Automobile roof headliner

Abstract: An automobile roof headliner includes a relatively stiff molded backing sheet (16) and a relatively deformable foam panel (18) adhesively secured to the undersurface of the backing sheet. Marginal edge areas of the foam panel (18) in contact with hard side rails (14) on the roof are provided with resilent deformable foam inserts (20) that prevent the hard side rails from interfering with the energy-absorption action of the foam panel (18).

Description: This invention relates to an interior roof headliner for an automobile, and particularly to a headliner comprised of plastic foam material. U.S. Patent 4,119,749 to J. Roth et al discloses a molded panel that apparently can be used as a roof headliner in an automobile. The panel is comprised of a corrugated cardboard backing sheet faced with a relatively soft foam sheet having approximately the same thickness as the backing sheet. Downwardly curved edge areas of the backing sheet are crushed and at the same time reinforced with polymerized polyurethane foam impregnated into the sheet corrugations. U.S. Patent 4,131,702, to F. Alfter et al, discloses a molded headliner that comprises a corrugated cardboard core completely encapsulated within two polyethylene foam panels, whereby the cardboard is shielded against moisture that could adversely affect the strength of the cardboard core. U.S. Patent 5,089,328 to R. Doerer et al, shows a headliner comprised of multiple foam layers laminated with a heat-activated adhesive. A hardening compound is impregnated through one of the foam layers into the other foam layer to provide a gradual transition in hardness through the foam layers. U.S. Patent 4,119,749 to Roth et al, discloses a vehicle headliner comprising a corrugated cardboard panel covered with a foam layer and reinforced either over its whole surface with a second foam layer or along all of its edges with foam strips. U.S. Patent 5,082,716 discloses a vehicle head liner according to the preamble of claim 1. The present invention is concerned with an impact energy absorbing automobile roof headliner adapted to span two spaced apart side rails at marginal areas of the automobile roof, comprising a relatively stiff backing panel having an upper surface and a lower surface and two side edges adapted to extend along the roof rails; a foam panel covering the lower surface of the backing panel; characterised by two foam spacer strips extending along the lower surface of the backing panel proximate to the panel side edges and between the foam panel and the backing panel, whereby the spacer strips confront the side rails when the headliner is in the installed position; the two foam strips having a higher deformation resistance than the foam panel whereby to absorb impact energy directed towards the roof rails from within the automobile interior. An aim of the invention is to provide an impact energy-absorbing headliner that can be economically produced as a unitary one-piece construction. The headliner structure has a relatively small vertical thickness to achieve a marginally increased headroom dimension in the passenger space. Edge areas of the headliner have relatively stiff foam inserts molded between the foam panel and a stiff backing sheet, for thus absorbing impact energy direct toward the relatively hard side rails that are used to mount the headliner. In extended application of the invention, local areas of the foam panel can be backed with relatively stiff foam inserts to meet special mounting requirements for coat hooks, grab handles, visor attachments, etc. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through a molded headliner embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the Fig. 1 headliner, showing structural features not apparent in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 fragmentarily shows a foam panel and cover sheet used in the Fig. 2 assembly, but prior to the molding operation; Fig. 4 is a view taken in the same direction as Fig. 3, but showing a foam insert (or strip) placed on the foam panel; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the Fig. 4 assembly after placement in a mould; and Fig. 6 shows Fig. 4 assembly after completion of a molding operation. Referring to Fig. 1 there is shown an automobile roof 10 having a molded headliner 12 of the present invention installed therein. The roof includes internal rails 14 that provide strength along the side marginal areas of the automobile body, from the front windshield area to the back window area. Edge areas of headliner 12 are attached to roof rails 14. Headliner 12 comprises a relatively stiff semi-flexible backing panel 16 spanning the roof rails 14 in close proximity to roof 10, and a foam panel 18 adhesively attached to the undersurface of the backing panel. At the side marginal areas of the headliner, longitudinal foam strips 20 are interposed between the foam panel and backing panel 16. The foam strips act as deformable spacers between foam panel 18 and the relatively hard rails 14, whereby the energy-absorbing action of the foam panel is retained at the side rail areas. Fig. 2 shows some features of the molded headliner not apparent from Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the illustrative side rail 14 has a box cross-section for strength and rigidity. The headliner seats against a flat surface 22 of the side rail; an elastomeric edge molding 24 is attached to side rail 14 so as to overlie the raw edge of the headliner. As shown in Fig. 2, the foam spacer strip 20 is secured to foam panel 18 via an adhesive film 26 extending the entire length of the foam strip (normal to the plane of the paper). The adhesive film can be a thin sheet of fusible material, e.g. polyethylene, that becomes tacky when heated during a molding operation. Adhesive film 26 can be supplemented with a fiberglass sheet (not shown); i.e. a tacky fiberglass sheet can occupy the space occupied by adhesive film 26. Alternately, the adhesive film can be a sprayed adhesive material. Foam panel 18 can be a relatively soft urethane cellular foam material having a relatively constant thickness. Each spacer strip 20 is preferably a molded foam material having approximately the same density as foam panel 18. During a molding operation, to be described, strip 20 can be somewhat densified so as to eventually have a somewhat denser cell structure than foam panel 18, whereby each spacer strip 20 has a higher deformation resistance than the foam panel. The densification of each strip 20 can be achieved by impregnating each strip with an isocyanate hardening compound that penetrates and weakens the foam cell walls; during a molding (heating) operation the hardening compound polymerizes to stiffen the cell walls, thereby somewhat increasing the deformation resistance of the foam strip. The molding operation also reconfigures each foam strip to the desired configuration depicted in Fig. 2. Backing panel 16 is a molded panel that is relatively stiff and rigid so as to act as an essentially stationary backstop for foam panel 18 and foam strips 20. Panel 16 can be a fiberglass panel molded in a separate operation prior to assembling foam panel 18 and foam strips 20 onto the backing panel. However, for reasons of manufacturing economy, backing panel 16 is preferably molded to its final configuration as part of the process used to mold spacer strips 20 and attach foam panel 18 to the backing panel. Prior to the molding operation, panel 16 can be a flexible woven fiberglass panel (fabric) or fiberglass rovings pressed together into a flexible gauge-like sheet. The fiberglass sheet can be draped over the foam panel 18 and foam strip 20, 20 as shown in Fig. 5., to position the sheet in the mold cavity. During the molding (heating) operation the fiberglass filaments are fused and reconfigured to give the backing panel the desired shape and rigidity. The exterior surface of foam panel 18 is covered with a decorative flexible cover sheet 30, that can be a thin foam sheet faced with a woven cloth coating on its lower surface. Cover sheet 30 can have a thickness of about one eighth inch. Figs. 3 through 6 illustrate a sequence of steps that may be used to form a molded headliner of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the cover sheet 30 is positioned on a flat sub-surface 32, after which a contact adhesive is sprayed onto the exposed surface of the sheet. Foam panel 18 is then adhesively attached to the flat cover sheet. Referring to Fig. 4, an adhesive film 26 is placed on the foam panel, after which a rectangular foam strip 20 is placed on the adhesive film. Rectangular foam strip 20 can be impregnated with a liquid hardening compound, e.g. toluence di-isocyanate, prior to placement on adhesive film 26. It will be appreciated that Figs. 3 through 6 are fragmenting views showing edge areas of the headliner assembly. The structures depicted in Figs 3 through 6 are duplicated at the opposite side edge area of the headliner. Figs. 5 and 6 show the headliner components after placement in a mold cavity. The mold cavity is defined by a lower mold member 34 having an upper surface that defines the shape of the headliner undersurface (depicted in Fig. 1), and an upper mold member 36 that defines the upper surface of the headliner. Referring to Fig. 5, after the assembly of Fig. 4 has been placed on mold cavity member 34, the flexible fiberglass sheet 16 is draped over the foam panel 18 and associated foam spacer strips 20. Fig. 6 depicts the condition achieved after the upper mold member 36 has been closed, and after the mold apparatus has been cycled through a heating-cooling cycle, sufficient to mold sheet 16 and foam strips 20 to the Fig. 6 configuration. The moulding operation rigidifies backing panel 16, and also somewhat stiffens the cell walls in spacer strips 20. By comparing Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the molding operation densifies the cellular structure of spacer strips 20, such that strips 20, 20 have greater deformation resistance than foam panel 18. Foam panel 18 is adhesively attached to spacer strips 20 and backing panel 16 by the molding operation, although the cellular structure and stiffness of the foam panel 16 is essentially unaffected by the molding operation. As can be seen from Figs. 2 and 6, the undersurfaces of foam strips 20 have convex arcuate surface cross-sectional configurations. The foam panel 18 follows the convex surface configurations of foam strips 20. The intervening adhesive film 26 acts as a barrier to flow of hardening compound from strips 20 to foam panel 18, whereby the resilience of foam panel 18 is unaffected by the presence of foam strips 20. Foam strips 20 act as resilient spacers between foam panel 18 and backing panel 16. The cushioning (energy absorption) action of foam panel 18 is retained across the entire span of the foam panel, including the side rails 14.

