Insert molded feature for airbag covers

Abstract

A new type of airbag cover and method for making the same is described herein. The airbag cover will generally have an insert that includes one or more logos, indicia, symbols, trademarks, etc. that denote the vehicle manufacturer. A base will then be molded around this insert. The base and the insert are made of the same (or substantially the same) materials. However, the color used for the insert will differ from the color used for the base. The fact that different colors are used means that the indicia on the insert will be visually appealing and “eye-catching” to the consumer. Once the base is molded to the insert, these two features will chemically bond together. The indicia and the base material may be chemically and/or mechanically bonded together. Generally, this bonding is accomplished such that there is a continuous fit between the insert and the base.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other features and advantages of the invention are obtained will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of an airbag cover according to the present embodiments;

FIG. 2 is cross-sectional view of the airbag cover shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of the inward (rear) surface of an insert for the cover of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is perspective view of another embodiment of an airbag cover according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is perspective view of another embodiment of an airbag cover according to the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a mounting flange that may be used in conjunction with the present embodiments; and

FIG. 6B a perspective view that illustrates the way in which the airbag covers of the present embodiments may be constructed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The presently preferred embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention, as represented in the Figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a new type of airbag cover 10 according to the present embodiments is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the airbag cover 10 is designed such that it may be used in conjunction with a steering wheel airbag system (not shown). More particularly, the airbag cover 10 is designed such that it will conceal an airbag that is mounted within the steering wheel. Of course, the depiction in FIG. 1 does not limit the present embodiments to airbag covers used with steering wheel airbag systems. On the contrary, the cover 10 of the present embodiments may be designed for use with other types of vehicle airbag systems including overhead airbag systems, passenger airbag systems, side curtain airbag systems, or any other type of airbag system found in a motor vehicle.

In general, the airbag cover 10 is made of a thermoplastic or other material known in the art. Vinyl and/or other types of plastic may also be used. Generally, the material chosen for the cover 10 will be capable of receiving a variety of dyes or pigments so that the manufacture can select/modify the color of the airbag cover to match the decor of the vehicle interior.

The cover 10 comprises an insert 14 that includes an indicia 20. As noted above, the indicia 20 is any sort of logo, trademark, letter, picture, emblem, or other marking used by manufacturers to identify their products or goods. As shown in FIG. 1, the indicia 20 is a picture of ram's head, which is a trademark owned by the Chrysler Corporation and is associated with “Dodge” brand automobiles. Of course, other types of logos, pictures, etc. may also be used as the indicia 20.

The insert 14 will be melded to a base 24. (The way in which this melding process occurs will be discussed in greater detail below.) The base 24 is made of a base material 30, which as noted above, is thermoplastic (or another similar material). The insert 14 will be made of the same or substantially the same material as the base material 30. Thus, the entire airbag cover 10 will be made of the same or substantially the same material.

However, unlike many of the previously known airbag covers with unitone, molded logos, the airbag cover 10 will have an indicia 20 that is easily seen by consumers. The reason for this is that the indicia 20 is made of a different color than the color that is used for the base 24. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the base 24 is made of a lighter color (such as tan) and the indicia 20 is made of a darker color (such as blue or black). Of course, other color combinations are also possible in other embodiments.

Additional colors may also be used on either the base 24 or the insert 14. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, additional colored portions 34 have been added to the base 24 to improve the visual appeal and decor of the cover 10. Likewise, additional embodiments may be constructed in which the insert 14 comprises multiple colors. For example, embodiments may be constructed in which the indicia 20 comprises a first color and then the area of the insert that surrounds the indicia 20 comprises a second color that is distinct from the first color and distinct from the color used for the base 24. Still other embodiments may be constructed in which the indicia 20 and the area of the insert 14 surrounding the indicia 20 are made of the same color. Those of skill in the art will appreciate the variety of different color patterns and arrangement that are within the scope of the present embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-sectional view illustrates the cover 10 and the way in which the insert 14 will be melded/connected to the base 24. Specifically, the melding process occurs such that there is a continuous fit between the insert 14 and the base 24. (The base 24 is shown in FIG. 1.) In other words, there will be a smooth transition between the base 24 and the insert 14 such that there are no gaps, ridges, or other features indicating a break between the base 24 and the insert 14. Rather, the only distinguishing feature that illustrates the difference between the base 24 and the insert 14/indicia 20 is the different colors used on these features.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the rear (inward) side of an insert 14 of the cover 10 is illustrated. Again, this Figure illustrates the continuous meld that occurs between the insert 14 and the base 24 (shown in FIG. 1). However, as shown in FIG. 3, various circular features 40 are visible on the back side of the cover 10. These circular features 40 are caused by pins or other mounting features that may be used to hold the insert 14 in the proper position during the melding process (as will be discussed below). Of course, the use of such pins/mounting features is optional and will depend upon the particular embodiment. It should be noted that the pins/mounting features are arranged such that the circular features 40 only are formed away from the front of the cover 10—i.e., not visible to the consumer during normal use. This can be on the rear side of the cover 10 or within the center of the base 24 thickness.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, additional embodiments of covers taught by the present embodiments are illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 4 depicts a cover 110 that includes an indicia 20 that is associated with “Honda” brand cars and is owned by the Honda Motor Co., Ltd. of Japan. However, in order to further make the insert 14 and the indicia 20 stand out for consumers, the insert 14 and the indicia 20 have been chrome plated with metallic chrome 46. Such chrome plating will generally be accomplished prior to the melding of the base 24 to the insert 14.

