Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-26
2001-03-13
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S728200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199899
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an airbag module for arrangement in motor vehicle steering wheels, comprising a cup-shaped generator carrier and a covering cap, the generator carrier and the cap being connected with each other.
BACKGROUND
In such airbag modules, various limiting conditions must be taken into account for the development of the connection between the generator carrier and the covering cap. Firstly, it must be ensured that the connection withstands all forces occurring during the sudden unfolding of the gas bag, because a release of parts of the cap or of the cap as a whole, which tears open and folds out along given lines on activation of the gas bag, caused by an accident, must be avoided under all circumstances with regard to the risk of injury related therewith. The development of the connection is made difficult in that these forces are effective not only in the direction of unfolding of the air bag, but momentarily also in the opposite direction.
In addition, it is to be noted that the cap of an airbag module generally is designed as an actuating member for the vehicle horn and for this is arranged so as to be movable against a return force approximately parallel to the steering wheel axis across at least the contact distance relative to the steering wheel. With the connection between the cap and generator carrier, care must be taken that these parts are secured to each other so as to be immovable relative to each other, so that the horn function or the contact distance to be set in close limits can be maintained.
Finally, the connection between the covering cap and the generator carrier should be as simple as possible and preferably be made without any tools.
Conventional connections between the cap and the generator carrier do not always fulfill the above-mentioned requirements optimally, so that engineers are constantly endeavoring to further improve these connections. In addition to this is the fact that motor vehicle steering wheels are likewise constantly further developed, which can lead to conventional fastening methods no longer being able to be applied and therefore likewise having to be modified.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides an improved airbag module for a simple and cheap connection between the cover cap and the generator carrier.
According to the invention, the generator carrier consists of a shaped sheet metal section with a side wall aligned substantially parallel to the steering wheel axis, which side wall has at least two fastening regions distributed peripherally, each such fastening region having
at least one outwardly angled tab on the upper rim of the side wall,
a rectangular opening arranged in the side wall therebeneath and
a bending tongue, produced by punching from the side wall beneath the window cut-out;
the covering cap consisting of plastic and having a surrounding side wall with vertical slits and lying externally against the side wall of the generator carrier, which side wall for each fastening region having
a radial through opening for engagement of a tab and
a radially inwardly directed, integrally molded projection, which in the mounted state rests on a lower rim of the opening of the side wall, the bending tongue in the mounted state being bent upwards and lying externally against the side wall of the covering cap.
In the proposed airbag module, it is assumed that a sufficient reciprocal positioning and fixing of the generator carrier and the covering cap can be achieved in a plane perpendicular to the steering wheel axis. The generator carrier and the covering cap wall are provided with regions which correspond to each other and abut concentrically against each other. The corresponding regions cooperate to produce an interconnection between the generator carrier and the covering cap which is reliable in operation and merely requires an exact positioning of both the generator carrier and the covering cap relative to each other in the direction of the steering wheel axis.
Here, the wall of the covering cap parallel to the steering wheel axis is divided by longitudinal sections into regions which are able to be spread outwards elastically to such an extent that they can be displaced readily over the outwardly angled tabs of the generator carrier. After the engaging of these tabs into the recesses of the covering cap, the connection thus created is secured by bending the bending tongues upwards. At the same time, the radially inwardly-directed projections, which are integrally molded on the side wall of the covering cap and in the mounted state rest on the lower rim of the opening in the side wall of the generator carrier, provide for the connection to be free of play in the direction of the steering wheel axis, so that neither the predetermined contact distance nor the horn function are impaired.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5482313 (1996-01-01), Ikeya et al.
patent: 5794967 (1998-08-01), Manire
patent: 5794968 (1998-08-01), Yamomoto et al.
patent: 5816608 (1998-10-01), Tanabe
patent: 5829777 (1998-11-01), Sakurai et al.
patent: 5851023 (1998-12-01), Nagata et al.
patent: 5857696 (1999-01-01), Inoue et al.
Bathon Michael
Bieber Udo
Burgard Jürgen
Krebs Jurgen
Kullman Kurt
Fischmann Bryan
Johnson Brian L.
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH & Co. KG
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