Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Including aperture
Patent
1997-11-25
2000-06-06
Copenheaver, Blaine
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Including aperture
264 452, 264 467, 264278, 264313, 264317, 428134, 4283144, 4283179, 454143, 454162, B29C 3350, B29C 4412, B60H 124
Patent
active
06071591&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of making a fascia panel for a motor vehicle, in which at least one air duct is incorporated, and to the fascia panel thereby obtained.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A motor vehicle fascia panel commonly contains at least one duct for air distribution, which is arranged to be supplied with a stream of processed air drawn from a heating and ventilating, and/or air conditioning, apparatus, and to deliver this processed air towards outlet ports which are open in selected locations in the cabin of the vehicle.
These air outlets normally include deicing vents for deicing and/or demisting the windscreen of the vehicle, and, where appropriate, side windows of the vehicle. The vents also include ventilators which are disposed on a front part of the fascia panel, and which consist of side ventilators and at least one central ventilator.
Most fascia panels contain a set of ducts, which are generally made of plastics material and which are interposed between the heating and ventilating, and/or air conditioning, apparatus and the various outlet vents.
The deicing and/or demisting vents are generally fed through ducts made of plastics material which are fixed under the armature of the fascia panel, and which are connected to a diffuser, usually again of plastics material, which is also fixed under the armature of the fascia panel, being adapted to be connected to the outlet of the heating and ventilating and/or air conditioning apparatus.
Similarly, the ventilators are generally fed through further ducts of plastics material, which are assembled mechanically and fixed under the armature of the fascia panel, being connected to a further diffuser.
Thus, the diffusion of air in such fascia panels of known types necessitates the provision of a large number of ducts and connections interposed between the heating and ventilating, and/or air conditioning, apparatus and the various air outlet vents. This gives rise to a number of drawbacks, namely: possible leaks due to imperfect connections, air noise (due to vibrations of the walls of the tubes), heat losses, aerodynamic losses, a proliferation of components, the need to provide a considerable amount of space within the fascia panel, a long and complicated fitting process, and a consequent high production cost.
It is also known, from the publication DE-3 818 666, to provide a fascia panel in which an air distribution duct is incorporated. This duct is made in the form of a single component which is applied to the fascia panel. Such a known arrangement does indeed enable the number of components to be reduced, but on the other hand it still has most of the disadvantages mentioned above.
None of the criteria for obtaining a fascia panel incorporating one or more air ducts has yet been able to be achieved, having regard in particular to the problems raised by the process of moulding hollow components of complex forms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The basic problem of the invention was therefore to provide a method of making a fascia panel which incorporates at least one distribution duct, and in which the drawbacks mentioned above are overcome.
To this end, the invention proposes a method of making a fascia panel for a motor vehicle, of the type defined above, which includes the following operations: mould, using at least one removable core which is at least partly reabsorbable, and which has a selected geometry matched to that of the air duct to be incorporated; place; and
In this way, the or each air duct is, a duct of foamed plastic, constituting an integral part of the body of the fascia panel, which enables the above mentioned disadvantages to be eliminated.
The principal advantages of the invention are as follows: fact that the air ducts are fully integrated within the body of the fascia panel; of the fascia; insulation around the ducts, because the foamed plastics material is itself a very good insulator; apparatus and the fascia panel are eliminated, thus giving an improvement in reliability; and in production c
REFERENCES:
patent: 3651180 (1972-03-01), Glueckert
patent: 3692892 (1972-09-01), Lemelson
patent: 4624874 (1986-11-01), Schutze
patent: 4898764 (1990-02-01), Kurihara et al.
patent: 5045251 (1991-09-01), Johnson
patent: 5314653 (1994-05-01), Haralambopoulos
Patent Abstracts of Japan vol. 012, No. 182 (M-702), May 27, 1988 & JP 62 292421 A (Honda Motor Co Ltd), Dec. 19, 1987.
Copenheaver Blaine
Valeo Climatisation
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