Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Body shell
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-29
2001-02-13
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Body shell
C280S751000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186582
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a covering part for absorbing impact energy, in particular for sheet-metal supporting parts in motor vehicles.
Safety regulations in the motor vehicle industry require energy-absorbing materials to be disposed in those internal regions which are at risk from head impact, in order to reduce the risk of injury. In order to satisfy those requirements, airbag systems or coverings produced by injection molding are disposed in the regions at risk and the coverings are backed by a suitable foam system. The installation of the elements produced from a plurality of parts by injection molding is time consuming and transition regions between the plastic parts and the foam part are associated with optical restrictions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a covering part for impact absorption, in particular for sheet-metal supporting parts in motor vehicles, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and which provides a hollow structure of the covering part completely filled with foam for absorbing energy, while at the same time simplifying installation.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a covering part for absorbing impact energy, which includes a hollow section formed by blow molding, the hollow section defining a cavity; and a foam material filled in the cavity, the foam material placed in the cavity as a foamable material in one of a powder form, a granular form, and a paste form, and foamed by a thermal action.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the thermal action is a direct thermal action or is an indirect thermal action performed by one of a microwave energy and a high frequency energy.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the covering part of the invention is provided for a sheet-metal supporting part in a motor vehicle.
With the objects of the invention in view there is also provided a method of producing a covering part for absorbing impact energy, which comprises blow molding a hollow section and forming a cavity therein; placing foamable material of one of a powder form, a granular form, and a paste form in the cavity; and expanding the foamable material by providing heat energy.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the heat energy is provided directly or is provided indirectly as microwave energy or high frequency energy.
The object of the invention is achieved by filling a foamable material having an arbitrary consistency into the hollow profile and expanding the foamable material by providing energy. The foamable material is preferably introduced into the hollow profile in powder form, granular form, or as a material having a spreadable consistency. Energy may be provided to the foamable material directly and/or indirectly. In accordance with the invention the energy is provided as heat energy, high frequency energy, or microwave energy. Preferably a partly crystalline olefinic co-polymer is used. Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a covering part, in particular for sheet-metal supporting parts in motor vehicles, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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Dayoan D. Glenn
Greenberg Laurence A.
Lerner Herbert L.
Moeller Plast GmbH
Morrow Jason
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