JP4591210B2 - Seat pad with skin, method of manufacturing seat pad with skin, and pad mold - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat pad comprising a skin and made of urethane and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a seat pad with a skin suitable for a vehicle seat and a method for manufacturing the same.

In general, a seat pad of a vehicle seat has a surface of a main body made of urethane foam, and an outer surface that can be seen or touched by a person is covered with a skin. Depending on the type of skin and the required cost, these skins are assembled to the pad after foam molding, are attached by adhesion, or are integrated at the same time as the pad is molded. Among these, in the method of integrating the skin simultaneously with the molding of the pad, as shown in FIG. 8, the skin 105 prepared in advance is fixed to the pad mold surface 112 by vacuum suction. Thereafter, there is a method in which a pad material 123 such as polyurethane is introduced and foamed and cured to be molded. In another method, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, first, a material that is a raw material for the skin is applied to the surface of the pad mold by spraying, and then the pad material is introduced. There is a method of curing and molding a pad in a mold.
US Pat. No. 6,444,303

  Here, the skin formed integrally with the pad is preferably a material that does not have air permeability when using vacuum suction. Also, when the skin material is spray-coated on the pad mold and the skin is molded simultaneously with the pad, the skin is film-like and does not have air permeability. As a result, moisture and water vapor such as sweat released from a person seated on these seats tend to stay in a liquid state between the seat surface and the seated person, so that a so-called “steaming” is likely to occur.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a seat pad manufacturing method in which a skin having air permeability is integrated at the same time as the pad is formed.
In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a seat pad mold that can integrate a skin having air permeability simultaneously with molding of the pad, and a seat pad in which the skin pad having air permeability is integrated at the same time as molding. Let it be an issue.

  The first invention of the present invention for solving the above problem is to supply a skin material having fluidity to a seat pad molding die, and to cure the skin material in a film shape having vent holes and along the molding die surface. A seat pad with a skin, comprising: a skin forming step, and a pad forming step in which a pad material having fluidity is injected into the mold after the skin forming step, and the pad material is foamed and cured to form a pad. It is a manufacturing method. In this manufacturing method, the skin material is supplied to the mold of the seat pad and cured to form a film-like skin in a shape along the mold surface of the mold and in close contact with the mold of the seat pad. it can. At this time, by forming a vent hole in the skin material, the pad material is put into a mold after the skin molding and foamed and cured to mold the pad, so that the skin with the vent hole is closely attached. A seat pad integrated in a state can be manufactured.

  In a preferred embodiment of the first invention, the mold has a mold surface having conical protrusions, and in the skin forming step, the skin material is sprayed onto the mold surface having the conical protrusions. Supply. By spraying a flowable skin material onto a mold having conical projections on the mold surface, the skin material flows down from the apex portions of the conical projections before the skin material is completely cured, and the apex portions of the conical projections A vent hole penetrating the skin itself can be formed. Further, the conical projections can satisfactorily suppress the pad material from flowing out of the skin due to foaming pressure or the like in the pad molding process.

A second invention of the present invention is a mold for molding a seat pad with a skin in which a skin material having fluidity is supplied and a vent is formed in the skin at the time of molding. The seat pad mold is provided with a plurality of conical protrusions whose protrusion height is longer than the thickness of the skin . According to this seat pad molding die, the skin having the vent holes can be integrated simultaneously with the molding of the pad by the manufacturing method according to the first invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the seat pad mold, the seat pad to be molded is formed with concave stripes, and the molding die surface has protrusions that are convex portions corresponding to the stripes. It is applied, the conical projection is provided on the convex portion of the mold surface. By using such a seat pad molding die, the air holes can be arranged in the recesses of the seat pad obtained by molding, and it is possible to avoid the air holes from deteriorating the design of the seat pad.

In another preferred form of the seat pad mold, the conical protrusion has an apex angle of 56 ° or less . In such a seat pad mold, the skin material having fluidity that can be applied by spraying can flow down from the apex of the conical protrusions, and the vent hole can be reliably molded.

