Rigid carpet vehicle seat backer arrangement and vehicle seat with rigid carpet seat backer arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10864833-B2
Application number	US-201916263423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2019
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly includes a carpet piece and resin/fiber material joined and molded to form a resin/fiber backer panel of a defined shape. A flexible toe-kick portion is provided a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion. A method includes providing a carpet piece cut to a size and shape and a sized resin/fiber panel material. The resin/fiber panel material is heated and placed with a top section of the carpet in a molding press to fuse them together. A shaped assembly is then formed with flanges which are inserted in channels of a seat. A polypropylene reinforcement sheet is attached to a lower section of the carpet that was not subjected to the molding press. Elastic bands are sewn to the lower edge of the backer assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly comprising:
a carpet piece with a predefined carpet perimeter contour and comprising an upper carpet portion and a lower carpet portion; and
a resin/fiber material, the upper carpet portion and the resin/fiber material being joined and molded to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape, wherein the lower carpet portion is not joined with the resin/fiber material and forms a flexible toe-kick portion with a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion, wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of the defined shape is formed by at least partially heating the resin/fiber material and molding at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material together with the upper carpet portion to press together and fuse together at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material and the upper carpet portion.

2. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion includes an at least semi ridged back panel surface and an at least semi ridged outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the back panel surface and extending away from the back panel surface.

3. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a flexible carpet reinforcement, wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement is connected to the lower carpet portion to form a reinforcement backing for the flexible toe-kick portion.

4. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement comprises polypropylene reinforcement material sewn to an inner surface of the lower carpet portion.

5. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 3 , wherein edges of the lower carpet portion are hemmed over the flexible carpet reinforcement to provide a hemmed over portion sewn to the flexible carpet reinforcement and sewn to a front side of the carpet piece.

6. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising elastic bands sewn to a lower edge of the flexible lower carpet portion.

7. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising push pins fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material.

8. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the lower edge of the resin/fiber material is not fused to the upper carpet portion in a region of the push pins, whereby the not fused resin/fiber material forms a backing material free edge.

9. A vehicle seat carpet backer assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a flange element staked to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material.

10. A vehicle seat comprising:
a vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel; and
a carpet backer assembly comprising:
a carpet piece with a predefined carpet perimeter contour and comprising an upper carpet portion and a lower carpet portion; and
a resin/fiber material, the upper carpet portion and the resin/fiber material being joined and molded to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape, wherein the lower carpet portion is not joined with the resin/fiber material and forms a flexible toe-kick portion with a seamless transition between the upper carpet portion of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and the lower carpet portion of the flexible toe-kick portion, wherein the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of the defined shape is formed by at least partially heating the resin/fiber material and molding at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material together with the upper carpet to press together and fuse together at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber material and the upper carpet portion.

11. A vehicle seat according to claim 10 , wherein:
the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprises a peripheral channel;
the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion includes an at least semi ridged back panel surface and an at least semi ridged outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the back panel surface and extending away from the back panel surface;
the peripheral channel receives the rigid outer flange to position the vehicle seat carpet seat backer assembly relative to the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel.

12. A vehicle seat according to claim 11 , wherein:
push pins are fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber material; and
the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprises push pin openings receiving the push pins fixed adjacent to a lower edge of the resin/fiber backer panel.

13. A method comprising the steps of:
providing carpet piece having a predetermined size and shape;
providing a resin/fiber panel material having a predetermined size and shape;
heating at least a portion of the resin/fiber panel material;

placing at least an upper carpet portion of the carpet piece along with at least a portion of the heated resin/fiber panel material in a molding press and, with the molding press, pressing a backside of the carpet piece to the resin/fiber panel material in the molding press to form a resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion of a defined shape; and
removing the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion from the molding press.

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the molding press includes a molding tool forming the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion with a back panel surface and a rigid outer flange extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion and extending away from the back panel surface.

15. A method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
providing a vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel comprising a peripheral channel;
placing the rigid outer flange in the peripheral channel extending along at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the resin/fiber, upper carpet, panel portion to position the vehicle seat carpet seat backer assembly relative to the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel.

16. A method of forming a vehicle seat according to claim 15 , wherein:
the lower edge of the resin/fiber material is not fused to the upper carpet portion, whereby a backing material free edge is formed;
fixing push pins to the backing material free edge;
providing the vehicle seat back frame and/or back panel with push pin openings; and
pushing the push pins into the push pin openings.

17. A method according to claim 13 , wherein a lower carpet portion of the carpet piece is not placed in the molding press such that the lower carpet portion is flexible and is not fused to the resin/fiber material and further comprising the step of providing a flexible carpet reinforcement and attaching the flexible carpet reinforcement to the lower carpet portion to form reinforced flexible lower carpet portion.

18. A method according to claim 17 , wherein the flexible carpet reinforcement comprises polypropylene reinforcement material fixed to an inner surface of the carpet piece and further comprising hemming edges of the lower carpet portion over the backing to form a hemmed over portion that is sewn to the backing and to a front side of the carpet piece.

19. A method according to claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:
providing elastic bands; and
sewing the elastic bands to a lower edge of the flexible lower carpet portion.

Assignees

• Adient Eng & Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Rus Liviu
• Baciu Dorel
• Steinke Gregory
• Romak Matt

Classifications

• B60N2002/363

  characterised by provisions for enhancing the cargo floor surface, e.g. elements closing gaps or enlarging the back-rest surface · CPC title

• B60N3/046 Primary

  characterised by the fixing means · CPC title

• B60N2/6009

  covering more than only the seat · CPC title

• B60N2/3011

  the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement" · CPC title

• B60N2/5891

  characterised by the manufacturing process; manufacturing seat coverings not otherwise provided for · CPC title