FR3043035A1 - GARNISHING ELEMENT COMPRISING BANDS OF OPAQUE WOVEN MATERIALS AND BANDS OF TRANSLUCENT MATERIAL - Google Patents

Abstract

The method of producing the packing element (1) comprises the following steps: - providing at least two layers of opaque wood material (12) each extending in a first plane, - providing at least one layer in translucent material (14), - arrangement of the wood material layers (12) and the translucent material layer (14) on each other in a stacking direction (T) so that the layer of translucent material ( 14) extends between the two layers of woody material (12), - assembly of the layers so as to obtain an intermediate complex (18), - cutting of the intermediate complex (18) along a cutting plane (C) perpendicular to the first plan so as to obtain a cut blank (20), - formation of a packing element (1) from the cut blank (20).

Description

Packing element comprising strips of opaque wood material and strips of translucent material

The present invention relates to a method of producing a lining element comprising an outer face having the appearance of a wood layer and having at least one translucent zone. The invention also relates to a packing element obtained by such a method.

In a lining element, it may be desirable to obtain a front face of the illuminated decorative layer in order to display information, to diffuse a mood light or to confer a particular aesthetic to the lining element. In such a case, it is desired that the light source is on the back side of the decor layer so that the light source is not visible from outside the trim element and that can be easily integrated in a structure on which the packing element is arranged. This is referred to as a backlit lining element.

However, such a backlight is difficult to implement when the decor layer is not translucent, for example when the layer is made of woody material, such as wood.

In this case, it is known, for example, to perforate the decorative layer so that the light passes through the decorative layer through the perforations. However, such perforations are not satisfactory because they affect the appearance of the decorative layer. One of the aims of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages by proposing a packing element having a satisfactory appearance and whose decor layer can be backlit locally. To this end, the invention relates to a method of producing a packing element of the aforementioned type and comprising the following steps: - providing at least two layers of substantially opaque woody material and each extending in a foreground - Providing at least one layer of translucent material substantially flat and extending in the first plane, - Arrangement of the opaque wood material layers and the layer of translucent material on each other in a substantially stacking direction perpendicular to the foreground, so that the layer of translucent material extends between the two layers of opaque wood material, - assembling the layers of opaque wood material and the layer of translucent material so as to obtain an intermediate complex formed layers in opaque wood material and the layer of translucent material parallel to each other, - cutting the com intermediate plexus according to a cutting plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane so as to obtain a cut blank having a main face parallel to the cutting plane; - forming a packing element from the cut blank, said cut blank forming a blank layer; aspect of said packing member and the outer face of said packing member being formed by the major face of said cut blank.

Such a production method makes it possible to obtain a packing element in which the outer wood material layer is formed by the cut blank formed of strips of wood material between which bands of translucent material are interposed. The outer face of the lining element thus obtained has the appearance of a layer of wood, while allowing a backlighting of the outer face through the band or strips of translucent material. In addition, the strip structure of the appearance layer makes it possible to give the packing element satisfactory deformability characteristics.

According to other characteristics of the embodiment method according to the invention: the method comprises the provision of a plurality of layers of opaque wood material and a plurality of layers of translucent material, the intermediate complex being formed of the stack layers of opaque wood material, the layers of translucent material being interposed between at least some of the layers of opaque wood material, - the assembly of the layers of opaque wood material and translucent material is by gluing and compression of the layers on each the others, the method comprises a step of assembling the blank cut with a reinforcing layer, said reinforcing layer extending on the internal face of the blank, opposite to the main face of said blank, so as to form a complex of packing comprising cut blank and reinforcement layer; - the method comprises a step of assembling the packing complex with a support layer, the support layer extending on the face of the reinforcing layer opposite to the cut blank so as to obtain a lining element comprising from inside to outside at least one support layer, a reinforcing layer and an aspect layer formed by the cut blank, the method comprises a step of three-dimensional shaping of the packing complex or the packing element, said step being arranged so that the main face of the blank cut-off form a non-developable surface, - the layer of translucent material is formed by a translucent woody material or a film or layer of translucent plastic material, - the ratio of the thickness of a layer of opaque woody material to the thickness a layer of translucent material is between 1 and 10. The invention also relates to a packing element obtained by a method as described above. s, of the type, comprising: - an appearance layer formed of a plurality of strips of opaque wood material and a plurality of strips of translucent material each extending in a longitudinal direction, assembled to each other in accordance with a cross direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, each band of translucent material being interposed between two successive strips of opaque wood material, - a reinforcing layer fixed on one of the faces of the appearance layer.

