Vehicle Interior Stitching Pattern for Parallel Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing stitching patterns for vehicle interior components, such as those described in DIN and ISO standards, face challenges in maintaining parallelism and alignment of bead-like features when replicating stitching lines, leading to visual quality defects and increased manufacturing time and costs.

Innovation Solution

The use of two pattern threads and two support threads, where the pattern threads form loops with the support threads on the outer surface and penetrate through the thickness of the support layer, ensuring constant loop offset and tension variation synchronization between lines, allowing for precise alignment and reduced manufacturing time by starting both lines simultaneously.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If stitching is repeated along parallel lines to create multiple lines with bead-like features, then visual effect is improved, but alignment precision and parallelism deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual effectVSAvoidalignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple stitching operations into a single simultaneous process. Two support threads are positioned parallel to each other on the outer surface, and a single needle alternately forms loops around both support threads in one continuous stitching pass, creating multiple parallel lines with consistent alignment and offset.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The support threads are pre-positioned in parallel on the outer surface before stitching begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the needle forms loops alternately around both threads, the resulting stitching lines maintain precise parallelism and consistent offset without requiring repeated positioning operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Illumination intensity

If stitching is repeated along parallel lines to create multiple lines with bead-like features, then visual effect is improved, but manufacturing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual effectVSAvoidmanufacturing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple stitching passes into a single simultaneous operation. By positioning two support threads parallel to each other and using one needle to alternately form loops around both threads, the system produces multiple lines of stitching with bead-like features in one continuous pass, significantly reducing manufacturing time compared to repeated single-line stitching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The stitching process maintains continuous motion without interruption or repositioning. The needle continuously alternates between the two support threads in a single pass, eliminating the start-stop and repositioning time that would occur with repeated stitching operations, thereby improving productivity while maintaining visual quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Illumination intensity

If stitching is repeated along parallel lines to create multiple lines with bead-like features, then visual effect is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual effectVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple stitching operations into one simultaneous process using two support threads and a single needle. This merging reduces the number of needle penetrations, thread changes, and machine repositioning operations required, directly lowering manufacturing costs while achieving the desired multi-line visual effect with consistent alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Illumination intensity

If stitching is repeated along parallel lines to create multiple lines with bead-like features, then visual effect is improved, but process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual effectVSAvoidprocess complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent simplifies the overall process by merging multiple stitching passes into one continuous operation. Although two support threads are used, they are positioned simultaneously and stitched in a single pass with alternating loop formation, reducing the complexity of coordination and control compared to multiple separate stitching operations that would require precise timing and positioning synchronization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3020606B1Vehicule interior component comprising stitching pattern
Publication Date: 2018.01.03 FAURECIA INNENRAUM SYSTEME GMBH
  • EP3020606B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3020606B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3020606B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A vehicle interior component is provided comprising a support layer (4) having an inner surface (4b) and an outer surface (4a), and a stitching applied to the support layer. The stitching comprises at least one pattern thread and at least two support threads (3a, 3b), the support threads being positioned on the outer surface of the support layer. The at least one pattern thread alternately engages a first support thread and a second support thread to form loops (101, 202, 103, 204) with the respective support thread on the outer surface of the support layer, each of the pattern threads goes through the thickness of the support layer and extends on the inner surface between the loops.