Vehicle Trim Seam Protection Against Sewing Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The formation of residual protrusions on vehicle trim elements during sewing can damage or break the seam, leading to unsightly defects in decorative elements.
Innovation Solution
A protective element is integrated between the support and the skin layer, which is not visible from the passenger compartment, to shield the seam from potential damage caused by these protrusions, using a plastic or textile material that matches the seam pattern and is fixed with adhesive or glue to maintain tension and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If sewing is performed to create decorative stitching on the skin layer, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but residual protrusions are formed that can damage the seam
Solution Approach 1:
A protective element is introduced as an intermediary component between the skin layer and the support. This protective element absorbs the harmful effect of residual protrusions formed during sewing, preventing them from damaging the seam while allowing the decorative stitching to maintain its aesthetic appearance on the skin layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective element is positioned in advance on the support before the sewing operation. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures that when the needle creates residual protrusions during stitching, these protrusions are already cushioned by the protective element, preventing seam damage before it can occur.
2Reliability
If a protective element is added to prevent seam damage, then seam reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element is designed to match the visual characteristics of the support, creating a homogeneous appearance when viewed from the passenger compartment. This allows the protective element to fulfill its protective function while remaining visually indistinguishable from the surrounding structure, thus not increasing the perceived device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective function is extracted as a separate, dedicated element rather than attempting to incorporate protection into the existing skin layer or support structure. This modular approach simplifies the overall design by clearly separating the protective function from the aesthetic and structural functions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The protective element effectively prevents seam damage while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the trim element, ensuring a uniform and durable decorative seam.
Implementation Method 1
The protective element is fixed with adhesive or glue to maintain tension and aesthetics
Data Source
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AI summary
Upholstery element (10) comprising: - at least one support (12) comprising an inner face (22) and an outer face (24), - at least one layer of skin (14) having an outer face (30), the layer of skin (14) extending over the outer face (24) of the support (12), - at least one seam (16), and - at least one protective element (18) for the seam (16) having an inner face (42) and an outer face (44) and extending over the support (12), characterized in that the outer face (44) of the protective element (18) extends over the inner face (22) of the support (12), the seam (16) extending from the inner face (42) of the protective element (18) to the outer face (30) of the layer of skin (14).