Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a carrier operable to hold an expandable foam having an extended flange wherein the foam is operable to expand and fill a cavity. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It is well known in the art to provide an expandable foam within a pillar of an automobile. The expandable foam is typically placed on a carrier or other jig-like mechanism. The expandable foam is used to fill a space operable to block noise, either from the road, wind or engine, from reaching the vehicle cabin. These carriers with the expandable foam are placed at positions within the A, B, C and/or D pillars. The foam on the carrier expands to fill the cavity within the pillars. Heat is applied to the vehicle body during various other heat treating processes thereby expanding the foam to fill the cavity of the pillar. However, the expandable foam frequently does not reach all areas and corners of the hollow cavity of the pillars. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to provide a carrier having expandable foam operable to fully fill the hollow cavity of a vehicle pillar. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides for a cavity filler for use in a hollow pillar of a vehicle. The cavity filler includes a carrier having a generally planar upper surface, an expandable foam mounted to the carrier wherein the expandable foam is mounted to the carrier around a peripheral edge of the carrier. The invention further includes a flange connected to the expandable foam (also made of the expandable foam) wherein the flange extends away from and generally parallel with the planar upper surface of the carrier. The flange is operable to flex and bend on the side walls of the cavity of a hollow pillar. The extension and flange of the expandable foam are operable to extend the expandable foam to ensure a full filling of the expandable foam after the heat treating process. The fully occupied hollow cavity of the pillar with the expandable foam blocks the transmission of noise from the engine, wind and/or road noise through the pillars to the interior vehicle cabin. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic view of various positioning of the carrier having expandable foam and extended flange; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the pillar and carrier having the expandable foam and flange; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the pillar and expandable foam wherein the expandable foam is expanded to fill the hollow cavity of the pillar; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional and perspective view of the carrier having the expandable foam and extended flange; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  of the carrier and expandable foam before expansion; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4  of the expandable foam and flange before expansion; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the expandable foam and extended flange illustrating the movement of the carrier and extended flange adjacent to the pillar  22 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the expandable foam and flange wherein the flange is flexed along a portion of the pillar; and 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the carrier and expandable foam when the expandable foam is in an expanded position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus operable to fully fill a hollow pillar cavity of a vehicle. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of a vehicle showing pillars A, B, and C of the vehicle. It is common and well known for a vehicle to have the A, B, C and/or D pillars to support the body of the vehicle. It is further known to provide for a roof, rocker or an other area having an open or hollow space allowing for the transmission of noise from the road, wind, or engine. The carrier of the present invention is suitable for any cavity or hollow space requiring the blockage of noise. The vehicle  10  includes a plurality of carriers  12  and  12   a - 12   g . The vehicle includes a front end  14  and a rear end  16  wherein the A pillar is positioned closest to the front end  14  and the C pillar is positioned closest to the rear end  16 . The carriers  12  and  12   a - 12   g  are positioned at various points within the pillars to prevent the transmission of noise into the vehicle cabin  15 . By way of example, the A pillar which is closest to the front end  14  of the vehicle  10  is close to the engine. The engine naturally creates a significant amount of noise which can be transmitted into the vehicle cabin  15 . The inclusion of the carriers with the expandable foam material  12 ,  12   a ,  12   b  positioned within the A pillar significantly blocks the transmission of noise from the engine at the front end of the vehicle  14  into the vehicle cabin  15 . Similarly, the carriers  12   d ,  12   e  within the B pillar prevent the transmission of noise, specifically road noise, into the vehicle cabin  15 . Further, carriers  12   c ,  12   f ,  12   g  located within the C pillar prevent the transmission of noise, either road noise or otherwise, into the vehicle cabin  15 . 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate a cross-sectional view of the B pillar and carrier  12  along the line  2 - 3  as shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2  illustrates the expandable foam on the carrier before heat expansion of the expandable foam occurs. The carrier  12  is mounted within the B pillar. The B pillar is made of a shell-like construction having a first portion  20  and a second portion  22 . The first portion  20  and the second portion  22  are molded or stamped together to form the B pillar. Further structural supports within the B pillar include the supports  24 ,  26 . The support  28  of the B pillar includes structural support  29  for accepting a clip portion  38  of the carrier  12 . The structural support of the B pillar is made typically of a metal or metal-like material, or a plastic or plastic-like material such as aluminum, steel, polymers, or other strong materials. The carrier  12  is positioned within the B pillar before the B pillar is fully constructed (i.e. during the time before the first portion  20  and the second portion  22  are stamped together). 
     The carrier  12  is generally planar having an upper surface  34  and a lower surface  42 . The main base of the carrier  12  is made of a plastic or plastic-like, or polymer or polymer-like material which is adapted not to expand under high heat conditions. The base of the carrier  12  includes a plurality of pins  32  operable to secure an expandable foam  36 . The pins  32  are made of the same material as the base of the carrier  12 . The expandable foam  36  surrounds a peripheral edge of the carrier  12 . The expandable foam is flush with the upper surface  34  of the carrier  12 . The expandable foam  36  rests on a ledge  44  of the carrier  12 . The ledge  44  is an extension of the lower surface  42  of the carrier  12 . The expandable foam  36  may be different colors or textures as compared to the material making up the base of the carrier or the upper surface  34  of the carrier to distinguish the expandable foam  36  from the carrier base or upper surface  34 . 
