KR102202374B1 - Armrest frame and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an armrest frame and a manufacturing method thereof.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the steps of preparing a reinforcing member by preforming a first material, inserting the preformed reinforcing member into an injection machine, and injection molding an armrest frame using a second material There is provided a method of manufacturing an armrest frame comprising the step of.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a reinforcing member prepared by preforming a first material including a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT), and an injection body into which the reinforcing member is inserted and injection-molded from a second material, , The reinforcing member is inserted into a position corresponding to the portion to which the pin member is coupled to reinforce the strength of the vulnerable portion, and an armrest frame is provided to prevent the pin member from disengaging during a vertical strength test.

Description

Armrest frame and its manufacturing method {ARMREST FRAME AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an armrest frame and a manufacturing method thereof.

The armrest is a device that is installed together with a chair or a seat, and is provided to place the arm of the driver or passenger, and enables the driver or passenger to take a more comfortable and stable posture in the vehicle.

For example, the armrest may be designed to be located in the inner part of the door, and may be designed to be located in the center of the rear seat so that it can be used together with the backrest part.

The armrest frame is a member forming the basic frame of the armrest provided as described above. Since such an armrest frame is closely related to the safety of a driver or passenger, it must satisfy a number of related laws and regulations that are required to not cause deformation or damage when subjected to a specific force or impact. For example, when the armrest frame is pulled or pushed with a certain force, and there is no permanent deformation or damage of the armrest frame, it is prescribed by laws and regulations, and must be manufactured to satisfy these laws.

Conventional armrest frames are mostly made of steel in order to meet these laws to ensure the safety of drivers or passengers.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional armrest frame.

The conventional armrest frame (1) includes a main pipe (10), a cup holder wire (20), a cup holder bracket (30), an armrest bracket (40), a stopper pin (50), a pin member (60), and a nut. It consisted of a number of configurations including the member 70.

Most of these configurations were made of steel, and the configurations between each other were joined by welding or the like to form the skeleton of the armrest.

However, the conventional armrest frame 1 made of a steel material as described above has a problem in that the weight increases due to the steel material, and in addition, the pin member 60 when the vertical strength test of the armrest frame 1 is tested. There were problems such as deviating.

As a prior document related to the present invention, there is Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1049454 (2011.07.15, public notice), and the prior document discloses the contents of an armrest frame for a vehicle.

An object of the present invention is to prepare a reinforcing member by preforming a continuous fiber thermoplastic (CFT) material, and insert it into an armrest frame with reinforced strength in a weak area (e.g., a bonding site of a pin member) Can provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an armrest frame capable of improving productivity by reducing assembly and processing man-hours as well as reinforcing the strength of weak areas by preforming and injection molding a continuous fiber thermoplastic (CFT) material. have.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problem(s) mentioned above, and other problems that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) providing a reinforcing member by preforming a first material; And (b) inserting the preformed reinforcing member into an injection machine, and injection-molding the armrest frame using a second material.

Preferably, in step (a), the first material may include continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT).

In addition, in the step (a), the first material may be injected into the prepared preforming mold and then compression molded into the reinforcing member having a set shape by the preforming mold.

Preferably, in the step (b), the second material is preferably an injection material containing a reinforcing component.

In addition, in the step (b), the reinforcing component may be at least one of a glass fiber and a carbon fiber.

In this case, in step (b), when the glass fiber is included as the reinforcing component, the content of the glass fiber is preferably set within 20 to 40 wt%. If less than 10wt% is used, a problem may occur in the structural rigidity of the frame, whereas if it exceeds 50wt%, it does not have a significant effect on weight reduction. Therefore, 10 to 50 wt%, more preferably 20 to 40 wt% is good.

On the other hand, in step (b), when the carbon fiber is included as the reinforcing component, the content of the carbon fiber is preferably set within 10 to 20 wt%.

Preferably, in step (b), before inserting the preformed reinforcing member into an injection machine, the preformed reinforcing member may be preheated.

