Lear Automotive Dearborn, Inc.

Lear Corporation

Gary J Sadek

Joseph J Davis, Jr

Michael J Hier

William L Knight, Jr

An air bag deployment door mechanism for the instrument panel of an automotive vehicle. A deployment door is molded integral with the instrument panel retainer and defined by a plurality of closely spaced holes about its perimeter. The spacing between the holes define the physical connection between the deployment door and the instrument panel retainer. A tear initiator is molded into the deployment door which is activated by the inflating air bag. The tear initiator pierces the foam and decorative layers prior the severing of the physical connection between the deployment door and the instrument panel retainer.

Vehicle instrument panel air bag door assembly

An unique airbag support assembly for an instrument panel airbag is formed of a unitary design. The airbag support assembly has a door flap which is secured by a flexible hinge member to an outer rim. The outer rim includes a plurality of support walls and fasteners secure an airbag module to the support walls. The outer rim and door flap are secured to an under face of the instrument panel by a welding technique. The instrument panel is formed with a tear seam on its under face, but no tear seam is formed on its front face.

Seamless airbag with a mechanical gas bag attachment

A plurality of wires are encased in a foam sheath which also secures the plurality of wires to a trim panel of a vehicle. The plurality of wires are first routed on a first surface of the trim panel. The plurality of wires are then at least partially enclosed by a mold having a trough, with the plurality of wires positioned between the mold and the trim panel. A generally liquid polymer is then introduced into the trough. When the polymer cures, it forms a protective sheath around the plurality of wires and secures the wires to the first surface of the trim panel.

Wire harness foamed to trim panel

A modular headliner includes a central lamp component with an upper and lower lamp components. The upper and lower lamp components snap together on each side of the headliner. This allows the lamp to be mounted into the vehicle with the lamp already assembled. The upper lamp component is provided with a pair of spaced adhesive tape strips. The adhesive tape strips wet out on a support surface in the vehicle ceiling, securing the upper component to the vehicle ceiling. In this way, there is no complex alignment necessary between the components of the lamp and structure on the vehicle ceiling. Instead, the upper component of the lamp merely attaches itself to the ceiling wherever it may be in the individual vehicle, utilizing the individual headliner. Further, the lower component is attached to the upper component through a yieldable connection. In this way, the lower component can be removed from the upper component after the headliner has been assembled into the vehicle.

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Plymouth, MI, United States of America

Gary J Sadek