Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-12
2003-05-06
Sells, James (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S073100, C156S251000, C156S308200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06558492
ABSTRACT:
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in German Application No. 100 12 167.5 of Mar. 13, 2000, the entire specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a screen element for motor vehicles, in particular, a wind blocker or a sun protection, comprising a frame and a piece of flat material held by the frame and extending over an area enclosed by the frame.
Screen elements of this type are known from the state of the art. In these cases, the piece of flat material is fixed on the frame by means of force locking, for example, by the pressing in of an elastic ring.
Such a fixing of the piece of flat material causes problems since the production of the force-locking connection is expensive and, in addition, the force-locking connection does not always display the desired fatigue strength.
The object underlying the invention is therefore to improve a screen element of the generic type in such a manner that this is simple to produce and has as permanent a connection as possible between the piece of flat material and the frame.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, in a screen element of the type described at the outset, in that the piece of flat material is fixed permanently on the frame in that at least one frame part element consisting of a plastic material is connected to an additional part by way of a connecting area of the plastic material which is heated up by means of a sonotrode, softened and hardened.
The advantage of the inventive solution is to be seen in the fact that the melting of the plastic material, preferably, a thermoplastic material by means of a sonotrode offers a simple possibility of fixing the piece of flat material on the frame, on the one hand, inexpensively and, on the other hand, permanently.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the inventive solution provides for the frame part element to be connected to the edge area of the piece of flat material as additional part, i.e. that a direct connection between the frame part element and the edge of the piece of flat material can be produced by way of the softening and hardening of the connecting area.
This solution is particularly advantageous since it allows a secure fixing of the piece of flat material on the frame without any complicated connection techniques having to be used.
Such a fixing of the edge area of the flat material on the frame allows, in particular, automation of the production and thus an extremely inexpensive production.
Such a connection between the edge area of the piece of flat material and the frame part element can be produced in the most varied of ways.
One advantageous embodiment, for example, provides for the edge area of the piece of flat material to be embedded in the connecting area softened by the sonotrode and subsequently hardened. This means that no change in the material of the piece of flat material itself takes place as a result of the action of the sonotrode but merely an embedding thereof in the softened and subsequently hardened connecting area and thus a type of form-locking connection between the edge area of the piece of flat material and the frame part element.
A particularly favorable connection can be produced when the flat material is a woven or knitted or braided fabric so that the softened or melted plastic material saturates the edge area of the woven or knitted or braided fabric and thus embeds the fibers thereof in the connecting area essentially undamaged so that an extremely permanent, form-locking connection between the edge area of the flat material and the frame part element can be produced.
Alternatively thereto, an additional advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the piece of flat material to be produced from a plastic material which can likewise be heated up by ultrasound, softened and subsequently hardened and has formed a connection, for example, a type of welding connection with the plastic material of the frame part element due to the softened plastic materials flowing into one another.
This solution expressly provides for the alteration of the geometrical shape of the material of the piece of flat material insofar as this is likewise melted and thus forms an intimate connection with the plastic material of the area of the frame part.
In the case of fibers, this presupposes that the fibers lose their fiber structure and, insofar as they extend through the connecting areas, have formed an intimate connection with the plastic material of the frame part element in the connecting areas due to softening.
In principle, the inventive solution also comprises all the solutions, with which an inventive connection is produced between the edge area of the piece of flat material and the frame along a connecting line, wherein the connecting area can therefore extend along the connecting line.
A particularly preferred solution does, however, provide for the edge area of the piece of flat material to be fixed on the frame part element in connecting areas arranged so as to follow one another at a distance along a connecting line. Such a solution has the great advantage that, as a result of the connecting areas being arranged in spaced relationship, even in the case of any damage to the edge area of the piece of flat material, either due to damage to the fibers or to too great a softening of the material, this cannot continue along the entire connecting line but is always interrupted.
In addition, the effect of the ultrasound is even better and more greatly localized due to the connecting areas being arranged at a distance from one another and so the connection between the frame part element and the respectively other part can also be produced in a more defined manner, in particular, with a defined softening of the plastic material.
In this respect, it is particularly favorable when the connecting areas are arranged at a distance from one another which corresponds in its order of magnitude to the extension of the connecting areas in the direction of the connecting line.
In principle, it would be conceivable to define the connecting areas in that these result due to the ultrasonic effect, for example, with local pressure due to the sonotrode, in addition.
However, in order to avoid any undefined formation of the connecting areas in this respect, as well, it is preferably provided for the connecting areas to be predetermined by plastic material agglomerations. Such plastic material agglomerations not only have the advantage that a specific local effect of the ultrasound can be achieved during the formation of the connection but also the advantage that enough material is available in the case of the plastic melt then forming to create a secure connection between the frame part element and the corresponding part, i.e. the edge area of the flat material or the other part to be connected.
Particularly when the flat material is a woven or knitted or braided fabric it is advantageous when sufficient plastic material is available for the plastic material melt which can then reliably saturate the edge area of the woven or knitted or braided fabric and thus embed the fibers.
The advantage of a sufficiently large quantity of plastic material being available is, however, also given in the case where the material of the edge area of the piece of flat material melts since, as a result, a good connection of the two melting materials is possible.
The presence of such a plastic material agglomeration may be achieved in any desired manner. For example, it would be conceivable to apply, in addition, particles of plastic material or powdered plastic material to the connecting areas provided prior to any action of the sonotrode.
However, the plastic material agglomeration later desired can be achieved particularly advantageously when the frame part element is provided with the plastic material agglomerations forming the connecting areas.
A particularly advantageous embodiment of the inventive solution provides for the edge area of the flat material to be fixed permanently on the fram
Goetz Matthias
Riehle Joerg
Lipsitz Barry R.
McAllister Douglas M.
ORIS Fahrzeugteile Hans Riehle GmbH
Sells James
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