CN115158181A - Tether fastening devices, body panels and tether assemblies, vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

Provides tether securing devices, body panels and tether assemblies, vehicles. A tether fastening device for a body panel in an automobile, comprising: a fastener clip, removably coupled to the automobile; a multi-strand reinforcement strap as a separate component, having a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end are coupled to the body panel such that the strap engages the fastener clip between the first end and the second end. The assembly includes a body panel and the tether fastening device to which the fastener clip is removably coupled. When in the attachment mode, the fastener clip is attached to the body panel and to the vehicle body structure. When in the disassembly mode, the fastener clip is released from the body panel while being tethered to the strap. The vehicle includes a vehicle chassis and the tether securing device to which the fastener clip is clipped and removably coupled to a body panel.

Description

Tether fastening devices, body panels and tether assemblies, vehicles

This application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application with an application date of May 4, 2016, the invention title is "tether fastening device, body panel and tether assembly, vehicle" and the application number is 201610289201.7.

technical field

The present invention relates generally to devices for securing objects and, more particularly, to tethered fastener devices for insertion into engaging structures such as vehicle chassis, hollow substrates, walls, panels, or any suitable surface.

Background technique

Many devices and fasteners are currently available for securing panels such as body panels and automotive interior and exterior trim to the chassis of a vehicle. As used herein, body panel refers to, for example, any body panel, plastic interior trim, body part, or any suitable portion or made of any suitable material such as wood, steel, aluminum, magnesium, carbon fiber, rubber, cloth, or any suitable material interior trim. Additionally, the panels may be any suitable exterior body panels, such as fenders, bumpers, rear side panels, or door panels. The chassis of a vehicle may include any base plate, panel, body panel, structural frame, chassis component or subcomponent, wall, or any suitable object.

However, with the advent of airbags placed throughout the vehicle interior, body panels and interior trim pieces can become ballistic and not necessarily disassemble in a safe and controlled manner. One problem is to safely facilitate deployment of these various airbags while minimizing the risk of body panels injuring passengers. For example, side curtain airbags or airbags that traverse down windows, seats, headliners, or along one chassis pillar to another typically travel along a predetermined path from a storage location within the body panel to fully deploy airbags and protect passengers during a crash. Other types of airbags, such as "sausage" airbags and side curtain airbags, may operate in a similar manner to protect the head and chest area. As a result, these various body panels must be safely detached or removed from the vehicle chassis in a controlled manner to allow airbags to deploy, for example, from within the body panels. Additionally, these body panels are often disassembled to allow the airbag to travel in a guided manner along the vehicle chassis via rigid plastic straps or tethers, as is known in the art. Tether straps that are not integrated with body panels are known to be used to attach body panels or interior trim to a vehicle chassis to control displacement of the interior trim when it is removed.

However, when the interior trim is fastened to the chassis during assembly of the vehicle, manual insertion of the interior trim into the vehicle chassis requires attaching a separate tether strap between the interior trim and the vehicle chassis in a separate step . As a result, a two-step process for attaching the body panel to the chassis is required, including the additional step of attaching the tether straps within the confines of the body panel and the vehicle chassis. Due to the increased amount of labor involved in installing the tether strap between the interior trim and the vehicle chassis, these non-integrated individual tether straps increase assembly costs and thus production costs, resulting in higher vehicle price. In addition, the requirement to install the tether strap separately between the interior trim and the vehicle chassis further increases the likelihood of accidents not properly attaching the tether strap between the interior trim and the vehicle chassis during assembly. If the non-integrated separate tether straps are installed incorrectly, the interior trim may disassemble in an uncontrolled manner and may come into contact with vehicle occupants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a tether fastening device, a body panel, a tether assembly, and a vehicle that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

A tether fastening device for an automotive body structure includes: a fastener clip removably coupled to a body panel; and a strap having a first end and a second end coupled to the body panel end. A strap is coupled to the fastener clip between the first end and the second end, and the strap couples the body panel to the vehicle chassis to allow for controlled removal. The belt may include a mesh, such as bungee cord or other suitable material, sufficient to absorb deployment energy and decelerate the body panel in a controlled manner. The body panel further includes a tether clip bracket removably coupled to the fastener clip. The body panel further includes: a body panel bracket attached to the tether clip bracket; and a body part coupled to the body panel bracket. Another advantage is that when removed, the body panel itself does not become ballistic in nature and thus pose no danger to vehicle occupants. When attached, the fastener clip is attached to the body panel and to the vehicle chassis. When removed, the fastener clip can be removed from the body panel while remaining attached to the vehicle chassis; however, the strap controls the acceleration, speed, and distance traveled between the fastener clip vehicle chassis and the body panel.

The tether strap allows for controlled disassembly between the entrainment coupler and the bracket strap coupler. The belt may include a mesh for absorbing deployment energy and decelerating the body panel in a controlled manner. In the event of airbag activation, the tether clip bracket and fastener clip initially accelerate and then decelerate from each other. The pair of tether straps control the deceleration and separation distance of the entrainment and cradle strap couplers.

