Collapsing arm rest construction

A collapsible armrest for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising:

• a flexible skin or covering, a layer of semi-rigid foam material underlying the flexible skin to provide a cushion and soft feel for the collapsible arm rest, an insert embedded in the foam layer for supporting the arm rest under normal arm loads, the insert comprising a hollow bellows shaped thin walled shell that has a thin peripheral side wall that has a plurality of corrugations so that the shell collapses in the lateral direction when the arm rest is subjected to a side load of the type experienced in a side impact automobile collision, the shell at least partly defining an empty chamber that communicates with ambient air via a vent that opens when the shell collapses in the lateral direction to avoid pneumatic delay in the lateral collapse of the shell.

A collapsible arm rest for a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising:

• a flexible skin or covering, a layer of semi-rigid foam material underlying the flexible skin to provide a cushion and soft feel for the collapsible arm rest, an insert embedded in the foam layer for supporting the arm rest under normal arm loads, the insert comprising a hollow shell that is shaped so that the shell collapses in the lateral direction when the arm rest is subjected to a side load of the type experienced in a side impact automobile collision, the shell at least partly defining an empty chamber that communicates with ambient air via a vent when the shell collapses in the lateral direction to avoid pneumatic delay in the lateral collapse of the shell.