     The expandable foam  36  includes a plurality of extended flanges  30  extending away from the carrier at the generally four corners of the expandable foam  36  of the carrier  12 . The extended flanges  30  are molded out of the expandable foam  36  and are a one piece construction with the expandable foam  36 . The extended flange  30  extends at a distance of between 1 millimeter and 15 millimeters away from the carrier  12 . The flange may include a generally rounded free end  31 . The flange  30  ranges in thickness from 0.5 millimeter to 10 millimeters in thickness depending on the amount of expandable foam required to fill the cavity  35  of the B pillar. 
     As the vehicle body undergoes heat treatment of between 150-400° Fahrenheit, the heat  60  warms the expandable foam  36  to an exploded end state  36   a  as shown in  FIG. 3 . This expansion typically occurs at 320° Fahrenheit. The heat  60  is operable to expand the foam  36  and the expandable foam of the flange  30  to fully fill the area/cavity  35  of the B pillar. The extended flange  30  extends the expandable foam to areas to which the expandable foam would not ordinarily reach. Further, the flange  30  acts as a support structure against the inner wall  21 ,  23  of the B pillar to further support the carrier  12  before the foam  36  is in the exploded end state  36   a .  FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective and cross-sectional view of the carrier  12 . The carrier  12  includes an upper surface  34  and a lower surface  42 . The carrier further includes a ledge  44  wherein the expandable foam  36  rests upon. The upper surface  34  of the carrier  12  is generally planar. The expandable foam  36  includes an upper surface  48  and a side wall  46 . The upper surface  48  is parallel to and rests flush with the upper surface  34  of the carrier  12 . The side wall  46  is generally perpendicular to the upper surface  48  of the expandable foam  36 . 
     The flange  30  further includes an upper surface  37 , a side wall  31 , and a lower surface  33 . The upper surface  37  is flush with and undisturbed from the upper surface  48  of the expandable foam  36  and also flush with the upper surface  34  of the carrier  12 . The side wall  33  of the flange  30  is generally perpendicular to the upper surface  37  of the flange  30  and generally perpendicular to the lower surface  33  of the flange  30 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line  5 - 5  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The pin  32  of the base of the carrier  12  is shown operable to support the expandable foam  36  resting on the ledge  44 . The pin  32  is shown to be a one-piece construction with the carrier  12  and portions of the carrier  12  including the upper surface  34  of the carrier  12 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view along the line  6 - 6  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The flange  30  is shown having a generally rounded free end  31 . The flange  30  extends away from the expandable foam  36  generally parallel with the upper surface  34  of the carrier and generally parallel with the upper surface  48  of the expandable foam  36 . The flange  30  is generally perpendicular to the side wall  46  of the expandable foam  36 .  FIG. 6  further illustrates the expandable foam  36  resting on the ledge  44 .  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8  illustrate a small indentation located between the flange  30  and the side wall  46 . The indentation is provided to increase the flexibility of the flange  30 . As a secondary embodiment, no indentation is present between the flange  30  and the side wall  46  of the expandable foam  36 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a movement in cross-sectional view of the flange  30  moving  50  to come into contact with the inner surface  21  of the second portion  22  of the B pillar. Movement  50  of the carrier  12  and the flange  30  comprised of the expandable foam  36  will allow the flange  30  to come into contact with the inner surface  21  and allow the flange  30  to move, flex, and bend before expansion to further secure the carrier  12  within the cavity  35  of the B pillar. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates the flange  30  of the expandable foam  36  in contact with the inner surface  21  of the second portion  22  of the B pillar when the carrier  12  is in a resting position before heat exposure. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a view of the carrier  12  having the expandable foam  36  in an exploded end state  36   a . As heat  60  is applied to the expandable foam  36 , the expandable foam  36  expands up to ten times its original volume to the exploded end state  36   a .  FIG. 9  illustrates the expandable foam  36  in the exploded end state  36   a  expanded and fully in contact with and fully filling the cavity  35  and in contact with the inner surface  21  of the second portion  22  of the B pillar. 
     The carrier of the present invention is injected molded together at the same time as the expandable foam is molded. Although made of two materials, it is molded as a one piece construction with the expandable foam material around the peripheral edge. Alternatively, the part is molded in a two step process where the expandable foam and the carrier are molded separately, and later assembled together as one piece. This method is utilized for various different expandable foams. The final assembly is put together whether by hand or machine. 
     A method is further provided to prevent or reduce the transmission of noise in a hollow cavity, such as a pillar. The method of reducing noise in a hollow cavity of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of, creating a flange on a portion of expandable foam, connecting the expandable foam to the cavity of the vehicle, allowing the flange of the expandable foam to contact an inner wall of the hollow cavity and heating the expandable foam and flange to a predetermined temperature thereby allowing the expandable foam to fill the cavity thereby preventing the transmission of noise. The predetermined temperature ranges between 150-400° Fahrenheit. Allowing the flange to contact the inner surface of the hollow cavity further ensures stability of the expandable foam (before expansion) and ensures complete filling of the expandable foam within the hollow cavity. 
     The invention is not restricted to the illustrative examples and embodiments described above. The embodiments are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Methods, apparatus, compositions, and the like described herein are exemplary and not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 7