FIG. 5, on the other hand, illustrates a cover 210 that includes an indicia 20 associated with “Mitsubishi” brand cars and is owned by the Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. However, unlike the previous embodiments, the cover 210 includes the insert 14 which has the indicia 20 made of a first color (red) and a surrounding portion 50 made of a second color (white). In the cover 210, the insert 14 is then attached to a base 14 that is made of a darker (black) color. The net result is an eye-catching indicia 20 which appears to be mounted on a successive backgrounds of white and black. Of course, other types of color schemes/combinations are clearly known to those of skill in the art.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, a mounting flange 68 is illustrated. The mounting flange 68 is of the type that is known in the art. As explained in greater detail herein, an insert 14 may be positioned on the flange 68 prior to the incorporation of the insert into the cover 10, 110, 210. As shown in FIG. 6A, the insert 14 is positioned on the flange 68. The use of such a flange 68 is optional. However, when such a flange 68 is used, it will provide an additional bonding area and features between the base 24 (not shown in FIG. 6A) and the insert 14 and thereby increase the strength of the bond between these components. Base material can flow through the holes of the flange and create a mechanical bond in addition to more are for a chemical (or physical) bond.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, the way in which the covers 10, 110, 210 are formed will now be described. Specifically, FIG. 6B shows the formation of the cover 10 that is associated with FIGS. 1 through 3. Of course, the covers 110 and 110 that are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 may also be formed in a like manner.

In order to produce the cover 10, the insert 14 containing the indicia 20 must be obtained. In many embodiments, this will occur by molding the insert 14 from the same (or substantially the same) material that is used to form the base 24. This molding will usually occur by placing the material in a mold or cast that has been pre-cut into the shape of the insert 14 (with the indicia 20). Other methods of obtaining/forming the insert may also be used. Likewise, those of skill in the art will appreciate how each specific insert 14 may be formed as well as the mechanisms used to produce a chrome plated indicia 20 or to have a multi-colored insert 14/indicia 20. Optionally, the insert 14 may also be affixed and/or positioned in a flange 68 to increase the area available for bonding with the insert 14.

Once the insert 14 has been obtained, the insert 14 may then be placed in a cover manufacturing tool 60. As shown in FIG. 6B, the tool 60 is a press or mold that is designed to mold/create airbag covers 10. Accordingly, the tool 60 will be designed and shape such that the ultimate product formed from the tool 60 will be that of the desired airbag cover 10. As noted above, pins or other retaining features (not shown) may be used to hold the insert 14 into the proper position within the tool 60. Such pins or other features will generally be designed to contact an inward or Class B surface of the insert 14 such that when the final cover 10 is finished, no indications or tokens of these pins are visible to the customer.

In some embodiments, the size of the insert 14 will be selected to be the exact same thickness as the tool 60 (when the cavity side 62 of the tool 60 is closed). Other embodiments may also be constructed such that the thickness of the insert 14 is less than the space within the tool 60. Further embodiments may be designed such that thickness of the insert 14 is greater (or slightly greater) than the thickness of the closed tool 60, thereby requiring some compression to close the cavity side 62 and resulting in an improved “shut-off” for the resulting airbag cover 10.

