Patent Application
20250033567
The invention is directed to a molded front storage compartment for a vehicle, in particular a car, such as an electric battery vehicle.
The main storage space in a car, also referred to as the trunk, boot or luggage or goods compartment, is often located at the rear of the car and is traditionally formed by the structural metal body floor and walls of the car, lined with protective cover materials.
The cover material is supported over its surface by the structural metal body floor and walls of the car and since the load from the luggage or goods is mainly carried by the car body's floor, the cover material does not have to be very stiff.
Many electric cars have a storage space located at the front of the vehicle, since the power train takes less space and or the electric motor is not located at the front of the car.
Unlike at the rear of the car, the front structural body does not have a floor that can be used to form a storage space where a lining can be supported, but has only main structural beams. The trim parts located in this area of the car may be subjected to dirt, hot, cold and/or wet weather conditions.
The front storage compartment, also referred to as frunk or luggage or goods compartment, is therefore formed by a solid plastic structural material shaped into a three-dimensional storage cavity, simply supported around the upper rim of the storage compartment and possibly at single points under the storage compartment at the vehicles main structural beams. Such a storage compartment may need to carry up to 80 kg and must therefore be rigid and have sufficient high stiffness since the support from the body of the car may be less than in the case of the traditional rear luggage or goods compartment. The solid plastic materials used for such a luggage or goods compartment are heavy and since not porous also not providing any noise absorption. It is therefore the object of the current invention to provide an alternative material suitable for forming the front storage compartment overcoming the problems of the current solution in particular to reduce noise and enhance acoustic performance. The invention is directed to a molded front storage compartment for a vehicle, in particular a car, such as an electric battery vehicle.
The object of the invention is achieved by a front storage compartment according to claim 1.
The molded front storage compartment for a vehicle according to the invention comprises a structural layer wherein the structural layer is shaped as a three-dimensional storage cavity for holding luggage or goods wherein the structural layer comprises at least one porous fibrous layer and wherein the at least one porous fibrous layer is consisting essentially of thermoplastic core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments wherein the core consists of a first polymer and the sheath consists of a second polymer. The front storage compartment for a vehicle according to the invention is suitable for being mounted in the front region of a vehicle such as a car.
The term “consisting essentially of” should be understood as the at least one porous fibrous layer consisting of thermoplastic core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments, but minor amounts of impurities may be present.
Surprisingly a porous fibrous layer consisting essentially of thermoplastic core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments can be formed in a strong three dimensional shape and wherein the at least one porous fibrous layer has sufficient strength and stiffness. Since the at least one porous fibrous layer has enough strength and stiffness no other structural layers are needed and the storage compartment may consist of only the at least one porous fibrous layer according to the invention possibly with additional scrim or film layers and or decorative layers not substantially contributing to the overall stiffness of the molded front storage compartment.
Surprisingly the at least one porous fibrous layer according to the invention is structural in the sense of being able to mostly keep its shape, but also being stiff enough to substantially maintain its shape when loaded with luggage or goods.
The at least one porous fibrous layer is also structural in the sense of keeping its form and elasticity also under load and or after long periods of exposure to higher temperatures as well as after aging.
Endless filaments, also known as continuous filaments, are continuous fibers with indefinite length, not cut to a specific length. In particular cut melt-spun filaments forming staple fibers are not endless filaments.
Hereinafter the terms filaments or bicomponent filaments are referring to thermoplastic core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments.
Core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments may be formed by two polymers combined to form endless filaments having a core of one polymer and a surrounding sheath of the other polymer and the production of such filaments is known in the art. It is however not required that the sheath polymer totally surrounds the core polymer.
The second polymer has a melting point lower than the melting point of the first polymer so that upon heating the bicomponent filaments, the first and second polymers react differently. For example, when the bicomponent filaments, during production of the at least one porous fibrous layer, are heated to a temperature that is above the softening or melting point of the second polymer (the sheath polymer) and below the melting point of the first polymer (the core polymer), the second polymer will soften or melt while the first polymer doesn't. This softening of the second polymer will cause the second polymer to become sticky and bond to filaments that may be in close proximity. Preferably the second polymer is melting and forming droplets binding adjacent filament at their crossing points. While the core polymer stays intact and forms a network of filaments in the final product.
Surprisingly the required strength and stiffness of the at least one porous fibrous layer can be achieved, and increased compared to fibrous layers made of high and low melt fibers, by using thermoplastic endless filaments.