Among other advantages, the tether strap forms a loop to couple the entrainment strap coupler and the stent strap coupler. The strap for forming the loop and for attaching the tether strap to the fastener clip is replaced by a screw or a nut and bolt. The tether fastening device easily facilitates attachment of the fastening device to the body panel and chassis, while the integrated tether strap controls the removal of the fastener clip from the body panel. The tether strap is reinforced with multiple twists and thus absorbs deployment energy and decelerates the body panel in a controlled manner to avoid breakage of the strap. Alternatively, the tether straps include mesh reinforcements on the elastic material to reinforce the straps so that the straps resist breakage and do not allow the body panel to travel more than a predetermined distance. Since the tether fastening device includes an integrated strap, in a single step, the body panel assembly can be pre-assembled with the strap and the fastener clip already attached or ready for attachment to the vehicle chassis. As a result, a separate step of attaching the tether strap to the vehicle is not required. Because the tether strap is integrated into the fastener clip and shipped to, for example, the car manufacturer for final assembly, the car manufacturer can omit the step of attaching the strap to the vehicle chassis because the tether strap is already integrated into the tether clip. Therefore, the assembly cost is reduced, thereby reducing the production cost of the manufacturer. In addition, the tether fastening device reduces or eliminates the possibility of erroneous attachment of the tether strap between the fastener clip, the vehicle chassis, and the body panel since the tether strap has been integrated with the fastener clip via the strap loop and has been attached to the body panels. In other words, the problem of inadvertently failing to attach a separate tether strap between the vehicle chassis and the body panel is greatly reduced or even eliminated. The tethers facilitate controlled disengagement of the body panels and vehicle chassis to allow deployment of the airbag, allowing the airbag to travel along a guide path that would otherwise be obstructed by the second engagement structure. Among other advantages, the use of a tether fastening device reduces production costs and increases productivity and efficiency, while further improving reliability and safety.

Description of drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited by the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements, and wherein:

1 is a perspective exploded view of a body panel assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a perspective view of a body panel assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view of a body panel and fasteners in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a side view of a body panel assembly and fasteners in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

5 depicts a top view of a tether securing device according to another embodiment;

6 depicts a side view of a tether securing device according to another embodiment;

7 depicts a tether securing device in an engaged position according to another embodiment; and

8 depicts a tether securing device in a disengaged position according to another embodiment.

9 is a perspective exploded view of a body panel assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

10 is a perspective view of a body panel assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

11-14 are various views of a tether strap fastener according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 15-17 are different views of a tower or pillar of a body panel according to an alternate embodiment; and

Figure 18 is a view of the tether strap.

Detailed ways

1 is an exploded view of a body panel and tether assembly 10 including fastener clips 20 ( FIGS. 1-6 ), 760 ( FIGS. 7-8 ), tether straps 30 , 730 , and tether clip bracket 40 . The tether clip bracket 40 may be attached to a body part 60 , such as a tower or pillar of the body part 60 . Body piece 60 may be part of a plastic trim piece, a body panel, or any other suitable type of panel. According to another embodiment, the body panel 70 includes both the tether clip bracket 40 and the body piece 60 . For example, once the tether clip bracket 40 and the body part 60 are attached via welds, rivet screws, dog houses, or other suitable fasteners, the body panel 70 is attached to the fastener clip 20 and disassemble. The tether clip bracket 40 may be made of plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, magnesium, leather, rubber, wood, or any other suitable type of material. According to one embodiment, the body piece 60 may be a plastic trim cover for a B-pillar in a vehicle chassis, and may be made of polyvinyl chloride or any other suitable type of plastic known in the art. Body member 60, fastener tether clips 20, 700, and tether straps 30, 730 may be coupled or otherwise suitably attached to another engaging structure 50, such as a vehicle chassis, structural frame, body panel, wall, base plate or any other suitable object. The tether fastening device 10 is attached to the body panel 70 and to the slot 52 in the vehicle chassis 50 .

The tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 are reinforced with multiple twists and thus absorb deployment energy and decelerate the body panel 70 in a controlled manner to avoid breakage of the straps. For example, the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 include multi-stranded material such as mesh reinforcements on elastic material to reinforce the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 such that the tether straps 30, 222, 224 , 730 resist breakage and do not allow the body panel to travel more than a predetermined distance. The components of the tether straps 30, 730 and tether clip 20 may also be made of polyvinyl chloride or any suitable plastic, although any other suitable material may be used, such as carbon fiber, wire or cable. The multi-stranded material can be nylon mesh, rope mesh, metal mesh, rubber, plastic, polyester, aluminum, steel, mesh or braid, bungee cord, or any suitable stranded material. Multi-stranded materials such as rope or steel cable can withstand large tensile forces and exhibit a very high yield point to failure, and thus effectively prevent failure of the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730. For example, if one or some of the strands of the net or cable stretch or even break, the strain is evident, while the remaining strands continue to prevent breakage and secure the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730.

