US20070020420A1

US20070020420A1 - Vehicle glove box and method of fabricating the same

Info

Publication number: US20070020420A1
Application number: US11/186,719
Authority: US
Inventors: Patrick Huffel; Jean-Philippe Loew
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Faurecia Interior Systems Inc
Priority date: 2005-07-21
Filing date: 2005-07-21
Publication date: 2007-01-25

Abstract

A method of fabricating a vehicle glove box is disclosed which includes providing a plurality of exterior components of the vehicle glove box, the exterior components forming components of a shell; adjusting at least one property of foam for use in the vehicle glove box to control at least a first impact characteristic of the vehicle glove box; and depositing the foam into the shell.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vehicle glove box, and more particularly, to a vehicle glove box that is capable of absorbing or transferring impact force from an occupant's knees in the event of an accident.
Due to the imposition of ever more stringent safety requirements for vehicle glove boxes, efforts have been undertaken to cushion the impact experienced by an occupant's knees when suddenly thrust toward a vehicle glove box upon the occurrence of a vehicle collision or other rapid deceleration event. In such situations, a vehicle glove box may serve as a knee bolster that serves to provide the above-mentioned cushioning effect.
Existing knee bolsters commonly include components such as inserts that are attached to exterior components of vehicle glove boxes such as outer and inner members of vehicle glove box doors. Such internal structures typically consist of parts for capturing, transferring, and dissipating kinetic energy produced by the impact of an occupant's knees on the knee bolster.
Inserts are generally manufactured separately from the surface components and later attached to the surface components using a hot plate (mirror welding), vibration welding, ultrasonic welding, or screws. Existing inserts have been implemented using collapsible cylinders, stamped steel plates, polymer egg-crate structures, thermoplastic blow-molded parts, steel wrapped in collapsible polyethylene foam, structured reaction-injection molding (SRIM), or structures on exterior components. One other existing approach employs a pair of foam layers stacked together in the direction of impact absorption. This approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,365, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
While providing some protection against impact, the above-described inserts tend to impose significant burdens on the design and manufacturing processes. Moreover, inserts must be attached to exterior components and must be robust enough to prevent occupant-accessible surface fractures. The attachment to exterior components tends to require that inserts be customized to fit particular exterior components, which requires the input of engineering time and added expense. Moreover, internal structures for positioning the inserts must generally be provided which further adds to the time and cost of installing existing inserts.
Additionally, due to the inherent limitations of inserts, additional steps or materials tend to be added during the engineering process to meet impact specifications. Furthermore, changes to inserts tend to require extensive tooling changes to meet final application specifications. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved structures for dissipating vehicle-glove-box-impact energy and methods for fabricating such structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the invention provides a method of fabricating a vehicle glove box, comprising: providing a plurality of exterior components of the vehicle glove box, the exterior components forming components of a shell; adjusting at least one property of foam for use in the vehicle glove box to control at least a first impact characteristic of the vehicle glove box; and depositing the foam into the shell. Preferably, the method further comprises modifying the first impact characteristic without modifying the exterior components. Preferably, the method further comprises modifying the first impact characteristic by changing substantially only the at least one foam property. Preferably, the method further comprises modifying at least one additional impact characteristic by changing substantially only the at least one foam property. Preferably, the first impact characteristic is at least one of impact energy dissipation and impact energy transference by the vehicle glove box.
Preferably, the first impact characteristic is a spring constant in a direction of impact force of said vehicle glove box. Preferably, the method further comprises, for a closed shell deposition, securing the plurality of shell components together prior to the depositing. Preferably, the method further comprises, for an open shell deposition, securing the plurality of shell components together after the depositing. Preferably, the adjusting comprises: prior to said depositing, selecting a material property of the foam. Preferably, the adjusting comprises: selecting at least one process factor for the foam. Preferably, the selecting comprises selecting at least one of: a blowing agent for the foam, a flow rate for the foam, a pack factor of the foam, and whether or not to rotate the shell after the depositing. Preferably, adjusting the at least one property comprises selecting at least one of: a material composition, a density, a mix ratio of different constituent materials of said foam, a blowing agent for said foam, a rise direction factor, and a foam skin factor. Preferably, the method further comprises, during the curing of the foam in the shell, removing the shell from a foaming station at which the depositing was performed. Preferably, the method further comprises using the foam to securely bond together the components of the shell without directly fastening the components of the shell to each other. Preferably, securely bonding comprises: providing materials for the shell components that bond securely to the foam. Preferably, the depositing comprises: depositing foam having a first density into a first region of the shell, thereby forming a first foam member; and depositing foam having a second density into a second region of the shell, thereby forming a second foam member. Preferably, an interface between the first foam member and the second foam member includes at least one plane substantially parallel to a front-to-back axis of the shell.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a vehicle glove box, comprising: a shell having one or more exterior surfaces and one or more interior surfaces defining an internal cavity; and at least two foam members disposed within the internal cavity of the shell and located offset from one another along a direction normal to a front-to-back axis of the shell. Preferably, at least one foam property differs among at least two of the foam members. Preferably, the at least two foam members comprise: a first foam member having a first spring constant; and a second foam member having a second spring constant that is either greater than or less than the first spring constant.
