Air bag module structure and method of assembly
First Claim
1. A vehicle air bag module structure comprising:
- a housing member defining a cavity; and
a retainer member disposed in said cavity,said housing member including a plurality of separate deformable portions deformed into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple said retainer member to said housing member,said retainer member and housing member being adapted to capture and retain selected portions of an air bag and an inflator within said cavity in said housing member.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle air bag module is designed to be simply and efficiently assembled, without the use of fasteners such as bolts or rivets. The module is formed by a housing member and a retainer member. Each of the housing member and the retainer member includes integral structure enabling them to be coupled together without the use of additional fasteners such as bolts or rivets. When coupled together, the housing member and the retainer member are adapted to (i) capture and align an inflator in the housing member and (ii) capture and retain the mouth of an air bag in the housing member. Moreover, the air bag module is designed with additional connecting structure which enables the module to be coupled with a vehicle.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A vehicle air bag module structure comprising:
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a housing member defining a cavity; and a retainer member disposed in said cavity, said housing member including a plurality of separate deformable portions deformed into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple said retainer member to said housing member, said retainer member and housing member being adapted to capture and retain selected portions of an air bag and an inflator within said cavity in said housing member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22)
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12. A method for forming a vehicle air bag module structure comprising the steps of:
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locating an inflator in a cavity formed in a housing member; locating a retainer member in the cavity in the housing member and capturing the inflator in the cavity between a portion of the retainer member and a portion of the housing member; and deforming selected separate portions of the housing member into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple the housing member with the retainer member, thereby retaining the inflator in the cavity in the housing member. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for forming a vehicle air bag module structure comprising the steps of:
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preassembling a selected portion of an air bag with a retainer member; locating the retainer member in a cavity formed in a housing member and capturing the air bag in the cavity between a portion of the retainer member and a portion of the housing member; and deforming selected separate portions of the housing member into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple the housing member with the retainer member, thereby retaining the air bag in the cavity in the housing member. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A vehicle air bag module structure comprising:
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a housing member defining a cavity, said housing member including an annular sidewall; and an annular retainer ring disposed in said cavity closely adjacent said annular sidewall of said housing member, said housing member including a plurality of bendable locking tabs, each of said bendable locking tabs adapted to be bent out of the annulus of said annular sidewall and into engagement with a selected portion of said annular retainer ring to couple said annular retainer ring to said housing member, said annular retainer ring and housing member being adapted to capture and retain selected portions of an air bag and an inflator within said cavity within said housing member, and further including coupling structure formed in one piece with said annular retainer ring, said coupling structure projecting out of said housing member and adapted to enable said retainer ring to be coupled to a portion of a vehicle.
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20. A method for forming a vehicle air bag module structure comprising the steps of:
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locating an inflator in a cavity formed in a housing member; locating a retainer member in the cavity in the housing member and capturing the inflator in the cavity between a portion of the retainer member and a portion of the housing member, said retainer member including coupling structure projecting out of said housing member and adapted to enable said retainer member to be coupled to a portion of a vehicle; and deforming a selected portion of the housing member into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple the housing member with the retainer member, thereby retaining the inflator in the cavity in the housing member.
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21. A method for forming a vehicle air bag module structure comprising the steps of:
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preassembling a selected portion of an air bag with a retainer member; locating the retainer member in a cavity formed in a housing member and capturing the air bag in the cavity between a portion of the retainer member and a portion of the housing member, said retainer member having coupling structure projecting out of said housing member and adapted to enable said retainer member to be coupled to a portion of a vehicle; and deforming a selected portion of the housing member into engagement with a selected portion of said retainer member to couple the housing member with the retainer member, thereby retaining the air bag in the cavity in the housing member.
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Specification