Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-10-02
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S730200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag cover which is formed of synthetic resin and is used to cover an air bag of a side air bag device to be stored into the peripheral edge of an opening formed in the periphery of a door of a car or the like.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-129300, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a side air bag device of this type, an air bag is folded and stored in the peripheral edge of an opening formed in the peripheral edge of a door or a window on the interior side of a car, in particular, over a portion thereof extending from a pillar portion and roof side rail portion; and, when gas for expansion is charged into the air bag, an air bag cover covering the folded air bag is opened and moved to thereby develop and expand the air bag (see Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 9-315253).
And, in order that, when the air bag is developed and expanded, the air bag cover can be opened and moved by a given amount while preventing the damage thereof, on the back surface side of the air bag cover, in particular, in the two discontinuous portions thereof along the peripheral edge of the above-mentioned opening, there are provided a plurality of connecting/holding portions where the air bag cover can be connected to and held by the body of the car (see Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 9-129617).
However, in the early stage of the expansion of the air bag main body, during the time until the air bag main body projects toward the opening side, the pressure of the air bag main body acts on a wide area on the back surface side of the air bag cover and, for this reason, the connecting/holding portions themselves must be so formed as to have a strength of a certain degree.
Therefore, in order to enhance the strength thereof, the connecting/holding portions are structured in such a manner that they are large in thickness. However, since the air bag cover itself is molded of synthetic resin, a sink or a depression is easy to occur in the air bag cover due to the large thickness of the connecting/holding portions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at eliminating the above drawback found in the conventional air bag covers. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an air bag cover which can prevent occurrence of such sink to thereby be able to secure a sufficient strength when expanding an air bag.
In attaining the above-object, according to the invention, there is provided an air bag cover which is formed of synthetic resin and also which is connected to and held by the body of a car in a plurality of discontinuous connecting/holding portions thereof along the peripheral edge of an opening formed on the interior side of the car in such a manner that it covers an air bag folded in the peripheral edge of the above-mentioned opening and, when an air bag main body of the folded air bag is developed and expanded, it can be so opened and moved as to allow the air bag main body to project toward the above-mentioned opening. A restricting wall projects toward the car body in such a manner that it can connect together the plurality of connecting/holding portions on the back surface side of the present air bag cover, in more particular, on the side of the air bag main body that is distant from the above-mentioned opening and on the above-mentioned opening side of the connecting/holding portions.
According to the invention, the present air bag cover includes the projecting wall which projects toward the car body in such a manner that it can connect together the plurality of connecting/holding portions on the back surface side of the present air bag cover, in more particular, on the side of the air bag main body that is distant from the above-mentioned opening and on the above-mentioned opening side of the connecting/holding portions. Thanks to this, until the air bag main body projects toward the opening side in the early stage of the expansion of the air bag main body, even if the pressure of the air bag main body is going to act on the respective connecting/holding portions, such pressure is allowed to act only a small area due to the restricting wall disposed on the opening side of the connecting/holding portions, thereby being able to reduce the pressure loads that could be applied onto the respective connecting/holding portions.
This in turn makes it possible to reduce the thicknesses of the respective connecting/holding portions, thereby being able to prevent the sink that could be otherwise produced in molding.
Therefore, according to the invention, there can be provided an air bag cover which can prevent the occurrence of the sink to thereby be able to secure a sufficient strength when the air bag is expanded.
Also, since, when the air bag main body is developed and expanded, the expansion of the air bag main body parting away from the opening side is restricted by the restricting wall, the projecting direction of the air bag main body can be directed in a given direction, which makes it possible to increase the fly-out speed of the air bag main body toward the opening side.
Features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments described in conjunction with the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5791683 (1998-08-01), Shibata et al.
patent: 9-129617 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 9-315253 (1997-12-01), None
Ishiyama Hiroshi
Kobayashi Fumitake
Nagai Yutaka
Tajima Hiroyuki
Tanaka Tadao
Dickson Paul N.
Fleming Faye M.
Pillsbury Winthrop LLP Intellectual Property Group
Toyoda Gosei Co,., Ltd.
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