Other aspects, features, advantages, etc. will become apparent to one skilled in the art when the description of the preferred embodiments of the invention herein is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purposes of illustrating the various aspects of the invention, there are shown in the drawings forms that are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
FIG. 1A is a flow chart for a method of fabricating a vehicle glove box door using closed-shell molding in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 1B is a flow chart for a method of fabricating a vehicle glove box door using open-shell molding in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is perspective view of the side of a vehicle glove box which can be manufactured in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a front exterior view of the vehicle glove box of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the interior surface of the outer member of an empty vehicle glove box door forming part of the vehicle glove box of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the interior surface of the inner member of a vehicle glove box door forming part of the vehicle glove box of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the interior surface of an alternative embodiment of the outer member of a vehicle glove box door useable within the vehicle glove box of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 7A-7B are a sectional view and perspective view, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of the vehicle glove box door that can form part of the vehicle glove box of FIG. 2 in accordance with an one or more embodiments of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a vehicle glove box door having two foam members therein in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A is a flow chart for a method 100 of fabricating a vehicle glove box door using a closed-shell mold in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a flow chart for a method 120 of fabricating a vehicle glove box door using an open-shell mold in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The following discussion introduces the various parts shown in FIGS. 2-5 involved in the methods of FIGS. 1A and 1B and then discusses the sequence of steps shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
FIG. 2 is perspective view of the side of a vehicle glove box 200 which can be manufactured in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Vehicle glove box 200 preferably includes vehicle glove box door 250 and vehicle glove box bin 500. The means of attachment of the vehicle glove box door 250 to vehicle glove box bin 500 are known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are therefore not discussed in detail herein. It will be appreciated that the inclusion of glove box bin 500 in vehicle glove box 200 is optional, and that in one or more embodiments of vehicle glove box 200, glove box bin 500 may be omitted. Where glove box bin 500 is omitted, glove box 200 may include only glove box door 250.
Glove box door 250 preferably includes vehicle glove box door outer member (outer member) 300, vehicle glove box door inner member (inner member) 400, and after process 100, foam disposed between outer member 300 and outer member 400.
Outer member 300 preferably includes outer surface 310, inner surface 320, rib grid 330, hinges 340, and standoffs 350. Inner member 400 preferably includes outer surface 410 (FIG. 2), inner surface 420, slots 440, recesses 450, and edge ribs 460.
Outer member 300 and inner member 400 may be fastened together by various means including by extending screws 260 through holes in recesses 450 of inner member 400 and threading the screws 260 into standoffs 350 of outer member 300.
Referring to FIG. 1A, at step 102, the method for fabricating the vehicle glove box 200 using closed-shell molding starts. At step 104 the exterior components are preferably gathered at a foaming tool.
In a preferred embodiment, glove box door 250 may serve as a shell for the process illustrated in FIG. 1. In this case, outer member 300 and inner member 400 may serve as exterior components of the shell, which shell has an internal cavity defined by the interior surfaces 320 and 420 of the outer member 300 and inner member 400, respectively. Since the vehicle glove box door 250 may serve as a molding shell in the fabrication process discussed herein, this shell is referred to as “shell 250” in the following. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a foaming operation in accordance with the present invention may be practiced using a molding shell other than the interior cavity of vehicle glove box door 250.
In step 106, at least one foam property may be adjusted to influence and/or control at least one impact characteristic of vehicle glove box 200. The properties of the foam 706 (FIG. 7), after being cured in the shell 250, may depend on properties of materials, including precursor materials, used to generate foam 706 and/or on process factors affecting the deposition of foam 706 within the shell 250 and steps occurring after the foam deposition. Herein, the term “process factor” may refer to either a process step, such as rotating the shell 250, and/or to a process condition, such as a cure temperature.
Process factors which may be selected to adjust the ultimate foam properties may include but are not limited to selection of blowing agents for the foam 706, the flow rate(s) of one or more foams into the shell 250, selection of a pack factor for the foam 706, the cure temperature of the foam 706, and/or rotation of the shell 250 after deposition of the foam 706 into the shell to increase the foam skin thickness.
