of the skin material 2 is cut to a shape that follows the peripheral edge of the intermediate layer 4. After the cutting, the peripheral edge of the skin material 2 is then rolled up onto the back side of the base material 3 and attached to the back surface of the base material 3. In this way, the interior material 1 is configured such that the base material 3 and the intermediate layer 4 are wrapped from the front side by the skin material 2, and these (the base material 3 and the intermediate layer 4) are not exposed at all inside the vehicle cabin.

[0023] As a result, when the interior material 1 is assembled into the interior of an automobile and used as an instrument panel T1 or door trim T2 (see Figure 1), only the skin material 2 is exposed inside the vehicle cabin, while the base material 3 and intermediate layer 4 are not exposed at all inside the vehicle cabin. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, even though the intermediate layer 4 made of a photodegradable resin is exposed on the back side of the base material from the multiple holes 3A in the base material 3, light from inside or outside the vehicle cabin will not be irradiated onto the intermediate layer 4 under the usage environment of the interior material 1. Therefore, decomposition of the intermediate layer 4 is not promoted under the usage environment of the interior material 1.

[0024] (How to disassemble interior material 1) When discarding the interior material 1, it is removed from the vehicle interior and disassembled as follows. That is, as shown in Fig. 3, after being removed from the vehicle interior, the interior material 1 is subjected to ultraviolet irradiation treatment using an ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown). In this ultraviolet irradiation treatment, ultraviolet rays are irradiated into each of the holes 3A formed on the back side of the base material of the interior material 1.

[0025] As a result, ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the intermediate layer 4 exposed in each hole 3A, and the intermediate layer 4 is oxidatively decomposed into low-molecular-weight compounds. As a result, the adhesion between the substrate 3 and the skin material 2 via the intermediate layer 4 is released. Therefore, the substrate 3 and the skin material 2 can be peeled off, separated, and recycled.

[0026] The intermediate layer 4, which has been decomposed into low-molecular-weight compounds, is then completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by the action of microorganisms present in nature. Specifically, the intermediate layer 4 made of a photodegradable resin is oxidatively decomposed into low-molecular-weight compounds by ultraviolet irradiation in about 20 to 24 hours, depending on the size, shape, and number of the holes 3A, and is then completely decomposed in about 2 to 8 weeks by light in a natural environment.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the intermediate layer 4 is made of a photodegradable resin. However, the intermediate layer 4 may be made of a biodegradable resin, that is, a decomposable resin that is decomposed by the action of microorganisms present in nature.

[0028] Biodegradable resins are classified into three types: polymer resins produced by microorganisms, natural product resins made from natural polymer materials, and synthetic resins that have been made degradable. Hydroxybutyrate polyesters are an example of a polymer resin produced by microorganisms. Other examples of natural product resins include starch from agricultural products such as corn, potatoes, wheat, and sugarcane, cellulose found in plants, and chitin found in the shells of crabs and shrimp.

[0029] Examples of chemically synthesized resins include polylactic acid and polycaprolactone. When an intermediate layer (not shown) made of these biodegradable resins is placed in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, it is hydrolyzed into low-molecular-weight compounds by the action of microorganisms present in nature, and is ultimately completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by the action of these microorganisms.

[0030] However, in an environment in which the interior material 1 is assembled in the interior of an automobile and used as an instrument panel T1 or door trim T2 (see FIG. 1), the intermediate layer made of biodegradable resin is not exposed inside or outside the vehicle interior, even if it is exposed to the back side of the substrate through the multiple holes 3A in the base material 3. Therefore, in the interior material 1, decomposition of the intermediate layer is not promoted in the environment in which it is used.

[0031] When the interior material 1 is disposed of, it is removed from the vehicle interior and the intermediate layer made of biodegradable resin is placed in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment through the holes 3A on the back side of the base material, where it is decomposed by the action of microorganisms. Specifically, the intermediate layer made of biodegradable resin is completely decomposed in a relatively short period of time, such as several days to several weeks, depending on the size, shape, and number of holes 3A.

[0032] To summarize the above, the interior material 1 according to this embodiment has the following configuration: Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective components shown in the above embodiment.

[0033] That is, the interior material (1) has a planar skin material (2) and a base material (3) covered by the skin material (2). The interior material (1) further has an intermediate layer (4) made of a degradable resin provided between the base material (3) and the skin material (2) by welding or bonding thereto, and a hole (3A) formed through the base material (3) so as to expose the intermediate layer (4) only on the back side of the base material.

[0034] According to the above configuration, when the interior material (1) is disposed of, the intermediate layer (4), which is made of a degradable resin, can be decomposed into carbon dioxide and water by allowing microorganisms or light such as ultraviolet light to penetrate into the intermediate layer (4) through the holes (3A) of the base material (3). This allows the base material (3) and the skin material (2) to be appropriately separated. Since the intermediate layer (4) is exposed only to the back side of the base material through the holes (3A) of the base material (3) in the usage environment, it is unlikely to be exposed to an environment where light hits, such as the inside of a vehicle. Therefore, the intermediate layer (4) can be configured so that decomposition is not accelerated in the usage environment.

[0035] In addition, the intermediate layer (4) is welded to the base material (3) by two-color molding. The skin material (2) is bonded to the intermediate layer (4) with an adhesive (A). According to the above configuration, the intermediate layer (4) can be easily and appropriately formed integrally on the base material (3) along the shape of the base material (3). Furthermore, even if the skin material (2) is bonded to the intermediate layer (4) with the adhesive (A), when the interior material (1) is disposed of, the bond between the skin material (2) and the base material (3) via the intermediate layer (4) can be easily removed by disassembling the intermediate layer (4).

[0036] Furthermore, the decomposable resin constituting the intermediate layer 4 is a photodecomposable resin. According to the above configuration, the intermediate layer 4 can be decomposed industrially and efficiently using a device such as an ultraviolet ray irradiation device.

[0037] Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in various forms as described below in addition to the above embodiment.

[0038] 1. The interior material of the present invention may be applied to vehicles other than automobiles, such as trains. The interior material may also be applied to vehicles other than automobiles, such as airplanes and ships. The interior material may also be applied to buildings, such as various types of residences and office buildings.

[0039] 2. The intermediate layer may be bonded to the base material by two-color molding or by an adhesive. The holes formed in the base material may be formed so that the intermediate layer is exposed only on the back side of the base material, and the holes do not necessarily have to be filled with the intermediate layer. The shape, size, and number of the holes formed in the base material can be set as appropriate and are not limited to specific ones. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Interior materials 2 Skin material 3 Base material 3A hole 4. Middle class T1 Instrument Panel T2 door trim A adhesive

Claims

1. An interior material having a planar skin material forming a design surface and a plate-shaped base material covered by the skin material, an intermediate layer made of a degradable resin and provided between the substrate and the skin material by welding or bonding thereto; a plurality of holes formed through the substrate so as to expose the intermediate layer only on the back side of the substrate; the substrate and the intermediate layer are covered by the skin material so as not to be exposed to the interior of the vehicle; The intermediate layer fills the plurality of holes.

2. The interior material according to claim 1, the intermediate layer is welded to the substrate; The interior material is an interior material in which the skin material is bonded to the intermediate layer with an adhesive.

3. The interior material according to claim 1 or 2, The decomposable resin constituting the intermediate layer is a photodecomposable resin.

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