  Furthermore, the third invention of the present invention is a seat pad with a skin, in which a polyurethane skin having a ventilation hole having an inner diameter of 0.2 mm or more is integrated on the surface of the polyurethane pad with a pad material of the polyurethane pad. . This seat pad with a skin is provided with a design unique to a polyurethane skin and has air permeability, so that both appearance and ride comfort are good.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the seat pad manufacturing method which integrates the skin with air permeability simultaneously with shaping | molding of a pad, the sheet pad shaping | molding die which can integrate the skin with air permeability simultaneously with shaping | molding of a pad, and air permeability By providing a seat pad in which the skin pad provided with is integrated at the same time as molding, a sheet having a design unique to integral molding and having air permeability can be obtained.

  The seat pad with a skin according to the present invention can be used for various sheets. For example, it can also be used for various seats used in buildings and vehicles, and for seats such as benches installed in buildings and vehicles. Typically, it can be used as a seat for a vehicle, and is not limited to a seat exposed to air outside a vehicle installed on a forklift or the like, and can be used favorably for a seat provided in a vehicle interior.

  FIG. 1 shows a seat pad 1 for a vehicle seat cushion according to an embodiment of the seat pad of the present invention. The seat pad 1 has a known shape, and has a front part and both side parts raised slightly on the upper surface so that it can be seated stably, between the front part and the rear part, and between the front part, the rear part, and each side part. Between the two, a concave streak 7 having design properties is provided.

  The seat pad 1 includes a pad body 3 and a skin 5 that covers the outer surface of the pad body 3. The pad main body 3 can have a known shape and is formed of foamed polyurethane. The skin 5 is a film-like layer made of a thermosetting resin that can maintain flexibility. The skin 5 is preferably made of a thermosetting elastomer and is typically made of a polyurethane elastomer. The skin 5 is fixedly integrated with a pad material constituting the pad main body 3. In the present embodiment, the urethane constituting the skin 5 and the urethane constituting the pad main body 3 are partially chemically bonded.

  The skin 5 is provided with a vent hole 9. The ventilation hole 9 is a hole that penetrates the skin 5 and has a size that allows ventilation, in particular, a size that allows water vapor to circulate. The ventilation hole 9 has a minimum inner diameter of 0.2 mm or more. When it is preferably 0.9 mm or more, it is difficult for stuffiness to occur between the seated person and the epidermis 5. More preferably, it is 1.0 mm or more. The position where the vent hole 9 is provided is not particularly limited, and may be anywhere on the skin 5. Preferably, the design of the seat pad 1 is unlikely to be damaged if the portion is formed in a concave shape in the outer shape of the seat pad 1. In addition, it is preferable that the air holes 9 be provided in a region where the seating pressure of the seated person is higher because it is possible to satisfactorily suppress stuffiness. Further, although one vent hole 9 may be provided, a plurality of vent holes 9 are preferably provided from the viewpoint of air permeability, and are preferably provided in a dispersed manner. In FIG. 1, the two lines 7 are provided at two parts where the two lines 7 intersect with each other and two lines 7 at the rear end of the pad main body 3. In this embodiment, a plurality of air holes 9 are dispersed and provided in a region having a high seat pressure corresponding to the buttocks of the seated person, and the air permeability is good.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, an embodiment of a seat pad molding die according to the present invention will be described by taking a molding die 10 that can mold the seat pad 1 as an example. FIG. 2 illustrates a pair of molds that can mold the seat pad 1, that is, a mold that molds the surface on the skin 5 side, that is, a lower mold. The mold 10 includes a concave portion formed by a mold surface 12 that follows the shape of the pad body 3. Further, a protrusion 14 corresponding to the line 7 formed on the seat pad 1 is provided in the concave portion. The protrusion 14 corresponds to the convex portion of the mold surface in the present invention. Conical protrusions 16 are provided at portions where the protrusions 14 intersect with each other and at positions where the protrusions 14 contact the rear end of the pad main body 3. FIG. 3 shows the conical protrusion 16 in an enlarged manner.

