Tip Engineering Group, Inc.

Other

David J Bauer

Anthony J DiSalvo

Kenneth J Barnes

John F Huber

Michael P Towler

Alfred R Dixon

John W Bauer, Jr, Legal Representative

Wind drive generator for use on an automobile

A process for preweakening the inside of an automotive trim piece cover layer of various constructions by use of a laser beam so as to enable formation of an air bag deployment opening in the trim piece formed at the time the air bag deploys. The laser beam impinges the inside surface of the cover to form a groove scoring or spaced perforations to form a preweakening pattern. A robot arm may be used to move a laser generator so as to form the preweakening pattern. The laser beam can be controlled in accordance with sensed conditions to achieve accurate preweakening, and may also be used to trim substrate panels and to perform other cutting operations.

Process for producing a preweakened automotive interior trim piece for covering an air bag installation in an automotive vehicle

Preweakened automotive interior trim piece for covering an air bag installation in an automotive vehicle

Apparatus and process for laser preweakening an automotive trim cover for an air bag deployment opening

Apparatus and for laser preweakening an automotive trim cover for an air

A pretreatment for a decorative leather covering layer overlying an air bag deployment opening in an automotive trim piece, the pretreatment results in an effective preweakening of the leather to be readily severed by the forced opening of an underlying hinged door panel. The pretreatment uses a hardening agent applied to the inside of the leather coveringlayer along a strip area extending in a pattern to match the unhinged sides of the door panel. The hardening agent saturates the leather in the strip area to 50-75% of the skin thickness. The leather covering layer has a notch groove formed therein extending along the middle of the strip area in the door pattern, the hardening rendering the leather notch sensitive so as to be effectively preweakened.

Method and treatment for forming an air bag deployment opening in

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 air bag installation is disclosed in which a flattened tube is expanded by a flow of pressurized gas from the air bag inflator or a separate source when the air bag system is deployed. The resulting tube expansion drives a cutting edge to sever an opening in a covering layer disposed over a substrate panel of an interior trim structure. A pyrotechnic charge may be used to augment the flow of pressurized gas. The tube may alternatively form an integral part of the instrument panel or the air bag assembly.

Air bag installation using integrated energy device to form trim piece

An arrangement is disclosed for forming an air bag deployment opening in an instrument panel behind which a passenger side air bag is stored, just prior to the time the air bag is deployed, the arrangement including a pressure driven cutting edge cutting through the covering layer at the start of air bag deployment. A pyrotechnic charge ignited by the air bag ignition circuitry is used to develop the pressure, and various devices used to drive the cutting edge, including a flattened tube enclosing the charge and expanded by ignition of the charge. A separate door substrate panel and frame are fit into a preformed opening in the instrument panel, and the tube may be mounted to the door substrate panel, the frame, or a separate membrane.

Method and arrangement for forming an air bag deployment opening

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.

An arrangement and method is described of forming an air bag deployment opening in an interior trim piece having an vinyl skin overlying a rigid substrate so as to be invisible prior to operation of the air bag system, comprising an energy generating linear cutting element arranged in a door pattern beneath the skin acting to degrade or cut the skin when activated. The element is mounted either in an outwardly facing channel formed in door sections of the substrate or on a separate membrane interposed between the skin and substrate.

Method and arrangement for forming an air bag deployment opening in an

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

A passenger side air bag deployment opening is formed by interfit unequal triangular door substrate panels, four triangular door substrate panels in a first embodiment fit into an asymmetric quadrangular deployment opening in the instrument panel and able to be hinged open by the inflating air bag. Three triangular door substrate panels in a second embodiment forming a triangular deployment opening the door patterns of each embodiment allow the door substrate panels to avoid damage to the windshield and injury to a passenger when forced open.

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

David J Bauer