Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Nancy C Evans

Scott David Thomas

William A Biondo

Diane K McQueen

David J Gorman

David Lee Jarvis

Dean Robert Rife

A hood lifter assembly includes an actuator having a piston displaceable between a home position and a hood lifting position. The hood lifter assembly also includes a cover overlying the piston in the home position and protecting the actuator from water exposure. A cowl vent grille and a method of lifting a vehicle hood in response to a pedestrian impact event are also disclosed.

Hood lifter assembly with protective cover

A method is provided for sewing a seat cover to provide a front panel and a side panel with an L-shaped separable seam and inner and outer chutes for air bag deployment. The method comprises sewing the front panel and the inner chute together with permanent vertical extending and horizontal extending seams that will not break during air bag deployment, and sewing the side panel and the outer chute together with permanent vertical extending seams and horizontal extending seams that will not break during air bag deployment. And thereafter sewing the front panel and the side panel together with separable vertical extending seams and horizontal extending seams that will break upon the air bag deployment to allow inflation of the air bag while the inner chute remains attached to the front panel and the outer chute remains attached to the side panel to guide the inflating air bag.

Sewing method for seat cover

A method is provided for sewing a seat cover to provide a side panel and an inset panel with a C-shaped separable seam and inner and outer chutes for air bag deployment. The method comprises sewing the side panel and the inner chute together with permanent vertical extending and upper and lower horizontal extending seams that will not break during air bag deployment, and sewing the inset panel and the outer chute together with permanent vertical extending seams and upper and lower horizontal extending seams that will not break during air bag deployment. And thereafter sewing the side panel and the inset panel together with separable vertical extending seams and upper and lower horizontal extending seams that will break upon the air bag deployment to allow inflation of the air bag while the inner chute remains attached to the front panel and the outer chute remains attached to the side panel to guide the inflating air bag.

A vehicle seat includes a seat back frame, a foam cushion mounted on the frame, and an air bag assembly mounted upon the frame within a hollow provided in the cushion. A trim cover covers the cushion and conceals the air bag assembly, and includes a side panel facing the side of the vehicle and a front panel facing forwardly. The side panel and front panel are joined together at a vertical extending separable seam. The side panel has a lower portion and an upper portion joined together at a horizontal extending separable seam located adjacent to the lower edge of the air bag assembly. Upon inflation of the air bag, the inflating air bag forces the side panel outwardly causing separation of the separable seams and enabling the air bag to inflate both forwardly through the vertical extending separable seam and downwardly through the horizontal extending separable seam.

Vehicle seat side air bag

A vehicle seat includes a seat back frame, a cushion, and an air bag assembly mounted upon the frame within a hollow provided in the cushion. A trim cover includes a side panel facing the side of the vehicle and a front panel facing forwardly, the side panel and front panel being joined to one another at a vertical extending seam. The side panel also has a lower horizontal extending separable seam, an upper horizontal extending separable seam, and a forward vertical seam that may or may not be sewn to the front panel. On inflation of the air bag, the inflating air bag forces the side panel outwardly causing separation of the separable seams and inflate forwardly, upwardly and downwardly through separable seams of the side panel. In addition, a rear vertical extending seam can be provided that would extend between the upper and lower horizontal extending separable seam.

An air bag chute directs the deployment of an air bag from an air bag housing mounted on a seat frame through a separable seam sewn between inboard and outboard seat cover panels. An air bag housing is box shaped with a base wall mounted on the seat frame and rear, front, and end walls extending from the base wall and a cover wall. An inboard chute panel and an outboard chute panel each have inner ends attached to the air bag housing and outer ends attached to the inboard and outboard seat cover panels adjacent to the separable seam. The attachment of the inner ends of the inboard and outboard chutes to the air bag housing is provided on the walls of the housing with the inner ends spaced from one another.

Air bag chute attachment

An air bag system includes an inflator, an inflatable cushion having an outer face and inflatable upon release of inflation fluid from the inflator, and a restraining tether system. The restraining tether system includes a first tether attached to the outer face of the inflatable cushion, and a second tether attached to the first tether. The first tether is operable to restrain expansion of the inflatable cushion at a first location and a second location spaced from the first location. At least one of the first and second tethers includes a width-reduced portion having a plurality of fabric layers, thereby increasing strength within the restraining tether system.

Simplified restraining tether system for use with a vehicle air bag system

An air bag module includes an inflatable cushion, an inner plate receivable within the cushion and a cover adapted to contain the cushion prior to inflation thereof. The inner plate and cushion are receivable within the cover. The base plate attaches to the inner plate. A portion of the cushion and a portion of the cover abut one another and are sandwiched directly between the base plate and the inner plate. The sandwiched portion of the cover is retained between the inner plate and the base plate (and preferably cupped by the base plate). The cushion, cover and attached inner plate and base plate remain retained to one another when the cushion is inflated. A method of assembling the air bag module is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Clinton Township, MI, United States of America

Nancy C Evans