Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
  • B60R21/04—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings
  • B60R21/045—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
  • B60R13/02—Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
  • B60R13/02—Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners
  • B60R13/0256—Dashboard liners
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R13/00—Elements for body-finishing, identifying, or decorating; Arrangements or adaptations for advertising purposes
  • B60R13/02—Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners
  • B60R2013/0287—Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners integrating other functions or accessories
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
  • B60R21/04—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings
  • B60R2021/0414—Padded linings for the vehicle interior ; Energy absorbing structures associated with padded or non-padded linings using energy absorbing ribs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a flexible lining for a motor vehicle equipment part, of the type comprising:
• a flexible outer skin defining an outer surface of appearance and an inner surface
• each protrusion coming integrally with the outer skin, intended to bear on a support frame of the workpiece, each protrusion extending from the inner surface, the projections delimiting between them deformation spaces of the lining for give it flexibility.
• FR-A-2,850,077 discloses a flexible packing of the aforementioned type, comprising a flexible outer skin which defines an outer surface of appearance.
• the lining comprises a plurality of ribs integral with the upper skin, which are supported on a support frame of the piece. The ribs delimit between them deformation cells of the lining to give it flexibility.
• Such packing may have in some cases a variable flexibility and inhomogeneous over its entire extent.
• An object of the invention is therefore to improve the flexibility of the lining, homogeneously throughout its range.
• the subject of the invention is a lining of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the ratio of the thickness of the skin, taken orthogonally to the inner surface, to the thickness of each projection, taken along the inner surface is greater than 2, and the ratio of the skin thickness to the minimum distance separating each pair of facing projections taken along the inner surface is greater than 0.3.
• the lining according to the invention may comprise one or more of the following characteristics, taken separately or in any technically possible combination:
• the plurality of projections defines an array of adjacent cells, each cell being separated from the adjacent cells by at least one projection;
• each projection is connected to at least two other protrusions along a common lateral edge
• each projection has a decreasing thickness while moving along the projection away from the skin;
• the skin and the plurality of projections are formed from a material having a hardness of between 60 shore A and 75 shore A;
• the angle formed by the axis of each projection and an orthogonal axis with a surface area of the outer skin taken at the base of the projection is less than 30 °;
• first region comprising a plurality of projections parallel to a first axis, and at least a second region having a plurality of projections parallel to a second axis inclined relative to the first axis.
• the invention further relates to a piece of motor vehicle equipment, characterized in that it comprises a rigid support frame and a lining as defined above, the lining at least partially covering an outer surface of the vehicle. support frame.
• FIG. 1 is a partial schematic perspective view of a portion of a first dashboard according to the invention
• Figure 2 is a partial and enlarged schematic section taken along the plane II-II of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view from below of a part of the trim of the dashboard of Figure 1.
• orientations are the usual orientations of a motor vehicle.
• the terms “upper”, “lower”, “transversal”, “longitudinal”, “forward”, “rear”, “left”, “right” are understood in relation to the normal direction of traffic of a motor vehicle and at the position of a driver.
• FIGS 1 to 3 describe a dashboard 11 according to the invention.
• This board 11 comprises a rigid frame 13 of support which internally delimits a housing 15, a flexible lining 17, and means 19 for peripheral attachment of the lining 17 on the frame 13.
• the flexible lining 17 completely closes the housing 15.
• the support frame 13, sometimes called insert, is fixed in a conventional manner to the body (not shown) of the motor vehicle. It is made for example of polyolefin thermoplastic material, homopolymer or copolymer, optionally comprising mineral fillers or fiber reinforcement. of glass. It can be made of ABS-PC (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate) optionally reinforced with glass fibers. These materials have a rigidity to fulfill a support function.
• the armature 13 comprises an upper wall 21 and a lower wall 23, interconnected by a hollow region 25 delimiting the housing 15.
• the upper and lower walls 21 and 23 are curved. Each wall 21, 23 has an outer surface 24A, 24B which partially delimits an appearance surface 26 of the dashboard 11 intended to be placed opposite a vehicle occupant.
• the hollow region 25 comprises a curved bottom 31 which extends parallel to the surface of appearance 26 of the dashboard 11.
• the flexible lining 17 comprises an outer casing skin 51 of substantially constant thickness p , extended downwards by a network of projecting ribs 53 protruding delimiting between them a plurality of adjacent cells 55.
• the lining 17 and thus the skin 51 and the ribs 53 are formed in one piece of plastic material, for example elastomeric thermoplastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO). It is also possible to use flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or rubber such as silicone.
• plastic material for example elastomeric thermoplastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO).
• TPU thermoplastic polyurethane
• TPO thermoplastic polyolefin
• PVC polyvinyl chloride
• silicone silicone
• the lining 17 is substantially more flexible than the armature 13.
