Instrument panel having integrated airbag deployment door
AssigneeTextron Automotive Company Inc.
InventorsPaul W. Nagy, Lawrence M. Ozga
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An instrument panel assembly has an airbag deployment door and a preformed seal member that seals against foam leakage at a retainer member and a rear edge of the door overlaps the retainer and sandwiches the preformed seal member in place to prevent leakage of foamed in place material between the retainer and the door; a connector member holds the seal member in place while providing for clean separation of the door from the retainer to enable the door to separate and swing outwardly from the main body portion of the retainer in response to deployment of the air bag.
Claims12
An air bag closure having a door impacted by an underlying air bag upon deployment thereof and a retainer for mounting said door within an instrument panel and said door having a rear edge mounted with respect to said retainer for forming a gap therebetween through which foam material is susceptible to leak during a foam process wherein a layer of foamed in place material covers the door and the retainer at the gap characterized by:
- a preformed seal member overlying said gap for sealing against leakage of foamed-in-place material through said gap;
- a connector member releasably holding said rear edge of said door and said preformed seal member on said retainer and said preformed seal member being maintained thereby in sandwiched in sealing relationship with said door and said retainer to prevent foam leakage through said gap during formation of said foamed in place material against said door and said retainer;
- and said connector member being separable from at least one of said retainer and said door upon air bag deployment for releasing said door for forming an air bag deployment opening through the closure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.