Material properties of the foam 706, and/or constituent materials of the foam, that can be selected to adjust the ultimate foam properties may include but are not limited to the density of the foam 706, the material composition (formulation) of the foam 706, the mix ratio of multiple constituent materials of the foam 706, the pack factor of the foam 706, the rise-direction factor of the foam 706, and/or the free-rise density of the foam 706.
Preferably, the adjustment of one or more of the above-listed properties of the foam 706 in step 106 may operate to influence and/or control one or more impact characteristics of the vehicle glove box 200. Such adjustments in impact characteristics may enable the vehicle glove box 200 to be adapted for different vehicles exhibiting different behavior in impact situations, without significantly changing the exterior components (i.e. non-foam components) of the vehicle glove box or tooling for making the exterior structures.
Impact characteristics of the vehicle glove box that may be controlled may include but are not limited to an effective spring constant of the vehicle glove box 200, a total amount of impact energy dissipation provided by the vehicle glove box door 250 before rupture, and an amount of energy dissipation as a function of deflection distance of one or more exterior components of the vehicle glove box door 250. Preferably, in addition to dissipating energy, vehicle glove box door 250 may also transfer impact energy to regions within a vehicle cockpit that houses dashboard components other than the vehicle glove box 200. Characteristics of such transference of impact energy are also impact characteristics of the vehicle glove box 200 and of the vehicle glove box door 250.
In a preferred embodiment, impact energy dissipation and transference may occur in two dimensions by virtue of the properties of the foam 706 within the shell 250. Preferably, the vehicle glove box door 250 can effect impact energy dissipation and transference along the direction of impact force upon the vehicle glove box door 250 and along directions perpendicular to this impact force direction. The impact characteristics which may be controlled employing one or more embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the characteristics listed above.
At step 108, the shell components, which in this embodiment are outer member 300 and inner member 400, are preferably secured together.
At step 110, the foam 706 is preferably deposited into the closed shell 250 employing the process factors adjusted in step 106. The foam 706 is preferably deposited by injecting the foam 706 through fill points (not shown), which are preferably suitably sealed once foam injection is complete.
In one or more embodiments, multiple fill tubes (not shown) may be employed. The foam 706 may be injected through such fill tubes at flow rates that may be selected for optimum properties of the foam 706. Moreover, different materials may be injected into different parts of the shell 250 using different fill tubes at different fill points (not shown) to provide different foam properties and/or different materials in different regions of the shell 250.
At step 112, the foam 706 is preferably allowed to rise and stabilize within the shell 250. The sealed mold may be rotated to provide a thicker skin for the foam 706. Additionally or alternatively, the sealed mold may be tipped in selected directions to effect desired changes in the foam properties if the foam 706 is rise-direction sensitive. At step 114, the shell 250 is preferably removed from the foaming tool.
FIG. 1B is a flow chart for a method 120 of fabricating a vehicle glove box door using open-shell molding in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. To avoid repetition of the above discussion of structure and various alternative and/or additional method steps that may be performed in connection with molding methods disclosed herein, the following discussion of open-shell molding is principally directed to the steps that distinguish the open-shell molding method from the closed-shell molding method discussed above.
At step 122, the method preferably starts. At step 124, the exterior components are preferably gathered at a foaming tool. As with the closed-shell molding method, glove box door 250 may serve as a shell for the molding process. In or more embodiments, one of inner member 400 and outer member 300 may be used to receive foam, and the other of inner member 400 and outer member 300 may then be coupled with the foam-receiving member to form a molding shell. However, in one or more other embodiments, both inner member 400 and outer member 300 may be prepared for deposition of foam.
At step 126, at least one foam property may be adjusted to influence and/or control at least one impact characteristic of vehicle glove box 200. For a detailed discussion of this step and the effect thereof on the impact characteristics of vehicle glove box door 250, the reader is referred to the above discussion of step 106 of the closed-shell molding method.
At step 128, the foam 706 may be deposited directly onto the interior surface 320 of outer member 300 and/or the interior surface 420 of inner member 400. During open-shell foam deposition, rib grid 330 (FIG. 4) may serve to prevent the discharge of the foam 706 by aiding in sealing the shell 250, controlling the internal pressure of the shell 250, controlling the placement of the foam 706 within the shell 250, and/or enabling the incorporation of multiple foams when desired. In one or more alternative embodiments, both portions of the shell 250 may receive foam during step 128.
In an alternative embodiment 600 (FIG. 6) of the outer member 300 of the vehicle glove box door 250, expanded ribs 640 preferably provide additional surface area to which the foam 706 may bond, thereby supplementing the function of rib grid 630 and securing the foam 706 to the interior surface 620 of outer member 600.
At step 130, the shell components may be secured together. At step 132, the foam 706 is preferably allowed to rise and stabilize within the shell 250. The sealed mold may be rotated to provide a thicker skin for the foam 706. Additionally or alternatively, the sealed mold may be tipped in selected directions to effect desired changes in the foam properties if the foam 706 is rise-direction sensitive. At step 134, the shell 250 is preferably removed from the foaming tool.
