|Número de publicación||US7011181 B2|
|Tipo de publicación||Concesión|
|Número de solicitud||US 10/614,907|
|Fecha de publicación||14 Mar 2006|
|Fecha de presentación||8 Jul 2003|
|Fecha de prioridad||8 Jul 2003|
|También publicado como||DE102004032925A1, US7182172, US20050006173, US20060151239|
|Número de publicación||10614907, 614907, US 7011181 B2, US 7011181B2, US-B2-7011181, US7011181 B2, US7011181B2|
|Inventores||Donald C. Albin, Jr.|
|Cesionario original||Lear Corporation|
|Exportar cita||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citas de patentes (69), Citada por (22), Clasificaciones (27), Eventos legales (8)|
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet|
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a sound insulation system and method for forming the sound insulation system for use within the interior compartment of a motor vehicle.
2. Background Art
Recent developments in the area of automotive sound insulation systems, such as flooring systems, include a focus on “lightweight technologies.” Current lightweight technologies are known to provide significant reductions in floor system weight compared to traditional sound insulation materials, while also providing improved sound absorption characteristics. These characteristics are attractive to automotive companies because a reduction in the weight of the flooring system improves the fuel economy of a vehicle.
Current flooring systems, however, may not exhibit adequate sound absorption characteristics over certain frequency ranges.
Under the invention, a sound insulation system for use with a vehicle includes a layer of fibrous padding material having a first surface and an opposite second surface. The first surface includes multiple spaced apart recesses. The second surface has a substantially flat surface portion that extends over two adjacent recesses of the first surface. Also, the multiple recesses are configured to define multiple voids when the sound insulation system is mounted in the vehicle, thereby enhancing acoustical performance of the sound insulation system.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a flooring system for positioning proximate a floor pan of a vehicle comprises a fibrous layer having multiple vertically lapped folds that cooperate to define a first surface and an opposite second surface of the fibrous layer. The first surface is adapted to face toward the floor pan and has multiple recesses. The second surface has a shape that generally conforms with the floor pan. The flooring system also comprises a cover layer attached to the second surface of the fibrous layer. Additionally, the multiple recesses are configured to define multiple voids when the flooring system is mounted in the vehicle, thereby enhancing acoustical performance of the sound insulation system.
A further aspect of the present invention provides a method of forming a sound insulation system for use with a vehicle. The method includes the step of positioning a layer of fibrous padding material that has a first surface and an opposite second surface between first and second mold sections, wherein the first mold section includes a first mold surface having multiple spaced apart projections. The method further includes compressing the layer of fibrous padding material between the mold sections such that the first mold surface forms multiple spaced apart recesses in the first surface of the layer of fibrous padding material. Furthermore, the recesses are configured to define multiple voids when the sound insulation system in installed in the vehicle.
In the embodiment shown in
Also, the fibers may be disposed in any suitable arrangement or orientation, such as randomly oriented fibers or systematically arranged fibers. In the embodiment shown in
While the recesses 20 may have any suitable configuration, in one embodiment of the invention, the recesses 20 generally have the same shape and are spaced generally the same distance apart. Additionally, the recesses 20 may have any suitable height or depth, such as a depth of at least 10% of the overall thickness of the fibrous layer 12. In one embodiment of the invention, the recesses 20 each have a depth of at least 25% of the thickness of the fibrous layer 12. In another embodiment of the invention, the recesses 20 each have a depth of at least 75% of the thickness of the fibrous layer 12.
The second surface 18 is adapted to face away from the vehicle part 11, and has a configuration that is substantially different than the first surface 16. In the embodiment shown in
The fibrous layer 12 may also comprise thermal binder fibers for bonding together the fibers of the fibrous layer 12 and for maintaining a desired molded shape of the fibrous layer 12. If the fibrous layer 12 includes folds 22, such binder fibers may also be used to bond adjacent folds 22 together. Alternatively, the fibrous layer may be bonded with polymerized phenolic resin.
The cover layer 14 has a first surface, such as concealable surface 23, that is configured to face toward the vehicle part 11, and a second surface, such as appearance surface 24, that is configured to face away from the vehicle part 11. As shown in
The concealable surface 23 of the cover layer 14 may be attached to the second surface 18 of the fibrous layer 12 in any suitable manner, such as with an adhesive. For example, the adhesive may comprise an adhesive powder and/or a thermoplastic film layer, such as an extruded thermoplastic layer or a sintered thermoplastic layer.
Alternatively, the sound insulation system 10 may be provided without a cover layer if not required for a particular application. For example, the cover layer 14 may be omitted if the sound insulation system 10 is installed inside of a door panel.
When the sound insulation system 10 is installed in the vehicle, the recesses 20 of the fibrous layer 12 define multiple voids 26. This configuration has been shown to significantly enhance acoustical performance of the sound insulation system 10 as compared with prior systems. Referring to Table 1 below, the sound absorption properties of a sample of a convoluted fibrous layer according to one embodiment of the invention are compared to a sample of a standard, conventional fibrous padding material at frequencies ranging from 50–6300 Hz.
Sound Absorption of a Standard Fibrous Padding Compared to a
Convoluted Fibrous Layer of the Invention.