According to another characteristic of the packing element, the reinforcing layer is translucent. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of an intermediate complex made during the process of making a packing element according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation in longitudinal section taken along the axis 11-11 of FIG. 1, - FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of a packing complex forming a packing element or part of a packing element according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional representation of a packing complex forming a packing element or part of a packing element according to another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic representation in perspective of a packing element according to the invention.

In the description, the terms "internal" and "external" are defined with respect to the orientation of the packing element when disposed in a vehicle, the term "internal" designating what is intended to be rotated to the vehicle and not visible to the occupants of the vehicle. The term "external" refers to what is intended to be turned inwardly of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The term "front" refers to the side of an element that faces outward and the term "back" refers to the side of an element that is turned inward.

In what follows, the light is in the visible range, that is to say composed of electromagnetic waves, whose wavelength is generally between 380 nanometers and 780 nanometers. In what follows, the term "translucent" is said to be a body transmitting light, that is to say having a light transmission rate of between 5% and 100%. The term "opaque" is a body that leaves little or no light, that is to say an object having a light transmission rate of less than 5% or even close to 0%. The term "transparent" refers to a body transmitting light by refraction and through which the objects are clearly visible, that is to say a body having a light transmission rate close to 100%. The packing element 1 illustrated in FIG. 5 is, for example, a dashboard body, a trim panel or other vehicle element. The outer face of the lining element 1 is intended to be visible from a vehicle interior.

Referring to the figures, there is described a packing element 1 essentially comprising, from the outside towards the inside, an appearance layer 2, a reinforcing layer 4 and a support layer 6 (Figures 3 and 4).

The appearance layer 2 comprises an outer face 8 forming the outer surface of the lining member 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer face 8 has a three-dimensional complex shape. According to one embodiment, the outer face 8 forms a non-developable surface.

Moreover, in order to give a particular aspect to the packing element, the outer face 8 of the packing element has a "wood" appearance, that is to say, it has the appearance of a layer of wood and comprises at least one translucent zone 10 allowing light to pass from the inside of the appearance layer 2 to the outside.

The method of producing the appearance layer 2, making it possible to confer the characteristics described above on the outer face 8, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The first step of the method consists in stacking a plurality of layers of opaque wood material 12 between which layers of translucent material 14 are provided.

Each layer of opaque wood material 12 is for example formed by a layer of natural wood or reconstituted wood comprising fibers of ligneous material 16. In these two cases, the woody material chosen is substantially opaque and passes little or nothing at all. light. The fibers 16 extend for example substantially parallel to each other in a longitudinal direction L. The dimension of each layer of wood material in the longitudinal direction, or length of the layer of woody material, is for example chosen to be equal to the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the packing element to be produced. The width of each layer is chosen according to the number of packing elements to be produced, as will be described later. Each layer of opaque wood material has for example a thickness e, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length and width of each layer of opaque wood material, substantially between 0.4 mm and 4 mm. Each layer of opaque wood material 12 is initially substantially planar and extends in a first plane containing the length and width of the layer of opaque wood material 12.

Thus, each layer of opaque wood material 12 is for example formed by a wooden sheet.

Each layer of opaque wood material 12 has a certain flexibility allowing a shaping of the layer of woody material, mainly in its longitudinal direction.

All layers of opaque wood material 12 have identical dimensions and shape. In addition, the layers of opaque wood material 12 are preferably all of the same nature, that is to say, an identical woody material. According to alternative embodiments, however, it is possible to envisage layers of opaque wood material 12 of different types in order to confer a particular aspect on the lining element to be produced, as long as the woody material is opaque.

Each layer of translucent material 14 is for example formed by a layer of translucent wood material, a film of translucent plastic material or a layer of translucent plastic material. The use of a layer of translucent wood material is particularly advantageous because it allows the outer face 8 of the appearance layer 2 to have a "wood" appearance over its entire surface, even if the woody materials of the layers of Opaque wood material 12 and translucent material layers 14 are of different nature. In the case of a layer of wood material, this layer may be a layer of natural wood or reconstituted wood comprising fibers of woody material. Preferably, in this case, the fibers of woody material extend substantially parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction L so as to be parallel to the fibers 16 of the opaque wood material layers 12. According to a particular embodiment the fibers of woody material are the same as those of the woody material of the layers of opaque woody material 12, but their number is smaller or they are distributed differently so that the layer of translucent material is translucent. Such an embodiment makes it possible to impart a substantially uniform appearance to the outer face 8 of the appearance layer 2 while obtaining opaque zones and translucent zones on this face 8. In the case of a film or a layer of translucent plastic material, it is possible to choose a substantially transparent plastic material to increase the rate of light transmission through this material. The plastic material is for example polycarbonate (PC) or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or other.

