Fastener for curtain airbag

• US 20040136812A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nogami, Mitsuo, Okinaka, Shuichi, Kawai, Yasuhiro, Kawasaki, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 7,210,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 411/508
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/005 into which threads are cut during screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0258 using resiliently deformable sleeves, grommets or inserts F16B43/001 takes precedence

Abstract

A fastener for fixing a curtain airbag to a body panel of an automobile comprises a screw grommet having a shank to be inserted into mounting holes of an airbag-anchor portion and a body panel, and a flange to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel. The flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening into which a tapping screw is driven. The shank has resilient fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to engage edge regions of mounting holes in a temporary fixing state. The fingers are held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, preventing the fingers from being bent inward. The flange has an edge with an upstanding partition to allow a central region of the flange to be partitioned from a main body of the curtain airbag.

Claims

1. A fastener for fixing an airbag-anchor portion of a curtain airbag to a body panel of a vehicle, comprising a screw grommet having a shank adapted to be inserted into respective mounting holes of both the airbag-anchor portion and the body panel, and a flange adapted to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel,

wherein the flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening which allow a tapping screw to be driven thereinto,

wherein the shank has resilient engagement fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to engage with edge regions of the mounting hole of the body panel in a temporary fixing state, the resilient engagement fingers being held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, to prevent the fingers from being bent inward, and

wherein the flange has an edge integrally formed with a partition plate which stands upright therefrom to partition a flange region having the opening from a main body of the curtain airbag.

2. The fastener as defined in claim 1, further including a protective plate attached onto and over the flange of the screw grommet to protect the flange and enhance the pressing force of a head of the tapping screw against the flange.

3. The fastener as defined in claim 2, further including a support plate for clamping the airbag-anchor portion in cooperation with the flange, the support plate being formed with a mounting hole for the shank to pass therethrough, the mounting hole having an edge region engageable with the resilient engagement fingers to maintain the airbag-anchor portion clamped between the support plate and the flange.

4. The fastener as defined in claim 1, further including a support plate for clamping the airbag-anchor portion in cooperation with the flange, the support plate being formed with a mounting hole for the shank to pass therethrough, the mounting hole having an edge region engageable with the resilient engagement fingers to maintain the airbag-anchor portion clamped between the support plate and the flange.

5. The fastener as defined in claim 2, wherein the resilient engagement fingers include one pair of the fingers formed on opposite sides of the shank, each having a fixed end near an end of the shank and a free end toward the flange and having an inner surface that protrudes into the shank hole to engage the tapping screw.

6. The fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the resilient engagement fingers include one pair of the fingers formed on opposite sides of the shank, each having a fixed end near an end of the shank and a free end toward the flange and having an inner surface that protrudes into the shank hole to engage the tapping screw.

7. A fastener for fixing an airbag-anchor portion of a curtain airbag to a body panel of a vehicle, comprising a screw grommet having a shank adapted to be inserted into respective mounting holes of both the airbag-anchor portion and the body panel, and a flange adapted to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel,

wherein the flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening which allow a tapping screw to be driven thereinto,

wherein the shank has resilient engagement fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to clamp the anchor bag-anchor portion against the flange in a temporary fixing state before the airbag-anchor portion is fixed to the body panel, and to engage with edge regions of the mounting hole of the body panel in a temporary fixing state, the resilient engagement fingers being held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, to prevent the fingers from being bent inward, and

wherein the fastener has an integrally formed partition plate to partition a flange region having the opening from a main body of the curtain airbag.

8. A fastener as defined in claim 7, further including a support plate through which the shank passes at a side of the airbag-anchor portion opposite to the flange and that engages the resilient engagement fingers to clamp the airbag-anchor portion between the support plate and the flange.