An instrument panel has an integral door cover for concealing a supplemental inflatable restraint system in a vehicle passenger compartment. The door cover includes a flap that is an integral part of a flexible plastic skin of the instrument panel. The plastic skin is cast in a special mold with a raised apexed rib that forms grooves outlining the flap that have a thin tear seam at their bottom.
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1. A trim panel having a door cover for concealing an airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment and a flexible plastic skin that includes a flap that is an integral part of the door cover comprising:
the flexible plastic skin having a depending portion that contains a groove for providing a tear seam between the flap and the remaining part of the polymeric skin, a layer of energy absorbing elastomeric foam underlying the plastic skin, and the groove being formed so that it has a weakened section in the layer of energy absorbing elastomeric foam that can be fractured by deployment of an airbag without any need for cutting the groove.
0. 15. A method for making a trim panel having a door cover for concealing an airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment and a flexible plastic skin that includes a flap that is an integral part of the door cover comprising:
forming a flexible plastic skin in a mold that has a raised rib so that the skin contains a groove that conforms to the shape of the raised rib, the raised rib having a top so that the groove is formed with a bottom with a thin section to provide a tear seam for the skin flap that can be fractured by deployment of an airbag without any need for weakening the bottom of the groove; and forming a foam layer beneath the plastic skin.
6. A method for making a trim panel having a door cover for concealing an airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment and a flexible plastic skin that includes a flap that is an integral part of the door cover comprising:
casting a flexible plastic skin in a mold that has a raised rib so that the skin has a depending portion that contains a groove that conforms to the shape of the raised rib, and the raised rib having a top that has an apex so that the groove is formed with a bottom that is cast with a thin section that forms over the apex to provide a tear seam for the skin flap that can be fractured by deployment of an airbag without any need for cutting the bottom of the groove.
0. 14. A method for making a trim panel having a door cover for concealing an airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment and a flexible plastic skin that includes a flap that is an integral part of the door cover comprising:
casting a flexible plastic skin in a mold that has a raised rib so that the skin contains a groove that conforms to the shape of the raised rib, the raised rib having a top so that the groove is formed with a bottom with a thin section to provide a tear seam for the skin flap that can be fractured by deployment of an airbag without any need for weakening the bottom of the groove; placing the cast skin in a closable mold; and foaming an elastomeric layer in place beneath the plastic skin.
10. A mold for casting a flexible plastic skin for a trim panel having a door cover for concealing an airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment wherein the flexible plastic skin includes a flap that is an integral part of the door cover, the mold comprising:
a raised rib that forms a depending portion in the flexible plastic skin that contains a groove that conforms to the shape of the raised rib when the flexible plastic skin is cast in the mold, and the raised rib having a top that has an apex so that the groove is formed with a bottom that is cast with a thin section that forms over the apex to provide a tear seam for the flap that can be fractured by deployment of an airbag without any need for cutting the bottom of the groove.
2. The trim panel as defined in
3. The trim panel as defined in
4. The trim panel as defined in
5. The trim panel as defined in
7. The method for making a trim panel as defined in
placing the cast skin in a closeable mold, and foaming an elastomeric layer in place beneath the polymeric skin so that the depending portion is disposed in the layer generated in the foaming process.
8. The method for making a trim panel as defined in
9. The method for making a trim panel as defined in
11. The mold for making a trim panel as defined in
12. The mold for making a trim panel as defined in
13. The mold for making a trim panel as defined in
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This invention relates generally to supplemental inflatable restraint systems often referred to as airbag systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a trim panel such as an instrument panel, having an integral door cover for concealing the airbag system in a vehicle passenger compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,678 granted to John A. Gardner, Richard D. Rhodes, Jr. and Everett Hastings Jul. 21, 1992 discloses an air bag door cover that is an integral part of a decorative panel for a steering wheel. The panel comprises an aluminum backing plate, an outer flexible vinyl skin arid an intermediate elastomeric urethane foam layer. The vinyl skin is cast with a rectangular groove that defines a door. The cast vinyl skin is then placed in a mold in a spaced relationship with the backing plate after which the intermediate layer is foamed in place. The bottom of the rectangular groove is then cut at least part way through on three sides to provide a weakened section in the panel that includes an U-shaped cut line in the backing plate.
While the decorative panel of the above patent is well suited for its intended purpose, it has a drawback in that the bottom of the groove is cut at least part way through on three sides after the vinyl skin is cast and assembled into the decorative panel. This cutting in turn requires deep and narrow grooves to hide the cut. These grooves limit aesthetic design choices and may be difficult to form.
The object of this invention is to provide a trim panel that has an integral door cover for an airbag system that does not require cutting the bottom of the grooves.
Another object of this invention is to provide a trim panel that has a shaped plastic skin that includes a flap for an integral door cover for a SIR system that is partially outlined by a groove that does not require any cutting after the skin is cast to provide a weakened tear seam.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a trim panel that has an integral door cover for an airbag system that includes a shaped plastic skin having a flap partially outlined by a groove that is cast in an aesthetically pleasing manner to include a weakened tear seam at its bottom that does not require any cutting after the skin is cast.
Still yet another object of this invention is to provide a method for making such a trim panel and a mold for use in practicing the method.
A feature and advantage of the trim panel of this invention is that the trim panel has a cast plastic skin which includes a flap for an integral door cover that is cast in a special mold that produces a weakened tear seam in the bottom of an aesthetically pleasing groove that does not require any cutting after the skin is cast.