In all cases, the layers of translucent material 14 are arranged to let the light pass in all directions thereof, the light transmission rate being chosen according to the effect that it is desired to produce on the face external 8 of the appearance layer.

The layers of translucent material 14 have the same length and width as the layers of opaque wood material 12 and also extend in the foreground. The thickness e 'of each layer of translucent material 14, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length and the width of each layer of translucent material, is between 0.125 mm and 4 mm. More particularly, the ratio between the thickness e of each layer of woody material and the thickness e 'of each layer of translucent material is between 1 and 10. Thus, the layers of translucent material 14 may be of less thickness than that of the layer of opaque wood material 12, to produce a packing element as shown in FIG. 3 in which the translucent areas are narrower than the opaque areas. Alternatively, the translucent material layers 14 may be thicker than the opaque wood material layers 12 to provide a packing element as shown in Fig. 4 in which the translucent areas are wider than the opaque areas. According to another variant, the thickness of the layers of translucent material 14 is equal to that of the layers of opaque wood material 12 in order to produce a packing element in which the translucent zones and the opaque areas are of the same dimensions. Thus, the ratio between the thicknesses e and e 'of the layers of opaque wood material 12 and translucent material 14 is chosen as a function of the effect that it is desired to produce on the outer face 8 of the appearance layer.

Each layer of translucent material 14 also has a certain flexibility allowing a shaping of the layer of translucent material, at least in its longitudinal direction.

The layers of opaque wood material 12 and the layers of translucent material 14 are stacked in a stacking direction T substantially perpendicular to the first plane. The stack is made in such a way that a layer of translucent material 14 is interposed between two layers of successive opaque wood material 12. In addition, the layers of opaque wood material 12 are preferably arranged relative to one another in such a way that their fibers 16 all extend substantially in the same longitudinal direction L. Similarly, when the layers of translucent material 14 are in translucent wood material, these layers of translucent material 14 are also arranged relative to each other and with respect to the layers of opaque wood material 12 so that their fibers all extend substantially in the same longitudinal direction.

Glue layers (not shown) are interposed between the different layers of the stack so that these layers adhere to each other during a step of assembling the layers of opaque wood material 12 and translucent material 14 between they. The glue is for example a heat-activatable glue. The assembly step is for example made by compressing the layers together, which has the effect of adhering to each other and forming a coherent stack. Alternatively, the assembly step is carried out by rolling. This assembly step is accompanied, if necessary, by heating the stack to activate the heat-activatable glue. At the end of the assembly step, the stack forms an intermediate complex 18, as shown in FIG. 1.

In a second step of the process, the intermediate complex 18 is cut so as to obtain a cut blank 20, as shown in FIG. 2. More particularly, the intermediate complex 18 is cut along a cutting plane C substantially perpendicular to the first plane along which layers of opaque wood material 12 and layers of translucent material 14 extend. Even more particularly, the section plane C is substantially parallel to the direction of the fibers 16 of the layers of wood material 12 and, where appropriate, fibers of the layers of translucent material, that is to say substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction L. The cut blank 20 is therefore obtained by "cutting" the intermediate complex 18 according to the width thereof.

The cut blank 20 obtained has a main face, parallel to the cutting plane C, of a length I equal to the length of the layers of ligneous material, while its width 1 'is measured in the stacking direction T and is equal to to the total thickness of the intermediate complex 18, that is to say to the sum of the thicknesses e of the layers of opaque wood material 12 and the thicknesses e 'of the layers of translucent material 14. Thus, the number of layers of material woody opaque 12 and layers of translucent material 14 to form the intermediate complex may be chosen according to the width of the cut blank 20 to achieve. Alternatively, the lengths and widths can be redefined by cutting the cut blank 20 to the desired dimensions after the second cutting step of the intermediate complex 18. Similarly, the shape of the outline of the appearance layer 2 can be defined by cutting the cut blank 20 according to the desired shape. The thickness E of the cut blank 20 is defined by the position of the cutting plane C in the width of the intermediate complex 18. Thus, the operator can define the thickness E that he wishes to obtain by adjusting the position of the cutting plane C. According to one embodiment, the thickness E of the cut blank 20 is between 0.2 mm and 2 mm. The thickness E of the cut blank 20 is chosen so that the blank has a certain flexibility and is able to be deformed so as to acquire a three-dimensional shape, as will be described later.

