Certain regulatory, industry, and manufacturer standards have been established regarding post-impact interior component separation. For example, European regulations relating to side impacts specify that “no interior device or component shall become detached in such a way as noticeably to increase the risk of injury to the occupant from sharp projections or jagged edges.” Likewise, certain manufacturer side impact standards require “no interior aggressive edges to be present post impact.” Various controlled impact tests have been developed to evaluate compliance with such regulatory, industry, and manufacturer standards. A representative example of a regulatory side-pole test is the FMVSS 214 Vehicle-to-Pole test, wherein a laterally moving vehicle impacts a rigid pole at 20 miles per hour. In this test, the vehicle is propelled laterally so that its line of forward motion forms an angle of 75 degrees with the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle.
Interior trim pieces such as decorative applique pieces pose a particular concern because such trim pieces, not being integral with other vehicle interior components, may break and/or detach post-impact and present sharp projections/jagged edges. There is accordingly a need in the art for interior applique pieces which reduce or eliminate this risk.
To address this identified need, the present disclosure relates to a composite applique assembly for vehicle interior trim. Advantageously, the described applique assembly defines a sliding joint which reduces or eliminates the tendency of the applique piece to fracture on impact. This likewise reduces or eliminates the tendency of the applique piece to present a sharp edge or jagged projection.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds