Morton International, Inc.

Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Allibert Industrie S.a.

Fred M Bentley

Denis J Tostain

Melinda M Newhouse

A vehicle air bag installation including an inflatable air bag assembly mounted in a rectangular opening in the vehicle instrument panel for deployment of the air bag through the opening. A rectangular door engages a recessed abutment around the opening when closed. A plurality of spaced apertures are provided in spaced brackets supported by the instrument panel in a recessed region for receiving fasteners for attaching the door to the instrument panel. The fasteners comprise thermoplastic resin bodies having a cylindrical bulbous head, flared wings or shoulders extending from the bulbous head for providing height alignment, a lower portion for centering the fastener in the aperture comprising a plurality of gripping teeth formed as an angled flute for securing the door to the instrument panel. Integral channels molded into the underside of the cover substrate releasably engage the heads of the fasteners. The door having the fasteners secured to channels in its underside is assembled to the instrument panel by aligning the fasteners with the apertures in the spaced brackets. The fasteners are inserted into the apertures and are secured therein by the gripping teeth portion of the fastener to prevent inadvertent premature movement of the door. Upon deployment of the air bag, the door is pushed out of the instrument panel surface with the fasteners disengaging from the channels in the underside of the door.

Fastening system for air bag deployment doors

A break-away fastener system for an air bag deployment door designed for normally closing a panel opening in the vehicle adjacent the open end of a housing containing an air bag in a folded-up, non-deployed condition in readiness for rapid inflation in an emergency to protect persons in the vehicle. The fastening system includes one or more spaced apart fastener assemblies, each including a male element and a female element extending between a portion of the door overlapping an edge flange of the vehicle panel around the opening used for air bag deployment. The male element comprises a bayonet-like member having an enlarged free end adapted to snap into a female element including a receiving spring clip, which clip permanently retains the male element even after air bag deployment occurs. A base portion of each male element is secured to the door at a central portion of a frangible section of reduced cross-section designed to fracture along a path extending around the base of the male element. A small portion of the door remains with each fastener assembly after the door is pushed to open outwardly upon air bag deployment. Only a smooth back face of the cover is presented to the expanding air bag so that no damage occurs to the rapidly inflating air bag because of cutting, ripping or tearing thereof during air bag deployment.

Break-away fastening system for air bag deployment doors

A break-away fastening system for securing an air bag deployment door in position closing a panel opening used for air bag deployment includes a fastener extending from the door toward a facing edge flange of the panel around the panel opening. The fastener includes a head at an end portion directed toward the edge flange and adapted to be inserted through an aperture provided therein as the door is moved into place covering the panel opening. After full insertion, fingers of the head snap outwardly away from each other on an opposite side of the edge flange to lock the head and thus secure the door firmly in place. The fastener has at least one frangible section of reduced cross-section between the door and the edge flange which section is fractured or broken upon deployment of the air bag against the door as it moves through the panel opening.

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Layton, UT, United States of America

Fred M Bentley