Airbag cover hinge reinforcement for high performance inflator

• US 5,346,249 A
• Filed: 07/16/1993
• Issued: 09/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Morton International Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hallard, Alain F., Allard, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/093,815
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728 A, 280/728 B, 280/731, 280/732, 280/743 R, 280/743 A
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/21656 Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 1/02 made of one piece
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a cosmetic container or enclosure for a high performance inflatable air bag utilizing a new and improved hinge structure especially designed to allow a cover to be fractured into pivotally openable panels or doors adapted to open during inflation of the air bag but yet the hinges are strong enough to positively retain the panels of the cover to a fixed portion of the container after opening occurs so that damage to the air bag or injury to persons does not result with the consequent adverse affects to the safety and operation of the air bag deployment.

Claims

1. A hinge for a cover of a container adapted to be pivotally opened by an inflating air bag contained therein, comprising:

a strip of scrim formed of high strength elongated flexible fibers and secured along opposite edge portions of said strip to said cover and a wall of said enclosure, respectively, said strip including an integral hinge portion between inner edges of said opposite edge portions and joined with at least one of said edge portions along a fold line wherein said hinge portion is in an overlying relationship with said one edge portion while said cover is in a closed position with said air bag in an uninflated condition and hingedly movable to unfold along said fold line to an open position away from said overlying relationship upon inflation of said air bag.

2. The hinge of claim 1, wherein:

said strip comprises an open weave mesh of said flexible fibers; and

at least one of said cover and said wall is formed of resinous plastic material molded on said open weave mesh.

3. The hinge of claim 2, wherein:

said strip of scrim includes a plurality of openings between said fibers forming said mesh and said resinous plastic material penetrates said openings to form a high strength bond between said strip and said one of said cover and said wall.

4. The hinge of claim 3, wherein:

at least said one of said cover and said wall includes a reinforcement member embedded in said molded resinous plastic material.

5. The hinge of claim 4, wherein:

said reinforcement member includes a plurality of openings and said resinous plastic material penetrates said openings to form a high strength bond between said stiffening member and said one of said cover and said wall.

6. The hinge of claim 3, including:

impervious sheet means interposed between said one of said opposite edge portions and a face of said integral hinge portion of said strip of scrim whereby penetration of said resinous plastic material forming said cover and said wall between areas of one edge portion and said hinge said portion disposed in overlying relationship therewith is precluded so that unfolding along said fold line is not prevented when said air bag is inflated.

7. The hinge of claim 6, including:

impervious sheet means on an opposite face of said hinge portion.

8. The hinge of claim 7, wherein:

said hinge portion of said strip of scrim includes a plurality of hinge elements in folded overlying relationship a plurality of said fold lines in parallel with one another.

9. The hinge of claim 8, wherein:

said impervious sheet means is interposed between an adjacent pair of hinge elements to prevent adhesion between said elements so that relative pivotal unfolding movement along said fold lines can occur when said air bag is inflated.

10. The hinge assembly of claim 9, wherein:

said resinous plastic material of said cover and said wall is integrally molded to exposed surfaces of said strip of scrim on said cover and said wall.

11. A container for an inflatable air bag including:

a wall and a cover intersecting along an edge of said enclosure; and

hinge means secured to an inside face of said wall and said cover for retaining attachment between the same during rapid inflation of said air bag;

said hinge means comprising a piece of scrim formed of strong, woven, flexible fibers having a first section attached to said cover, a second section attached to said wall, and a hinge section intermediate of said first and second sections, said hinge section integrally joined with at least one of said first and second sections along a fold line extending along said edge of said container and unfoldable along said fold line with respect to said one section from an overlying relationship toward an outwardly extended relationship when said air bag is inflated.

12. The container of claim 11, wherein:

said cover includes a door panel having at least one edge spaced away from said hinge means, said edge lying adjacent an inside groove formed in said cover for providing a reduced wall thickness therein to facilitate the separation of said panel from said cover along said one edge permitting pivotal opening movement of said panel along said fold line of said hinge means upon inflation of said air bag.

13. The container of claim 11, wherein:

said wall of said container includes a plurality of spaced apart side walls joining said cover on opposite edges of said container, a plurality of said panels in said cover having confronting edges along opposite sides of said inside groove, a plurality of said hinge means for securing a panel to a respective side wall for opening upon fracturing of said cover between said panels along said inside groove permitting said panels to pivotally open simultaneously with unfolding of said hinge means along said fold lines of respective hinge means along said opposite edges of said container.

14. The container of claim 13, wherein:

said inside groove on said cover extends around a peripheral edge of at least one of said panels to points adjacent opposite ends of said hinge means associated with said one panel.

15. The container of claim 12, wherein:

said wall includes an outer surface engageable by an outer surface of said panel for limiting he pivotal movement of said panel when said air bag is inflated.

16. The container of claim 11, wherein:

said intermediate hinge section of said hinge means includes at least two layers of scrim in overlying relation joined along a second fold line spaced from said first mentioned fold line.

17. The container of claim 16, including:

strip means interposed between said layers of scrim in overlying relation for preventing adhesion therebetween to facilitate unfolding pivot action along said second fold line while said air bag is inflated.

18. The container of claim 11, including:

strip means interposed between said hinge section and said one of said first and second sections of said hinge means in overlying relationship therewith for preventing adhesion therebetween to facilitate unfolding pivot action along said fold line while said air bag is inflated.

19. The container of claim 11, including:

strip means interposed between said hinge section and said one of said first and second sections of said hinge means in overlying relationship therewith for preventing adhesion therebetween to facilitate unfolding pivot action along said first mentioned fold line while said air bag is inflated.

20. The container of claim 11, wherein:

said scrim comprises a strip of open weave mesh of said flexible fibers; and

at least one of said cover and said wall is formed of resinous plastic material molded on said open weave mesh.

21. The container of claim 20, wherein:

said strip of scrim includes a plurality of openings between said fibers forming said mesh and said resinous plastic material penetrates said openings to form a high strength bond between said strip and said one of said cover and said wall.

22. The container of claim 21, wherein:

said cover and said wall includes a reinforcement member embedded in said molded resinous plastic material for reinforcing said container.

23. The hinge of claim 22, wherein:

said stiffening member includes a plurality of openings and said resinous plastic material penetrates said openings to form a high strength bond between said stiffening member and said cover and said wall.