Sound Absorption Coefficient
Standard Fibrous Padding
Convoluted Fibrous Padding
Testing of the samples was performed in accordance with ASTM C384: Standard Test Method for Impedance and Absorption of Acoustical Materials by the Impedance Tube Method. Furthermore, the testing was performed using an impedance tube and signal amplifier manufactured by Bruel & Kjaer of Germany. The data points show that at frequencies of about 1000 Hz and higher, the sample of the fibrous layer of this invention demonstrated higher sound absorption coefficients than the sample of the standard fibrous padding.
Each sample utilized in the test comprised generally the same material, weight and initial thickness. Both test samples included fibrous pads that were 0.75 inches (3.93 cm) in total thickness. While any suitable configuration may be utilized to create a convoluted appearance, the convoluted sample tested was created to include recesses formed in a 28 mm×28 mm grid pattern. The 28 mm×28 mm grid pattern was created by machining equally spaced lines in first and second perpendicular directions on a mold surface. Pegs were then placed at intersections of the machined lines to provide a patterned surface on the convoluted sample. Finally, the fibrous layer used to form the convoluted sample was placed on the mold such that its machine direction was perpendicular to the first direction.
In the embodiment shown in
Under the method of the invention, the fibrous layer 12 may first be formed in any suitable manner. For example, fibers may be randomly oriented, such as by an air-laid high loft process, to form the fibrous layer 12. Alternatively, the fibers may be horizontally oriented, such as by a cross-laid high loft process. As another example, a pleating machine (not shown) may be used to vertically or horizontally lap a randomly oriented or systematically arranged fiber layer to form the fibrous layer 12.
In one embodiment of the invention, a card apparatus, such as available from Thibeau of Tourcoing Cedex, France, may be used to comb or otherwise arrange fibers in a particular direction, such as a machine direction, to form a relatively thin fiber layer. A pleating machine may then be used to vertically lap the fiber layer to form the fibrous layer 12. With such a process, fibers of the fibrous layer 12 may be provided with a generally vertical orientation.
Next, referring to
The first mold surface 34 is configured to form the recesses 20 in the first surface 16 of the fibrous layer 12 when the layers 12 and 14 are compressed together. Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in
An adhesive material, such as an adhesive powder and/or a thermoplastic film layer, may also be positioned between the fibrous layer 12 and the cover layer 14 prior to compressing the layers together to facilitate attachment of the layers 12 and 14. Moreover, the fibrous layer 12 may comprise thermal or phenolic binders for binding together the fibers of the fibrous layer 12 and for maintaining the molded shape of the fibrous layer 12.
Furthermore, the fibrous layer 12 and/or cover layer 14 may be heated, such as in an oven or by any other suitable means, prior to being positioned between the mold sections 30 and 32. Moreover, the mold sections 30 and 32 may be heated and/or cooled to facilitate the molding process. Alternatively or supplementally, the mold 28 may be configured to introduce a heating fluid, such as hot air or steam, between the mold sections 30 and 32 for heating the layers 12 and/or 14.
As an alternative to the above described process, the cover layer 14 may be molded in a separate molding operation such that the cover layer 14 has a shape that generally conforms to the mold surfaces 34 and 38 prior to being positioned between the mold sections 30 and 32. As yet another alternative, the fibrous layer 12 may be molded in the mold 28 without the cover layer 14, and the cover layer 14 may be subsequently attached to the fibrous layer 12, such as by an additional molding operation. As still yet another alternative, the cover layer 14 may be omitted if not required for a particular application.
Under the method of the invention, the recesses 20 of the fibrous layer 12 cooperate to provide a convoluted configuration to the first surface 16. With such a configuration, surface area of the first surface 16 is significantly increased compared with prior fibrous padding layers. As a result, sound absorption of the sound insulation system 10 is significantly increased compared with prior systems. Furthermore, because the second surface 18 of the fibrous layer 12 is preferably not provided with a convoluted configuration, contact between the fibrous layer 12 and the cover layer 14 may be maximized.
It is noted that sound insulation systems according to the invention may be configured to absorb sounds at various frequency ranges, such as low and/or high frequency ranges. For example, such factors as manufacturing materials, recess configuration, and airflow resistance of the fibrous layer and/or cover layer may be designed or chosen to achieve a desired sound absorption characteristic.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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|Clasificación de EE.UU.||181/290, 181/204, 296/39.3, 181/293|
|Clasificación internacional||B32B3/30, B60R13/08, E04B1/82, E04B2/02, F01N1/02, B32B5/26, F01N1/24, D04H13/00, G10K11/168|
|Clasificación cooperativa||B32B5/26, B60R13/0815, D04H13/002, B32B3/30, D04H1/74, B60R13/083, G10K11/168|
|Clasificación europea||D04H1/74, B32B5/26, G10K11/168, B60R13/08B, B60R13/08B2, D04H13/00B2, B32B3/30|
|8 Jul 2003||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: LEAR CORPORATION, MICHIGAN
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ALBIN, DONALD C., JR.;REEL/FRAME:014285/0698
Effective date: 20030708
|23 Jun 2006||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS GENERAL ADMINISTRATI
Free format text: SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:LEAR CORPORATION;REEL/FRAME:017858/0719
Effective date: 20060425
|27 Abr 2007||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS GROUP NORTH AM
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Effective date: 20070427
|19 Oct 2009||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|14 Mar 2010||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|4 May 2010||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20100314
|21 Abr 2014||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: LEAR CORPORATION, MICHIGAN
Free format text: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY;ASSIGNOR:JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.;REEL/FRAME:032722/0553
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