Ventilation – Vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-05
2001-04-17
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
C264S318000, C264S336000, C264SDIG005, C454S121000, C454S143000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217438
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an air duct arranged to be incorporated in a fascia panel of a motor vehicle, and also to a method for making it.
A motor vehicle fascia panel usually contains at least one duct for air distribution which is arranged to be supplied with a stream of treated air coming from a heating and ventilating, and/or air conditioning, apparatus, and to deliver this treated air to vents which are open in selected places in the cabin of the vehicle.
These vents usually include de-icing vents for de-icing and de-misting the windscreen and where appropriate side windows of the vehicle. The vents also include ventilating vents which are disposed on a front part of the fascia panel and consist of side vents and at least one central vent.
Most known fascia panels contain a plurality of ducts, generally of plastics material, which are interposed between the heating and ventilating and/or air conditioning apparatus and the various vents.
The de-icing and de-misting vents are generally supplied through ducts of plastics material which are fixed underneath the armature of the fascia panel and connected to a diffuser, which is also of plastics material and which is again fixed on the armature of the fascia panel and arranged to be connected to the outlet of the heating and ventilating and/or air conditioning apparatus.
Similarly, the ventilating vents are generally supplied through ducts of plastics material which are assembled mechanically and which are fixed underneath the armature of the fascia panel and connected to a further diffuser.
Thus the diffusion of air in these known fascia panels necessitates a multiplicity of ducts and connections interposed between the heating and ventilating and/or air conditioning apparatus and the vents. This gives rise to a certain number of disadvantages: possible leaks because of the connections, air noise (vibrations in the walls of the tubes), heat losses, air pressure losses, a large number of components, occupation of much space within the fascia panel, a long and complicated fitting process, and as a result high cost.
It is also known from the publication DE-3 818 666 to provide a fascia panel which includes an integral air distribution channel. This channel is made in the form of a single member which is fixed on the underside of the fascia panel. This known solution does indeed enable the number of components to be reduced, but nevertheless it has most of the disadvantages mentioned above, due in particular to the fact that the air distribution channel is not formed in one piece with the fascia panel.
Up to the present time all attempts to make a fascia panel which includes one or more integral air ducts have been unable truly to succeed, in view particularly of the problems posed by moulding of hollow parts with complex forms.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to obtain an integral air duct for a vehicle fascia panel which avoids the above mentioned drawbacks.
To this end, it proposes an integral air duct for a motor vehicle fascia panel, characterised in that it is made in the form of an open duct having a longitudinal slot bounded by two lips, in that the open duct is formed in one piece with the fascia panel by moulding in a deformable material which permits stripping from the mould with widening of the longitudinal slot, and in that it includes joining means for joining together the lips of the longitudinal slot after stripping from the mould.
Thus the air duct of the invention is made in the form of an open duct in a deformable material which can be moulded to the desired form and then stripped from the mould with spreading of the slot of the duct, while being formed in one piece with the fascia panel.
In this connection, having regard to the deformation and flexibility properties of the material used for moulding, it is possible to effect stripping from the mould under stress by temporarily opening up the longitudinal slot of the duct, the lips of the slot being then brought together with a view to joining them together by means of the joining means.
The elastic memory effect of the material used for moulding generally facilitates bringing the lips together.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the longitudinal slot is on the opposite side from the fascia panel.
According to another features of the invention, the deformable material is a plastics material.
It is preferred to use a foam of plastics material, because this is a material which is both deformable and a thermal insulator.
The joining means may be mechanical means. In particular, the joining means comprise two conjugate profiles formed respectively on the lips of the longitudinal slot, and arranged to be mated together.
Other joining means may be envisaged, in particular means for adhesive bonding or welding.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of making an air duct according to one of claims
1
to
7
, the duct having a given external form and a given internal form, characterised in that it comprises the following operations:
(a) providing a mould comprising a male part and a female part, which are adapted to define together a mould cavity matched to the external form of the duct and that of the fascia panel, the male part including a mould core matched to the internal form of the duct and attached to a narrow web;
(b) injecting a moulding material between the male part and the female part of the mould in such a way as to fill the mould cavity and form an open duct having an open annular cross section defining, in register with the web, a longitudinal slot bounded by two adjacent lips;
(c) separating the male part and the female part of the mould;
(d) stripping the duct and the fascia panel from the mould by widening the slot so as to extract the mould core; and
(e) joining together the two lips of the longitudinal slot so as to close the duct.
In one embodiment of the invention, operation (b) comprises injection of the moulding material between the male part and the female part of the mould in a position in which they are brought together. This is then a method of injection with a closed mould.
In another embodiment of the invention, operation (b) comprises injection of the moulding material between the male part and the female part of the mould in a position in which the said parts are separated from each other, and then bringing the male part and the female part of the mould together. This is then a method of injection of the open mould type.
The method of the invention thus enables a duct to be made with given external and internal forms, which forms an integral part of a fascia panel, and this is achieved with the use of a mould comprising complementary male and female parts, with the male part including a core matched to the internal form of the duct.
During the operation of stripping from the mould, the core is not removed, because it remains fixed to the male part. Stripping is achieved by deformation of the duct under stress, by virtue of the deformation properties of the moulding material.
For the stripping operation it is sufficient to deform the duct by spreading the slot enough to enable the core to be extracted laterally.
Manufacture of a similar but unslotted duct at the same time as the fascia panel was not possible with a conventional moulding method because extraction of the core in the axial direction of the duct was impossible.
In one embodiment of the invention, the method includes, prior to the injection operation (b), putting in place an insert between the male part and the female part of the mould so as to constitute an armature of the fascia panel.
Alternatively or in addition, the method includes, prior to the injection operation (b), putting in place a coating between the male part and the female part of the mould so as to constitute an external skin of the fascia panel on the side opposite to the duct.
Preferably, the injection operation (b) comprises injection of a plastics material capable of forming a foam.
The operation of joining together the two lips
Joyce Harold
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Valeo Climatisation
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