Motor vehicle instrument panel with flexible tethering hinged air bag deployment door
Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000
United States of America Patent
Stats
-
Nov 2, 1999
Issued Date -
N/A
app pub date -
Jul 10, 1997
filing date -
Mar 31, 1995
priority date (Note) -
Expired
status (Latency Note)
Importance
Abstract
A molded motor vehicle instrument panel made of a thermoplastic material has an integral air bag deployment door for a passenger side air bag that is defined by a tear seam and is normally retained by an integral flexible mounting/hinge flange to a part of the vehicle structure when the seam is torn by the inflating air bag and wherein this flange then bends to allow the door to swing open to allow deployment of the air bag through an opening in the instrument panel while retaining same to the vehicle structure as the door is then free of the instrument panel. At very low temperatures, a portion of the air bag door can break away from the mounting/hinge flange because of plastic embrittlement at these low temperatures and the high bending stresses encountered at this juncture. This separation of the broken door portion from the vehicle structure is prevented by a tethering hinge that is formed of a strong flexible sheet material that spans this critical juncture between the mounting/hinge flange and door and remains flexible at these very cold temperatures to retain the broken door portion to the vehicle structure.
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Family
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