The endless filaments are spanning over complete areas being bent when the storage compartment is being loaded and therefore the filaments are heavily contributing to the strength and stiffness of the storage compartment. Since the filaments are spanning over a longer distance compared to cut fibers they give a higher strength compared to the relatively short fibers.
Furthermore the advantages of using bicomponent filaments are that the binder polymer, being the sheath polymer, is well distributed over the fibrous layer and that the sheath of all filaments is contributing to bonding the filaments together which means that each and every connection point contributes to the binding the filaments, which is increasing the strength, and improving the adhesion between the core of the filaments, creating a stronger layer.
Preferably the at least one porous fibrous layer is a melt spun nonwoven made of polyester bicomponent filaments compressed during thermal molding to form a consolidated compact porous layer.
Preferably the at least one porous fibrous layer has a flexural modulus of at least 70 Mpa, preferably between 70 and 1300 MPa, preferably between 100 and 950 MPa, preferably between 150 and 900 MPa, measured according to the current ISO 178, in order to be able to hold luggage or goods without deforming too much. The measurements have been performed at, according to the ISO 178 specified, 23 degree Celsius and 50% relative humidity.
Surprisingly already a very thin compressed porous fibrous layer according to the invention achieves enough strength and stiffness. Preferably the at least one porous fibrous layer has a thickness between 0.5 and 7 mm, preferably between 1 and 5 mm, preferably between 1 and 3 mm.
Preferably the bicomponent filaments used are 100% polyester based.
A porous fibrous layer made of 100% polyester allows easier recycling of either cut-offs and or the product as a whole at the end of the product lifecycle. Reused material can be processed to PET pellets again and can be reused in the product or in other PET containing products. In particular, the PET used to produce the core can partly comprise recycled PET.
Preferably the first polymer is polyester, preferably polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
Preferably the second polymer is a copolymer of polyester, preferably a copolymer of polyethylene-terephthalate (coPET), or a copolymer of polybutylene terephthalate (coPBT), or polypropylene.
Specific polymer combinations for the bicomponent filaments are for example, polyethylene terephthalate/co-polyethylene terethpthalate (PET/coPET), and/polybutylene terephthalate/co-polybutylene terephthalate (PBT/coPBT) or other combinations of above mentioned polymers. The second named polymer is the sheath, the first named the core polymer.
The amount of the second polymer, in weight percentage of the at least one porous fibrous layer, is preferably between 10 and 50%, preferably between 20 and 40% in order to improve the bond between the core filaments and providing an air permeable porous fibrous layer.
Preferably the diameter of the filaments is between 14 to 37 microns, preferably between 20 to 25 microns, in order to achieve required strength.
Preferably the at least one porous fibrous layer has an area weight between 500 and 2500 g/m2, preferably between 700 and 2000 g/m2, preferably between 1000 and 1600 g/m2.
The at least one porous fibrous layer is preferably air permeable in order to be noise absorbent and has preferably an air flow resistance (AFR) between 100 to 8000 Ns/m3, preferably between 300 to 5000 Ns/m3, preferably between 1000 to 3000 Ns/m3, measured according to current ISO 9053, using the direct airflow method, method A.
The front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise a rim for mounting the front storage compartment in the vehicle, wherein the rim comprises a porous textile material which is preferably made of the same material as the at least one porous fibrous layer and where, in order to further enhance the noise absorption, the rim preferably covers an area up to the complete area covered by the vehicles front hood.
By increasing the surface area of the rim comprising the porous fibrous material, the overall absorption and noise reduction in the front of the vehicle may be improved.
The rim may be made as a separate part mounted to the front storage compartment and to the vehicle and may comprise the same material as the at least one porous fibrous layer and or may be made of another fibrous material.
For embodiments where the rim comprises the same material as the at least one porous fibrous layer, the rim may be made monolithic with the at least one porous fibrous layer forming the three-dimensional storage cavity.
The front storage compartment according to the invention preferably further comprises means for mounting the front storage compartment to the vehicle. Preferably the front storage compartment is mounted at least at the rim, for example by punch or screw clips or screws in combination with a nut or a clip; however other more elaborate solutions are possible as well.
In order to further enhance the stiffness of the front storage compartment the at least one porous fibrous layer according to the invention may comprise stiffening corrugations and or ribs. Such corrugations and or ribs may be created during layer molding of the at least one porous fibrous layer.
