PLASTIC SEATING FRAME FOR ELECTRICAL VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a seating frame for a vehicle seat, the frame comprising a back frame component for supporting a back rest, wherein the back frame component includes a plurality of interconnected reinforcing ribs that form a single unit, and wherein the seating frame is a one-piece injection-molded part made of plastic material. The invention also relates to a process of making such a seating frame. Furthermore, the invention relates to a vehicle seat comprising such a seating frame, and a vehicle comprising such a vehicle seat or such a seating frame.

Claims

1. A seating frame for a vehicle seat, the frame comprising a back frame component for supporting a back rest, wherein the back frame component includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs that form a single unit with the back frame component, and wherein the seating frame is a one-piece injection-molded part made of plastic material.

2. The seating frame according to claim 1, further comprising a fastening component from which the back frame component extends in an upwards fashion, wherein the fastening component is used to fasten the vehicle seat to a vehicle upon installation.

3. The seating frame according to claim 1, further comprising a seat frame component for supporting a seat base.

4. The seating frame according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing ribs form a network of interconnected ribs.

5. The seating frame according to claim 1, wherein the back frame component comprises a base from which the reinforcing ribs extend, wherein the base forms a back of the vehicle seat.

6. The seating frame according to claim 5, wherein the base comprises a first portion and a peripheral second portion, wherein the peripheral second portion extends at an angle greater than 0 degrees from the periphery of the first portion.

7. The seating frame according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material comprises a thermoplastic material filled with fibers.

8. The seating frame according to claim 7, wherein the thermoplastic material comprises long glass fibers and wherein the long glass fibers have a length of about 3 mm to about 40 mm.

9. The seating frame according to claim 1, wherein the interconnected reinforcing ribs define cavities within the back frame component.

10. The seating frame according to claim 1, further comprising a head rest frame for a head rest, wherein the back frame component comprises a lumbar supporting portion and is attached to the head rest portion, and wherein the back frame portion is attached to the seat frame component.

11. The seating frame according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material comprises: about 55 wt % to about 90 wt % polypropylene: about 10 wt % to about 40 wt % long glass fiber; and about 0.0001 wt % to about 5 wt % of one or more of an impact modifier, a filler, an antioxidant, or a reinforcing agent; said wt % values based on the weight of the frame component.

12. A process of making a seating frame, the method comprising: introducing a long glass fiber-filled polypropylene material to a hopper of an injection molding machine; melting the long glass fiber-filled polypropylene material to form a melt in a plasticizing unit; pressurizing the plasticizing unit of the injection molding machine with a blowing agent; dissolving the blowing agent into the melt; injecting the melt into a mold cavity up to 100% of volume; and forming the frame with a back frame component and a cushion frame simultaneously; wherein the frame comprises the back frame component for supporting a back rest, wherein the back frame component includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs that form a single unit with the back frame component, and wherein the seating frame is a one-piece injection-molded part made of plastic material.

13. A vehicle seat comprising the seating frame of claim 1.

14. The vehicle seat of claim 13, wherein the seat is a bucket seat.

15. A vehicle comprising a seating frame, the frame comprising a back frame component for supporting a back rest, wherein the back frame component includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs that form a single unit with the back frame component, and wherein the seating frame is a one-piece injection-molded part made of plastic material.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the plastic material comprises a thermoplastic material filled with fibers.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the fibers have a length of about 3 mm to about 40 mm.

18. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the plastic material comprises: about 55 wt % to about 90 wt % polypropylene: about 10 wt % to about 40 wt % long glass fiber; and about 0.0001 wt %1 to about 5 wt % of one or more of an impact modifier, a filler, an antioxidant, or a reinforcing agent; said wt % values based on the weight of the frame component.

19. The vehicle of claim 15, further comprising a head rest frame for a head rest, wherein the back frame component comprises a lumbar supporting portion and is attached to the head rest portion, and wherein the back frame portion is attached to the seat frame component.

20. The seating frame according to claim 1, further comprising a seat frame component for supporting a seat base; and a fastening component from which the back frame component extends in an upwards fashion, wherein the fastening component is used to fasten the vehicle seat to a vehicle upon installation; wherein the seat base is supported by and/or fastened to the fastening component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate examples of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than can be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it can be practiced. In the drawings:

[0029] FIG. 1a shows a vehicle seat provided with a seating frame according to the invention.

[0030] FIG. 1b shows a back seat of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1a.

