Air bag cover

• US 4,995,638 A
• Filed: 12/29/1989
• Issued: 02/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Asagiri, Katuki, Shinto, Hiroaki, Sakaguchi, Sumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US07/459,272
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 280/731, 280/732, 280/743
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21543 with emblems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21656 Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers

Abstract

An air bag cover for covering an air bag in a folded state, the air bag being adapted to expand in front of a seat occupant at a sudden deceleration of the vehicle speed. The air bag cover includes a first thin-wall portion which is first broken by the expanding pressure at the time of the inflation of the air bag and a second thin-wall portion which is broken after the breakage of the first thin-walled portion has advanced. The first thin-walled portion and the second thin-walled portion are connected to each other in such a manner as to be substantially perpendicular to each other. A connecting portion between the two thin-walled portions has an even smaller thickness than the thicknesses of the two thin-walled portions, thereby permitting the breakage of the first thin-walled portion to advance smoothly to the second thin-walled portion.

Claims

1. An air bag cover which is used for an air bag apparatus having a bag adapted to be inflated in front of a seat occupant at a sudden deceleration of the vehicle speed and which covers said bag in a folded state, said air bag cover comprising:

a cover body having a predetermined thickness for covering said bag in the folded state;

a first thin-walled portion which is provided in a portion of said cover body and is adapted to break at the time of the expansion of said bag so as to permit said bag to expand toward the seat occupant;

a second thin-walled portion which is formed continuously with said first thin-walled portion and whose longitudinal direction differs from that of said first thin-walled portion; and

a third thin-walled portion provided in a portion connecting together said first and second thin-walled portions and having a smaller thickness than those of said first and second thin-walled portions.

2. An air bag cover according to claim 1, wherein each of said thin-walled portions is formed by providing a pair of grooves, respectively, in obverse and reverse surfaces of said cover body.

3. An air bag cover according to claim 1, wherein a pair of said second thin-walled portions are provided, and said first thin-walled portion is interposed between and connected to said second thin-walled portions

4. An air bag cover according to claim 1, wherein said third thin-walled portion includes an end of said first thin-walled portion and an end of said second thin-walled portion.

5. An air bag cover according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal direction of said first thin-walled portion and that of said second thin-walled portion are substantially perpendicular to each other.

6. An air bag cover according to claim 1, wherein said second thin-walled portion is formed into an annular configuration in a substantially central portion of said cover body.

7. An air bag cover according to claim 6, wherein said first thin-walled portion extends from a portion of said annular second thin-walled portion in a direction of moving away from said second thin-walled portion.

8. An air bag cover according to claim 6, wherein at least a pair of said first thin-walled portions are provided respectively extending radially from opposite sides of said annular second thin-walled portion.

9. An air bag cover according to claim 8, wherein one semicircular portion of said annular second thin-walled portion located between said pair of first thin-walled portions is provided with a small thickness by forming a groove portion in one surface of said cover body, while the other semicircular portion of said annular second thin-walled portion is provided with a small thickness by forming a pair of groove portions, respectively, in obverse and reverse surfaces of said cover body.

10. An air bag cover according to claim 8, wherein an end of one of said first thin-walled portions which is opposite to the end which is connected to said second thin-walled portion is connected to another second thin-walled portion.

11. An air bag cover according to claim 10, wherein opposite ends of said another second thin-walled portion lead to ends of said cover body.

12. An air bag cover according to claim 11, wherein said first thin-walled portion is formed perpendicular to an intermediate portion of said another second thin-walled portion.

13. An air bag cover which covers a bag in a folded state and a part of which is adapted to break at the time of the expansion of said bag so as to permit the expansion of said bag, said air bag cover comprising:

an elongated first thin-walled portion which is adapted to break by the pressure of said bag at the time of the expansion of said bag so as to form an outlet port for said bag;

an elongated second thin-walled portion which is connected to an end of said first thin-walled portion substantially perpendicularly thereto and is adapted to further expand said outlet port for said bag; and

a third thin-walled portion which is provided at a connecting portion between said first thin-walled portion and said second thin-walled portion and is provided with an even smaller thickness than those of said first and second thin-walled portions.

14. An air bag cover according to claim 13, wherein each of said thin-walled portions is formed by providing a pair of grooves, respectively, in obverse and reverse surfaces thereof.

15. An air bag cover according to claim 13, wherein the longitudinal direction of said first thin-walled portion is rectilinear, while that of said second thin-walled portion is curvilinear.

16. An air bag cover according to claim 13, wherein said second thin-walled portion is formed into an annular configuration in a central portion of said air bag cover, a portion of said air bag cover located inwardly of said annular second thin-walled portion constituting an ornamental display portion.

17. An air bag cover according to claim 16, only a portion of said annular second thin-walled portion constitutes a portion to be broken.

18. An air bag cover which covers a folded bag accommodated in a base member mounted on a chassis of a vehicle and which is secured to a base plate, said air bag cover comprising:

a cover body a peripheral portion of which is secured to said base member;

a first thin-walled portion which is formed by providing a pair of grooves, respectively, in both obverse and reverse surfaces of said cover body, said first thin-walled portion being adapted to break at the time of the expansion of said bag so as to permit the expansion of said bag and protrusion thereof from said cover body;

an arc shaped second thin-walled portion formed in a central portion of said cover body and connected at an end portion thereof to said first thin-walled portion substantially perpendicular to the same, thereby allowing the breakage of said first thin-walled portion to advance to said second thin-walled portion so as to further expand a portion to be broken; and

a third thin-walled portion provided at a connecting portion between said first thin walled portion and said second thin-walled portion and having an even smaller thickness than the thicknesses of said first and second thin-walled portions.

19. An air bag cover according to claim 18, wherein said second thin-walled portion is formed by providing an annular groove in an obverse surface of said cover body and by providing a groove in a reverse surface of said cover body at a position corresponding to a portion of said annular groove, wherein the portion of said cover body where said grooves are respectively formed in said obverse and reverse surfaces of said cover body constitutes a portion to be broken.

20. An air bag cover according to claim 18, wherein a pair of said first thin-walled portions are respectively formed on opposite sides of said second thin-walled portion, said first thin-walled portions being formed into a longtitudinally rectilinear configuration, and said second groove being formed into a longitudinally curvilinear.