GB2262488A - A cover for an air bag. - Google Patents

A cover for an air bag. Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2262488A
GB2262488A GB9226121A GB9226121A GB2262488A GB 2262488 A GB2262488 A GB 2262488A GB 9226121 A GB9226121 A GB 9226121A GB 9226121 A GB9226121 A GB 9226121A GB 2262488 A GB2262488 A GB 2262488A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
cover
air bag
recess
color
sheet
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9226121A
Other versions
GB9226121D0 (en
Inventor
Keishi Yokota
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Takata Corp
Original Assignee
Takata Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Takata Corp filed Critical Takata Corp
Publication of GB9226121D0 publication Critical patent/GB9226121D0/en
Publication of GB2262488A publication Critical patent/GB2262488A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
    • B60R21/215—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/14—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles
    • B29C45/14778—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles the article consisting of a material with particular properties, e.g. porous, brittle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/30—Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof
    • B29L2031/3005—Body finishings
    • B29L2031/3038—Air bag covers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
    • B60R21/215—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member
    • B60R2021/21543—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member with emblems
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
    • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
    • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
    • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
    • B60R21/215—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member
    • B60R21/2165—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
    • B60R21/21656—Steering wheel covers or similar cup-shaped covers

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Air Bags (AREA)
  • Vehicle Waterproofing, Decoration, And Sanitation Devices (AREA)

