Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Ashir Prafull Thakore

Lisandro Trevino

Edgar Valdez

Scott William Hazell

Gerald Arthur Heath

Scott A Kelley

Marshall Lawrence Quade

John Louis Miklas

Gregory A Nestico

Kenneth Andrew Winowiecki

Daniel C Bach, Jr

Robert Floyd Kukla

Shishir K Agrawal

Carl David Spamer

Valerie DiCarlo

Christopher Francis Berardi

A seamless passenger side inflatable restraint system for a motor vehicle includes an instrument panel having a deployment opening and a deployment door integral with the instrument panel and closing the deployment opening. The seamless passenger side inflatable restraint system also includes a side inflatable restraint module disposed within the instrument panel and aligned with the deployment opening. The seamless passenger side inflatable restraint system further includes a door reinforcement connected to the deployment door and operatively connected to the instrument panel to rotate the deployment door and retain the deployment door to the instrument panel after inflation of an air bag of the side inflatable restraint module.

Seamless passenger side inflatable restraint system

An automotive instrument panel having a concealed airbag. A molded substrate having first and second surfaces and an aperture therethrough receives an airbag. A curved metal door is secured to the second surface of the substrate by a plurality of fasteners extending through the substrate. The metal door has a generally U-shaped slot with first and second ends being spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the aperture. The slot is positioned radially outwardly of the aperture. The door also has a plurality of indentations to maintain a curved shape conforming with the surface of the substrate. A molded covering overlies the second surface and the door and is secured thereto with an intermediate layer of foam. A foam gasket overlies the slot between the door and the substrate. A foam impermeable layer is placed between the gasket and door to prevent injected foam from impregnating the foam gasket and interfering with the opening of the door. An airbag chute is secured to the first surface of the substrate by the attaching fasteners. The airbag causes the metal door to fold along the line between the first and second ends of the slots.

Automotive instrument panel having an integral airbag

An automotive instrument panel having a concealed airbag. A molded substrate having first and second surfaces and an aperture therethrough receives an airbag. A curved metal door is secured to the first surface of the substrate by a plurality of fasteners extending through the substrate. The metal door has a generally U-shaped slot with first and second ends being spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the aperture. The slot is positioned radially outwardly of the aperture. The door also has a plurality of indentations to maintain a curved shape conforming with the surface of the substrate. A molded covering overlies the first surface of the door and is secured thereto with an intermediate layer of foam. A foam gasket overlies the slot between the door and the substrate. A foam impermeable layer is placed between the gasket and door to prevent injected foam from impregnating the foam gasket and interfering with the opening of the door. An airbag chute is secured to the second surface of the substrate by the attaching fasteners. The airbag causes the metal door to fold along the line between the first and second ends of the slots.

A method of manufacturing an automotive instrument panel that conceals an airbag. The steps of manufacturing the instrument panel include providing a molded substrate having first and second surfaces and an aperture therethough, and a metal door having a generally U-shaped slot secured to the second surface of the substrate with a plurality of attaching posts. The slot has first and second ends being spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the aperture. The slot defines a flap in the door. The flap has a width greater than the width of the aperture. The door and substrate assembly is placed within a mold tool and a pre-molded covering is juxtaposed the substrate. A quantity of foam is injected between the substrate and covering and secures the covering to the substrate.

Instrument panel air bag door and method of making thereof

A trim piece (40) for use with an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint (14) includes a deployment panel (42), a base (46), and a scrim (76). The deployment panel (42) covers the restraint (14) in the vehicle, and includes a deployment door (44), a hinge (102), and a door frame section (90) which surrounds the hinge (102) and the deployment door (44). The base (46) also surrounds the hinge (102) and the deployment door (44), and projects inward from the door frame section (90) to define a chute (48) through which the restraint (14) moves outward toward the deployment door (44). The scrim (76) is embedded in the deployment panel (42) and the base (46). The scrim (76) extends partially across the door frame section (90) toward the deployment door (44), extends inward from the door frame section (90) into the base (46), turns approximately 180.degree. within the base (46), extends back outward toward the deployment panel (42), and extends further from the base (46) to the deployment door (44) through the hinge (102).

Deployment door assembly for an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint

Growing community of inventors

Novi, MI, United States of America

Ashir Prafull Thakore