Method for manufacturing a vehicle interior trim part as well as a vehicle interior trim part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802551-B2
Application number	US-201514698943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2015
Priority date	Apr 29, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

The present subject matter relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle interior trim part comprising a decor layer which forms a groove, as well as a decor element which is welded in the groove) of the decor layer, wherein the decor element is brought into the groove and is subsequently fixed in the groove by way of welding. According to the present subject matter, a welding head, e.g. an ultrasound sonotrode, is used for welding, and this comprises a contact side which is equipped with a plurality of projections which are arranged distanced to one another in a row and which taper to their contact surfaces, and wherein the welding head for producing the seam is pressed against a rear side of the decor layer in the region of the groove, in a manner such that the individual projections of the row of projections in a longitudinal directions of the groove come into contact with the rear side of the decor layer in a manner offset to one another, wherein the projections have a width which corresponds at least to 50% of a width of the decor element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a vehicle interior trim part, the method comprising:
a decor layer having a front side and a rear side opposed to the front side, wherein the decor layer forms a groove on the front side of the decor layer, and a decor element welded in the groove of the decor layer, wherein the decor element is brought into the groove and subsequently fixed in the groove by way of welding, wherein a welding head is used for the welding, wherein the welding head comprises a contact side with a plurality of projections that are arranged distanced to one another in a row and that taper towards contact surfaces, wherein the welding head for producing a weld seam is pressed against the rear side of the decor layer in the region of the groove in a manner such that the projections in a longitudinal direction of the groove come into contact with the rear side of the decor layer, and wherein the projections have a width that corresponds to at least 50% of a width of the decor element.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decor layer forms a prominence that protrudes from the rear side of the decor layer toward a rear side of the vehicle interior trim part and that corresponds to the groove.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the projections of the applied welding head have a width of at least 80% of the width of the decor element and/or of a width of a prominence corresponding to the groove and directed to the rear side of the vehicle interior trim part.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the projections comprise front and rear delimitation surfaces that run at an angle between 0° and 90° to one another.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the groove at least in regions runs in an arcuate manner, wherein the projections of the welding head are arranged in a line, so that at least some adjacent projections come into contact with the rear side of the decor layer at a different angle to the groove.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the projections have a length between 0.2 mm and 15 mm.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding head is an ultrasound sonotrode and/or any other device for supplying ultrasound energy, heat energy, electric energy or radiation energy.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding head includes teeth that are inclined with regard to a longitudinal axis of the welding head at an angle of 5-30°.

9. A vehicle interior trim part, the vehicle trim part comprising:
a decor layer having a front side and a rear side opposed to the front side; and
a decor element, wherein the decor layer comprises a groove located on the front side of the decor layer and having an opening that is directed to a viewed side of the vehicle interior trim part and that receives the decor element, wherein the decor layer in the region of the groove forms a prominence protruding from the rear side of the layer toward a rear side of the vehicle interior trim part that is away from the viewed side, and corresponding to the groove, wherein the prominence comprises a multitude of first and second regions that are arranged in an alternating manner in a longitudinal direction, wherein the prominence in the first regions in each case has a maximal height, and the second regions comprise indentation of the prominence that are arranged between the first regions, wherein the prominence in cross sections through a second region with a section plane running orthogonally to the longitudinal direction has a maximal residual height which is smaller than the maximal height in adjacent first regions, and wherein the height of the prominence in the cross sections through a second region which have a section plane) running orthogonally to the longitudinal direction, at least over a part of the width of the prominence constantly corresponds to the maximal residual height.

10. The vehicle interior trim part according to claim 9 , wherein, in the cross sections through a second region, the prominence has the maximal residual height over a section of the cross section that corresponds to a section of the cross section, in which the prominence in the adjacent first regions has a height exceeding the residual height or a height corresponding to the residual height.

11. The vehicle interior trim part according to claim 9 , wherein the height of the prominence in the cross sections in each case in exactly one single coherent section of the cross section of the prominence constantly corresponds to the maximal residual height.

12. The vehicle interior trim part according to claim 9 , wherein the section of the cross section, in which the height of the prominence corresponds constantly to the maximal residual height is arranged centrally in the direction of the width.

Assignees

• Faurecia Innenraum Systeme Gmbh

Inventors

• Musy Maxime
• Boretti Bruno
• Zemmrich René

Classifications

• B32B37/06

  characterised by the heating method · CPC title

• B29L2031/3041

  Trim panels · CPC title

• B32B38/0008

  Electrical discharge treatment, e.g. corona, plasma treatment; wave energy or particle radiation (heat treatment B32B38/0036) · CPC title

• B29C66/7392

  characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic · CPC title

• B29C66/81433

  being toothed, i.e. comprising several teeth or pins (comprising a single tooth B29C66/81429), or being patterned · CPC title