Vehicle seat assembly
First Claim
1. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
- a trim cover defining an outside surface of the seat assembly and including a frangible portion disposed at an unbroken portion of the trim cover and extending along a length of the trim cover;
an airbag assembly, including an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag, the airbag housing including a frangible portion along a side of the airbag housing and proximate the frangible portion of the trim cover; and
a reinforcing member attached to the trim cover and spanning the frangible portion of the trim cover to inhibit separation of the frangible portion of the trim cover prior to deployment of the airbag, the reinforcing member extending along at least some of the length of the frangible portion of the trim cover and being configured to separate during deployment of the airbag.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle seat assembly includes a trim cover defining an outside surface of the seat assembly, and including a frangible portion extending along a length of the trim cover. An airbag assembly includes an airbag and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag. An airbag housing includes a frangible portion along a side of the airbag housing that is generally aligned with the frangible portion of the trim cover. A tear strip is attached to the trim cover and spans the frangible portion of the trim cover to inhibit separation of the frangible portion of the trim cover prior to deployment of the airbag. The tear strip extends along at least some of the length of the frangible portion of the trim cover, and is configured to separate during deployment of the airbag to facilitate deployment of the airbag through the frangible portion of the trim cover.
41 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
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a trim cover defining an outside surface of the seat assembly and including a frangible portion disposed at an unbroken portion of the trim cover and extending along a length of the trim cover; an airbag assembly, including an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag, the airbag housing including a frangible portion along a side of the airbag housing and proximate the frangible portion of the trim cover; and a reinforcing member attached to the trim cover and spanning the frangible portion of the trim cover to inhibit separation of the frangible portion of the trim cover prior to deployment of the airbag, the reinforcing member extending along at least some of the length of the frangible portion of the trim cover and being configured to separate during deployment of the airbag. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
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a trim cover defining an outside surface of the seat assembly and including first and second portions formed from a continuous portion of the trim cover, and a frangible portion between the first and second portions and extending along a length of the trim cover; an airbag assembly, including an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag, the airbag housing including a frangible portion along a side of the airbag housing and proximate the frangible portion of the trim cover; and a tear strip including first and second legs attached to each other and respectively attached to the first and second portions of the trim cover to inhibit separation of the frangible portion of the trim cover prior to deployment of the airbag, the tear strip extending along at least some of the length of the frangible portion of the trim cover and being configured to separate during deployment of the airbag to facilitate deployment of the airbag through the frangible portion of the trim cover. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:
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a trim cover defining an outside surface of the seat assembly and including a frangible portion disposed at an unbroken portion of the trim cover along a side of the trim cover; an airbag assembly, including an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag, the airbag housing including a frangible portion along a side of the airbag housing and proximate the frangible portion of the trim cover; and a reinforcing member disposed between the side of the trim cover and the side of the airbag housing, and spanning the frangible portion of the trim cover to inhibit separation of the frangible portion of the trim cover prior to deployment of the airbag, the reinforcing member being configured to separate during deployment of the airbag to facilitate deployment of the airbag through the frangible portion of the trim cover. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification