Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

William Joseph Barnes

Wonhee Michael Kim

Daniel W Booth

Jeff E Nasca

Peter J Gareau

Margaret M Andreen

Joseph L Grabowski

Lenore Walczak Kolhoff

Sharon Lynn Hill

Joseph P Spica

Gerald N Schmidt

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment having a roof structure having a front header, a pair of side headers and a rear header. A headliner is disposed beneath the roof structure. At least one inflatable bladder is disposed along at least one of the front header, the pair of side headers and the rear header. The at least one inflatable bladder is connected to an inflator. A rib structure is disposed adjacent to the at least one inflatable bladder. The inflatable bladder inflates to a maximum height of 12 cm below the at least one of the front header, the pair of side headers and the rear header.

Inflatables used to address rollover

An airbag module having a retainer, an airbag cushion affixed to the retainer, an inflator, affixed to the retainer, to inflate the airbag cushion and a vertical restrictor disposed inside the airbag cushion. The vertical restrictor being affixed to the airbag, cushion and to the retainer and configured to limit a distance the airbag cushion travels in a vertical direction during inflation.

Airbag module having a vertical restrictor

A number of variations may include a product comprising an airbag cushion protector constructed and arranged to be place in an airbag chute and so that a first portion of the airbag cushion protector covers the edges of an airbag door during deployment of an airbag cushion and so that the first portion of the protector is interposed between the edges of the airbag door and the airbag cushion throughout deployment of the airbag.

Cushion protector for snap-on IP chute

A method of making a thermoplastic skin comprises the steps of providing a mold having a mold surface with first and second mold surface portions which intersect at a sharp corner coincident with the desired location of the tear seam in the molded skin. The mold is oriented with one of the first and second mold surface portions oriented in a generally horizontally orientation and the other of the mold surface portions oriented in a generally vertical orientation. A thermoplastic material such as polyurethane is sprayed onto the mold surface and the curing of the sprayed material is controlled to permit gravity to induce flow of the sprayed material down the vertical surface of the mold at the sharp corner and thereby provide a cured skin which is of significantly lessened thickness at the corner than at other regions of the skin. Accordingly, the reduced thickness of thermoplastic material at the sharp corner defines the tear seam at which the skin material will tear upon deployment of an air bag against the skin.

Method of making a hidden tear seam in a vehicle body panel

A dual stage air bag suppression system based upon seat position. A deceleration sensor senses the deceleration of the vehicle during a crash/collision. If the deceleration exceeds a first threshold value, and the seat is rearward of a predetermined value, then the SIR Controller initiates a first/low stage inflation. If the deceleration exceeds a second higher threshold value, and the seat is rearward of a predetermined value, then the SIR Controller initiates both first/low and second/high stages of inflation. If the seat is positioned at a point forward of a predetermined position, then the SIR Controller initiates the first/low stage inflation only when the deceleration exceeds the first/lower or second/higher threshold value and suppresses deployment of the second stage. Thus the SIR Controller initiates the inflation stages not only based on the severity of the collision or deceleration, but also based on the position of the vehicle seat.

Air bag suppression system

A disabling system is provided for a supplemental inflatable restraint system in a vehicle. The disabling system includes a seat movable forward and rearward in the vehicle. The seat has a predetermined seat position. The disabling system automatically disables the supplemental inflatable restraint system when the seat is moved forward of the predetermined seat position and automatically enables the supplemental inflatable restraint system when the seat is moved rearward of the predetermined seat position. In a preferred form of the invention, the predetermined seat position occurs when the seat is fully forward in the vehicle such that the supplemental inflatable restraint system is automatically disabled when the seat is at the fully forward position.

Supplemental inflatable restraint disabling system

An air bag module is mounted on the instrument panel structure forwardly of the passenger seating position and has an air bag normally stored and folded therein and inflatable to project into the occupant compartment to restrain the passenger. An instrument panel cover is mounted atop the instrument panel structure to conceal the air bag from view and extends transversely across the instrument panel structure forwardly of both the driver and passenger sides of the occupant compartment. The instrument panel cover has a weakened tear seam which originates at the rearward most edge of the cover, at a point between the driver and the passenger and proceeds from the rearward edge in a generally forward direction. The driver side portion of the instrument panel cover is fixedly fastened to the instrument panel structure. The passenger side portion of the instrument panel cover is detachably fastened to the instrument panel cover. Upon inflation of the air bag, the passenger side of the instrument panel cover is forcibly lifted and pivoted upwardly as permitted by detachment of detachable fasteners and the tearing of the instrument panel cover along the weakened tear seam. The instrument panel cover is preferably of the type including a raised hood portion which wraps around the instrument display cluster and the weakened tear seam extends in a curving path around the margin of the raised hood portion and is hidden thereby.

