초록 ▼

An instrument panel top cover with a seamless break-away air bag door made as a unitary composite from multiple layers of plastics by extruding a parison with inner and outer layers of different recyclable plastics having different physical characteristics but which are from the same plastics family

An instrument panel top cover with a seamless break-away air bag door made as a unitary composite from multiple layers of plastics by extruding a parison with inner and outer layers of different recyclable plastics having different physical characteristics but which are from the same plastics family. The parison is injected and expanded with low pressure gas and forming dies with door scoring tools are closed thereover. The plastics will resultantly conform to the shaping surfaces of the dies to form the composite while the perimeter of the air bag door is scored. A quantity of the plastic material interior of the door score lines is removed after the top cover is removed from the dies so that a seamless or hidden door is provided that can readily break open at the peripheral scores to augment air bag operation when the air bag is triggered.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A unitized soft feel top cover with an integral break away air bag door for finishing an instrument panel of a vehicle for transporting human occupants comprising (1) a support core of at least two relatively distinct thick inner layers of a recyclable first plastic mater

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A unitized soft feel top cover with an integral break away air bag door for finishing an instrument panel of a vehicle for transporting human occupants comprising (1) a support core of at least two relatively distinct thick inner layers of a recyclable first plastic material joined together having sufficient stiffness for support of said cover and having outermost surfaces and (2) a flexible and relatively thin outer layer of a recyclable second plastic material of the same family of materials as said first plastic material so that said first and second materials can be recycled together, said outer layer surrounding and joined to said outermost surfaces of said support core, said outer layer having an outer soft-feel surface, a break-away air bag exit door defined by perforations aligned to describe discrete peripheral edge portions of said door integrally formed in said top cover beneath the outer surface of said outer cover layer, said air bag door being invisible to an occupant of the vehicle and being integral with and hinged to the material of the top cover, said outer layer outer surface forms the surface of the instrument panel.