  The conical protrusion 16 is a protrusion that protrudes in a conical shape such as a cone, a quadrangular pyramid, or a pyramid such as a triangular pyramid, and is a portion that forms the vent hole 9. The conical protrusion 16 has a protrusion height (length indicated by a in FIG. 3A) longer than the thickness of the skin 5 in the seat pad 1 to be obtained. Specifically, for example, it is 3 mm or more. Further, the apex angle (the angle indicated by θ in FIG. 3B) of the conical protrusion 16 is set to a size such that a skin material 21 described later flows down by its own weight, as shown in FIG. 3B. That is, although depending on the fluidity of the skin material 21, the apex angle of the conical protrusion 16 is, for example, 60 ° or less, and preferably 50 ° or less. Further, the conical protrusion 16 has a minimum inner diameter (see FIG. 3) of the air holes 9 formed by flowing down until the skin material 21 is cured, as shown in FIG. 3B, in relation to the fluidity of the skin material 21. 3 (b) is a shape having a length of c) of 0.2 mm or more. Preferably, the minimum inner diameter of the vent hole is 0.9 mm or more, more preferably 1.0 mm or more.

  The conical protrusions 16 are provided on any part of the mold surface 12 according to the positions of the air holes provided on the seat pad 1 to be obtained by the mold 10. Therefore, from the viewpoint of air permeability as described above in the seat pad 1 to be obtained, it is preferable that a plurality of conical projections 16 are provided, and the conical projections 16 are dispersed on the mold surface 12 so that the seating pressure received during use is particularly high. It is preferable to be provided in the corresponding part.

  Next, an embodiment of a seat pad manufacturing method according to the present invention using this mold 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. This manufacturing method includes a skin forming step and a pad forming step. In addition, prior to the skin forming step, a known pretreatment such as a cleaning treatment of the mold surface 12 or a release agent coating treatment can be performed.

  In the skin forming step, first, a fluid skin material 21 is supplied to the mold 10 of the seat pad 1. The skin material 21 is a resin material that can form the skin 5, that is, a thermosetting material that becomes the above-described thermosetting resin. The skin material 21 is prepared so as to have fluidity that can be supplied along the mold surface 12 and can form the air holes 9. The supply method of the skin material 21 is a well-known method which can supply the skin material 21 on the shaping | molding die surface 12 in a film | membrane form, and is not specifically limited. Typically supplied by spray application. In FIG. 4, a thermosetting aliphatic urethane elastomer raw material is spray-coated as a skin material 21 using a spray injector 31. Spray coating is preferable because the skin material 21 can be supplied to the mold surface 12 with a uniform thickness.

  Next, in the skin forming step, the skin material 21 is cured in a film shape having the air holes 9 and along the mold surface 12. Here, in the skin forming step, the skin material 21 may be completely cured, but the degree of curing is within a range that has a strength capable of maintaining the film shape by the pressure applied when the pad material 23 is charged. May be adjusted. For example, when the skin forming process is completed before the skin material 21 is completely cured, the bonding between the pad material 23 and the skin material 21 can be further strengthened in the pad forming process described later, which is preferable. Specifically, in this step, for example, the mold surface 12 of the mold 10 is heated in advance to a temperature equal to or higher than the curing temperature of the skin material 21, and the skin material 21 is supplied to the mold surface 12. This is performed by leaving the mold surface 12 for a predetermined time while heating. As a result, the skin 5 can be formed in a film shape along the mold surface 12 of the mold 10.