It should be appreciated that the implementation of other variations and modifications of the body panel and tether fastener assembly 10 (including 700 ), as well as the various aspects thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein, are of great value to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent to the person and the invention is not limited by these specific examples described. For example, fastener tether clip 20 and tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 may be coupled to tether clip bracket 40 in any suitable manner. For example, tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 may be coupled to tether clip bracket 40 on one side of tether clip bracket 40 or on any portion of tether clip bracket 40, or such as within an interior trim Surface or on any portion of the tower or column is coupled to the body member 60 .

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the body panel and tether fastener assembly 10 when attached, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1-6, the fastener tether clips 20, 700 are coupled to the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 such that the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 are bent to The fastener clip 20 is allowed to enter the tether clip bracket 40 of the body panel 70 . The tether clip bracket 40 may be attached to the body part 60 via, for example, a fastening mechanism 530 such as rivets, ultrasonic or heat welds, screws, pins, or other suitable fastening mechanisms 130, and may be pre-assembled. According to one embodiment, the tether straps 30 , 222 , 224 , 730 are attached to the tether clip bracket 40 via at least two arms 222 , 224 , eg, by a fastening mechanism 130 such as the screws shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 and the single arm shown in FIGS. 6 , 7 or 8 is attached to the tether clip bracket 40 . Alternatively, three or more flexible arms 222, 224 are envisaged. Alternatively, the tether strap 30 is attached to the tether clip bracket 40 via a ribbon cable, strap, flexible tether, weldment, or other flat cable. For example, the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 may be coupled to the tether clip bracket along one, two, three, or all four sides of the base 120 via the base 120 of the fastener clip 20, 700 40. As a result, the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 may have a suitable amount of material sufficient to carry any desired amount of disassembly force, including portions of varying thickness, such as by mesh or alternatively external Apply elastic material covered by objects or devices such as chains, cables, metal tapes.

According to one embodiment, each of the arms 30 , 222 , 224 , 730 may be attached to the base 120 via the channel 140 shown in FIGS. 1-5 or the strap attachment 710 shown in FIGS. 6 , 7 and 8 . . For example, when the tether clip bracket 40 is removed from the fastener clip 20 slid to the engaging structure 50 (such as a vehicle chassis), the removal force may be absorbed by the elastic material within the straps 30, 222, 224, 730, such that nylon The mesh of the jacket acts as a reinforcement to properly maintain the coupling between the fastener clips 20 coupled to the joint structure 50 and the body panel 70 . The straps 30 , 222 , 224 , 730 may include shock absorbers, tears and weakenings, or any other suitable mechanism for absorbing all or a portion of the energy resulting from removal of the engagement structure 50 from the body panel 70 .

According to one embodiment, the tether clip bracket 40 of the body panel 70 is removed from the fastener clip 20 on the engagement structure 50 in response to the impact of a vehicle crash and related events such as airbag deployment. Accordingly, the arms 30 , 222 , 224 , 730 may include a sufficient amount of material, such as molded plastic, mesh reinforcements, nylon jackets, or other suitable materials, to ensure the first engagement structure or vehicle chassis 50 and body panel 60 The coupling is maintained via the tether straps 30 , 70 .

The tether strap 30 further includes a tether strap coupler 230 , 710 at one or both ends of the tether strap 30 , 730 . The tether strap couplers 230 , 710 are suitably coupled to strap slots 232 , 732 formed on the tether clip brackets 40 , 730 . According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the tether strap coupler 230 and strap slot 232 are parallel. Optionally, tether strap coupler 230, 710 and strap slot 232, 732 are positioned orthogonally such that tether strap coupler 230, 710 can be inserted into strap slot 232, 732 and when rotated , the tether strap coupler 230 , 710 will resist removal from the strap slot 230 , 732 . Although the tether strap coupler 230 is shown as having the general profile of the end of a strap, the tether strap coupler 230, 710 may take the form or shape of any suitable attachment shape, such as a T-bar, ball, arrow , triangles, squares and/or hooks (as described in this application) for complementary engagement within belt slots 232 , 732 . The strap slots 232 , 732 may be adapted to accept insertion of the tether strap coupler 230 , 710 while resisting removal of the tether strap coupler 230 , 710 from the engagement structure slot 52 .

5 shows a top view of a body panel and tether fastener assembly 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the base 120 of the fastener clip 20 includes tether retention tabs 248 , 550 . According to this embodiment, the tether retention tabs 248 , 550 retain the fastener clip 20 by means of corners or bends of the tether retention tabs 248 , 550 . For example, when fastener clip 20 engages tether strap 30 , tether retention tabs 248 , 550 spring inward while frictionally engaging strap 30 until fastener clip 20 is fully inserted into strap 30 and grips strap 30 . Once fully inserted, the tether retention tabs 248 , 550 expand via spring action to engage the strap 30 . For example, when the fastener clip 20 is clipped into the slot 52 such that the engagement structure 50 compresses the tether retention tabs 248, 550 into the strap 30 and thus tightly grips the strap 30, the strap 30 may pass through the slot 242 engages the tether retention tabs 248 , 550 . Furthermore, the frictional engagement and spring tension between the tether retention tab 248 and the engagement structure 50 may be sufficient to allow relatively easy insertion while increasing the relative force with which the fastener clip 20 is extracted from the slot 52 . In other words, since the engagement structure 50 is clamped between the notch 242 on the arm 770 and the tether retention tabs 248, 550, the notch 242 on the arm 770 springs toward the engagement structure 50 and pushes the engagement structure 50 to a tight The tethers of the clamping band 30 are retained in the tabs 248, 550.

