Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2001-04-03
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S728200, C280S732000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209906
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a safety airbag assembly for an automotive vehicle, and particularly to a passenger side airbag assembly that includes a cover formed separately from the associated instrument panel. In preferred practice of the invention the cover conceals an airbag canister and an air conditioner duct extending alongside the canister. An opening in the cover is operable to direct conditioned air from the duct into the passenger compartment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In many automotive vehicles the passenger side airbag canister is concealed behind an instrument panel that has hidden score lines or perforations configured to outline an openable door in alignment with the airbag canister. When the airbag is deployed the instrument panel is ruptured along the scored lines, whereby the door is opened to permit the inflated airbag to expand through the door opening into the passenger compartment.
The present invention relates to a simplified door construction for an airbag canister, wherein the door is formed separately from the instrument panel. The separately formed door is hingedly attached to a hidden airbag canister for disposition within an enlarged opening in the instrument panel. In preferred practice of the invention the door or cover protrudes slightly beyond the plane of the instrument panel so as to have an embossed appearance when viewed by a passenger sitting in facing relation to the instrument panel.
The cover is designed to span the airbag canister and an air conditioning duct located alongside the canister. A relatively small louvered opening in the cover is aligned with the air conditioning duct for conveying conditioned air into the passenger compartment. During deployment of the airbag, e.g. in a vehicle collision, the cover swings to the open position without disturbing the air conditioning duct.
The cover arrangement of the present invention is similar to the cover arrangement depicted in my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/252,256, except that in the present invention the cover is mounted to an airbag canister located within the instrument panel. In co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/252,056 the cover is shown mounted to a hidden frame structure within the instrument panel.
Specific features of the invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5639116 (1997-06-01), Shimizu et al.
patent: 5851023 (1998-12-01), Nagata et al.
patent: 5904367 (1999-05-01), Warnez et al.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
Johnson Brian L.
Luby Matthew
Shurupoff Lawrence J.
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