Preferably, in the step (b), the preheated reinforcing member may be inserted into a position corresponding to a portion to which the pin member of the armrest frame is coupled. The reinforcing member structurally reinforces a portion to which the pin member is coupled, and in particular, serves to prevent separation of the pin member during a vertical strength test.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a reinforcing member prepared by preforming a first material including a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT), and an injection body into which the reinforcing member is inserted and injection-molded into a second material. And, the reinforcing member may provide an armrest frame inserted into a position corresponding to a portion to which the pin member is coupled.

Preferably, the second material is preferably an injection material including at least one of glass fiber and carbon fiber.

In this case, when the glass fiber is included, the content of the glass fiber may be determined within 20 to 40 wt%.

In addition, when the carbon fiber is included, the content of the carbon fiber may be determined within 10 to 20 wt%.

According to the armrest frame and its manufacturing method according to the present invention, the armrest frame can be manufactured by preforming a continuous fiber thermoplastic (CFT) material and then inserting the preformed CFT material during injection to reduce the number of assembly and processing. There is an advantage.

In addition, when the preformed CFT material is applied to a weak area (eg, a pin bonding area), the strength of the weak area can be greatly improved. Specifically, as the preformed CFT material is applied to the pin joint portion of the armrest frame, there is an advantage of preventing the pin from being separated during the vertical strength test of the armrest frame.

In addition to the above-described effects, specific effects of the present invention will be described together while describing specific details for carrying out the present invention.

1 is a view briefly showing a conventional armrest frame.
2 is a schematic view showing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of manufacturing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic process diagram showing a method of manufacturing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view briefly showing a deformation shape of a conventional armrest frame after a vertical strength test.
6 is a view briefly showing a deformation shape after a vertical strength test of the armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and a method of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in a variety of different forms, and only these embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to completely inform the scope of the invention to those who have, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. The same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification.

In addition, when it is determined that a detailed description of a known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention in describing the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in an embodiment of the present invention and may vary according to the intention or custom of users or operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

Armrest frame

2 is a schematic view showing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the armrest frame 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a reinforcing member 110 and an injection body 120.

The reinforcing member 110 may be provided by preforming a first material including continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT).

A specific exemplary shape of the reinforcing member 110 can be confirmed through (a) of FIG. 4. As shown, the reinforcing member 110 may have a cross-section of a “a” shape formed by bent top and side surfaces. However, the reinforcing member 110 is a preferred exemplary shape, and is not necessarily limited to the illustrated shape and may have various shapes.

On the other hand, after inserting the preformed reinforcing member 110 into the injection machine, the injection body 120 is molded.

In a state where the preformed reinforcing member 110 is inserted into a required position (eg, a portion to which the pin member 130 is coupled), the injection body 120 uses a second material to the armrest frame 100. It is injection molded to have the overall appearance.

Further, a cup holder (not shown) may be formed at one end of the injection body 120, and for this purpose, a hole 121 for a cup holder may be provided in a predetermined shape and size.

In addition, a nut member 140 is provided with the pin member 130 at the other end of the injection body 120, and the stopper pin 150 may be connected across the other end of the injection body 120 in the width direction.

The reinforcing member 110 may be inserted in a position supporting both sides of the other end of the injection body 120 in correspondence with a portion to which the pin member 130 is coupled within the injection body 120 configured as described above.

Here, the second material may be made of an injection material including a reinforcing component, and the reinforcing component at this time may include at least one of a glass fiber and a carbon fiber.

If, when the glass fiber is included, the content of the glass fiber is preferably set within 20 ~ 40wt%. If it is less than 20wt%, a problem may occur in the structural rigidity of the frame, whereas if it exceeds 40wt%, it does not significantly affect the weight reduction. Therefore, the content of the glass fiber is preferably 20 ~ 40wt%. In contrast, when carbon fibers are included, the content of the carbon fibers is preferably determined within 10 to 20 wt%.

In this way, the reinforcing member 110 preformed with the first material including the CFT is formed to be inserted into the injection body 120 corresponding to the portion to which the pin member 130 is coupled, whereby the armrest frame ( 100) It can reinforce the strength of weak areas within.

In addition, it is possible to effectively prevent separation of the pin member 130 during the vertical strength test of the armrest frame 100.