According to one embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the tether strap 710 includes a gripper 750 to facilitate gripping, insertion and swivel of the strap coupler 710 , fastener 760 and tether cap 700 into the engagement structure slot 52 . For example, installers can more easily grasp clip 750 with their fingers to insert (and twist as necessary) strap coupler 710 and fastener 760 into tether cap 700 and into engagement structure slot 52 middle. Although clip 750 is shown in the shape of the thickened end of belt coupler 710, clip 750 may be any suitable shape. Clamp 750 may be an "X" (also referred to as an X stop), or may be formed in any shape suitable for allowing manipulation of strap coupler 710 into engagement structure slot 52, such as an "I," "T", "V", "O" or any unilateral or multilateral object.

According to one embodiment, the body part 60 including the tether clip brackets 40 is attached to a tower or shell of the body panel, which may be part of the body part 60 . For example, the tether clip bracket 40 , the fastener clips 20 , 700 , 760 and the body part 60 may be pre-assembled into a suitable assembly with the vehicle chassis 50 . The entire assembly is fastened via fastener clips 20 , 700 , 760 to any suitable pillar, such as an A-pillar, B-pillar or C-pillar, or via slot 52 to the vehicle chassis 50 . The slot 52 may be sized to allow relatively easy insertion of the fastener clip 20 , 700 while resisting separation between the fastener clip 20 , 700 and the vehicle chassis 50 . Slots 52 may have any shape, such as rectangles, circles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, polygons, n-sided polygons (where n is an integer), ellipses and/or ovals, or any suitable shape.

6-8 and 8-13 depict one example of a strap 730, such as a metal, nylon, carbon fiber, rubber mesh reinforced, or plastic strap 730, attached at one end in an open loop configuration. Other embodiments can have legs comprising arms/legs 222, 224, 730 of different shapes, such as different radii of curvature or bends, spirals, angles, or any suitable shape to act as shock absorbers. The fastener clip 760 includes a pair of tangs 770 to engage the tether cap 700 in the tether cap 700 in the tether slot. According to one embodiment, the catch 770 includes a notch or recess adapted to increase the extraction force for extracting the fastener clip 760 from the tether cap 700 relative to the insertion force. The catch 770 may be dimensioned to engage the slot 52 of the vehicle chassis 50 to further increase the extraction force. According to one embodiment, recesses may be formed on the catch 770 . For example, the notches or recesses may be formed by stamping one or more of the catches 770 ( FIGS. 7 and 8 and 9-13 ) and the notches 242 ( FIGS. 1 , 3 and 4 ). The notch 242 may further include an edge, which may include abrupt corners, single corners, multiple corners, continuously changing corners, or corners of any suitable size to allow the fastener clips 20, 760 and tether cap 700 to be relatively easily Insertion into the slot 52 increases the extraction force. Notches 242 may be formed such that any angle may be employed, including 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 89°, 145°, and the like. Tether cap 700 may further include tether cap arms 246 that are adapted to flex when inserted into slot 52 and thereby expose detents for engagement with slot 52 .

According to one embodiment, the tether cap 700 and fastener clips 20, 920, 760 provide a disengagement force of from at least 20 pounds to 50 pounds. So that during impact, the body panel 70 is properly detached from the vehicle chassis 50 by means of the tether strap 30 . The fastener clips 20, 720, 920 can be any suitable fastener clips, and can be any clips manufactured by Termax Corp. of Crystal Lake, Illinois. According to one embodiment, the fastener clips 20, 720 may be fastener clips such as part numbers 27000, 67000, 4405, 4570, 30611, 3842, 4210 and 71500 manufactured by Termax Corporation or any suitable clip. For example, any component of the body panel and tether fastener assembly 10 may be molded, extruded, or formed in any suitable method from plastic or any suitable material. Alternatively, any component of the body panel and tether fastener assembly 10 may be fabricated from steel metal strips on a progressive die. The steps employed may include the formation of shear tabs and punching to form holes and channels, as is known in the art. Additionally, rubber, plastic, paint, or any suitable coating or covering may be applied to reduce hum, squeak and rattle (BSR) during operation of the vehicle.

