Instrument panel having integral airbag door portion
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasaki Ohmiya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A panel with an airbag is provided including a mounting flange portion. The mounting flange portion breaks at a thin wall portion of the mounting flange portion when a door insert is pushed toward the passenger compartment of a vehicle by the inflating pressure of an airbag during airbag deployment. The thin wall portion is formed between a plate portion of the door insert and protrusions formed on the mounting flange portion for engagement with a peripheral edge portion of an opening of the instrument panel insert. After the thin portion of the mounting flange portion breaks, substantially only the plate portion of the door insert is deployed toward the passenger compartment, leaving the mounting flange portion of the door insert at an airbag case side.
Claims14
An instrument panel having an integral airbag door portion and disposed in a vehicle having an airbag case, the instrument panel comprising:
- a skin forming a compartment side surface of the instrument panel;
- a door insert deployable outward from the instrument panel about a forward side portion of the door insert, the forward side portion located forward with respect to the vehicle, the door insert including a plate portion;
- an instrument panel insert having an opening that is engaged with the door insert;
- and
- a foamed layer expanded between the skin and the door insert and also between the skin and the instrument panel insert,
- wherein the door insert includes:
- a seal portion formed between the door insert and the instrument panel insert, the seal portion preventing leakage of a foaming agent during an expanding formation of the foamed layer;
- a mounting flange portion protruded from a lower surface of the door insert, the mounting flange portion being used for mounting the door insert to the airbag case;
- at least one protrusion formed on the mounting flange portion, the protrusion engaging with an edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel insert;
- and
- a fragile portion formed in a section of the mounting flange portion, the section of the mounting flange portion being located between the protrusion and the plate portion of the door insert, the fragile portion being breakable during airbag deployment.
An instrument panel having an integral airbag door portion of a skin-integrated foamed type in a vehicle body, the instrument panel comprising:
- an airbag case fixed to the vehicle body;
- a door insert deployable outward from the instrument panel about a forward side portion of the door insert, the forward side portion of the door insert located forward with respect to the vehicle, the door insert including a plate portion;
- a mounting flange portion protruded from a lower surface of the door insert, the mounting flange portion being used for mounting the door insert to the airbag case;
- at least one protrusion formed on the mounting flange portion, the protrusion engaging with an opening edge portion of the instrument panel insert;
- and
- a fragile portion formed in a section of the mounting flange portion, the section of the mounting flange portion being located between the protrusion and the plate portion of the door insert, the fragile portion being breakable during airbag deployment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.