Armrest frame manufacturing method

3 and 4 are flowcharts and process diagrams briefly showing a method of manufacturing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, a method of manufacturing an armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a reinforcing member preforming step (S100) and an armrest frame injection step (S200).

Reinforcing member preforming step (S100)

This step is a step of preforming a reinforcing member, and this step corresponds to a step of preparing a reinforcing member by preforming a first material.

In this step, the first material may include continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT).

Here, CFT refers to a thermoplastic continuous fiber-reinforced composite. The thermoplastic resin may be made of polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyamide resin, polyester resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, and combinations thereof.

The first material prepared in the form of a fabric is introduced into the preforming mold, and may be molded into a reinforcing member having a set shape by the preforming mold.

In this step, an exemplary shape of the preformed reinforcing member 110 can be confirmed through (a) of FIG. 4, but it is not necessary to follow the illustrated shape, and may be changed to various other shapes.

Armrest frame injection step (S200)

This step is an armrest frame injection step, and corresponds to a step of inserting the reinforcing member preformed in the previous step into the injection machine and injection molding the armrest frame using a second material.

The second material in this step is a material that can be injected into a target shape (hereinafter, referred to as an injection material), and is preferably an injection material further including a reinforcing component. And the reinforcing component at this time may include one or more of glass fiber (Glass Fiber) and carbon fiber (Carbon Fiber).

If, when the glass fiber is included, the content of the glass fiber is preferably set within 20 ~ 40wt%.

If the content of the glass fiber is less than 20wt%, there may be a problem with the structural rigidity of the frame. Conversely, if it exceeds 40wt%, it does not significantly affect the weight reduction. Therefore, the content of the glass fiber is preferably 20 ~ 40wt%.

As another example, a carbon fiber may be included instead of the glass fiber, and the content of the carbon fiber at this time is preferably determined within 10 to 20 wt%.

If the content of carbon fiber is less than 10 wt%, the effect of securing stiffness or strength according to the carbon fiber may be insignificant, whereas if it exceeds 20 wt%, there may be a problem that the cost-effectiveness ratio is lowered compared to the effect of the content .

Meanwhile, in this step, prior to inserting the preformed reinforcing member into the injection machine, a step of preheating the preformed reinforcing member to a set temperature may be performed.

Thereafter, the reinforcing member 110 (see FIG. 2) preformed with the first material including the CFT corresponds to the portion where the pin member 130 (see FIG. 2) is coupled to the inside of the injection body 120 (see FIG. 2 ). It is inserted into and serves to structurally reinforce at the inserted site.

Meanwhile, in the present armrest frame injection step, in performing injection using the second material, the pin member 130, the nut member 140, and the stopper together with the reinforcing member 110 (see FIG. 2) into the injection machine. By inserting the pin 150 into the corresponding position, it is possible to achieve the armrest frame coupling through a single injection.

And, in the present armrest frame injection step, as the armrest frame is injection-molded using the second material, the design freedom of the product that can be manufactured is different from the armrest frame (refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 1) using a conventional steel material. It can be high. For example, reinforcing ribs 123 having a grid shape are further provided on both sides of the other end of the injection body 120 shown in FIG. 2 to further reinforce a structurally weak area, but is not limited thereto. It can be produced in a variety of other designs.

In other words, when injection molding is performed, the shape of the armrest frame can be diversified due to the high degree of design freedom, and the height and thickness of each part of the armrest frame can be varied, unlike the conventional armrest frame made of steel. And, it can be manufactured by integrating the parts included in the armrest frame. In addition, there is an advantage that the armrest frame can be manufactured using a small number of parts compared to the prior art.

5 is a view briefly showing a deformation shape of a conventional armrest frame after a vertical strength test. 6 is a view briefly showing a deformation shape after a vertical strength test of the armrest frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, the conventional armrest frame (1) is in a state coupled to the coupling object (S), the primary load (F1) (for example, 400N, etc.) and the secondary load (F2) (for example, 960N, etc. ) Is subjected to a vertical strength test imposed in the vertical direction. In addition, the required performance of the armrest frame must have a displacement within the allowable standard when the primary load (F1) is imposed (for example, within 40mm, etc.), and when the secondary load (F2) is imposed, the armrest frame is destroyed and its function is deteriorated. It is required that there is no back.

