CN115427244A

CN115427244A - Method for producing a foldable functional element for a motor vehicle and functional element with an edge trim

Info

Publication number: CN115427244A
Application number: CN202180027834.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·维莫尔; S·加廷格; T·维勒雷尔
Original assignee: Webasto SE
Current assignee: Webasto SE
Priority date: 2020-06-16
Filing date: 2021-06-09
Publication date: 2022-12-02
Also published as: WO2021254853A1; DE102020115833A1

Abstract

A method for producing a foldable functional element for a motor vehicle is proposed, wherein the functional element has a foldable functional section and a fillet (30, 32) on at least one longitudinal edge for connecting the functional element to a mating element. The molding blanks (76, 78) are molded according to a continuous cycle process in such a way that the plastic material is dispensed onto a calender assembly (42) and molded therefrom into molding blanks (76, 78), wherein an endless belt (72) is produced by means of the calender assembly (42), which endless belt comprises the molding blanks (76, 78) and a foldable functional section blank (74).

Description

Method for producing a foldable functional element for a motor vehicle and functional element with an edge trim

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for producing a foldable functional element of a motor vehicle having the features of the preamble of claim 1 and to a foldable functional element of a motor vehicle having the features of the preamble of claim 12.

Background

Such functional elements are known from practice and are in particular foldable wind deflector nets of wind deflectors of roof opening systems. The wind deflector usually comprises a wind deflector bow, which can be extended by means of an extension spring relative to a base fixed to the vehicle body. The wind deflector comprises a wind deflector bow which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle and is connected with a base fixed to the vehicle body by its edge facing away from the wind deflector bow. For fastening to the wind deflector bow and to the base fastened to the vehicle body, the wind deflector wires each have a fillet at their edges extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle. When the wind deflector bow is extended or pivoted out relative to the base fixed to the vehicle body, the wind deflector mesh, which is a foldable functional element, is tensioned and thereby brought into its active position. When the wind deflector bow is pressed downward, the wind deflector net is folded and brought into its stowed position.

The production of wind deflectors of the aforementioned type has previously been carried out in such a way that the web material as a foldable functional section, after being cut, is provided on the relevant edge with a fillet for mounting on the wind deflector bow and the base fixed to the vehicle body, respectively, after the sewing process. The sewing of the fillet is difficult to perform accurately and is therefore costly.

Furthermore, the resulting joint is visible, so that the wind deflector may not meet the proposed visual requirements. The sewing process, which is difficult to perform accurately, does not ensure a reliable dimensional accuracy of the process. It is alternatively known to injection mold the web material on its edges with a material for forming the molding, i.e. the molding is formed according to an injection molding method. Each time the size of the web material is changed, a new injection moulding mould needs to be manufactured time-consuming and costly. This results in little flexibility with respect to matching new requirements.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective and flexible method for producing a foldable functional element of a motor vehicle and a correspondingly designed foldable functional element.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and a foldable functional element having the features of the method of claim 12.

In other words, according to the invention, a method is provided for producing a foldable functional element for a motor vehicle, wherein the functional element has a foldable functional section and a fillet on at least one longitudinal edge for connecting the functional element to a mating element. In the method, the molding blanks are shaped according to a continuous cycle process in such a way that a plastic material, in particular in flowable form, is dispensed onto a calender assembly and is shaped into a molding blank by the calender assembly, wherein an endless belt comprising the molding blanks and a foldable functional segment blank is output by means of the calender assembly.

That is, a method is provided in which a molding or molding blank is formed according to a calendering process. The calender rolls, which are the rolls of the calender assembly, are provided with circumferential recesses or forming geometries for forming the molding blanks. The plastic material is supplied to the calender assembly by means of a dispensing unit, whereby the molding blanks are shaped in the recesses when the calender assembly is operated and are discharged as an endless belt together with the foldable functional segment blanks on which they are arranged. In other words, the plastic material, which is supplied in particular in a flowable manner, hardens in the recess or the molding geometry into a molding compound.