6-8 depict a tether securing device 600 according to another embodiment. Examples have open-circuit or non-annular features as previously described. Tether fastening device 600 includes tether fastener 770 , strap coupler 710 and tether cap 700 , clip 750 and arm 246 . Although shown with loops, the straps 730 may have shapes with various curvatures, bends, spirals, or any suitable combination, for example, to further provide shock absorption. For example, if the airbag causes the body panel 70 to be removed from the chassis 50 , the cap 700 remains with the chassis 50 while the fastener clips 760 remain with the body piece 60 . The shock absorbers and belt couplers 710 formed in the belt 730 partially or substantially absorb the energy caused by the sudden disassembly of the body member 60 . The hook fingers 540 may be operable to releasably attach to a chassis or body panel 60, such as a B-pillar body panel or other suitable object. For example, the hook fingers 540 and corresponding grooves 650 on the body molding can slide through the inlets to corresponding couplings on the body panel 60 . The hook fingers 540 may have tapered hooks 670 to retain and also allow the hook fingers 540 to be easily inserted into the body panel 60 while allowing removal. For example, the hook fingers 540 may be removed from the body panel 60 by prying the hook fingers 540 and optional tapered hooks to disengage.

7 depicts tether fastener 600 in an engaged position (such that coupler 710 is engaged in cap 700) according to another embodiment. An optional clip 760 can be inserted into the cap 700 to provide the desired releasable retention force for the clip 760 on the coupler 710 . According to this embodiment, clip 760 is attached to cap 700 to releasably engage slot 52 of vehicle chassis 50 . According to another embodiment, the clip 760 may have a base portion 544 that is flush with the coupler 710 . The clip 760 further includes a catch 770 for engaging the slot 52 of the chassis 50 . According to one embodiment, the clip 760 includes two opposing legs 770 to hold the two sides of the clip 720 together. The catches 770 may be finger-like extensions of legs operable to bend to hold the catches 770 together.

8 depicts a perspective view of a tether fastener 600 in a disengaged position according to another embodiment. When in the detachment mode, the tether cap 700 and the arm 246 operably coupled to the vehicle chassis and the tether cap 700 are detached from the clip 760 while the coupler 710 remains coupled to the body panel 60 .

The releasable connection in the tether fastener clip 20, 760, 700 includes a sequence of attachments. A first releasable coupling is formed between optional clip 760 and cap 700 . A second releasable coupling is formed between optional clip 760 and coupler 710 . A third releasable coupling is formed between the cap 700 and the slot 52 formed in the chassis 50 . A fourth releasable coupling is formed between the hook fingers 540 ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ) or the tether bracket 40 and the body panel 60 ( FIGS. 1-6 ). For example, as the chassis 50 is approached, the insertion and extraction forces of each of the releasable couplings increase.

According to one embodiment, the tether straps 30, 222, 224, 730 allow the vehicle chassis 50 to be separated from the body member 60 by a distance of approximately 100 mm. However, the displacement between the vehicle chassis 50 and the body member 60 may be any range of distances, including 50mm to 150mm, 25mm to 175mm, and 10mm to 500mm, or any suitable distance. Additionally, the tether cap 700 and fastener clip 760 disassemble in response to a minimum disassembly force ranging from 20 to 50 pounds, 10 to 100 pounds, and/or 5 to 200 pounds, or any Appropriate dismantling force.

9-18 depict a tether securing device 900 according to another embodiment. Another example has the open-circuit or non-annular band 222, 730 feature as previously described.

Fastener clip 920 is coupled to vehicle chassis 50 . Fastener clips 920 may optionally be further secured by screws 1540 entering into threaded barrels 1560 or any suitable fasteners. The tether clip bracket 40 is removably coupled to the body panel 60 . Fastener clip 920 further includes tether hooks 940 for attaching to straps 222 , 730 .

The fastener clip 920 further includes a panel retainer 950, such as a tab formed at the end of the tether hook 940, for insertion into the retention slot 960 to further secure and stabilize the fastener 920 into the chassis 50 . After the clip 20, 920 is inserted into the slot 52, the clip 20, 920 remains in the slot 52 even during airbag activation.

According to one embodiment, the tether clip bracket 40 is attached to the tether straps 222 , 730 via the tether hook 970 . The tether clip bracket 40 may be in a non-orthogonal plane relative to the fastener clip 20 when in the attached position, as is typically the case after vehicle assembly. For example, if space is insufficient for both the fastener clip 920 and the body panels 60, 70, the straps 22, 730 may simply be tethered a predetermined distance. In the event of airbag activation, the tether clip bracket 40 quickly disengages from the fastener clip 20 during disassembly. The looped tethers 222 , 730 control the acceleration, deceleration and separation distance of the fastener clip 920 and the body panels 60 , 70 . When employed, the tether clip bracket 40 (and the body part 70 ) and the fastener clip 920 (attached to the chassis 50 ) initially accelerate and then decelerate from each other to a safe predetermined distance.

As shown in FIGS. 9-10 and 15-17 , the tether clip bracket 40 may also be attached to a body member 60 that includes a tower or column portion of a body panel 70 . The threaded tube 990 on the tether clip bracket 40 may be further secured via screws 980 to the threaded holes 1610 on the body member 60 . Body piece 60 may be part of a plastic trim piece, a body panel such as a B-pillar body panel, or any other suitable type of panel.

