Vehicle interior materials

Abstract

To provide an interior material for a vehicle, that has a fine exterior appearance and reduces manufacturing costs.SOLUTION: An interior material 1 for a vehicle comprises: a base material 2; a soft material 3 disposed on the base material 2; and a skin material 4 covering the soft material 3 and to be attached to the base material 2. The base material 2 includes: a general surface 10 covered by the skin material 4; a recess 11 which comprises a lateral surface 15 continuous with the general surface 10 and contacting the soft material 3, and which faces the skin material 4 and is open thereto, and in which the soft material 3 is insert-molded; and a protrusion 17 protruding inward of the recess 11 from a position continuous with the general surface 10 of the lateral surface 15. The protrusion 17 comprises an inclined part 19 inclined in a direction of separating from an opening surface OP of the recess 11. The soft material 3 is packed along the inclined part 19.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle interior material in which a skin material is attached to cover a soft material disposed on a base material. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, interior materials for vehicles such as automobiles have included a base material made of synthetic resin or the like, with a soft material made of urethane or the like in the recessed portion to provide cushioning and enhance marketability, and the surface side of the base material is covered with a skin material along with the soft material.

[0003] As such interior materials, there is known a material in which a foam material as a soft material is attached to a recessed portion with an adhesive, and then covered with a skin material (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-123938 A (pages 5-6, Figure 2) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In addition to the above-mentioned method of attaching a soft material to a substrate with an adhesive, another method for manufacturing interior materials incorporating a soft material involves insert-molding the soft material into the substrate by placing the substrate in a mold, filling the recesses of the substrate with a concentrate of a soft material such as urethane, and foaming it. This method can result in burrs at the parting line of the mold for the soft material, which is set at the boundary between the general surface of the substrate that connects to the recesses and the soft material. This burr can be visible on the surface of the skin when the substrate is covered with the skin, potentially damaging the appearance of the interior material. Therefore, it must be removed. Even a small amount of burr can affect the appearance, so it must be completely removed. These additional steps can increase manufacturing costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a vehicle interior material that has a good appearance and can be produced at reduced costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle interior material described in claim 1 comprises a base material, a soft material placed on the base material, and a skin material covering the soft material and attached to the base material, the base material having a general surface covered by the skin material and a side surface connected to the general surface and in contact with the soft material, a recess having an opening facing the skin material and into which the soft material is insert-molded, and a protrusion protruding into the recess from a position on the side surface connected to the general surface, the protrusion having an inclined portion inclined in a direction away from the opening surface of the recess, and the soft material being filled along the inclined portion.

[0008] The vehicle interior material described in claim 2 is the vehicle interior material described in claim 1, wherein the soft material is molded with a parting line positioned in a direction perpendicular to the base end of the protrusion and the opening surface of the recess.

[0009] The vehicle interior material described in claim 3 is the vehicle interior material described in claim 1, wherein the soft material is molded with a parting line positioned in a direction from the base end of the protrusion along the inclined portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the vehicle interior material of claim 1, pressure from the synthetic resin raw material is less likely to be applied from the direction opposite the parting line of the mold for the soft material formed at the position of the inclined part of the protrusion, so uncured synthetic resin raw material is less likely to get into the parting line and burrs are less likely to form.As a result, poor appearance such as swelling caused by burrs in the soft material is less likely to occur in the skin material which covers the general surface of the base material together with the soft material, resulting in a good appearance and basically eliminating the need for processes such as burr removal to improve appearance, which makes it possible to reduce manufacturing costs.

[0011] According to the vehicle interior material of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the vehicle interior material of claim 1, the direction in which the parting line extends is bent relative to the inclined portion, so that the synthetic resin raw material of the soft material filled along the inclined portion is less likely to flow into the parting line, and burrs are less likely to occur.

[0012] According to the vehicle interior material of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the vehicle interior material of claim 1, even if thin burrs occur on the parting line, the direction of the burrs is along the inclined portion, so when the skin material is attached to the base material, the repulsive force with which the burrs push the skin material toward the front side is small and the skin material easily falls toward the base material. Therefore, even after the skin material is attached, there is little bulge formed on the surface of the skin material due to the burrs, and the appearance is less likely to be impaired. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing an intermediate product of a vehicle interior material according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the same vehicle interior material. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a base material of the same vehicle interior material. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the same vehicle interior material. [Figure 4] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing an intermediate product of a vehicle interior material according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the same vehicle interior material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] In Fig. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle interior material. In this embodiment, the vehicle interior material 1 is used, for example, as a part of a console box or center console for a vehicle such as an automobile. In the illustrated example, the vehicle interior material 1 is formed in a rectangular shape, but is not limited to this and may be formed in any shape depending on the shape of the arrangement position, the desired design, etc.