Still another feature and advantage of the invention is that trim panel is cast in a mold that has a raised rib for forming a groove that partially outlines a flap in a cast plastic skin and that includes a tear seam that can be ruptured by a deploying airbag without any need for cutting the tear seam after the plastic skin is cast.
Yet still another feature and advantage of the invention is that it provides a special mold having a uniquely shaped rib for casting a flexible plastic skin so that the cast plastic skin is formed with a groove that partially outlines a flap and that includes a tear seam that can be ruptured by a deploying air bag without any need for cutting the groove.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like references refer to like parts and wherein:
Referring now to the drawing,
The airbag system 12 includes an airbag housing 16 that encloses a gas generator 18 for supplying an inflatant to an airbag 20 that is collapsed, folded and packed in the housing 16. The folded airbag 20 includes an inlet end 22 connected to a passage for flow of the inflatant from the gas generator 18 into the airbag. The airbag also includes a nose end 24 at the opposite end of the folds that is positioned to open the door 14 when the airbag 20 inflates.
The instrument panel 10 comprises a substrate or support 30 of structural plastic material such as ABS/Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, Polyphylene Oxide (PPO)/HIPS or Styrene Malaeic Anhydrid (SMA). The substrate 30 has a rectangular opening for deployment of the air bag 20 that is closed by a door back plate or reinforcement 32 of aluminum or other light weight metal. The door back plate 32 is connected to the substrate 30 by a hinge 33 at a back end. The opposite or front end of the door back plate 32 is supported on a depressed lip 34 of the substrate 30 at the front edge of the rectangular opening for the door 14 when the door 14 is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 2.
The airbag housing 16 is supported beneath the door 14 by a depending rectangular plastic bracket that is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the bottom of the substrate 30.
The outer surface of the substrate 30 and the hinged door back plate 32 is bonded to a layer of a suitable energy absorbing elastomeric foam, such as urethane foam that forms a cushion 38 in an underlying relationship to a polymeric skin or shell 40 of vinyl or other suitable flexible plastic material such as thermoplastic urethane (TPU), thermoplastic olefin (TPO) or polyester that forms an outer decorative surface of the instrument panel 10.
The skin 40 has three grooves 42 in a U-shaped pattern that outline a flap 44 that is aligned with front and side edges of the hinged door back plate 32. The grooves 42 are formed to provide tear lines or weakened sections for separating the skin flap 44 as explained below. The grooves 42 are also formed so that there are not any cuts needed in the bottom of the grooves. Consequently, the uncut grooves 42 also improve the aesthetic appearance of the instrument panel 10 as explained below.
Referring now to
This thin section provides a tear seam in the bottom of the groove 42 without any need for cutting after the skin 40 is cast. Since there is no need to hide the bottom of the groove 42, the groove may be relatively shallow as shown in
A general criterion for a tear seam is that the tear seam should have a tensile strength of no more than about 50% of the tensile strength of the rest of the skin. Consequently, a suitable tear seam can be provided with a thin section at the bottom of the groove 42 that has a thickness that is as much as about 50% of that of the rest of the skin. Of course the precise thickness required will vary somewhat with the skin material selected and customer requirements for the tensile strength of the tear seam. However, the formulation of the selected skin material and the shape of the groove 42 and the raised rib 102 can be varied to produce the desired thickness of the tear seam by the thinning of the skin material on the raised rib 102 during the casting process.
To manufacture instrument panel 10, the vinyl skin 40 with the flap 44 outlined by the groove 42 shown in
Referring now to
To manufacture instrument panel 210, the vinyl skin 240 with the flap 244 outlined by the groove 242 shown in
Aside from the differences noted above, the instrument panel 210 is otherwise the same as the instrument panel 10 and corresponding parts are identified by adding 200 to the identifying numerals for the parts of instrument panel 10.
Another alternative instrument panel 310 is shown in FIG. 9. This instrument panel 310 is characterized by a groove 342 that provides a wider "gull wing" style line that outlines the flap 344 of the door cover 314 in the skin 340. The skin 340 is cast in a mold similar to that shown in
An advantage of these "gull wing" style lines is that they are generally regarded as more aesthetically pleasing and easier to tool.
All of the foregoing instrument panels operate in the same manner. When the gas generator 18 is triggered due to a predetermined vehicle deceleration, the airbag 20 inflates at the nose end 24 first and then progressively back toward the inlet end 22. Consequently the nose end 24 engages the metal door reinforcement 32, 232 or 332 and pivots it outwardly about hinge 32. As the door pivots outwardly, the foam layer 38, 238 or 338 and then the skin 40, 240 or 340 is fractured at the weakened sections or tear lines to create a separated flap 44, 244 or 344 and an opening for deployment of the airbag 20 that corresponds with the rectangular opening in the substrate 30, 230 or 330.
While a U-shaped pattern of three grooves has been described for purposes of illustration, other arrangements are possible. For instance, four grooves or an H-shaped or X-shaped pattern may be used. In other words, the invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention in light of the above teachings may be made. It is, therefore, to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Parker, Thomas G., Iannazzi, Peter J.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Sep 05 1997 | Textron Automotive Company | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Aug 07 2008 | COLLINS & AIKMAN AUTOMOTIVE INTERIORS, LLC | COLLINS & AIKMAN PRODUCTS LLC | NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 021462 | /0845 |
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