Foam part, in particular for a vehicle seat, and method and tool for producing a foam part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9914380-B2
Application number	US-201314759052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Jan 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A foam part ( 5, 105, 205, 305 ), in particular for a vehicle seat, includes a first foam layer ( 11, 111, 211, 311 ) facing a user and a second foam layer ( 21, 221 ) facing away from the user. The first foam layer has a hardness and/or density that is different from the hardness or density of the second foam layer ( 21, 221 ). The first foam layer includes several comfort tubes ( 50, 150, 250, 350 ) facing the user. A method for producing such a foam part ( 5, 105, 205, 305 ) includes a first step in which the first foam layer, having the comfort tubes ( 50, 150, 250, 350 ), is foamed and a second step in which the second foam layer ( 21, 221 ) is foamed. A tool ( 500 ) for producing a foam part ( 5, 105, 205, 305 ) includes a bottom part ( 510 ), a frame ( 520 ), and a top part ( 530 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A foam part for a vehicle seat, the foam part comprising:
a first foam tier adapted to face in a direction of a user; and
a second foam tier adapted to face in a direction away from the user, wherein the first foam tier has at least one of a hardness and a density which is different from at least one of a hardness and a density of the second foam tier and the first foam tier has a plurality of comfort tubes adapted to face the user, the comfort tubes comprising an elevated foam-part region adapted to face the user, at least one of the comfort tubes having a hole, wherein depressions are provided between adjacent comfort tubes.

2. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the comfort tubes define an outer surface of the first foam tier.

3. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hole extends in a cylindrical manner in the at least one of the comfort tubes.

4. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the comfort tubes has at least another hole to provide a plurality of holes in the at least one of the comfort tubes.

5. The foam part as claimed in claim 4 , wherein at least one of the holes is configured as a blind hole.

6. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a meshwork, wherein the first foam tier is separated from the second foam tier by the meshwork and the meshwork is formed of at least one of polyethylene, jute, gauze, and non-woven material.

7. The foam part as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a separation plane, which is formed by the meshwork lies between the first foam tier and the second foam tier in an almost horizontal plane of the foam part.

8. The foam part as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region of lowermost points of depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

9. The foam part as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region below depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

10. The foam part as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region above lowermost points of the depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

11. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the comfort tubes are disposed in at least two fields which are separated from one another by upholstery fastening ducts.

12. The foam part as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fields are mirror images of one another.

13. The foam part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the foam part has a third foam tier which has a greater hardness and/or density than the hardness and/or density of the other two foam tiers in a region of a side panel of the foam part.

14. A method for producing a foam part comprising a first foam tier adapted to face in a direction of a user and a second foam tier adapted to face in a direction away from the user, wherein the first foam tier has a hardness and/or density which is different from the second foam tier and the first foam tier has a plurality of comfort tubes which face the user, the method comprising the steps of:
foaming the first foam tier having the comfort tubes, the comfort tubes comprising an elevated foam-part region adapted to face the user, at least one of the comfort tubes having a hole, wherein depressions are provided between adjacent comfort tubes; and
foaming the second foam tier subsequent to said step of foaming the first foam tier.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein a separation plane, which is formed by a meshwork lies between the first foam tier and the second foam tier in an almost horizontal plane of the foam part.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the comfort tubes are disposed in at least two fields which are separated from one another by upholstery fastening ducts.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region of lowermost points of the depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region below the depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the separation plane is disposed in a region above lowermost points of the depressions between at least two adjacent comfort tubes.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Gmbh

Inventors

• Hugues Laurent
• Hilger Karsten
• Riezler Bernhard
• Steinmeier Horst
• Benamar Mohsin

Classifications

• B29K2623/06

  PE, i.e. polyethylene · CPC title

• B29K2105/04

  cellular or porous · CPC title

• B29C44/0461

  by having different chemical compositions in different places, e.g. having different concentrations of foaming agent, feeding one composition after the other · CPC title

• B29C44/06

  Making multilayered articles {(B29C44/0407 - B29C44/0492 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C44/0469

  provided with physical separators between the different materials, e.g. separating layers, mould walls · CPC title