Air bag door structure of instrument panel

• US 5,868,419 A
• Filed: 06/05/1996
• Issued: 02/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inoac Corporation (Inoue Rubber Public Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Inoac Corporation (Inoue Rubber Public Company Limited)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Hiroki, Suzuki, Hiroaki, Iwanaga, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,237
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.3, 280/732, 280/730.1, 280/728.2, 280/728.1, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening

Abstract

An air bag door structure is integrally backed with a door reinforcement member in the rear of an air bag door opening portion of an instrument panel. A hinge side break portion of is provided at the door rotation axis side of the instrument panel, and a hinge side mount portion for mounting an air bag container is formed at a hinge portion of the door reinforcement member. An instrument panel mount portion for mounting the air bag container is integrally formed along the outside of an opening side break portion of the instrument panel. Accordingly, stress forces created by the deployment of the air bag are concentrated at the break portions.

Claims

1. An air bag door structure for mounting an air bag container containing an air bag, said air bag door structure integrally backed with a door reinforcement member on a rear side of an air bag door opening portion of an instrument panel, said air bag door structure comprising:

a hinge side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, disposed on a door rotation axis side in the air bag door opening portion of said instrument panel, wherein said hinge side break portion breaks upon a deployment of the air bag from the air bag container;

an opening side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, disposed on a door opening portion side in said air bag door opening portion of said instrument panel;

an instrument panel mount portion having the air bag container mounted thereto, said instrument panel mount portion being unitedly formed adjacent the outside edge of said opening side break portion so as to concentrate stress forces resulting from the deployment of the air bag along said opening side break portion; and

a body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel;

a hinge portion serving as a door rotation axis, being formed in said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel; and

a hinge side mount portion having the air bag container mounted thereto, said hinge side mount portion extending from said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel so as to concentrate stress forces resulting from the deployment of the air bag along said hinge side break portion.

2. An air bag door structure according to claim 1, wherein said instrument panel mount portion has a base portion where said instrument panel mount portion is unitedly formed near the outside edge of said opening side break portion, said base portion having an inside facing said air bag door opening portion;

and

wherein said opening side break portion of said instrument panel is located on the inside of the base portion of said instrument panel mount portion.

3. An air bag door structure according to claim 1, wherein said instrument panel mount portion is formed so as to be longer than said opening side break portion.

4. An air bag door structure according to claim 1, wherein said instrument panel and said door reinforcement member are formed by the following combination:

instrument panel;

polypropylene resin which exhibits a value of tensile elongation according to JIS-K7113 larger than 300%, a bending modulus of elasticity according to JIS-K7203 larger than 20000 kgf/cm², a thermo-deformation temperature according to JIS-K7207 higher than 120°

C., and a value of Izod impact strength (23°

C.) according to JIS-K7110 larger than 15 kg·

cm/cm; and

door reinforcement member;

olefin elastomer which exhibits a bending modulus of elasticity according to JIS-K7203 larger than 3000 kgf/cm² and a value of Izod impact strength (40°

C.) according to JIS-K7110 larger than 20 kg·

cm/cm.

5. An air bag door structure according to claim 1, wherein said body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel extends substantially to the inside edge of said opening side break portion and said hinge side break portion.

6. An air bag door structure according to claim 1, wherein said door reinforcement member and said instrument panel are integrally molded.

9. An air bag door structure according to claim 4, wherein said hinge side mount portion for attachment to an air bag container has a base portion attached to said body portion, said base portion of said hinge side mount having an outside facing away from said door opening portion;

and

wherein said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel is located adjacent the outside of said base portion of said hinge side mount portion of said reinforcement member.

7. An air bag door structure for mounting an air bag container containing an air bag, said air bag door structure integrally backed with a door reinforcement member on a rear side of an air bag door opening portion of an instrument panel, said air bag door structure comprising:

a hinge side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, disposed at least on a door rotation axis side in the air bag door opening portion of said instrument panel, wherein said hinge side break portion breaks upon a deployment of the air bag from the air bag container;

a body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel;

a hinge portion serving as a door rotation axis, being formed in said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel;

a hinge side mount portion having the air bag container mounted thereto, said hinge side mount portion extending from said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel so as to concentrate stress forces resulting from the deployment of the air bag along said hinge side break portion;

an opening side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, being formed on a door opening portion side of said air bag door opening portion; and

a reinforcement member mount portion having the air bag container mounted thereto, said reinforcement mount portion being formed adjacent the outside edge of said opening side break portion on the door opening portion side of said air bag door opening portion so as to concentrate stress forces resulting from the deployment of the air bag along said opening side break portion.

8. An air bag door structure according to claim 7 wherein said reinforcement member mount portion has a base portion where said reinforcement member mount portion is formed along the outside edge of said opening side break portion, said base portion having an inside facing said air bag door opening portion;

wherein said reinforcement member further has an opening side break portion; and

wherein said opening side break portion of said door reinforcement member is located on the inside of the base portion of said reinforcement member mount portion.

10. An air bag door structure according to claim 7, wherein said instrument panel and said door reinforcement member are formed by the following combination:

instrument panel;

polypropylene resin which exhibits a value of tensile elongation according to JIS-K7113 larger than 300%, a bending modulus of elasticity according to JIS-K7203 larger than 20000 kgf/cm², a thermo-deformation temperature according to JIS-K7207 higher than 120°

C., and a value of Izod impact strength (23°

C.) according to JIS-K7110 larger than 15 kg·

cm/cm; and

door reinforcement member;

olefin elastomer which exhibits a bending modulus of elasticity according to JIS-K7203 larger than 3000 kgf/cm² and a value of Izod impact strength (-40°

C.) according to JIS-K7110 larger than 20 kg·

cm/cm.

11. An air bag door structure according to claim 7, wherein said body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel extends substantially to the inside edge of said opening side break portion and said hinge side break portion.

12. An air bag door structure according to claim 7, wherein said door reinforcement member and said instrument panel are integrally molded.

13. An air bag door structure integrally backed with a door reinforcement member on a rear side of an air bag door opening portion of an instrument panel, said air bag door structure comprising:

a hinge side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, disposed on a door rotation axis side in the air bag door opening portion of said instrument panel;

an opening side break portion, having an inside edge and an outside edge, disposed on a door opening portion side in said air bag door opening portion of said instrument panel;

an instrument panel mount portion for an air bag container being unitedly formed adjacent the outside edge of said opening side break portion; and

a body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel;

a hinge portion serving as a door rotation axis, being formed in said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel; and

a hinge side mount portion for attachment to said air bag container, extending from said body portion on an inside edge side of said hinge side break portion of said instrument panel; and

wherein said body portion of said door reinforcement member being integrated with said instrument panel extends substantially to the inside edge of said opening side break portion and said hinge side break portion.