[0016] 1(b) and 3, the vehicle interior material 1 is arranged such that a base material 2, a soft material 3, and a skin material 4 are stacked on top of each other. The vehicle interior material 1 is arranged such that the skin material 4 side is the occupant side, front side, obverse side, or design side, and the base material 2 side is the vehicle body side, anti-occupant side, rear side, or reverse side.

[0017] The substrate 2 shown in Figures 1(a), 1(b), and 2 is molded from a material such as synthetic resin. The substrate 2 is formed from a material harder than the soft material 3. In this embodiment, the substrate 2 is formed by extending portions 7 connected to both long sides of a rectangular substrate main body 6. The extending portions 7 are bent and connected to the substrate main body 6 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the substrate 2 is formed to have a U-shaped cross section.

[0018] The substrate 2 has a recess 11 formed therein that is recessed from the general surface 10, which is the main surface covered by the skin material 4. The soft material 3 is filled into the recess 11. The recess 11 is located on the design side of the substrate 2. In this embodiment, the recess 11 is formed from the substrate main body 6 to the extension 7. Therefore, the tip of the extension 7 forms an edge 12 where the recess 11 is not formed. The recess 11 is formed in a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the soft material 3. The edge 12 constitutes at least a part of the terminal portion, which is the outer shell of the substrate 2. In the example shown, the edge 12 extends from the tip of the extension 7 to one short side of the substrate main body 6.

[0019] The recess 11 has side surfaces 15 that rise from the outer edge of the bottom surface 14 like a wall on the front side of the vehicle interior material 1, and is open facing the upholstery material 4. The soft material 3 is in contact with the bottom surface 14 and the side surfaces 15. A protrusion 17 is formed on the side surface 15. The protrusion 17 is formed at a position where the side surface 15 is continuous with the general surface 10. That is, the protrusion 17 is formed at the tip of the side surface 15, which is the end of the side surface 15 opposite the bottom surface 14. The protrusion 17 also protrudes from the side surface 15 into the recess 11. That is, the protrusion 17 protrudes from the side surface 15 along the opening surface OP of the recess 11. The opening surface OP of the recess 11 refers to the surface of the recess 11 that is surrounded by the edge of the tip of the side surface 15. That is, the opening surface OP of the recess 11 is an imaginary surface that is continuous with the general surface 10 or an imaginary extension of the general surface 10. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 17 protrudes in a direction perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the side surface 15. The protrusion dimension P of the protrusion 17 from the side surface 15 is set to, for example, 2.5 mm. The maximum width dimension of the protrusion 17 is set to be smaller than the thickness dimension of the edge portion 12 of the base material 2, for example. The protrusion 17 is located away from the bottom surface 14 toward the opening surface OP.

[0020] Furthermore, the protrusion 17 has an inclined portion 19. The inclined portion 19 is inclined in a direction away from the opening surface OP of the recess 11. The inclined portion 19 is inclined from the position where it joins the general surface 10 to the tip of the protrusion 17. That is, the inclined portion 19 is formed from the intersection position of the imaginary extension plane of the side surface 15 and the general surface 10 to the tip of the protrusion 17. The inclination angle θ of the inclined portion 19 with respect to the opening surface OP is set to, for example, 20°. This inclination angle θ is set to be larger than the draft angle of the protrusion 17 with respect to the side surface 15. Furthermore, the tip of the protrusion 17 is formed to be rounded into a circular cross section.

[0021] The outer end surfaces of the soft material 3 are arranged in close contact with the bottom surface 14 and the side surface 15 of the recess 11. The soft material 3 is, for example, an elastic material or cushioning material made of an elastic member. Preferably, the soft material 3 is made of a soft foam material such as urethane foam. The soft material 3 is arranged so as to be housed in the recess 11 of the base material 2, and is basically set so as not to protrude from the opening surface OP of the recess 11 to the front side of the vehicle interior material 1. In other words, the soft material 3 is in the form of a plate with a predetermined thickness dimension set according to the depth dimension of the recess 11.

[0022] The soft material 3 is fixed integrally to the recess 11 of the base material 2 by insert molding. A parting line PL between the cavity and core of the mold used for insert molding the soft material 3 is formed at the base end of the protrusion 17. That is, the parting line PL is set at the intersection of the imaginary extension plane of the side surface 15 of the recess 11 and the general surface 10. In the illustrated example, the parting line PL is set to be continuous with the base end of the inclined portion 19. Therefore, by filling the soft material 3 along the inclined portion 19 of the protrusion 17, a thin-walled portion 22 overlapping the inclined portion 19 of the protrusion 17 is formed. The thin-walled portion 22 is formed so that its thickness gradually decreases toward the tip, that is, the position where the inclined portion 19 is continuous with the general surface 10. The tip of the thin-walled portion 22 is continuous with the parting line PL. In this embodiment, the parting line PL is set to extend in a direction perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the opening surface OP.

