Patent Application
20220055509
The invention relates to a method for producing a lining material for a lining, in particular for a vehicle seat, to a corresponding lining material for a lining, and also to a vehicle seat.
Methods for producing a seat lining, and seat linings, are generally known from the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,700 describes a kit for producing seat linings for front seats and rear seats or for a backrest and a seat part. Here, semi-finished products are pre-sewn which have webs made of different materials for seat surface, side surface, cover surface and rear side. Said pre-sewn semi-finished products are trimmed and finally sewn in accordance with the specific seat dimensions by means of a predefined cutting sequence.
In a unit of a raw-materials supplier, after laminating, usually a flame laminating process, materials which are intended for a seat lining are wound onto reels, packaged and subsequently dispatched to a trimming unit. At the trimming unit, said materials are cut into the required parts by way of a cutter and are fed to a sewing process.
The invention is based on the problem of improving a method for producing a lining material for a lining, in particular for a vehicle seat, of the type mentioned in the introduction, in particular of providing a highly precise method for producing a lining, and also a corresponding vehicle seat.
Said problem is solved according to the invention by a method for producing a lining material for a lining, in particular for a vehicle seat, the method comprising the following method steps of:
Advantageous configurations, which can be employed individually or in combination with one another, are provided by the subclaims.
Subsequent to method step e), the following method steps can be provided:
Between the method steps d) and e) or g) and h), implementation of a further material machining process can be carried out on the at least one layer which is inserted into the frame or into the further tool frame.
The implementation of the material machining process can be limited to predefined regions of the at least one layer. The implementation of the material machining process can be carried out at predefined positions on the at least one layer.
Prior to or subsequent to method step f), at least one further layer which is provided with positioning openings and which is made of at least one starting material can be inserted into the further tool frame.
At least two layers made of at least one starting material can be inserted in method step c). As an alternative, at least two layers made of at least two different starting materials can be inserted in method step c).
The at least two layers can be oriented relative to one another and relative to the tool frame by means of the positioning pins and the positioning openings.
The starting material can be formed from at least one of the following materials: a nonwoven, a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a leather, a synthetic leather.
The material machining process can comprise at least one of the following measures: sewing, thermal welding, ultrasonic welding, punching, embossing, pressing, grinding, brushing, impregnating, perforating, shagreening, cutting, carving, printing.
The underlying problem is also solved according to the invention by a lining material for a lining, in particular for a vehicle seat, produced by a method according to the preceding description.
The underlying problem is further solved according to the invention by a vehicle seat having a lining comprising a lining material according to the preceding description.
The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of advantageous exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the figures. The invention is however not restricted to these exemplary embodiments. In the drawings:
The positional and directional indications used, such as for example front, rear, top and bottom, relate to a viewing direction of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 1 in a normal seating position, wherein the vehicle seat 1 is installed in the vehicle, in a use position suitable for passenger transport, with an upright backrest 4, and is oriented in the conventional manner in the direction of travel. The vehicle seat 1 according to the invention may however also be installed in a different orientation, for example transversely with respect to the direction of travel.
The vehicle seat 1 for a motor vehicle has a seat part 2 and a backrest 4 whose inclination can be adjusted relative to the seat part 2. A headrest 6 is retained at an upper end of the backrest 4. Both the seat part 2, the backrest 4 and the headrest 6 can be covered by means of a respective lining 8. The lining 8 is adapted in each case to the corresponding shape of the covered body, in particular the seat part 2 or the backrest 4 or the headrest 6. For this purpose, various blanks made of a lining material according to the invention are sewn together in the region of a seam 10 shown and are applied on a cushion, which is not designated in any more detail, of the body to be covered, in particular of the seat part 2 or of the backrest 4 or of the headrest 6.
The starting material 20 is provided with positioning openings 22 which have an arrangement that corresponds to the positioning pins 44 of the tool frame 40. Consequently, the first layer 24a, the second layer 24b and the third layer 24c can be successively clamped into the base element 42 of the tool frame 40. The first layer 24a, which is arranged at the top in the present case, provides a surface 32 which, in the finished lining 8, can be an outwardly directed, visible surface 32. The third layer 24a, which is arranged at the bottom in the present case, provides a further surface 34 which faces away from the surface 32. In the finished lining 8, the further surface 34 can be a non-visible surface 34 which is oriented toward the cushion body. The first layer 24a can be composed of leather, for example. The second layer 24b can be a nonwoven, for example. The third layer 24c can be a foam, for example.
In the present case, the tool part 70 shown is a welding tool. The enlarged detail in
The first layer 24a, the second layer 24b and the third layer 24c are welded to one another in a predefined pattern. This makes it possible to form a three-dimensional pattern on the lining 8 according to a first exemplary embodiment, as is schematically shown in
The base element 52 has a central opening 56. The opening 56 of the base element 52 can deviate in terms of shape and size from the opening 46 of the base element 42 of the first exemplary embodiment but must lie within arranged positioning pins 54. The arrangement and the position of the positioning pins 54 of the base element 52 of the further tool frame 50 are identical to those of the base element 42 of the tool frame 40 of the first exemplary embodiment. In addition, the base element 52 has retaining openings 58 in order to retain or to guide the base element 52 in a tool part 70. The number and shape of the retaining openings 58 of the further tool frame 50, or else of the retaining openings 48 of the frame 40, are generally adapted to the respective tool part 70. In all of the tool frames 40, 50, merely the number, size and position of the respective positioning pins 44, 54 are identical, such that the starting material 20 can be transferred, both in a non-machined state and in a partially machined state, from a first tool part 70 to the second tool part 70, that is to say from a tool frame 40 to the further tool frame 50, without said material needing to be reoriented relative to the second tool part 70.
The retaining element 60 has, on a side facing the base element 52, a multiplicity of protruding retaining pins 62. Openings 64 are arranged between the retaining pins 62. The retaining pins 62 are preferably oriented flush with the holes with greatest diameter of the hole pattern 38. The openings 64 are correspondingly positioned above the welding points 36a, such that a corresponding tool part 70 has access to the welding points 36a in order to carry out a further material machining step there. By way of example, introduction of a sewing thread or adhesive bonding of a cover element, such as for example a button.
The features which are disclosed in the description above, in the claims, and in the drawings may be of importance, both individually and in combination, for the implementation of the invention in its various configurations.
Even though the invention has been described in detail in the drawings and in the above illustration, the illustrations are to be understood as being illustrative and exemplary and non-restrictive. In particular, the selection of the proportions of the individual elements illustrated in the drawing is not to be interpreted as being necessary or restrictive. Furthermore, the invention is in particular not restricted to the exemplary embodiments discussed. Further variants of the invention and the embodiment thereof emerge to a person skilled in the art from the preceding disclosure, from the figures and from the claims.
Terms such as “comprise”, “have”, “include”, “contain” and the like used in the claims do not rule out further elements or steps. The use of the indefinite article does not rule out a plurality. A single device may perform the functions of several of the units or devices mentioned in the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2018 124 540.8 | Oct 2018 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2019/076162 | 9/27/2019 | WO | 00 |