Description

2262488
TITLE OF THE INVENTION Air Sag Cover With a Color Mark
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air bag cover with a color mark and, more in particular, it relates to an air bag cover with a color mark of enhanced sense of beauty, high quality feeling, good design, uniqueness and mark distinctiveness by applying an improvement to a mark portion.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
As shown in Fig. 2, an air bag device is disposed to a central portion of a steering wheel S of a vehicle such as an automobile that actuates, inflates and extends by detecting impact shock, deformaLion, etc. upon collision of the vehicle. In the air bag device, an inflator and an air bag are attached to a mounting plate generally referred to as a retainer, and an air bag cover 1 is attached so as to cover them.
Fig. 3 is a schematic front elevational view partially in cross section illustrating a state in which an air bag cover 1 is attached to an air bag device, in which there are shown the air bag cover 1, an air bag 2, an 1 inflator 3, a ring retainer 4, a base retainer 5, a plate 6 and rivets 7.
The air bag cover 1 is mainly composed of a synthetic resin such as a thermoplastic resin. In a case of a dual-layered cover, the cover comprises an outer layer (skin layer) 1A and an inner layer (core layer) 1B made of a resin with a higher hardness than that of the outer layer 1A. In a single-layered cover, the cover is entirely composed of a single synthetic resin.
In the cover of this type, a net is often embedded in order to prevent scattering upon extension or for the reinforcement of the cover.
Such an air bag cover is generally manufactured by a RIM (reaction injection molding) process or an injection molding process. In the case of a cover having a dual-layered structure, an insert injection moulding process is adopted of previously molding an inner layer, attaching the molding product to a molding die for the outer layer and injection molding an outer layer material comprising a thermoplastic polymer into an outer layer portion. Two-color injection molding is also adopted to mold the dual-layered structure, which has the following processes; molding an inner layer, then separating a cavity die, attaching a separate new cavity die having an outer layer space continuously without detaching the inner layer molding product from the 2 die and injection molding the outer layer material. In the case of the cover of a single-layered structure, the RDI molding process or single color molding process is employed.
In the molding, a net is often disposed previously in the die.
In the air bag cover, marks such as symbols or letters are attached to the outer surface, for example, with an aim. of distinguishing products. Heretofore, the mark is formed by providing unevenness to the outer surface of the cover.
That is, in the air bag cover, since it is necessary to reliably prevent danger due to the scattering upon extension, marking :, by means of adhesion or embedding of a rigid plate such as a metal plate can not be adopted and marking is applied by means of the unevenness as described above.
In a case of forming a mark by disposing an unevenness to a portion of an outer layer upon molding, although an unevenness formed to the marked portion can provide a mark having a high quality feeling to some extent, the color of the marked portion is identical with that of the peripheral portion and, accordingly, the sense of beauty, high quality feeling and design can notbe said to be suffient. In addition. the mark formed by the unevenness made of the resin of the same material has a disadvantage that it is difficult to be distinguished and can not be confirmed easily depending on the state of illumination.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems in the prior art and provide an air bag cover having a mark of enhanced sense of beauty, high quality feeling, design and uniqueness, capable of being distinguished easily and free from the worry of detachment, and which can be manufactured efficiently.
An air bag cover with a color mark according to the first aspect of the present invention has a recess of a predetermined mark configuration disposed to the outer surface of the cover made of a synthetic resin, wherein a color sheet is embedded in the synthetic resin such that it is exposed to the bottom of the recess.
An air bag cover with a color mark according to the second aspect of the present invention is as defined in the first aspect, wherein a net is embedded in the synthetic resin and the color sheet-is joined with the net.
In the air bag cover with a color mark in accordance with the present invention, since the color sheet is exposed to the bottom face of the recess portion, - 4 a color mark colored at the bottom of the recess is formed.
Since the color mark can be made different from the outer layer in view of tone, luster and feeling of mass, it is enhanced in the sense of beauty and high quality feeling, and can be distinguished easily. In addition, the color mark is free from the worry of detaching and can be improved with the design and uniqueness in view of the shape of the recess and the color of the outer layer, as well as in comparison with the color of the color sheet. Further, the color mark can be upon molding by previously disposing a predetermined position in a die. Since the mark can be assembled into a series manufactured easily color sheet at a the formation of of molding steps and no additional steps are required for the formation of the mark, efficient production is enabled.
In the air bag cover with 'the color mark in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the color sheet is joined with the reinforcing net, when the resin is filled in the die during molding of the cover, the color sheet is not forced out by the flow of the resin. Accordingly, the color sheet can reiiably be disposed at the bottom of the recess.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1A is a perspective view illustrating an air bag - cover with a color mark as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; Fig. 1B is an enlarged view for a cross section along line B-B in Fig. IA; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a steering wheel attached with an air bag cover; Fig. 3 is a schematic front elevational. view partly in cross section illustrating a state in which the air bag cover is attached to the air bag; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a die illustrating a cover molding process; Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a method of fixing a color sheet to a net; Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating an another embodiment of an air bag cover with a color mark according to the present invention; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the air bag cover with the color mark shown in Fig. 6 in a broken state.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Description will now be made more specifically to preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
An air bag cover 8 shown in Fig. 1 has a 6 - color mark 12 formed therein with a recess 10 concaved from the outer surface and a color sheet 11 embedded in the synthetic resin so as to be exposed to the bottom of the recess 10.
It may suffice that the color sheet 11 has a size enough to cover an area slightly greater than the bottom area of the recess 10D. In this embodiment, the periphery of the color sheet 11 is fixed to the surface of a net 9 by means of welding or adhesion.
The air bag cover 8 with the color mark as described above can be manufactured, for example, as shown below. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, the color sheet 11 is at first placed on a predetermined position of the net 9 and the entire circumference is integrated with the net 9 by means of welding (11A in Fig. 5 denotes a weld portion). Then, as shown in Fig. 4, the net 9 having the color sheet 11 welded thereto is arranged at a predetermined position in a cavity defined with dies 13 and 14 and a synthetic resin is injection molded. Furt'i'ler, a protrusion 13A for forming the mark is disposed to the die 13 on one side and the synthetic resin is injected in a state where the protrusion 13A is in close contact with the color sheet 11.
The cover in this embodiment has a single-layered structure manufactured by a single color molding process but the cover of the present invention is applicable also to a cover of the dual-layered structure shown in Fig. 3. In this case, an inner layer is molded, for example, such that the color sheet is exposed to the outer surface of the inner layer and, subsequently, an outer layer is formed such that a recess (a portion with no synthetic resin) of a predetermined mark configuration is formed above the portion of the color sheet.
In the air bag cover according to the present invention, the material usable for the c6lor sheet may include a resin sheet capable of withstanding the injection molding temperature, for example, a polyester sheet.
There is no particular restriction on the synthetic resin material as the main material constituting the cover and any of those employed so far, for example, urethane can be used. As for the net, usual material such as polyester net may be used. The net is not always necessary.
Further, there is no particular restriction on the kind (letter, symbol, graphics) and the size of the mark in the present invention and the mark may be formed in other portions.
If linear recesses 22 are disposed as the mark each at a portion corresponding to the cover turn back position upon breakage of the air bag containing cover 20 along tear lines 21 as shown in Fig. 6, it can also 8 provide an advantageous effect that the cover can be broken with a preferable bending due to the presence of the linear recesses 22 as shown in Fig. 7 to improve the extending performance of the air bag.
As has been described above specifically, according to the air ba-,, cover with the color mark of the present invention, it can provide an air bag containing cover with a color mark of enhanced sense of beauty, high quality feeling, good design and uniqueness, capable of being distinguished easily and also excellent in durability.
Since the color sheet is prevented from movement upon molding, the air bag cover with the color mark to the present invention can be manufactured at a high yield, reliably and efficiently, and remarkable cost reduction can be attained for.the products.
according 9

Claims (6)