The molded front storage compartment according to the invention may comprise further layers situated on the inner or outer side of the cavity forming the storage compartment, such as a film or foil. The film or foil is preferably at least partly perforated to maintain or enhance the acoustic performance of the porous fibrous layer.
Preferably the film or foil is made of thermoplastic polymer such as, thermoplastic olefin, Low-density polyethylene, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyester, copolyester, polyamide, polyethylene or similar and the film or foil may be impervious or perforated. The foil or film is preferably laminated to the fibrous layer during molding of the storage compartment.
Alternative a breathable foamed layer may be used containing pin holes to enable vapor transmission between the cavity space and the area surrounding the cavity.
These additional layers may just have a decorative function and or protective functions such as being water repellent.
The molded front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise a decorative layer on at least a part of the inside of the storage compartment, such as a carpet e.g. a tufted or needle punch carpet, non-woven layer, textile knit layer, rubber layer or flocked layer. This decorative layer may also have the function to provide a soft surface in order to protect the at least one porous fibrous layer.
Alternatively also a carpet mat or rubber mat might be used to cover at least partly the inner side of the cavity. Preferably the mat is laminated or glued to the inner surface or alternatively attached with clips. Preferably it is used in conjunction to the decorative layer.
In order to further enhance the absorption, the molded front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise at least one additional absorbing layer situated on the outer surface of molded front storage compartment. Situated on the outer surface should be understood as the additional absorbing layer being connected being connected molded front storage compartment for example being laminated or glued.
This at least one additional layer may for example be a felt or foam layer, preferably open cell foam, or a combination of felt and foam layers. The layer or layers may also be covered or wrapped in a foil in order to protect the layer from for example moist and dirt.
The molded front storage compartment according to the invention may comprise a structural layer consisting of the at least one porous fibrous layer.
In another embodiment the structural layer may further comprise a polyester foam layer.
Preferably the structural layer further comprises a second porous fibrous layer where the polyester foam layer is situated in-between the two porous fibrous layers.
Such sandwich construction may increase the overall structural stiffness of the molded front storage compartment even further and at least the two porous fibrous layers may contribute to the noise absorption and the acoustic performance of the molded front storage compartment. This is in particular an advantage for front storage cases that are prone to heavy loads or in heavy duty vehicles.
The thickness of the polyester foam layer is preferably between 2 to 15 mm, preferably between 3 to 8 mm, preferably between 4 to 6 mm.
The density of the polyester foam layer is preferably between 60 to 200 kg/m3, preferably between 75 to 120 kg/m3.
The polyester foam layer is preferably thermoplastic polyester foam preferably polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam and may be open or closed cell foam.
The molded front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise an air ventilation hole and or drain hole.
The front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise at least one partition plate preferably positioned in essential horizontal and or vertical position, dividing the storage cavity into at least two sub cavities. In the case of horizontal positioned partition plate, the plate is preferably stiff enough to carry luggage or goods put inside the storage cavity. Preferably such a substantially horizontal plate may be carried by a recess in the porous fibrous layer of the storage cavity.
The at least one partition plate may comprise the same material as the at least one porous fibrous layer or be made of a sandwich construction where a polyester foam is situated in-between two layers of the porous fibrous layer. Furthermore the partition plate may be made of know constructions such as reinforced glass fiber or honeycomb construction.
The front storage compartment according to the invention may further comprise an insert for holding tools, preferably situated at the bottom of the storage cavity. Preferable the insert comprises polypropylene foam (EPP foam).
The front storage compartment according to the invention may comprise a lid closing the storage space, wherein the lid may comprise the same material as the at least one porous fibrous layer and or other materials known in the art.
Preferably the at least one porous fibrous layer is made of a web of random laid melt spun polyester bicomponent endless filaments, wherein the filaments are cross-lapped and needled to form a nonwoven mat.
In this embodiment the at least one porous fibrous layer is produced by a web of random laid melt spun bicomponent filaments that is cross-lapped and needled to form a nonwoven mat with an area weight of around 500-2500 g/m2. After molding the at least one porous fibrous layer to the final three-dimensional shape defining the storage cavity, the layer has preferably a thickness of 0.5-7 mm, more preferably a thickness of between 1-3 mm.
