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US 10,538,182 B2Granted
Deformable armrest having a patterned array of channels
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMohammed Omar Faruque, James Chih Cheng, Yijung Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automotive armrest includes an elastic core defining a patterned array of channels extending therethrough such that the elastic core exhibits a predetermined target vertical stiffness and a predetermined target lateral stiffness different than the predetermined target vertical stiffness. The automotive armrest also includes a skin arranged with the elastic core.
Claims10
A method of producing a portion of an automotive armrest, comprising:
- 3-D printing an elastic core having an internal structure that includes a patterned array of channels extending therethrough such that the elastic core exhibits a predetermined target vertical stiffness and a predetermined target lateral stiffness different than the predetermined target vertical stiffness, wherein the channels including a plurality of rows and columns, the channels in each row having a vertically-elongated orientation along a longitudinal axis of the elastic core;
- and
- 3-D printing a skin on the elastic core.
A method of forming an automotive armrest, comprising:
- 3-D printing an elastic core defining a patterned array of channels including a plurality of rows and columns, the channels in each row having a vertically-elongated orientation extending therethrough such that the elastic core exhibits a predetermined target vertical stiffness and a predetermined target lateral stiffness different than the predetermined target vertical stiffness;
- and
- 3-D printing a skin arranged with the elastic core.
A method of forming an automotive armrest, comprising:
- 3-D printing a deformable core defining a patterned array of channels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, the channels having a cross-section defining a lateral dimension and a vertical dimension greater than the lateral dimension such that the deformable core exhibits a predetermined target vertical stiffness greater than a predetermined target lateral stiffness;
- and
- 3-D printing a skin arranged with the deformable core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.