Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Glen Paul Ursaki

Rasik N Patel

John Pinkerton

Krish E Aekbote

Jay Douglas Blackson

Vikram Gokhale

Jeffrey Alan Chickola

A pull cup in a vehicle door is solidly connected to the door inner panel by mechanical fastening. The armrest substrate structure is also solidly connected to the door inner panel by mechanical fastening. The armrest substrate has a pull cup-receiving cavity formed therein as is generally known in the art. The pull cup is not mechanically fastened to the armrest substrate. This arrangement is strong in tension but is weak in compression.

Collapsible armrest system with pull cup

A pillar trim is provided for an inflatable restraint mounted to a pillar of a motor vehicle. The pillar trim includes a body fixedly mounted to the pillar and a plurality of energy absorbing ribs spaced relative to one another along the body and disposed adjacent to the pillar when the pillar trim is mounted thereto. The energy absorbing ribs are spaced from the pillar to form a packaging space for the inflatable restraint to be stowed therein. The pillar trim also includes a notch extending through the energy absorbing ribs and into the body to deflect and bend to form a desired exit opening in the body when the inflatable restraint is inflated to allow the inflatable restraint to deploy therethrough.

Pillar trim for inflatable restraint system

An inflatable restraint module for an automotive vehicle has a module housing longitudinally mounted adjacent a roof rail with an inflatable restraint mounted therein for movement from a stowed position to an inflated position along an interior of the vehicle body side. The module housing has a flap member, deployable by inflation of the inflatable restraint, to operatively force a headliner assembly over a pillar trim piece and to route the inflatable restraint past the pillar trim.

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Fraser, MI, United States of America

Glen Paul Ursaki