Instrument panel seamless air bag cover

According to the invention, the vehicle panel has an opening through which an air bag inflates, and a over panel for closing the opening. The cover panel is mounted for movement away from the vehicle panel to permit inflation of the air bag through the opening. A fastener clip is mounted on one of the panels and has an integrally formed extruded boss therethrough which defines a tubular boss extending on an axis normal to the direction of opening movement of the cover panel. The other panel, preferably of molded plastic, has a pair of opposing flex fingers which reach part way around the and grip the outer surface of the tubular boss to thereby retain the fastener clip to the one panel. A screw is installed through the other panel and through the tubular boss to thereby secure the cover panel on the vehicle panel. The flex fingers flex away from one another to release from the outer surface upon opening movement of the cover panel.

Releasable fastener for air bag deployment cover

An air bag module is mounted on the instrument panel structure forwardly of the passenger seating position. An instrument panel cover is mounted atop the instrument panel to conceal the air bag from view and extends transversely substantially the entire distance across the instrument panel forwardly of both the driver and passenger sides of the occupant compartment. The instrument panel cover is fastened to the instrument panel structure by fasteners which include detachable fasteners provided at least at the portion of the instrument panel cover generally forward of the passenger to permit the air bag to lift the instrument panel cover upwardly away from the instrument panel structure upon air bag inflation. The forwardmost edge of the instrument panel is fixedly attached to the vehicle body structure.

Air bag deployable instrument panel cover

According to the invention a vehicle has a panel with an opening through which an air bag is deployed. An air bag deployment door closes the opening in the panel. Upon air bag deployment, the door is forcibly moved out of the opening from a closed position towards an open position by the deploying air bag. A hinge for the deployment door includes a door hinge element carried by the door, and a vehicle hinge element carried by the vehicle. The separate hinge elements have cooperating hinge-forming features which are spaced apart from one another when the door is in the closed position. Upon air bag deployment, the door begins to lift out of the opening and carries the door hinge element into engagement with the vehicle hinge element to hingedly interconnect the cooperating hinge-forming features, thereby anchoring the door to the vehicle and limiting further movement of the door to rotation about an axis defined by the hinge elements. In accordance with this invention, one of the hinge elements may include a hooked leg while the other hinge element may include an apertured leg. The hook and aperture provide cooperating hinge-forming features that form a hinged interconnection upon air bag deployment.

Air bag deployment door hinge

An air bag assembly in which a deflector plate is attached to the air bag housing and projects somewhat overtop the storage cavity and the folded air bag stored therein to partially obstruct the deployment opening of the housing so that the path of the deploying air bag is deflected by the engagement of the air bag with the deflector plate to direct the air bag away from engagement with the hinge mounting the door on the instrument panel.

Deflector for air bag deployment

The door assembly for an air bag opening includes a door having a rigid substrate panel extending across the opening and carrying a decorative trim to normally conceal the air bag opening. A primary hinge acts between an edge of the rigid substrate panel and the vehicle to enable opening movement of the door about an axis defined by the primary hinge means. The rigid substrate panel has a weakened portion extending across the panel in parallel spaced relation from the primary hinge axis to enable folding of the door by the deploying air bag about a secondary hinge axis defined by the weakened portion. The primary hinge means is preferably a hinge panel of rigid but bendable metal construction which extends into engagement along the underside of the rigid substrate panel into proximity with the weakened portion thereof so that the rigid hinge panel reinforces the portion of the door underlaid by the hinge strap. Upon deployment of the air bag, the door pivots about the primary hinge axis while the portion of the door extended beyond the secondary hinge axis is enabled to pivot further and faster than the opening movement of the other portion of the door and then upon any contact with the windshield, the door may continue to bend about the secondary hinge axis.

Growing community of inventors

Waterford, MI, United States of America

William Joseph Barnes