Cover for vehicle occupant impact protection device

• US 5,335,937 A
• Filed: 09/03/1993
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Uphues, Hans-Wilhelm, Petkovic, Zivojin, Fischer, Thomas, Muller, Manfred, Schumacher, Rolf, Moltgen, Bruno, Henseler, Wolfgang, Witkovsky, Thomas, Schreiner, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Application Number:
  US08/115,682
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728 B, 280/731, 280/732, 280/728 R, 280/728 A, 280/75 D
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

Impact protection devices, arranged in steering wheels or dashboards of motor vehicles, for vehicle occupants are provided with covers which open in the event of an accident in order to release an inflating air bag of the protection device. The cover, which consists of at least one cover flap, is injection molded onto a carrier part by a tough elastic plastic. The plastic surround has along an edge, intended as pivot axis, of the cover flap a cross-sectional tapering which serves as a hinge. At the other edges, the plastic surround is constructed towards the corresponding edges of the carrier part as a groove which, in the event of pressure on the cover flap in the opening direction, easily releases the carrier part edge.

Claims

1. A cover for an air bag of an impact protection device for occupants of a vehicle, comprising a carrier part, at least one upwardly pivotable cover flap operatively arranged in the dashboard of a vehicle, and a tough elastic plastic surround which is injection molded onto the at least one cover flap and onto the carrier part, wherein the plastic surround has, along a pivot axis edge of the cover flap, a cross-sectional tapering configured to serve as a hinge, and said plastic surround is constructed at at least one further edge of the cover flap as a groove which, in the event of pressure on the at least one cover flap in an opening direction, easily releases an edge which is held in the groove.

2. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the edge held in the groove is an edge of the carrier part.

3. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the carrier part is a separate carrier frame securely connected to a frame of the dashboard.

4. The cover according to claim 3, wherein the edge held in the groove is an edge of the carrier part.

5. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cover flap comprises two cover flaps arranged one on top of the other, the upper one of which can pivot upwardly and the lower one of which can pivot downwardly.

6. The cover according to claim 5, wherein the edge held in the groove is an edge of the carrier part.

7. The cover according to claim 5, wherein the carrier part is a separate carrier frame securely connected to a frame of the dashboard.

8. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cover flap comprises a plurality of cover flaps which can pivot upwardly, downwardly and to the side.

9. The cover according to claim 8, wherein the edge held in the groove is an edge of the carrier part.

10. The cover according to claim 8, wherein the carrier part is a separate carrier frame securely connected to a frame of the dashboard.

11. The cover according to claim 5, wherein facing edges of the cover flaps are connected to one another by a tough elastic plastic which is securely connected to the edge of the one cover flap and towards the edge of the other cover flap has a groove which holds said latter edge and clears said latter edge in the opening direction in the event of pressure on the cover flap.

12. The cover according to claim 8, wherein facing edges of the cover flaps are connected to one another by a tough elastic plastic which is securely connected to the edge of the one cover flap and towards the edge of the other cover flap has a groove which holds said latter edge and clears said latter edge in the opening direction in the event of pressure on the cover flap.

13. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the groove, which releases an edge, comprises a flexible leg which, in the event of pressure on the cover flap in the opening direction, brings about release of the edge grasped by the groove.

14. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cover flap has a periphery with a tough elastic plastic surround.

15. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the edges of the cover flaps and of the carrier part which are securely connected to the plastic surround have holes into which the plastic surround is injection molded.

16. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cover flap, the carrier part and the tough elastic plastic of the plastic surround constitute a single-component construction at tapering sections.

17. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the edge held in the groove is an edge of the carrier part.

18. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the carrier part is a separate carrier frame securely connected to a frame of the dashboard.

19. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the at least one cover flap comprises two cover flaps arranged one on top of the other, the upper one of which can pivot upwardly and the lower one of which can pivot downwardly.

20. The cover according to claim 16, wherein the at least one cover flap comprises a plurality of cover flaps which can pivot upwardly, downwardly and to the side.