Air bag assembly and clip therefor

• US 7,753,402 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Key Safety Systems, Inc. (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hofmann, Volker, Volkmann, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coker; Robert A
• Application Number:
  US11/858,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 24293-295, 280/728.2, 280/730.2
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/217 Inflation fluid source retainers, e.g. reaction canisters; Connection of bags, covers, diffusers or inflation fluid sources therewith or together
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/307 Sheet metal formed

Abstract

An air bag assembly mounting system comprising: a fastener having a base plate with a front side and a rear side, a resilient expansion element along the rear side of the base plate which is configured to extend through an opening in a structural member of a vehicle so as to clamp the structural member of the vehicle and through a portion of an air bag or an air bag cover between the rear side of the base plate and the expansion element, the resilient expansion element comprising two co-acting resilient clips each having a center leg extending from the back plate and a resilient outer leg resiliently supported by the center leg; the outer leg, at a distal end, including extending wings which during assembly to the structural member rotate and over-travel the center leg to reduce the dimension between the wings of one of the outer legs and the wings of the other of the outer legs.

Claims

1. An air bag assembly mounting system comprising:

a fastener (70) having a base plate (72) with a front side and a rear side, a resilient expansion element (90) along the rear side of the base plate which is configured to extend through an opening (204) in a mounting surface (510) in a vehicle and through a portion of an air bag (200) or an air bag cover, so as to clamp the air bag or cover to the mounting surface (510) between a second or rear side of the base plate and the mounting surface with the expansion element on an opposite side of the mounting surface, the resilient expansion element comprising two opposing resilient clips (90a, 90b) each having a center or inner leg extending from the base plate and an outer leg resiliently supported by and configured as an extension of the center or inner leg, the outer leg, at a distal end, including an engagement surface adapted to engage an edge of an opening in the mounting surface, each engagement surface of each outer leg configured to move closer to each other during assembly of the fastener to the mounting surface to a reduced dimension enabling insertion of the fastener into the mounting surface opening and to assume a released position wider than the mounting surface opening upon insertion therein;

wherein each outer leg proximate the engagement surface thereof includes a first opening to facilitate insertion of a portion of a removal tool in a direction from exterior of the mounting surface into the mounting surface, the tool adapted to move each outer leg together to a compressed position.

2. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein the opening in the outer leg is a V-shaped slot, oval or elongated opening.

3. The assembly according to claim 1 wherein each outer leg proximate a distal end includes bent-over wedge shaped wings which over-travel a corresponding center leg during installation of the fastener.

4. The assembly according to claim 3 wherein the base plate opposite the slot or opening in the outer leg (106) includes a corresponding second opening (104) adapted to also receive a portion of the removal tool (300).

5. The assembly according to claim 4 wherein the second opening is located in the base plate and extends through a root portion of a respective center leg.

6. The assembly according to claim 5 wherein the removal tool includes opposing arcuately shaped opposed curved tip ends serially receivable into one of the second openings and then into one of the first openings.

7. The assembly according to claim 6 wherein the removal tool is configured so that on rotation about a longitudinal axis the tip ends move close to each other to compress the outer legs together.

8. The assembly according to claim 6 wherein each second opening is generally in line with a corresponding first opening.

9. A fastener (70) and removal tool (300) for fastening an air bag to a mounting surface and removing the fastener, the mounting surface having a first fastener opening (204) of predetermined dimension and the air bag having a fastener receiving opening (202), the fastener comprising:

a base plate (72) with a first front side and a second or rear side, the base plate including a center portion (70a) and two opposing lateral sections (70b) and (70c) located on opposing lateral sides of the center portion along a first or lateral axis (74), and a resilient expansion element (90);

the resilient expansion element configured to extend through the fastener receiving opening in a portion (202) of the air bag and also through the opening (204) in the mounting surface, so as to hold the air bag in a desired position clamped between the second or rear side of the base plate and the mounting surface, the resilient expansion element (90) comprising two co-acting resilient clips (90a, 90b) each clip extending away from the second or rear side of the base plate and arranged along a second axis (75) disposed generally 90 degrees to the first axis, each clip movable between an unstressed position and a compressed position, when in the compressed position each clip is able to fit into the opening on the mounting surface and through the fastener receiving opening of the air bag,

each clip having a stop feature (127) relatively movable along a third axis (73) perpendicular to each of the first and second axes between the unstressed position and the compressed position, each clip having a center leg (100) extending from the base plate along the second axis and arranged at a predetermined angle to the second axis, each clip further including an outer leg (106) resiliently supported by its center leg (100) and formed as an extension of the outer leg, the outer leg at an outer region (120) thereof including an engagement surface and a set of opposing bent wings (124), each wing at a distal end thereof including the stop feature (127), the resilient expansion element movable into the opening of the mounting surface along the second axis (74) in a first direction, and when the resilient clips are in the unstressed position, the fastener is prevented from moving out of the mounting surface in a direction opposite to the first direction by interaction of the stop feature (127) and the mounting surface, when the fastener is installed the stop feature is oriented generally parallel to the mounting surface,

wherein each outer region (12) at a respective engagement surface including a first opening (129), adapted to receive a portion of a removal tool (300), such removal tool is received through the first opening to engage the engagement surface.

10. The fastener according to claim 9 wherein each set of extending wings (124) extends generally perpendicularly from a particular inner portion (128) a respective outer leg (106) in a direction generally along the third axis, each set of wings during assembly to a structural member adapted to move relative to the center leg (100) and over-travel the center leg to reduce a dimension between the wing of one outer leg and the wing of the other the outer leg of each clip, permitting insertion of the fastener into the mounting surface.

11. The fastener according to claim 9 wherein each center leg is disposed at an equal and opposite angle relative to the second axis.

12. The fastener according to claim 9 wherein the center legs and the corresponding wings (124) are configured to move opposite to each other and when moved to the compressed position over-travel the center leg (100) to reduce a dimension between each of the wings to enable both wings to be inserted into the opening in the mounting surface.

13. The fastener according to claim 12 wherein each wing (124) includes a ramped surface (125) extending toward the second side of the base plate and wherein the stop feature is formed by an end surface (127) extending from the ramp surface and oriented generally parallel to the second side when in a stop or blocking position.

14. An air bag assembly mounting system comprising:

a fastener (70) having a base plate (72) with a front side and a rear side, a resilient expansion element (90) along the rear side of the base plate which is configured to extend through an opening (204) in a mounting surface (510) in a receiving member and through a portion of an air bag (200) or an air bag cover, so as to clamp the air bag or cover to the mounting surface (510) between a second or rear side of the base plate and the mounting surface with the expansion element on an opposite side of the mounting surface, the resilient expansion element comprising two opposing resilient clips (90a, 90b) each having a center or inner leg extending from the base plate and an outer leg resiliently supported by and configured as an extension of the center or inner leg, the outer leg, at a distal end, including an engagement surface adapted to engage an edge of an opening in the mounting surface, each engagement surface of each outer leg configured to move closer to each other during assembly of the fastener to the mounting surface to a reduced dimension enabling insertion of the fastener into the mounting surface opening and to assume a released position wider than the mounting surface opening upon insertion therein;

wherein each outer leg proximate the engagement surface thereof includes a first opening to facilitate insertion of a portion of a removal tool in a direction from exterior of the mounting surface into the mounting surface, each outer leg configured to move toward a compressed position by the tool.