The calender assembly for producing the foldable functional element is associated with relatively low investment costs and enables rapid machining of the supplied material and, if necessary, other materials. Due to the low investment costs, the method according to the invention is also suitable for the industrial production of foldable functional elements which are determined to be of only small batch size. A subsequent process for applying the molding to the functional section, for example in the form of a sewing process or an injection molding process, is not required. During the calendering process, a harmonious transition between the foldable functional section and the fillet can be produced without visible seams or the like. The molding blanks can be adapted to the requirements in question in a simple manner with regard to their shape or geometry and also with regard to their color, to be precise by means of the calender unit and the corresponding design of the material to be supplied.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the calender assembly comprises a calender roll with a circumferential groove for structuring the molding blank and a counter roll on which the calender roll rolls. It is of course also conceivable for the mating roller to also have a groove or another shaping geometry for the formation of the molding blank.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention, the functional segment blank is formed simultaneously with the molding blank in one piece with the molding blank by means of a calender assembly. The functional segment blank is produced in the described embodiment analogously to a calendered film. The material of the functional segment blank may correspond to the material of the molding blank and be supplied by the same dispensing unit.

In order to provide the functional segment blank with gas permeability, the functional segment blank can be pressed into the calender stack by means of a pressing device, in particular, the functional segment blank is perforated by means of a press roller. However, it is also conceivable that the calender has a geometry for producing the functional segment blanks and the molding blanks, which geometry directly produces the punched or perforated functional segment blanks.

In an alternative embodiment of the method according to the invention, the perforation of the functional segment blank is carried out by means of a laser device, which can be connected downstream of the calender assembly.

The unit forming the endless belt comprising the molding blank and the functional segment blank is a semi-finished product which must also be further processed if necessary for the formation of the foldable functional element. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the endless band is cut into functional elements for this purpose by means of a cutting device.

The cutting device comprises, for example, a cutting table on which the endless strip is arranged to be cut and which is matched with respect to its dimensions to the dimensions of the functional element to be produced by means of a cutting tool.

Material bulges can occur when constructing endless belts, particularly on the longitudinal edges. In a particular embodiment of the method according to the invention, the fillet blank is therefore shaped into a fillet by cutting along its longitudinal edges.

The molding blanks produced by means of the calender stack and the functional segment blanks produced by means of the calender stack can be produced in one piece from the same material or also from different materials, which are adapted to the respective requirements.

In order to be able to connect the foldable functional element at both edges to the respective mating element, the endless belt preferably comprises two belt blanks, which are each arranged on one of the longitudinal edges of the functional segment blank.

In the method according to the invention, a plurality of endless belts can be manufactured in a side-by-side manner by means of the same calender assembly. At least one of the rolls of the calender assembly must then be provided with a plurality of parallel geometries for the construction of the endless belt.

The functional element produced by means of the method according to the invention is preferably a wind deflector mesh of a wind deflector of a roof opening system. The wind deflector net comprises a fillet on its longitudinal edges, which is formed by a corresponding fillet blank. The wind deflector mesh is in particular made of a perforated film made of a plastic material suitable for use in the wind deflector. Alternatively, the functional element may be a roller blind belt of a sun shading system.

The subject matter of the invention is also a foldable functional element of a motor vehicle, comprising a foldable functional section and, on at least one edge, a fillet for connecting the functional element to a mating element, wherein the fillet is integrally formed with the foldable functional section. The integral forming can be achieved in an efficient manner by means of a calendering process by using a calender assembly.

In a preferred embodiment of the functional element according to the invention, the foldable functional section is perforated.

Furthermore, the molding can have a cut edge on its longitudinal edge. The cut edge is determined by the production, since the material projection is removed from the molding blank according to the cutting method.

The foldable functional section and the molding can be produced from the same material or also from two different materials, specifically in particular from two different plastic materials, which can be processed according to the calendering method.

The foldable functional element according to the invention is in particular a wind deflector net. However, it is also conceivable for the foldable functional element according to the invention to be a roller blind strip or the like, which is a component of the sun protection system and in which a respective molding is formed on the lateral edges. The molding can in this case form a guide element which is guided in a guide track of an associated guide rail of the laterally guided roller blind belt.

Drawings

Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the subject matter of the invention can be gathered from the description, the drawings and the claims.

An exemplary embodiment of a foldable functional element according to the invention and a device for carrying out the method according to the invention are schematically illustrated in simplified form in the drawings and are explained in detail in the following description. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a vehicle roof with a top opening system provided with wind deflectors;

fig. 2 shows the wind deflector mesh of the wind deflector separately;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the wind-guiding net according to FIG. 2 cut along the line III-III in FIG. 2; and

fig. 4 shows an arrangement for a manufactured wind deflector net.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a vehicle roof 10, which is a component of a motor vehicle that is not otherwise specifically shown and which comprises a roof opening system 12, by means of which a roof opening 14 can be optionally opened or closed. The top opening system 12 comprises a cover element 16 corresponding to the top opening 14 and closing it in the closed state of the top opening system 12.

In order to minimize air turbulence and air flow in the interior of the vehicle when the roof opening 14 is opened, the roof opening system 12 has a wind deflector 18 which is arranged in the region of the front or front edge of the roof opening 14 and has a wind deflector bow 20 which is mounted so as to be pivotable on a base 22 which is fastened to the body and is formed on the vehicle roof 10. The wind deflector bow 20 is preloaded by means of an expansion spring into a raised position which is pivoted relative to a base 22 fixed to the vehicle body and can be moved into a depressed initial position by means of the cover element 16. When the cover element 16 is adjusted to the closed position, it is moved onto the extension arms 24 of the wind deflector bow 20 extending in the top longitudinal direction and is thereby moved into their initial position against the spring force of the extension springs. The spreading arms 24 of the wind deflector bow 20 are connected to one another by a bow cross member 26 extending in the top transverse direction.

The wind deflector 18 comprises, as an active element, a wind deflector mesh 28, which is a foldable functional element and is fastened with its upper edge extending in the top transverse direction to the bow cross member 26 of the wind deflector bow 20 and with its lower edge extending in the top transverse direction to the base 22 fixed to the vehicle body. The width or height of the wind deflector net 28 defines the angle of extension of the wind deflector bow 20.

For connection to the wind deflector bow 20 and the vehicle-fixed base 22, the wind deflector 28 has a

respective fillet

30 or 32 on its two edges running in the top transverse direction, which fillet cooperates with the wind deflector bow 20 or an associated fillet groove of the vehicle-fixed base 22. The two

fillets

30 and 32 delimit a network section 34, which forms a functional or active section of the wind deflector network 28. The web sections 34 are made of plastic, depending on the type of film to be perforated.

The production of wind deflector network 28 can be carried out with the aid of device 40 shown in fig. 4 and explained below.

The manufacturing apparatus 40 includes a calender assembly 42 having a calender roll 44, a mating roll 46, and a pressure roll 48. The calender rolls 44 and mating rolls 46 roll on each other as they are manipulated. Accordingly, the calender rolls 44 and the pressure roll 48 roll on each other as the calender assembly 42 is manipulated.

Furthermore, the calender assembly 42 is provided with a dosing unit 50, by means of which the plastic material can be dosed into the calender assembly 42.

The calender roll 44 of the calender assembly 42 is provided with a circumferential die geometry 52 which extends in the circumferential direction and comprises two

circumferential grooves

54 and 56 and an intermediate section 58 which extends between the

circumferential grooves

54 and 56 and is slightly recessed with respect to a base cylindrical surface section 60 of the calender roll 44, so that it is suitable for producing a film. The mating roll 46 is designed without recesses, so that the base shell section 60 of the calender roll 44 rolls linearly on the cylindrical circumference of the mating roll 46. The pressure roller 48 has a circumferential pressure geometry 62 which is aligned with the middle section 58 of the die geometry 52 of the calender roller 44.

On the output side, two transport rollers 64 are arranged downstream of the calender stack 42, which in turn are followed by a cutting device with a cutting table 66. A conveyor roller assembly 68 is disposed after the cutting station 66.

The cutting device is provided with a cutting tool 70, schematically shown in fig. 4, which may comprise a punching device and/or a laser cutting device.

To produce the air guiding screen 28, the plastic material in flowable form is dispensed into the calender unit 42 by means of a dispensing unit 50.

