Two shot automotive psir chute
AssigneeIntertec Systems
InventorsGregg S. Evans, Mathew Gabriel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automotive PSIR hidden chute assembly contained behind an automotive instrument panel. The PSIR may include chute forward and rearward doors, first and second chute flanges, and an instrument panel, each constructed of a first hard material, and first and second chute hinges, first and second chute sidewalls and a chute end wall, each constructed of a second tough ductile material, such that the first material and the second material have different thermal expansion properties and different elastic modulus properties.
Claims7
An automotive Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint (PSIR) hidden chute assembly contained behind an automotive instrument panel, the chute assembly comprising:
- first and second chute hinges respectively hingedly connected to chute forward and rearward doors, wherein the chute forward and rearward doors are attached to an inner layer of the instrument panel at a first set of connection points;
- a first chute sidewall integral with the first chute hinge and extending down from the first chute hinge, a second chute sidewall integral with the second chute hinge and extending down from the second chute hinge, and chute end walls connecting the first and second chute sidewalls;
- first and second chute flanges respectively coupled to top portions of the first and second chute sidewalls, wherein the first and second chute flanges are attached to the inner layer of the instrument panel at a second set of connection points;
- and,
- wherein the chute forward and rearward doors, the first and second chute flanges, and the instrument panel are all constructed of a first material, and the first and second chute hinges, the first and second chute sidewalls, and the chute end walls are all constructed of a second material, such that the first and second materials have different thermal expansion properties and different elastic modulus properties.
A method of making an automotive instrument panel for eliminating warping and distortion, and compression at connection points between the instrument panel and an automotive Passenger Side Inflatable Restraint (PSIR) hidden chute assembly, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an automotive instrument panel constructed of a first material;
- providing a PSIR chute assembly having chute forward and rearward doors, and first and second chute flanges, all constructed of the first material, and having first and second chute hinges, first and second chute sidewalls, and chute end walls all constructed of a second material, wherein the first and second materials have different thermal expansion properties and different elastic modulus properties;
- and,
- welding an inner layer of the instrument panel to the chute forward and rearward doors, and the first and second chute flanges of the PSIR chute assembly at connection points between the inner layer and the chute forward and rearward doors, and the first and second chute flanges, such that the connection points resist stress caused by the welding and varying ambient temperatures generally evenly, thus eliminating any warping and distortion at the connection points resulting in visibility on a show surface of an end product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.