[0023] The skin material 4 shown in FIG. 1(b) covers the soft material 3 and the base material 2 and is a member that constitutes the design surface of the vehicle interior material 1. The skin material 4 is formed in a sheet shape that is thinner than the soft material 3. In this embodiment, the skin material 4 is formed in a thin film shape. The skin material 4 is disposed so as to cover at least the entire surface of the soft material 3. The skin material 4 may be formed from leather, synthetic resin, or the like.

[0024] The skin material 4 is fixed to the base material 2 under tension to prevent wrinkles. The skin material 4 is folded back from the end portion of the base material 2 to the back side of the base material 2, and is fixed to the base material 2 with a fixing member such as an adhesive or staples.

[0025] When manufacturing vehicle interior material 1, preformed substrate 2 is set in a mold for insert molding soft material 3 and clamped. A synthetic resin raw material is stirred and mixed and injected into the cavity inside the mold. The synthetic resin raw material reacts and foams to become polyurethane, which flows toward the flow end to form soft material 3. At this time, protrusion 17 is provided that protrudes into recess 11 from a position connected to general surface 10 of recess 11, and protrusion 17 is formed with inclined portion 19 that slopes away from opening surface OP of recess 11. Soft material 3 is filled along inclined portion 19, forming thin-walled portion 22 in soft material 3 along the slope of inclined portion 19. This reduces the application of pressure from the synthetic resin raw material from a direction opposite to parting line PL of the mold formed at the position of inclined portion 19 of protrusion 17. This reduces the likelihood of uncured synthetic resin raw material penetrating the parting line PL, reducing the likelihood of flashing. Even if flash does occur, it will be a thin flash.

[0026] Therefore, after insert molding of the soft material 3, a separately formed skin material 4 is attached to the base material 2 together with the soft material 3 so as to cover the general surface 10 of the base material 2, and the terminal portion of the skin material 4 is folded back from the terminal portion of the base material 2 to the back side of the base material 2, and the skin material 4 is fixed to the base material 2 with a fixing member such as an adhesive or staples.This makes it less likely that poor appearance such as bulges will occur in the skin material 4 due to burrs in the soft material 3, and not only does it have a good appearance, but it also basically eliminates the need for processes such as burr removal to improve the appearance, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0027] Furthermore, by setting the parting line PL to extend in a direction perpendicular to the opening surface OP of the recess 11, the direction in which the parting line PL extends is bent relative to the inclined portion 19, making it difficult for the synthetic resin raw material of the soft material 3 filled along the inclined portion 19 to flow into the parting line PL, making it even less likely that burrs will occur.

[0028] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Note that the same components and functions as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0029] 4(a) and 4(b) show a second embodiment of a vehicle interior material 1, in which the parting line PL of the mold for the soft material 3 in the first embodiment is set to extend along the slope of the sloped portion 19. That is, the parting line PL in this embodiment extends in a direction that is inclined relative to the opening surface OP of the recess 11.

[0030] This configuration reduces the likelihood of poor appearance, such as swelling caused by burrs on the soft material 3, on the skin material 4, which covers the general surface 10 of the base material 2 together with the soft material 3, resulting in a good appearance. This configuration also achieves the same effects as the first embodiment. Even if some of the synthetic resin that makes up the soft material 3 seeps into the parting line PL and creates a thin burr B that connects to the thin-walled portion 22, the direction of the burr B is along the slope 19. Therefore, when tension is applied to the skin material 4 while it is attached to the base material 2, the repulsive force of the burr B pushing the skin material 4 back toward the front side of the vehicle interior material 1 is small, and the burr B easily collapses toward the edge 12 of the base material 2. Therefore, even after the skin material 4 is attached, the burr B does not cause much swelling on the surface of the skin material 4, and the appearance is less likely to be impaired. This eliminates the need for a process such as removing the burr B to improve the appearance, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0031] In the above-described embodiments, the vehicle interior material 1 is not limited to being used as a console box or part of a center console, but may be used as any vehicle interior material. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] The present invention can be suitably used as part of a center console provided in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Vehicle interior materials 2 Base material 3 Soft material 4 Skin material 10 General aspects 11 Recess 15 Side 17 Protrusion 19 Slope OP Opening PL parting line

Claims

1. A substrate; a soft material disposed on the substrate; a skin material that covers the soft material and is attached to the base material, The substrate is a general surface covered by the skin material; a recessed portion having a side surface connected to the general surface and in contact with the soft material, the recessed portion being open facing the skin material, and the soft material being insert-molded therein; a protrusion protruding from a position of the side surface connected to the general surface toward the inside of the recess, the protrusion has an inclined portion inclined in a direction away from the opening surface of the recess, The soft material is filled along the inclined portion. A vehicle interior material characterized by:

2. The soft material is molded with a parting line positioned in a direction perpendicular to the base end of the protrusion and the opening surface of the recess.

2. The vehicle interior material according to claim 1.

3. The soft material is molded with a parting line positioned in a direction from the base end of the protrusion along the inclined portion.

2. The vehicle interior material according to claim 1.

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