Method of making an integrated door inner panel and an article made thereby

Abstract

A method of making an integrated inner trim panel for a vehicle door and an inner trim panel made thereby are disclosed. The method includes sequentially spraying a skin layer, a padding layer, and applying a structural layer in an open mold that defines the facing surface of the inner panel of a door. The integrated inner trim panel may be provided with areas of greater and lesser padding. The skin layer may be formed from a reactant mixture of polyurethane. The padding layer may be a foam polyurethane composition. The structural layer may be a glass-reinforced polyurethane reactant mixture. The inner door panel is an integrated layered structure including a skin layer, a padding layer, and a structural layer. The padding layer may be varied in thickness to provide selectively variable padding in predetermined areas.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . An inner door panel for a vehicle having a wall portion and an armrest portion, comprising: 
 a skin layer extending over the entirety of the wall portion and the armrest portion;    a padding layer backing the skin behind the wall portion and the armrest portion, wherein the padding layer is provided in varying thicknesses to provide selectively variable padding in predetermined areas of the inner door panel; and    a structural layer backing the padding layer behind the wall portion and the armrest portion to provide structural support for the wall portion and the armrest portion.    
     
     
         12 . The inner door panel of  claim 11  wherein the skin layer is polyurethane.  
     
     
         13 . The inner door panel of  claim 11  wherein the padding layer is foam polyurethane.  
     
     
         14 . The inner door panel of  claim 11  wherein the structural layer is glass reinforced polyurethane.  
     
     
         15 . The inner door panel of  claim 14  wherein the glass reinforced polyurethane comprises a mixture of polyurethane and a quantity of chopped glass fibers.  
     
     
         16 . The inner door panel of  claim 14  wherein the glass reinforced polyurethane comprises a mixture of polyurethane and a glass fiber mat.  
     
     
         17 . The inner door panel of  claim 11  wherein the armrest portion has an upper surface that is configured to receive an occupant's arm and a contoured portion, the upper surface having a first thickness of the padding layer and the contoured portion having a second thickness of the padding layer wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness to provide an upper armrest surface that is softer than the contoured portion.  
     
     
         18 . The inner door panel of  claim 17  wherein the thickness of the padding layer behind the wall portion is substantially equivalent to the second thickness.  
     
     
         19 . The inner door panel of  claim 18  wherein the thickness of the padding layer behind the wall portion comprises portions of the first thickness and of the second thickness.  
     
     
         20 . The inner door panel of  claim 11  wherein the structural layer defines a void.  
     
     
         21 . An inner door panel and a vehicle door, in combination, the inner door panel having a wall portion and an armrest portion, comprising: 
 a skin layer extending over the entirety of the wall portion and the armrest portion;    a padding layer backing the skin behind the wall portion and the armrest portion, wherein the padding layer is provided in varying thicknesses to provide selectively variable padding in predetermined areas of the inner door panel; and    a structural layer backing the padding layer behind the wall portion and the armrest portion to provide structural support for the wall portion and the armrest portion, wherein the structural layer defines a slot that is used to assemble the inner door panel to the vehicle door.    
     
     
         22 . The combination of  claim 21  wherein the slot receives a flange of the vehicle door to assemble the inner trim panel to the vehicle door.  
     
     
         24 . The combination of  claim 21  wherein the slot receives a bracket of the vehicle door to assemble the inner trim panel to the vehicle door.  
     
     
         25 . An inner panel of a vehicle door made by the process of: 
 providing a mold that defines a facing surface of the inner panel of the door, wherein the mold further defines an armrest cavity;    spraying a skin layer on the facing surface and into the armrest cavity with a spray tool that sprays a reactant mixture of polyurethane;    spraying a padding layer onto the opposite side of the skin layer from the facing surface and the armrest cavity, the armrest cavity being sprayed to a first thickness in a first portion of the armrest cavity and to a second thickness in a second portion of the armrest cavity that is thinner than the first portion with the spray tool that sprays a reactant mixture comprising a polyurethane reactant mixture and a blowing agent, forming a first void in the padding layer, inserting and supporting a core in the first void in the padding layer;    applying a structural layer onto the padding layer on the opposite side of the padding layer from the skin layer, filling the first void in the armrest cavity about the core to form a second void in the structural layer and further applying the structural layer onto the padding layer opposite the facing surface, the structural layer comprising a reaction mixture of a polyurethane reactant mixture and a glass fiber reinforcement material; and    removing the core from the second void to provide the inner panel.