Claims: An impact energy absorbing automobile roof headliner adapted to span two spaced apart side rails (14) at marginal areas of the automobile roof, comprising: a stiff backing panel (16) having an upper surface and a lower surface and two side edges adapted to extend along the roof rails (14); a foam panel (18) covering the lower surface of said backing panel (16); characterised by : two foam spacer strips (20) extending along the lower surface of said backing panel (16) proximate to the panel side edges and between said foam panel and said backing panel, whereby said foam spacer strips (20) confront the side rails when the headliner is in the installed position; said two foam spacer strips (20) having a higher deformation resistance than the foam panel (18) whereby to absorb impact energy directed towards the roof rails from within the automobile interior. A headliner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said backing panel (16) is fibreglass. A headliner as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said foam panel (18) has two side edges coextensive with the side edges of said backing panel (16); said foam panel (18) having a substantially constant thickness between its side edges. A headliner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each foam spacer strip (20) has a flat upper surface seating against the backing panel (16) and a convex arcuate lower surface adhesively secured to the foam panel. A headliner as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and further comprising an adhesive film (26) interposed between the convex arcuate surface of each foam strip (20) and the foam panel (18) .

Inventors: PATEL RASIK N, PATEL, RASIK N.
Applicants: FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC, FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B60R13
IPC codes: B60R13, B32B5, B60R21, B62D25