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US 2012/0068441 A1Published application
Air Bag Deployment System with Deflector Rib
AssigneeAutomotive Components Holdings, LLC
InventorRaymond E. Kalisz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved air bag deployment system that protects welds or other bonds that are made between the underside of an instrument panel substrate and the outer flange of an air bag deployment chute. A deflector element is located in the gap between the chute flange and the substrate to prevent the deploying air bag from expanding into the gap and potentially damaging the bond.
Claims20
A panel for an automotive vehicle that contains a defined air bag deployment door, comprising:
- a relatively rigid base substrate structure having an outer surface and an inner surface;
- layers of sheet material being attached to and overlying said outer surface;
- said base structure being formed to define said inner and outer surfaces and a deployment door section;
- said deployment door section being defined in said base structure by a pre-weakened path;
- and
- an air bag chute containing an inner portion for containing an air bag and a flange portion surrounding said inner portion, wherein said flange is bonded to said base structure to surround said deployment door section;
- wherein a non-bonded area exists between said inner portion and said bonded portion to form an air gap volume between said flange and said base structure;
- and said panel includes a deflector rib element between said bonded portion and said inner portion that prevents said air bag from contacting said bonded portion during deployment of said air bag.
5 more elements
An air bag deployment system comprising:
- a relatively rigid base substrate structure having an outer surface and an inner surface;
- said base structure being formed to define an air bag deployment door section;
- said deployment door section being defined in said base substrate structure by a pre-weakened path;
- and
- an air bag chute containing a deployable air bag;
- said air bag chute having an open end adjacent said deployment door section and a flange portion surrounding said open end, wherein said flange is bonded to said inner surface of said base substrate structure surrounding said pre-weakened path of said deployment door section;
- wherein a non-bonded area exists between said open end and said bonded portion to form an air gap volume between said flange and said inner surface;
- and said system includes a deflector element between said bonded portion and said open end that prevents said air bag from contacting said bonded portion during deployment of said air bag.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.