Tip Engineering Group, Inc.

Johnson Controls Technology Company

Other

Anthony J DiSalvo

David J Bauer

Kenneth J Barnes

Kurt A Seibold

Mark Caye

Nick G Xiromeritis

Kenneth R Ptak

Leslie Griswold

Terrence Duncan

John G Opfer

A seating system ( ) having a split bench seat ( ) substantially divided in a 30%, 40%, 30% proportion with the 40% center portion ( ) being adjustable in the fore/aft direction.

30/40/30 split seat with adjustable center portion

A vehicle seat assembly with a retractable head rest that rotates from an upright use position to a lowered, retracted, stowed position to improve visibility for a vehicle driver. The motion mechanism for the head rest is contained within the body of the head rest itself thus eliminating modification of the seat back to which the head rest is mounted. The head rest is further vertically adjustable relative to the seat back and is rotatably adjustable within a range of upright use positions.

Automatic retractable head restraint

An installation and is disclosed for mounting an air bag system in an opening in an instrument panel. A stabilizer frame is fixed around the opening in an instrument panel substrate and anchored to a fixed substructure, restraining bulging movement of the instrument panel to rapidly develop shearing stresses in the covering layer by the pressure exerted by the deployment door substrate panel as it is pushed open by the inflating air bag.

Invisible seam deployment door installation with stabilized air bag

An installation and method is disclosed for mounting an air bag system in an opening in an instrument panel. A stabilizer frame is fixed around the opening in an instrument panel substrate and anchored to a fixed substructure, restraining bulging movement of the instrument panel to rapidly develop shearing stresses in the covering layer by the pressure exerted by the deployment door substrate panel as it is pushed open by the inflating air bag.

A construction for an invisible seam air bag deployment door installation in which foam layer wells extend along the hinging side of each door panel to freely allow hinging movement of the door panels by ready compression of the foam in the foam wells, preventing outward extension of the doors during opening underlow temperature conditions. The compression of the foam in the wells also prevents fragmentation of the skin and foam.

Air bag deployment door installation

An arrangement for forming an air bag deployment opening in a vinyl covered trim piece in which one or more hinged deployment door substrates are formed with an upwardly turned rim extending about the unhinged sides which exerts a second stage cutting pressure on the inside of a covering vinyl layer. A first stage piercing cutter panel is also hinged along the same side but inclined downwardly to be initially contacted by the inflating air bag. An array of piercing elements formed on the cutter panel are forced through the vinyl covering layer prior to movement of the door substrate panel to pierce the covering layer at the center and corners of the door pattern prior to progressive cutting by the door panel rim.

Two stage cutter arrangement for forming an air bag deployment opening

An anchorage device including a molded anchor base piece received in an oblong hole punched into an automotive body panel and secured by mating of grooves formed in the periphery of a plug portion of the anchor base piece adjacent a flange portion positioned against the body panel portions adjacent the hole. The complementarily shaped plug portion is inserted into the hole with a seal compressed beneath the flange, and rotated to cause the edges of the body panel to enter the locking grooves, forming a fluid tight seal to the body panel. The base is formed with a keying bore or other anchoring feature to which a mating fitting may be readily secured.

Anchorage device

A double door closure for an air bag depolyment opening is disclosed in which bridging portions extend across a line of separation between the doors and are weakened to define a frangible seam fractured by the pressure exerted by the inflating bag. The doors also each have an integral hinge flange formed along the opposite side from the frangible seam and inward raised surfaces defining an area of contact with the air bag to exert maximum shearing stress along the line of separation. In a first embodiment, the doors are of one piece molded construction with the weakening of the bridging portion created by a series of blind pockets molded in from the inside along the line of separation to create a hidden seam. In a second embodiment, the doors are constructed of a support layer and stiffening pieces secured together. In the second embodiment a decorative skin layer overlies the doors, and a piercing piece is driven by the air bag to penetrate the skin layer and initiate tearing.

Double door closure for an air bag deployment opening

A closure arrangement for an air bag deployment opening formed in an auto interior, including a closure panel positioned in the opening and hinged along one side, with a frangible lock on the other side opposite the hinge, fractured by pressure exerted by the deploying inflatable cushion. In a first embodiment, the frangible lock is defined by a tab portion of a foam plastic core body of the closure panel protruding into a recess formed in an adjacent structure, or an additional lock attached to the cannister, the tab fractured by being sheared off after the inflatable cushion contacts an inside protuberance projecting from the inside of the closure panel or additional lock attached to the cannister; and, the hinge is provided by bending of an convoluted-shaped section of a formed aluminum layer defining the inner side of the closure panel. In a second embodiment, a molded plastic panel member has an inward frangible flange with tabs secured to an air bag cannister or instrument panel structure to provide the lock, and the tabs are fractured by tensile loading created by deployment of the inflatable cushion. An inwardly directed integral hinging flange is also adapted to be connected to the air cushion cannister or instrument panel structure.

Growing community of inventors

Allen Park, MI, United States of America

Anthony J DiSalvo