It will be noted that several cut blanks 20 can be produced from the intermediate complex 18 by cutting the intermediate complex 18 several times in parallel sectional planes to each other. Thus, the width of the layers of opaque wood material 12 and layers of translucent material 14 can be chosen as a function of the number of cut blanks 20, and therefore of the packing elements 1 to be produced. Indeed, each cut blank 20 is used as the appearance layer 2 of a packing element to produce, the main face of the cut blank 20 forming the outer face 8 of the packing element.

Thus, the appearance layer 2 of the packing member is formed of a plurality of strips of opaque wood material 12 and a plurality of strips of translucent material 14 interposed between the strips of opaque woody material. Each strip of opaque wood material 12 is formed by a cut portion of a layer of opaque wood material 12 of the intermediate complex 18 and each strip of translucent material 14 is formed by a cut portion of a translucent material layer 14 of the intermediate complex 18. The aspect layer 2 has the dimensions of the cut blank 20 described above. Each strip of opaque wood material 12 extends mainly in the longitudinal direction and has a width e in a transverse direction T, corresponding to the stacking direction, equal to the thickness e of the layer of opaque wood material 12 which is come out the band. Each strip of translucent material 14 extends mainly in the longitudinal direction and has a width e 'in the transverse direction T equal to the thickness e' of the layer of translucent material 14 from which the strip.

The appearance layer 2 thus has opaque zones, which do not allow light to pass, formed by the strips of opaque wood material 12 and translucent zones, which let the light pass through the thickness E of the coating layer. Aspect, formed by strips of translucent material 14. In addition, the appearance layer 12, because of its strip construction and the flexibility of these strips, has mechanical characteristics for the three-dimensional shape . This ability to be deformed in the three dimensions makes it possible to obtain a packing element whose outer face 8 has a complex three-dimensional shape and in particular forms a non-developable surface without degrading the appearance of the outer face 8, that is to say without causing cracks forming in the outer face 8 of the packing element 1.

The appearance layer 2 is assembled with a reinforcing layer 4 extending on the inner face of the appearance layer 2 opposite to the outer face 8. The reinforcing layer 4 extends directly thus on the back of the appearance layer and is formed by a flexible material. By flexible means that the reinforcing layer 4 is not rigid and can be shaped. The material of the reinforcing layer 4 is for example a textile, such as a woven or non-woven fabric or paper or cardboard or even a plastic film. The reinforcing layer 4 is translucent in order to let the light pass to the appearance layer 2. The translucency of the reinforcing layer 4 comes from the material or materials in which it is made or because of its arrangement (for example the size meshes for a woven or the thickness of the reinforcing layer 4) or a combination of the chosen materials and the arrangement. The reinforcing layer 4 makes it possible to reinforce the appearance layer 2 and enables this aspect layer 2 to maintain its coherence during three-dimensional shaping. It will be noted that a layer of textile, woven or non-woven, is particularly adapted to fulfill this function while maintaining the deformation capacity of the appearance layer 2. The reinforcing layer 4 is for example glued to the layer of aspect 2 so as to form a packing complex 22 adapted to be shaped three-dimensional.

The lining complex 22 can be used as a lining element 1 of a part of a motor vehicle by shaping the lining complex 22 so that it acquires the shape of the part of the vehicle to garnish. For this purpose, the packing complex 22 can be placed in a forming tool arranged to shape the packing complex 22 in the desired shape, for example by thermocompression.

According to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the packing element 1 further comprises the packing complex 22, a support layer 6 extending on the back of the packing complex 22, i.e. on the face of the layer. reinforcement 4 is opposed to the appearance layer 2. The support layer 6 is for example made of a plastic material or a composite material comprising natural fibers embedded in a plastic material. The reinforcing layer 6 is made of a translucent or transparent material in order to let the light pass to the lining complex 22.

According to one embodiment, the shaping of the lining complex 22 is carried out during the assembly of the support layer 6 with the lining complex 22, for example by injection of the material of the support layer 6 onto the lining complex 22. back of the lining complex 22 in an injection tool defining an injection cavity having the shape of the lining element 1 to obtain. According to this embodiment, the lining complex 22 is arranged in its flexible form in the injection tool and the injection of the material of the support layer 6 presses the lining complex 22 against a wall of the cavity. injection which has the shape of the outer face 8 of the lining element 1 to produce. The temperature and the pressure of the injected material allow the packing complex 22 to be thermocompressed against this wall. The lining complex 22 thus acquires the three-dimensional shape of the wall of the injection cavity. Such an assembly method makes it possible to form the packing element 1 by producing the support layer 6, by assembling the support layer to the packing complex 22 and by deforming the packing complex 22 in a single step.

