BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detail description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an instrument panel including a related art (vibration welded) air bag chute and corresponding forward and rearward PSIR doors (H pattern style);
FIG. 2 is an illustration of the instrument panel of FIG. 1, illustrating the forward PSIR door in an intermediate deployment state;
FIG. 3 is an illustration of the instrument panel of FIG. 1, illustrating the forward PSIR door in a fully deployed state;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional illustration of an instrument panel including an air bag chute and a corresponding forward PSIR door according to the present invention, taken substantially along line 4-4 in FIG. 6 (but with forward PSIR door in an un-deployed state);
FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional illustration of the instrument panel of FIG. 4, illustrating the forward PSIR door in a fully deployed state, taken substantially along line 5A-5A in FIG. 6 (note hinge loops of FIG. 4 are not shown);
FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional illustration of the instrument panel of FIG. 4, illustrating the forward PSIR door in a fully deployed state, taken substantially along line 5B-5B in FIG. 6 (note hinge loops of FIG. 4 shown); and
FIG. 6 is a front view of the forward PSIR door of FIG. 4 in its fully deployed state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 4-6 illustrate various diagrams for a Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint (PSIR) door attachment method according to the present invention.
Before proceeding with a description of the PSIR door attachment method according to the present invention, the attachment method and deployment of a related art PSIR door will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-3.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, a related art airbag assembly 50 may include doors 10, 12 welded to chute 16 by a hinge flange 18. As illustrated, forward PSIR door 10 may be the door adjacent a windshield (not shown) and rearward PSIR door 12 may be the door closest to the passenger. PSIR doors 10, 12 may be generally formed from hinge flange 18 and the outer layer of an instrument panel 20 having weakening score line 22 formed therein for allowing opening of each door during air bag deployment as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (note only door 10 illustrated). Referring to FIG. 2, during such deployment of the air bag, doors 10, 12 may respectively rotate in counter clockwise and clockwise directions. Referring to FIG. 3, doors 10, 12 (only door 10 illustrated) may each continue to rotate so that door 10 detaches from the instrument panel structure at score line 22 and translates (i.e. walks) in the opening direction. This phenomenon causes edge 24 of door 10 (and similar edge of door 12) to collide with instrument panel 20, and thus crack edge 24 as well as the instrument panel due to the speed of deployment.
b order to prevent cracking of edge 24 of PSIR doors 10, 12 and the surface of instrument panel 20 during air bag deployment (illustrated in FIGS. 1-3), the present airbag assembly 100, illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, provides a forward PSIR door 30 operatively connected to air bag chute 32 by a hinge 34. Instrument panel 20 may be vibration welded to or connected via other known connecting mechanisms to door 30. One or more rigid, metallic or otherwise formed tabs 36 may be fixedly connected to or otherwise formed with door 30 and disposed adjacent airbag chute 32 at location 38. In the embodiment illustrated, tab 36 may include a hooked configuration, but may otherwise be formed without the hook as long as the tab extends toward the PSIR chute weld flange area, or beyond the scored weakening illustrated in FIG. 4. Further, in the embodiment illustrated, tab 36 may be partially disposed under instrument panel 20 as also illustrated in FIG. 4. Notably, location 38 may extend past hinge 34 connection location 40, provided chute 32 includes an opening 42 through which the tab may pass. Although not illustrated, the rearward PSIR door may be similarly mounted to the air bag chute assembly by a tab (not shown). In this manner, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B which has hinge 34 removed from view, upon deployment of the air bag, forward PSIR door 30 may rotate in a counter clockwise direction while “walking” (translation) is prevented by tab 36. Rearward PSIR door (not shown) may likewise rotate in a clockwise direction while “walking” (translation) is prevented by a similar tab 36.
Also, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, airbag chute 32 may have a door end 44, first portion 46 (near the chute inner wall), and second portion 48, with door end 44 including door 30 and being closer to instrument panel 20 than the opposing end. The first portion 46 of airbag chute 32 may be the portion including chute 52, and the interior thereof, whereas, the second portion 48 may be the portion exterior of chute 52. Chute 52 may be where an airbag module (not shown) may attach/hook thereon. Another feature of airbag chute 32 may be a planar surface 62 for bonding to instrument panel 20, through vibration welding, through the use of an adhesive, or similar bonding methods.
Door 30 may have an inner edge 54 and an outer edge 56, where inner edge 54 provides an axis about which outer edge 56 may rotate upon deployment of an airbag, and where inner edge 54 may have tab 36 which is configured to pass through opening 42 and extend from first portion 46 to second portion 48. Tab 36 may include first end 58 and second end 60, where first end 58 is connected to, or integrally formed with door 30, while second end 60 is disposed within opening 42 of chute 52. The present invention may also include more than one tab 36, which may pass through more than one openings 42 as needed.
The invention further provides for a method of manufacturing an airbag system as discussed above. The method may include providing airbag chute 32 having planar surface 62, chute 52 and including opening 42 in airbag chute 32. The defining of an opening in chute 32 may include molding an opening into airbag chute 32, or by incising such an opening. The manufacturing method may further include providing door 30 having hinge 34 and tab 36. Additionally, the method may include connecting hinge 34 to chute 52, and placing tab 36 in opening 42 of chute 52. This method allows for tab 36 to bolster hinge 34 and secure door 30. Further, the method may include bonding instrument panel 20 to airbag chute 32 and/or weakening instrument panel 20 in areas aligning with door 30 (i.e. by providing adequate scoring as is known in the art). Hinge 34 and tab 36 may be integrally molded with door 30, may be formed of a metallic or rigid plastic material, or may be connected to door 30 by nut/bolt, rivet, welding, and similar connection methods.
The invention thus provides an economical and efficient method of deploying PSIR doors in such a way that door rotation is sufficiently advanced without door to instrument panel contact, to thus avoid door locking and cracking of the PSIR doors or the instrument panel.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080042406