11 and 13, according to one embodiment, the tether clip stent 40 further includes an aperture 1110 surrounded by two arms 1310 adjacent the apertures 1110 to flex and absorb energy during deployment. According to another embodiment, the body panel 70 includes a pre-assembled combination of both the tether clip bracket 40 and the body piece 60 . For example, the clevis 930 on the tether clip bracket 40 is slid into the slot 530 of the body member 60 and attached via welds, rivet screws, or other suitable fasteners. As an assembly, the body panel 70 is tethered together with fastener clips 920 . Fastener clip 920 and tether clip bracket 40 may be made of metal, plastic, carbon fiber, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, magnesium, leather, rubber, wood, or any other suitable type of material. According to one embodiment, the body member 60 may be a plastic trim cover for A-pillars, B-pillars, and C-pillars in a vehicle chassis, and may be made of polyvinyl chloride or any other suitable type of material known in the art to make. Via the fastening device 10 (including the fastener tether clips 920, 700 and the tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224), the body part 60 may be coupled or otherwise suitably attached to another engagement structure 50, such as Vehicle chassis, structural frame, body panel, wall, base plate or any other suitable object.

According to one embodiment, the fastener tether hooks 940 and bracket tether hooks 970 are compressed or spring clamped to attach to the straps 30 , 730 , 222 . The ends of the straps 30, 730, 222 may be tied and coupled, for example, by a fastening mechanism 130 such as a clamp. Fastening mechanism 130 may be or may further include a clamp, such as wire 1200, staples, coils, "pig hoops", or any suitable coupling mechanism. Optionally, the fastening mechanism 130 is a cover or cover (such as tape) that covers the clamp or wire 1200 . Alternatively, three, four, five, six or more suitable numbers of flexible arms 222, 224 for each tether strap are contemplated.

The tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224 are multi-strand reinforcement straps and thus absorb deployment energy and decelerate the body panel 70 relative to the chassis 50 in a controlled manner to avoid breakage of the straps. For example, the tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224 include a multi-stranded material, such as a mesh reinforcement on an elastic material. The mesh reinforcement (mesh) reinforces the tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224 so that the elastic material on the tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224 stretches in a controlled manner while the mesh resists breakage and does not allow the body The panel 70 travels more than a predetermined distance from the chassis 50 .

The entrainment strap coupler 210, fastening mechanism 130 and bracket strap coupler 710 and related components may be made of polyvinyl chloride or any suitable plastic, although any other suitable material may be used, such as carbon fiber, wire or cable. The multi-stranded material can be nylon mesh, rope mesh, metal mesh, rubber, plastic, polyester, aluminum, steel, mesh or braid, bungee cord, or any suitable stranded material. Multi-stranded materials such as rope or steel cable can withstand large tensile forces and exhibit high levels of yield point to failure, and thus effectively prevent or significantly reduce failure of the tether straps 30, 730, 222, 224. For example, if one or several of the strands of the net or cable stretch or even break, strain is evident, while the remaining strands remain intact and continue to prevent breakage and ensure the integrity of the tether straps 30, 70, 222, 224. Safety. For example, the apparent strain of the twist or net can be used to determine the reuse, reassembly, and reinstallation of the straps 30 , 730 and any components of the tether fastening device 10 , 1300 .

It should be appreciated that the implementation of other variations and modifications of the body panel and tether fastener assemblies 10 , 600 , 900 , as well as the various aspects thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein, are critical to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent to the person and the invention is not limited by these specific examples described.

The tether clip bracket 40 may further include barbs 1120 on the interior of the clevis 930 that snap or poke into the tower 70 and inhibit the clevis 930 from being removed or slipping out of the slot 530 of the tower 70 .

Alternatively, the tether straps 30, 222, 730 may be ribbon cables, straps, flexible tethers, welds, or suitable flat cables. As a result, the tether straps 30, 222, 730 may be of any suitable amount of material, including portions of varying thickness, such as by mesh or alternatively externally applied, sufficient to carry any desired amount of dismantling force An elastic material covered by an object or device such as a chain, cable, metal belt.

The straps 30 , 222 , 730 may include shock absorbers, tears and weakenings, or any other suitable mechanism for absorbing all or a portion of the energy resulting from removal of the engagement structure 50 from the body panel 70 .

The tether clip bracket 40 of the body panel 70 is disassembled from the fastener clip 920 on the engagement structure 50 in response to the impact of a vehicle crash and related events such as airbag deployment. Accordingly, the arms 224 , 222 , 730 may include a sufficient amount of material, such as rubber, molded plastic, mesh reinforcements, nylon jackets, or other suitable materials, to ensure the first engagement structure or vehicle chassis 50 and body panel 60 Separated by a predetermined distance and remain coupled via the tether straps 30 , 730 .

The wings 770 and wing recesses 242 on opposite sides of the fastener clips 920 , 700 engage the slots 52 of the chassis 50 .

