Method for producing a component assembly for a motor vehicle, component assembly for a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle having the component assembly

Abstract

A method for producing a component assembly for a motor vehicle, wherein the component assembly has a base body for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle and at least one functional component, wherein the at least one functional component is injection-molded to the base body during the production of the component assembly and the component assembly is produced using a gas external pressure process. A component assembly for a motor vehicle is also provided, having a base body for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle and at least one functional component, wherein the base body is produced as an integral injection-molded part together with the at least one functional component using an external gas pressure process. Also, a motor vehicle having a component assembly is provided.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a component assembly for a motor vehicle, wherein the component assembly comprises a base body for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle and at least one functional component, the method comprising: molding the at least one functional component to the base body during the manufacture of the component assembly; and producing the component assembly using a gas external pressure process, wherein external gas pressure is applied to a planar region of the base body around the at least one functional component during manufacture of the component assembly, and wherein the planar region of the base body is arranged on a rear side of the base body facing away from a visible side of the base body.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one functional component is injection-molded onto the rear side of the base body facing away from the visible side of the base body.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one functional component comprises or is designed as an airbag deployment channel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the production of the component assembly, at least one recessed portion of the at least one functional component is cooled with CO2 spot cooling, which is applied by a molding tool for manufacturing the component assembly.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the component assembly is produced using the external gas pressure process and using polypropylene.

6. A component assembly for a motor vehicle, wherein the component assembly is produced according to the method according to claim 1.

7. The component assembly according to claim 6, wherein the at least one functional component is molded to the rear side of the base body facing away from the visible side of the base body.

8. The component assembly according to claim 6, wherein the at least one functional component is an airbag deployment channel.

9. A motor vehicle comprising a component assembly according to claim 6.

10. A method for manufacturing a component assembly for a motor vehicle, wherein the component assembly comprises a base body for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle and at least one functional component, the method comprising: molding the at least one functional component to the base body during the manufacture of the component assembly; and producing the component assembly using a gas external pressure process, wherein in the production of the component assembly, the at least one functional component is at least sectionally cooled with CO2 spot cooling, which is applied by a molding tool for manufacturing the component assembly.

11. A component assembly for a motor vehicle, the component assembly comprising: a base body for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle, the base body having a planar region that is arranged on a rear side of the base body facing away from a visible side of the base body; and at least one functional component, wherein the base body is produced as an integral injection-molded part together with the at least one functional component using an external gas pressure process, the at least one functional component molded to the planar region of the base body with external gas pressure applied to the planar region of the base body around the at least one functional component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a component assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a section of a component assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a motor vehicle with the component assembly shown in FIG. 1, and

(5) FIG. 4 is a flowchart explaining the method according to the invention for manufacturing a component assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a component assembly 100 for a motor vehicle 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The component assembly 100 according to FIG. 1 essentially has a polypropylene base body 10 for an instrument panel of the motor vehicle 1 and a functional component 20, wherein the functional component 20 is designed as an airbag deployment channel on a back side of the base body 10, which constitutes a rear side of the base body 10 facing away from a visible side of the base body 10. The back side or rear side of the main body 10 represents a side of the base body 10 for the instrument panel which points or substantially points in the direction of a front side of the motor vehicle 1 when the component assembly 100 is installed in the motor vehicle 1, and thus, in the installed state of the component assembly 100, facing away from the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle 1. Accordingly, a front side of the base body 10 for the instrument panel refers to a visible side which points or substantially points in the direction of a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle 1 when the component assembly 100 is installed in the motor vehicle 1.

(7) According to FIG. 1, the base body 10 is produced together with the functional component 20, designed as an airbag deployment channel, as an integral or plastic injection-molded part using an external gas pressure process. The airbag deployment channel 20 of plastic is designed as an airbag deployment channel for a passenger airbag or as a passenger airbag deployment channel and disposed at a correspondingly appropriate position on the base body 10 for the instrument panel, namely on the back side or rear side of the base body 10.

(8) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged representation of the arrangement of the functional component 20 on the base body 10 embodied as an airbag deployment channel. FIG. 2 shows a planar region 11 of the base body 10, which is configured around the airbag deployment channel 20 and above which gas external pressure is applied during the manufacture of the component assembly 100. The planar region 11 is arranged on the back side or rear side of the base body 10. FIG. 2 also shows several recesses 21 in a reinforcing structure of the airbag deployment channel 20.

(9) FIG. 3 shows a rough schematic of a motor vehicle 1 with a component assembly 100 according to FIG. 1, wherein the component assembly 100 is arranged in an instrument panel area of the motor vehicle 1 or as part of an instrument panel of the motor vehicle 1.

(10) Subsequently, a method is described with reference to FIG. 4 for the manufacture of an inventive component assembly 100 for an instrument panel or a motor vehicle 1 comprising said instrument panel.

(11) To manufacture the component assembly 100, in a first step S1, a plastic base body 10 for an instrument panel and a plastic functional component 20 in the form of an airbag deployment channel are provided. The plastic material preferably used is polypropylene or a filled polypropylene or a fiber-reinforced polypropylene or a polypropylene derivative.

(12) In a second, subsequent or at least partially concurrent step S2, the functional component 20 is molded to the base body 10 in the manufacture of the component assembly 100, wherein the component assembly 100 is manufactured using an external gas pressure process. In this case, external gas pressure is applied to a planar region 11 of the base body 10 around the at least one functional component 20, wherein the planar region 11 is arranged on the rear side of the base body 10 facing away from the visible side of the base body 10.

(13) In a third step, which is carried out during the production of the component assembly 100, the functional component 20 is cooled in sections with CO2 spot cooling, which is applied by a molding tool for creating the component assembly 100. More specifically, during this step, several pockets or recessed portions 21 of a reinforcing structure of the functional component 20 are selectively cooled with CO2 spot cooling, which is applied by the molding tool for creating the component assembly 100.

(14) In addition to the described embodiments, the present invention permits further embodiments. Thus, the functional component is for example not limited to the illustrated airbag deployment channel, but can also comprise or embody another functional component, in particular a correspondingly large-sized functional component.

(15) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.