  Here, FIG. 5 (a) shows the state of the skin material 21 in the conical protrusion 16 portion immediately after the skin material 21 is supplied, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the state of the skin material 21 (skin 5) after completion of curing. Show. The skin material 21 supplied to the mold surface 12 in a uniform film shape by spray coating or the like is first held in a film shape covering the entire conical protrusion 16. However, since it has fluidity, it flows down from the apex of the conical protrusion 16 and hardens in this state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a vent hole 9 penetrating the skin 5 is formed in the concave portion of the skin 5 to be obtained. The amount that flows down from the conical protrusions 16 changes depending on the shape of the conical protrusions 16 and the surface friction coefficient, the fluidity of the skin material 21, and the increase in viscosity due to the progress of the curing reaction over time. .

  The pad forming process is performed after the skin forming process. In the pad molding process, first, as shown in FIG. 6, a pad material 23 having fluidity is put into the mold 10. The charging method is not particularly limited and is a known method. In FIG. 6, the pad material 23, which is a soft foamed urethane raw material, is put into the mold 10 by the high-pressure injector 33. Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower mold 20 and the upper mold 20 are clamped, and the pad material 23 is foamed and cured. Thereby, the pad main body 3 can be shape | molded and the skin 5 can be integrated with the outer surface of the pad main body 3 simultaneously.

  In this manufacturing method, the skin 5 provided with the air holes 9 can be molded using the molding die 10 for molding the pad main body 3, and it is not necessary to prepare the skin 5 in advance. Further, since the skin 5 is molded into a shape along the molding die surface 12 of the molding die 10, it can be provided in close contact along the molding die surface 12 without using an adhering means such as vacuum suction. . Therefore, after the skin forming process, the pad material 23 is supplied, foamed and cured, and molded by the same method as before, so that the skin 5 is integrated simultaneously with the molding of the pad main body 3, and the skin 5 is ventilated. The seat pad 1 having the properties can be manufactured.

  In particular, in the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the air holes 9 are formed by using the flow of the skin material 21 from the conical projections 16 provided integrally with the mold surface 12 so as to protrude, so that the skin forming step is performed. The work is simple. In addition, since the conical protrusion 16 fills the vent hole 9 in the pad molding process, the pad material 23 is not likely to bulge out of the vent hole 9 due to foaming. Therefore, the moldability is good.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The seat pad is not limited to a seat cushion, and may be another part such as a seat back, an armrest, or a footrest. The vent hole is not limited to being provided in the concave portion of the outer shape of the sheet, and may be provided in a flat portion or the like. Or the design shape according to arrangement | positioning of a vent hole may be provided. Similarly, the seat pad mold preferably includes the conical protrusions 16 on the protrusions 14 that are convex portions of the mold surface 12, but is not limited thereto, and is provided in a planar portion or a concave portion. May be.

  In the method of manufacturing the seat pad, for example, in the skin forming step, a through hole is provided in the molding die surface 12 of the molding die 10 in place of the conical projections in order to form a vent hole, and a predetermined atmospheric pressure is provided. The air holes 9 penetrating the skin material 21 supplied in a film form may be formed by ejecting gas. Alternatively, the vent hole 9 may be formed by providing a columnar protrusion instead of the conical protrusion and wiping off the skin material 21 adhering to the top surface. Further, the tip of the conical protrusion 16 is not limited to a sharp shape, and may be rounded as long as the vent hole 9 can be formed. Further, by subjecting the surface of the conical projection to surface treatment that repels the skin material 21 in particular, the apex angle can be increased and the height at which the minimum diameter of the air hole to be obtained is obtained can be obtained. It is also possible to adjust to 5 thickness.