However, referring to FIG. 5, the conventional armrest frame 1 may have a displacement within the allowable standard when the primary load F1 is applied, but the pin member when the secondary load F2 is applied. Deterioration of the function of the armrest bracket 40 (see FIG. 1) occurs due to excessive deformation of (60, see FIG. 1).

In contrast, referring to Figure 6, the armrest frame 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a reinforcing member 110 to which a CFT material is applied even when the primary load (F1) and the secondary load (F2) are imposed. 2), excessive deformation of the pin member 130 (see FIG. 2) is suppressed, and separation of the pin member 130 (see FIG. 2) is prevented. As a result, it can be seen that the armrest frame 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is structurally more reinforced at a weakened portion (eg, a pin member coupling portion) than the conventional armrest frame 1.

As described above, according to the configuration and operation of the present invention, an armrest frame can be manufactured by preforming a continuous fiber thermoplastic (CFT) material and inserting the preformed CFT material during injection. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of assembly and processing required for manufacturing the armrest frame, thereby improving productivity.

Furthermore, when the preformed CFT material is applied to a vulnerable area (eg, a pin bonding area, etc.), the strength of the vulnerable area can be greatly improved. Specifically, by applying the preformed CFT material to the pin joint portion of the armrest frame, it is possible to prevent the pin from disengaging during the vertical strength test of the armrest frame.

As described above with reference to the drawings illustrated for the present invention, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in the present specification, and various by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is obvious that transformation can be made. In addition, even if not explicitly described and described the effects of the configuration of the present invention while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the predictable effects of the configuration should also be recognized.

100: armrest frame
110: reinforcing member
120: ejection body
121: hole for cup holder
130: pin member
140: nut member
150: stopper pin

Claims (13)

(a) preforming a first material to prepare a reinforcing member; And
(b) inserting the preformed reinforcing member into an injection machine, and injection-molding an armrest frame using a second material; including,
In the step (a), the first material includes a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFT),
The reinforcing member is provided by preforming the first material, and has a cross section of a “b” shape formed by bent upper and side surfaces,
In the step (b), before inserting the preformed reinforcing member into the injection machine, preheating the preformed reinforcing member,
In the step (b), the preheated reinforcing member is inserted into a position corresponding to the portion where the pin member of the armrest frame is coupled, structurally reinforcing the portion where the pin member is coupled, and the pin member is separated during a vertical strength test. To prevent
In the step (b), the reinforcing member, the pin member, the nut member, and the stopper pin are inserted into the injection machine to manufacture the armrest frame through a single injection.
delete The method of claim 1,
In step (a),
The first material is injected into the prepared preforming mold, and then compression-molded by the preforming mold into the reinforcing member having a cross section of the "a" shape.
The method of claim 1,
In step (b),
The second material,
Armrest frame manufacturing method, characterized in that the injection material containing a reinforcing component.
The method of claim 4,
In step (b),
The reinforcing component is an armrest frame manufacturing method, characterized in that at least one of glass fiber and carbon fiber.
The method of claim 5,
In step (b),
When the glass fiber is included as the reinforcing component,
Armrest frame manufacturing method, characterized in that the content of the glass fiber is determined within 20 ~ 40wt%.
The method of claim 5,
In step (b),
When the carbon fiber is included as the reinforcing component,
Armrest frame manufacturing method, characterized in that the content of the carbon fiber is determined within 10 ~ 20wt%.
delete delete As an armrest frame manufactured according to the armrest frame manufacturing method of claim 1, 3 to 7,
A reinforcing member prepared by preforming a first material including CFT (Continuous Fiber reinforced Thermoplastic),
The reinforcing member is inserted and includes an injection body injection-molded from a second material,
The reinforcing member
It is provided by preforming the first material, and has a cross section of “a” shape formed by bent top and side surfaces,
It is inserted into a position corresponding to the portion where the pin member is coupled, structurally reinforcing the portion where the pin member is coupled to prevent separation of the pin member during the vertical strength test,
When injection molding with the second injection material, the reinforcing member, the pin member, the nut member, and the stopper pin are inserted into the injection machine to be combined through a single injection. delete delete delete

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