CA2204867C

CA2204867C - Interior trim component for motor vehicles

Info

Publication number: CA2204867C
Application number: CA 2204867
Authority: CA
Inventors: Helmut Bergers; Bernd Lamers
Original assignee: Deutsche Fibrit Gesellschaft Ebers and Dr Muller MbH
Current assignee: Deutsche Fibrit Gesellschaft Ebers and Dr Muller MbH
Priority date: 1994-11-09
Filing date: 1995-10-10
Publication date: 2000-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-10
Also published as: CA2204867A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an interior trim component, especially an instrument panel, for motor vehicles, which consists of a laminated foil or foam support having a recess for the passage of an airbag when the latter is triggered in the event of danger. The invention is characterized in that a reinforcing strip of sheet metal is riveted along the joining edge.

Description

WE/wa 94398 September 18, 1996 Interior trim component for motor vehicles The invention relates to an interior trim component, especially an instrument panel, for motor vehicles, which consists of a laminated foil or foam support having a recess for the passage of an airbag when the latter is triggered in the event of danger, with the recess being filled by a flap which is connected with the support in one piece over a part of its circumference by means of a joining edge, with a reinforcing strip of sheet metal being riveted along the joining edge onto the bottom side of the support.
It is known to provide in the support of the instrument panel a recess for the passage of an airbag in the event of a collision for the protection of the front seat passenger in a motor vehicle. A flap is inserted in this recess which was attached by way of a hinge on the support of the instrument panel at the edge of the recess. The flap is covered by the lamination of the instrument panel with a foam-coated plastic foil. The flap has also been produced as an integral component of the support of the instrument panel. However, this was only achieved to date in an arrangement which was provided with a relatively thick foam layer below the foil, so that the foil lamination does not draw into the gap between the instrument panel support and the flap, as is the case with thin foil laminations when they are drawn towards the support by means of vacuum. Both solutions are known from DE 44 18 172.8.
In the case of supports made from plastics with high dimensional stability under heat such as glass-fibre-reinforced thermoplastics there is the particular danger that as a result of the explosive opening the airbag flap tears off and will lead to injuries to the persons in the vehicle. To prevent this danger, additional catching belts were proposed. However, they cause a rather considerable additional amount of mounting work and additional weight.
The invention is therefore based on the object of providing an arrangement for an interior trim component such as an instrument panel or a door trim panel of a motor vehicle, but which also ensures that the flap does not detach from the support during the triggering of the airbag in the event of danger .
To achieve this object it is proposed in accordance with the invention in the interior trim component of the kind mentioned above that the riveted joint is formed by support material which flows during. the moulding process- of the support in rivet openings in the strip ofsheet metal.

2 In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided interior brim component for motor vehicles, which consists of a laminated foil or foamed support having a recess for the passage of a.n airbag (the latter being triggered in the event of danger), with the recess being filled by a flap which is connected with t:he support in one piece over a part of its circumference by means of a joining edge, with the joining edge being reinforced by a strip attached to the underside of the support along the joining edge, characterised in that the strip is a sheet metal which ha:~ rivet openings which during assembly of the trim component is pressed on mouldable support material, and after the support= material hardens, the strip is held tightly on the support by hardened support material which has f lowed into the rivet openings ~nihen pressed during assembly.
An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing.
Fig. 1 shows an instrument panel of a motor vehicle with an airbag flap in a top view and Fig. 2 shows a partial cross sectional view As is common, the i.nstrurnent panel 1 consists of a support 2 which is laminated with a foil. On the front seat passenger side a flap 5 is arranged which is integral with the support 2 over a part of its circumi_erenc~e . A strip of sheet metal 8 is riveted along the j oining edge 7 between the f lap 5 and the support 2 for reinforcement from below. While pressing on the strip 8 of sheet metal onto the joining edge 7, support material 10 flows through the rivet openings ~~ in t:he strip 8 of sheet metal and forms a rivet joint after thc~ curing. In this way it is possible to omit other rivets whose heads would become visible and impair the overall appearance. Other rivets could also injure the lamination. The attachment of the reinforcing strip of sheet metal can be made inexpensively during the production of the support which is ~_ntegral with the flap, i.e. without an additional working cycle.

Claims

1. Interior trim component for motor vehicles, which consists of a laminated foil or foamed support having a recess for the passage of an airbag (the latter being triggered in the event of danger), with the recess being filled by a flap which is connected with the support in one piece over a part of its circumference by means of a joining edge, with the joining edge being reinforced by a strip attached to the underside of the support along the joining edge, characterised in that the strip is a sheet metal which has rivet openings which during assembly of the trim component is pressed on mouldable support material, and after the support material hardens, the strip is held tightly on the support by hardened support material which has flowed into the rivet openings when pressed during assembly.

2. Interior trim component according to claim 1, characterised in that the rivet openings are arranged in the sheet metal strip in such a way that they extend along the joining edge and also on both sides of it in a uniform arrangement when the sheet metal strip is pressed onto the joining edge.

3. Interior trim component according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cross section of the rivet openings is smaller on a side of the sheet metal strip which is in contact with the support than on a side of the sheet metal strip facing away from the support.

4. Interior trim component according to one of claims 1 to 3, whereby the interior trim component is an instrument panel.