  A mold having a plurality of conical protrusions on the mold surface is heated to 65 ± 4 ° C., and a thermosetting aliphatic elastomer raw material (trade name: Cosmote TM20, manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd.) is used as the skin material. ) Was spray-coated using a spray injector (manufactured by Toho Kikai Co., Ltd.) on the mold surface provided with the conical projections so that a skin having a thickness of 1.8 mm was formed. After leaving for 60 seconds to cure the skin material, an isocyanate (trade name: Cosmonate TM120, Mitsui Takeda) in which polyol (MHR-2435, manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd.), tolylene diisocyanate and methylene diisocyanate as a pad material was mixed. The liquid mixture obtained by reacting with (Chemical Co., Ltd.) was poured into a mold using a soft foamed urethane high-pressure injector (Cannon Co.). Immediately after that, the mold was closed and heated at 65 ± 4 ° C. for 6 minutes to form and harden the pad material to form a pad having a thickness of 20 to 60 mm. The height of the conical protrusions provided on the mold surface (indicated by a in FIG. 3), the diameter of the base (indicated by b in FIG. 3), and the apex angle (indicated by θ in FIG. 3) The diameters of the vents are shown in Table 1.

Next, the skin-coated pads of Examples 1 to 4 were cut to a size according to JIS K6400 so as to have six ventilation holes formed by conical protrusions, and the air permeability was measured by a method according to JIS K6400. . Further, Comparative Example 1 uses a fabric skin, and Comparative Example 2 uses a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) skin, and these are individually bonded and integrated with the same pads as in Examples 1 to 4 with a sample. The air permeability was measured. The results are shown in Table 2.
Furthermore, about Examples 1-4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, sensory evaluation of the stuffiness was performed. The evaluation method evaluated whether or not the thighs were actually stuffy by sitting on the seat cushion. The evaluation criteria are as follows.
○: No sultry △: Slightly sultry ×: Feeling sultry The results are shown in Table 2.

  From the measurement of air permeability, it was revealed that Examples 1 to 4 have significant air permeability. Further, all of Examples 1 to 4 showed reduction of stuffiness, and particularly in Examples 2 to 4, the improvement of stuffiness was good, and thus it became clear that the inner diameter of the vent hole is preferably 1.1 mm or more. It was.

1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle seat pad according to the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the seat pad shaping | molding die concerning this invention. (A) is an enlarged detail view of the cone-shaped projection portion of the mold of FIG. 2, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a vent hole is molded in the cone-shaped projection of (a). FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing how the skin material is supplied to the mold of FIG. 2. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the skin material being supplied to the cone-shaped projection of the shaping | molding die of FIG. 2, (b) is an expanded sectional view which shows the ventilation hole being shape | molded after that. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing how a pad material is introduced into the mold of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pad is foamed and cured with the mold of FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional method of manufacturing a seat pad with a skin.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Seat pad 3 Pad body 5,105 Skin 7 Muscle 9 Vent 10 Mold 12, 112 Mold surface 14 Projection 16 Conical projection 20 Upper mold 21 Skin material 23, 123 Pad material 31 Spray injector 33 High pressure injector

Claims (6)

A skin forming step of supplying a fluid skin material to the mold of the seat pad, and curing the skin material into a film shape having a vent hole along the molding die surface;
A method of manufacturing a seat pad with a skin, comprising: a pad material forming step in which a pad material having fluidity is introduced into the mold after the skin forming step, and the pad material is foamed and cured. The mold has a mold surface with conical protrusions;
The manufacturing method of the seat pad with a skin of Claim 1 which supplies the said skin material to the shaping | molding die surface provided with the said cone-shaped projection by spray application in the said skin formation process. A molding die for molding a seat pad with a skin in which a skin material having fluidity is supplied and a vent is formed in the skin at the time of molding,
A seat pad molding die provided with a plurality of conical projections whose projection height is longer than the thickness of the skin on the molding die surface. The seat pad to be molded is formed with a concave streak, and the molding die surface is provided with a protrusion that is a convex portion corresponding to the streak . is provided on the convex portion of the mold surface, the seat pad mold according to claim 3. The seat pad mold according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the conical protrusion has an apex angle of 56 ° or less .   A seat pad with a skin, wherein a polyurethane skin having a vent hole with an inner diameter of 0.2 mm or more is integrated on the surface of the polyurethane pad with a pad material of the polyurethane pad.

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