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS
1. A cover for covering an air bag comprising a main body made of a synthetic resin, a recess of a predetermined mark shape which is concaved from the surface of the cover main body and a color sheet disposed to the bottom of said recess, exposed to the outside at a central portion thereof at the bottom of said recess and embedded at the peripheral portion thereof in the synthetic resin surrounding said recess.
2. A cover as defined in claim 1, wherein a net is embedded in the synthetic resin and the color sheet is joined with the net.
3. A cover as defined in claim 1, wherein the color sheet is a polyester sheet.
4. A cover as defined in claim 2, wherein the color sheet is a resin sheet and welded to the net.
5. A cover as defined in claim 1, wherein the cover has a dual-layered structure having a soft outer layer and a hard inner layer, in which the color sheet is disposed at the boundary between the inner layer and the outer layer, and the recess is disposed passing through the outer layer.
6. A cover as defined in claim 1, wherein the recess is disposed linearly at a portion corresponding to a cover turn back position when the air bag is extended and the cover is broken so that the breaking cover can be bent easily.
A cover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying description and Figures 1A, 1B, 4 and 5; o-- Fig-ures 6 and 7 of the drawings.
11
GB9226121A 1991-12-17 1992-12-15 A cover for an air bag. Withdrawn GB2262488A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP3333412A JPH05162606A (en) 1991-12-17 1991-12-17 Color-marked cover for air bag storage

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9226121D0 GB9226121D0 (en) 1993-02-10
GB2262488A true GB2262488A (en) 1993-06-23

Family

ID=18265826

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9226121A Withdrawn GB2262488A (en) 1991-12-17 1992-12-15 A cover for an air bag.

Country Status (5)

Country Link
JP (1) JPH05162606A (en)
CA (1) CA2084723A1 (en)
DE (1) DE4242117A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2684940A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2262488A (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0615888A1 (en) * 1993-03-17 1994-09-21 Morton International, Inc. Cover for airbag
US5487557A (en) * 1993-10-20 1996-01-30 Larry J. Winget Air bag cover having an applique fastened thereto and method of manufacturing same
US5678851A (en) * 1995-04-28 1997-10-21 Nihon Plast Co., Ltd. Airbag module cover
DE102004045757A1 (en) * 2004-09-21 2006-04-06 Trw Automotive Safety Systems Gmbh Method for producing a vehicle interior trim part, and vehicle interior trim part
US8459713B2 (en) 2010-08-09 2013-06-11 Autoliv Asp, Inc. Assembly for attaching an emblem onto an airbag storage compartment cover

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4343738A1 (en) * 1993-12-21 1995-06-22 Johann Berger Vehicle airbag
US6105999A (en) * 1997-10-06 2000-08-22 Serigraph, Inc. Airbag cover assembly
ES2292419T3 (en) * 2000-12-13 2008-03-16 Cie Automotive, S.A. PROCEDURE OF MANUFACTURE OF SUPPORT COVERS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.
DE102007026863B4 (en) * 2006-06-16 2016-02-18 Trw Automotive Safety Systems Gmbh Airbag cover for a vehicle occupant restraint system
DE102009049358A1 (en) * 2009-10-14 2011-04-28 GM Global Technology Operations, Inc., Detroit Interior cladding element i.e. instrument panel, for motor vehicle, has textile layer that is firm in airbag flap and designed to be elastically expandable, where opening and elasticity of layer are matched relative to each other

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0443145A (en) * 1990-06-08 1992-02-13 Takata Kk Module cover for air bag device
DE9011350U1 (en) * 1990-08-02 1990-11-15 Autoliv-Kolb GmbH & Co, 85221 Dachau Vehicle steering wheel with integrated airbag

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0615888A1 (en) * 1993-03-17 1994-09-21 Morton International, Inc. Cover for airbag
US5487557A (en) * 1993-10-20 1996-01-30 Larry J. Winget Air bag cover having an applique fastened thereto and method of manufacturing same
US5529336A (en) * 1993-10-20 1996-06-25 Larry J. Winget Air bag cover having an applique fastened thereto
US5678851A (en) * 1995-04-28 1997-10-21 Nihon Plast Co., Ltd. Airbag module cover
DE102004045757A1 (en) * 2004-09-21 2006-04-06 Trw Automotive Safety Systems Gmbh Method for producing a vehicle interior trim part, and vehicle interior trim part
US8459713B2 (en) 2010-08-09 2013-06-11 Autoliv Asp, Inc. Assembly for attaching an emblem onto an airbag storage compartment cover

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH05162606A (en) 1993-06-29
CA2084723A1 (en) 1993-06-18
FR2684940A1 (en) 1993-06-18
GB9226121D0 (en) 1993-02-10
DE4242117A1 (en) 1993-06-24

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)