[0031] FIGS. 2a and b shows a seating frame according to the invention, indicating several regions of a ribbing network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] A vehicle seat 100, as illustrated in FIG. 1a, can be used in electric vehicles. The seat shown in FIG. 1a is a bucket seat, i.e. a car seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from a flat bench seat designed to fit multiple people. The seat comprises a back rest 110, a head rest 120, and a seat base 130. The back rest 110 is further provided with a lumbar support 112. The back rest 110, head rest 120 and seat base 130 each may include a cushion portion 111, 121, 131, i.e. a textile cover, to provide a comfortable seat for a person. Alternatively, the supporting surfaces of the back rest 110, head rest 120 and/or seat base 130 can be made of a polymer non-textile cover, with or without a soft feel. FIG. 1b shows the back rest 110 and head rest 120 of the vehicle seat 100, without the seat base 130. The back rest 130 extends between the head rest 120 and a fastening component 230, see also FIGS. 2a to c.

[0033] FIGS. 2a to c shows a seating frame 200 according to the invention, indicating several regions 240, 242, 244, 246, 248. The seating frame 200 comprises a back frame component 210, a head rest component 220 and a seat frame component 230. The seating fame 200 may be made from polypropylene-long glass fiber (PP-LGF) material to fulfill mechanical performance requirements on stiffness and strength needed for an electric vehicle. The disclosed seating frame 200 can be integrated as one part and can be made using injection molding, which can reduce costs versus the traditional solution of stamping parts and mechanically assembling the parts with welding, when mass produced. The disclosed seating frame 200 can have a high performance-to-weight ratio, which can lead to weight reduction.

[0034] As shown in the FIGS. 2a to c, the seating frame 200 includes a base 202 from which a network 204 of reinforcing ribs extends towards a front of the seating frame, wherein the base 202 forms a back of the vehicle seat. The base 202 comprises a first portion 206 and a peripheral second portion 208. The peripheral second portion 208 extends at an angle greater than 0 degrees from the periphery of the first portion 206. Front and back of the vehicle seat or seating frame are related to the front and rear of a vehicle when placed in the vehicle, i.e. the back of the vehicle seat or seating frame is directed towards the rear of a vehicle when installed, and the front of the vehicle seat or seating frame is directed towards the front or hood of a vehicle when installed. The seating frame may be subjected to various bending loads upon use, which loads are applied to the top of the seating frame, i.e. at a region neighboring the head rest frame. Deflection, strength and fatigue life are consequently required for the seating frame.

[0035] To enhance the bending stiffness of the upper seating frame, stiffening structures such as reinforcement ribs, as illustrated in FIG. 2a, are added, starting from a side region 240 and ending in an upper region 242, usually located at shoulder-height of a seated person. This provides full support to resist bending in a longitudinal direction.

[0036] As further illustrated in FIG. 2a, the upper region 242 comprises a stiffening structure of reinforcement ribs that connects with the side ribbing in the side region 240. The upper region thus provides additional torsion stiffness, helping to resist torsional deformation of the seat frame in loading service.

[0037] Sufficient bending stiffness is also required in the mid region 244 of the seating frame. To achieve this, the stiffening structure comprises a network of reinforcing ribs at the mid region 244 arranged in an X-shape, thereby connecting with the upper region 242. The upper ribbing of the mid region extends downwards in a diagonal fashion from both sides, thus forming an X-shaped region 244.

[0038] FIG. 2b shows a lower region 246 of the seating frame, where the loading position is away from the lower region 246 and the main deformation is caused by bending. The straight ribbing design extending between a cross-member 250 and the fastening component 230 provides effective bending stiffness for the lower region 246 of the seating frame. A lower side ribbing 248 extending diagonally from the side regions 240 to the lower region 246 has a similar function. One cross-member 250 is designed to extend in a width direction across the seating frame 200, and is used to transfer horizontal load to neighboring ribs.

[0039] The network of ribs 204 are formed of ribs extending in a longitudinal fashion, as seen from the fastening component, as in lower region 246 and side regions 240, in a width direction, such as the cross-member or cross rib 250 in FIG. 2b, more or less located in the lumbar supporting portion 112, and diagonally extending ribs, such as in the X-shaped region 244 and upper region 242. The regions may be interconnected, i.e. form a continuous network of interconnected ribs, or form individual ribbing networks. The ribs or ribbing networks provide bending stiffness to the seating frame 100 in the plane of the base 202 of the back frame component 200.

[0040] The present methods and systems are disclosed and described above, however it is to be understood that the methods and systems are not limited to specific synthetic methods, specific components, or to particular compositions. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. Various combinations of elements of this disclosure are encompassed by this disclosure, e.g., combinations of elements from dependent claims that depend upon the same independent claim. Moreover, it is to be understood that unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that an order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; and the number or type of examples described in the specification.