A lacquer layer 24 may be provided on the outer face of the lining complex 22 to protect the appearance layer 2, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this varnish application step can be performed before or after the three-dimensional shaping step. The varnish layer 24 is translucent or transparent to allow light from the complex to pass through. The lining element 1 further comprises a light source 26 disposed on the side of the support layer 6 to inject light through of the support layer 6 and the lining complex 22. The light passing through the lining element is then diffused outwards through the translucent zones formed by the strips of translucent material 14, as represented by the beams F of the Fig. 3 and 4. The light source 26 comprises, for example, at least one light bulb and / or light-emitting diode. The source 26 may comprise a light guide, such as one or more optical fibers for distributing the light on the surface of the packing element 1. The invention thus makes it possible to obtain a packing element having an outer face having a wood look while providing a backlight. The packing element described above has been described as comprising a plurality of strips of translucent material. It is understood, however, that the invention could be implemented with a single layer of translucent material interposed between two layers of opaque wood material 12 to form a packing element comprising only one strip of translucent material.

According to one embodiment of the invention, several layers of opaque wood material can be stacked one on the other without a layer of translucent material interposed therebetween to form a packing element comprising two successive strips of opaque woody material or more. Such an embodiment makes it possible to precisely choose the location of the translucent zones on the outer face 8 of the packing element by choosing the layers of opaque wood material 12 between which the layer or layers of translucent material 14 are disposed.

Claims (10)

1. A method of producing a vehicle lining element (1) comprising an outer face (8) having the appearance of a wood layer and having at least one translucent zone, the method comprising the following steps: providing at least two layers of opaque woody material (12) substantially planar and each extending in a first plane, - providing at least one translucent material layer (14) substantially planar and extending in the foreground - Arrangement of the layers of opaque wood material (12) and the layer of translucent material (14) on each other in a stacking direction (T) substantially perpendicular to the foreground, so that the layer of translucent material (14) extends between the two opaque woody material layers (12), - assembling the opaque wood material layers (12) and the translucent material layer (14) so as to obtain an intermediate complex (18) formed layers of opaque wood material (12) and the layer of translucent material (14) parallel to each other, - cutting of the intermediate complex (18) according to a section plane (C) substantially perpendicular to the first plane so as to obtaining a cut blank (20) having a main face parallel to the cutting plane (C), - forming a packing element (1) from the cut blank (20), said cut blank (20) forming a blank layer (20) aspect (2) of said packing member and the outer face (8) of said packing member being formed by the major face of said cut blank (20). 2 - Process according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the supply of a plurality of layers of opaque wood material (12) and a plurality of layers of translucent material (14), the intermediate complex (18) being formed of the stack of layers of opaque wood material (12), the layers of translucent material (14) being interposed between at least some of the layers of opaque wood material (12). 3. - Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the assembly of the layers of opaque wood material (12) and translucent material (14) is by gluing and compression of the layers on each other. 4. - Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a step of assembling the cut blank (20) with a reinforcing layer (4), said reinforcing layer (4) s extending on the inner face of the blank (20), opposite the main face of said blank (20), so as to form a packing complex (22) comprising the cut blank (20) and the reinforcing layer (4). 5. - Method according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a step of assembling the packing complex (22) with a support layer (6), the support layer (6) extending on the face of the reinforcing layer (4) opposite to the cut blank (20) so as to obtain a lining element (1) comprising from inside to outside at least one support layer (6), a reinforcing layer ( 4) and an appearance layer (2) formed by the cut blank (20). 6. - Method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it comprises a step of three-dimensional shaping of the packing complex (22) or the packing element (1), said step being arranged so that the main face of the cut blank (20) forms a non-developable surface. 7. - Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the layer of translucent material (14) is formed by a translucent wood material or a film or layer of translucent plastic material. 8. - Process according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ratio between the thickness (e) of a layer of opaque wood material and the thickness (e ') of a layer of material translucent is between 1 and 10. 9. - Vehicle lining element comprising at least: - an appearance layer (2) formed of a plurality of strips of opaque wood material (12) and a plurality of strips of translucent material (14) s' extending each in a longitudinal direction (L), assembled to each other in a transverse direction (T) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, each band of translucent material being interposed between two successive strips of opaque wood material (12), - a reinforcing layer (4) fixed on one of the faces of the appearance layer (2). 10. - Lining element according to claim 9, characterized in that the reinforcing layer (4) is translucent.