• the hardness of the material forming the lining is for example between 60 shore A and 75 shore A, and is preferably substantially equal to 60 shore A.
• the ribs 53 extend from a lower surface 57 of the skin 51 to an upper surface 59 of the bottom 31 on which they rest. Note that in this example, the ribs 53 are substantially orthogonal to the leading surfaces of the bottom 31 and the skin 51.
• Each rib 53 has, in section along a vertical plane, a decreasing thickness by moving along the rib 53 away from the skin 51.
• the ratio Ri of the thickness e p of the skin 51, taken orthogonally to the lower surface 57, at the thickness e s of each rib 53, taken at its base along the lower surface 57, is greater than 2.
• each rib 53A has two lateral edges 61 extending substantially perpendicularly to the lower surface 57 of the skin 51.
• Each rib 53A is connected to at least two other ribs 53B, 53C, 53D along each lateral edge 61 over the entire height of the lateral edge 61.
• each rib 53A is connected along each lateral edge 61 to an adjacent rib 53B extending substantially in the same plane as the rib 53A.
• Each rib 53A is also connected along the same lateral edge 61 with two ribs 53C, 53D extending in a plane orthogonal to the plane of the rib 53A, on either side of the plane of the rib 53A.
• Each rib 53A extends facing a rib 53E located in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the rib 53A.
• the rib 53B is connected to the facing rib 53A by two adjacent ribs 53C, 53F extending from two opposite lateral edges 61 of the rib 53A.
• the rib 53A, the rib 53E opposite, and the adjacent ribs 53C and 53D thus define a cell 55 of substantially closed section, taken along the lower surface 57 of the skin 51.
• Each cell 55 is thus separated from an adjacent cell by at least one rib 53.
• the sections of the cells 55, taken along the bottom surface 57 are all of substantially square identical shapes, which simplifies the molding of the flexible packing 17 according to the invention. invention.
• the ratio R 2 of the thickness e p of the skin 51 to the minimum distance d n which separates each pair of facing ribs 53A, 53E, taken along the lower surface 57 is greater than 0.3.
• the skin 51 has an upper surface 71, located opposite the lower surface 57.
• the upper surface 71 delimits a portion of the appearance surface 26 of the dashboard 11 which extends between the outer surfaces 24A, 24B of the upper and lower walls 21 and 23.
• the upper surface 71 of the skin 51 is flush with each outer surface 24A, 24B.
• the aspect surface 26 of the dashboard is therefore substantially continuous.
• the fastening means 19 of the packing 17 on the frame 13 are similar to those described in the French application FR 2 850 077 or in the French application No. 05 03 653 of the Applicant and will not be described in more detail.
• the lining 17 being made of a flexible material and cells 55 being delimited between the ribs 53, the lining 17 can be deformed to the touch.
• This deformation can result from a buckling of the ribs 53 situated in the vicinity of the point of application of a thrust force and a flexion of the one or more skin regions 51 located between these ribs 53.
• the ribs 53 and the cells 55 thus give its flexibility and its thickness to the lining 17 so that a satisfactory comfort is obtained.
• the ribs 53 are not all orthogonal to the leading surfaces of the bottom 31 and the skin 17.
• the packing 17 comprises an upper region 101 in which the ribs 53 extend, in section along a vertical longitudinal plane, parallel to the same axis AA 1 and a lower region 103 in which the ribs 53B are extend parallel to the same axis BB 'inclined with respect to the axis A-A'.
• the maximum angle ⁇ formed by the axis of each rib 53 and the direction D orthogonal to a directing surface of the skin 51 passing through the base of the rib 53A on the skin 51 is less than 30. 0 C to ensure adequate flexibility of the lining 17.
• the lining 17 has a plurality of regions 101, 103 in which the ribs 53 are all parallel to each other and have an angular deflection of less than 30 ° from normal to a directing surface of the skin 51 at the base of each rib.
• the majority axis of the ribs 53 that is to say the axis of the ribs in the region 101 of the lining 17 having the largest number of parallel ribs 53 is substantially parallel to the demolding axis of a embodiment mold (not shown) of the packing 17.
• the mold for producing the packing 17 further comprises at least one complementary block for producing ribs 53B of axis B-B 'inclined with respect to the axis A-A'.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Vehicle Interior And Exterior Ornaments, Soundproofing, And Insulation (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=37054739

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 2006
  • 2006-05-09 FR FR0604098A patent/FR2900889B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-04-26 US US12/299,970 patent/US7922227B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-04-26 EP EP07731369A patent/EP2015968A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-04-26 WO PCT/FR2007/000713 patent/WO2007128908A1/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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