Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Brian Thomas Finnigan

Venkatasubramanian Ananthanarayanan

James Kent Conlee

James M Payne

Donald E Warren

Barry C Worrell

Robert Raymond Niederman

Francis Joseph Holmes

Michael Joseph Vendely

David Scott Weckesser

A closure assembly for an inflator comprises a housing and an outlet plate disposed within the housing. The outlet plate has an outlet opening configured to receive a burst disk. The outlet plate is joined to the housing by a deformation resistance weld. The deformation resistance weld is formed by contacting the outlet plate with a first electrode, contacting an exterior portion of the housing with a second electrode, and applying a voltage through the first and second electrodes to adhere a portion of the housing to a portion of the outlet plate.

Inflators and method for manufacturing inflators

An air bag module and steering wheel assembly includes an air bag module and a steering wheel. The air bag module includes a base plate and an air bag. At least one mounting member extends from the base plate and through the air bag to attach the air bag to the base plate. A cover has at least one vertically extending side wall including at least one cover slot in which the air bag and base plate are loosely seated therein while leaving the cover free for manual removal from the base plate. The air bag is trapped in the cover slot between side wall and the base plate. The steering wheel has a receiving area for receiving the module therein for attachment to the steering wheel. An upstanding capture plate forms a vertically extending wall generally surrounding the receiving area. The capture plate engages the side wall of the cover when the module is inserted into the receiving area and captures the side wall of the cover and the air bag between the base plate and the capture plate such that the cover and the air bag are anchored to the base plate for withstanding the forces of air bag inflation.

Air bag module and steering wheel assembly

A method of making a one-piece steering wheel insert includes the steps of extruding material into an elongated continuous extrusion having a shape including an outer rim portion, a central hub portion and at least one spoke portion extending between the hub portion and the rim portion, cutting the extrusion into a plurality of blanks, and forming each of the blanks into a final shape of the steering wheel insert.

Steering wheel insert

A method of making a steering hand wheel for a motor vehicle having a metal spider, a molded plastic rim, and a plurality of molded plastic spokes integral with the rim and mechanically interlocked with the spider. The method according to this invention includes the steps of extruding a billet having a cross sectional shape matching the profile of the spider, forming the spider by cutting off a flat section of the extruded billet from an end thereof, and insert molding a plastic rim and a plurality of integral plastic spokes around the spider. Each of the plastic spokes has an inboard end molded around a corresponding one of a plurality of spoke bases on the spider with a plurality of integral plastic pins captured in respective ones of a plurality of perforations in the spoke bases to mechanically interlock the spider and the molded plastic spokes.

Method of making a steering hand wheel

Growing community of inventors

Lewisburg, OH, United States of America

Brian Thomas Finnigan