Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Honeycomb-like
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-28
2002-07-02
Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Honeycomb-like
C428S131000, C428S157000, C428S159000, C428S213000, C428S218000, C296S182100, C296S214000, C264S046400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06413613
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from U.K. Patent Application No. GB 9920297.0, filed Aug. 27, 1999.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to automotive vehicles and more particularly to materials and components for use in automotive vehicles, particularly as the interior trim for such vehicles, notably the materials used as lining materials for the driver and passenger seating locations in such a vehicle.
BACKGROUND ART
The invention relates to a material and article for use as a headliner, i.e. a material and product for lining the region of the driver and passenger compartment roof which is in proximity to the heads of persons traveling in the vehicle and that provides cushioning. Indeed, such materials are the subject of regulations and associated legislation so far as vehicle manufacturers are concerned. In particular, in the U.S. the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201 defines particular impact characteristics and requirements for automotive interiors. Similar such regulations exist and/or are being considered in Europe and other countries. Some aspects of the present invention are also, however, applicable outside the field of headliners but in related automotive and other applications.
Automotive headliners for current vehicle operating conditions are required to fulfill several functions. They need to present a cosmetically pleasing surface finish to the vehicle roof inside surface. They are also now required to provide energy management (arising from a requirement to absorb energy upon impact with the headliner by a person's head). They are also required to provide a degree of acoustic damping in order to reduce noise in the vehicle. In addition, we have discovered that such structures should be of an integrated structure in which the headliner provides a structural function in terms of presenting a unified structure in which the parts of the structure which contribute to the overall energy-management and other functions are integrated into a generally one-piece structure which presents a unitary basis for providing the requisite structures and functions of a headliner.
The requirements for energy management of an automotive interior as a whole (e.g. headliner in combination with roof structure) are specified (at the present time) in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 201, which is incorporated herein by reference. This standard sets a maximum HIC value (as defined in the standard) which the interior as a whole should comply with. The HIC value for the interior as a whole defines and indicates the impact characteristics and effect of the interior when impacted by an object, e.g., a person's head.
With regard to these functions and regulations, we mention the following. In principle, a headliner requires a greater degree of energy management ability in those areas of its structure where the vehicle roof structure to which it is attached has the greatest stiffness and rigidity. Such areas are generally located somewhat laterally of the driver and front seat passenger(s), although other regions of the roof may also be particularly stiff or rigid and require a greater degree of energy management. On the other hand, where the vehicle roof structure is less rigid and more able to deflect (an example of which is the more central region of the roof structure of a vehicle in which the less-structurally braced roof panel is able to deflect under impact) the headliner itself does not need to provide a significant energy management level and a headliner which provides a lower energy management quotient can be accepted in such regions. Accordingly, the requirements of a headliner structure which, in an integrated fashion, is required to span the driver/passenger head location region between and including these regions of varying stiffness and rigidity, likewise vary considerably. For example, where the roof structure is the most rigid, the higher energy management requirements are imposed and required for the headliner and these corresponding regions of the headliner should have a corresponding higher or highest ability to absorb energy upon impact or like circumstances in order that the interior as a whole meets the requirements and new regulations.
An example of a prior headliner proposal which provides for energy absorbency is described in International Patent Application WO 97/109050. This proposal suggests the use of a foam material which is impregnated with a hardening compound in order to provide an energy absorbent headliner. It also describes selectively impregnating different areas of the foam forming the headliner with different amounts of hardener in order to selectively vary the energy absorbent properties. It should be noted that a fiberglass reinforcing layer is incorporated with the foam core to provide structural strength.
A further energy absorbent headliner is proposed in EP 0,882,622. This headliner again uses a foam material which is bonded onto a backing, or reinforcing sheet. To provide selected areas, in particular the marginal areas, with improved energy absorbing properties, additional separate foam panels are provided and bonded to the marginal areas of the headliner.
WO 97/32752 discloses a different type of headliner which comprises a plastic honeycomb core as opposed to the foam cores proposed in the above prior patents. The objective of this configuration though is to provide a more easily recyclable headliner structure. Consequently, problems associated with having to trim considerable amounts of excess material from the formed structure in order to produce the required shape of the headliner are addressed by making the headliner material more easily recyclable. It is not apparent from this proposal that energy absorbent properties are provided by this proposed structure or how, or even if, specific areas are provided with different energy absorbent properties. Indeed, this proposal simply states that it provides good strength and acoustic characteristics. Furthermore, such a plastic honeycomb structure described in this proposal would generally be expected, by virtue of the strength and stiffness of the honeycomb structure, to provide little or no energy absorbency. The interior structure proposed is also relatively heavy and costly to produce since the entire uniform structure would be required to have the maximum required level of energy management/absorbency if it is to be adapted to comply with the new regulations and requirements.
It is also mentioned that a large number of conventional prior art headliners currently in use do not provide any significant energy management or absorbent function. Conventionally, headliners for automotive vehicles have been designed to simply provide a decorative function and to provide acoustic insulation.
Other existing proposals for automotive headliners likewise leave something to be desired in terms of efficacy, simplicity of construction, weight and/or ease of installation and/or related cost factors due to their complex construction and wastage involved in their installation, and can be improved.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
A desirable object of the present invention is to provide materials and articles applicable to use as automotive headliners, and for analogous uses offering improvements in relation to efficacy and/or, ease of manufacture and/or ease of installation and/or simplicity of structure and/or versatility, efficacy and/or cost, weight and/or improvements generally.
One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is predicated on the use, to form an automotive headliner and, in particular, an energy absorbent core structure for an automotive headliner or similar, from a material formed by the joining of straw or tube-like polymeric elements into a coherent mass, for example a block or sheet. In such a material, the polymeric tubes are caused to cohere by a suitable process of cohesion, for example heat-welding or thermal fusing. Such materials are not new in themselves. The general manufacturing process to fabricate such materials i
Bahta Abraham
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
Jones Deborah
Lear Corporation
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