By rotating the calender roll 44, the counter roll 46 and the pressure roll 48, an endless belt 72 is produced from the plastic material by the die geometry 52 of the calender roll 44 and by the pressure geometry 62 of the pressure roll 48, which endless belt comprises as an intermediate section a functional section blank 74 and two

belt blanks

76 and 78, which laterally delimit the functional section blank 74. The functional segment blank 74 and the

molding blanks

76 and 78 produced integrally therewith have a shape which corresponds to the shape of the die geometry 52.

Furthermore, the functional segment blank 74 is perforated, wherein the perforation is produced by means of the pressing geometry 62 of the pressing roller 48.

After its production in the calender group 42, the endless belt 72, as a semi-finished product, is conveyed to a cutting station 66, on which it is cut by means of a cutting device in the transverse direction and along the longitudinal edges in the region of the

band blanks

76 and 78, so that a plurality of air guiding webs 28 can be produced in succession, each comprising a web section 34 which is delimited laterally by the

bands

30 and 32.

During the cutting process, the material strips 80 remain from the

molding blanks

76 and 78, which are transported to the removal device by means of the conveyor roller assembly 68.

List of reference numerals

10. Vehicle roof

12. Top opening system

14. Top opening

16. Cover element

18. Wind guiding piece

20. Wind guide member arch

22. Base seat

24. Stretching arm

26. Bow cross member

28. Wind flow guiding net

30. Fillet

32. Fillet

34. Section of net

40. Device for measuring the position of a moving object

42. Calender assembly

44. Calender roll

46. Matching roller

48. Pressing roller

50. Dispensing unit

52. Die geometry

54. Circumferential groove

56. Circumferential groove

58. Middle section

60. Base cylinder surface

62. Pressed geometry

64. Conveying roller

66. Cutting table

68. Conveyor roller assembly

70. Cutting tool

72. Endless belt

74. Functional segment blank

76. Panel strip blank

78. Panel strip blank

80. A strip of material.

Claims

1. Method for manufacturing a foldable functional element of a motor vehicle, wherein the functional element has a foldable functional section and on at least one longitudinal edge a fillet (30, 32) for connecting the functional element to a mating element, characterized in that a fillet blank (76, 78) is formed according to a continuous cyclic process such that plastic material is dispensed onto a calender assembly (42) and the fillet blank (76, 78) is formed by the calender assembly, wherein an endless belt (72) is produced by means of the calender assembly (42), comprising the fillet blank (76, 78) and the foldable functional section blank (74).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the calender assembly (42) comprises a calender roll (44) having a circumferential forming geometry, in particular a circumferential groove (54, 56), for structuring the fillet blank (76, 78) and a mating roll (46) on which the calender roll (44) rolls.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the functional segment blank (74) is formed integrally with the molding blank (76, 78) by means of the calender assembly (42) simultaneously with the molding blank (76, 78).

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the functional segment blank (74) is perforated in the calender assembly (42) by means of a pressing device, in particular by means of a pressing roller (48).

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the functional segment blank (74) is perforated by means of a laser device.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the endless belt (72) is cut into the functional elements by means of a cutting device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the cutting device comprises a cutting table (66) on which the endless belt (72) is arranged.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the slug blank (76, 78) is formed into the slug (30, 32) by cutting along its longitudinal edges.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the molding blanks (76, 78) are manufactured from a first material and the functional segment blank (74) is manufactured from a second material, which is different from the first material.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the endless belt (72) comprises two belt blanks (76, 78) arranged on longitudinal edges of the functional segment blank (74).

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the functional element is a wind deflector net (28).

12. A foldable functional element of a motor vehicle, comprising a foldable functional section and having a fillet (30, 32) on at least one edge for connecting the functional element to a mating element, characterized in that the fillet (30, 32) is integrally formed with the foldable functional section.

13. The foldable functional element according to claim 12, characterized in that the foldable functional section is perforated.

14. The foldable functional element according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the fillet (30, 32) is cut on its longitudinal edges.

15. The functional element according to one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the functional foldable section and the fillet (30, 32) are manufactured from two different materials.

16. The foldable functional element according to any of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that the functional element is manufactured according to a calendering process.

17. The foldable functional element according to any of the claims 12-16, characterized in that the functional element is a wind deflector net (28).