Process for manufacturing an automotive trim piece preweakened to form an air bag deployment opening

• US 6,453,535 B1
• Filed: 06/23/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TIP Engineering Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TIP Engineering Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Nicholas, Antonios
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Omgba, Essama
• Application Number:
  US09/339,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20020050046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 294/28, 294/13, 280/728.1, 280/728.2, 280/728.3
• US Class Current: 29/413
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 59/007 Forming single grooves or ribs, e.g. tear lines, weak spots by moulding B29C37/0057; folding lines B29C53/06; in metal articles B21D17/00; by cutting B26D3/08
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3038 Air bag covers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4979 Breaking through weakened portion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A process for manufacturing a trim piece to provide a concealed deployment door and opening for an air bag in which a substrate panel is formed with one or more integral door panels having an interposed gap preformed between one or more door panels and the substrate panel, and one side of each door panel is integral with the substrate panel structure to form a hinge. The substrate panel is overlain with one or more covering layers extending over the door panel or panels and opening. The covering layers can be preweakened along the gap in a correlated pattern, as by laser scoring.

Claims

1. A process for constructing a trim piece having a section preweakened in a pattern to allow formation of one or more deployment doors for an air bag installment to be overlain by said trim piece preweakened section, the process comprising the steps of:

forming a stiff substrate panel with one or more door panels recessed into said substrate panel, with a gap between portions of said one or more door panels and surrounding portions of said substrate, said gap formed at the same time said substrate panel is formed, said gap extending completely through said substrate panel,

said forming step including the step of forming said one or more door panels so as to be joined along one side to the remainder of said substrate panel to form a hinge;

thereafter overlaying said substrate panel and said door panels with one or more cover layers extending across said substrate panel and said one or more door panels to bridge said gap therebetween; and

subsequently preweakening at least one of said overlaying one or more covering layers by cutting into the inside of said cover layers through said preformed gap in said substrate.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein in said preweakening step said cutting is continuous.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein said preweakening step includes the step of cutting a groove into said covering layers.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein said preweakening step includes the step of intermittently cutting said covering layers.

5. A process according to claim 4 wherein said preweakening step includes the step of cutting perforations at least partially into said covering layers.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein said preweakening step includes the step cutting said cover layers with a laser.