After the insert 14 has been introduced and positioned within the tool 60, a quantity of the base material 30 will then be introduced into the tool 60. Generally, the base material 30 will be hot—i.e., of sufficient temperature such that a bond will form between the insert 14 and the base material 30. As the base material 30 and the material of the insert 14 are the same (or substantially the same), this bond will generally be readily formed. Of course, if more adhesion and/or increased bond strength between the base 24 and the insert 14 is desired, a flange 68 (or other similar feature known in the art) may optionally be used and added to provide additional mechanical bonding.

Once the base material 30 has been introduced into the tool 60, the base material 30 will be molded about the insert 14. In many embodiments, this molding may involve closing the cavity side 62 of the tool 60 and applying sufficient pressure such that the base material 30 forms/molds into the desired form of the base 24 and forms a bond between the base 24 and the insert 14. As explained in greater detail above, generally the bond formed between the insert 14 and the base 24 will be such that there is a continuous fit between these two pieces without any sort of gap, ridge or other physical feature (i.e., other than color) demarking the boundaries of these two elements.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the tool 60 will be an injection molding machine. In these embodiments, the insert 14 will be inserted into one of the halves of the injection molding machine. Then, the cavity side 62 of the machine will be closed such that they two halves of the mold come together. As is known in the art, injection molding machines (and other types of airbag cover machines) will comprise two plates that are mounted on sliding rams (or other similar features) and may be pressed together. At this point, the material 30 is then introduced to the mold under pressure (and at a high temperature as described above). The injection molding machine will then mold the product (using sufficient pressure) such that the base material 30 forms/molds into the desired form of the base 24 and the base material 30 also forms a bond between the base 24 and the insert 14. As explained in greater detail above, generally the bond formed between the insert 14 and the base 24 will be such that there is a continuous fit between these two pieces without any sort of gap, ridge or other physical feature (i.e., other than color) demarking the boundaries of these two elements.

Once the cover 10 comes out of the tool 60, it will be complete and will already have the indicia 20 in its proper place. Likewise, the airbag cover 10 will have a desirable multi-colored appearance without the need to engage in masking or painting procedures. Further, the fact that the indicia is made of a different color than the base means that the manufacturer has a variety of different styling options without the need for secondary attachment mechanisms, specialized tooling features, or hard or rigid portions of the cover that may affect deployment of the airbag. Furthermore, because the insert and the base are made of substantially the same materials, the indicia will not unduly add mass to the system. As such, the present embodiments provide significant advantages over that which was previously known in the art.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its structures, methods, or other essential characteristics as broadly described herein and claimed hereinafter. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. An airbag cover comprising: a base; andan insert made of substantially the same material as the base, the insert comprising an indicia that is a different color than the base, wherein the insert is melded to the base.

2. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein the insert is physically bonded to the base.

3. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein the insert is made of the same material as the base.

4. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein there is a continuous fit between the insert and the base.

5. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein the insert further comprises one or more flanges that provide an additional bonding area between the base and the insert.

6. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the indicia is chrome plated.

7. An airbag cover as in claim 1 wherein the insert is sized to fit within a tool designed to mold airbag covers.

8. A method for manufacturing an airbag cover having an insert and a base, the insert comprising an indicia that is a different color than the base, the base being made of a base material that is substantially the same as the material used to make the insert, the method comprising the steps of: placing an insert into a cover manufacturing tool;closing the tool around the insert;introducing the base material into the tool, wherein the base material is of a sufficient temperature and pressure such that it bonds to the insert; andmolding the base material about the insert.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein the molding step bonds the base to the insert.

10. A method as in claim 8 wherein the insert comprises a flange that provides an additional bonding area between the insert and the base.

11. A method as in claim 8 wherein the insert comprises multiple colors.

12. A method as in claim 8 wherein there is a continuous fit between the insert and the base.

13. A method as in claim 8 wherein the insert is heated to a temperature that will mold the base material about the insert but will not deform the insert.

14. A method as in claim 8 wherein the insert has been pre-molded prior to placing the insert into the manufacturing tool

15. An insert for use in an airbag cover, the insert comprising an indicia and being made of a thermoplastic material, the insert being capable of being melded with a base to form the airbag cover, the insert being made of substantially the same material as the base.

16. An insert as in claim 15 wherein the indicia is made of a different color than the base.

17. An insert as in claim 15 wherein the insert is capable of bonding to the base as one.

18. An insert as in claim 15 wherein the insert is made of a material that may be melded to a base material, but will not deform during the melding process.