Air bag deployment door with snap fit

• US 5,275,432 A
• Filed: 10/30/1992
• Issued: 01/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alliedsignal Inc.
• Inventors: Pray, John H., Thomas, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tyson, Karin L.
• Application Number:
  US07/968,904
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728 B, 280/728 A, 280/728 R, 280/732, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for an air bag safety restraint system comprising a deployment door (70), a chute (30) adapted to fit within an opening (24) within a component (20) of a vehicle and receive a deployment door (70). The chute (30) includes a first side (32a) and second side (32d). The second side (32d) includes a wall portion (34d) a snap-fit mechanism (125). The deployment door (70) including a substrate (70) including a cover member (74), a hinge member (78) formed along one side of the cover member (74), a flange (124) extending from the cover member (74) from a second side thereof and a tear seam (122) between the second side and the flange. The tear seam (122) being stressed and broken upon inflation of the air bag (69) permitting the cover member (74) to rotate about the hinge member permitting the air bag (69) to deploy, the flange (124) including receptacles 134a-c for engaging the snap-fit mechanism (125).

Claims

1. An apparatus for an air bag safety restraint system comprising a deployment door (70), a support member (30) adapted to receive a deployment door (70), the member (30), including a first side (32a) and second side (32d), the second side (32d) including a wall portion (34d) and first means (154;

160) defining a snap-fit mechanism (125);

the deployment door (70) comprising;

a substrate (70) including a cover member (74), a hinge member (78) formed along one side of the cover member (74), a first member (76,80) extending away from the hinge member (78) and adapted to be mounted to the first side (32a) of the support member (30), a flange (124) extending from the cover member (74) from a second side of the cover member thereof and a tear seam (122) between the second side of the cover member and the flange, the tear seam (130) being stressed and broken upon inflation of the air bag (69) permitting the cover member (74) to rotate about the hinge member permitting the air bag (69) to deploy,

the flange (124) including second means (134a-c) to engage the snap-fit mechanism (125) wherein the snap-fit mechanism (125;

     160) comprises a plurality of fingers (154a-d) extending upwardly and spaced (156) from the wall portion (34d) of the support member (30) and a plurality of protruding elements (160a-c) extending outwardly from the wall portion (34d) and wherein the second means (134a-c) comprises a plurality of receptacles (134) formed in the flange (124) to engage the protruding elements (160a-c) thereby securing the door (70) to the second side (34d) of the support member upon insertion of the flange (124) within the snap-fit mechanism.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the tear seam (122) comprises a region of material (126) having a U-shaped notch (130), including two oppositely positioned sharp corners, formed therein between the flange (124) and second side of the cover member (74).

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the thickness of the material (126) is approximately 0.4 mm.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the tear seam (122) comprises three distinct segments of dissimilar lengths extending across at least part of the second side of the cover member (70).

5. An apparatus for an air bag safety restraint system comprising a deployment door (70), a support member (30) adapted to receive a deployment door (70), the support member (30), including a first side (32a) and second side (32d), the second side (32d) including a wall portion (34d) and first means (154;

160) defining a snap-fit mechanism (125);

the deployment door (70) comprising;

a substrate (70) including a cover member (74), a hinge member (78) formed along one side of the cover member (74), a bracket member (76,80) extending away from the hinge member (78) and adapted to be mounted to the first side (32a) of the support member (30), a flange (124) extending from the cover member (74) from a second side of the cover member thereof and a tear seam (122) between the second side of the cover member and the flange, the tear seam (130) being stressed and broken upon inflation of the air bag (69) permitting the cover member (74) to rotate about the hinge member permitting the air bag (69) to deploy,

the flange (124) including second means (134a-c) to engage the snap-fit mechanism (125);

wherein the first member (75,80) includes a first extending part (76) and a metal reinforcement bracket (80) and wherein the cover member (74), hinge member (78) first extending part (76), flange (124) and tear seam (122) are of integral construction and fabricated of a thermoplastic material;

wherein the first extending part (76) is generally L-shaped and includes a wall portion (77) extending downwardly from the cover member (74) and an extending portion (79) extending outwardly therefrom and wherein the reinforcement bracket (80) is generally L-shaped and positioned to an underside of the first extending part (76), such that portions (86) of the first extending part (76) extend through openings (84) in the reinforcement bracket (80) forming buttons (86), a transition surface (182) between the wall portion (77) and the extending portion (79), opposite the reinforcement bracket (80), having a radius of curvature (r5),

the first extending part (76) engaging an undersurface of the first side (32a) of the member (30) wherein a lower edge (180) of the first side is curved with the radius of curvature r4 less than r5 thereby permitting the first bracket (76) to stretch and slide in response to forces imparted by the inflating air bag about the lower edge dissipating energy as it slides and stretches.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the support member includes a chute fitted in an opening of an instrument panel including a reaction can (60) secured at one side (64) thereof to a structural member (66) within the vehicle under the door (70) and secured along a second side (62) to the chute (30) including a can bracket (61) adapted to fit against an extending portion (83) of the reinforcement bracket (80) and wherein an end (88) of the second side (62) of the reaction can (60) is positioned proximate the buttons (86) on the reinforcement bracket (80) such that the end (88) of the reaction can (60) is prevented from engaging the metal reinforcement bracket (80).