Davidson Textron Inc.

Ex-cell-o Gmbh

Textron Automotive Company Inc.

Claude E Bemis

Craig B Labrie

David R McCooey

Lawrence R Nichols

Scott E Rafferty

Steven Castrigno

Gordon Warren

Norman J Clavette

Robert F Smith

Robert J Dadura

An inflatable restraint deployment system includes a simplified hold-down assembly for fastening an air bag door in a tamper-proof closed position. The deployment system includes an air bag door pivotally supported adjacent an air bag deployment opening in an automobile dashboard and two fasteners that releasably secure the door in a closed position over the air bag deployment opening. The fasteners each include an elongated shaft portion that either extends integrally upward from an air bag canister flange or integrally downward from an air bag door substrate. The fasteners are aligned in the direction of door movement. Each fastener shaft portion extends through one of a pair of fastener holes formed either in the air bag door substrate or in the canister flange. A fastener flange extends outward from around the shaft portion of each fastener and engages a rim that defines one of the fastener holes. Each fastener hole defines an area slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of the thickest portion of each fastener flange. Either the fastener hole rims or the fastener flanges yield when air bag inflation forces the air bag door to pivot out of the closed position.

Release assembly and method for deploying a supplemental restraint system

A vehicle interior trim component, such as a glove compartment or console door, and its method of fabrication includes an outer flexible shell having a peripheral contoured return flap captured within a peripheral gap provided between insert and backing panels of the component. Foam is injected into a space between the outer shell and insert panel and any gases and excess foam are allowed to escape from the foam space into an adjacent overflow chamber in a controlled manner through the gap while the return flap seals the assembly against external leakage of such excess foam.

Method of fabricating a foamed interior trim product

A method for fabricating plastic interior trim components having an insert with openings therein joined to a composite member including a shell and a foam layer, the method including die punching a hole through the shell and foam layer and die punching an edge extension on the shell to a predetermined parametric form; providing a press that is operable to compress a part therebetween and including a first platen and a second platen moveable between opened and closed positions with respect to one another; providing an insert having an opening; supporting the insert on one of said first and second platens and applying adhesive on a surface of the insert; loading the composite member on the other of said first and second platens so that the foam layer thereof is facing the adhesive sprayed insert inboard of the die cut edge extension; closing the press to compress the adhesive sprayed surface against the foam layer of the composite member for adhering the insert only to the foam layer without leakage of foam through openings in the insert.

Method for fabricating vinyl covered foamed parts

A door cover assembly for concealing a supplemental inflatable restraint (SIR) system of an automotive interior trim component includes a substrate having a door section in which formed depressions are provided to strengthen the door. The depressed regions are filled with a secondary foam insert to level the outer surface of the substrate. A primary foam layer overlies the substrate and is covered by an outer vinyl shell. The leveling of the substrate by the secondary foam insert eliminates 'show through' of the depressed regions on the outer Class A surface of the vinyl shell.

Construction and method of forming a door assembly for an air system

A releasable latch (50) is provided for a door assembly (14) having an outer skin member, a foam backing member, and an inner door member. The door assembly conceals an airbag restraint system having a housing, an airbag and a gas generator producing an inflatant for inflating the airbag for deploying the airbag through the door assembly. The releasable latch has a closed U-shaped end that is press fit in an open U-shaped end on a retainer member on the housing to hold the door assembly in a mating relationship to interior trim parts. The inner door member is engaged during initial inflation of the airbag to displace the door assembly so as to bend the inner door member at a hinge joint between the outer cover member and the interior trim part and the press fit between the closed U-shaped end and the open U-shaped end provides easy opening of the door assembly as the airbag is inflated.

Instrument panel with airbag deployment door

The invention provides a device for supporting a mold insert in space inside a mold cavity. A pilot and keeper assembly rests on the top of a mold part and extends into a mold cavity and through a small hole in the mold insert. Movement of a handle, which is part of the pilot and keeper assembly of the mold part, is transmitted through a shaft to a retaining means, which engages the opposite extremity of the hole to retain the insert in position during molding operations. After plastic is inserted into the base of the mold cavity and a sufficient curing time has transpired, the handle is rotated back to its initial position, thereby returning the retaining means to a nonretention position, and the pilot and keeper assembly is withdrawn from the mold.

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York, ME, United States of America

Claude E Bemis