Fastener for curtain airbag

• US 7,210,886 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Newfrey Llc (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nogami, Mitsuo, Kawai, Yasuhiro, Okinaka, Shuichi, Kawasaki, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy; Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharp; Jeffrey A
• Application Number:
  US10/704,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20040136812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 411508-510, 411/913, 411/80.5, 411/80.6, 411/175, 411/182, 244/53, 242/97
• US Class Current: 411/508
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/005 into which threads are cut during screwing
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/0258 using resiliently deformable sleeves, grommets or inserts F16B43/001 takes precedence

Abstract

A fastener for fixing a curtain airbag to a body panel of an automobile comprises a screw grommet having a shank to be inserted into mounting holes of an airbag-anchor portion and a body panel, and a flange to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel. The flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening into which a tapping screw is driven. The shank has resilient fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to engage edge regions of mounting holes in a temporary fixing state. The fingers are held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, preventing the fingers from being bent inward. The flange has an edge with an upstanding partition to allow a central region of the flange to be partitioned from a main body of the curtain airbag.

Claims

1. A fastener for fixing an airbag-anchor portion of a curtain airbag to a body panel of a vehicle, comprising a screw grommet having a shank adapted to be inserted into respective mounting holes of both the airbag-anchor portion and the body panel and having a flange adapted to press the airbag-anchor portion against the body panel, and a tapping screw,

wherein the flange has an opening and the shank has a shank hole continuous to the opening which allow the tapping screw to be driven thereinto,

wherein the shank has resilient engagement fingers protruding outward from sides of the shank to engage with edge regions of the mounting hole of the body panel in a temporary fixing state, the resilient engagement fingers being supported on the sides of the shank for movement into the shank hole, having surfaces disposed to engage the tapping screw in the shank hole, and being held in a permanent fixing state by screwing the tapping screw into the shank hole, to prevent the fingers from being moved inward of the shank, and

wherein the flange has an outer peripheral edge integrally formed with a partition plate which stands upright therefrom and fixed thereto to partition a flange region having the opening from a main body of the curtain airbag, further including a protective plate detachably attached onto and over the flange of the screw grommet by a pair of lock pawls to protect the flange and enhance the pressing force of a head of the tapping screw against the flange, the lock pawls extending from the flange in a direction opposite to the direction of the shank, being spaced apart to embrace the protective plate between the pawls, being constructed to overlie the protective plate between the pawls, and being constructed with tapers facing one another and oriented to permit the protective plate to be pressed past the pawls into engagement with the flange, whereupon the pawls attach the protective plate to the flange, wherein the protective plate has an opening aligned with the flange opening, and wherein the partition plate extends upright from the flange edge substantially beyond the protective plate and the opening in the protective plate.

2. The fastener as defined in claim 1, further including a support plate for clamping the airbag-anchor portion in cooperation with the flange, the support plate being formed with a mounting hole with the shank passing therethrough, the mounting hole having an edge region engaged with shoulders of the resilient engagement fingers to mount the support plate on the shank independently of the tapping screw and to maintain the airbag-anchor portion clamped between the support plate and the flange.

3. The fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein the resilient engagement fingers include one pair of the fingers formed on opposite sides of the shank, each having a hinged end near an end of the shank and being partially surrounded by a slot extending through a wall of a shank to provide a free end toward the flange, each finger extending through the wall of the shank, via the slot, and projecting beyond the wall into the shank hole to provide the inner surface that engages the tapping screw.