Employing outer member 300 and inner member 400 as the shell 250 for molding the foam 706 may operate to expedite the part production rate for the vehicle glove box 200 because once the foam 706 reaches a stable state, after step 114, the shell 250 may be removed from a foaming station while the foam 706 continues to cure. The time needed to arrive at this stable state is generally less than the time during which a mold made of a similar material must remain and cure in a conventional foaming die before being removed. When employing a preferred-embodiment material for the foam 706, molding the foam 706 in the shell 250 may cut 20-25 seconds from a part cycle time of about 180 seconds that would be required in a traditional foaming die. The use of a part carousel in conjunction with the use of the shell 250 as a mold may operate to improve cycle times still further.
Although in general, components of the shell 250 are fastened together using screws 260 as discussed earlier herein, in some embodiments, the fastening of components of the shell 250 to each other may be omitted by taking measures to enable highly secure bonding between the foam and the shell components. Component materials having the ability to bond to foam may be employed. Additionally or alternatively, surface treatments that enhance bonding to foam may be applied to surfaces of the shell components. The use of such surface treatments may be more cost effective than using materials having the ability to bond to foam. The need for optimal bonding between the foam 706 and surfaces of shell components may be reduced by deploying foam-shaping structures, such as ribs 330 and 640, that are shaped to create foam shapes and structures that generate mechanical bonds between the foam and the shell components as well as between the various shell components.
FIGS. 7A-B are a sectional view and a perspective view, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of a vehicle glove box door that can form part of the vehicle glove box 200 of FIG. 2. FIGS. 7A-B present alternative embodiments of the glove box door and components thereof discussed in connection with FIGS. 2-5. The view of FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4.
Although alternative embodiments are shown in FIGS. 7A-B, the correspondence to previously introduced parts is as follows. Vehicle glove box door 700 generally corresponds to vehicle glove box door 250, outer member 702 generally corresponds to outer member 300, inner member 704 generally corresponds to inner member 400, and edge rib 710 generally corresponds to edge rib 460. The interior surfaces of outer member 702 and inner member 704 form internal cavity 720 of vehicle glove box door 700. Inner member 704 preferably includes ribs 708 and 710 extending toward outer member 702. Outer member 702 preferably includes ribs 712, 714, 716, and 718 extending toward inner member 704. The combination of the inner member 704, the outer member 702, and the foam 706 therebetween preferably combine to form a laminate-like structure that preferably possesses beam-loading characteristics that are beneficial in impact situations.
In one or more embodiments, leading edge rib 712 may serve as a guide for rib 708 as inner member 704 and outer member 702 are joined. Preferably, as outer member 702 and inner member 704 are joined, the slanted surface leading away from the distal end of leading edge rib 712 serves to guide rib 708 of inner member 704 such that rib 708 forms a foam-tight seal with rib 718 of outer member 702.
The combination of outer member rib 718 and inner member rib 708 preferably serves as one boundary of internal cavity 720 of the vehicle glove box door 700 by forming a seal for the migration of the foam 706 within the vehicle glove box door internal cavity 720. Preferably, ribs 708 and 718 are securely biased against each other to form an effective seal for the foam 706.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the interior of the vehicle glove box door 250 having two foam members 802, 804 therein in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In other alternative embodiments, three or more foam members could be deployed within vehicle glove box door 250, and all such variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
The viewing direction of FIG. 8 substantially corresponds with the viewing direction of FIG. 5, except that FIG. 8 provides a sectional view of the assembled vehicle glove box door 250 at a point along the viewing direction which is in between outer member 300 and inner member 400, within the thickness of foam members 802 and 804. The referenced viewing direction of FIG. 8 coincides with the front-to-back axis (longitudinal axis) of the vehicle glove box door 250, which is also the front-to-back axis (longitudinal axis) of the glove box 200.
In this embodiment, the combination of foam members 802 and 804 generally corresponds to the foam 706 of the embodiment of FIGS. 7A-B. However, in this embodiment, at least one foam property of foam members 802, 804 preferably differs, thereby yielding at least one impact characteristic which is different for the two foam members 802, 804. Depending upon the needs of a particular vehicle glove box door 250, any number of foam properties could be varied among the two foam members 802 and 804. For example, first foam member 802 could have a first foam density, and second foam member 804 could have a second foam density.
Although the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a particular theory of operation, in one embodiment, one of foam members 802, 804 compresses more than the other in the event of an impact, thereby causing an asymmetric deformation in the vehicle glove box 250 upon impact. In one such embodiment, foam member 804 has a lower spring constant than foam member 802. In this embodiment, an impact force having a component normal to the plane of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8 preferably causes foam member 804 to deform more than foam member 802, which preferably causes foam member 802 to move toward and into foam member 804, thereby causing foam member 804 to compress toward the right in the view of FIG. 8, which compression direction is perpendicular to the component of the impact force that is perpendicular to the plane of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8. This arrangement preferably provides for enhanced impact energy dissipation and transference characteristics for vehicle glove box door 250 and vehicle glove box 200. In another embodiment, the spring constant of foam member 802 could be made lower than that of foam member 804.
