Abstract:
A trim panel assembly for retaining an acoustical device, the trim panel assembly comprising a trim panel, and a voice coil, wherein at least a portion of the voice coil is partially embedded within a surface of the trim panel.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates in general to the attachment of an accessory to a trim panel, and in particular to a trim panel with components of the accessory integrally formed with the trim panel. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An acoustic device, such as an electro-dynamic inertial vibration exciter, applies bending wave energy to a trim panel to cause the trim panel to resonate and produce an acoustic output. Conventional electro-dynamic inertial vibration exciters, or exciters, are comprised of a magnet assembly rigidly fixed to a housing to define an annular gap, and a voice coil and coil former assembly disposed in the annular gap and rigidly fixed to the trim panel. 
     SUMMARY 
     A trim panel assembly for retaining an acoustical device, the trim panel assembly comprising a trim panel, and a voice coil, wherein at least a portion of the voice coil is partially embedded within a surface of the trim panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a trim panel assembly with components of an acoustical device, such as an exciter assembly, integrated into the trim panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the trim panel assembly taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of components of an acoustical device, such as an exciter, that is intended to be integrated into a trim panel according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a trim panel assembly is generally shown at  10 . The trim panel assembly  10  may be in the form of a vehicular headliner, door panel, valence panel, dashboard, package tray, or the like. For example, in the exemplary embodiment, the trim panel assembly  10  forms a door panel. The trim panel assembly  10  has in inner surface  12 , or a Class “B” surface, that faces away from the interior of the vehicle and is not visible to the occupants. Trim panel assembly  10  includes an outer surface  14 , or a Class “A” surface, that faces the interior of the vehicle and may be visible to the occupants. It can be appreciated that the trim panel assembly  10  may be formed from polymers, such as, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like. The polymers may be any type of polymer, including, for instance, thermoplastic or thermoset polymers. Furthermore, the trim panel assembly  10  may be a composite and therefore, include reinforcements, such as, for example, strands of glass fiber. A decorative covering (not shown) may be applied to the outer surface  14  for aesthetic purposes. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the trim panel assembly  10  may be formed or manufactured, for example, by an injection molding process, a low compression molding process, a melt compression molding (MCM) process, or the like. For illustrative purposes, the trim panel assembly  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention is manufactured using a melt compression molding process. The trim panel assembly  10  may be manufactured from material in the form of a billet, pellet, powder, pre-formed blank, or the like. 
     In an embodiment, material is placed in a bottom die (not shown) of a melt compression mold tool (not shown). A top die (not shown) is then closed over the bottom die. Heat from the bottom die and the pressure from the top die serves to melt and form the material. As the material melts, the pressure from the top die causes the material to spread and fill the bottom die. The end result of a cycle within the melt compression molding tool is that the material forms a trim panel assembly. It can be appreciated that the material may be preheated and placed into the melt compression mold tool in a softened, or at least a partially melted, state. As a result, the melt compression mold tool does not require the use of the heat; however, the process of making a trim panel assembly remains substantially the same. However, it can be appreciated that a trim panel assembly may be manufactured using any other manufacturing process. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, components of an acoustical device, such as, an electro-dynamic inertial vibration exciter, or the like, may be integrated into an inner surface of a trim panel assembly. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the component  13  of the acoustical device integrated that is intended to be integrated into the inner surface  12  of the trim panel assembly  10  may include, for example, a coil assembly  16 , having a voice coil  22  wound around a tubular coil member  24 , a plurality of screw bosses  18 , a set of connector leads  20  and an elastomer seal  26 . The coil assembly  16  is coupled to the set of connector leads  20  at solder joints  28 . The screw bosses  18  in the illustrated embodiment are shown coupled to the tubular coil member  24  by joints  30 . The elastomer seal  26  may be placed between the tubular coil member  24  and the screw bosses  18  and over the joints  30 . In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of screw bosses  18  includes three screw bosses. However, it can be appreciated that the present invention can be practiced with any number of screw bosses  18 , or other securing formation, so long as the screw bosses  18  or formations can secure the intended components (not shown) of the acoustical device to the trim panel assembly  10 . 
     In an embodiment of a method of the invention, components that are intended to be attached to a trim panel assembly are integrated into the trim panel assembly  10  during a mold-in-place manufacturing process. In the described embodiment, initially, one of the coil assembly  16 , the plurality of screw bosses  18 , the connector leads  20  and the elastomer seal  26  of the acoustical device may be secured to either the top die or the bottom die of the mold (e.g., a melt compression mold tool). Components, such as component  13 , can be secured to a melt compression mold tool by any conventional means. For example, components  13  of an acoustical device may be secured to locator pins (not shown) on either the top and/or bottom die of the melt compression mold tool. The locator pins may be inserted into the screw bosses  18  to secure coil assembly  16 , screw bosses  18 , connector leads  20  and elastomer seal  26  of the acoustical device to the melt compression mold tool. It should be noted that if the locator pins are on the top die, the elastomer seal  26  may be attached to the acoustical device as a secondary step. Material is then placed onto the bottom die of the melt compression mold tool and the melt compression mold tool is closed. When the top die is closed over the bottom die, the components of the acoustical device are partially immersed into the material on the bottom die. At the end of the manufacturing cycle, when the melt compression mold tool is opened and the trim panel assembly is removed, a coil assembly, the screw bosses or formations, connector leads and an elastomer seal of the acoustical device may be integrated into the trim panel assembly. 
     In an alternate embodiment of a method of the invention, the screw bosses  18  or formations can be omitted from the components  13  that are molded-in-place into the trim panel assembly  10 . Instead, the screw bosses  18  or formations may be in-molded as part of the inner surface  12  of the trim panel assembly  10 . The manufacturing process of the trim panel assembly according to the aforementioned alternate embodiment of the invention may be substantially the same as the manufacture of the trim panel assembly  10 ; however, the components  13  of the acoustical device integrated into the inner surface  12  of the trim panel assembly  10  may only include the coil assembly  16 , the plurality of connector leads  20  and the elastomer seal  26 . 
     Assembly of the acoustical device may be completed by placing a magnet (not shown) and a spring (not shown) over the coil assembly  16 . The magnet and the spring may be secured to the trim panel assembly  10  by fasteners, such as screws, that engage or connect with the screw bosses  18  or other securing formations. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein have been discussed for the purpose of familiarizing the reader with novel aspects of the invention. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many changes, modifications and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.