By needling the cross lapped layers of the filament web, the nonwoven mat obtained can be handled, for instance for transfer to the molding tool. Surprisingly the needling of the filament web enhances the mechanical properties of the final product significantly. By entangling the filaments, they form a stronger network leading to an increase in shear force inside the at least one porous fibrous layer, enhancing the strength and stiffness of the layer. In addition by heavily needling the layer, the needles leave holes in the material, which are large enough to stay during the molding step, reducing the AFR of the layer and therefore enhancing the acoustic absorption of the overall product.
The molded front storage compartment can be produced according to the standard production methods known in the art with at least a molding step. The fibrous layer and optionally layers may be heated in advance to the molding or in the same step as the molding to obtain the consolidation of the at least one porous fibrous layer and lamination of possible optional layers to the fibrous layer. The heating is preferably made by hot steam. During the molding step the at least one porous fibrous layer is compressed and consolidated to form the three-dimensional shape of the front storage compartment.
It is another aspect of some embodiments to provide a molded front storage compartment for a vehicle, comprising a structural layer shaped as a three-dimensional storage cavity for holding luggage or goods, characterized in that the structural layer comprises at least one porous fibrous layer, wherein the at least one porous fibrous layer consists essentially of thermoplastic core-sheath bicomponent endless filaments, wherein the core consists of a first polymer and the sheath consists of a second polymer, wherein the at least one porous fibrous layer substantially maintains its shape when loaded with luggage or goods, and wherein the structural layer is self-supported.
It is another aspect of some embodiments to provide a molded front storage compartment for a vehicle, comprising a structural layer wherein the structural layer is shaped as a three-dimensional storage cavity for holding luggage or goods, wherein the structural layer comprises at least one porous fibrous layer, and wherein the at least one porous fibrous layer comprises staple fibers and a binder, and wherein the structural layer is self-supported.
The Summary of the Invention is neither intended nor should it be construed as being representative of the full extent and scope of the present invention. That is, these and other aspects and advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s) described herein. Further, the above-described embodiments, aspects, objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible using, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described below. Moreover, references made herein to “the present invention” or aspects thereof should be understood to mean certain embodiments of the present invention and should not necessarily be construed as limiting all embodiments to a particular description. The present invention is set forth in various levels of detail in the Summary of the Invention as well as in the attached drawings and the Detailed Description and no limitation as to the scope of the present invention is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements, components, etc. in this Summary of the Invention. Additional aspects of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the Detailed Description, particularly when taken together with the drawings.
The above-described benefits, embodiments, and/or characterizations are not necessarily complete or exhaustive, and in particular, as to the patentable subject matter disclosed herein. Other benefits, embodiments, and/or characterizations of the present invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, as set forth above and/or described in the accompanying figures and/or in the description herein below.
The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or,” as used herein, are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, dimensions, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and drawing figures are to be understood as being approximations which may be modified in all instances as required for a particular application of the novel assembly and method described herein.
The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more of that entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein.
The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof can be used interchangeably herein.
It shall be understood that the term “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112 (f). Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials, or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the Summary, Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description and in the appended drawing figures.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explain the principles of these inventions.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.
The rim 5, 7 in
Exemplary characteristics of embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring embodiments of the present invention, the preceding description may omit several known apparatus, methods, systems, structures, and/or devices one of ordinary skill in the art would understand are commonly included with the embodiments of the present invention. Such omissions are not to be construed as a limitation of the scope of the claimed invention. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present invention. It should, however, be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.
Modifications and alterations of the various embodiments of the present invention described herein will occur to those skilled in the art. It is to be expressly understood that such modifications and alterations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims. Further, it is to be understood that the invention(s) described herein is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the preceding description or illustrated in the drawings. That is, the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. The scope of the various embodiments described herein is indicated by the following claims rather than by the foregoing description. And all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.
The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description, for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed inventions require more features than expressly recited. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention. Further, the embodiments of the present invention described herein include components, methods, processes, systems, and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various sub-combinations and subsets thereof. Accordingly, one of skill in the art will appreciate that would be possible to provide for some features of the embodiments of the present invention without providing others. Stated differently, any one or more of the aspects, features, elements, means, or embodiments as disclosed herein may be combined with any one or more other aspects, features, elements, means, or embodiments as disclosed herein.
This application is continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 17/051,869, filed Oct. 30, 2020, which is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. 371 and claims the benefit of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2019/061511 having an international filing date of May 6, 2019, which designated the United States, which PCT application claimed the benefit of European Patent Application No. 18173214.0, filed May 18, 2018, the disclosure of each of which are incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17051869 | Oct 2020 | US |
| Child | 18823877 | US |