Since the plane shown in FIG. 8 is substantially parallel to the exterior surface 310 of outer member 300, impact force components that are normal to the plane shown in FIG. 8 are also at least substantially normal to the exterior surface 310 of outer member 300.
In a preferred embodiment, separate foam members 802 and 804 may be produced by using different fill points to separately inject foam into different regions of the shell 250, the different regions having foams having at least one differing property. One or more structures, such as ribs 330 and/or 640 may also be employed to guide a first foam flow having a first set of foam properties to a first region to provide foam member 802 and a second foam flow having a second set of foam properties to a second region to produce second foam member 804. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing principles can be extended to fabricate a vehicle glove box door 250 having three or more foam members, having varying foam properties, disposed therein.
The vehicle glove box fabrication method steps disclosed herein may be beneficially employed during a design phase to create a variety of prototypes of the vehicle glove box door 250 having different impact characteristics by changing the foam properties of one or both of foam members 802 and 804 in successive vehicle glove box door prototypes. Beneficially, the successive prototypes of vehicle glove box 200 having different impact characteristics may be produced quickly and conveniently since the exterior components, outer member 300 and inner member 400, can remain unchanged for an essentially infinite number of different vehicle glove box prototypes. While discussed in connection with optimizing a glove box door design having multiple foam members therein, the ability to rapidly produce vehicle glove box prototypes during a product design phase without modifying the non-foam components of the vehicle glove box door 250 may be employed regardless of the number of foam members deployed within the vehicle glove box door 250 and regardless of the vehicle glove box characteristic sought to be optimized.
The foregoing discussion addresses an embodiment having two foam members 802, 804 with differing properties, that are displaced horizontally from one another (in the view of FIG. 8). Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the left side of glove box door 250 preferably has at least one property that differs from the corresponding property of the right side of glove box door 250. However, other geometric arrangements of foam members having different properties may be implemented.
In one or more embodiments, a top foam member and a bottom foam member may have one or more differing characteristics. In one or more other embodiments, the division may be between a radially inwardly located foam member and one or more radially outwardly located foam members. Specifically, a first foam member may extend from a center of glove box door 250 (i.e. centered in the view of FIG. 8) out to a given radius. A second foam member may then be arranged so as to surround this first foam member. If desired, this relationship could be repeated, with one or more additional foam members being shaped and positioned so as to surround foam members located radially inwardly therefrom, thereby forming a series of substantially concentric members located at progressively greater radial distances from the center of the glove box door 250. In one or more embodiments, respective foam members located at progressively greater radial distances from a center of glove box door 250 need not necessarily be concentric.
Where different foam materials are employed for an upper foam member and a lower foam member, the following injection procedure may be employed. A first fill tube may be inserted inside glove box door 250, with the tip of this tube located in the upper portion (in the view of FIG. 8) of door 250, to inject foam 706 into this upper portion. This injection tube may then be gradually withdrawn as the upper portion of glove box door 250 gets filled with foam. Alternatively, a fixed fill point and/or fill tube may be used to inject foam for creation of the upper foam member.
Once all of the foam for the upper foam member has been injected, the same or a different fill tube may be employed to inject foam to form the lower foam member. As with the upper foam member, the fill tube may be gradually withdrawn as foam is injected into the lower portion (in the view of FIG. 8) of glove box door 250. In an alternative embodiment, a fixed fill tube and/or fill point may be used to inject foam for creation of the lower foam member. While the above discussion is directed to the use of successive injection operations for the creation of upper and lower foam members, in other embodiments, injection operations for generation of, the two foam members may be performed simultaneously.
As has been discussed in connection with the deployment of upper and lower foam members, the use of multiple fill points and/or multiple fill tubes with the optional use of fill tubes that are withdrawn during foam injection may be employed to generate radially inward and radially outward foam members (also referred to herein as inner and outer foam members). Specifically, a first set of fill tubes may be located near the center (in the view of FIG. 8) of glove box door 250 and begin injecting foam. Thereafter, these tubes may be gradually withdrawn (moved radially outward from the center of glove box 250) as the inner foam member is formed. Alternatively, the tubes may be in a fixed location during injection of the foam for creation of the inner foam member.
Injection of foam for the inner foam member may cease once this member is complete. Thereafter, the same or different fill tubes may be employed to inject foam for creation of the outer foam member. The fill tubes used for generation of the outer foam member may be gradually withdrawn during injection of the foam, or may be fixed. Preferably, injection of foam for the outer member continues until the outer foam member is fully formed. While the above discussion is directed to the use of successive injection operations for creation of the inner and outer foam members, in other embodiments, injection operations for generation of the two foam members may be performed simultaneously.
Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a vehicle glove box, comprising:

