Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-26
2001-02-27
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S728200, C280S732000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193271
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automotive air bag device and, more particularly, to an automotive air bag device wherein the air bag inflation opening is formed in an automotive panel such as an instrument panel or a door panel, and this opening is covered with an air bag lid.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, there is shown a conventional passenger-side automotive air bag device
2
disposed in an automobile instrument panel
1
. In the illustration, air bag
2
device is installed at an angle that allows it to be easily viewed in the drawing. This does not necessarily correspond to actual installation angles.
Instrument panel
1
is formed of a two-layer material including a core material
1
a
and a surface material
1
b.
A rectangular air bag inflation opening
1
c
is formed at a prescribed position on instrument panel
1
.
Air bag device
2
includes a semi-cylindrical metal case
4
fixed to a vehicle body via a bracket
3
. An inflator
5
, housed in case
4
, inflates an air bag
6
when inflator
5
is activated. A metal guide member
8
is fixed to case
4
by a plurality of mechanical fasteners
7
,
7
(only two are shown). An air bag lid
10
is fixed to guide member
8
by a plurality of mechanical fasteners
9
,
9
(only two are shown). These elements are assembled to the vehicle body as a single unit.
Air bag lid
10
covers opening
1
c
of instrument panel
1
. Air bag lid
10
includes a main lid unit
10
b
having a scoreline
10
a.
Legs
10
c,
projecting from the back surface of main lid unit
10
b,
are fastened to guide member
8
so as to retain lid
10
when air bag
6
inflates.
In air bag device
2
, bracket
3
, case
4
, inflator
5
, air bag
6
, guide member
8
, and air bag lid
10
comprise a subassembly. When installing this subassembly in the vehicle body, the proper alignment of air bag lid
10
with opening
1
c
is difficult to achieve. Proper alignment requires the edges of opening
1
c
and the outer edges of air bag lid
10
be aligned both along the plane of the opening and along the depth axis, i.e. alignment must be performed in three dimensions. If perfect alignment is not achieved, the cosmetic appearance of instrument panel
1
will suffer.
Furthermore, the inclusion of guide member
8
, which maintains subassembly integrity when air bag
10
inflates, increases the size of air bag device
2
, thus making the alignment operation described above even more difficult. Finally, the subassembly includes a substantial number of parts, so that material and assembly costs are high.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the problems described above by providing an automotive air bag device wherein the air bag lid can be easily aligned with the automotive panel.
It is a further object to provide an automotive air bag device which offers reduced material and assembly costs while maintaining its structural integrity when the inflator is activated.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides an automotive air bag device which offers ready installation in an automobile instrument panel while reducing material and assembly costs and maintaining its structural integrity when activated. An air bag inflation opening, formed in the instrument panel, is surrounded by an internal reinforcement wall. An air bag lid, which covers the opening, includes an inwardly directed leg which engages the reinforcement wall. A case, which supports an inflator and a diffuser, is fastened to the leg on the lid.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an automotive air bag device comprising: an automotive panel having an inner surface and defining an air bag inflation opening, a reinforcement wall on the inner surface of the instrument panel, surrounding the air bag inflation opening, an air bag lid, a leg projecting from the air bag lid and engageable with the reinforcement wall to retain the air bag lid in covering relation to the air bag inflation opening, a case attached to the leg, and an inflator disposed within the case.
According to a feature of the invention, there is provided an automotive air bag installation comprising: an instrument panel, an air bag opening in the instrument panel, an air bag lid, the air bag lid fitting the air bag opening and forming a contiguous portion of the instrument panel, at least one projection on one of the air bag lid and the instrument panel, an engagement portion on the other of the air bag lid and the instrument panel, the projection and the engagement portion interengaging when the air bag lid is inserted into the air bag opening, and a resulting interengagement being effective for retaining the air bag lid in position in the air bag opening whereby the air bag lid is installed by the insertion.
These objects are achieved by an air bag device wherein an air bag inflation opening is formed in the automobile panel, with a reinforcement wall surrounding the back side of the opening. An air bag lid, which covers the opening, includes an inwardly directed leg which is fastened to the reinforcement wall. A case, which supports an inflator and a diffuser, is also fastened to the leg on the lid.
The above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate the same elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5332257 (1994-07-01), Rogers et al.
patent: 5398961 (1995-03-01), Rogers et al.
patent: 5524922 (1996-06-01), Soderquist
patent: 5527063 (1996-06-01), Garner et al.
patent: 5630610 (1997-05-01), Murakami et al.
patent: 5851023 (1998-12-01), Nagata et al.
patent: 5873596 (1999-02-01), Kantoh et al.
patent: 5884939 (1999-03-01), Yamaji et al.
patent: 6-23845 (1994-03-01), None
Kansei Corporation
Mar Michael
Morrison Law Firm
Phan Hau
LandOfFree
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