As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the fastener clip 20, 920 has a slot 1560 in its base that engages a fastener 1540, such as a pin or rivet.

The slots 52 may have any shape corresponding to the wings 770, 246, such as rectangles, circles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, polygons, n-sided polygons (where n is an integer), ellipses, and/or or oval or any suitable shape.

The fastener clips 20 , 920 include a pair of feet 770 and fingers 780 to engage the slots 52 of the vehicle chassis 50 . According to one embodiment, the catch 770 includes at least one notch or recess or bend adapted to increase the extraction force for extracting the fastener clip 20 , 920 from the chassis slot 52 relative to the insertion force. The catch 770 may be dimensioned to engage the slot 52 of the vehicle chassis 50 to further increase the extraction force. According to one embodiment, recesses may be formed on the feet 770 and/or the fingers 780 . For example, the notches or recesses may be formed by stamping one or more of the tabs and notches 242 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4).

According to one embodiment, the fastening device 10 may be assembled via a vehicle assembly method comprising the following steps in any suitable order:

attaching tether clip bracket 40 to body panel 70;

attaching the multi-strand reinforcement straps 222, 730 to the fastener clip 920;

coupling the multi-strand reinforcement straps 222, 730 to the tether hook 970 of the tether clip bracket 930;

attaching the fastener clip 920 to the vehicle chassis 50; and

Fastener clip 920 is coupled via insertion screw 1540 .

Among other advantages, the tether strap forms a loop to couple the entrainment strap coupler and the stent strap coupler. By forming the loop, other forms of attaching the tether strap to the fastener clip, such as by means of screws, are not required. The tether fastening device readily facilitates attachment of the vehicle chassis to the second engagement structure, while the integrated strap controls detachment of the vehicle chassis from the second engagement structure. The tether straps absorb deployment energy and decelerate the body panels in a controlled manner to avoid strap breakage. According to one embodiment, the belt has mesh reinforcements on the elastic material to reinforce the belt so that the belt resists breakage and does not allow the body panel to travel more than a predetermined distance. Since the tether clip includes an integrated strap, the body panel assembly can be pre-assembled in a single step with the strap and the tether clip already attached or ready for attachment to the vehicle chassis. As a result, a separate step of attaching the tether strap to the vehicle is not required. Because the tether strap is integrated into the tether clip and shipped to, for example, the car manufacturer for final assembly, the car manufacturer can omit the step of attaching the strap to the vehicle chassis because the tether strap is already integrated into the tether clip. Therefore, the assembly cost is reduced, thereby reducing the production cost of the manufacturer. In addition, the tether fastening device reduces the likelihood of incorrect attachment of the tether strap between the vehicle chassis and the second engagement structure because the tether strap has been integrated with the tether clip at one end and has been attached to a second engaging structure such as a body panel. In other words, the problem of inadvertently failing to attach a separate tether strap between the vehicle chassis and the body panel is greatly reduced or even eliminated. The tethers facilitate controlled disengagement of the body panels and vehicle chassis to allow deployment of the airbag, allowing the airbag to travel along a guide path that would otherwise be obstructed by the second engagement structure. Thus, the use of a tether fastening device reduces production costs and increases productivity and efficiency, while further improving reliability and safety. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize the use of the tether securing device in other applications such as aircraft, spacecraft, boats, furniture, and building construction.

It is to be understood that the practice of other variations and modifications of the invention in its various aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and that the invention is not limited by the specific examples described. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to cover any and all modifications, variations or equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the underlying principles disclosed and claimed herein.

Claims (35)

1. A tether fastening device for a body panel in an automobile, the tether fastening device comprising:

a fastener clip removably coupled to the automobile; and

a multi-lay reinforcement strap as a separate component having a first end and a second end coupled to the vehicle body panel such that the multi-lay reinforcement strap engages the fastener clip between the first end and the second end.

2. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the multi-lay reinforcement strap absorbs deployment energy and decelerates the body panel in a controlled manner to avoid breakage of the multi-lay reinforcement strap, and wherein the multi-lay reinforcement strap comprises a mesh reinforcement on an elastic material to strengthen the multi-lay reinforcement strap such that the multi-lay reinforcement strap resists breakage and does not allow the body panel to travel beyond a predetermined distance.

3. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein when the fastener clip engages the multi-twisted reinforcing band, the multi-twisted reinforcing band is inserted through the fastener clip and the fastener clip clamps the multi-twisted reinforcing band.

4. The tether fastening device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body panel further comprises: a cleat bracket removably coupled to the fastener clip.

5. The tether fastening device of claim 4, wherein the multi-twist reinforcing strap comprises a tether strap coupler at one or both ends of the multi-twist reinforcing strap, and the tether strap coupler is coupled to a strap slot formed on the cleat bracket.

6. The tether fastening device of claim 5, wherein the tether strap coupler and the strap slot are parallel.

7. The tether securing device of claim 5, wherein the tether strap coupler and the strap slot are orthogonally positioned such that the tether strap coupler can be inserted into the strap slot and the tether strap coupler will resist removal from the strap slot when rotated.

