A structural component serves as a container for a vehicle. The structural component comprises a trough-shaped container section, an edge region, and fastening elements that are provided in the edge region. The container section forms a compartment and defines a bottom region and two or more wall regions, which are at least sectionally inclined with respect to the bottom region. The two or more wall regions are arranged between the bottom region and the edge region. The fastening elements are arranged and distributed around the container section. The container section and the edge region are formed of an injection moldable fiber reinforced thermoplastic material. The structural component at least sectionally has a porous internal structure that is formed by foaming the thermoplastic material.

A composite structure of a cargo body and a method of making the same are disclosed. The composite structure includes at least one electrical grid embedded within fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) layers. The embedded electrical grid includes a plurality of conductive fibers and a plurality of insulating fibers integrated into a polymer matrix of the FRP layers. The embedded electrical grid may be used for power distribution, structural strengthening and stiffness, and/or puncture detection.

A vehicular trailer hitching assist system includes a rear backup camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and a control disposed in the vehicle. A display device includes a video display screen operable to display video images for viewing by a driver of the vehicle. During a hitching maneuver event undertaken by the driver to hitch a trailer hitch of the vehicle to a trailer tongue of a trailer, and while the driver of the vehicle is maneuvering the vehicle to hitch the vehicle to the trailer, the control outputs video images derived from image data captured by the rear backup camera for display by the video display screen. At least one overlay overlays the displayed video images to guide the driver during the hitching maneuver. The at least one overlay aids in guiding connection of the trailer hitch of the vehicle to the trailer tongue of the trailer.

A method for producing a light module for a lighting device of a motor vehicle, wherein the module comprises a support component and a light-outcoupling component. According to the invention, a connection element for establishing a retaining connection between the support component and the light-outcoupling component is molded at least onto the support component by means of an injection molding process.

The invention relates to a mold (200) for producing a foam cladding (120) made of plastic on a planar component (100) or for producing a foamed plastic part (120), comprising a mixing head (300) for producing liquid plastic from at least two components, at least one first cavity (240) for receiving the plastic in order to form the foam cladding (120) or to produce the foamed plastic part (120), a sprue channel (210) for connecting the mixing head (300) to the at least one first cavity (240), and a further cavity (220), which is formed at the transition of the sprue channel (210) to the first cavity (240) and widens the sprue channel (210). For automated cutting of a tag-like sprue, which would otherwise adhere to the foam cladding, the invention provides that a sprue cutter (400) having at least one slide (410) is movably mounted on the mold (200), which slide can be moved by means of at least one actuating cylinder (450) in the direction of the sprue channel (210) toward the first cavity (240) and, in an end position of the movement of the slide, closes off the first cavity (240) from the sprue channel (210) and/or from the further cavity (220) by means of at least one edge (414) and/or contour (412).

There is provided an interlayer film for laminated glass with which the visibility can be made uniform over the whole area of laminated glass. The interlayer film for laminated glass according to the present invention contains a thermoplastic resin and a heat shielding compound and has one end and the other end being at the opposite side of the one end and having a thickness thicker than the one end, the absolute value of a difference between the thickness of a thickest portion and the thickness of a thinnest portion is 0.1 mm or more, and in a sheet of laminated glass prepared by sandwiching the interlayer film between two sheets of heat ray-absorbing plate glass with a thickness of 2.1 mm, the absolute value of a difference between the visible light transmittance at the thickest portion of the interlayer film and the visible light transmittance at the thinnest portion of the interlayer film is 4% or less.

The invention relates to polymer blends of a styrene copolymer A selected from the group consisting of styrene acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN), styrene acrylonitrile maleic anhydride terpolymers (SMA), styrene acrylic copolymers, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene terpolymers (ABS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene terpolymers with polyamide (ABS/PA), and acrylonitrile styrene acrylate terpolymers (ASA); and at least one copolymer B selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene block copolymers (SBC) and styrene-isoprene block copolymers (SIS); wherein the mold shrinkage of the polymer blend is reduced by at least 5% compared to the mold shrinkage of the pure styrene copolymer A.A process for the preparation of the polymer blends and the uses of the polymer blends in an injection molding process are described.

Side portions of a guide member mounting portion of the instrument panel include a panel side welding guide surface integrally formed therewith. The panel side welding guide surface is spaced apart from the back surface of the instrument panel. Side portions of the guide member include a guide side welding guide surface integrally formed with the guide member. The panel side welding guide surface and the guide side welding guide surface overlap each other. One of the guide side welding guide surface and the panel side welding guide surface includes a position regulating recess. The other of the guide side welding guide surface and the panel side welding guide surface includes a position regulating protrusion that fits into the position regulating recess during vibration welding.

A plastic glazing of a tailgate of a vehicle is provided, the plastic glazing comprising a translucent component, wherein a portion of the translucent component forms a rear window of the vehicle, a colored component molded onto the translucent component in a second shot, wherein the colored component comprises a lens of a light unit, a non-transparent component molded onto the translucent component, wherein an overlapping portion of the translucent component and the non-transparent component forms a blackout region proximate to the rear window, wherein the plastic glazing is of one-piece molded plastic construction, wherein the translucent component comprises a first textured surface in a region adjacent to the blackout region, where the first textured surface is configured to conceal a component of the vehicle.

To improve a method for ultrasonic welding of parts for vehicles and/or aircraft, a method in which an energy director made of non-woven fiber material is arranged between a first fiber composite part and a second fiber composite part to be joined together. A sonotrode is used to join/weld the parts together by pressing on the parts. The energy director is compliant such that a uniform even contact is generated between the first and second fiber composite parts during the welding process.