providing a plurality of exterior components of said vehicle glove box, said exterior components forming components of a shell;

adjusting at least one property of foam for use in said vehicle glove box to control at least a first impact characteristic of said vehicle glove box; and

depositing said foam into said shell.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

modifying said first impact characteristic without modifying said exterior components.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

modifying said first impact characteristic by changing substantially only said at least one foam property.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

modifying at least one additional impact characteristic by changing substantially only said at least one foam property.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first impact characteristic is at least one of impact energy dissipation and impact energy transference by said vehicle glove box.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first impact characteristic is a spring constant in a direction of impact force of said vehicle glove box.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for a closed shell deposition, securing said plurality of shell components together prior to said depositing.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

for an open shell deposition, securing said plurality of shell components together after said depositing.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises:

prior to said depositing, selecting a material property of said foam.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting comprises:

selecting at least one process factor for said foam.

11. the method of claim 10 wherein said selecting comprises selecting at least one of: a blowing agent for said foam, a flow rate for said foam, a pack factor of said foam, and whether or not to rotate said shell after said depositing.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said adjusting said at least one property comprises selecting at least one of:

a material composition, a density, a mix ratio of different constituent materials of said foam, a blowing agent for said foam, a rise direction factor, and a foam skin factor.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

during the curing of said foam in said shell, removing said shell from a foaming station at which said depositing was performed.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using said foam to securely bond together said components of said shell without directly fastening said components of said shell to each other.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said securely bonding comprises:

providing materials for said shell components that bond securely to said foam.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said depositing comprises:

depositing foam having a first density into a first region of said shell, thereby forming a first foam member; and

depositing foam having a second density into a second region of said shell, thereby forming a second foam member.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein an interface between said first foam member and said second foam member includes at least one plane substantially parallel to a front-to-back axis of said shell.

18. A vehicle glove box, comprising:

a shell having one or more exterior surfaces and one or more interior surfaces defining an internal cavity; and

at least two foam members disposed within said internal cavity of said shell and located offset from one another along a direction normal to a front-to-back axis of said shell.

19. The vehicle glove box of claim 18 wherein at least one foam property differs among at least two of said foam members.

20 The vehicle glove box of claim 18 wherein said at least two foam members comprise:

a first foam member having a first spring constant; and

a second foam member having a second spring constant that is either greater than or less than said first spring constant.