STITCHED SEAMS FOR VEHICLE INTERIOR COVERINGS

• US 20120313391A1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Interior Systems, Inc. (Forvia SE)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Interior Systems, Inc. (Forvia SE)
• Inventors: Kornylo, Walter
• Granted Patent: US 8,714,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/1.08
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/003 Interior finishings
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/04 characterised by at least one layer folded at the edge, e.g. over another layer ; characterised by at least one layer enveloping or enclosing a material
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5883 by sewing, stitching or threading
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/5891 characterised by the manufacturing process; manufacturing seat coverings not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A vehicle interior component including a decorative covering includes a seam formed therein. The seam is formed in a single sheet of covering material while having the appearance of being formed by sewing two separate pieces of covering material together. The seam includes lines of functional stitching and decorative stitching and can simulate the appearance of a French seam. Sewing the decorative stitching into the single sheet of covering material can allow symmetric thread patterns to be more readily formed as part of the finished seam, and a seam can be located anywhere along the surface of a sheet of covering material to achieve a cut-and-sew appearance.

Claims

1. A method of making a vehicle interior component having a decorative covering, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a sheet of covering material having an outer surface;

(b) folding the sheet of covering material along a fold line such that first and second portions of the outer surface are in facial contact;

(c) sewing a line of functional stitching through the folded sheet of covering material such that the stitching passes through both the first and second portions of the outer surface at a location proximate the fold line; and

(d) disposing the sewn covering material over a component substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sewing a pair of spaced apart lines of decorative stitching along the outer surface of the covering material before step (b), thereby at least partially defining the fold line midway between the pair of lines of decorative stitching.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sewing the pair of spaced apart lines of decorative stitching comprises sewing the decorative stitching such that each of the lines of decorative stitching includes a plurality of stitches arranged in respective thread patterns that are symmetric about the fold line.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the respective thread patterns together form a herringbone pattern after step (c).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of sewing the pair of spaced apart lines of decorative stitching comprises sewing the decorative stitching using a single-needle sewing machine.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of perforating the covering material along the fold line before step (b).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises forming a loop of the covering materials by sewing the functional stitching through two layers of the covering material

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of removing at least a portion of the loop before step (d).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of removing at least a portion of the loop further comprises cutting at least the portion of the loop off the decorative covering during step (c).

10. A vehicle interior component having a decorative covering disposed over a component substrate, the decorative covering comprising:

first and second portions of covering material having an outer surface; and

a seam that includes a line of functional stitching that joins the first and second portions of covering material together and a line of decorative stitching spaced a selected distance from the line of functional stitching along the outer surface of the covering material, the line of decorative stitching being formed in a direction substantially parallel to the line of functional stitching and formed through a single layer of covering material.

11. A vehicle interior component as defined in claim 10, wherein the seam further includes another line of decorative stitching along the outer surface of the covering material and being spaced from the line of functional stitching such that the functional stitching is located between the two lines of decorative stitching.

12. A vehicle interior component as defined in claim 11, wherein each of the lines of decorative stitching includes a plurality of stitches arranged in respective thread patterns that are symmetric with respect to the line of functional stitching.

13. A vehicle interior component as defined in claim 12, wherein the respective thread patterns are not symmetric with respect to an axis perpendicular to the line of functional stitching.

14. A vehicle interior component as defined in claim 11, wherein the other line of decorative stitching is spaced from the functional stitching by the selected distance such that the functional stitching is located midway between the two lines of decorative stitching.

15. A vehicle interior component as defined in claim 10, wherein the component substrate includes a door panel substrate, an instrument panel substrate, a console substrate, or a seat substrate.