Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Robert E Huffman

David P Schenck

John E Gordon

Jeffrey Alan Shepherd

John Paul Sparkman

Robert L Jones

Robert E Bowser

Steven W Stukenborg

Lewis B Campbell

A driver-side air bag module is mounted to a steering wheel assembly mounting bracket having three mounting apertures. The module comprises a cover, an inflator and a base plate, which are assembled without using fasteners. The base plate has a plurality of arcuately-spaced mounting apertures and mounts three studs. The cover includes a plurality of mating flexible tangs having locking shoulders. The inflator has a peripheral mounting flange which includes three arcuately-spaced locking blades and a plurality of locking tabs projecting from its surface. The base plate has three mating openings each having an adjacent locking abutment. The studs are first staked to the base plate. The cover is assembled by inserting the tangs through the base plate mounting apertures so that the shoulders snap over to engage the base plate. The inflator locking blades are pushed through the base plate mating openings and twisted to pass them over the locking abutments. This traps the base plate between the blades and the mounting flange and abuts the locking tabs with the cover tangs, preventing their removal. Three inflator mounting flange slots receive the studs during assembly. The air bag module is installed by projecting the studs through the steering wheel assembly mounting bracket apertures, where the spring fingers snap into the stud grooves to prevent removal. The locking tangs, tabs and base plate apertures are unequally spaced, and the studs and apertures are unequally spaced to assure a predetermined orientation of the module when installed.

Driver-side air bag module assembly

Two embodiments of an air bag module and method of assembly are disclosed. One air bag module includes a flat support plate and a cover confining an air bag. The cover confines the air bag and has a plurality of resilient latch hooks spaced about its periphery which snap over the edges of the support plate and engage adjacent latch surfaces. A locking plate has a locking tab located adjacent each latch hook when assembled to the support plate to prevent deflection of the latch hooks and maintain the latch hooks in engagement with the latch surfaces. The inflator is later secured to the support plate by rivets which also secure the air bag and locking plate to the support plate. Another air bag module includes an air bag, an inflator, an open rectangular retainer mounting the air bag, and an open top and bottom container receiving the retainer and mounting the inflator, and a cover. A plurality of resilient latch hooks on the cover snap over the walls of the retainer and into indentations formed on the periphery of the bottom of the retainer. The retainer is inserted into the top of the container and the camming flanges guide the latch hooks into engagement with the walls of the container which confine the latch hooks against deflection, thus securing the cover against separation. The inflator is later inserted into the bottom opening of the container and secured by a closure.

Air bag module having integral cover attachment

A vehicle air bag module mounted on a vehicle steering column comprises a container containing an inflator and an air bag folded on top. The air bag has a fabric body, a gas inlet surrounding the inflator, and a crown located opposite the gas inlet. The outer ends of four tethers are equally spaced about the center of the crown and are sewn to it. The inner ends of the tethers are clamped to the casing of the inflator and held by frictional force. Upon inflation, the periphery of the air bag deploys to its full breadth as the tethers restrain deployment of the air bag center. After inflation pressure builds, the force exerted on the air bag crown overcomes the frictional force holding the tether inner ends, which will release, enabling the entire air bag to fully inflate. In a modification, the tethers are all sewn to the upper portion of the air bag crown to delay deployment of the upper part of the air bag until the lower part has deployed.

Air bag with releasable tethers

An energy absorber adapted to be interposed between relatively movable rigid support and impact receiving elements and including a sheet metal plate of rectangular shape. The plate is provided with two asymmetric spaced U-shaped slots and a pair of spaced parallel slots to divide the plate into a continuous integral outer portion; an asymmetric pair of generally U-shape inner portions, the legs of which are integrally connected to the continuous outer portion by bridging portions; and a center portion of rectangular shape integrally connecting the bights of the inner portions. The outer portion is secured to one of the elements and the center portion is secured to the other by a rigid post. Upon impact loads applied to the impact receiving element, the U-shape inner portions fold relative to each other and the outer portion about the bridging portions and the center portion folds upon itself and relative to the U-shape inner portions to form the energy absorber into generally trapezoidal shape and absorb energy.

Growing community of inventors

Tipp City, OH, United States of America

Robert E Huffman