Air bag cover assembly with curved horn reaction plate

An air bag cover assembly comprising:

• a cover element including an inner surface of curved geometry and a plurality of mounting posts extending downwardly away from the cover element;
• a reaction plate held at a position below the inner surface of the cover element, wherein the reaction plate comprises a lower surface and a curved upper surface, the curved upper surface substantially matching the curvature of the inner surface of the cover element, the reaction plate further comprising a plurality of post acceptance apertures for the receipt of said mounting posts, at least a portion of said post acceptance apertures being disposed within substantially flat surface zones at the base of variable depth depressions disposed at locations across the upper surface of the reaction plate, at least a portion of the variable depth depressions being disposed in substantially opposing relation to protuberant boss elements disposed across the lower surface of the reaction plate;
• and
• a membrane horn switch captured between the upper surface of the reaction plate and the cover element such that the membrane horn switch assumes a curvature substantially matching the curvature of the inner surface of the cover element whereby a substantially uniform operative distance is maintained between the membrane horn switch and the inner surface of the cover element.

An air bag cover assembly comprising:

• a cover element including an inner surface of curved geometry and a plurality of mounting posts extending downwardly away from the cover element, wherein at least a portion of the mounting posts include a distal portion of a first width and a proximal shoulder portion of a second width greater than the distal portion;
• a reaction plate held at a position below the inner surface of the cover element, wherein the reaction plate comprises a lower surface and a curved upper surface, the curved upper surface substantially matching the curvature of the inner surface of the cover element, the reaction plate further comprising a plurality of post acceptance apertures for the receipt of the distal portions of said mounting posts, at least a portion of said post acceptance apertures being disposed within substantially flat surface zones for supporting the shoulder portions of said mounting posts, the substantially flat surface zones being disposed at the base of variable depth depressions at locations across the upper surface of the reaction plate, at least a portion of the variable depth depressions being disposed in substantially opposing relation to protuberant boss elements disposed across the lower surface of the reaction plate, the reaction plate further including a plurality of force concentrating projections extending away from the curved upper surface;
• and
• a membrane horn switch captured between the reaction plate and the cover element such that the membrane horn switch is supported across the force concentrating projections and assumes a curvature substantially matching the curvature of the inner surface of the cover element whereby a substantially uniform operative distance is maintained between the membrane horn switch and the inner surface of the cover element.