Chrysler Corporation

Adelbert T Czapp

David E Thomas

Paul George Maertens

Glenn F Syrowik

Michael A Warnez

William F Diss

Stephen L Williams

Timothy J Quinlan

Bradley C Bos

Mark A Huber

An air bag module mounted in an instrument panel has an air bag adapted to deploy through an opening in the instrument panel. The air bag module comprises a canister adapted to contain the air bag, and a door extending across the open rear of the canister. The door closes the opening in the instrument panel but is adapted to open when the air bag deploys. The canister is attached to vehicle support structure and the door is attached to the instrument panel. The door and canister are connected together by upper and lower beads on the door received in upper and lower channels on the canister. The beads have a floating fit in the channels. Accordingly, the canister can be rigidly attached to the vehicle support structure and yet there is enough float to allow the door to be secured in proper position to the instrument panel. As a result, the fit and finish of the door in the opening can be virtually perfect.

Air bag module with floating door attachment

An instrument panel assembly is provided having a passenger air bag canister mounted on a metal frame in front of a hinged door of an instrument panel. The door is pushed open by the inflating air bag when the air bag deploys in a collision. The metal frame has mounting brackets on opposite sides of the door opening. The canister is secured to a rear frame bar extending between the brackets. The bar is removably attached to the brackets so that if damaged when the air bag deploys, it may be removed and replaced obviating the need to replace the entire metal frame. A front canister-mounting frame bar, forwardly of the rear frame bar, normally is not damaged upon deployment of the air bag.

Instrument panel assembly

An instrument panel for an automotive vehicle has a door for concealing an air bag. The door is covered with an extension of the same decorative material that covers the instrument panel. The door is placed between two laterally spaced air vents.

Instrument panel assembly having hidden air bag door disposed laterally

The instrument panel assembly is made by initially forming an instrument panel substrate having a door-receiving notch, initially forming a door substrate, and attaching the door substrate to the instrument panel substrate so that the door substrate covers the notch and its sides extend beyond the notch and overlie portions of the instrument panel substrate. A single decorative cover layer is also initially formed. The attached substrates are positioned in a mold in spaced relation to the cover layer, and a foamable material is forced into the space to provide a foam padding for both the instrument panel and the door. The sides of the door substrate overlying the instrument panel substrate are braced to prevent distortion thereof during molding.

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Huntington Woods, MI, United States of America

Adelbert T Czapp