8. The tether fastening device of claim 5, wherein the tether strap coupler is in the shape of a T-bar, a ball, an arrow, a triangle, a square, or a hook for complementary engagement within the strap slot.

9. The tether fastening device of claim 4, wherein the multi-strand reinforcing strap is attached to the tether clip bracket by screws.

10. The tether fastening device of claim 4, wherein the multi-strand reinforcing strap is coupled to the tether clip bracket via a base of the fastener clip along one, two, three, or all four sides of the base.

11. The tether fastening device of claim 3, wherein the base of the fastener clip comprises a tether retention tab that retains the fastener clip by way of a corner or bend of the tether retention tab.

12. The tether fastening device of claim 11, wherein when the fastener clip engages the multi-stranded reinforcing band, the tether retention tabs spring inward while frictionally engaging the multi-stranded reinforcing band until the fastener clip is fully inserted and the fastener clip grips the multi-stranded reinforcing band.

13. The tether fastening device of claim 12, wherein once the multi-strand reinforcing bands are fully inserted into the fastener clip, the tether retention tabs expand via spring action to engage the multi-strand reinforcing bands.

14. The tether fastening device of claim 13, wherein when an engagement structure is clamped between a notch on the fastener clip and the tether retention tab, the notch on the fastener clip springs toward the engagement structure and pushes the engagement structure into the tether retention tab, thereby tightly clamping the multi-strand reinforcing band.

15. The tether fastening device of claim 5, wherein the multi-twist reinforcing strap comprises a grip formed to allow manipulation of the tether strap coupler into an engagement structure slot.

16. The tether fastening device of claim 15, wherein the grip is in the shape of a thickened end of the tether strap coupler.

17. The tether fastening device of claim 15, wherein the grip is shaped as an "X", "I", "T", "V", or "O".

18. The tether fastening device according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle body panel further comprises: a body panel bracket attached to the cleat bracket; and a body piece coupled to the body panel bracket.

19. The tether fastening device of claim 18, wherein the tether clip bracket and the body piece are attached via at least one of a weld, a rivet, a screw, a dog nest.

20. The tether fastening device of claim 18, wherein the body panel is attached to the body panel bracket by at least one of glue, rivets, screws, clips, pins and buckles, clamps.

21. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end of the strap are coupled to the vehicle body panel to form a continuous strap loop.

22. The tether fastening device according to claim 1, further comprising a cleat bracket detachably coupled to the vehicle body panel, wherein the cleat bracket further comprises a cleat for attachment to the strap.

23. The tether fastening device of claim 22, wherein the tether clip bracket further comprises an aperture and two arms adjacent to and surrounding the aperture to bend and absorb energy during deployment.

24. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the fastener clip further comprises a tether hook for attachment to the strap.

25. The tether fastening device of claim 24, wherein the fastener clip further comprises a panel retainer for insertion into a retaining slot in a vehicle chassis to further secure and stabilize the fastener clip into the vehicle chassis.

26. The tether fastening device of claim 25, wherein the panel retainer is a tab formed at an end of the tether hook.

27. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the strap comprises at least one of a nylon strap, a nylon mesh, a rope, a rubber strap, a cloth strap, a plastic strap, a metal strap, a cloth covered rubber strap, a twisted strap, a bungee cord, a cable, a strap, a ribbon, and a cable tie.

28. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the first end and the second end are attached at different points on the vehicle body panel.

29. The tether fastening device of claim 1, wherein the fastener clip is operable to be detached from the vehicle body panel such that the strap resists deflection of the fastener clip from the vehicle body panel.

30. The tether fastening device of claim 29, wherein the fastener clip is detached from the body panel while the strap prevents the body panel from traveling a maximum predetermined distance.

31. The tether fastening device according to claim 27, wherein the metal strap is a steel strap or an aluminum strap.

32. The tether fastening device of claim 28, further comprising: an attachment mode when the fastener clip is attached to the vehicle body panel; and a disassembly mode when the fastener clip is loosened from the vehicle body panel while being tethered with the strap.

33. A body panel and tether assembly for an automotive body structure, the body panel and tether assembly comprising:

a vehicle body panel; and

the tether fastening device according to any one of claims 1 to 31,

wherein the fastener clip is detachably coupled to the vehicle body panel, and wherein:

while in the attach mode:

the fastener clip being attached to the body panel and to the automotive body structure,

when in the disassembly mode:

the fastener clip is loosened from the vehicle body panel while being tethered with the strap.

34. A vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle chassis; and

the tether fastening device of any one of claims 1-31,

wherein the fastener clip is clipped to the vehicle chassis and detachably coupled to a body panel.

35. The vehicle of claim 34, wherein when in an attachment mode, the fastener clip is attached to the body panel and to the vehicle chassis, and when in a detachment mode, the fastener clip is unfastened from the body panel while being tethered with the strap such that the fastener clip remains coupled to the vehicle chassis.

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